Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (13 page)

“Dragon, this is written in the dragon language, yet I can read it. How?”

“The staff master. The staff has already consumed my breath attack, and you are already gaining knowledge that leads to magic. Plus, you now have the Bag of Holding that grants you the ability of a magic user as well. Please do not kill me, master. Read from the book, and I shall serve you forever, and together, nothing and no dragon shall ever hurt you again.”

“Persen looked at the book and bent to his knees. He read from the book, and right before my eyes, the dragon head on the staff began to grow and grow until it was larger than Vergraughtu himself. The staff grew legs and belly and tail, and the dragon spit golden light from its mouth, hiding Vergraughtu in a cloud of gold. The golden cloud was then sucked back into the mouth of the Staff of Barrier Breath, and the real dragon Vergraughtu was gone. I could not believe my eyes. Here, this human who never knew magic had carved and created the most powerful magical item I had ever seen, and he used it to capture and eliminate one of the most powerful dragons ever.”

“So this human, Persen, had the Staff of Barrier Breath and captured Vergraughtu with it. This is the same staff that the human female had in Vollenbeln and used to cut off the wing of Blethstole and send him away, and this is the same staff that Vergraughtu reformed from and then entered the body of Vegenrage and then rose to be this Vemenomous?”

“Yes, Cellertrill, the very same one.”

Kearsebe asks Oriapow, “So what happened to the human and you after this encounter?”

“Persen scooped up all the treasure and put it in his Bag of Holding along with the book. He went to his people to tell them what had happened, and I went to Erkensharie to tell the elves of what had happened. I never saw Persen again. The humans of Hilternor were losing the forest, and the green dragon, Rippencore, began to attack the Hiltorian people. With the disappearance of Vergraughtu, it is believed that Rippencore took over as the dominant dragon. I begged the elves to go to Hiltor and watch as Persen had the ability to stand off dragons with his staff and defeat them, but King Ellith would not hear of it. He still believed the humans are inferior and waited for them to come to us, but they never came. I waited for months, and finally, I took it upon myself to go and seek out Persen. I could not believe what I saw. Rippencore had devastated the city of Hiltor. There were no people anywhere. Rippencore had found out that a human had a staff that could defeat dragons and summoned Ubwickesdon to gather all the lesser dragons, and they attacked, killed, and ate most of the humans as did all the other dragons. This was the second Dragon Feast in Fargloin’s history, and the dragons concentrated on the humans. I brought proof of this attack back to Erkensharie, and Ellith punished me and told me that he was right that the humans were inferior, and their being eliminated was proof of this. Rippencore also attacked in Erkensharie, and King Ellith now had a reason to mobilize and seek the help of other races. The Hiltorians and Altrarians were gone, so he sent elves to the Glaborian Mountains to seek friendship with the dwarves. The dwarves accepted, and we and the dwarves began to trade metals and magic. We became great allies, and Rippencore attacked Erkensharie again, and King Ellith would have no more of this. He now saw me a valuable asset and allowed me the freedom to hunt Rippencore, and any who wanted to go with me were allowed to. I partnered with the dwarves and races of men, and we hunted Rippencore and killed him in his lair. Whatever happened to Persen, I do not know. All the human life had been eliminated except for one human that I know of, and that human was and is Cloakenstrike. Where he came from and how he got here, I still am not completely sure. He said he was from Strabalster. One thing is for sure. He is one very powerful magic user and one that I saw as an equal, if not a superior, magic user. King Ellith allowed me to roam and hunt down dragons with whoever would take on the challenge with me, and that was not many. Unfortunately, a lot of very good elves and dwarves died hunting the dragons, but we killed many of them. We concentrated on the female dragons after killing Rippencore because this was a way for us to prevent them from reproducing, and after a couple hundred years, we had the dragons all but myth and legend. They did not show themselves anymore and took to hiding, making it very difficult for us to know how many of them were still living. I was now traveling alone, and this is when I ran into Cloakenstrike, and we united and hunted the dragon who was writing dragon prophecy. We found some of Hornspire’s writings and stole the book that told of the rising of Vemenomous, and that is when Vergraughtu showed up. There he was, the Violet Violator, and I could not believe my eyes. How could Vergraughtu be here? What had happened to release him from the staff? I was scared and knew this was more dangerous than I had expected. Cloakenstrike would not listen and took on the dragon while I made my escape. Somehow Cloakenstrike survived the encounter and hunted me down, imprisoning me in his Genie spell. I do not know who is more powerful anymore. I have never known a human to use magic with the exception of Persen, and here is this human all alone and the most powerful user of magic I have ever seen. That is all I know, and I have to say, these books are starting to feel more like some sort of trap than usable information that can help us.”

“Nevertheless, Oriapow, I believe we should go to the cliffs and see if the
Wogenkeld
is there. After all, we have come this far.”

“Yes, Logantrance, I think we should go and see if it is there. Is everyone ready?”

They all nod yes, and Oriapow draws a Dimension Door for them to head through. They arrive at the base of the cliffs, and Oriapow lets them all know this is the very same place that so long ago he and Persen had stood together and looked at the entrance to the lair of Vergraughtu.

“Oriapow, did you feel that?”

“I felt it too, Logantrance. If I am correct, a dragon has died. A very powerful dragon. A dominant dragon.”

“Yes, Oriapow, I feel it too. Take cover if there is a dragon in this lair. He will surely be heading out to investigate.” The party takes cover and waits for a good thirty minutes, but there is no sign, no movement, and nothing to be heard. Oriapow finally stands and asks the party if they dare enter the lair. Now that Oriapow has been in there, he can draw a Dimension Door, and they can all enter. The party talks it over. The dwarves ready their Foarsbleem weapons, and the users of magic prepare, and Oriapow draws a Dimension Door, and they enter the lair of Vergraughtu. It is unoccupied, and it looks very much the same as Oriapow remembers. The treasure is all gone, and in its place is a replica of the podium that was on Vollenbeln during the time of the rising of Vemenomous from Vegenrage. The party looks at one another. For the ones that were in Vollenbeln when Vemenomous rose, they all recognize the podium.

“Logantrance, this is the podium on which the
Wogenkeld
fell.”

“Yes, this is definitely still the lair of … Vemenomous. Hurry. We are losing the light. Everyone, search for the
Wogenkeld
. If it is here, we must find it.”

The night is quickly coming, and darkness is replacing the light. The party searches the walls, the floors, and even the ceiling, looking for the
Wogenkeld
. The magic users all gather near the podium and begin to magically feel for any sign of magical presence. The
Wogenkeld
is a magical book, and if it is in the lair, they should find it. Glimtron shakes Logantrance by the shoulder.

“Logantrance, don’t you have anything in that bag of yours that can help us?”

“Why, as a matter of fact, Glimtron, I do. Thank you for making me aware.” Logantrance reaches into his Bag of holding and pulls out a small pendant and places it on the podium. Logantrance whispers magical words very close to the pendant and steps back. The sounds of cracking and breaking rock come from the podium. All start to move back from the rock podium, and their full attention is on the podium as it starts to show visible cracks. It starts to break apart, and pieces of it fall off. The dwarves hold their axes and swords. The party pays close attention as the pendant cracks and crumbles on the podium.

and then the poduim crumbles to a mound of rubble, and the Wogenkeld is there, lying on the broken stones. They all look at the book, unsure of what to do. They are all scared to even approach the book, let alone pick it.

“
Well, somebody has to be the brave one,” says Oriapow, and his adventurous nature takes over. He walks up to the
Wogenkeld
and picks it. He holds the book to his chest and looks at Logantrance. His eyes widen, and he starts to shake. He starts to moan loudly. The dwarves bob back and forth, readying their weapons. Logantrance yells, “Oriapow, my old friend, what is it?”

Oriapow leans forward, and his face regains normality, and he laughs. “Got ya all.”

“Oriapow, you idiot. Don’t do that.”

“You weren’t worried at all, were you, Glimtron?”

“Yes. Yes, I was worried. Now let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be sitting here when that dragon beast comes back. Let’s just go with the book back to Erkensharie and read it there.” Oriapow slaps the shoulder of Glimtron. “Yes, my friend. Let’s get back to Erkensharie.” Between the magic users here, they can easily make a Dimension Door that will take them all back to Erkensharie, and they make their way back before Vemenomous returns to his lair.

CHAPTER 11
Oriapow Leads the Party Back to Erkensharie

The party returns from the lair of Vergraughtu, and Oriapow has lead them to the safety of the Mystical Erkens. There, he tells everyone that they must go see King Ulegwahn in the Great Erken and share the secrets of the
Wogenkeld
with him and the high classes. The party all agree, and they go to the Great Erken. They reach the Great Erken to see that Ulegwahn has assembled Crayeulle, Lentoz, and Pryzill, who have returned from investigating the Dark Bush. Tunull and Whenshade, along with Elkwar and Shastenbree, are there as well. They have been discussing the increasingly noticeable presence of the Ilkergire minions, making their way northward. Not only that, but dragons have also been spotted in the skies, and this is a sign they mean to attack.

The discussion halts as the returning party is happily greeted by Ulegwahn and the high class of magic users, warriors, and bowelves. “Logantrance, Oriapow, you have returned and not too soon as the feeling of war strengthens around us. We believe this is the eve of the third Dragon Feast. The beasts of the Ilkergire have been moving northward. The dragons have been spotted in the skies, and this all leads to the next Dragon Feast. I believe as do those here that the dragons are summoning the lesser dragons and plan a full-on attack in Erkensharie. I believe the Treestriders, Vinegrowers, and Terrahawks are more than capable of handling the minions of the Ilkergire, but we better be prepared and take nothing for granted. There is no telling what the dragons plan on doing. Oriapow, did you lead them to the lair of Vergraughtu? Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, we made it there, and we have come back with the
Wogenkeld
. This is the book of knowledge that Vergraughtu made from all the books in Vegenrage’s library. This book may contain all the magical secrets we have been looking for and more. Not only that it may give us great insight into what is about to unfold in this third Dragon Feast, but it may also give us the information we need to destroy not only the dragons but also this new dragon, Vemenomous.”

“Well, there is no time to waste. Let us see this book and what it may tell us.” Oriapow looks at Logantrance, who pulls the book from his Bag of Holding and sets it on the table. It is a very thick book, sitting a foot and a half high. It is dark brown with three golden lines through it. One band running the length of the top of the book, one running the length of the bottom of the book, and one in the center. Written on the centerline of gold is the word
Wogenkeld
that is written in the dragon language. Only Oriapow and Logantrance can read this language. “What does it say?” asks Ulegwahn, not being able to read the cover.

“It says
Wogenkeld
.” Logantrance looks at Oriapow. “We had better make sure there is no captive magic cast on this book by Vemenomous before we dare open and read from it.”

“I agree, Logantrance.” The two of them begin to say words and run their hands over the book as they search for any kind of charm or other magic that may have been cast on the book. After a few minutes of deep concentration, they look at each other, satisfied that there has been no magic cast on the book. They look up to the elves and say it is safe to read from the
Wogenkeld
. Everyone is drawn in close around the table where Oriapow opens the book and is getting ready to read from the book of knowledge. He opens the cover and flips to the first page where the writing begins. He squints and looks up with surprise. The wording in the book vanishes before he can read any of it.

“Logantrance, I cannot read from the book. The words vanish before I can read them.”

“Here, let me look at it.” Logantrance looks into the book, and the same happens. He flips the page, and the page that he has just flipped falls as ash and disappears. He closes the book quickly, but the damage has been done. The book turns into ash and falls like burned paper to the table and disappears.

“What is this, Oriapow? What kind of magic is this?”

“Ulegwahn, we have been tricked. This is a fake. Vemenomous has the real book still hidden somewhere.”

“Well, wherever it is, it is going to stay. I cannot allow you all to go off now. We are too close to a very probable dragon attack. We cannot worry about the book right now. We have to protect the Erkensharie homeland, and all of us are needed right now. We need to let the Vinegrowers, Treestriders, and Terrahawks protect the outskirts of the Erkensharie Forest. The rest of us should scatter all throughout our inner homeland. Be watchful and converge on any dragons that may fly into Erkensharie. Oriapow, with the loss of Shandorn, you are now our most eldest and strongest magic user. My uncle used to tell Tenzon and me all kinds of stories about you. How nothing could hold you back. How you ventured out into the wilderness to track dragons. How you were the one and only elf brave enough to go with Persen to fight the dragons. My uncle always told Tenzon and me how proud he always was of you. You never listened to him, but you were the most talented and adventurous elf there ever was. I would like to name you as Elven Master, Guardian of the Great Erken.”

This is a great honor that Ulegwahn is offering Oriapow. He is offering Oriapow to be the leader of the Erkensharie magical order that was held by Shandorn. With this title, Oriapow will answer only to Ulegwahn, and he will be the sole bearer of the Octagemerwell’s magical strength. This does not mean he will carry the Octagemerwell, but he will be the only elf to draw directly from its power. He will be the elf to place the magical heart of Fargloin back in the Great Erken. Ulegwahn has Tunull and Whenshade bring the Octagemerwell to Oriapow, and they present it to him. Oriapow accepts the magical jewel and holds it in his hands. He can see when Shandorn accepted the jewel from King Ellith shortly after the Glaborian dwarves presented the jewel to the elves. He can see as Shandorn placed the Octagemerwell on the top of the Great Erken, and from that moment on, the Great Erken was powered by the Octagemerwell and has grown to be the fantastic impregnable tree that it now is and still the home of the Erkensharie king.

“Oriapow, this is the greatest honor I can ever grant you as king of Erkensharie. My uncle had always told me you were the greatest magic-using elf there ever was, and I could not do better with anyone else leading our magical order. Please accept this great responsibility, restore the Octagemerwell to its magical binding in the Great Erken, and be its protector.”

“King Ulegwahn, I accept this great honor, and I will place the Octagemerwell back in the Great Erken, and once again, the home of the Erkensharie king will be impregnable. No dragon and no magic user of any race shall ever steal the Octagemerwell from its home here in the Great Erken as long as I live.” Oriapow holds the Octagemerwell up high, and all in the room smile and slightly bow, showing their proud witness to this very special moment in Erkensharie history. Oriapow lowers the Octagemerwell and sees visions of the one branch growing from the top of the tree in its center and a bowl forming to hold the magical jewel. Oriapow asks that all in the room wait a moment as he magically departs to secure the magical jewel back to its home in the Great Erken. He vanishes and appears atop the Great Erken and rests the jewel in its home. From the moment the jewel is placed in the tree, a magical glow grows, consuming the entire tree, and the scars and tears done to the tree over the past few weeks begin to heal and disappear. Those close to the tree with magical sense can feel the strength returned to the Great Erken. Oriapow returns to the hall where all are waiting for him. “It is done. The Octagemerwell has been replaced, and the Great Erken has been restored to its rightful place as the most secure tree in all of Erkensharie.”

“Oriapow, it is done. You are now the leader of the Erkensharie magical order. I am sorry I did not plan this better to have all of our race here to honor you. These are very trying times, and tomorrow may be our greatest challenge in a thousand years. You are now the protector of the Great Erken, and I leave you in charge of its safety.” Ulegwahn bows to one knee, and all others present follow his lead. “You are now bound to the Great Erken, and all of us are now bound to you, its protector. May all our ancestors grant you their wisdom and strength in the days ahead.”

Ulegwahn stands and all others rise as Ulegwahn addresses Glimtron. “The Dagi and other dwarves are in the courtyard with my elven brethren, ready to thwart any dragon that dare enter. If you like to join with them, that is where they are.”

“Thank you, Ulegwahn. We dwarves here will meet with Blythgrin, Trybill, and the others. No dragons shall enter Erkensharie through the courtyard. We will protect it with the Sapphirewell like it was our own home.” Glimtron shakes Oriapow’s hand, wishing him all the best as does Logantrance who decides to go with Glimtron. They say good-bye to Ulegwahn and Oriapow for now and head to the courtyard to protect Erkensharie on the next morning. “Whenshade, Tunull, you stay here in the Great Erken with Oriapow and me where the Octagemerwell will give you the strength to help protect us. The rest of the magical order, take all the magic-using class to the Mystical Erkens and use your magic as you do to protect Erkensharie. Elkwar, take all the warriors and get all the families to shelter who wish it, then take to your positions throughout the Erkensharie homeland. Shastenbree, gather all the bowelves and take to the trees in our inner homeland. If those that think they can enter Erkensharie and pass the Vinegrowers, Treestriders, and Terrahawks, then they will have the might of the entire Erkensharie converge on them, and we will show them no mercy. Go now, all of you, and prepare for the morning. The dawn may very well bring in the third Dragon Feast.”

The evening has set in on Erkensharie, and it is a beautiful night. The rains of late have been light and brief. This evening is cool, and the moon is shining bright. Logantrance and the dwarves make their way to the courtyard and meet with the rest of the dwarven party that wait with some of the elven warriors and bowelves.

“Glimtron, you have made your way back. Did you actually go inside the lair of a dragon?”

“Yes, Eebil, we were in the lair of a dragon.”

“Did you hear that Fimble, Ahnkle? Glimtron was in the lair of a dragon. Our king has been in the lair of a dragon and is here to tell us about it. Did you slay the dragon with Glimtronian? Did you hack its throat and make it beg for mercy?”

“Watch your tongue, Eebil. Do not ever think of dragons as less than they are. Fortunately for us, the dragon was not present. We went in and found the
Wogenkeld
. We made it back unharmed only to find the book was a fake. They are smart and strong. Don’t ever forget that.” Glimtron notices Logantrance leaning against a tree in deep thought and approaches him.

“What is it, Logantrance? Can you sense the dragons? Do you know they mean to attack Erkensharie tomorrow?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“It’s Vegenrage. You wonder where he is and what he is doing.”

“No, it’s not that either. It’s these books. These books written about prophecy. When I was reading the book in the Mystical Erkens about the rising of Vemenomous, I could feel, I could sense, that it was written by a dragon. This last book, the
Wogenkeld
, I know it was created by magic, but it was dragon magic, and I could not sense it at all. I did not think about it in the lair of Vemenomous. I guess we were in a hurry to get out of there, but just recently, just before the book disintegrated, I felt the magic of man, not dragon. This has my concern. I do not know what tomorrow brings, and I need to get back to my home to study some things, but I have to admit I do not have the bravery of Vegenrage. He so quickly jumps right into the thick of things like my teacher, Swallgrace, did. I fear the dragons have set a trap for me at my home, so I wait for Vegenrage and Farrah to go with me. I know Vegenrage would just go. Not only that, but I also seek to help here in any way I can should the dragons attack in the morning. I know Vegenrage is safe for now, and I believe he will make his way to us soon. These books are just starting to annoy me more than anything else. That’s what’s bothering me. I stay here with the elves and the dwarves, and tomorrow, if we need him, Vegenrage will be here. I am sure of it.”

“Well, Logantrance, don’t let it bother you. You get some rest tonight, and tomorrow should the dragons attack here, they will have Glimtronian, Fearpierce, Fireod Four, and all these elves plus you to deal with, and dragon or not, that is an awful lot to handle.”

“You are the greatest ally the elves here in Erkensharie could ever have, Glimtron. You set out with your best dwarves to help your elven brothers in time of need and leave your homeland behind. Do you not worry about your home being attacked by dragons?”

“The dragons already destroyed Glabor. They have done all the damage they can do there. The only damage they can do now is destroy the Dagi Bluffs, but there is no one there now, and if they do destroy the Bluffs, we will rebuild them. They do not dare enter Symbollia. Even the might of a dragon is no match for the dwarves in their mountain home. If the dragons dare enter there, then I confidently say they will not leave. The dragons did enter the mountain caverns long ago, and the stories have been passed down how our forefathers created the dragon tombs. Even before, the Dagi had mastered the power of the Sapphirewell, but soon after the elves taught the Dagi magic, they concentrated their magic on the dragons. The dragons had entered our underworld home and took dwarves and carried them back to the surface where they ate our kind. The dragons would shrink themselves to smaller animals but still big enough to fit in the caves and catch unsuspecting dwarves. The first thing the Dagi used their knowledge of magic on was that of the earth. The first Dwarven Dagi used their magic to strengthen our caverns and prevent cave-ins. They created oxygen flows, so there was always fresh breathable air for our kind even deep in the mountains. They learned to sense the presence of dragon no matter what form they had taken. The Dwarven Dagi became bound to the earth and mastered its strengths and weaknesses, and when they learned to sense the presence of a dragon, they could turn the earth against the dragon, causing cave-ins in very specific locations. At the first sign of a dragon’s presence, the earth above it caves in and entombs the dragon, crushing and suffocating it. The dragons lost three of their kind in this way and learned they can never enter the dwarven caves. No dragon has ever made it close to Symbollia. There has not been a dragon inside the dwarven homeland in the mountain in over twelve hundred years. This is why the dragons attack from high in the air. This is why they hurl boulders from the sky. They know if they enter the mountain, it will cave in on them, entombing them forever.”