A young dragon had taken to dining on the sheep of a human village, snatching one each evening. As the dragon was about to grab his 14th sheep, an adventurer, whose physical strength was legendary, ambushed him.
"I will subdue you with my bare hands, then by the gods' decree you shall become my slave and bedevil innocent people no more!" the human declared.
The dragon laughed, but his mirth faded as he came to realize he had underestimated the human. The adventurer was winning the battle.
At the very last moment, just as the dragon was about to surrender, a beautiful maiden appeared. She declared her undying love for the heroic man and ran up and kissed him. The adventurer was so distracted that the dragon ended up victorious.
The maiden was actually the dragon's love who had shapeshifted into human form. The two dragons then celebrated by eating the adventurer's corpse. The sheep were spared that day, but for the next little while, the village lost TWO sheep each evening. (Art by Henry Justice Ford.)
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