There once was a village at the foot of a mountain.  This in itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but this mountain was no ordinary mountain.  A cave high up this peak was home to a particularly nasty and ancient dragon.  And yet, this town was able to thrive in the shadow of such a fearsome beast.

  The reason why this was so was not known to many, but a few did know the secret.  Atop the steeple of the town church was a small gem.  Inside this gem was inscribed a rune, a magical mark in the shape of a shield.  The power of the magic instilled within this gem protected the town from any attacks the dragon tried.

  All was well and good, until a wandering warrior discovered the secret of this town.  A gem that granted protection from even dragon fire?  Such a thing would enable this warrior to gain true glory and let him drink deep of battle.  He decided that as a warrior dedicated to the eradication of all evil, this magical wonder would do far more good in his possession than sitting around some silly town.

  The warrior managed under cover of night to steal the gem from atop the church, where it was firmly attached to the steeple.  It took some doing, but the warrior managed to wrest the gemstone from its perch.  This rune stone he attached to a chain and clasp, and he wore it about his neck.  He could feel the mighty protective magic as it covered his person.

  Of course, the Warrior knew the other 'secret' of the town, the fierce dragon that dwelt not even a day's ride from town.  The Warrior stole out of town, and headed up the mountain.  Perhaps this was how he meant to pay the town for his little dishonorable theft; by his slaying of the mighty beast.  It is far more likely, however, that he sought only the glory of the battle.

  When the Warrior reached the Dragon's lair, he found that the stories were indeed true.  The beast was massive!  It could easily crush an army!  But the rune stone had the power to protect an entire village, so the Warrior had no fear.  He called the beast to battle, taunting it as nothing but a whelp!

  The dragon did not take kindly to this insolence, and belched out a stream of fire that blackened the cave walls with soot.  The warrior cringed instinctively when the dragon fire engulfed him, but when the flames abated, he was wholly intact.  The protective rune stone was truly a wonder!

  The dragon stared for a bit in disbelief, wondering why there wasn't a mere pile of ash before it now.  As it pondered, the Warrior drew his blade and began to hack at the beast's foot, which was about the same size as he.  As the sword bounced harmlessly off the thick scales of the dragon's foot, the Dragon tried to silence this nuisance again, this time slashing the impudent little fool with its razor sharp claws!  But again, to no avail.

  The Warrior continued his attacks, which also proved of little use.  This beast needed to be felled with a more strategic blow than a simple slash. So the Warrior gathered his strength to do a leaping strike at a higher, and hopefully more vulnerable point of the beast.

  It was a mighty leap indeed and a massive strike.  The scales of the dragon actually gave way to the blow, and the dragon started to bleed, something it had not done for ages.  The warrior felt more confident now that this monster could indeed be beaten, with the magic of the rune keeping him from harm.  His confidence, however, soon waned.

  As the warrior landed from his jumping blow, the force of the landing loosed the rune stone from the cheap clasp he had used to attach it to his necklace.  The stone fell to the rocky ground of the cave, and the Warrior learned why the stone had been so firmly attached to the town's steeple.  For the gemstone was as brittle as glass, and shattered into a thousand fragments upon the rocky cave floor.  The magic sands which had formed the shield rune scattered about as a strange breeze ran through the cave.

  The dragon, quite upset from having been made to bleed, did as any ancient wyrm would do to such a pest.  It stepped on him.  Without the power of the rune, this was quite a fatal blow to the Warrior.

  As his spirit rose to the heavens to face judgment, he could see the dragon heading out of the cave, muttering about how it would take it's revenge on this impudent intruder on the town below...

  Perhaps in some future life this Warrior may learn the lesson he failed to grasp in this one...
 

 When you put your own needs ahead of the community, it can lead to ruin.