The Dragon's Tome, An Original Fantasy Story Options

[Zalphon]

Prologue

They called me the Prince of All that is wrong in this world. In Mathoc. The land of magick and wonder. The frozen north known as the Frostblood Tundra. The southern deserts of Sunskar. The eastern jungles of Sythariss. The western mountains of Star-Reach. The Ocean of Souls and the Sea of Arcana... The Northeastern bogs and swamps of the Black Marsh. The Northwestern Forests of Dragonwood. The Southeastern plains of Shadow's Meadow. The Southwestern Deadlands of the Dread Plains...

They say I am all that is foul in the world... They called me a being of the Abyss itself. They called me the Lord of Unlife, the Master of Necromancy, the King of the Undead... They were right... My name is Zalphon Shadowheart Broodikus, Emperor of Mathoc... I am the Arch-Lich and the God of Necromancy and Unlife. I rule over the lands with an iron fist.

My empire is strong and built of the dead. Unlike previous liches and necromancers, those ressurected by me or students of the New Ways of Necromancy retain their intelligence if we so-choose. Mathoc is ruled by the living dead, for the living dead. Our foes are the paladins of Lightius Star, the Arch-Angel and Queen of Skyhaven, Realm of the Angels...

We constantly fight to conquer all who oppose us. The only threat to us, was the dragons... The Guardians of Mathoc, they called themselves. And their immortal followers (ageless), the Order of the Dragon. I once was a member, but after I learned the truth about what power they hid from us, it began...

If you've picked up this tome, you must be expecting a story... My story... My name is Emperor Zalphon Broodikus, and it begins thousands of years ago, during the Era of the Everlight Kingdom. My father's kingdom...

[Zalphon]

Chapter One: The Beginning

I awoke as I felt a bolt of anguish rend my mind. "Awaken," he called. He was Al'kar, a Spell-Blood Human. Spellblood Humans are humans who have 'evolved' from using magick. Their hair is dark azure, their skin is light-blue, just like their eye-whites. Their eye-color matches their hair. Their very blood is pure magick.

I wore tattered, gray pants. My ebon hair fell in front of my oceanic-blue eyes, so I pushed it back. My ashen-gray skin weakly glimmered in the torch-light of the Gladiator's Den. I walked to the mess-hall. My feet were cold on the gray stone floor, but I was used to it. The Gladiator's Den smelled of rats and feces...

I pushed open the door to the mess-hall and there were a few tables in the rectangular room. About twenty of us were in there. We all had shackles on our hands. I grumbled as I walked up to the chef who was stirring a bubbling cauldron of a red-liquid, eyes, pieces of flesh, and small organs of rats... I hope. I hissed, "Get me some 'stew'." They called it 'stew', we call it 'slop'.

The Cook used a ladle to pour some of the bubbling red liquid into a small, wooden bowl. He put in a wooden spoon and handed it to me. His features were rough and he wore a red-loin cloth and an apron. It was an orc, his features were blunt and his skin was greenish-gray.

I sat at the table with a friend of mine, Martin. His eyes were milky-blue due to his blindness, his skin was pale and he wore tattered-gray robes. "Zalphon," he stated. "How are you, my friend?" His voice was calm, like usual. He was a sorcerer (unlike other spell-casters, he got his power from within, not from tomes).

"Same as usual," I said as I spooned some of the 'slop' into my mouth. It tasted like rat-urine mixed with minotaur meat. A disgusting flavor, but we were used to it.

"I am supposed to fight a few Giant-Bane Barbarians," he grumbled. It wasn't fear in his voice, more caution, but there was confidence as well.

"I'd be careful, friend," I responded. "Barbarians tend to be stronger than most normal men." My tone wasn't with sarcasm, it was with fear for him.

"Don't be afraid," he mumbled. "Giant-Bane Barbarians are cowards. Their chieftan killed an adolescent hill giant and they call themselves giant-slayers. Not even a full-grown one or a frost or fire one. If it were a hill-titan at least I'd be somewhat afraid." His voice was dripping with judgementalism.

"Still the same arrogant honoured user you always were," I laughed. "I like that about you, Martin." It was true, he was a fairly good sorcerer and he had a right to be arrogant. I was just an adolescent at the time, but nevertheless I had respect for those who deserved it.

Al'kar glanced at Martin and the Blind Sorcerer stood up. "I'll be back soon." He walked into the armory. I heard the announcer's loud screams and the barbarians' battle-cries. I heard a spell hissed and the barbarians' last words... Their swan-song.

Martin returned with blood on his robes, but he wasn't concerned. "You're fighting a dragon-whelp, Zalphon," Al'kar called with a grin. "Have fun." Martin patted me on the back as I walked towards the armory. In there I put on my leather jerkin, my leather pants, my leather boots, and the leather gauntlets. I gripped an old iron broadsword and sighed.

"Good bye," Al'kar chuckled. "This is the end."

I screamed back, "I'll be back, you Son of an Ogre!"

He smiled as I opened the door and walked up the stairs. I reached the iron portculis and waited. "Are you ready?" The Announcer screamed. A wave of "Yes" dominated all sound in the entire arena. The Portculis fell and the dragon-whelpling walked out.

We locked eyes. As if we were staring into each other's soul. I looked up at the royal box. King Alu'kar, a high elf and his bodyguard, Sir Derek Dragonguard, a Knight of the Dragon. The Knight rose a brow and left. "It is okay," the dragonling said. "You're safe."

"I refuse to fight," It shrieked. Very rarely did captured whelps refuse to fight. It was that or die. Suddenly a blizzard began to occur.

"Do not worry," he muttered. "You shall be safe, I cast a spell to summon a blizzard, but protect you." I ran into the gladiatior's den. There Al'kar stood with a frown. I felt my blood boil and it all went black... "Good bye, Zalphon," was the last thing I heard.