Vegenrage: The Magic User

by Robert Spina

  They walk for some time, and before Farrah knows it, they are at a magical place, a structure made out of wood with carvings all over it in green and brown colors. It looks like a small home but like four of them joined to make one big home. Illith turns to Farrah. “Come, Farrah, let’s see how your friend is doing.” He extends his hand toward the door, waiting for Farrah to enter.

  “Thank you, Illith.” She enters, and Illith looks to Logantrance, who knows this is the greatest hospitality ever granted to humans by the elves here in the Mystical Erkens.

  Logantrance enters, followed by Illith. Logantrance and Farrah are standing over Vegenrage, who is still sleeping on the bed where they left him.

  “He must have been very exhausted to still be sleeping. If he is such a great magic user, I would’ve thought the magical energy of dragons would of woken him.”

  “Yes, well let’s see if I can’t do something about that.”

  “Hold on, Logantrance, let me try.” Farrah starts to shake him. “Vegenrage, Vegenrage, come on, Vegenrage, wake up.” She shakes him some more, and he comes around opening his eyes and looking around.

  “What is going on? Where are we? Logantrance, what is this place? It is very strong in energy like I have never felt, but I feel it here.” He sits up, noticing he has an audience.

  “Yes, this is a very special place—one of the most magical places in all the realms. This is Illith, and he granted us safe passage while you were asleep.”

  “Thank you, Illith. We must be in the Finkelbrim Realm. I recognize the structure of the carvings on the walls, and they are Erkensharie, but how did we get here?”

  “The dragons found your home and mine as well. I had to move us or the dragons would’ve eaten us by now. Illith allowed us safe passage in the Mystical Erkens, a privilege granted to very few humans.”

  “The Mystical Erkens. Amazing. I can truly feel the energy here. Thank you, Illith.”

  “The pleasure is mine. Here, eat some of these.” He gathers some fruit from a table and gives it to Vegenrage, and he eats as they talk. “Logantrance tells me you have been chosen to help in the fight against the evil of Kronton. We have known for a long time now that evildoers were growing in numbers while those able to fight against them have been dwindling. The Dragon Feast is happening again in the Maglical System, and this presents a life-threatening challenge not only for the fighters of good but for the fighters of evil as well. This is a very dangerous time, and the doers of evil are in just as much danger right now as the doers of good. This takes precedence right now, and if you are as great as Logantrance says you are, then we could use your help. We have lost our greatest magic user Shandorn to an evil magic user named Cloakenstrike. He has stolen the most valuable and magical item of all the elves, the Octagemerwell. This weakens our defenses greatly, and our Great Erken tree, home to our new king, is under siege by Dribrillianth right now. The entire Erkensharie magical order is now protecting the Great Erken from him minus myself.”

  “Dribrillianth is indestructible. The only chance I would have against him is to get him to the Carbonheight Hills. Only here can his diamond scales be penetrated and then only with the blessing of Cormygle. We all know that is not going to happen.”

  “Who is Cormygle?” Logantrance looks to Farrah as to say don’t ask.

  “In my study of Dribrillianth, it is said that Dribrillianth has never used his breath attack, so no one knows what it is. Do either of you know what his breath attack is?”

  “Unfortunately, this is true. I have never heard any talk of his breath attack, only speculation.”

  “I too have no idea what his breath attack is.”

  “Well, this makes Dribrillianth a truly scary dragon, and being that he is only known to be about two thousand years old, his time is coming to become the dominant dragon. How are your magic users protecting the Great Erken from him?”

  “As you know, his diamond scales are immune to all bladed and magical attack. The only defense we have without the Octagemerwell is to bombard him with magical missiles and arrows and the like. These attacks do not harm him, but they push him back, not allowing him access to the Great Erken tree itself. This will only keep him at bay for so long. He will eventually find a way in.”

  “If Dribrillianth wants in, I don’t know that we can stop him, but I will help in any way I can.”

  “Good, let us go now. Ms. Farrah, you will meet our new king. Please show respect as this is a great honor, and you as well, Vegenrage.”

  They nod, and Illith teleports the four of them to the Great Erken tree. They appear just outside the throne room and are greeted by two elven warriors who address Illith and grant them access to the throne room. They enter, and Illith bows to King Ulegwahn. The others follow suit in bowing to the king.

  “Illith, I have heard Orgrange and Peakreech have been slain,” he says as he approaches from his throne. “Logantrance, it is good to see you, and this must be the ally you were telling me about.”

  “Yes, Ulegwahn, this is Vegenrage.”

  Vegenrage bows slightly, showing respect. “And who is this lovely being?” Ulegwahn smiles and raises Farrah’s hand with his and kisses it gently.

  “This, Ulegwahn, is Farrah, young maiden saved from an evil curse by Vegenrage.”

  Ulegwahn shows more than expected interest in Farrah. This is very unusual especially for an elven king to look deeply into the eyes of a human female.

  Logantrance notices this and breaks Ulegwahn’s stare. “Ulegwahn, what of the attack from Dribrillianth?”

  “He has retreated to look for easier prey. He has found the Great Erken to be impregnable so far. I have the entire magical order protecting us along with many of our bowelves.”

  “Have you heard from King Glimtron at all?”

  “Yes, the Dagi have sent word to us. They have been attacked by the Mountain Creek Dragons. There are now three of them, and they are all in the Glaborster Mountains.”

  “Three, they have multiplied.”

  “There is a female that we did not know about.”

  “Yes, there is, and Fargloin is in ruin. The dragons have been attacking and killing all humanoid life. Erkensharie has been devastated by them. Glaboria as well. There is no telling how widespread the disaster is, but it is most likely worldwide. The dragons mean to wipe out all humanoid life.”

  “Well, we won’t let that happen.”

  “And you, Vegenrage, you are going to stop this?”

  “I will try.”

  “And I will help.”

  “Yes, Ulegwahn, we must face the dragons and fight them. We cannot sit and wait for them to pick us all off. This is the survival of all humanoid races on all three planets. We must band together and fight them, or they will leave us in ruin. As our ancestors did over a millennium ago, we must hunt them and drive them back. We know how they were exiled into hiding before, and we must do this again.”

  “I have barely sit on the throne in Erkensharie and already the lives of my entire race are at stake because of these dragons. You are right, Logantrance, we must band together all the humanoid races and fight these dragons. I will have my magical order send word to the Glaborian dwarves, and we will unite like the days of old, and we will hunt down these dragons and send them to memory. My craftsmen and magic users are still working on the Foarsbleem Glimtron has provided us with, and magnificent weapons will be created to battle these dragons. It’s a fight the dragons want, and a fight they will regret.”

  “Good, Ulegwahn, good. I will take Vegenrage and Farrah to the Glaborian Mountains. I need to know how Glimtron and his people are doing against the dragons. Strengthen and fortify Erkensharie. You must lead now and rally the elves to fight against the dragon attacks. The Mountain Creek Dragons must be very young, except for Gannream. The dwarves may need our help, and we will aid against the dragons. I will do what I can to bring back those ready to hunt the dragons.”

  “Logantrance, my oldest human friend, be safe and b
ring back these two safely.” Ulegwahn looks deeply into Farrah’s eyes and kisses her hand again. “Glimtron will have the battle ax I promised when you return. I am quite sure he will seek to hunt the dragons, and he will have a weapon worthy of all respect. When you return, we hunt the dragons.”

  “I will pass your respects to Glimtron and will return with all ready to send the dragons back to the pits they came from. I know safe passage into the Glaborian Mountains, let us go now.” Logantrance draws a Dimension Door with his fingers, and he, Vegenrage, and Farrah walk through.

  CHAPTER 26

  The Glaborian Disaster

  Walking out of the Dimension Door into a narrow passageway, they have to bend slightly as the ceiling is only five feet high. They have to avoid the wooden beams holding the passageway secure by ducking their heads under them as they walk down the passage.

  “Logantrance, that fruit Illith gave me must have been Pluange, because I feel amazing.”

  “What is Pluange?”

  “It is a fruit grown only in the Mystical Erkens that restores magical energy, and it really works. I have never felt so good.”

  “It is a good thing he gave that to you because you may very well need all your ability and your wits.”

  “Where are we anyway?”

  “We are in the Glabor Mountain. This is where the Glaborian dwarves live—well, a lot of them anyway.”

  “I hope they have higher ceilings than this. I am getting a backache already.”

  “We are almost out of this passageway, and you will be able to stand freely, Farrah.”

  Logantrance can see the opening he was looking for, and they pass into a large cavern dug out of the mountain. They look up at the amazing size of this room some five stories high. There are steps carved out of the wall for ascending to the higher levels. Logantrance looks very concerned. This is very bad. He notices large amounts of rock and debris filling the floor of the cavern.

  “Where is everyone, Logantrance? It looks like no one is here. Is it abandoned?”

  “I don’t know, Farrah. Let’s get to the higher levels. The dragons may have done more damage here than I anticipated. Vegenrage, can you levitate us up to that doorway?”

  Many stories up there is a great arching doorway, and Vegenrage levitates the three of them up, and they settle on a smooth stone walkway leading from the stairs going to the doorway leading out, which is closed. Vegenrage walks to the end of the walkway, looking down into the five-story cavern, noticing the network of chains and buckets attached to chains used for hauling out the minerals from the earth. There are many passageways like the one they entered from, and he can tell which passageways are currently being mined because they have chains and pulleys set up, used for extracting ores and metals.

  “Vegenrage, help me with this door.” Logantrance is trying to open the door, but it seems to be stuck.

  “Here, let me try.” Vegenrage tries to open the door, but it is apparently locked from the other side. “Logantrance, are we not on the inside? Why would this door be locked from the outside?”

  “I do not know.”

  “Vegenrage, what are those golden brown crystals in the walls giving off light?”

  “They are Amberglow. They are found only in the Glaborian Mountains, and when set on Tintyganium, they heat up and glow.”

  “Wow, so cool and beautiful.”

  “Logantrance, what should we do? Have the dwarves left the mountain?”

  “We have to get through this door and find out.”

  “OK, stand back.” Vegenrage concentrates with his eyes closed and pointing his hands at the door. He tilts his head to the side. “Logantrance, there is magic on this door. I cannot penetrate it without using force. This door has been blocked for a reason. Do you think we should force our way through? Is there no other way out of this cavern?”

  “We can levitate up through the shafts leading to the forges.”

  “OK, here we go.” Vegenrage levitates them up through the tunnel that the chains and buckets travel through to get to the forges. This room is not as big as you might think. There are six big holding tanks, very thick and can hold hundreds of pounds of metal with pits under them for burning Amberglow, which, if heated very hot, burns extremely hot and for a long time. There are billows around all the pits for adding additional oxygen, making the Amberglow burn even hotter. The room is deserted, with no signs of life. The Amberglow is still burning, and the holding tanks are full of molten metal, so there was a hasty retreat by those that were here.

  “This way.” Farrah and Vegenrage follow Logantrance as he heads out of the smelting room. They pass into a large room, and the front wall has been obliterated. The entire front of the mountain that has been carved and maintained for over a thousand years by the dwarves has been caved in from the outside. The door they were trying to exit out from has tons and tons of rock and debris blocking it.

  “The dragons have caved in the outer walls of Glabor. They used powerful magic to seal all the doors, so the dragons must have hurled large boulders from the sky, crushing the outer wall, caving it in.”

  “Logantrance, where have the dwarves gone? Do you think the dragons ate them all?”

  “No, Glimtron, has most likely moved all the dwarves through the lower mines, and they have taken refuge in Symbollia, two mountains southwest of here. The dragons cannot penetrate there, and if they use their magic to shrink down small enough to enter, the dwarves will surely kill them. I know that is where they have gone. I never thought I would see the day that Glabor has been destroyed.”

  They all look on, taking in the enormity of what has happened here. The entire mountain almost a mile in diameter has been demolished. Tons and tons of rock cover the floor of what just a few days ago was Glabor. They look at Logantrance, who is almost in tears remembering what Glabor used to look like and all the life and culture that has been destroyed here.

  “Logantrance are you all right?”

  “Yes, I will be fine.”

  “How do we get to Symbollia?”

  “I have no reference in order to teleport us there. We have to travel through the lower levels.”

  “What about the Dagi? Can’t you communicate with them telepathically?”

  “Good idea. I can try. Come, let us find the Dagi Bluffs. This is where they study and practice their magic. Can you levitate us up to that high doorway up there?”

  “Sure, no problem.” Vegenrage levitates them higher up the ruin of Glabor, and a shining light catches his eye from the rubble below. They get to a doorway high up above the ruin of Glabor, and the ledge is just barely big enough for them to stand on.

  “Through here, this leads to the Dagi Bluffs.”

  “Wait a second. I see something that may help me see what has happened here.” Vegenrage lowers himself back down to the floor.

  “Wait, Vegenrage, don’t go down there!” Logantrance yells to Vegenrage, but he is floating down to the floor where all the caved-in walls have settled, and he does not hear Logantrance through all the swirling wind.

  “What is he doing, Logantrance?”

  “I don’t know. He must have seen something that he can read magically. He is probably trying to gain insight to what has happened here, but I don’t like him going to the floor. It feels wrong.” They watch as Vegenrage lowers himself to the floor level, and he picks up something out of the rubble. He looks up and holds a battle ax over his head, showing them what he descended for.

  “Just as I thought. He has found a weapon and wants to visualize what happened here. He may be able to see what happened from this weapon. Vegenrage is more resourceful than I have ever imagined. Come on, don’t linger down there bring it back up here.”

  Vegenrage is concentrating, looking over the weapon, and he sees images of dragons swooping at Glabor, picking up dwarves with their mouths and forearms, flying back into the air, and eating them. The dwarves have catapults that are launching burning balls of oil at the dragons and arch
ers launching hundreds of arrows at them. He can see the Dagi casting magic from high up where Logantrance and Farrah are. They are shooting lightning bolts and magical arrows and missiles at the dragons. The dragons fly with great maneuverability and avoid most attacks, but some arrows and magical missiles make their mark and explode chunks of scale, flesh, and blood into the air. There are not three dragons but four attacking Glabor.

  Vegenrage can see the dwarves retreating through the lower levels, ordered to take refuge by King Glimtron. All able-fighting dwarves are battling the dragons. These dragons, the Mountain Creek Dragons, are multicolored with red, brown, and yellow scales in that order throughout their whole body. Three of the dragons are obviously young with a lot of growing to do, and like children, they are fast, active, and they maneuver very well. The one large dragon dwarfs the three younger dragons, and just as Logantrance suspected, Gannream, the father dragon, swoops on Glabor with unbelievably large boulders, maybe ten to twelve tons, and drops them from high above, crushing and demolishing Glabor.

  Vegenrage can see the destruction of Glabor as it happened a day or two ago. This vision catches Vegenrage by surprise, because dragons that father young have never been known to stay with the offspring. The male dragons are nomadic, and once an egg has been seeded, they move off, never to see the young, and if they run into the young in the wild, a lot of times the father will kill his own young. This is something never seen before, a father dragon actually working in unison with his young.

  Vegenrage also knows there has to be a female dragon not seen here. Another very unusual thing is that all four of these dragons, father and sons, all have the same red, brown, yellow scale colors. This is never heard of with dragons. When a dragon pair mates, the color of the offspring is never known until they hatch. It is very rare but not unheard of for a dragon to be more than one color, but four dragons with three colors almost identical to one another is unheard of.