Avi
Avi gave a stretch when she woke the next morning inside of her tent still perched outside the door of the ancient dwarven city where the temple of Saafani was said to reside. She saw Baby Tiragon asleep on her belly curled up into a ball. One of his ears gave a shudder. Avi smiled and scratched him behind the ears.
"Good morrow, Dove," Fira said sitting on the edge of her cot listening to music from her phone while she sharpened her sword.
"How long have I been out?" Avi asked.
"Two days," Fira answered. "We have a visitor outside who wishes to see you."
"Are my clothes dried?"
"Yes. Get yourself dressed. I'll be outside waiting with our guest."
Avi got out of bed and slipped into her white gown and put on her boots, dry but still a little moist. She materialized her staff and walked outside where she saw a stout and small fellow sitting by the fire helping himself to a mug of ale. He had a long bushy beard of brown hair with two long braids and he wore a boiled leather helmet, hauberk, vambraces, and boots over iron mail. An iron ax bladed with bronze and with a handle of polished maple rested by his shoulder. Ser Gerhalos signaled Avi's arrival and the man turned to face her, well, actually, he was a dwarf.
"My lady," the dwarf said with a bow. He spoke with good etiquette and didn't have a heavy highlands accent like the other dwarves she encountered on her travels when it was just her and Ser Gerhalos. "I am Throvor of the noble clan Heavytank from Kaplan the Great City Under the Sea. It is a great honor to finally meet the legendary Summoner of Dragons. If I may be as so bold as to join you in your quest into Dwarfodel."
"Whatever for?" Fira asked standing next to Avi.
"It would be wise that we brought him along," said Ser Gerhalos. "He holds a map of the ancient city an item we most desperately need."
"I don't mean to say it was fortuitous, but you're lucky that sea beast came upon you. If you had stumbled into that city without me, odds are you would have been lost to the ruins. Yes, sir, the ruins of Dwarfodel claimed many an adventurer."
"Well," Avi grimaced rubbing her chin with the top of her staff. "I guess maybe it was a stroke of beastly luck that the Fiend Kraken came upon us."
"But what does the dwarf want to do in the ruins?" asked Tordo.
"I am Throvor!" the dwarf sternly corrected Tordo's rudely asked question while boastfully pounding his thick chest. "And I seek the legendary dragon armor of my forefathers said to be resting somewhere in the deeps of Dwarfodel. After you help me acquire this armor I will accompany you to the temple. And then I shall be on my way."
"So be it," said Avi. "Thank you for joining us."
"Aye, and I thought it was best I did get some help." nodded Throvor. He took Avi's hand and kissed it respectfully. His thick beard prickled her delicate skin and his lips were still sticky from the ale he drank earlier. "As skilled as I am, even I don't think I can best the dangers of Dwarfodel alone. There fouler things than even Orcs lurking in the underbelly of the world. Ah, and I would imagine seeing you summon dragons would be a spectacular sight to see."
"You're in for a treat," said Aldara. "Avi's an angel when she summons her beasts."
"We're going to need them now more than ever," said Ser Damien. "Remember, Lord Karl wants us to rid Devlinshire of that mountain giant."
"Aye, a Giant of Belroth, cure their kind!" Throvor spat at the dirt. "He is the very beast that caused my people to flee this once great city! Avi will show him what for, won't you, dear."
"I will do what I can," Avi said with a shrug. "Well, we aren't going to defeat the giant just standing here are we. Let us go down then."
"Not until you've had your breakfast Dove," said Fira. "You can't go down there on an empty stomach."
"Wouldn't it be best if we ration our food?" Aldara asked. "I imagine the city would be very large."
"That it is, Half-Elf," said Throvor. "It's a five-day journey to the bottom of the mountain where your temple resides."
"Five days!" whined Tordo.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Ser Gerhalos wagged his finger. "What did I say about complaining?"
"You can't be a knight if you complain," said Ser Arthur.
Blair shook her head. Robin sniggered behind her, hoping no one would notice him.
"You sure you want to bring the little lad with us?" asked Throvor. "The journey might be too perilous for him."
"Yes, he's right," Tordo agreed. "I can stay here and guard the camp."
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, Tordo," Avi chimed playfully. "You can keep a lookout for trolls."
"Trolls!" He scampered towards Aldara's leg and embraced it, shivering.
Defeated, the little boy had no choice but to follow his companions into the dark underbelly of the world. Baby Tiragon sniffed the air hopelessly. There was a fell power blocking his ability to sense the dragons in the temple. According to Throvor's map, Dwarfodel was a mess of tunnels and hidden passageways.
Aldara was almost ready to step foot through the doors when Throvor violently stepped in her way holding out his hand to her face. "Stop!" he shouted. "It shall be a dwarf who enters Dwarfodel first."
Aldara wrinkled her nose feeling both upset and mortified and even mad that the dwarf had the audacity to speak to her that way. Tordo, stuck his tongue out at the dwarf as we stomped proudly into the darkness. Avi trailed close behind him illuminating the top of her staff to give them light. She felt a massive hand on her shoulder turning her head to see the golden-furred face of Ser Gerhalos.
"Don't let him trouble you, young one," he said to her. "Dwarves have been notorious for their pride and hatred for the Elves."
"But Aldrara is a Half-Elf," said Tordo, scampering after them into the little room with a staircase of orange tile spiraling farther and farther into the earth. He turned his head to see the last glimpse of sunlight. He had a feeling he would not be seeing it for a long while. Five days, to be exact. He held onto his dagger and kept another hand on Aldara's breeches. It smelled musty in that staircase surrounded by walls and ceiling of rock cold and moist to the touch.
"How much farther do these go?" Avi asked. Baby Tiragon sat perched on her shoulder shivering with fright. Something of great evil had to be lurking down there in the shadows, something powerful enough to keep him from communicating with his kin. Avi felt the little dragon's fear and tickled his belly to get a purr out of him.
"It's getting cramped in here," gasped Ser Gerhalos. "I fear I will not make the journey through the passageway."
"No!" Robin said with urgency. "We cannot traverse through these cursed ruins without Ser Gerhalos. He is the best fighter in the party."
"Hang in there, lion-man," said Throvor. "We are nearing the bottom of these stairs. Aye, my people were masters of defensive structures. Should anyone be fool enough to try and conquer Dwarfodel, these staircases would surely slow them down. And those slits you see in the rock are hidden rooms we call murder holes where our mighty phalanx would skewer our enemies with their spears.
"It's very disorienting as well," said Ser Gerhalos. "We've been walking down these cursed stairs for almost an hour."
"It's actually been five minutes," Fira said looking at her phone. "These stairs make you think you're going on forever. Oh! Whoever that is, get your hands off my butt!"
"Sorry," sniggered Robin. "I thought that was my coin sack."
They finally made it out of the stairway and beheld the ancient subterranean city of Dwarfodel. Towers, temples, and apartment complexes were built into the rock and the ceiling was supported by two-hundred-yard-long pillars. They had little time to behold the sight, for the enemy could have been watching them. Avi prayed that their journey would remain unnoticed as they traversed the ancient city. They passed by tombs, and old libraries. Market places sadly standing still as if awaiting the morning rush of customers and patrons. They camped next to an underground lake, thankfully with no water monster within. Ser Gerhalos and Throvor took turns keeping watch in as the rest of the party slept.
It was too perilous for Fira to keep her alarm on so she counted on the vibration under her pillow to wake them. Ser Damien prepared them a quick breakfast and then proceeded with their journey. Now they had to traverse through thin pathways along a canyon the dwarves once used to mine their jewels and gold ore which once flowed through the rock like a river bathed in sunlight.
Such treasures were looted long ago when the mountain giant came and conquered the city from the dwarves. Four days had passed since they entered Dwarfodel, and most of them were feeling rather relieved as they got closer to the temple where Avi's dragons were resting. They crossed a bridge over a precipice that looked like it went down for miles before entering the bottom of the mountain. They made it to Graz'dul the capital of the Dwarves of Termnnia.
"What this place would have looked like before the mountain giant spread his evil here," Throvor said with sorrow. "Avi, if your dragons are strong, perhaps you may assist me in avenging my people."
"My dragons are with you, Master Throvor," Avi said with a nod.
"Just Throvor, My Lady, you are the one in charge of this expedition."
Avi gave her staff a spin and summoned her newest dragon, Light and Darkness Dragon. The beast gave a heavenly roar once it formed over her and spread its wings. The creature was half white and half black. The white half had a wing of white feathers like an angel and the dark half had a vile membranous wing like a bat. It had two tails one white and one black and its eyes were glowing bright green.
"By Bortor's Beard!" gasped Throvor. "A true dragon! It comes to your aid. Never have I seen such power." He bowed respectfully.
"Why did you summon your dragon, Lady Avi?" asked Ser Gerhalos.
"That." Avi pointed at the buildings and saw little creatures pouring out in massive swarms. They were sickly lesser-orcs simply called Imps. They had long limbs and skin as gray and cold as a tombstone. Their eyes were wide and lamp-like which allowed them to see in the dark, and they wore armor they looted from the Dwarves after they aided the mountain giant with the ransack of the city. Something launched from the other end of the city. It was hard to tell in the dark, but the radiant light from Light and Darkness Dragon revealed the objects to be a rain of arrows. Avi's beast created a bubble of light, that shielded them from the oncoming missiles. The bubble faded after the arrows had stopped falling.
And with a mighty charge, Ser Damien and Ser Arthur raised their swords and charged at the oncoming monsters. Aldara and Fira took position behind a fallen pillar and began firing at the Imps with their rifles. Ser Gerhalos gave a thunderous roar that demoralized the creatures for a moment, causing them to flee.
If it hadn't been for Avi's dragon, death would have come swiftly to her and her party. The creatures swarmed them like waves on the ocean. But now it was time to face their bounty. The Imps began banging their drums calling upon their master. Light and Darkness Dragon gave a howl when its opponent showed itself. It was a horrid creature standing eight meters tall with long black hair and a horrid grin on its face.
Avi took a deep breath and looked at the ring Yugi and Yuri gave her. "Okay, My Lords, let's see what this baby can do." She gave her staff another spin and summoned her White-Horned Dragon. Now it was time for the staff's resident. Once a day, she could freely summon the spirit of a Prime Material Dragon who slept inside the staff. Another whirl of her staff and out came the creature. Ser Gerhalos snorted proudly when he saw three dragons standing in front of Avi. "ATTACK!" she shouted.
The dragons roared in response and charged at the beast. The four monsters battled violently in the ancient ruins of the city. The dragons doing all they could to keep the damage in the ruins minimal and they did a beautiful job in doing so. The Imps cheered and banged their drums to motivate their master to fight on. But it was all for naught. White-Horned Dragon bit into the giant's neck and tore it out.
Light and Darkness Dragon then released a bream of black and white at the beast's chest. The Prime Material Dragon cut it to shreds with his razor-sharp wings. They continued their relentless assault until they smought his ruin onto the floors. After hundreds of years, Dwarfodel was freed from the Giant of Belroth. Seeing their master fall and three angry dragons now focusing on them, the little creatures turned tail and ran into their holes. When the enemy was gone and Avi's dragons returned to the plane of Saafani, the fellowship proceeded into the temple led by Baby Tiragon who could now see the creatures awaiting Avi.
The temple was a tower in the middle of a lake as black as night. Avi took a deep breath and walked across a rickety wooden bridge towards the temple. Tordo proceeded after her, but Ser Gerhalos held out his hand to stop him.
"Stop, she must go alone."
Tordo watched as his friend disappeared into the temple.
Avi saw the statue of Saafani being surrounded by two great beasts, one of fire and one of the stars. She got on her knees and prayed.
"So, she arrives at last." A Thunderous voice boomed from the temple. Avi stopped praying and looked up spotting a tablet of stone, slowly rising out of the ground. It depicted a great beast from the dawn of time.
"So, you are the one who had defeated the beast Anubis sent to keep me prisoner. I am known as Valcronax. The First of the Dragons. The first of Saafani's creations."
"It was my pleasure," Avi said. "It is a great honor to be in your presence."
"Spare me the pleasantries, girl!" the dragon suddenly snapped. "You are too weak to use my power!"
"While my brother is brash, he speaks truth," Sanctity of Dragons' voice boomed from within the stone around Avi's neck. "It's something I told you all along. You have won a few battles to fuel your ego and defeated a king, but that does not mean we should bow to your whim like common dogs."
"She has braved many dangers to find you!" Arvas snapped appearing in a phantom form behind Avi next to Sanctity of Dragons. "How dare you deny her your power!'
"Ah, Arvas," sneered First of the Dragons. "I should have known you had something to do with this."
"Put your pride aside, brothers!" Arvas begged. "She has overcome many obstacles in these long months. She has slain the beast who kept you prisoner and was chosen by our mother as the instrument of her faith."
"She could have chosen better," snapped Sanctity of Dragons. "That is why I refuse to answer her call."
Avi whimpered when she heard him say that.
"Agreed," said First of the Dragons. "If the girl wishes to use us, she has to prove it. Not through fame. Not through glory. Tournaments and festivals do not give you the right to bear our power. Then and only then, will we answer her call."
"It's not fair!" Avi shouted. "I have given you my body! I have given you my soul. I have suffered through many challenges and walked all over the continent trying to find you! What more do I have to do?"
"That is for you to figure out," said First of the Dragons. "But I thank you for ridding the world of a Giant of Belroth."
"Isn't that proof enough I'm worthy of your power?"
"The slaying of a giant is not enough to prove your strength, Avi. I sense a lot of fear and doubt inside of you. And even though you have trained them and made them stronger, the dragons you have acquired are still grieving a loss at the hands of your rival. I know of a place that can boost the power of your dragons in Katina. Another of my brothers awaits in this place of power. I wish you luck. When you complete the task. We will wait for you in the temple of Saafani at the top of Mount Melody in the Great White Mountains."
"But..."
"I will say no more."
"WAIT!" Avi cried.
The dragon erupted into sparks of light and vanished. Avi got on her knees and broke into a sob. "I'm too weak," she said sniffing. "And they speak truth."
"That is not true!" Arvas said to her. "You are worthy of their power. And we will prove it to them."
"What more do I have to do?" moaned Avi. "After what Arietta..."
"Forget her!" barked Arvas. "We will defeat her together. "We will have The First of the Dragons by our side and you will be the one who will fight for High King Yuri in his noble court. Dry those tears. We can get through this."
Avi nodded and stood up from the ground. She gave a heavy sigh to let out the stress in her chest and walked out of the temple to tell her companions the news. But she came out holding something in her arms. Throvor gasped with delight.
"Here my friend," Avi said handing him a helmet in the shape of a dragon. "The legendary dragon armor of Graz'Dul. It's yours."
"Dear lady," Thorvor said bowing. He put the helmet over his head. It concealed his face. "I cannot thank you enough. You have the thanks of my people. If there ever comes a time when you need us, we will march to you at once."
"Thank you," said Avi. "I appreciate it. And thank you for your help. Ser Arthur, you, too, have proven your worth. When we get out of her, I will dub you an official knight of Termmnia."
"Thank you, dear lady," Ser Arthur said with a bow. "It was honor being of service. I was glad I was able to win your approval."
"Come," said Ser Gerhalos. "Let us leave this cursed place."
The journey to the exit of the ancient city took another four hours. They saw daylight, at last, illuminating from a towering doorway. Tordo was about to burst into tears when he felt the warmth of the sun kissing his skin exposed to the cold darkness for so long. They felt like celebrating. Thorovor announced that the drinks at the next inn would be on him. Ser Gerhalos let out a joyful laugh, a sound that seemed rare to the group.
Even Ser Gerhalos had grown tired of the darkness and endless maze of rock and buildings. Avi was the first to step into the day light. She was about to break into a dance but what she saw caused her to stop dead in her tracks.
A fleet of helicopters was soaring over her. "Halt!" a voice on the chopper's intercom shouted. Soldiers in tactical gear and holographic ornamentation rappelled down from the helicopters and aimed their rifles at Avi. The red dots from the lasers attached to their weapons danced all over her and her companions. Ser Gerhalos was displeased with this and charged but was shot in the neck by a man wearing brilliant green robes with gold decorations and trimmings and a crown of gold with the eye of Yeyu carved in the front.
Ser Gerhalos began to cough violently and fell to the ground moving no more. Avi began to babble in fear seeing her beloved knight laying motionless beside her. The man in the ornate robes grinned and raised his hand in peace. "Have no fear, My Lady. He has simply fallen asleep."
"What is the meaning of this!" shouted Throvor.
"Forgive me," said the man. "I am Telstan Murdow the Abbot of the Chapel in Eredas. King Stefan Ungard of Naralia wishes to speak with Lady Avi at the conference in Domino City."
"No!" shouted Avi. "I refuse!"
Telstan grinned. "My lady, this is not a request. You are to be taken to Domino immediately. My king requests it. And if you refuse I am afraid my men will be ordered to shoot. And they do not carry tranquilizers like I do. It's your choice, Summoner, but you will go to Domino either way."
Avi bit her lip and nodded in defeat.
"Excellent," Telstan said, playfully slapping her cheek. "Hop on board at once. It is a long way to Naralia and I have to take a shit."
