Chapter 5: Ch. 5: Ukrainian Ironbelly Dragon.
A subtle shift in Jon's expression betrayed his concern. It appeared the goblin had deduced that Jon's withdrawal from Gibbon's vault was not entirely legitimate and that the key had not been willingly bestowed upon him by Gibbon.
The conundrum, however, was how he had been found out. Which part of his plan had faltered? 'Curse it, have I muddled up the movie's plot?' Jon pondered internally.
Griphook, the goblin, scrutinized the golden key Jon had handed him and queried, "If you're not deceiving me, sir, this key is meant to unlock Mr. Gibbon Campbell's vault, correct?"
"Indeed, this is Mr. Gibbon's key," Jon affirmed, simultaneously formulating an escape strategy.
He recalled that the trio of protagonists, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had once made a daring escape from Gringotts in the film. Their method of escape?
'Riding a dragon!' Jon remembered they had fled Gringotts astride the bank's guardian dragon. However, this would require Jon to tame the dragon in a limited timeframe.
Griphook continued, "That may be so, but even with Mr. Gibbon's key, I cannot open the vault door. There's only one plausible explanation."
His gaze bore into Jon as he declared, "This key does not acknowledge you as its rightful owner!"
'Did the key need to recognize me? Was that part of the movie's plot?' Jon questioned inwardly.
"Each key is imbued with a spell cast by us goblins. If the vault owner cannot access his own wealth, then another may do so with the key. The condition is..." Griphook's voice took on a grave tone, "I must have the consent of the key's owner, otherwise, I cannot open the vault door."
"Understood..." Jon conceded, a sense of resignation in his heart. 'But it makes sense. If Gringotts only recognized keys and not individuals, it would be rife with theft and robbery. In such a scenario, Gringotts would hardly be the safest place next to Hogwarts!'
Observing Griphook pocket the key without any intention of returning it, Jon braced himself as the goblin bellowed, "Seize this thief!"
As the command echoed, Jon heard footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around to see two goblins and several human wizards in guard uniforms, wands at the ready, advancing towards him.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
One of the guards was quick to aim his wand at Jon, but Jon reacted with a cunning move. He shoved Griphook in front of him, and the blue light of the curse struck Griphook's head, instantly petrifying him.
"Griphook!" a goblin cried out, "You...you scoundrel!"
In retaliation, he extended his hand to cast a dark spell on Jon.
However, Jon was quicker. He opened his palm, ignited hellfire on it, and flung it towards them. The terrifying flames immediately engulfed the goblin and the wizard guards, knocking them to the ground.
Jon had used the hellfire to incapacitate them, not to burn their souls. After all, they were merely performing their duties, and killing them would only invite unnecessary complications.
He approached one of the fallen goblins, who was writhing on the ground, and demanded, "Casting spells without a wand?! You're merely a human, how did you manage it?!"
Jon disregarded his question, instead seizing him and threatening, "That's none of your concern. I need you to lead me somewhere!"
Roarrrrrrrrrr!
Now that his cover was blown, Jon had little to lose. It was time to make a grand exit. However, as soon as Jon finished speaking, a deafening roar reverberated through the room, startling everyone present.
"Damn it, it's the dragon!" Jon exclaimed, covering his ears.
Jon remembered that the fire dragon was used to guard the deeper vaults. It seemed it had been relocated here due to its proximity to those vaults.
Jingle jingle jingle!
The dragon's roar was accompanied by a series of clear, ringing bells.
The goblin Jon had threatened smirked and said, "Your end is near, thief. That's a Ukrainian Ironbelly. You'll be reduced to ashes!"
As his words hung in the air, a massive figure emerged from around the corner.
It was a colossal dragon, its body marred by chains and gruesome wounds. Its scales, pale from prolonged confinement underground, appeared loose and ready to shed.
Its eyes were a cloudy pink, and heavy shackles on its legs were tethered to the wall behind it.
Jingle… jingle… jingle… jingle…!
The ringing of bells sounded again, and the dragon, seemingly in pain, began to thrash wildly.
Behind the dragon, a goblin held a small metal bell. It was believed that the bell was enchanted, granting the goblin control over the dragon. The origin of the bell and the reason for its power over the dragon were unknown, but it was an integral part of Gringotts.
The goblin and guards Jon had knocked down scrambled to their feet and fled at the sight of the dragon.
The dragon turned its gaze to Jon, and with a mighty roar, spewed a torrent of flames.
In an instant, Jon was engulfed in a sea of fire.
"Hahahaha! The thief is dead!" a goblin cackled.
However, the sight that followed left him agape.
The flames receded, and a figure emerged from the smoke.
But it wasn't a man who stepped out; it was a skeleton wreathed in flames.
"By Merlin's beard! What... what is that?!" A goblin gasped, his eyes wide with terror. The others mirrored his fear and retreated.
They watched as Jon, ablaze, approached the dragon. But the dragon, in its savage nature, was not intimidated. It roared again, gathering flames in its mouth to face Jon.
However, when Jon raised his skeletal hand, the dragon immediately ceased its actions, extinguished its flames, and bowed its head.
Jon stroked the dragon's head. Instantly, the hellfire seared every inch of the dragon's skin. Its scales fell away, and its flesh and blood faded.
In the end, it mirrored Jon, a skeleton ablaze.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully tamed a dragon, and you will be rewarded with 500 penalty points]
The system's prompt startled Jon, not only because of the reward but also because he hadn't expected the fire dragon to be tamed so effortlessly.
"From today onwards, your name is Igris!" Jon whispered to the dragon.
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