Vegenrage: The Magic User (37 page)

The party heads out the tunnels to the entrance and exits into the night sky at the base of Myrenthia Mountain. After the feast last night, the dwarves left Symbollia to sleep in Myrenthia so that they could make an early exit without having to travel from deep within the mountains from Symbollia. The dwarven Dagi have set up portals throughout the Glaborian Mountains, making travel through the mountains very quick and accessible by only a small few. Only the king, some high-ranking Glaborian dwarves, and the Dagi know of these portals. When they exit the base of the mountain, they are greeted by four Stone Giants. Blythgrin rides up to meet with them.

“Riders, this is Fillismrend, this is Osworns, this is Cremnole, and this is Nordiath. They will accompany us on our journey, and they say bring on the dragons.”

The dwarves cheer and dismount their horses to greet the giants. They offer meat from their packs, and the giants happily accept and devour it as quickly as it is given. They are ten feet tall and can walk at an easy pace, keeping up with the horses. They meet and greet and then head off for the Erkensharie.

Logantrance and the Dagi arrive just inside the large outside wall of Erkensharie. It is still dark, but the morning is less than an hour away. The courtyard is lit up by the starlight lanterns that are spread out in the trees, and even though this is the quietest part of the day in Erkensharie, this is dead quiet, literally dead quiet. There are no guards on the wall and no elves to be seen or heard.

“Logantrance, what has happened here? Are we too late? Did the dragons completely destroy the Erkensharie elves?”

“I know the dragons had made many attacks here, but the elves were holding them at bay. I cannot believe the dragons broke through the defenses of the elves. Come, let us go to the Mystical Erkens. We will get answers there. The last time I tried to enter, they had powerful magic blocking my entry, so be ready if we are not allowed in the barrier. The Treestriders and Vinegrowers may not see us as friends.”

Limms and Breebellow both wear red cloaks that look kind of like trench coats. The cloaks are trimmed down the center with golden inlay and have golden stitching all throughout. They have magical hats similar in color and stitching that rise to a point at the top, but the top of the hat is pulled back over their head and hangs down. They each carry a magical staff made out of petrified Glagrokwood, which grows here and there throughout the Glaborian Mountains. Limms and Breebellow are two very promising Dagi; they are the two leading up and coming Dagi with impressive magical skill. They have both looked up to Logantrance over the past two hundred years and excitedly jumped at the chance to travel with him. They have never been out of the Glaborian Mountains with the exception of some travels to the Sand Marshes of Smyle and the Smildren Sea, where they both have learned to summon elementals. They were both in line to make a journey to the Erkensharie, and here they are with Logantrance, and this is not what they had expected. The trees are knocked over, the ground has been turned up, and there are remnants of slain elves all around.

Limms and Breebellow start to explore, picking up armor and weapons, learning that Gairdennow has been here and, with his Breath of Gustament, killed many elves and then consumed them all.

“Logantrance, Gairdennow has been here, and he has used much Gustament to kill and consume many elves. We must be careful not to stir up the dust.” He runs his hands along the grass carpet and scoops up a handful of the golden dust. He turns his hand sideways, and the dust falls to the ground. “This dust has been here for many hours, maybe a day, so it is losing its potency. It will not actively follow us at this point, but if enough of it is stirred up, it will still kill. I can take care of that.” Limms starts to chant a spell.

“Limms, come, we must get to the Mystical Erkens. Time will take care of the dust.”

Breebellow looks to Logantrance. “There is always time to save life even if it is the life of insects and small mammals.”

“Yes, yes, make haste, Limms. We have no time to waste. The elves may need our help right now.”

Breebellow ventures deeper into the Erkensharie while Limms works on his magic. Breebellow sees trees knocked over and destroyed. This saddens him greatly, knowing these trees housed elven families, and he was so looking forward to seeing the elven Erken harmony that he has heard so much about. Limms finishes his words, and water springs up from the ground like very small geysers all around. This lasts for a couple of minutes, and the water stops and soaks into the ground.

“There, that should neutralize the Gustament.” He walks to where Breebellow is, and the two of them stare motionless looking at the destroyed Erkensharie before them.

Logantrance walks to them, knowing all they ever heard about the Erkensharie was beauty and happiness, and this is not what they had expected to see.

“Is this what the dragons have in mind for Glaboria?” They both look to Logantrance.

“We must not think about that right now. Right now we must find out what has happened to the elves and give our assistance. We can do no more here, let us go to the Mystical Erkens now.” Logantrance draws a Dimension Door, and they walk through. They enter in the Mystical Erkens, and what they see astonishes even Logantrance. The barrier that was in place is gone, and all the Mystical Erkens have been burned to the ground. The home that the magical order had built here is gone. The land is barren, and even the magical presence is gone.

“Do not move.”

The dwarves freeze, looking at Logantrance. “What is it, Logantrance? There is nothing here. This can’t be the Mystical Erkens. There is nothing here.”

“Protect yourselves.”

The Mystical Erkens spanned about four miles across, and looking from above, you can see the land has been cleared here, eliminating all the magical trees giving the great magical power this place previously had. The barrier protected all these trees, but now it is gone. The sun is rising, and they can see huge rock formations like huge fingers growing up where the dome used to be. These formations are huge and grow straight up about twenty feet and then come together, bending at the top like fingers, creating a four-mile-wide cage. There is plenty of space between the formations for them to run through, but these gaps are quickly taken away as roots and vines grow from the earth, winding around the rock and weaving back and forth between the rock, making the cage complete.

Limms and Breebellow waste no time chanting magical words, preparing themselves for the unknown. The ground starts to shake around them, and rising from the dirt come three Salcendreepes. These are fourteen feet long, about four feet across, and have one leg every two feet. They have long, narrow heads with stereoscopic vision. Their feet are like that of a salamander, their body like a centipede, and their head like an iguana with reptilian skin. This is a very rare species, hardly ever seen. They are magical with speech and only rise to the surface when summoned by dragons.

“Casson, go tell Dribrillianth and Gairdennow he is here. The other two are ours.”

Casson dives into the ground. The Salcendreepes have special magic that allows them to slither through the earth.

“Take back to the earth where you came from, lizard. You will find our magic is stronger than yours.”

“If it is not, you will be our meat. You are the one called Logantrance, not the one we seek, but you will do just fine. You will bring Vlianth to us, and our masters will grant us the freedom to roam topside.” The Salcendreepes are walking around the three in a circle as the leader speaks.

“You know of Vlianth, how? You were told by the dragons. Which dragons spoke of Vlianth?”

“Your secret is out, Logantrance, the dragons know all. They have been waiting for the one to make Vlanthis his home. The prophecy has been told. We all know who you are and the one you call Vegenrage. He is walking into a trap just as you have.”

“How can you know this? How do you know the name Vegenrage?”

“The prophecy was written before the dwarves, before the elves, before the humans. Dragons have been waiting for this time, and the time is now for the races of man to, well, not be gone, but be forgotten. You see, Logantrance, the name Vegenrage in dragon’s tongue is Vlianth, and you have done well to hide him, but no matter because now we have you and he will come for you, but these dwarves with you are ours.”

The Salcendreepes both charge with exceptional speed for the dwarves, opening their salivating mouths, ready to consume them. The dwarves both have been waiting to unleash their magic for real, and the time has come to use it. The Salcendreepes charge one from the south and one from the north. The dwarves are standing side by side, one facing each charging Salcendreepe, and the dwarves both swing their right hands in an uppercut fashion, and elementals made of dirt rise and punch the Salcendreepes right under the chin, sending them back.

This is very cool looking. The dirt is very thin in the air, almost dust, but as they make contact with the Salcendreepes, they harden forming gigantic fists punching with great force. The elementals move like dust in the wind and attack the Salcendreepes. They form twelve-foot-tall humanoid forms that harden and grab the Salcendreepes around the neck and start choking them. They are punching them and slamming their knees into them and slamming their heads into the ground.

The Salcendreepes have four sticklike legs folded into their backs, and they unhinge, forming stabbing weapons that are used to stab prey and bring them in. The legs closest to their head has about an eight-foot reach where the legs to the rear have about a twelve-foot reach. The legs swivel where connected to the body and have one hinge at the center, allowing great mobility, and they start to stab at the elementals.

The elementals are so cool looking. They harden where they are touching the Salcendreepes, but the rest of their bodies are just not visible, if there are at all. The stabbing legs make the elementals harden where they hit them, and the legs retract, taking dirt with them, but the dirt falls as dust, causing no damage to the elementals. The arms, shoulders, and head of the elementals are visible along with the side of the elemental touching the Salcendreepe with that leg. They are slamming mind-numbing punches into the heads of the Salcendreepes, preventing them from using their magic.

Logantrance and the Dagi start using Blades of Sharpness to sever the legs off the Salcendreepes. These blades have no effect on the elementals because the blades pass through them, and the elementals simply reform. The Salcendreepes are losing their legs and getting their heads bashed in by the elementals. They try to retreat into the earth, but the elementals have hold of them and are slowly but surely crushing the life out of them with a nonstop barrage of bone-crushing punches. The Dagi and Logantrance start slicing the bodies of the Salcendreepes until the little left in the hands of the elementals are ripped apart. They rip the bottom jaw of the Salcendreepes from their head, and this finishes them for good. As the Salcendreepes die, the danger passes and the elementals fall as dust to the ground.

“Limms, Breebellow, your elementals are magnificent. I have never seen any as powerful as yours.”

“We have been able to harness some of the power from the Sapphirewell, making our knowledge and elementals very powerful. That is the first time we got to use them outside of sparring with one another. I am very pleased. But, Logantrance, did they say Dribrillianth and Gairdennow? We cannot take on those dragons, can we?”

“Gairdennow we can fight with fire. Dribrillianth? I don’t know what to do about him. It looks like the cage we are in is meant to keep us here.”

“What is Vlianth and what is Vlanthis and why did they make reference to Vegenrage? Why do they want him?”

“I am not entirely sure, Limms, but it is very bad. Very bad. The dragons’ word for Vegenrage is
Vlianth
and the dragons’ word for Vollenbeln is
Vlanthis
.”

“What is Vollenbeln?”

“That is Vegenrage’s home, his realm, and the dragons have found it along with mine.”

“But, Logantrance, if the dragons have found your home, the home of Vegenrage, and the home here, that means they will find the Dagi Bluffs, and this was all one big plan from the start to get all the Dagi away from the Bluffs so the dragons could easily destroy our home. The Bluffs are the most fortified and magically secure realm of all the magic users, but now it is virtually unguarded, with all the Dagi on our way here. The dragons have planned this from the start. They are way ahead of us.”

“Breebellow, you may be right.”

Dribrillianth falls through the top of the cage with a thunderous roar, and the magic users dive out of the way just in time before being crushed by his feet. He scoops up Limms in his front paw and brings him toward his mouth. Limms is able to cast a powerful spell of force opening the paw of Dribrillianth, and he falls to the ground. Before he makes it to the ground, Dribrillianth swings his body in a circle and smashes Limm’s with his tail, sending him flying for miles into the wall of the cage. Limms is hit so hard that when he hits the wall he breaks bones in his body and is barely able to move. Dribrillianth spits a deadly mouthful of diamond daggers at him.

Limms is pelted with one hundred diamond daggers that slice him to death without feeling a thing. Breebellow casts a brilliant spell of dirt missiles at Dribrillianth. The dirt rises to his hands and shoots from his fingertips with amazing speed and accuracy. This spell causes no real harm to Dribrillianth, but it blinds him, disorients him, and keeps him on the defensive while Logantrance casts lightning bolts and more powerful magic missiles at him, driving him back and not allowing him the ability to use his own magic.

Gairdennow is sitting on top of the cage where Dribrillianth fell through, and he shoots his Gustament in a very powerful way. He shoots a full breath attack at Breebellow in the form of an arrow that makes its mark, impacting right on Breebellow. Breebellow is engulfed in the Gustament and struggles for five minutes before falling dead from suffocating. Gairdennow falls to the ground and opens his wings, standing on his hind legs, shining a blinding golden light into Logantrance’s eyes, disorienting him, and halting his magic.