Part Three Marginalia

<br>Consists of six separate pages: <br>Page 1: <br>"Part Three Marginalia. The tavern town has been torched, presumably by the dragon from the last illustration. The dragon even attacks the road where Mervin is, and Mervin flees from a wall of flame. The townsfolk approach the top-heavy hero with his loins girded in beard and beg him for help. Top-Heavy Hero starts off on his quest, but Mervin grips the man's hand and tries to haul the hero to a stop. Mervin points back at the comfy egg in his wagon. Mervin won't stop shouting about the egg, but Top-Heavy Hero doesn't want to listen to Mervin." <br>Page 2: <br>"Top-Heavy Hero gets properly angry. His expression has chasm-like wrinkles of rage, and he spouts poisonous rhetoric of death. As Top-Heavy Hero marches to kill the dragon, Mervin heaves on the beard-cloth. But Mervin doesn't have the heft to stop this murder machine, so he and the egg-filled wagon are dragged along by Top-Heavy Hero's heedless determination. Behind him, the adventurers and the chef hide behind a low brick wall and plot. Top-Heavy Hero climbs a cliff face, pulling Mervin and the egg up with him. Above the hero, a round mountain sheep watches the amateur attempt, and below the hero, the adventurers and the chef watch their meal get away. Later, a hand emerges from a pool of water holding a sword. Then a woman with long, flowing hair holds the sword, its blade across both her palms, and bows her head." <br>Page 3: <br>"The Lady of the Lake holds the sword toward Top-Heavy Hero. He looks back at Mervin, who is losing his gosh-dang mind. Mervin has hearts instead of eyeballs and shouts some nonsense about a sword stuck in an anvil. Top-Heavy Hero takes no notice and tosses the sword away, startling the Lady of the Lake and forcing Mervin to duck behind his hat to avoid getting hit. Top-Heavy Hero crouches to whisper in the Lady of the Lake's ear. She seems flustered and flattered. She seizes one of the hero's meaty fists and gleefully pulls him into her lake. The adventurers and the chef unsuccessfully attempt to pull the lady's sword from where it has buried itself in the dirt." <br>Page 4: <br>"Mervin struggles up the mountain alone, hauling the swaddled egg in the wagon behind him. Mervin approaches a door plastered with signs that say 'Go Away!' and 'Beware of Dragon!' He reaches for the doorknob. Later, the egg-hunting crew peeks through the now-open door. Mervin tiptoes past the head of a sleeping mother dragon, who seems beset with sad dreams. As Mervin places the egg into the nearby nest, complete with its knit hat, the dragon's eyes snap open. Mervin flees, barely holding on to his hat, as the dragon lunges for him with gaping jaws." <br>Page 5: <br>"The dragon snaps her jaws onto Mervin, even taking some shreds out of his hat. Before she swallows, the dragon notices her shining, pristinely protected egg. She spits Mervin out and begins administering chest compressions. He remains unresponsive, and she pulls out her automated external defibrillator." <br>Page 6: <br>"The dragon gently breathes some fire on her egg. The egg hatches! Unlike its mother, the hatchling is not long and serpentine, but pudgy and egg-shaped. It has very round eyes and teeny wings much too small for its body. The dragon and her hatchling weep over Mervin's motionless body, and the egg-hunting crew doff their helmets and hold them out of respect for the presumed dead. The chef pulls out the healing potion he found at Mervin's table. The chef is a chef, and therefore unskilled with healing, so he dumps the contents of the bottle directly onto Mervin's face. Without getting up, Mervin lifts one particular finger to show what he thinks of the reception he received. The dragon smiles, the hatchling bounces with glee, and one of the adventurers high-fives the chef." <br>(Alt-text description from the epub source)