Dragon Approved Complete Box Set

by Ramy Vance

  Chine blew out a small burst of flame, enough to illuminate the cave. There was hardly anything in it, only darkness.

  As the ground continued to break apart, Alex and Roy fell into a chasm with Chine. The dragon let loose a torrent of ether flames, and Alex’s body was covered in the same.

  Telekinetic blasts radiated from the dragonrider as the three dropped into the clay world of Vardis’ ancestors.

  Alex hit the ground hard, then struggled to her feet, clutching the aching wounds she had received in the last battle with Vardis. “Where are you? Show yourself!”

  The earth shook, the walls trembling and quivering as something like a face forced its way through the red clay. It was Vardis, his jeweled forehead quivering as is his beady black eyes peered at Alex. “Show myself? Perhaps you should show yourself.”

  A telepathic blast hit Alex, trying to bring up all of Vardis’ renditions of her past, but she knew better now. She knew that none of this was real.

  Alex wiped away Vardis’ onslaught with a simple gesture. “I’m done with you,” she shouted. “All of this. I’m done with all of it.”

  Vardis’ head trembled, his skin boiling as he screamed in rage. “The Dark One must be defeated!”

  Alex screamed back as Chine flew up behind her, blasting ether flames to consume the visage of Vardis before them.

  Vardis squealed as his skin melted, as did the clay surrounding his body, pooling in a red lake that looked like blood. The alien’s face bubbled up to the top of it.

  Alex and Chine walked down to the small lake, Roy right behind them. The three looked at the miserable, melting face of Vardis. “End it, Chine,” Alex ordered.

  Chine scorched the lake and everything around it.

  Alex and Roy were caught up in the flames and consumed by them.

  Alex snapped awake in her bed in the medbay. She looked around, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. “Roy, are you here?”

  Roy coughed and rolled over. He was lying on the floor, trying to grab his cigar. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m here.”

  Alex let out a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe we got through that. Jesus Christ.”

  The lights in the room flickered on and off, then went out.

  The walls shook, and the air got hotter.

  Alex looked up.

  Vardis stood in the doorway, his eyes burning with a dark light as he stepped into the medbay. “This is just the beginning, Alex,” he growled.

  Author Notes Ramy Vance

  May 28, 2020

  My Dungeon Master hates me… Seriously. I must be the most difficult player ever.

  I’m playing a dual class Barbarian/Sorcerer – with a twist. The backstory for my character is this:

  He was one of the great barbarians of the Mountain Goliaths. They raided a village doing their thing: Killing, stealing, pillaging… when a great sorcerer came onto the scene and with a wave of his hand, killed half the barbarian raiders.

  My guy – who takes on the name of his last great deed … another reason why my DM hates me – was spared for reasons the barbarian doesn’t really understand. Then he was trained to become a sorcerer himself. But given his intelligence is a 10 and his Wisdom is an 11, he’s a terrible sorcerer. He pretty much can cast Jump and Light … and that’s it.

  Anywhooo … he was released with the instructions that he must “Raise someone worthy to heights unimagined.”

  The Multi-Named Barbarian took this to heart and went forth where he met the adventuring party that my character is a part of now.

  On their first adventure, the party is clearing out a bunch of goblins from a cave. One goblin in particular – Gibbles – catches Multi-Named’s attention. The barbarian/sorcerer sees potential in the creature.

  He sees a KING!

  So for the rest of that session, I spent Charisma roll after Charisma roll (including wasting all my inspirations and advantages) to befriend the goblin.

  Now I’m out to ‘civilize’ him … a lofty task, indeed, because my character has anger issues. (After all, he’s a barbarian at heart.)

  Multi-Named protects Gibbles, buys him clothes, stands up for him when some wayward villager sneers at him …

  Multi-Named will only go on an adventure if he feels it will further Gibbles’ destiny. (My character has refused to do things set out by the DM, as well as committed to ridiculous fights in the name of the goblin.)

  And this is my oath (or rather, Multi-Named’s oath): By the time this adventure is over, Gibbles will be a king.

  Or Multi-Named will die trying.

  Sigh… like I said, my DM hates me.

  Gibbles: Before … and (soon to be) after pics …

  PS – Do you think I can convince Michael to play DnD with me?

  Author Notes Michael Anderle

  May 28, 2020.

  So Ramy asked in his author notes the question of whether or not you, our fair reader, thought I might play Dungeons and Dragons with him.

  The short answer is perhaps and maybe.

  The longer answer is I would like to watch recordings of Ramy playing Dungeons and Dragons before I commit fully. It has been decades, I believe, since I have played the game. I am sure I would become the point of focus to find out just how bad could we can screw up Michael if he’s playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons with us.

  Not really too sure I care to do this. It’s like being asked to be the one sitting on that little chair and getting dumped into a vat of ice-cold water. Everyone supports the fact that it’s for charity. I’m pretty good with just putting up $200 and calling us square.

  I’ve never been good at making a fool of myself. I can do that all on my lonesome without making a concerted effort to accomplish it. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I tried to be foolish. Probably I would fail, yet by not trying, I make it seem easy.

  I can imagine that if I were being paid based on the amount of laughter, I might become a rich man indeed.

  However, his question brings up questions of my own. I have watched a few YouTube series, and maybe a few television series, where the characters on the shows played Dungeons and Dragons. Yet, I don’t know of any of them that have made me wish to watch the second show.

  Is it that I’m just not a fan? Or is it that no one has successfully captured the joy and the freedom of playing a role-playing game? Is there perhaps an opportunity to create an online training course for actors on how to act while playing Dungeons and Dragons? Is there something that brings the joy that one feels when reading about Dungeons and Dragons events in someone’s life?

  I have read posts on the website Reddit from many people who have shared game experiences that have left me in stitches.

  So, if someone can commit to text, why is it acting is so much more of a problem? Is it just that we bring our own experiences when we read it, but it is not capable of being captured on film?

  Or is it that I have not seen these videos yet? I would love to!

  Feel free, if you leave a review, to mention some of those in it. Or, drop by one of our Facebook groups and talk about it. In general, you can find me on the Protected by the Damned Facebook group, where the discussions revolve around humor that’s a little bit more adult.

  I admit our two youngest sons played Dungeons and Dragons while in high school. I’m not sure they continue to play any games, but at least I have checked that nerd-father task off my to-do list.

  I hope you have a fantastic week!

  Regards,

  Michael Anderle

  Boundless

  Dragon Approved™ Book Thirteen

  Chapter One

  Vardis stood in the doorway of Alex’s hospital room. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes betrayed his purpose. The alien was seething with energy. It was like looking at a lightbulb exceeding its wattage. He seemed unable to contain himself.

  Alex had only just pulled herself out of Vardis’ mental labyrinth. She still wasn’t sure what was real. Her memories see
med tacked on, or like they could have been changed without her even realizing it. The only thing she was certain of was that she was in the real world now.

  Roy was still having trouble adjusting to being outside the mental plane. He didn’t look as sick as he had while navigating through Vardis’ and Alex’s memories, but he didn’t look like he was up for a fight.

  Vardis took a slow, deliberate step into the room as if he were savoring the confusion he had caused to both Alex and Roy. He was gloating.

  Alex wasn’t going to take the bait. “What are you doing here?”

  Vardis looked around the room, energy still pouring from his body. “I came to see if you were okay. I heard about the explosion and wanted to check on your health.”

  Alex knew that was a lie. Even though she didn’t have any proof, she knew the explosion that had put her in the med-bay was caused by Vardis. She didn’t need proof that Vardis was trying to hurt her, though. Roy had been involved in the psychic attack as well. He’d back her up. “I’m onto you,” Alex threatened.

  Vardis closed the door behind him as he walked farther in the room. He looked from Alex to Roy, watching them both closely. “I do not know what you’re talking about,” he murmured, feigning ignorance. The smug tone in his voice was obvious. “They’re going to be transporting the shard in a little while. I thought you should know.”

  “You can’t use that weapon!”

  A pulse went through the room, a subtle ripple as if someone had lightly pressed their fingertip to water. Alex looked at Roy to see if he felt the distortion as well, but she found herself moving extremely slowly as if she were trying to move through gelatin.

  Then she heard Vardis’ voice in her head, lacking the prior smugness but sounding nearly frantic, almost mad. “We need to use the weapon as soon as possible,” he said. “It is time for this war to end, for the Dark One to pay for everything he’s put us through.”

  For the first time since she’d started suspecting Vardis, Alex realized the alien might not be of sound mind, and it seemed like he was quickly unraveling. “If we use that weapon, it’s going to destroy everything we know. It’ll destroy what we are fighting for.”

  “Not what you’re fighting for. Don’t you understand anything about dimensions and universes, human? It’s powerful enough to destroy a universe. Middang3ard isn’t your home, this is. Once the weapon is used on Middang3ard, the other eight surviving realms will keep on living. They’ll be able to experience life free of the Dark One.”

  Alex hadn’t realized the distinction until just now. Middang3ard wasn’t Earth, nor were the elvish or gnomish realms. They were all layered over each other like a pile of crepes. Vardis was only talking about discarding one of the crepes.

  Would that be so bad? Middang3ard was just a hub of different species, most of them working on the war effort. They could be evacuated; there was no reason they had to die. And the rest of the realm…

  Alex couldn’t believe she was even thinking about the option. It was practically genocide, and not worth it. The thought of losing any number of lives to destroy the Dark One made Alex’s stomach turn.

  “Is it any different than the lives Myrddin sacrifices to fight the Dark One?”

  Vardis’ voice broke Alex away from her thoughts. Now she wasn’t certain if the initial thought she’d had about letting Middang3ard be destroyed had originated from her or the alien.

  It had been the same when she’d spoken to the Dark One. Even though Alex’s telepathy was getting stronger at a rapid rate, she wasn’t sure if it was on par with either the Dark One’s or Vardis’. Maybe they were strong enough to influence her mind in ways she didn’t even know about.

  Alex shook away the alien’s words. “No, they’re different. We’d all be dead if Myrddin hadn’t organized everything.”

  “Yet there have been sacrifices. Your arm, for instance. There are things we lose that we never get back. That’s all this is, a sacrifice. The immensity of that sacrifice is as large as that which we hope to remove.”

  Something about Vardis’ voice had changed. It had lost its manic tone and was low and almost comforting, a distortion he did not seem to be aware of. Alex would have assumed it was an entirely different person.

  “Myrddin asked me to fight. It wasn’t something I was forced into. It was my decision. What you’re planning is monstrous.”

  Vardis raised his hand, his palm facing Roy. “No, monstrous would be focusing on your friend’s brain long enough to reduce it to a gray puddle on the floor. That would be senseless, unnecessary, and monstrous, to do that just to see your pain. What I’m proposing is that you and I, that we save the realms together. Keep quiet, and we can all live through this.”

  Alex pushed back telepathically, warding off Vardis’ influence. “I’m not going to kill millions of people.”

  “Just like the Dark One asked you, right?”

  Alex’s heart dropped. She wasn’t sure how Vardis knew about the conversation she’d had with the Dark One. Or maybe he didn’t. He could have been bluffing. It wouldn’t have been hard to deduce that the Dark One had reached out to Alex during the battle. “He didn’t ask me anything,” Alex answered.

  Vardis was silent for a second, watching Alex as if he were trying to discern the truth of her words.

  The uncertainty in his eyes was extremely comforting to her. If he could be confused, he didn’t have full access to her mind. She felt uncertainty coming off him.

  That must have been how it worked. They could pick up on each other’s feelings, and things that could be given away with body language seemed to amplify the thoughts of the individual. If Alex could keep her body language in control, it would be harder for Vardis to read her.

  Vardis, on the other hand, didn’t get himself under control. His emotions were as palpable as the psychic energy coming off his body.

  Alex decided to push the alien. “That’s the difference between you and me. You’re willing to sacrifice everyone around you, and yet you don’t fight. Sounds a little cowardly to me.”

  Anger filled the room as Vardis ground his teeth. “I have sacrificed more than you will ever understand. All of us sacrificed so much.”

  The alien’s eyes went glossy for a second, the bright white energy fading before he looked around the room as if he had just been transported into it.

  The energy came back and he screamed in rage. “All of them died! Do you understand? Every one of them!”

  A psychic blast tore through the room as time returned to normal.

  Alex and Roy were flung against the wall and hit hard enough to crack the concrete.

  The sudden time dilation had caught Alex off-guard, but the blast was weak compared to what she’d gone through in Vardis’ mind. He must have been distracted. Whatever was going on in his head was a weakness, one Alex wanted to exploit. “Where were you when they died? It didn’t seem like you could do anything to help them.”

  When Vardis spoke, it was in a voice Alex had never heard him use. It was high-pitched and more frenzied than before, his voice cracking with every other word. “I did everything I could! None of them believed me! None of them were willing to do what needed to be done! That’s why they are no more. But we continue. We will not let the Dark One win.”

  Who is the “we” Vardis keeps talking about? Alex thought. He’s never done that before. This guy must be crazier than I thought.

  Roy was getting to his feet, shaken by what had happened. He still managed to draw his pistol faster than Alex could see and fire.

  One of the shots hit Vardis in the arm, flinging him back. The alien didn’t seem hurt, though. He raised his hand, and Roy went flying.

  Alex reached out and tried to telekinetically pull Roy back down to the ground as he writhed in pain. “So, that’s the plan? You couldn’t do anything to keep your people alive? The best plan you got is to wipe out an entire universe? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the one who wiped out your people.”

 
Roy fell to the ground as Vardis took a step back. “What did you just say?”

  “You heard me. You keep going on about how the Dark One killed your people, but we were in your mind too. I didn’t see one memory of the Dark One. Just you and a bunch of dead people like you.”

  The walls in the room started to shake and the glass in the windows vibrated. “How dare you!” Vardis growled.

  The door opened and a nurse walked into the room. She froze when she saw the standoff between Vardis and Alex. “I could come back later,” she murmured and let herself out.

  Before the door could close, it exploded like a grenade had just gone off, slicing the nurse’s face and leaving her a bloody mess on the floor.

  Alex screamed in rage, seeing how casually Vardis had treated a human life, and drew her scythe, rushing at Vardis while pulling him closer with her telekinesis.

  Vardis pushed back as hard as he could, stopping Alex for a second as he ran.

  It wasn’t in Alex’s head. Vardis was stronger in real life than in the psychic plane. It must have been because his attention wasn’t split. Her powers didn’t feel like they were anywhere close to his.

  Roy was back on his feet. He ran over to the nurse who had been attacked and held her head up. She coughed up blood, and there were tears in her eyes as she looked about fearfully. “Where does it hurt?” Roy asked.

  The nurse looked down at her stomach and pulled up her shirt. There were cuts all over her torso as well as her face. “They’re superficial,” she managed, her voice eerily professional. “I’ll survive.”

  “We’ll get help.”

  Roy looked at Alex. “We can’t let him get too far away. Come on.”

  Alex followed Roy as he commed for a medical team to come to Alex’s room. They raced after Vardis, and Alex wondered what other tricks the alien had up his sleeve.