Draconic Testament

by Zac Atie

  “No.” Zaxxarius said. “It’s the same as here.”

  “In the night-time on earth, you have a white moon, and the sky is black.” Abaddon said. “Here, we have a blue moon, and the sky is also black, with streaks of purple. I heard that people from other planets found that curious. The dragons set up most planets the same way, only without the streaks of purple.”

  “It must be beautiful...” Zaxxarius said.

  “It is.” Abaddon said.

  “You excited?” Vander asked. “You’re royalty! You’ve got a ton of money, and women will likely be falling at your heels.”

  “It’s odd... I’ve never really liked nobles.” Zaxxarius said. “You’ll love it, when women crawl in your bed at night.” Vander chuckled.

  “About women... You should know that you are allowed any woman you desire as your lover.” Abaddon began, making Zaxxarius blush slightly. “But, a lover is all they’ll be. You can even have multiple as your concubines, but you’ll also need a Queen. A Queen is chosen based on stature and ability to lead her people. Don't make the same mistake Voltrin did, taking a commoner as his Queen.”

  “You mean I can have as many women as I like?” Zaxxarius asked, frowning. Though, somewhere, in the more juvenile part of his mind, he did like the idea. “...What about the Queen?”

  “You’re to have children with the Queen. For this reason, the Queen is not allowed to have anyone else in her life.” Abaddon said. “The Queen can, of course, refuse your proposal, mind you.”

  “Isn’t that a little sexist? I can have all the women I require, but the Queen is not allowed to have anybody?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Not at all.” Abaddon said. “Overlords can be female, so the rule applies to the King in that case too.”

  They walked out into an outside parking lot, heading towards what looked like a motorised carriage. It was large, and the inside of the carriage looked roomy, and it also had no wheels. Where the wheels were supposed to be was a space where Neon-like lights were illuminating out of. It was hovering, above the floor. “Hover cars?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Yes.” Vander said. “Cars in Cazria are Hover cars. Pretty cool huh?”

  “Yeah...” Zaxxarius said.

  “Get in. We’ll be hovering above all the other hover cars in the area, because you’re royalty.” Vander said. Zaxxarius was about to climb in when a whirring sound came from above them. He looked up, as it sounded like an airplane, but his jaw dropped when he saw what it actually was. A large battleship, three times as big as his school, was flying overhead. “Wh... What’s that?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “That’s an HQ Battleship.” Abaddon said. “It’s one of the main warships of a Kingdom. Unfortunately, there are not more like it. It’s built to be a juggernaut, and it hit’s like a battering ram, but there are battleships that are more efficient for war. Against a foe in war, agile planes would be the end of this thing without proper backup.”

  “Guess what this HQ Battleship is doing here?” Vander said, chuckling. He was a little excited.

  “I don’t know. What’s it doing here?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Look on the side.” Abaddon said. “Do you see that symbol?” Zaxxarius looked up at a symbol on the bottom right side of the Battleship. It was a sphere, with a crooked backward number three, which was illustrated with only lines, no curves, in the middle of it. There was a horizontal like through the middle of the odd E shape. “The sphere represents the portal. On this side, the portal is constructed with a portal stone, which looks like a sphere when it’s closed. It’s a physical object, which is why it takes a lot longer to open on the other side.”

  “What about the E?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “The E?” Abaddon asked, confused.

  “The insignia.” Vander said. “It looks like an earthen letter, called an E.”

  “That’s an insignia, as Vander said.” Abaddon says. “It’s the symbol of an Overlord and the Elrics.” Abaddon said. Zaxxarius looked confused. “The ‘E’ shape on its own means Overlord, but with the line through it, it makes the Elric insignia.”

  “I see...” Zaxxarius said.

  “Know why it has an Elric insignia on it?” Vander asked.

  “Well, is it not dedicated to our family?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “It’s a HQ ship... so guess who would fly in it?” Vander asked. Zaxxarius took a moment, then his eyes widened, and his eyes shot back up at the ship. “No way... I get to ride that?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Yeah.” Vander says. “That thing will take you across the Kingdoms on your journeys, safe and sound, and any damage to it is reported, so if it looks like you’re under attack, not only can it fight back with furious force and hold again the worst of attacks, but everything from the nearest Airport will be deployed to your rescue.”

  The Hover-Carriage lifted itself off the floor, and rose above the floor, blowing away leaves from the floor. The gates weren’t even needed to be opened, as the Hover car rose over the gate and took off. The Hover car flew over the rest, flying above the streets. There were practically no Hover cars on the level that they were on. “This is the 4th level of the streets. Most Hover-Cars do not even have the technology to go this high on them.” Vander says. “The ones that do are really expensive, so only lucky commoners and Nobles can ride them. Oh, and Peacekeepers too.” Zaxxarius didn’t feel as if he was floating in the air, or even moving. He looked outside onto the streets, at the Hover cars below. They were great, they were like human cars, only more stylish and looked extremely professional. “Even the most common car looks like a Lamborghini around here. Looks are not the problem; it’s more the components within the car.” Vander said. The people on the street wore an odd design of clothes, but it was still likable. He also noticed that most of the buildings were made of Mithril. “Mithril...” Zaxxarius said. “Mithril is the rock you use for buildings?”

  “Yes.” Abaddon said. “Our aesthetic choice for a lot of things in the world is based on privacy, and reaction to magic. Mithril is used on practically every building, so Sorcerers cannot peer and spy on those with magic. Those without magic needn’t worry, and build their houses or manors out of different material, since they have no Aura to spy on.”

  “This is incredible.” Zaxxarius said. He wondered what food they had to eat. And things to do for fun. His head whirled with ideas, as he looked up and something caught his eye. It looked like an orb, hovering above the air at each intersection. “What’s that?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Security cameras.” Vander said. “Peacekeepers, the police, use magic here. And they’re fast to the call, unlike Police back on earth.”

  “Don't those camera’s use resources?” Zaxxarius said. “It seems like a lot of electricity is being used in this World.”

  “Electricity. Haha! No, no, those orbs, and practically everything else, run off the mana in the air! There’s no need for electricity when you have mana, baby!” Vander said. Then, Zaxxarius moved onto the next thing to marvel over. He caught sight of some odd figures walking the streets below. A boar-like creature, on two legs, walking among the Cazrians normally. A small creature, like a midget, with black fur. The Hover-carriage went past these things, but he couldn’t point them out. Then it hit him. The Crusade. The Cazrians had gathered a bunch of races together on their world, and linked Cazria to their home world. There were more than Cazrians to talk to and mingle with. That made him excited, and he wasn’t racist, so he had no problems with that. “That’s an Carrak.” Abaddon said, pointing at a two-legged white haired Cat-like creature, only it had no tail, and four arms. “They have been fighting on their homeworld against Industrialisation their whole existence. When they accepted Cazria, the industrialists came here because of the technology, and back on their homeworld, the Tribals have obtained a fair chance to fight back due to the population loss.”

  “And what about him? The small one?” Zaxxarius asked, pointing at a small, furry, cute creature with a wizard-like hat. “That’
s a Duyarri. They are small, and they’ve defended themselves thanks to their rapier wit with machines. They are not so good around chemicals, as they are very fragile, but if not for them, we wouldn’t have Hover-cars.” Abaddon chuckled.

  “And that Boar creature?” Zaxxarius asks, pointing at an average sized, two-legged, pig-like creature.

  “That’s an Orina.” Abaddon says. “The Orina look fierce, but they are actually far smarter than they look. That’s about all there is to say about them. They’re simple folk.”

  The Hover-Car stops in a large space in front of a massive tower. There were smaller battleships hovering above the tower, probably lookouts for any attacks, or perhaps a quick exit. “This is the Tower of Xelphan.” Abaddon said. “This used to be a mere hovel, but, as Xelphan began to gain followers and his family grew, it raised into a Tower. Now, this is the heart of our capital, Trinity.”

  “It’s huge.” Zaxxarius said. It was even bigger than the Eiffel tower, as if it were the finalized version of the Babel tower, and it had managed to pierce the heavens. “It’s probably one of the largest landmarks in Cazria.” Abaddon said. “There’s that too.” He says, pointing over in the distance, to the south-east. Zaxxarius looked. At first, he couldn’t see anything, but upon looking harder, he saw a storm in the background. A hurricane. He knew what it was from Abaddon’s stories. That’s where his parents died, and where he was born. “Come.” Abaddon said. “They’re waiting for us.”

  “Alright...” Zaxxarius obliged, and followed Abaddon inside the tower.

  It was practically a reception office at first, and to the left was a heavily guarded entrance. Abaddon ignored the entrance, and carried on, but Vander whispered to Zaxxarius, “That’s where the portal is... Just saying.” Zaxxarius smiled, and nodded. They followed Abaddon to the right. Zaxxarius was looking around. He saw a Duyarri up close, and another creature, a woman with half a body, with tentacles as legs. He wondered what her story was, but, it seemed that everyone would rather know what Zaxxarius’ and Vander’s was even more, as there stares coming at him in the foyer. “They realise we’re not Halflings.” Vander whispers. He was looking around at all the faces. “Apart from Luca of Truth, who is an apprentice of Ultimali, we’re the only humans on Cazria. Luca is also a rare sight... so most people here are witnessing a brand new species.” Vander whispered to him. “Look out!” he hissed. Zaxxarius was not watching where he was going, as he was staring back at the startled faces. He knocks into someone in front of him. “Oh, sorry!” Zaxxarius whelps. The figure was in robes, and had his back to Zaxxarius, but when he turned around, Zaxxarius almost jumped out of his skin. His face was like that of a skeletal snake, only with a thin layer of skin wrapped over it. It had all the limbs that a human has, only with an added tail. His hands were also human-like, but you could see the bones, and the veins in his wrists. He didn’t look as if he was fit for survival. He looked as if he was a humanoid snake that was at severe levels of dehydration. Zaxxarius almost felt sick, but tried to hide his disgust, as he didn’t want to offend the creature. However, the creature did not. “Pssssss!” The skeletal snake hissed. “Paagh... You’re... no Halfling. What manner of beast is this?” The creature said. Vander looked startled too.

  “A human, and a human Halfling.” Abaddon said, coming up behind him. The crowd gasped.

  “This is... Human?” The creature said. “Disgusting. Ugly. Terrifying.” It’s claws were sharp, and he looked very twitchy, so Zaxxarius didn’t want to annoy it with a retort. He was too deep in wonder to say anything anyway. “Do not insult him, Rodda.” Abaddon said. “The one before you is an Elric.” Rodda’s eyes widened, and the crowd gasped again, louder. They closed in slightly. “Is it true?” One asked.

  “Elric! Oh, thee of House Elric! You’ve come to save us!” Another cheered. The surrounding Cazrians and aliens began to cheer, and laugh. It seemed that this community, that was made up of aliens and Cazrians, were as happy as each other. Was this the same all over Cazria? “Oh... An Elric... My... Apologies, dear sssiir...” Rodda grovelled. “You must have... a heavy pocket, with all that... Tix...” He said, twiddling his thumbs, and hunching over like a snake peddler. “I'm sure a handsome, and desirable, and of course, sssmart Elric like you would be interested in... uh, my wares, of course. I can give you thingsss... out of bounds for Cazriansss.” Rodda chuckled.

  “What do you mean... Out of bounds?” Zaxxarius asked, almost not wanting to know.

  “Tonics. Information. You name it.” Rodda chuckled. “Ask the Ispii from Rilon family, he’ll know all too well...” Before Zaxxarius could retort, Rodda reached a hand forward, and extended his index finger. With his nail, he touched Zaxxarius’ cheek with his nail, and slowly brought it down across his cheek. The nail was sharp, and it hurt going down, but Zaxxarius did not wince in front of the crowd. The scratch sent a chill down his spine. He was surprised it was not bleeding when it was over! Rodda slunk away, out of site. “What just happened?” He asked. “What was that?”

  “That was a Scalene.” Abaddon said. “The first to join the Crusade.”

  “He was rather odd...” Zaxxarius said.

  “Rodda is untrustworthy.” Abaddon said. “He’s unjust. He’s a criminal, everybody knows it, but he covers his tracks well. Either that, or the Council has too much use for somebody so high up in the Blackwatch Cartel.”

  “I’m sure I’ve heard of the Blackwatch Cartel somewhere before.” Zaxxarius said, before Vander led him towards the elevator.

  Zaxxarius entered the elevator, and it started to ascend to the floors above him. The elevator was going at a fast speed, but again, he didn’t feel as if he was even moving. “Here’s what will happen.” Abaddon says. “The council will see you, and decide whether or not they approve of you, and you’ll tell them your story. Tell them everything, but remember... Don't bother with asking to go back into Earth. It’s a waste of time. A candidate for coronation can only participate once, so you’ll likely not be able to try unless they approve of you, since there are such high demands for coronation attempts.”

  “What are the council like?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “Some are okay. Others are useless.” Abaddon said. “Tyria and her Covenant are my favourites, as they fight for peace tooth and nail, and are the middle men in negotiations, but it gets bad if they cannot fulfil their purpose. There are others on the Council. 3 others. One is peaceful, less so than the covenant, but peaceful nonetheless. The other is a traditionalist, and wants to do things in the old Cazrian ways, especially in these days where aliens take refuge and our culture slowly changes...”

  “And the last?” Zaxxarius asked.

  “A wyvern in Cazrian form.” Abaddon says, to Zaxxarius’ confusion. “She’s aggressive, and her morals are highly questionable. She knows we have the strongest military in the world, and have endured through much, and can still do so. She wants to put that feat to use, and take what could be ours, but it is not the Draconic way. She’s a blasphemer, she ignores and spits on the dragons, saying they cannot be gods if they died. Having such a person in the council of such a religious Kingdom is astounding, but, stating your opinions is not against the law. If she was killed, or kicked off, we’d lose backing of many noble houses in the Kingdom. She means well, just try not to get angry if she insults you. She does that a lot.”

  “Sounds like she’d make a great queen for our buddy.” Vander chuckled, slapping Zaxxarius on the back. “To hell with that.” Zaxxarius said.

  “Such an act would be catastrophic. Only Zaxxarius would have more say than her. She’s not stupid, and she can do her job, but...” Abaddon growled.

  “But if she has the backing on many Noble houses, and she takes her job seriously, don’t you think she’d be perfect?” Vander said. “It’s not like Zaxxarius couldn’t tell her not to go to war.”

  “I’d rather have someone less crazy as my wife.” Zaxxarius said.

  “Hah, there are no sane women, Zaxxarius.” Vander
said. “Crazy. All of them.”

  They leave the elevator at the top, and are now in another reception, only this one was full of nobles and guards. He could tell they were nobles without even looking at their clothes, because of the insignias above their eyes. Each with different diagrams, meaning they belonged to different houses. The Guards wore black coats that were padded for protection, with two white streaks going through them. Their heads were covered with hoods, and their faces were covered with facemasks. The nobles wore rather expensive clothes, and looked a lot more stylish than Zaxxarius’ clothes, though he didn’t care. He didn’t really want to dress up all nice and dandy just so people would think highly of him. His comfort is worth far more to him than other people’s personal opinions about him. The nobles eyed Zaxxarius, as Abaddon took him and Vander past them and towards the council door. “Hold on!” A boy said, shooting to his feet. He looked younger than Zaxxarius, even though he was a Cazrian. He looked to be around 9 years old, but Cazrian ages are different. He looked as if he was a new addition to a high school. “What is that? A human!?” The boy shouted. “Why is he seeing the Council before ME!?”