Vegenrage: The Magic User (36 page)

“I know, Mezzmaglinggla, that is why we are going to watch her every move.”

“If she breaks free, there is very little we can do. She is protected by Vergraughtu.”

“Dad, do you think this one is as strong as the other one? He tore Emzwer’s throat out with his bare hands. What if he follows us here?”

“Don’t worry, Razcour, we are still dragons and we are bigger, stronger, and more magically inclined than that puny human. This one here is the one we want, and now we need to figure out how to remove Vergraughtu from her.”

“Oh yeah, Gannream, tell that to Emzwer. I told you it was a bad idea bringing the humans to our home. You think they are stupid and weak, but they have taken Emzwer and Romtellow from us. They are beating us. You and the other dragons thinking you can just fly in and eliminate the humanoid races are so foolish. They are winning, they are defeating us.”

“And what would you have us do, Mezzmaglinggla? Hide like dogs? Fly to the mountains? Burrow underground and hide from this scourge, this virus taking over our worlds? Some of them are strong. Some may be able to kill us, and that is why we have to seek them out and kill them before they kill us. We need to be smart as well, and we need to hunt down the magic users and take the magical items from them, growing our power and eliminating the threat they pose on us.”

“It is your warring, your need to kill, that has me worried. The dragons tried to wipe out all the humanoids once before, and they came back stronger and more determined and almost wiped out the dragons completely. I fear this time they will succeed and leave the dragons to memory. We will be legend and myth, and our reign as a dominant species is coming to an end.” Mezzmaglinggla rises up, flapping her wings and takes to the air.

“Mezzmaglinggla, where are you going?”

“Ma, don’t leave us.” Razcour flies following his mother.

“Mezzmaglinggla, don’t go.”

“He will come for the girl, and if you are able to defeat him and gain the power of Vergraughtu, then I will be waiting for you. If you are smart, you will leave them be.”

Mezzmaglinggla flies out of the cavern followed by Razcour, and Gannream is left alone. He looks at Farrah lying in the cage, obviously in a lot of discomfort. He cringes, his eyebrows looking to the right, with a grumbling moan coming from his closed mouth. “Aswarenth covern desblooo memomee coay senth provesh. I know you are here, magic user. Show yourself.” Gannream walks away from the cage holding Farrah, sniffing the air deeply and looking around. His scales flutter up and down very beautifully, and a magical glow outlines his body. “You are very powerful. You are able to mask your true magical power. It is ones like you that make the dragons worry about their future. Ones like you that can match the strength of those with thirty times your size and use it to destroy those you fear.”

Vegenrage becomes visible, walking toward Gannream from the other side of the pit Farrah was dropped into. He waves his hands, and the pit caves in, filling with dirt. “You are wrong, Gannream. I go to see my friend, and Blethstole has entered his body and planted demon seed with the intention of killing him. I go to Mourbarria to see the dragons destroy it and eat the people. I go to Erkensharie to see the dragons killing and eating elves. I go to Glabor to see the dragons destroy in a day or two what took the dwarves centuries to build. You take me by magic to lure my companion to you so you can steal from them. I do not want to kill dragons. I love dragons. You are beautiful, you are magical, but the universe has played a terrible trick on the dragons. You are big, strong, and powerful, but you devour without thinking. And the universe has evolved, creating the humanoid races, and you devour them, thinking they will never do more than hide and be your meals. The races of man have evolved intelligently and learned the magic that dragons thought they could possess alone. Now that man can use magic and deadly weapons, he can fight the dragons and eliminate the very obvious threat that you are to us.”

“You speak elegantly, magic man. I like listening to you. There is something very unique about you. I sense a wealth of knowledge and magical power, but your magic is shielded from me. This is very unique indeed. A most valuable asset you somehow possess, some sort of magical cloak perhaps.”

“If you like to hear about reality, let me give you a little insight into the situation you are now in. Over two millenniums ago, the dragons for the first time feared the races of man and began feasting on them. What we know now as the Dragon Feast. The dragons killed thousands and thousands, making all fearful of the dragons. The races of men were nearly wiped out, and there were very few magic users outside of dragons. The magic users of the races of men mostly fought among themselves trying to be the best and most powerful, and the dragons gave them no thought. But the dragons gave the races of man a reason to unite and fight together against a common enemy.

“A millennium later, the dragons realized the races of man were becoming very powerful in the art of magic and could actually compete with dragons on a magical level. The dragons coordinated a Dragon Feast and tried to wipe out the races of man, but the dragons realized the humanoids were much more powerful than they ever thought possible. The elves, the dwarves, and the humans banded together using magic users of all races to hunt down and kill all dragons. The dragons were nearly eliminated and only survived by going into hiding, stealing magical items and treasure to enhance their magical power, and removing themselves from view, with a few exceptions. The dragons were very successful and nearly eliminated human life altogether but were stopped just short of that. The elves and dwarves had better, more secure places to live and endured the last Dragon Feast much better.

“Now a millennium later and the dragons are trying to gain the dominance they once had. Unfortunately, dragons take hundreds of years to grow from young to adult, and the races of man can multiply ten times faster. The reality is that there are hundreds more magic users now than there were in the days of legend, and they are unimaginably more powerful now as well. You did well in hiding the female Mezzmaglinggla. I wonder how many more mare dragons there are. The point is, it doesn’t matter, because you and your kind have ruined the lives and civilizations of many people, and they will band against the dragons until they are no more. So you say ones like me want to kill dragons. I never wanted to kill dragons. I wanted to know them, but dragons have put me on the defense and offense, forcing my hand. I would much rather befriend dragons than be forced to fight them.”

“Enough, magic man. I must say you have an amazing cloak. I have not been able to ascertain your name. I cannot even tell if you are a true magic user or one who is very lucky. You are certainly brave to face me in full view, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt and respect the ability you may have. You have a very interesting take on history, but nevertheless, you are accurate. This is a most unusual form of flattery you speak. Do you think this will sway my natural instinct to kill you and want to befriend a human? Or is this just some form of stalling. You think yourself able to outwit me to persuade me to your line of thought. You think that dragons are not capable of banding together and fighting toward a common goal and against a common enemy.” Gannream stands on his hind legs and extends his wings wide. “Dragons are the dominant species of the Maglical System. We always have been, and we always will be.”

Vegenrage waves his hand in a half arch to his right side, and the magical glow that had been shining around Gannream’s body disappears. “So you are the dominant species of the Maglical System, and with the wave of my hand, I neutralized your Shield of Magic Deflection.”

Gannream looks himself over, very surprised, actually stunned this magic user took away his shield and did not even say a word. Even dragons have to speak the words to make the magic, and Gannream has never seen this before. Like he is thinking in delayed time, he looks suddenly, even more shocked. “You are the one. It is true. The divination that Hornspire talked about is you. You are Vlianth, the bringer of doom.” Gannream takes to the wing and flies straight up, veering to the right and flying out of an opening leading to the skies.

Vegenrage heads over to the cage where Farrah is. Farrah sits up and then stands. Vegenrage notices she is wearing a bracelet. “You had the sense to put on the bracelet. Good girl! Good girl! OK, let’s see you get out of there now.”

“Hmm!” Farrah rubs her chin with a smile, looking at Vegenrage and looking the cage over. “I don’t ever want my man to see me fat, so I am going to stay nice and thin just for him.” Farrah turns to the side, and her body narrows to the size of a two by four and she slides between the bars of the cage. She gets out, and with a shake, she regains her normal size. She gives Vegenrage a big hug. “You came for me. I thought I was coming to save you. Hey, what was that dragon talking about? I read about Hornspire. He was the dragon that spoke about dragon prophecies, but I don’t remember reading about any Vlianth. He said you are the one like he had heard a prophecy about you. Are you here to bring an end to the dragons?”

“I don’t know what he was talking about. I remember reading about Hornspire too. A lot of dragons thought he was brilliant, but a lot thought he was insane, and ultimately the dragons ignored him. It was said that Hornspire actually wrote a book about divination, but it has never been found or read, at least not by any of the races of man.”

“I am glad you are here, Vegenrage. Don’t be mad at me, but I was scared. I was trying to call for you a lot. Did you hear me? Hey, why did the dragons not, you know, eat us?”

“I know why they did not eat you. It’s because you have used Vergraughtu so much now that you are immune to dragon attack. They can’t even touch you. Every time you consume a dragon’s breath attack, it is like a megaboost to your magical prowess. I mean, I don’t think you have any idea how rapidly you are gaining magic ability, power, and know-how, but you coming after me. The way you did all fearless and reckless is a sign that you truly want to be a great magic user. You are learning, and more importantly, you are doing. Where is Logantrance?”

“He went for the dwarves, and I came to rescue you from the dragons. It did not work out quite like I planned, but I’m back with you like it was supposed to be.”

“Yup. It’s meant to be.” Vegenrage smiles. “OK, let’s go find Logantrance. Maybe he can help us figure out what Gannream was talking about.” Vegenrage draws a Dimension Door with his fingers, and they walk through.

CHAPTER 28
The Dwarves Go to Erkensharie

Glimtron has thirty of his most able and best dwarven fighters huddled around along with Logantrance and five of the Dagi. “The dragons have brought destruction and war on not only the dwarves of Glabor but all the races of man. This is no hunt for simple beasts. This is a hunt to take on the deadliest of all creatures: the dragons. We will unite with the elves of Erkensharie and bring vengeance down on the dragons. Logantrance and the Dagi will travel magically to Erkensharie in the morning, but for the rest of us, we will travel as we always do on our steeds along the Smildren Sea, through the Long Forest, and into Erkensharie. Get good rest tonight because in the morning we begin our two-week journey. For now, let’s enjoy our last night in Symbollia and feast.”

The dwarves head through a network of shallow tunnels that Logantrance has to duck very low to be able to walk through. They come to a large dining hall, and already there are many dwarves here, enjoying salted pork and freshly baked bread with potatoes and carrots and a brand of ale unique to the Symbollia underground. Four tables are cleared and wiped down in a rush to make room for the group of brave dwarves along with their king, ready to ride into danger in the morning. They are served by the rarely seen female dwarves, and they are surprisingly attractive. They each get a plate of meat with vegetables cooked just right and a big wooden cup of ale frothing at the top. There are plates centered in the table with freshly baked loafs of bread, and they dig in.

They begin talking about the adventure and glory of taking on dragons—very ambitious talk for such small beings. Glimtron warns of the danger and the reality that they may not return from this but keeps spirits high by always countering with cheer and the safety brought to his people and the world of Fargloin without the dragons. Many dwarves from around the hall come by to send their best wishes, and they reminisce. They talk about old times and the great times to come as they will begin to rebuild Glabor when the dragons have been eliminated.

They feast and laugh and talk for hours, and when all the dwarves have eaten and drunk their fill, the room grows quiet and Rillbillbus stands on a table to the front of the room for all to see. “Our King Glimtron takes the mightiest of the Glaborian dwarves to face dragons. That in itself tells the story of the heart of our race. It is time to send off our bravest with dwarven song.” Rillbillbus begins to sing.

Our dwarven race lives within the mountains

Our fathers’ homeland, our mothers’ too

Our raging furnaces melt the wealth

Our gifted craftsmen form the tools

Our strongest warriors swing their weapons

Our smartest magicians cast the spells

Our leaders guide our way

Our trusted friends are always there

Four dwarves holding odd-looking stringed instruments sit around the table Rillbillbus is standing on and begin to strum away. They are joined by four female dwarves holding strange wooden flutes, and they join in with melody. Rillbillbus starts to clap and stomp his foot, and all the dwarves in the hall join in the clapped rhythm.

It’s never been an easy road for our dwarven kind

But that’s OK ’cause we are not the lazy kind

The hobgoblin thought they could enter our realm

And we sent them out without their heads

The dragons have destroyed our Glabor

And now they will feel the wrath of resolve

We have always loved our own

We have always knocked down our enemies

We are the Glaborian dwarves, we are the rulers of the mountains

All the dwarves join in the singing at this point as this is a common chorus known by all.

Our ancestors forged our way here

Our kin has survived

Our prosperity holds us safe

We are the Glaborian dwarves, we are the rulers of the mountains

We are the shortest in height but the tallest in might

We have the least visible ways but the greatest treasure to see

No one knows our ways but all know our name

We are the Glaborian dwarves, we are the rulers of the mountains

All the dwarves go silent except for Rillbillbus who continues.

The morrow that follows takes our king

Our bravest lads they go

Bring the spirit of all our kind

Our enemies they face, may they rest in peace.

The hall grows quiet. Everyone is staring at Rillbillbus. It is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He has this huge smile on his face. His singing was terrible. His voice was raspy and crackly. He had no pitch or tone to speak of. He was chugging ale while he was singing, and it still is dripping from his beard. He stretches out his arms and swings his right arm across his belly and bows. His rises with just the happiest smile, so proud of his singing.

All of a sudden, the entire room bursts into cheer and laughter and applause. “Rillbillbus, you are the best.” “Rillbillbus, we love you.” “Rillbillbus, sing another.” They are yelling and screaming, and the room is ablaze with excitement.

Logantrance looks to Glimtron. “That was terrible.”

“Ah yes, Logantrance, but terrible so good. Terrible so good.” Glimtron stands and joins in the cheer.

Vegenrage and Farrah arrive on the ledge, entering the mountain where they had been separated earlier. Darkness has fallen, and the cold night is over the Glaborian Mountains. Farrah puts on her leather clothing.

“Did you venture in with Logantrance at all?”

“No, this is as far as I went. Logantrance went in to find the dwarves, and I went in search for you.”

“Well then, let’s get in touch with Logantrance.”

Logantrance is sleeping, and it is so funny. There are no beds long enough for him to sleep comfortably on, so the dwarves put two beds together to try and accommodate him the best they could. The two beds have been turned bottom to bottom, but there is still a hump where the two beds come together. Logantrance is actually sleeping and has the bend in his knees arched up and over the hump, which kind of feels pretty good for him, and he is soundly sleeping on his back. This is still better than sleeping on the dirt floor.

Logantrance is sleeping well, and his eyes open. He looks around, and a smile grows on his face.
Vegenrage, you made it back, my boy.
Logantrance gets up, and Glimtron notices.

“Not able to sleep, Logantrance?”

“Oh no, I actually found my sleep here very soothing.”

“Then what awakes you?”

“I have a surprise for you, Glimtron.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s wake the others because you all are going to want to see this.”

The thirty dwarves plus the five Dagi and Logantrance are sleeping in one of the more elegant rooms of Symbollia. There is actually a stable dug into the mountain, only about two hundred yards from an exit, but it is well fortified and well out of danger, so the horses can rest and feed in safety. There is a family of Stone Giants near this exit as well, which gives added protection from any possible threats.

Glimtron wakes his dwarves, and they bitch and moan about being woken up before need be, but Logantrance takes their attention with his big announcement.

“Gather around, everyone, I have something very exciting. Someone to aid us in our journey to the Erkensharie is about to make his presence. Of course, with the permission of Glimtron, I will guide Vegenrage to us.”

“Vegenrage. Is this the ally you were telling us about in the carved Erken?”

“Yes, Blythgrin, the very one.”

“Well then, Logantrance, waste no time. Let us see this ally you have told us about.”

“Thank you, Glimtron, make room over here.” Logantrance makes a space and concentrates. The dwarves huddle behind him and chat among themselves.

Vegenrage stands up and brushes off his pants. “Farrah, Logantrance has guided me to his location. It appears we are going to have an audience. There is a group of thirty-five dwarves ready to go to Erkensharie to unite with the elves and hunt down the dragons. Are you ready to meet the dwarves?”

“Oh yes, I have seen only a few and, well, you know what happened to them.”

“OK, let’s go.” Vegenrage uses the guidance given telepathically by Logantrance and teleports the two of them. They appear in front of Logantrance.

“Vegenrage, my boy, you have made it unharmed from the grasp of Gannream. And you, young Farrah, you have saved our boy from the dragons. Your bravery is going to have to be checked. You jump into dangerous situations that you can handle but scaring me to death in the process.”

Farrah lowers her hood, and the dwarves breathe deeply, noticing she is a very beautiful human.

“Logantrance, I should’ve listened to you. I was caught by the dragons, and Vegenrage saved me again. I was really scared. I don’t know what compelled me, but I had to go. I am sorry.”

“That is all right, Farrah, you are here with us safe, and that is what matters.”

Glimtron walks up. “So, Logantrance, I would like very much to talk with our guests.”

“Oh, Glimtron, this is Vegenrage and this is Farrah.”

Glimtron holds out his hand to shake with Vegenrage. “Vegenrage, it is good to finally meet you. Logantrance has told us about you and the magical ability you have. I hope he is right, because it will be tested in the days to come.”

“Glimtron, son of Brimonious. It is an honor to be in the home of the Glaborian leader.”

Glimtron holds out his hand to Farrah. “Ms. Farrah, you are a sight that even a dwarve can fall in love with.” He kisses her hand.

“Thank you, Glimtron, the pleasure is all mine.”

“Come, let us get some breakfast, and we will start our journey a little earlier since we are all up.”

They all go to a dining area that has them a hot breakfast in no time. The tunnels and mines in the mountains are always bustling with dwarves. This is an underground city, and the dwarves are always working, expanding their network of tunnels and searching for new raw minerals to be excavated. There are dwarves already here eating, and they give their best wishes to the adventurers heading for the Erkensharie.

“Logantrance, Glimtron, how are we going to get to the Erkensharie? We are going to ride on horseback?”

“Unless you know of another way to get there, that is how we are going.”

“Not even I have the ability to transport thirty plus provisions to the Erkensharie from here. The dragons are everywhere, and they are devouring all. We will surely be spotted by them, and they will attack. Are we prepared for this reality?”

“You are not the only user of magic with us. Blythgrin, Trybill, and Grenlew will be with us to help protect from any attack, whether it be dragons, hobgoblins, or even orcs. Logantrance was going to travel to the Erkensharie with Limms and Breebellow by magic and let the elves know we are coming. They may send many to meet us on our way there. They have done so in the past.”

“Well, if it is all fine with you, I will travel with you to give aid in case the dragons attack in numbers. I may be of help, and you will find Farrah is very capable herself.”

“I welcome the company. There is strength in numbers. I think we may even be able to find some horses for the two of you.”

“Thank you, Glimtron, I look forward to traveling with you and talking with the Dagi. The Dagi are one of the youngest breed of magic user, but I look forward to learning from them.”

“Yes, well, you will not have to travel the entire way on horseback. When the Dagi and I get to the Erkensharie, we will work with the elven order to set up a Dimension Door, and between the elves, the dwarves, and the three of us, we should be able to get the rest of you here from the Long Forest.”

“That will be good, Logantrance, we will travel the coastline, and it is mostly barren. If the dragons attack us there, Trybill, Grenlew, and myself have quite a surprise waiting for them.”

Vegenrage wants to jump in and talk about the use of elementals. He is aware of the legend of the Sapphirewell but does not know if it truly exists. He has a few very rare and valuable books about the Glaborian dwarves, but he is also aware of how sacred these books are to them, and if he mentions he has them and has read them, this may cause controversy, so he keeps it to himself.

“What kind of surprise do you have for dragons, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Very powerful surprises, very powerful ones.”

“Well, no need to waste time. Limms, Breebellow, are you ready to go to the Erkensharie? I would like to get there, and there is no time to waste.”

“Yes, Logantrance, we are ready. Let us go and start this adventure.”

“Wait, Logantrance, I have some questions for you. Some very odd behavior and talk I overheard from the dragons.”

“We can talk in Erkensharie. I think we all need to be present and talk about how we will proceed.”

“OK, Logantrance, we will talk more in Erkensharie.”

Logantrance, Limms, and Breebellow say their good-byes and exit through a Dimension Door.

“OK, brethren, Vegenrage, and Farrah, let us gear up and meet in the stables. It is time to ride for Erkensharie.”

The dwarves head back to the room where they slept and gather their gear then head for the stables. Vegenrage notices that the dwarven warriors all have magnificent Foarsbleem weapons like battle axes and swords. He makes talk with them, and they are very pleasant and share their knowledge and insight into the weapons they carry, which Vegenrage finds very interesting.

Farrah is pretty much ambushed by one and all the dwarves. They find her very attractive and enjoy very much being close to her and just making her acquaintance. They flirt with her very professionally in a heartfelt and endearing way, which Farrah finds very relaxing and enjoyable. They all talk and make ready for their journey, getting their horses ready to go, and yes, they did find a couple of larger horses for Vegenrage and Farrah to ride on for the journey. They all get mounted up, and Glimtron has an announcement.

“Brothers, we travel to Erkensharie, and we will have, thanks to Blythgrin and the Dagi, even more strength added to our party. I will show you what I mean, let’s ride.”