This is a story about a ferocious swamp dragon.
His name was Momoto Gazeragath the Viscious.
Most do not remember this name that was once only uttered in whispers, in fear of summoning the demon beast to wreak hell upon them all. However, the Legend of Momoto is a timeless tale in some regions of the world....and it is very hard to tell exactly how long ago it might have actually originated. It is thought to be at least 4,000 years old.
Momoto is said to have stood so tall that his head broke through the clouds, and when he spread his wings he blocked out the sunlight, casting darkness for miles across the land! He wiped out entire populations with a single breath of putrid gas. He spit acid that was said to have devoured a whole mountain til nothing remained but a disgusting, bubbling lake of venomous ooze.
His scales were said to be born of Emerald or Jade, and that if any man were to touch one they would be incurably poisoned and certainly die. To hear his voice meant losing your sanity, and his very steps shook the earth.
The terror of Momoto's reign lasted for perhaps thousands of years, according to the legends....he took what he wished from the human populace and destroyed at his liesure.
Many thought peace would never come, for every warrior that set out to slay the beast was never heard from again...
However, there was ONE man who they say banished the monster forever. They say he was a Sorceror....a Wizard of immense power...
And they say that somehow, this one man brought peace to all the world.
The sky is dreary and grey with clouds as an acidic rains washes over Momoto's Valley, where his swamps bubbled and stewed for him, encircled by seemingly impregnable moutains. He lay nestled in the stinking waters of the swamps, letting the acid rain wash over his scaly hide. It was much like a cleansing shower of sorts for the massive dragon.
And he WAS massive. Maybe not as big as the legends would say, humans do tend to exaggerate....but he was still pretty big. Even for a dragon. He was certainly big enough to topple a castle with little effort, and his large bulk inhabited about 1/8 of the entirety of his swampy hideaway.
This particular day....he was simply relaxing. He had his mile wide wingspan fully extended to catch the rain as if he were sunning himself on a rock. It had been mere days after he'd laid waste to yet another village who refused to tithe and bow to him. No village had ever agreed to bow to him, so every village to date had been destroyed.
He was, as always, untroubled by his wicked deeds. Not a single evil thought weighed heavy on his soul.
He uses a huge claw to flick away a lizard that he spies making its way across a log floating in the water below his left eye, grinning as he raises his head from the swampy waters to look over his secluded domain. He grumbled happily....
Then, he suddenly felt as if something in the air had changed. As if something was coming...or already here. Water was still dripping from his finned dragonic head as he searched the forest immediately around him. He definitely smelled man-flesh.
"Come out, Human, and your death will be swift," he said. "I am impressed you made it so far into my sanctuary undetected. Show yourself, and I may bid you welcome..."
The tone in the creature's voice suggested perhaps the intruder would not be so welcome as he claimed. He continues to look down through the treetops, scanning the swampy forest for the unseen presence.
A silent moment passes before the deep voice of a man echoes from the trees.
"Very well then. I suppose no harm will come from showing you who I am."
The man stood hooded and robed in vestments of greys and browns, with belts and loops that had various bags or pouches hanging from them. He steadies himself with a rather ornate walking stick crafted from silver and inlaid with blue gemstones. The man speaks with confidence and conviction even though he hides his face.
"Momoto Gazeragath, I have come to punish you for your wicked and thoughtless destruction of lives and property, and end you're reign for all time."
As the man spoke, Momoto had lowered his head down into the trees so he could get a better look at this human. When the man fell silent, the massive dragon could not stifle a chuckle of dark amusement.
"Fool....a whole army could not kill me, let alone a single man like yourself. Whoever sent you here has surely sent you to your death."
Momoto chuckles in quiet amusement again, blowing a gust of foul wind at the tiny man standing before him.
"I am not merely a dragon, Mortal....I am a God. Do you not see" I do not require material fortunes and I do not possess an army to conquer, and yet I reign over this world through my own power alone. I am feared even by other dragons, of whom you'd have no hope of defeating either. You're quest will end in failure. You are a fool for coming here, and twice the fool for thinking you would be the one to slay me when thousands before you have fallen. Extraordinary!!" He pauses for a moment in thought, then continues,"Tell me your name, human, so perhaps I may recall you one day to amuse myself with the memory of your bold arrogance! Since you shan't leave a single mark or scar upon me, please at least leave me your name in memory!"
The hooded man stood silent while the dragon spoke. He was like a statue before he slowly raised a hand and pulled back his hood, revealing that he was nothing more than a rather ordinary looking man. He was middle-aged and was balding in a monkly way, starting at the top of his head. He seemed to have a faint smile on his face as he looked up to the beast defiantly, and his eyes were the purest of whites. Infinitely white.
"You will not have any use for my name, Momoto, for you shall never see me again. However, you are mistaken. I never said that I had come here to kill you."
Momoto blinks as the man reaches into his robes and pulls out a tiny green toy. Momoto can hardly make out that it is a dragon plushie, made for a human child. The nameless stranger continues to speak.
"Listen here dragon....I have been sent here to punish you, and I shall. This is justice, nothing less."
The man nodded as the staff he held suddenly exploded in a bright blue light, bathing everything in it's radiance. This included Momoto's giant head, and the tiny green plush dragon.
Momoto's eyes widened as he reared backed, realizing that the blue light was creeping down his neck to his body. It worked its way from scale to scale....each spine on his back lit up and each appendage burned with blue radiance as it continued to consume him.
The dragon appeared to be visibly panicked, and his excitement was causing the mountains to rumble and the swamps to churn violently around the strange man.
"What is this!" What have you DONE!!" Momoto cries out in terror, feeling fear for the first time in his long life as he looks down at his tail....the blue light spreading almost to the very tip. "What are you DOING to ME..."
The nameless man stood in the face of the raging swamps and the quaking mountains, and smiled calmy as he simply replied:
"Punishment."
Then he disappeared taking with him the strange blue light and, seemingly, the massive bulk of the dragon Momoto Gazeragath, as well. However, after the swamps had settled and the mountains lay quiet again....there was a rustling of grass that broke the stillness....and a squeak"
"Fool! I knew he couldn't destroy me. Humans...pfuh....they like to put on a marvellous show then fizzle out like nothing ever happened. Figures!"
The small dragon plush toy stumbles out from the tall swamp reeds just as the faint blue glow faded away from its green cloth. It took Momoto a few moments but inevitably he did notice something was amiss.
He flapped his wings, quickly realizing that as hard as he flapped no progress was made. He twisted and turned, then realized his wings were too small even for him to see!
He whimpered in panic as he looks down at his body....squeaking in sudden shock to see green fabric where there had once been indestructible emerald scales!!
As the reality of the situation slowly sank in....Momoto Gazeragath the Vicious passed out in disbelief....also, another first time experience in his already long life.
.....
The beast would awaken later in his new form, realizing that he'd been relieved of his great and immense power. He was a small, green, stuffed, painted, and cuddly dragon toy.
A TOY.
He knew immediately what his intended punishment was meant to be:
"To walk the earth forever with unlimited power, trapped in a powerless body. He would be immortal, yet unable to achieve his destiny....for all eternity."
It was a cruel punishment indeed. Momoto would regain a small part of his initial power, but nothing that even approached the fearsome powers he once commanded. He could not use his greater magics to break the curse, indeed it seemed that the only one who could possibly break this horrible spell was the man who cast it....the man who had himself vowed that Momoto would never see again.
Time soon passed, as it always does....and over the years Momoto's reign was eventually forgotten. Now all that remains of those dark days are legends, such as this one I've just told you. No one knows if Momoto survives to this day, but as far as the legends go he is to walk the earth forever unchanged....so it can be assumed he lives, don't you think"
As for the nameless wizard...the Hero of our story....well, no one ever did figure out where he came from or who he was. Maybe we'll never know.
Or maybe we will.
The End
His name was Momoto Gazeragath the Viscious.
Most do not remember this name that was once only uttered in whispers, in fear of summoning the demon beast to wreak hell upon them all. However, the Legend of Momoto is a timeless tale in some regions of the world....and it is very hard to tell exactly how long ago it might have actually originated. It is thought to be at least 4,000 years old.
Momoto is said to have stood so tall that his head broke through the clouds, and when he spread his wings he blocked out the sunlight, casting darkness for miles across the land! He wiped out entire populations with a single breath of putrid gas. He spit acid that was said to have devoured a whole mountain til nothing remained but a disgusting, bubbling lake of venomous ooze.
His scales were said to be born of Emerald or Jade, and that if any man were to touch one they would be incurably poisoned and certainly die. To hear his voice meant losing your sanity, and his very steps shook the earth.
The terror of Momoto's reign lasted for perhaps thousands of years, according to the legends....he took what he wished from the human populace and destroyed at his liesure.
Many thought peace would never come, for every warrior that set out to slay the beast was never heard from again...
However, there was ONE man who they say banished the monster forever. They say he was a Sorceror....a Wizard of immense power...
And they say that somehow, this one man brought peace to all the world.
The sky is dreary and grey with clouds as an acidic rains washes over Momoto's Valley, where his swamps bubbled and stewed for him, encircled by seemingly impregnable moutains. He lay nestled in the stinking waters of the swamps, letting the acid rain wash over his scaly hide. It was much like a cleansing shower of sorts for the massive dragon.
And he WAS massive. Maybe not as big as the legends would say, humans do tend to exaggerate....but he was still pretty big. Even for a dragon. He was certainly big enough to topple a castle with little effort, and his large bulk inhabited about 1/8 of the entirety of his swampy hideaway.
This particular day....he was simply relaxing. He had his mile wide wingspan fully extended to catch the rain as if he were sunning himself on a rock. It had been mere days after he'd laid waste to yet another village who refused to tithe and bow to him. No village had ever agreed to bow to him, so every village to date had been destroyed.
He was, as always, untroubled by his wicked deeds. Not a single evil thought weighed heavy on his soul.
He uses a huge claw to flick away a lizard that he spies making its way across a log floating in the water below his left eye, grinning as he raises his head from the swampy waters to look over his secluded domain. He grumbled happily....
Then, he suddenly felt as if something in the air had changed. As if something was coming...or already here. Water was still dripping from his finned dragonic head as he searched the forest immediately around him. He definitely smelled man-flesh.
"Come out, Human, and your death will be swift," he said. "I am impressed you made it so far into my sanctuary undetected. Show yourself, and I may bid you welcome..."
The tone in the creature's voice suggested perhaps the intruder would not be so welcome as he claimed. He continues to look down through the treetops, scanning the swampy forest for the unseen presence.
A silent moment passes before the deep voice of a man echoes from the trees.
"Very well then. I suppose no harm will come from showing you who I am."
The man stood hooded and robed in vestments of greys and browns, with belts and loops that had various bags or pouches hanging from them. He steadies himself with a rather ornate walking stick crafted from silver and inlaid with blue gemstones. The man speaks with confidence and conviction even though he hides his face.
"Momoto Gazeragath, I have come to punish you for your wicked and thoughtless destruction of lives and property, and end you're reign for all time."
As the man spoke, Momoto had lowered his head down into the trees so he could get a better look at this human. When the man fell silent, the massive dragon could not stifle a chuckle of dark amusement.
"Fool....a whole army could not kill me, let alone a single man like yourself. Whoever sent you here has surely sent you to your death."
Momoto chuckles in quiet amusement again, blowing a gust of foul wind at the tiny man standing before him.
"I am not merely a dragon, Mortal....I am a God. Do you not see" I do not require material fortunes and I do not possess an army to conquer, and yet I reign over this world through my own power alone. I am feared even by other dragons, of whom you'd have no hope of defeating either. You're quest will end in failure. You are a fool for coming here, and twice the fool for thinking you would be the one to slay me when thousands before you have fallen. Extraordinary!!" He pauses for a moment in thought, then continues,"Tell me your name, human, so perhaps I may recall you one day to amuse myself with the memory of your bold arrogance! Since you shan't leave a single mark or scar upon me, please at least leave me your name in memory!"
The hooded man stood silent while the dragon spoke. He was like a statue before he slowly raised a hand and pulled back his hood, revealing that he was nothing more than a rather ordinary looking man. He was middle-aged and was balding in a monkly way, starting at the top of his head. He seemed to have a faint smile on his face as he looked up to the beast defiantly, and his eyes were the purest of whites. Infinitely white.
"You will not have any use for my name, Momoto, for you shall never see me again. However, you are mistaken. I never said that I had come here to kill you."
Momoto blinks as the man reaches into his robes and pulls out a tiny green toy. Momoto can hardly make out that it is a dragon plushie, made for a human child. The nameless stranger continues to speak.
"Listen here dragon....I have been sent here to punish you, and I shall. This is justice, nothing less."
The man nodded as the staff he held suddenly exploded in a bright blue light, bathing everything in it's radiance. This included Momoto's giant head, and the tiny green plush dragon.
Momoto's eyes widened as he reared backed, realizing that the blue light was creeping down his neck to his body. It worked its way from scale to scale....each spine on his back lit up and each appendage burned with blue radiance as it continued to consume him.
The dragon appeared to be visibly panicked, and his excitement was causing the mountains to rumble and the swamps to churn violently around the strange man.
"What is this!" What have you DONE!!" Momoto cries out in terror, feeling fear for the first time in his long life as he looks down at his tail....the blue light spreading almost to the very tip. "What are you DOING to ME..."
The nameless man stood in the face of the raging swamps and the quaking mountains, and smiled calmy as he simply replied:
"Punishment."
Then he disappeared taking with him the strange blue light and, seemingly, the massive bulk of the dragon Momoto Gazeragath, as well. However, after the swamps had settled and the mountains lay quiet again....there was a rustling of grass that broke the stillness....and a squeak"
"Fool! I knew he couldn't destroy me. Humans...pfuh....they like to put on a marvellous show then fizzle out like nothing ever happened. Figures!"
The small dragon plush toy stumbles out from the tall swamp reeds just as the faint blue glow faded away from its green cloth. It took Momoto a few moments but inevitably he did notice something was amiss.
He flapped his wings, quickly realizing that as hard as he flapped no progress was made. He twisted and turned, then realized his wings were too small even for him to see!
He whimpered in panic as he looks down at his body....squeaking in sudden shock to see green fabric where there had once been indestructible emerald scales!!
As the reality of the situation slowly sank in....Momoto Gazeragath the Vicious passed out in disbelief....also, another first time experience in his already long life.
.....
The beast would awaken later in his new form, realizing that he'd been relieved of his great and immense power. He was a small, green, stuffed, painted, and cuddly dragon toy.
A TOY.
He knew immediately what his intended punishment was meant to be:
"To walk the earth forever with unlimited power, trapped in a powerless body. He would be immortal, yet unable to achieve his destiny....for all eternity."
It was a cruel punishment indeed. Momoto would regain a small part of his initial power, but nothing that even approached the fearsome powers he once commanded. He could not use his greater magics to break the curse, indeed it seemed that the only one who could possibly break this horrible spell was the man who cast it....the man who had himself vowed that Momoto would never see again.
Time soon passed, as it always does....and over the years Momoto's reign was eventually forgotten. Now all that remains of those dark days are legends, such as this one I've just told you. No one knows if Momoto survives to this day, but as far as the legends go he is to walk the earth forever unchanged....so it can be assumed he lives, don't you think"
As for the nameless wizard...the Hero of our story....well, no one ever did figure out where he came from or who he was. Maybe we'll never know.
Or maybe we will.
The End