by Mike Ezekiel
“Sorry, Master” Kerwyn said.
“Now, let’s get going before we have any other interruption,” said the wizard.
Progressing down the main corridor, they turned a corner and it opened up into a huge room of sparkling and shining pin points of lights that danced around the ceiling as light reflected off the mountain of the gold, jewels and magical items of every shape and size imaginable. They looked up to see the sun coming in through a small hole in the ceiling.
It was at that point that the Kerwyn noticed that they were not alone and there, sitting on top of the gold and jewel mountain was none other than Rinfaf, the mountain elf.
chapter seventeen
THE DRAGONS INSTRUCTIONS
“Rinfaf! Get off that pile of treasure before Fafnir comes back. He’ll eat you for sure,” Kerwyn said in a panic, looking around for any signs of the dragon’s return.
“Ah Kerwyn, you are so naive. That’s what I love about you, always so trusting and honest. Kerwyn, spell my name for me,” replied Rinfaf.
“Pardon me, Rinfaf, but this is no time for games. You will be in very serious trouble when Fafnir the Golden Dragon returns. Now get off of there quickly and don’t steal anything, Fafnir will know,” Kerwyn warned.
“No, really Kerwyn, spell my name… No… ok it is spelled R-I-N-F-A-F. Now spell it backwards and see what you get,” teased the elf.
“What?! Come one, Rinfaf, get off of there. I need some questions answered and Fafnir will not be in a good mood when he comes back and sees you up there… What do you mean spell it backwards?” asked Kerwyn.
“F-A-F-N-I-R,” said Master Sernett, finally catching onto what Rinfaf was saying. “Kerwyn that is Fafnir sitting on his own treasure pile. He is in humanoid form.” Master Sernett looked at Rinfaf and waited for him to say that he was correct.
“You are correct, Master Sernett. I am the mighty and powerful Fafnir in disguise. I came to meet you like this so I could determine if you were dangerous or if you were friends and could be trusted.
After spending time with Kerwyn, there was no way that I could mistake you as anything but who and what you are; honest and good people. I enjoyed your company a lot, which is why I came back the second night.
Again you welcomed me back into your party with no questions asked about where I had been and what I have been doing. You all trusted and welcomed me. I have only seen that a few times where a stranger has been welcomed so whole-heartedly into a party. So, for that I am grateful.
When I felt the One Power being drawn to cast a powerful spell, I was on the lookout for an enemy but instead I have found friends coming to talk.
Kerwyn, you and I have talked about the questions you have, plus you have said that you are willing to trade the answers so I can get the ring back that was stolen from me a long time ago. But I have decided that you can keep the ring as a symbol of my friendship and the friendship that you and your party gave to a stranger on the road. It has been a long time since anyone has come looking to talk to me, and your company is welcome.
Now as to your questions: the first is the easiest. You asked how to make the Tree of Life regrow The Tree of Life will not grow until the evil that is plaguing our land has been defeated. You need pure soil for the tree to plant its roots.
The second question you had was regarding the evil that is inside of you .I had to think on that one because I have never seen that before. But I believe I have come up with the answer. Long ago two Death Knights were slain by the Legendary Wizard. One of two Death Knights tried to take over your body and come back to the world of the living. But your soul was destined to be here so it wasn’t powerful enough at the time to take over your body. Be on guard because the Death Knight is almost as evil as its master and if you ever do let it take control, it will try to destroy you. Or it will try to make your soul evil as well. The way I see it you only have one option: control the evil inside. I do not know of a way that you can get rid of the spirit that waits inside ready to strike. But you must keep control of it or you will die.
The third question you asked me was, why you. Well, the answer to that simply is because you are who you are and destiny and fate have said it will be you. I have seen the caring and compassionate man who would welcome a perfect stranger to share his meal and spend a night by his fire, and I have heard some of the great feats of magic that you have done. However, you are still young and naïve. I will say this to you: you are the Legendary Wizard reborn and you will decide the fate of the world. I know this because I was here when it all started and you and I were friends, even back then. So, my friend, you are the Legendary Wizard and now you need to choose. Will you choose life for Alberic or will you let Death take this world?” With this last sentence Fafnir stopped talking and waited for Kerwyn to speak.
“But I can’t be the Legendary Wizard. I’m just an apprentice wizard, I mess up all the time and my spells do whatever they want!” exclaimed Kerwyn.
Master Sernett placed his hand on Kerwyn’s shoulder and said, “I believe Fafnir. I think I have always known that you were destined for great things. I even suspected many time that you were he, the great Legendary Wizard from long ago. Kerwyn, now that we know for sure who you are, we need to save the world from the coming evil that is taking over. We must stop the Dark Master, whatever the cost.”
Nodding his head, Kerwyn knew in his heart that they were telling him the truth. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, paused, and then released it slowly. Kerwyn decided that he was this world’s only hope and that he was going to save it. Speaking to Mother Nature in his head he asked her if she knew he was the Legendary Wizard. She answered him saying that she knew who he was since birth and that is why she had been with him and guiding him when he needed it. She wanted her world to survive and if evil were to win and takes over, all life would die.
Opening his eyes, Kerwyn looked at everyone standing there and said, “I am whom I am, so let’s figure out how to save the world.”
“I’m glad that you have made that decision. Here is what you are going to need to do. You will need to gather Five Crystals and a Blue Pearl from across Alberic. Each crystal is needed to trap the Death Knights unless you can kill them. The Blue Pearl becomes the center of the Dark Crystal, which will imprison the Dark Master for another thousand years. Now, you will also need to find a Pixie Dragon to join these items all together and only a Pixie Dragon has the magic that can be used to do this,” said Fafnir.
“I don’t want to imprison him; I want to kill him,” said Kerwyn seriously.
“Ah, for that Kerwyn, I cannot help you. It has never been done before, only imprisonment. Maybe deep inside of yourself you will know how to do that but I would suggest that you gather all the required items to imprison him until you can figure out how to kill him,” advised Fafnir.
“Ok, so where can we find these crystals and the Blue Pearl that we will need?” Kerwyn asked.
“The first and closest is the Town Themis to the east for the Red Crystal. Then you will need head to Cailleach Bheur Mountain Cross Roads Keep for the White Crystal. From there you can either make your way to the Gnome City Gunnlöd for the Yellow Crystal or you can travel to Minerva the Human Mining and trading town for the Dark Crystal.
From there you can go to Alverdine the Underwater City for the Blue Pearl. Or you can go to Fylgia the Ancient City in ruins by the Evil Dragon Nunnehi for the Green Crystal. I do not know where the Pixie Dragons hide but if you ask enough people, someone would have seen one somewhere. I am sorry but that is all I know. Dragon species usually do not come together and we generally avoid one another. When we do get together, it usually means there is a war raging,” said Fafnir.
“So we need to get the Five Crystals and the Blue Pearl if we want to win this war and then replant the Tree of Life,” said Master Sernett.
There was a huge roar and a voice from outside the cavern said, “That sounds like a good idea, but unfortunately you will all be dead.” A huge
Dragon entered the cavern but this one did not have any skin on it. All that was left of the remains of this dragon were the bones and a little bit of cartilage around the wings so that it could still fly.
The creature standing before them was none other then a Lynch Dragon, one of the most evil and powerful of the undead creatures. The dragon itself was animated by magic and was completely resistant to normal weapons. Thank the maker that they had Elvin magical weapons and his master and he were wizards. Looking around, Kerwyn saw that all of his friends had been frozen with fear and even Master Sernett was frozen like he was stuck in ice. Kerwyn started to wonder why he wasn’t frozen too and then it occurred to him that perhaps because of the evil inside of him, the Dragon Fear aura didn’t have any effect on him.
A second roar thundered in the cavern and Fafnir turned into an even bigger dragon. The transformation was almost instant: one moment Rinfaf was standing there and then the next, Fafnir the mighty Golden Dragon was there in all of his glory. He shouted, “Amarok! You have some nerve entering my home!” And the two mighty dragons started to battle.
Thinking fast Kerwyn drew in on the One Power and cast a spell at the Lynch Dragon before it could attack.
“Veneficus Requiro!” Kerwyn yelled at it. Fifteen magic missiles shot towards the Lynch Dragon from Kerwyn’s outstretched hand, striking it.
Amarok felt the pain of those magic missiles and turned towards Kerwyn, getting ready to breathe its magical breath attack at him. Fafnir attacked Amarok first, sending a blast of super hot fire over its entire body. They could see the magic of the Lynch Dragon at work as the flames lit up its body but that was all; the dragon was not hurt. Perhaps that is why dragons are very fearful of Lynch Dragons, because they are immune to a dragon’s most powerful weapon; their breath attack.
The Lynch Dragon started to laugh at Fafnir and lined up its own breath attack at him. Before anyone could do anything the Lynch Dragon spewed forth its own breath attack and blew out a blast of electric blue lightning. Fafnir’s muscles and jaws clenched as he collapsed to the floor breathing heavy, still twitching from the after effects of being electrocuted. Dragons are made of strong stuff but they are still a living, breathing creature, and no creature does well against a lightning attack.
Master Sernett finally broke from his fear and cast a spell using the Staff of Power.
“Levitas Offendo!” Master Sernett called out. From the tip of his staff a white-hot blast of electricity slammed into the Lynch Dragon, knocking it over where it hit the ground.
Some of the cartilage and bone was charred and burning where the lightning had hit it. Still, the Lynch Dragon was getting up. Roaring in anger the Lynch Dragon was focusing its eyes on Master Sernett, as he seemed the one most capable of hurting it the most.
Korowai and Durin now free from the Dragon Fear as well charged in and started to attack the Lynch Dragon. Korowai chanted and called upon her Druid Magic to send vines around the Lynch Dragon, trying to either tangle it or, at the very least, try and keep it on the ground long enough so Durin could get close enough to crush its bones with his magical silver hammer.
Kerwyn again drew upon the One Power and cast a spell.
“Acid Telum!” Kerwyn shouted while holding his hands out. Kerwyn shot nine green glowing acid arrows at the Lynch Dragon, Amarok, striking it with eight of them. Green acid splashing the dragon’s bones and cartilage, sizzling as the acid burnt its way into the dragon’s bone marrow.
Roaring in absolute pain and anger, the Lynch Dragon turned its focus back to Kerwyn and, opening up its mouth, it unleashed its breath weapon at him. Kerwyn opening up his eyes and felt the first strings of electricity touch his skin and bring each of his hairs to pinpoints of pain receptors. Screaming in agony, Kerwyn was bathed in an entire blast from the Lynch Dragon’s breath attack. Kerwyn’s blue eye opened wide and turned green as Mother Nature was there inside of him, taking control of his body protecting him from the deadly attack. Mother Nature using Kerwyns body as an electrical conduit absorbed the lightning to save Kerwyn from the blast from this creature. Glowing green, Kerwyn’s body stopped thrashing and relaxed under the full brunt of the dragon’s breath. Slowly dropping to his knees, Kerwyn opened both eyes and with the help of Mother Nature cast one final spell.
Korowai seeing Kerwyn blasted by the dragon’s breath, turned back to the dragon and attacked like a frenzied warrior with nothing left to lose. Time and time again she slashed with her sword using her super speed. Scoring hits on the Lynch Dragon’s legs and under torso. Enraged that this creature was hurting Kerwyn, she began to chant and cast her spell of rockslide. From the ceiling, huge chunks of rocks broke off and fell directly onto the head and back of the Lynch Dragon. The heavy blows knocked it completely to the floor and buried most of it under the rubble.
Durin went in for the killing blow only to be swatted away by the dragon’s thrashing tail as though he was nothing more than a small fly. Durin sailed across the chamber and smashed against the wall, going down in a heap.
Master Sernett watched in horror as Durin was picked up and thrown against the wall. He drew on the One Power and cast his lightning spell again.
“Levitas Offendo!” Master Sernett called out and again the white-hot lightning reached out and hit the Lynch Dragon in a part of the chest that was exposed from the rocks.
Roaring in pain, the Lynch Dragon tried to get up. It found an extra bust of strength, lifted the rocks off of itself and turned again to Master Sernett, thinking that it had been him who dropped the ceiling on it. Amarok also thought that Kerwyn was no more of a threat to it and that he would be dead from its breath attack and didn’t take the time to check and see if its breath lighting attack had in fact killed him. It knew that Kerwyn would be dead because it could kill regular dragons with one blast and he was, after all, only an elf. As it turned its head to face Master Sernett it opened its mouth to blast him with its breath weapon.
Kerwyn at this point was drawing in, as much of the One Power as he could draw, and the energy channels of the One Power were being manipulated by Kerwyns will. Kerwyn called out with as much of a shout as he could muster while pointing at Amarok the Lynch Dragon.
“Putus Niveus Navitas Telum!” yelled Kerwyn.
Master Sernett hearing the words to cast the Pure White Energy Bolt turned and yelled at Kerwyn to stop, and not to cast that spell. It all was happening in slow motion; Master Sernett was standing there watching one of his greatest fears unfold before his eyes.
His son, and apprentice had called on the most powerful spell, and the most advanced spell that any good Master Wizard could call on. It had drained and killed nearly every wizard that had ever tried to cast it. It was the same spell that he himself had cast when he thought Kerwyn had been killed, and it was always used as a last resort. Now he was here listening to his son casting that same spell powerful spell the he, almost died from.
Almost in slow motion, as if time itself had seemed to slow down, Master Sernett watch the One Power jump from Kerwyn’s hand in a blinding blast of white light, streaking towards the chest of Amarok, the evil but very powerful Lynch Dragon. The blast of power slammed into the dragon’s ribcage and the explosion that followed rocked the entire dragon lair.
Gold, jewels and other items were thrown all over the lair and everyone was knocked off of their feet. The Lynch Dragon was completely blown to bits as the magic that held it together was destroyed. The evil Amarok was no more and, there, in ghost form and sending out wave after wave of evil where the Lynch Dragon had been was the Dark Master himself. He had been controlling Amarok the entire time with his necromancer magic’s.
As everyone scrambled to regain their footing, as they were trying to get ready for another battle; and this one the party didn’t think they could win. They all felt completely drained as Kerwyn’s spell had taken all the One Power from the area and used it up. If Kerwyn’s Pure White Energy Bolt couldn’t hurt the Dark Master what could they do against the pure
evil magic of the Dark Master?
“I see I need to pay closer attention to you, my little Legendary Wizard. Oh yes, I now know who you are. I made a mistake and thought that I could kill you all before you came into your power, but I see that I am already too late. That was quite an impressive use of the One Power and the mighty spell that you have just cast. But I notice that you are all looking a little weak, one might even say drained, from your spell casting. Maybe I should kill you myself right now and be done with you all. But where would the sport be in that? I know, maybe I’m a little sure of myself but this time I’m winning and you will end up dead. Yes I do like the sound of that, the Legendary Wizard dead and working for me. Oh that’s good, yes, when I kill you I will bring you back as my slave. I will have you act as my personal dog and have you hunt down and kill any who resist me. Oh, I do like the sound of this plan. Be warned little wizard, we will be making a new legend for you this time around, one that will be the end of all life on this dreadful world. I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield when the time is right, because now I know who you are, and where you are going. For now though, know that you might have won this battle, but I plan on winning the final war,” the Dark Master said this and then he faded away until nothing was left of him but the shadows where he had come from.
The party was looking around at each other, seeing who was hurt and who needed medical attention. Korowai ran to where Durin went down and started using her healing magic on him. After a few minutes the rest of the party heard Durin grunt and complain about how Korowai was manhandling him. They could overhear him say that he was a dwarf warrior and not some frail human female.
The Cyclopes came running into the lair from a back entrance that was big enough for all of them to enter. They looked around and were complaining that they had missed all the fighting. They also said that they were waiting before the lava pond and when they heard the dragons roar and went outside to investigate. That’s when they found the other entrance to the lair, the one big enough for a dragon to enter from behind the lair. Not realizing that the party had fought a deadly Lynch Dragon just moment before, and only seeing the Golden Dragon lying unconscious on the cave floor. The Cyclops then pulled out their weapons and were getting ready to start slicing pieces off of it. Master Sernett told them to put their weapons away, and that this was the friendly Golden Dragon, Fafnir and that all the bone pieces all over the floor were from the evil Amarok, a deadly Lynch Dragon that was being controlled by the Dark master himself, and said that if it wasn’t for Kerwyn saving their lives they would all be dead.
