CHAPTER THREE: "I CAME, I SAW, I CONQUERED"

"Father!" a young girl cried. "Look!"

Dugal, the elder of the village of Korban, exited his house upon hearing his daughter's cries. "What is it, Mara?"

The girl pointed up in the sky. Dugal and the other villagers looked up at the sky in amazement as a crimson fireball sped down towards the ground. It struck right in the center of the town square, shaking the earth upon impact. The crimson light did not fade, but instead started to change shape into what could only be described as a man, although he looked like he was far more than human.

"By Althena..." Dugal whispered.

The man stood about ten feet tall. His skin was pale, his face was handsome, and his hair and beard were a fiery red. One of his eyes was blue, the other a deep shade of brown. He wore onyx armor, a blood-red cloak, and a massive broadsword slung across his shoulder. The symbol of a silver eye, run through by a sword, was on the breastplate of his armor, and it chilled the hearts of those who saw it. But the look in the giant's eyes was even more chilling. They held a cruel, vicious expression, more suitable for a demon than a human.

He slowly breathed, relishing his new-found freedom. The endless millennia in The Void had become almost unbearable. But now he was free! Free to destroy, to slay, to conquer in the name of the Dark God. He sneered as he gazed at the fearful villagers.

"So these are the new children of Althena," he said, his voice deep and arrogant. "Weak. Pathetic. Helpless."

"Who...who ARE you?" Dugal stammered.

The giant glared menacingly at Dugal, as if he had committed a heinous crime by speaking to him. "I am Amalek. And I am your executioner."

Dugal stood protectively in front of Mara. "We have done nothing to you, sir. We have no fight with you, nor do we want one."

Amalek smiled wickedly at the man's blubbering. "You are the people of the Goddess Althena. You are her legacy. That is crime enough." He pointed to Mara. "Is that your daughter?"

Dugal nodded, too afraid to do anything else.

Amalek smiled, a cold, merciless smile. "Good."

Amalek waved his hand. All of a sudden, a massive black flame erupted from the ground, engulfing Mara. The girl cried in agony, as Dugal watched helplessly. "No! Not my daughter! I beg you! Please, if you have any mercy within you..."

Amalek laughed, reveling in the agony of father and daughter. "I don't." He fired a powerful magic bolt, striking Dugal dead instantly. The villagers watched this cruel display in silence and terror. Some began to flee.

"I'm afraid you can't leave yet!" Amalek said with a sneer. "I haven't done this in thousands of years, and I have a lot of catching up to do!"

He summoned up his dark flames again, and a ring of ebony flame was soon encircling all of Korban. Trapped, the villagers could only wait for death at Amalek's hands.

They didn't wait long.

*****

Dyne collapsed to the ground, gazing up at the entrance to the Red Dragon Cave, trying to get his bearings. One minute, he had been standing outside the White Dragon Cave, the next minute he was here. Did the Dragon Wings do this? Quark said that they were fast, but I had no idea he meant THIS fast!

He examined his surroundings. Despite the lava rivers and the steam, he felt very little heat. Probably a magical illusion. Ghaleon told me about those once.

Carefully, Dyne entered the Red Dragon Cave. Making his way through the narrow corridors, he soon encountered a group of lava creatures. They were hideous blobs of pure molten lava, and they slithered towards him menacingly. Dyne wished he had studied more ice magic, as he doubted that flame magic, his specialty, could harm them. He knew the basic Icicle spell, but doubted it would have much affect.

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Focusing on one of the lava creatures, he chanted the words of the spell Lemia had taught him; "I summon the elemental power in the name of the Water Spirit! Strike down mine enemy with the power of the Icicle!"

The lava creature shuddered as large, jagged pieces of ice formed out of nowhere and slashed at it. The lava creature was unable to hold itself together, and melted slowly. But the other lava creatures kept closing in. Again and again, Dyne used his ice spells to kill the lava creatures, but more kept coming. He drew his scimitar and lashed out at them. Amazingly, they were extremely vulnerable to weapons, and Dyne's scimitar destroyed one lava creature with each stroke. Eventually, the way was clear.

Dyne kept advancing through the tunnels of the Red Dragon Cave, fighting off more lava creatures and fire elementals, which were creatures made of pure fire. His ice magic, although limited, was able to ward off many of the enemies he came across. Fortunately, none of them were immune to his swordsmanship.

As he wearily entered another corridor, he heard a strange voice whisper to him. "You who would pass The Trial of the Red Dragon, I sense the boldness and heroism in your heart. My Trial awaits ahead of you. Beware, for you shall require all of your power and fortitude to pass."

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid!"

"Then go forward without fear. Let me restore your energy that you may find the strength to continue ahead."

Dyne felt the healing magic flow through him, and immediately he felt refreshed. He forged on ahead through the tunnel. Fighting his way through, he saw that a wall of flame blocked the exit. His ice magic did nothing to extinguish the flames. But he was not about to be stopped. So without hesitation, he boldly marched through the flames, withstanding the pain. That wasn't too bad, he thought as he cast a healing spell on himself.

But as he progressed into the next chamber, he froze. The chamber he had entered contained only a few stone pathways surrounded by boiling lava, which was no illusion. In the distance he could see an entrance guarded by two bronze statues, which he assumed was the entrance to the Red Dragon's lair. However, the entire pathway leading up to it was covered with fire. There was no other way to the entrance, and there was no getting around the flames.

For a second, Dyne faltered. Is this the Red Dragon Trial? To be able to pass through those flames? That pathway must be twenty feet long! But I've come too far to be stopped now! And my friends...the people of Lunar...Althena...they're all depending on me! Others have passed this trial before me, and by the Goddess, SO WILL I!

The pain and the heat was much greater than the wall of flame he had walked through before. He staggered through the flames, weakening steadily. He could feel his skin blister, and he wrapped his cloak around himself to protect him. The flame was so thick, he couldn't even see how much further he had to go. Althena, please, give me the strength...

Suddenly, as he went forward, the heat and pain vanished. He looked around, and saw that the flame was all behind him now. He had passed through alive. He laughed in relief and cast another healing spell on himself, healing his burns. If I never have to do that again, it will be too soon!

Feeling stronger, he passed through the entrance that led to the Red Dragon's lair. He smiled in relief as he looked upon The Red Dragon of Althena. She resembled a fox more than a dragon, except for her wings. Apparently, she was younger than Quark, for there were no visible wrinkles in her hide.

"Welcome, brave adventurer," she said softly. "What is your name?"

Dyne cleared his throat. "I am Dyne of Burg. I am on a mission to become Dragonmaster. A powerful enemy named Amalek is about to threaten the world of Lunar, and I have been chosen to stop him."

The Dragon's eyes narrowed at the mention of Amalek's name. "I am Blaize, The Red Dragon of Althena. By passing through the flames, you have passed my Trial. Thus, I give to you the prize that you have sought: The Red Dragon Shield, my piece of the Dragon Armor."

A lavender orb floated down towards Dyne. As he held it, the orb faded, revealing within it The Red Dragon Shield. He slipped it on his arm, and bowed. Suddenly, Blaize roared in agony and rage. It seemed to shake the entire volcano.

"What's wrong?" Dyne asked urgently.

"Amalek..." she whispered. "Amalek has already arrived on Lunar. He has destroyed the village of Korban and slaughtered all its inhabitants...merely for pleasure. It was horrible...Dyne, you must hurry to the Blue Dragon Cave. Amalek has not reached full strength yet, but it won't be long before he does. More lives cannot be lost to this monster. You are our only hope, and you must save us all."

Dyne's fists clenched in rage. Now, more than ever, he was determined to become Dragonmaster and send Amalek back to whatever hellhole he had crawled out of. "In the name of the Goddess and the people of Lunar, I will," he cried out defiantly, as if he was challenging Amalek here and now.

Remembering Quark's words, he focused on the village of Lyton, the home of the Blue Dragon. The Dragon Wings flashed brilliantly, and he was gone.

*****

As Dyne arrived in Lyton, he seemed to hear music flowing through the village. It was beautiful, and Dyne was tempted to take out his ocarina and join in. But he steeled himself, remembering Amalek's merciless attack on Korban.

"Excuse me," he asked a nearby villager, "I'm looking for the Blue Dragon's Temple. Can you help me out?"

"Talk to the elder over there," the man sang out, pointing to a small hut covered in strange designs. "He'll help you on your way."

"Uh...thanks."

"No prooooblem!" the villager crooned, and he skipped away.

Yeah...sure...okay. And I thought the people of Meryod were nuts.

Making his way to the hut, he knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice from within sang. Dyne entered, and saw an elderly man tapping his feet to the strange music. The elder looked at the Red Dragon Shield, and smiled. "Ah, you've come to meet the Blue
Dragon! We, the people of Lyton, are his guardians! Our song, which flows on the winds sent by the Wind Spirit, honors him and the Goddess Althena! After all, Althena is the goddess of love, beauty, and song! There's nothing the Goddess loves more than
beautiful singing from the heart, and the Blue Dragon delights in music too! That is why he chose our village..."

Despite the urgency of his mission, Dyne smiled. "I get the picture. I don't mean to be rude, but I must meet the Blue Dragon as soon as possible. It's urgent. The fate of all Lunar hangs in the balance - for real. I need to know how to raise the Blue Dragon
Temple."

The intense look in Dyne's eyes brought the elder back to reality. "Sorry about that. I get a little carried away. To raise the Blue Dragon Temple, the song of two people who are deeply in love will raise it from beneath the lake."

Dyne's face fell. "Excuse me?"

The elder broke back into song. "Yes, that's how to do it. Althena is the goddess of song, and The Blue Dragon loves music as well. So the magic within the song of two people in love will raise the temple."

"All right already! How can I do this? I'm not in love with anyone."

The elder smiled. "Fear not. You'll find a way."

*****

Dyne walked over to the Lyton Lake and stared at it gloomily. He wasn't in love with anyone, having gotten over his crush with Lemia after she had told him she had been betrothed to someone else. Anyway, Lemia wasn't here. And he couldn't go around
asking people if they were in love, and if they were, if they could raise the Temple for him. That would be awkward.

And yet...he remembered the melody he had made up as a child. Every time he played it, he heard a beautiful voice sing along. Would that work?

He took the ocarina out of his pouch, and started to play. Once more, he heard the enchanting voice sing...

In your dreams, magical thoughts
All things are real, unless you dream they're not
In your dreams, love is the plot
Carried on wings of hope

Each of our souls
Intertwine, when we do...
Instantly we see it, the time to grow and be it
When everything is pinned on a hope

Let rise the dreams of your heart
That innocent youth, careless and kind
Free to roam the breeze in love
Only when two brilliantly shine as one...

There was a sudden rumbling sound, and from the lake arose The Blue Dragon Temple, a massive structure of blue stone, ornamented with gold and precious stones. A crystal pathway materialized, leading to the entrance.

Dyne looked at his ocarina curiously before going in. One of these days, I HAVE to find out who that singer is.

He walked into the Temple, but all he could see was a pool of water. There were no stairs or doorways. On a hunch, he took a closer look at the pool. The strange liquid didn't look or feel like water. A magic portal, he realized. He dived into the magic pool, and felt himself being pulled along by a strange force. He then popped up from the pool into a different room within the Temple.

Using these magic portals, Dyne quickly made his way through the Blue Dragon Temple, occasionally fighting off the ice monsters that inhabited the Temple. He was glad he had concentrated on his fire magic, which proved to be more than helpful for defeating the many icy denizens of the Temple.

After trying a series of magic portals, one of them teleported him to a narrow pathway made entirely of ice, suspended over a great void. He slowly made his way forward down the path, carefully holding his balance. An icy platform was at the end of the path, and upon it, to Dyne's relief, was The Blue Dragon, fast asleep.

Apparently, Dyne's intrusion hadn't woken the dragon, and he couldn't think of any way to safely wake it up – at least without getting himself killed. After all, no dragon likes to be woken up.

Then the words of the elder of Lyton came back to him, about how the Blue Dragon loved music. Taking out his ocarina, he started playing an old folk tune he had heard a long time ago.

At the sound of the music, The Blue Dragon's eyes perked up, and he rose slowly, spreading his majestic wingspan. Dyne noticed that underneath the Blue Dragon's fur, he had scales resembling those of a fish. His wings also resembled fins, and had a strange pattern of red and gold. Instead of fur at the end of his tail, like the other dragons, he had wide, translucent fins.

The Dragon looked around curiously, trying to place the source of the music, then focused on Dyne. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. I'm Saphyr, the Blue Dragon of Althena. And since you have the other two pieces of the Dragon Armor, I'm guessing you're here to become Dragonmaster."

Dyne stopped playing. "That's right. I'm..."

"In a hurry, yeah, yeah. All Dragonmasters are when they come here. Anyway, by finding your way here, you've passed my trial. The Blue Dragon Helmet is in there waiting for you."

Dyne looked to where Saphyr was pointing. "Where?"

"Oh, whoops. Just gimme a second here..." Another ice pathway formed, leading to a wall on the right side of the chamber. "That'll take you to the Helmet. And hey, after you save the world, feel free to stop by sometime. It gets pretty boring here after a while."

"Thank you," mumbled Dyne, bowing stiffly. He then walked down the new ice pathway. Does EVERYBODY in this village act like a ditz? Must be something in the water...

The ice pathway led him to a small chamber. Inside was a glowing lavender orb. It split apart as Dyne approached, revealing the Blue Dragon Helmet. Dyne smiled triumphantly as he put it on.

Three down, one to go.