I rolled aside, trying to distance myself from him. As I jumped up, he was already charging at me. I was tired of teleporting around, so I quickly conjured a magical shield around my body and waited for the impact. His sword slid aside on the shield, but I felt it weaken considerably. Three or four more such impacts and my shield would be gone. His sword was amazingly powerful!
I stared at him with an impressed look in my eyes, and then I swung my sword towards him. He was still a bit surprised about my shield, he wasn't ready for my attack. I struck him in the side, and then I slipped past him to get behind him, and then targeted his back. Again, I struck him before he could parry. While his armor still protected him well, it seemed like I was starting to deform it with my blows.
I raised my sword high and prepared to deliver another blow to his back, but then he turned around and swung his sword towards me. Had it not been for my magical shield, he'd have chopped my fucking head off with that move. But his sword slipped aside on my shield, and I was ready to attack. So I used my chance and struck with my sword at his right shoulder.
He groaned and then stepped back, seeming like my blow had staggered him. He shook his head, and then he released the sword with his right hand, holding it just in his left. He stretched his right arm, made a circle with it, and then he held the sword in both hands once more.
He took a deep breath, and then charged at me with a fearsome war cry. He targeted my right shoulder, but I was able to block his sword with mine. He quickly pulled it back and then struck towards my left shoulder. I was able to parry just in time. Then he struck towards my right shoulder again, and after I parried, he went for my left again, then for the right one again, and then, when I least expected, he swung his sword towards my head. I failed to parry in time, and my magical shield was the only thing that saved me. The impact of his blow pretty much shattered my shield, so I was in trouble.
I teleported some twenty feet behind him. He turned around and charged towards me with his sword pointing forward, like he wanted to impale me. I prepared to step aside. Before he reached me, he swung his sword high above his head and when he reached me a moment later he struck towards my head. This caught me by surprise, but I was able to parry the blow. Then he started pushing me back, and I was forced to retreat. He pushed me all the way against the wall, and I was hard pressed trying to force his sword back. His sword was getting closer and closer to my face, and not much later it was just a fraction of an inch from my skin. I almost felt it burning into my flesh.
I reached down into my magic reserves and used it to push him back with telekinesis. He swiftly charged me again, but this time I stepped aside just in time. He stopped just before he would have ran into the wall, and then he turned back towards me, ready to resume his attack. I was convinced by then, that whatever I would do, I just couldn't make him stop.
`This is gonna be a long, fucking day...' I told myself silently, and prepared to somehow parry or evade his attack, and then hopefully counter. Or die trying...
*
Our duel went on like that, back and forth, for at least half an hour. Sometimes he had the advantage, sometimes I did. But always I had to be quick on my feet to avoid the bitter end. Eventually, we ended up with our swords locked closely together in the middle of the room, staring into each other's eyes over the crossed blades. We stood like that for a good half minute or so, and then he pushed me away and jumped back. I prepared myself for his next attack, but he didn't come. He just stood there with his sword at the ready, and stared at me.
`Hey Zack...' he said, breathing heavily.
`Yeah?' I asked, breathing in a similar fashion.
`What do you say we call it a draw?'
I was hoping he'd say that.
`You sure?'
`Just for now... We'll carry on... some other time...'
`Fine by me...' I told him.
`You want a drink?' he said, as he sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his back.
`Got any coffee?' I asked. He nodded, and he lead me out of the room. I followed him, grateful that his latest stroke of madness had finally passed.
Out of options
In the Great Library of Re'Cas, present day (1 day and 2 hours before Twilightfall)
`That was the last time I saw him.' I tell Flora as I finish recounting the tale of that duel I had with Danny Boy. `After the duel, we had a drink, chatted a bit, and we said our farewells. See you in Hell, we told each other. That's how we always say goodbye. It's kind of a joke, something we often used to say when we explored dangerous ruins or dungeons. Well, after that, I left. I haven't met him again ever since.'
`Sounds like he was out to kill you.'
`Not really. He didn't want to kill me. But he wanted to test his new sword and just left me to defend myself as best I could, not stopping to think for a second that if I made one too many mistakes, I'd end up dead. Normally, he'd have spent some time to think about that, but he didn't. That shows that he lost it. He has a couple of screws loose in his head. A pity, but what can I do?
If you paid attention, you understood that I didn't try to kill him in the duel, either. Insane or not, he's still my best friend. I'm not about to leave him at Voi'Shek's mercy. One way or another, I'll get him out of that stasis void. All I have to do, is kill Voi'Shek. Sadly, that's going to be very difficult...
I guess now you also understand why I do not want to take Mel's help. It's her fault that Danny Boy went nuts. I want to kill her, but he made me promise not to do it. That's the only reason she's still alive. As much as I respect her for certain reasons, I'd still love to kill her for what she did to Danny Boy. Regardless, I do not want her help, but I have no other choice. I'm out of options...
She's about the last person whom I'd ask for help to aid Danny Boy. But I will do it. Perhaps now you understand the severity of the situation. Voi'Shek is a problem which is not to be taken lightly...'
She sighs.
`Fine. But I like this even less than you do.'
`No you don't. Trust me, you don't.'
*
I take the book and smack it under my armpit. Flora and I leave the room and head for the exit of the library. On the way out, the Librarian stops us.
`Have you found something that will help you?' he asks.
`Perhaps.' I tell him. `I found something that helped me understand Voi'Shek better. The more you know your enemy, the more likely that you can defeat him.'
`I see...' he says, sounding disappointed. `I wish you luck then. I fear you will need it.'
`Hey, listen... Can I take this book along? I could use it during my fight with Voi'Shek.'
`Yes, certainly. If it helps, take it. But do bring it back when you're done! It's priceless, you know...'
`Of course! I'd never steal a book from a library!'
We say goodbye to him, and head out the door. Outside the library I place the book in my magic pouch and pat the pouch with a wide, satisfied smile. Flora glances at me with a sort of disapproving look.
`What?' I ask her.
`You're never going to bring the book back, are you?'
`Of course not!'
She frowns and shakes her head, but doesn't say a word. Well, whatever.
`Alright, let's get out of here!' I tell her.
I teleport us to the Gateway to avoid delay. As we arrive, we're greeted by a large pile of corpses. About half a dozen night elves, and over three dozen zombies. The zombies are chopped up good, while the night elves seem like they could stand up as zombies themselves any minute.
`Well now, looks like Eric ran into some trouble!' I exclaim, laughing.
`But he seems to have survived. The son of a bitch...'
`Yeah, yeah. He's resourceful. Come on, let's go!'
I open the Portal and we step through. As we arrive in the ruins of Gatestown, I look around. No undead, and Eric is also nowhere in sight.
`Alright, let's teleport.' I tell Flora, as the Portal closes behind us.
`Hold
on a minute. I want to ask you something first.'
`Go on.'
`You said they took the stone.'
`Yeah, they did.'
`Then what the Hell is this?!' she says, pointing at the fake stone in her amulet. `I noticed it while we were reading that book. What is this, if they took the stone?'
Dammit! I should have removed it already... Fuck! I should have removed it right when I brought her out of Mel's dungeon. If she hadn't been so comatose I'd have remembered to remove it... Eh, fuck it...
`Well, it's a fake replica of the stone.' I tell her, trying hard to sound natural.
`A fake replica? What the fuck is it doing there? Why would they put one there?'
`They didn't. I did. Back in my stronghold.'
`I was certain! You son of a bitch! How dare you...'
`Look, it was only logical. It was logical to separate the stone from the amulet. It would confuse Grenshaur if I had the real stone on my person, and you only had a replica in the amulet. Don't you agree?'
She leans close to me and spits the words into my face in anger, with her teeth held tight together.
`Logical or not, you did this without my fucking permission! You do this again, I will kill you! Is that clear?'
`Don't worry, I won't do it again. I can't, anyway.'
She gives me another angry look, then she just says:
`Teleport us to the Dragon Queen! I want this over with soon...'
*
`Here we are!' I exclaim, as we arrive near the gates of Ru Akenosh. Mel's citadel.
`Why didn't you take us straight inside?' asks Flora.
`Why, such intrusion would be rude!' I tell her, smiling. `We'll ask the guard to let us in!'
`Are you joking?' she asks, with narrowed eyes.
`No I'm not. Come on!'
So, we approach the citadel, and I can't help but admire the architecture. I've seen it many times, but it still astonishes me. Quite the magnificent palace she has. Typical draconic architecture, with every tower ending in large domes that have pointed tops. The citadel covers a huge area. A gigantic courtyard surrounds the central palace itself, full of groves of various trees. Tall, thin towers rise to the sky along the well fortified wall surrounding the courtyard, and these, too, end in domes. The walls of the towers are full of intricate carvings.
The main palace itself is huge. There are nine large dome-covered towers in total, with the central one being the tallest of them all. They are all closely adjacent, practically built together. They are so huge, that even from where we are now, well outside the fortification, we can see them towering above.
The interiors are similarly large scaled, with gigantic spaces. No wonder, dragons had these kind of citadels built specifically such that they could assume their dragon form within the walls as well. The main gate of the palace is likewise large, so that they could leave the palace without needing to shapeshift.
`This place is huge...' says Flora, as we get closer to the gates of the courtyard.
`Yes. Mel' can't think small.'
`Why would dragons build castles?'
`Good question. Before the time of the Great War, dragons didn't bother with such things. They had all they needed in caverns, or under the clear sky. Even the half-dragons. By the way, did you know that contrary to common belief, half-dragons are not spawns of dragons and lessers, but are a purely draconic species? They've existed for as long as the dragons themselves. They are nothing more than a weaker species of dragons that have a humanoid shape, and are unable to shapeshift. Some of them have wings, others are wingless, but all of them have a humanoid body. They could certainly make use of conventional buildings. But even they preferred the lifestyle of their larger cousins.
Now, after the Great War, the lessers invaded this land. It took the dragons quite the effort to take their land back from them. They had to realize, that they couldn't do it without temporary compromises. The lessers who moved here wanted to be independent of Ess'yer, and the dragons made a pact with them. Now, as the dragons started to interact more and more with the lessers, they started making more use of their shapeshifting ability, and walked among the lessers in human form more often. They also realized that if they truly wanted to impress their unwanted allies, they might consider constructing gigantic fortresses in key locations of Draconia. That's when these citadels were constructed. There's about a dozen or so across Draconia.
The dragons built them in a way that it would accommodate lessers and dragons as well, despite how the dragons didn't really have such needs. They just wanted to show the lessers that they were sincere when they offered the pact, so much that they'd even share their fortresses with them.
With such well fortified citadels, the lessers of Draconia could feel safe from the militia of Ess'yer. They declared their independence. The Supreme Council sent a small army to make them change their minds, and they were destroyed by the dragons and their unlikely allies. That was the end of that, the Council never sent another ship to Draconia, ever again.'
`Then what happened? As I know, most of the lessers are slaves here now.'
`Yes. Mel' came back to life, and she became the Queen of all dragon-kind. She lead the dragons to victory over the majority of the lessers through a slow, methodical warfare of deceit and cunning. One would think that she'd have had these palaces destroyed after she got through with her scheme. But she looked upon them as the symbol of the new, free dragon continent. So, she didn't have these palaces destroyed, instead she had a new one built for herself. A citadel much greater and much more magnificent than any other. This thing, right here. Ru Akenosh.'
`Now she rules Draconia from here.'
`More-less. Wait! Let me talk to the guards.'
We arrive at the main gate, and I call out to the guards. They are half-dragons, standing by each side of the main gate.
`Hey, you! Yeah, you two, with the scales on your faces! I want to go inside and see your Queen!' I tell them. They raise their weapons at me and start moving towards me. I am certain that the guards atop the two guard towers adjacent to the gate are aiming their bows at me at the same time.
`Who are you?' asks one of them.
`I guess you're new here. The name's Zack. Zack Sands. I'm here to see Mel'. Tell her I wanna see her. I'm sure she'll let me in.'
The two guards look at each other, confused, but eventually one of them pulls out a small crystal ball from his pocket. He smooths his palm over the surface of the ball, and speaks into it in draconic language.
`What are they saying?' asks Flora.
`Don't ask me, I don't speak a fucking word in draconic...'
A while later, I hear the familiar voice of Mel' from the little crystal sphere. She sounds angry.
Not much later, the guard puts the sphere away.
`You can go up to the palace. She wants to see you.'
`Alright, then open the gate, will you?'
He growls, but he opens the gate and we step through. We walk towards the palace in the courtyard.
`This is truly amazing!' says Flora, admiring the garden. `Why would she bother to make this place so beautiful?'
`You gotta stop thinking in black and white, you know. She has feelings, too. She likes plants. She paid special attention to this courtyard, to make it look as beautiful as possible. She sometimes takes a walk out here and just enjoys the sights. I know, hard to believe this about a would-be tyrant.'
`She takes a walk among the trees? I guess in human form. There isn't much space for a dragon to walk there without crushing everything.'
`Yeah. She stays in her human shape most of the time.'
`She does? Why?' asks Flora in surprise.
`It's all because of the way she came back.'
`From the Afterlife?'
`No, she has never been to the Afterlife. Long before she died, she approached one of the Princes of Fire. One of the immortal rulers of the Elemental Plane of Fire. She offered him her soul, if he would allow her to return to
life after her death. This Prince told her that if she served him unquestioningly for two hundred years after her death, then he would allow her to return to Arghard and she could live again.
She accepted these terms. With that, the deal was made. Her soul was bound to the Plane of Fire, and this bond made sure that if she ever died, her soul would end up there, and not in the Afterlife. Then came the Great War, and she got killed. Her soul passed on to the Plane of Fire, and she became the lapdog of the Prince. She had no choice but to follow his every command, as per the deal. Which she did. For two centuries, she was a faithful, obedient servant.
And you know something? I admire that in her. That she had the resolve to do this. One such as her, one who wants to rule over others, and goes sick over the thought of being ruled over by another, one such as her to willingly serve someone for two centuries, that is something that takes strength of will and great resolve. Had she wavered just once, she'd have been denied her resurrection. She knew this, and that drove her on. But the point is, it took great resolve to go through with the deal and take it to the end. Two centuries of unquestioning servitude for one such as her... Hard to believe! But she did it. I admire her for that.
Now, when the time was up, the Prince gave her a new body. She came back, and lived again. But her new body was different. She was weaker than before. It takes her tremendous effort to maintain her dragon form. So, she only assumes that form when necessary, and spends most of her time in human shape. She thinks that the Prince betrayed him, but the fact is, he never said he'd give her the same powerful body she had before she died...'
`Serves her right, if you ask me!'
`Haha! Maybe... Perhaps the Prince thought she'd learn some humility out of this. But it's not such a big deal, and she got over it. She still has the power to assume dragon form anytime she wants, and she is still the biggest, baddest, strongest, most powerful of all the dragons. She didn't lose all that much with this. In fact, I think she did learn a bit of humility out of it. A pity it didn't teach her enough to make her abandon her ridiculous quest to conquer Ess'yer.
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