Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (34 page)

“I don’t know, Logantrance. I don’t know.”

“This does not make sense. The demons have us where they want us, and they all just left. Why would they do that, Vegenrage?”

“I don’t know, Oriapow. We must have dealt them a blow they were not expecting, or they have some other plan at work, and this was just the beginning. Right now, I have to get Farrah back. She has been put under a very powerful charm. One thing is for sure, Logantrance. This time, they got the real thing. My library is gone, and that book must be the true book of knowledge. The real book, the
Wogenkeld
.”

CHAPTER 27
An Unlikely King

Cloakenstrike walks out from his Dimension Door right next to the fire that is burning hot and bright in Bastrenboar’s home. Bastrenboar is sitting in his black coral chair, and Fraborn is standing near him. Bastrenboar has the Snow Gold Trinket and is admiring it. The Ugorian elves destroyed all of Hunoria when they marched on Hunoria, but the home of Bastrenboar remained hidden and is the only surviving structure of the humanor civilization.

“Cloakenstrike, he did it. Bastrenboar has the Snow Gold Trinket. He has killed the king that ordered him changed to humanor. He can now become human again.”

“Yes, and Arglon was killed by Dribrillianth. You know, Fraborn, the then Baster was ordered to be changed into a pig, not a humanor. I stepped in and stopped the process before its completion, and this is what created the humanor. Baster was the name of the leader of the human army that ruled the land before the humanors did. Baster became Bastrenboar, the leader of the humanors, and he grew the race of humanors into all that they became. He learned magic, allowing him to live long enough to see this day and take down his nemesis, the king of Ugoria.”

“Bastrenboar, you have done it. You have defeated the elven king and his magic user. You are now king of Ugoria.”

“Cloakenstrike, am I king? The king of Ugoria?

“You have created a direct blood link to the kingship by mating with Somgla. You have not been named king of Ugoria, but you hold the Snow Gold Trinket. You can walk right into Ugoria and announce that you are the new king, and they won’t know what to do. They cannot stop you. There may be someone that will challenge you, and you will have to defeat them in a fight, but then they will have to name you king, and I do not think you can summon the great snow elf, Shenlylith, unless you are named king. By winning a duel with the top contender for king, you will gain the full power and magic of the Snow Gold Trinket. Go ahead and try. Put the trinket around your neck and see if you can feel its magic.”

“I don’t feel it yet, and I have been concentrating on it for a while now.” Bastrenboar puts the trinket around his neck and sits for a while. “Nothing. I don’t feel its strength.”

“
You have to be named king or win kingship in a duel, and then the power is yours. Not only that, but Shenlylith will also have to protect you from all danger. She was protecting Trialani from a dragon, and we had one moment in time to kill the king and did.”

“Fraborn, Cloakenstrike, are you ready to go to Ugoria one more time? Why kill all the elves when I can rule them all?” There is no hesitation, and they move out for Ugoria.

“Follow me. I have felt the death of a dragon near where we killed Trialani, and if it is the dragon I think it is, then there is a very special item for you there. They follow Cloakenstrike through a Dimension Door, and they arrive on the road that leads to The Entrance to Ugoria. There is carnage all over the place. Horses, elves, and even dragons lay dead. The bones and hair of the Mountballion are all that is left of Barkon. Bastrenboar walks over to two elves that catch his eye, and he sees Arglon and Reinlith who were shredded by Dribrillianth’s Diamond Shards. They look like they have been ground up, and Bastrenboar can just barely make them out. This gory sight even turns his head. The flies are heavy in the air, buzzing around all the carcasses. The smell of death is taking over the air, and the scavengers have already begun to feed. This sight of death is powerful, and Fraborn and Bastrenboar are quickly losing their appetite for war, seeing nothing but death and nothing living except the scavengers. Cloakenstrike is not phased at all and calls them to the headless Kertinkpice.

“Over here. Come over here.” Fraborn and Bastrenboar walk over to Cloakenstrike who is standing by the belly of Kertinkpice.

“Yes, this is a dead dragon all right.”

“This is a very special dead dragon, Bastrenboar. Fraborn, use your sword and open up the belly of the dragon.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Open up the belly.” Fraborn shrugs his shoulders and draws his sword. He slices a gash through the belly of Kertinkpice, and all kinds of gore fall out. Kertinkpice has not been dead long enough to really start to stink the horrid smell of death, but it still smells very bad.

“Well, now what, Cloakenstrike? Did you just want to see the inside of this dragon?”

“No, now cut open the stomach.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Yes, and be very careful not to cut what is inside.”

“Okay.”

Fraborn cuts open the stomach of Kertinkpice, and sure enough, there is the beheaded King Trialani. Cloakenstrike magically lifts the mangled body covered in slime and digestive juices and has the Bag of Holding magically removed. He then magically shakes it in the air and cleans it off. It then floats over to Bastrenboar.

“No king is complete and, especially, no magic user is complete without his very own Bag of Holding. This is now yours, and I am sure there are great treasures in this bag that are now yours.”

“I have heard that a Bag of Holding has to accept his master, and if the bag does not accept one as his master, he will consume anyone who tries to reach inside.”

“This is true, but you are wearing the Snow Gold Trinket. This will benefit you greatly. You captured one of the most powerful magical items that was owned by Trialani before his death. This will make your acceptance all but guaranteed. Do not wait to find out.”

Bastrenboar reaches into the bag and feels around. He looks into the air and smiles. He looks at Fraborn and Cloakenstrike. “There are a lot of treasures and magical items and armor too in this bag. I don’t even have to see them. I know what they are. I know where they came from and who made them. I know who imbued the magic, and I know the abilities of each item within.”

“That’s it, Bastrenboar. You are becoming a great magic user. You are powerful, but be complacent at all times because you are now well known to the powerful users of magic. Your presence will be felt by many from far away, and the same knowledge of presence will work for you too. Let’s not waste any time. It is time for the new king of Ugoria to show himself.”

Cloakenstrike creates a Dimension Door, and they walk through, planning on going to the throne room of King Trialani. They walk out of the Dimension Door right into the open space that was once the kingdom of Ugoria. Bastrenboar starts to laugh. “Now I am king of two destroyed lands.”

“Where is everybody? Did the dragons kill all the Ugorian elves?”

“No, Fraborn, they are here. I did not expect this though.” The entire kingdom has been completely obliterated by the breath attack of Kertinkpice. Nothing is left except the exposed earth that is scarred and bare. “
The Ugorian Stand
said Ugoria would be destroyed, and the king would fall. It said the breath attack of the pink dragon would obliterate the kingdom, but I did not believe it until now, now that I actually see it. The man with pig blood will hold the Snow Gold Trinket, and now it is time for you, Bastenboar, to become king of Ugoria.”

“How, Cloakenstrike? What do I do? Here we are in Ugoria, and the kingdom is gone, and there are no Ugorian elves to be seen.”

“Call the elves, Bastrenboar. Call them. They will come and make your claim to the kingship.”

Fearless and intelligent planning has gotten these three characters through many fantastic adventures, never fearing death and always charging. The humanor take on every challenge Cloakenstrike throws at them, and here they are, the last two humanors with Cloakenstrike, having survived countless encounters with death. Now Bastrenboar levitates in the air and speaks with thunderous volume, “Ugorian elves, a new king has come. Your new king is here. I claim Ugoria as my home. King Trialani is no more. Arglon, the master mage of Ugoria, is no more. Now you will follow me, or you will be exiled as my army, and I was exiled seven hundred years ago. I have come to claim Ugoria my home. Cloakenstrike, the master magic user, will lead the new Ugorian magical order, and Fraborn will lead all warriors and fighters. Come now and name me your king or make your challenge.”

Bastrenboar levitates for a few minutes with nothing to be seen or heard. He lowers to the ground, and the three of them wait to see what happens. His voice was loud and echoed throughout the forest. If any elves were within a mile of him, they heard him. They heard him all right, and after about ten minutes, elves start to appear from behind the trees in the surrounding tree line. Before long, they are completely surrounded by bowelves, horse riders, magic users, and warriors.

Verlyle walks forward. “Humanors killed my brother, and you think you can walk in here and take over? You are humanor, not elf. You do not even deserve talk. I should kill you now.” Verlyle does have a sword, and he draws it and runs at Bastrenboar. Willithcar and Tornsclin run right behind him, drawing their swords as well.” Bronsilith and Gandleleem gather their bowelves and have them all draw on Bastrenboar. Fraborn draws his sword, and Cloakenstrike halts him, saying “Leave him be. He will be fine.” Fraborn sheathes his sword, looking very concerned.

Verlyle is the first to Bastrenboar who has not moved at all. He has not even drawn his sword. Bastrenboar draws his sword at the last moment, and Verlyle comes right at his head with a powerful two-handed swing. Bastrenboar blocks the sword with his Lavumptom Drawer, and it burns halfway through Verlyle’s sword before he pulls it away. Willithcar approaches from the left of Bastrenboar and swings at his ribs, hitting him dead-on. His sword stops dead, leaving his hands stinging and numb as Bastrenboar comes down with his sword, cutting off both his arms just below the elbows. Willithcar falls to his knees in shock, looking at his stubs that have fortunately been cauterized by the Lavumptom Drawer. Tornsclin joins in the fight, swinging at Bastrenboar, and now the three fight. The elves make many attacks, and Bastrenboar concentrates, blocking only those swings that may impact his head. Elvennell will not allow the attack of any elf to harm him as long as the attack does not hit his hands or head. The elves are faster and move more gracefully, but Bastrenboar is stronger, and his sword is literally taking chunks of metal out of their swords with every impact. This is a fast and furious fight, and Bastrenboar holds his own, showing he is very capable with his sword. Verlyle swings, and Bastrenboar cuts his sword in half. He then does the same to the sword of Tornsclin, and the elves back off.

“Take your friend and bow to your new king. I am Bastrenboar, king of Ugoria.” Tornsclin and Verlyle pick Willithcar by his shoulders and walk him back toward the elves. Gandleleem and Bronsilith order all bowelves to let their arrows fly, and over one hundred arrows are on track to turn Bastrenboar into a pincushion. Shenlylith grows from the trinket. Her snowy white wings expand and expand, consuming all the arrows, and her wings continue to grow, scooping up all the elves who had shot an arrow. They all disappear as her wings scoop them up. Her wings then spread wide, and she grows even larger from the trinket around Bastrenboar’s neck. She talks for all to hear.

“Bastrenboar has met the challenge. He has defeated three warriors. He has mated with Somgla, creating a direct blood link to the throne of Ugoria. He has taken the Snow Gold Trinket and the throne of Ugoria by force, which is the way of Ugoria. I am sworn to protect the king of Ugoria from friend or foe, and Bastrenboar is now king of Ugoria.” Shenlylith shrinks back into the trinket.

Gandleleem and Bronsilith, fortunately, did not fire on Bastrenboar, so they have not been sent to Shenlylith’s prison. “I know where the bowelves have been sent. Cloakenstrike, Fraborn, and I are the only three to have ever escaped this prison. I will free all the bowelves from this certain doom as long as you all bow to your new king.” Bastrenboar really has the elves now. Friends and family have been sent to certain death unless they bow to Bastrenboar as their new king. Some of the elves bend to one knee, and slowly, more and more bow to the new king of Ugoria. Some of the elves object picking up those close to them, and arguments erupt. The Ugorian elves are in disarray and torn as to what they should do. Cloakenstrike eliminates the opposition by striking three of the most outspoken elves with lightning bolts, killing them quickly.

Verlyle yells to the would-be king. “Is this how you plan to rule? By killing those that oppose you with simple words? What kind of king would you be with no one to follow you? And those that have opposing points of view you simply kill?”

“Verlyle is right. I do not plan to rule with an iron fist. Cloakenstrike is just showing that his magic is supreme, and his resolve is well as you see undeniable. Cloakenstrike has mastered magic, and combined with the elven magical order, we will become the magical masters of Strabalster. Even the dragons will come to bow to our magical strength. The warrior classes will train and study in the defense of Ugoria. The families of Ugoria will be free to live their lives, knowing all bowelves, horse riders, magic users, and warriors will defend Ugoria at all cost. I will build a new kingdom in a day and become the human meant to restore Ugoria to its glory and bring forth its true elven king. It has been written, and it shall be done.”

“Where has this been written? You talk nonsense, humanor.”

“If you all lower to one knee, you will see it happen. Trust and believe this was meant to be, and you will see a spectacle like you could have never imagined.” The elves look around, and amazingly, they all bow to one knee, mostly out of curiosity. The second all the elves surrounding the once kingdom of Ugoria lower to one knee, Shenlylith grows from the Snow Gold Trinket. “It is so. By bowing, you have all named Basters the new king of Ugoria.” Bastrenboar starts to transform right in front of everyone. He shrinks in size. The snout on his face retreats as do the ears on his head. His hoofed feet shrink back to the human feet they were so long ago. The hair on his body falls off and is replaced with the natural human hair of his former human self. He has blond hair with deep brown eyes, and his armor, Elvennell, shrinks to fit him perfectly. The elves watch as Bastrenboar is no more, and the human that he once was Basters has reformed right in front of their eyes. His Lavumptom Drawer is still locked to his new human form, and he looks himself over as tears fill his eyes, and he touches his face. Cloakenstrike, Basters, and Fraborn are lifted into the air as the kingdom of Ugoria starts to rise from the earth. It does not look exactly like it did before but it is very similar and much more fortified. The elves move back, astonished to see their kingdom erected in fifteen minutes. They cannot believe their eyes, and Basters yells out from atop his kingdom, “Come, this is your home. You can live here in the kingdom or go to your homes in the surrounding forest. This is your kingdom to protect and draw strength from. Come and meet with me in the throne room and plan the future of Ugoria.” Basters walks to the throne room, somehow already knowing the layout of his new kingdom. Cloakenstrike and Fraborn walk behind him. The kingdom is new in every respect built by the magic of Shenlylith and all the elven history and magic that she has grown to know and use. The kingdom is new, minus wall adornments. This is the beginning of the new Ugorian Kingdom. Basters is overwhelmed with feelings of goodness and compassion as he heads to his new throne. Once there, he stands at the head of a very large dark brown lacquered table. Cloakenstrike and Fraborn stand by his side. After a few minutes, they are joined by a dozen of the highest-ranking Ugorian elves of all the classes. They have many concerns, and of course, the most obvious is that they are now being ruled by a human.