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 Nine: The Trials of the Shadow Knight II

I felt the very essence of the dead surround me. I was in a trance, I saw myself walking through the Realm of the Dead, Darkfallen. The spirits and the restless walked amongst me, staring at me. I hissed and tormented them with my spells of evocation.

Suddenly I heard his hallowed voice. "Stand up, Dread Knight," Victor commanded. "Yes, you're a Dread Knight, they're the shock-troopers of Lord Vayris. Soon enough, you'll be a Shadow Knight, one of his leaders."

"Lord Victor, I was staring into the Darkfallen," I stated. "The innocent spirits were scorched and frozen by my evocation spells. It felt so--right. Their cries of anguish, their tears of agony, their sheer terror, it empowered me."

"Tis the way of the Shadow Knight to be empowered by his foe's suffering," the Lich-Lord continued. "Not all Shadow Knights serve the Dark Lord. Many are actually Guardians of Villages and Swords for hire. However, they all recieve their unnatural power from the dead."

"If they defend people and are so 'noble', why do they torment the dead?" I asked.

"They torment dead murderers, thieves, rapists, the sort of people who were thugs in life," he explained. "Shadow Knights are all taught the code. The Order of the Dragon also teaches it. We do not lie, cheat, nor steal. We'll tear you to pieces, but we're honorable."

"Milord, perhaps it's time for me to perform the Trials of the Shadow Knight?" I questioned. "I feel so powerful and strong, strong enough to kill...King Alu'Kar."

"You're eagerness is too strong. We fight not because we love war, but we fight to bring glory to the Dark Lord. One day, you will be the only one to kill King Everlight. Not today, but it'll most likely be the Trials of the Lich that you face him."

"Honestly, I could slaughter him like a pig now," I grumbled.

With acid dripping in his voice and laced with irritation, Lord Victor hissed, "You're lust for war will be your undoing, young Zalphon." The Lich-Lord left hastily and I with an anxious grin opened a book. It was a Spellbook. The writing was in ancient runes.

"Deathspeak," I thought. "Finally, I can begin my studying." As I began to translate the first word, I was thrown against the wall. Blackness filled my vision and I felt coldness surround my body. The last thing I saw was Lord Vayris...

When I awoke, I was still in the room. The book was still there and I picked it up. The language felt natural as if it were written in Draconic. I read it with ease. "Enjoying the book," Victor asked. "I knew your temptation would lead you to read it. The Students of Lord Vayris never learn Deathspeak from their masters, they must be self-reliant enough to read it themselves. I told you not to read the book, and against my orders you did. Congratulations, you've passed the Trials of the Shadow Knight."

"What?" I gasped.

"The Shadow Knight must do what he thinks is best to further his cause as long as he is still following the code," Victor continued. "You thought you'd be making yourself more powerful by learning the language and you reaped the rewards. I will now teach you two newer techniques on how to become more powerful."

"Hmmm," I said.

He said some words in Deathspeak and images rushed through my mind. One was of me standing over a fallen foe and kneeling over him whispering a spell. A black beam from the palm of my hand to his heart. Energy filled my body. I was siphoning his very soul and using it to empower myself.

Next, I saw myself fighting so skillfully I thought it was a master swordsman. Then I saw my mind, I was in Darkfallen mentally tormenting the dead spirits with my blade. My dexterity and strength was heightened beyond words, not only in Darkfallen, but in Mathoc as well. I also felt something right at that moment. I was much stronger and physically more powerful. The Way of the Shadow Knight.

"Learn how to use these abilities, Shadow Knight. The first one is the Way of the Soul Vampire. Like Blood Vampires, you sustain yourself by killing the living. However, you use their very souls. You can live without it, but siphoning souls is much more powerful than any other technique. The Way of the Shadow Knight is a technique used by the most powerful Shadow Knights. Only liches, angels, and dragons know more powerful ways of combat," Victor explained. "Enjoy your new-found power and begin the Trials of the Necromancer in the morning."