Everville: The Rise of Mallory

by Roy Huff

  He would then be the sole possessor of the element and no one would be able to stop him. He would have total power in the multiverse. So long as time marched forward and the universe expanded, the element would be created in response to entropy. Since entropy was chaos, the opposite was order. More precisely, it was the power to create order out of chaos through mere thought, allowing his power to grow limitless according to the simple laws of physics.

  Mallory had instructed Rathlar to leave its lair, and they were busy honing their skills. Mallory created different objects for the dragon to burn in order to test its physical strength and the power of its fire.

  “Now, Rathlar,” Mallory told the dragon through its mind.

  Rathlar spread its wings, which now had grown to more than fifty feet across, and ascended into the air. The dragon belted out a loud roar and blew out a fiery breath towards a large block of ice Mallory suspended into air using his mind. The ice was vaporized instantly.

  “Good. Good,” Mallory said aloud.

  Mallory continued with different things, testing the dragon’s fire, strength, and mental control. Both Mallory and the dragon were increasing the amount of element and power they held. Mallory was eagerly awaiting the additional artifacts from Jacob, so he could move on to the next phase of his plan.

  Above the planet, on its largest moon, the Alarians continued their existence, oblivious to Mallory’s plans.

  The Alarians were a race of shape-shifters from outside the universe of men. They came from a parallel world within the multiverse that was dying. The energy within that universe was spent eons ago, so they left their dying world in search of a new one where they could continue their existence. As they entered the universe, occupied by Everville and The Other In Between, they seeded their progeny in The City of Worms with their last bit strength, attracted to its power and negative energy.

  It was the arrival of the Alarians that set in motion the current divide between those loyal to Everville and The Keepers, and those loyal to Them in The Other in Between. Speculation and whispers about distant races and the dangers they might represent created a wedge between those who wanted to concentrate power and those who wanted to divest it.

  The substance that composes their bodies operates outside the known laws of physics. This is why the worms made the perfect collector, capable of holding large amounts of the element and dissipating it slowly over time. Their bodies did not age or die in the usual sense. Instead, they could proliferate so long as they had access to energy. At one time, their species spanned their universe and numbered in the trillions, but as the universe expanded and died, their number dwindled. Without energy, their bodies simply shrank until each body reached a certain minimal threshold, dissipating into its component elements.

  The Alarians now numbered only in the millions. The size of their body depended on the form they took, but they were limited by the amount of energy they had available. At the moment, the Alarians each possessed about the same mass as an average human.

  While they were capable of shifting into any form or state, they preferred a shape possessed by their own ancestors. It was a black, solid form. They had seven appendages on their lower body, which could be best described as legs. This allowed them great mobility and speed, even when in solid form. They had three additional appendages, which were more like arms that divided their upper body into three sections. Each of the three sections had a hole and a protrusion, the hole for eating or consuming energy, and the protrusion for seeing and thinking.

  While the Alarians were able to shift and take non-corporeal form, the process of shifting consumed tremendous amounts of energy, so they limited such actions to only what was necessary for survival. As such, they constructed homes and cities on the moon where they now resided.

  There were two cities on the moon above the planet. Each was built half underground and half above ground to take advantage of the heat generated from the center of the moon while still having access to the surface. They needed no transport system, as they either walked or galloped on foot or shifted when necessary.

  The Alarians had lived in isolation on the planet since they left their universe, but with Mallory’s plan, that would soon change.

  The time had arrived. In the earthly realm at Easton Falls, Jacob placed a few drops of the element on his tongue, allowing him to make a connection with Mallory.

  “Jacob! I assume you are contacting me because you have finished making the remaining artifacts,” Mallory exclaimed to the image that appeared before him.

  “You assume correctly, Mallory,” Jacob replied

  Mallory let out an uncontrollably evil laugh. He had already been transformed by his evil into a skinny, slimy, and ugly creature. As he laughed, though, his face contorted even more. He laughed so long, Jacob had to call Mallory’s name.

  “Mallory,” Jacob said.

  “Well then, Jacob,” Mallory said as he refocused his attention. “As a reward, I am letting you keep one of the artifacts for yourself. Once I give the others over to the Alarians and activate them, your power will be linked to theirs. As their power grows with more of the element, so will yours. Eventually, you will be a god on Earth, able to do whatever you wish. So long as you hold the artifact in your possession, no one on Earth or at that putrid, infantile school of yours will be able to stop you. Now send over all but one of the artifacts,” Mallory said.

  Seconds later, Jacob used the power of the element and his connection with the other realms to transport the artifacts excluding the one he was keeping for himself. It was time now for Mallory to pay a visit to the Alarians.

  CHAPTER 11

  CONSTRUCTION

  In the underground land of the giants, General Varrick had just been contacted by The Keeper.

  “General, it’s good to see you again,” The Keeper said.

  “Yes, Keeper. How can we be of service?” General Varrick replied.

  “As you know, since the worms were given sentience and all but one destroyed, the element is being concentrated and sent into that sole surviving dragon. I have called together a meeting of The Keepers where we will discuss the matter of how to stop the flow of the element.

  “As preparation for what may come, we need to mine the mineral rocks present in both the land of the giants and in Brackenbone. Regardless of what will be done with the element, we’ll need something to hold it temporarily. We may also need to divert the water within Brackenbone behind the walls. Whatever is decided, we need your men to begin excavating and collecting as much as the mineral rock.

  “We will need to place the rock in large piles by the monoliths and prepare for immediate construction once I have the specific plans. I also need the other half of your men to prepare for war. I fear that Mallory will attack with his dragon and perhaps armies from The Other In Between or maybe even with soldiers from other realms. With control of the element and its power growing, I fear an attack is imminent,” The Keeper said with regret.

  “I will ready my men, Keeper,” General Varrick replied.

  “I’m sorry a likely attack comes on the heels of the battle we just fought, especially with the loss of so many of your men. If I knew of any other way, I would not bother you,” The Keeper said in a mournful tone.

  “I know you would, Keeper, but my giants are bred for war. We have been with you from the beginning, and we will be with you until the end. My men are honorable, and we will do the honorable thing by defending our land and our liberty from the evils that exist and from those who seek our destruction,” General Varrick said with sincerity.

  “Your men are indeed honorable as are you. Your soldiers have learned from your example and your loyalty is invaluable to our cause. You have our gratitude; Everville is in your debt,” The Keeper said.

  General Varrick immediately left his study and called on Borak.

  “I trust you have recovered, Borak.”

  “Yes, General. How can I be of service?”

  “We once agai
n need to split our armies in two,” General Varrick replied.

  “First we need half our men mining the mineral rocks both here and behind the walls of Vermogen in Brackenbone. I would like you to lead that half of our men. You will travel through the monoliths and take with you one of the monstrums that we have constructed. The rest of the men under your command will mine the rock from within our land, and together you will pile the rock by the monoliths.

  “The other half of our men will need to ready themselves for battle. They will need to gather all the necessary equipment and be prepared to move to any location at a moment’s notice. No one will be spared. All of our men will be called upon. We cannot lose this battle, but our enemy is still uncertain,” the General said.

  “I’ll gather the men, General, and we will do what needs to be done,” Borak replied.

  After being given his orders, Borak divided the men. He sent a large contingent to retrieve one of the monstrums and ready its transport through the monolith. He ordered several contingents to begin excavating the mineral rocks and piling it by the monoliths. Borak would escort the men transporting the monstrum to Brackenbone, since he was the largest of the giants and would be the greatest help in bringing the mineral rock from behind the wall of Vermogen.

  Borak ordered Colonel Consilium, the smallest of the giants, to ready the other half of the men for battle. Everyone would be needed. No one would be spared.

  In less than an hour, the entire land of the giants was filled with activity. The ground was in a constant motion as the movement of the giants shook it with each step and each leap.

  Borak, along with a hundred of the largest giants, lifted one of the monstrums from its resting position. Because of it’s size, the monstrum was not intended to be moved more than a small distance at one time, which is why so many soldiers were required. It was made of solid metal, with the exception of the massive wooden arms that were only plated with metal shielding.

  When Borak gave the order, all one hundred of the giants leapt into the air. Normally, the giants were able to cross a distance of hundreds, even thousands of feet at a time with a single leap. Even with a hundred giants, though, the best they could do was to move it a couple dozen feet. At this rate it would take half the day to make it to the monolith and another day’s journey to the walls of Vermogen in Brackenbone.

  The rest of Borak’s soldiers went ahead through the monolith and started mining the mineral rock with their fists and small tools. By the time Borak reached his destination and the monstrum was in place, large piles of the minerals were already growing by each of the monoliths.

  Borak helped position the monstrum. His was assisted by the Ubaloo. The Ubaloo made a large chain that helped carry the pulverized rock from the distant walls of Vermogen to the portal’s entrance. The Ubaloo were small, but their muscles were very strong sturdy.

  Faine, one of the Ubaloo that fought alongside Borak in The City of Worms, stood at his feet assisting the rest of them. The word had gone out to all the Ubaloo in Brackenbone about the needed mineral rock and the looming battle. Every single Ubaloo came to the aid of Borak and his soldiers. For miles and miles, a long chain of bodies, Ubaloo and giants, stretched as far as the eye could see.

  The same thing could be seen in the land of the giants. Word had also gone out to the Fron, the marmooks, and all the friendly races in Everville and all of its surrounding lands. The Keepers who guarded the portals to each realm allowed the races to pass through to the land of the giants in order to assist in the transport of the mineral rock.

  In addition, volunteer soldiers from Everville, the land of the Fron, and the eight other realms that surrounded it came to join in the inevitable fight. Armies gathered, half in each realm, and the other half in the land of the giants. This would be the largest battle ever fought in either Everville or The Other In Between. If their world was going to be defeated by Mallory and his dragon, the people of Everville would not go down without a fight.

  The Keepers were pleased, as they always were, with the willingness of all the races to support one another and come to each other’s aid. There was deep concern, however, that this war would not be won by flesh and bone. Once enough of it was collected, the power within the element was limitless to whoever wielded it. If they were unable to stop Mallory or the dragon from gaining more element soon, the armies of a hundred multiverses would not be able to stop them. Mallory or the dragon could simply will them out of existence.

  The key then for The Keepers was to break the flow of the element to the dragon. The problem was that only special minerals like those found in the underground catacombs could contain the element without damaging those who used it. Like all artifacts, there were repercussions to its use if it was not properly contained.

  The Keeper Carwyn spoke up.

  “It seems to me that we have a temporary solution. It’s true that the mineral rock in Brackenbone and the land of the giants may not be able to prevent the effects of the element from harming those who come in contact with it. It’s also true that we may not have time to collect enough of the special mineral beneath the catacombs of Everville to prevent that harm. We can, however, use all the portals and all the monoliths to collect the power once we have crushed the rock and extracted the mineral needed to initiate storage. That will break the flow of the element to the dragon.

  “Once the flow is broken, the element will be stored in the portals and no one will be able to go through the portals until we’ve found another place to store or dissipate the element. The armies will be cut off and transport will be limited to the eight realms on foot. The land of the giants will also be cut off. The only method of transport between other realms will be through The Seven Pillars of Truth or by the few who can transport on their own.

  “In the meantime, we should also collect enough of the special minerals in Everville capable of permanently containing the element safely. The armies and people may be cut off for a while, but those remaining in Brackenbone should be able to build a temporary container within a matter of weeks using the minerals from Everville. The portals can then redirect the element to the location in Brackenbone. We will still have the problem of hiding or dispersing the element, but that is a problem for another day,” The Keeper said.

  “I agree,” said one of the other Keepers.

  “I am very troubled that once again we will have a great concentration of the element in one location, but our present situation demands that we put a stop to the dragon’s increase in power immediately. Owen Sage will still need to find a way to defeat the dragon even then, but at least the increase in its power will be stopped. We need to be on guard, however, immediately upon reconnecting the portals. If the armies of Them or even some other race make a move against Brackenbone, then we will need to have a permanent solution for safely dissipating the element,” the same Keeper continued.

  The Keepers were in agreement. Hooded heads nodded across the room, and those that guarded the portals returned to their places, and The Keepers who guarded Everville returned to their workshops. The decision had been made. The order was given and word went out to General Varrick in the land of the giants and to Borak in Brackenbone. They would continue the construction of added minerals to the monoliths, and when they were complete, the flow of the element to the dragon would be halted.

  CHAPTER 12

  THE AGREEMENT

  Back on the former ice planet, Mallory decided it was now time to communicate with Rathlar about his intentions to create an alliance with the Alarians.

  “Rathlar, I have something I want to tell you,” Mallory said aloud as well as mentally to the mind of the dragon.

  “It’s time you understand where you came from and why you are here with me now. You already know that I rescued you from the evil hand of Owen Sage and the armies of Everville and the giants, but there is more you should know.

  “Ages ago, a distant race known as the Alarians, your ancestors, came from a distant place not known t
o those in our realm. They laid their eggs in The Land of the Worms, and then they made their new home on the large moon that orbits this planet,” Mallory said.

  Just then, the eyes of the dragon softened. He did not comprehend everything that Mallory was saying, but he knew that his parents were high above him, and that he was no longer alone.

  Rathlar launched himself off the ground and flew as high as he could in the hopes of reaching the moon. Mallory let the dragon fly, hoping it would endear Rathlar to him even more and create hatred for Everville, The Keepers, and Owen Sage. The dragon flew higher and higher until the air was too thin to breathe or generate lift beneath its wings. Mallory could sense that Rathlar was about to use the element to transport itself to the moon, so he continued to communicate his earlier thought.

  “Rathlar,” Mallory said, “your ancestors left their world because it was dying. They laid their eggs in The City of Worms because it contained negative energy. Their hope was that their race would continue on after they died. The lands surrounding The Other In Between contained the only type of energy they knew that could sustain them, but they had lived long lives and did not want to use up all of the negative energy before their eggs could hatch. That’s why they resigned themselves to living out the rest of their existence on the moon above until its primitive energy is depleted.

  “There is, however, another type of power that could give them more life. That’s the element. They would be able to split apart the element, use what they needed, and discard the rest. I can give them that power. I can give them that energy,” Mallory communicated to the dragon.

  “With the help of a great human, Jacob, from a distant realm, I have created artifacts like the one you see around my neck. These artifacts can collect the element for the Alarians, allowing them to live on until the death of this universe. Once they have the element, they will also be able to fight against the armies of Everville, The Keepers, and others that sought to destroy you.