The Devils Snowcone
We now turn our attention back to Elfo, Koga, and Oscar, who were returning to the pathway that led to Oscar's underground studies. Koga remembered the path heading north, where they encountered the dragon and had fallen through a hole where the dragon placed its egg. However, he also remembered the order of the sword using a secret passageway that led straight to his studies.
Unfortunately, Koga didn't remember that that pathway was no longer available.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Koga yelled, smacking his hand against his head. "I forgot I caused this damn landslide!"
"So…does this mean we have to travel all the way back?" said Elfo.
Koga sighed. "Y-Yeah…" He hung his head in shame.
Elfo shook his head. "Great job, Koga…"
Oscar, however, didn't look too annoyed. "Oh well! That means more road trip games for us!"
Elfo's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! Oh! I wanna play more, I spy!"
"Oh goddamn it…" Koga groaned.
And so, the three continued on their path all the way around again. The journey consisted of a lot of I Spy, Oscar's weird wizard stories, and some occasional stories about Elfo getting spanked on the bum-bum by his father. Which, for some reason, Oscar had related to.
To spice things up, Oscar performed his magic for Elfo. It started with a simple trick with water: Oscar levitated the water around Elfo's head and then broke it apart to create beads of ice. Elfo watched in awe and asked Oscar to keep showing him tricks.
"Now, watch this!" Oscar placed his hands together and blew his cool breath into an opening in his palms. He unravels his hands to show a small snowflake floating in the air.
Elfo's eyes sparkled as he watched the snowflake fly into the air. "That's so cool! Koga, did you see that?!"
"No, Elfo, I'm keeping my eyes on the road," said Koga for the fourth time.
"Oh man, you're missing out over here!" The Elf said excitedly as he turned back to Oscar.
Oscar began thinking of something related to the element of fire; he snapped his fingers as it came to him. Oscar wiggled his fingers. Sparks of fire began snapping around his hands, forming into a ball. The wizard tosses the balls of fire into the air and juggles them.
"Oh my god, that is amazing!" Elfo clapped his hands. "Koga, you gotta see this!"
"Again…my eyes are on the road…and everywhere else…" said The wanderer irritably. "Or do I have to remind you two that the dark legion and possibly Zogs knights are hunting us?"
"Well, fine then, party pooper," Elfo scowled. He placed his attention back on Oscar and asked. "So, how does magic work anyway? Like, how do you use water, wind, and fire?"
"Simple! It's all in the mind, body, and soul! Anyone can do it if they practice hard enough! Well, unlike elves, dragons, fairies, and mermaids, who are naturally gifted. Us wizards and enchantresses learned magic the lazy way at first but advanced to higher levels when we studied with enchanted creatures!"
"Wow…I'm naturally gifted," Elfo gleamed. "Although…I've never seen any other elf do magic before. I don't think anyone in my elm can do magic."
Oscar looked bewildered at what he heard. "Elves can't do magic? That is very surprising. From what I've read, elves are one of the most incredible magic users in the world, next to dragons!"
"Wow…I had no idea," said Elfo softly, In awe.
"Tell me, Koga," said Oscar. "Have you ever run into any magic users on your journeys?"
"No, thankfully not," The swordsmen replied. "Well, not before those dark legion commanders attacked us at the bedrock kingdom."
"Ah, I see, it's not surprising. Many wizards primarily stay on the other side of the world. Others like myself leave our land and journey to find new ways of creating magic to benefit everyone. Unfortunately, others with twisted minds want to use it for selfish gain."
Koga turns his head to look at Oscar. "Like wanting to bang a dragon?"
Oscar crosses his arms. "That's more of a pleasurable gain,"
The journey continued. The three made their way through a path in the forest that looked familiar to Elfo.
"It feels like we've been here before," said Elfo.
"This is where we were when Zog tasked me to come get Bean," said Koga.
"Oooooh! Wait, how did you remember where we were?"
"Just following the wind," Koga replied vaguely. "We had to take a different path, though, since I caused a landslide with that exploding bomb."
"W-Wait, isn't that dragons nest around here?" said Elfo, worried.
"Is there?" said Oscar, excitedly.
"It's been almost half a year since we've been this way. That dragon egg has probably hatched since then and is probably elsewhere in the world." Koga said, pulling the reins and stopping his horse.
Oscar frowned. "Aww…"
The three dismounted the horse and walked to where the dragon egg lay. Koga kneeled and moved away tree limbs and weeds that were hiding the hole leading to Oscar's quarters.
"Ooooh, I remember this!" said Oscar. "I made this entrance because I lost my keys! The funny thing is, they were in my back pocket the whole time! Isn't that hilarious?"
"Oh, that is so hilarious!" said Elfo, smiling from ear to ear.
"Not really…" said Koga as he grabbed Elfo and placed him under his arm. "Hop on my back, old man."
Oscar does so. Koga leaps down the hole to the bottom of the pit. Koga landed safely on both his feet. He placed Elfo on the ground, and Oscar hopped off Koga's back. Their only light source was the light shining from the hole above.
"Man, this place brings back memories," said Elfo, sighing at the nostalgic thought. "This is where we fell, and Bean cut her arm badly. You remember that Koga?"
"Like it was yesterday, Elfo," said Koga, rolling his eyes.
Oscar snapped his fingers, igniting a flaming ball of fire. The three would continue down the pathway leading up to Oscar's studies. The wizard paused and stared at the double doors on the ground.
"I don't remember my doors lying on the ground like this…"
"Sorry about that. It was the only way to get in," said Koga
The three walked in. Oscar puts out his flame and looks around his study. He walks over to a bookshelf and glides his hands around the spines. "Everything is ok…still as it is…thank goodness…" The wizard closes his eyes, relishing in the reassurance of his work being safe.
"Hey Koga, remember when I stepped on this trap—"
"Yes, Elfo, I remember!" Koga yelled.
Oscar would let out a gasp that got the attention of Koga and Elfo. "Wait a minute, how could I forget?!" He rushes over to another bookshelf on the other side of the room and pulls out a book that causes the whole shelf to open up. Behind it was a large red and gold chest. Koga and Elfo look at Oscar and open the chest. The light glowed gold as he reached into the chest. The wanderer and Elf watch in anticipation as the wizard slowly turns and reveals—a makeshift dragon suit.
Koga and Elfo stared disturbingly at Oscar. The dragon suit was bright green with loopy wings and big googly eyes.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" said Oscar. "It belonged to my friend who jumped out the window! He passed it down to me!"
Elfo's face twisted a bit as he searched for a nice comment. "Uh…I…I mean…it's…creative…"
"I'm not saying anything…" said Koga quietly.
Oscar would strip his clothes, causing Koga and Elfo to look away in disgust. He places on the suit and throws the hood over his head. "How do I look?" The wizard asked cheerfully.
"Ridiculous," The wanderer replied annoyed.
"Thank you!" said Oscar, pulling back the hood. "Now…what were we doing here again?"
"We came here to look for the notes on how to get to the world of dragons," said Elfo.
Oscar snaps his fingers. "Oh, right! Let's see…" He placed his attention on a few books on his shelf.
For half an hour or so, Oscar searched through all his notes and books on dragons in his studies. It would've taken longer if Oscar wasn't a fast reader. He could read through a whole book by quickly flipping through the pages. Oscar closed the last book in his vast library, causing the sleeping Koga and Elfo to awake.
"W-What happened?" said Elfo in a tiredly.
"Well…I have some good, bad, and more good news," said Oscar.
"What's the good news?" The Elf asked.
"The good news is that I have refreshed myself on many things in my library!" The wizard turned to them with a smile. "The bad news is that the information I sought is not here."
"WHAT?" Koga sprang to his feet and shouted. "You mean to tell me we came out here, and the information we need wasn't here?!"
"That seems to be the case, unfortunately,"
"But what's the other good news?" Elfo asked.
"I know where the information might be!" said Oscar, holding up his finger confidently.
"Might?" said Koga, looking at Oscar suspiciously.
"I used to be in a relationship with two other people: the beautiful love of my life, Gwen, and our other partner, Malfus. He and I shared the study of dragons. I believe he holds some notes I never got from his home. From what I remember, he moved to the icy mountains of the devil's snowcone."
"You mean to tell me we must gotta go to another place to get some information?" said Koga, arms crossed and looking fed up.
"You should be used to stuff like this now, Koga," said Elfo.
"My apologies for your disappointment, Koga. I do believe that Malfus holds the last key to this puzzle," said Oscar.
"Whatever. Let's get out of here so we can put an end to this wild goose chase,"
"Um…how exactly are we going to get out of here? Remember you caused a landslide and blocked a part of the road?" said Elfo.
"Not to worry! I'll fly us out!" said Oscar.
Koga raised a brow. "You're going to fly us out?"
Elfo gasped. "Oh! Oh! Are you going to use wind magic?"
"Precisely little Elf! Follow me!"
Koga and Elfo followed Oscar back to the entrance from where they fell. The three stood under the light, and Oscar began fluidly moving his hands. Koga tapped his feet impatiently, commenting on how nothing was happening. Elfo glared up at the wanderer, "Give it a second! I'm sure something will—" But before Elfo could finish his sentence, the two could feel a draft of wind surround them. The breeze grew stronger and stronger before it was powerful enough to lift the three of them into the air and fly up through the hole above them. The ride-up was perfect. A little too perfect. They kept ascending up and up and up till they could barely see the bottom of the ground.
Elfo let out a whimper as he looked down at the green lands below. "U-uh… Oscar, are we supposed to be up this high?" The Elf asked, looking over at the wizard flapping his wings.
"No! I took us too far up into the sky!" Oscar replied in a cheerful tone as he spun in the air.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" Koga shouted, glaring at Oscar.
"It was an accident! It's been a while since I used wind magic! It's an element that can get out of control if not used safely!"
"I thought you were a master at this!"
"It has been a few decades!" Oscar balanced himself in the air. "Since we're all flying, we'll go ahead and make our way to the devil's snowcone. But we'll have to increase the speed!"
Koga and Elfo's eyes widened, and they both shouted in unison. "WAIT! NOOOO!"
The land around them was a blur now as they flew with great speed towards the snow mountains. Their bodies twirled as they flew through the air.
Let's hope they can make a safe landing.
The cold wind whispered in Bean's ear as she trailed the snowy path. The Princess wore a brown fur coat around her body with a hood over her head. She gazed up at the snowy mountains above. The mountains were sharp and jagged. It reminded her of how the mountains looked back at the bedrock kingdom. Hopefully, there weren't any battles with dragons here.
"It was nice of Gwen to let me have this fur coat," said Bean, smiling as she glided her hand up and down it. "How are you holding up Luci?" Bean opened the coat and stared at Luci, who had his arms and legs wrapped around her torso.
"You're getting charged by the minute for this," said Luci, scowling up at Bean.
"Hey, come on, Gwen recommended you do this. Even with this fur coat, I'd still be freezing my boobs off up here!"
"And now your boobs are nice and warm because of me. Ten gold coins by the minute,"
Bean rolled her eyes and closed the fur coat. She needed to focus on finding a cave further up into the mountains.
'Keep ascending to the top of the snowy mountains till you reach the devil's snowcone. There will be a cave at the mountain's peak with a sign saying, "Do you dare enter the cave with a single trap," But it's actually a two-part trap. Keep that in mind.'
Bean gazed at the top of the mountain once more. "Man…that is going to be a long walk on foot…"
Luci pops his head out. "Yeah, you'll likely freeze to death by the time you make it halfway,"
Bean smirked at Luci. "What? Getting tired of cuddling up with me?"
"Yes," The demon glared.
"Too bad," Bean grasped her left arm around Luci, causing him to gag slightly. As the Princess began to walk, she could hear the faint sounds of screaming in the wind. "What the heck is that?"
"All I can hear is your annoying bloody heartbeat," said Luci.
"No, it…it sounds like Elfo screaming," Bean says, turning around and looking at her surroundings.
"Has the cold air chilled your brain or something?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" BOOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOM!"
Snow had kicked up from the ground and covered Bean and Luci. She wiped off the snow from her face and stared forward. Elfo's hat pointed up from the snow. The Princess gasps and hurries over to the Elf and pulls him out from the snow.
"Elfo! Elfo, is that you? Are you ok? Speak to me!" She frantically asked as she dug Elfo out of the snow. She held the little green Elf close to her chest so Luci could warm him up.
"That'll now be twenty gold pieces for the Elf," Luci stated.
"Am…am I heaven? Are you an angel now?" Elfo spoke softly
"No, Elfo, you're not dead, wake up!" The Princess slapped his face a bit.
"Ow!" Elfo cried. He blinked a few times, and his vision finally adjusted. "BEAN! OH MY GOD!" He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Elfo, I missed you so much!" Bean tightened the hug on him. "I thought I'd never see you again! Oh, I missed your cute little face!"
"Bean, you're so warm and cozy!" Elfo sighed blissfully into the hug.
"That's because of me, you idiot!" Luci exclaimed, popping his head out from the coat. "Can you ease off of me?!"
"How the heck did you get here? And where's Koga and Oscar?" Bean asked.
"Over here!" said Oscar, dusting off the snow from his dragon suit. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance again, Princess Tiabeanie!"
Bean stared at Oscar's dragon suit. "W-What the hell…Oscar? What are you wearing?"
"It's my dragon suit! Do you like it?" Oscar placed the hood over his head.
"I always knew that guy was a coot," said Luci.
Bean placed her eyes back onto Elfo. " Wait a minute, how did you guys get here?"
"Oscar used his wind magic to fly us all the way here. It was not fun; not fun at all," Elfo shook his head disapprovingly.
"Wait…where did Koga land?" Bean looked around.
"He's right over here!" said Oscar, pointing at Koga's lower body sticking out of the snow a few feet away.
Bean let go of Elfo and hurried over to Koga. She grabs him by his legs and pulls him out of the snow. "Koga! Are you ok?!" She kneels to him and brushes off the snow from his hair.
"Ugh…" Koga moaned and opened his eyes. He rises and shakes the remaining bits of snow out of his hair as if shaking to get dry. "Bean? How did you end up all the way out—" Bean wrapped her arms around Koga's neck, bringing him into a tight hug.
"I'm so happy to see you…" The Princess whispered to him.
Koga couldn't help but smile. "Oh, give me a break… it's only been a day," He pats her back softly.
"I am done with this!" said Luci, wiggling himself free and hoping out of Bean's fur coat. "All this hugging and 'Oh, I missed you so much!' makes me wanna puke!"
"Well, hello to you too, you little feline," Koga smirked.
"Bite me," Luci spat.
Oscar walks over to Bean. "We didn't expect to be running into you here, Tiabeanie. This meeting is one interesting coincidence."
"Oh, yeah, when I left the castle, I ran into Gwen, the witch of the enchanted forest!" said Bean.
Oscar let out a loud gasp. "G-Gwen? How is she? Is she doing ok?!"
"Yeah, she stays in a condo with her sister. She's the one who told us where to find Malfus,"
"Oh, my first love…" Oscar sighed. "If I knew she was there, I would've gone to see her. I'm glad she's doing well."
"Hey…uh…guys," said Elfo. "I'd love to sit here and talk and all but…I can't feel my feet. And my legs are getting numb…"
Bean looks at Elfo and then looks at Luci.
"No…" Luci backed away.
Koga grabs Luci around his neck. "Yes…"
"Thank you, Luci," said Elfo, smiling at him.
"Don't say a damn word to me…" Luci frowned.
Elfo and Luci were both cuddled up in Bean's fur coat. Luci's warmth had warmed Elfo's body, removing the numbness from his legs. Elfo let out a blissful sigh and snuggled up closer to Luci.
"You're so cozy, Luci," Elfo closed his eyes and leaned against the sub-demon. All the little demon could do was grumble under his breath.
The group began scaling the snowy mountain of the Devil's Snowcone. The wind was fierce the higher and higher it got. Oscar's fire magic was hard to produce due to the lack of concentration. The best he could do was focus his magic around his body, which wasn't easy. The walking space had begun to get smaller as well. The group had to hug the cold wall most of the time to progress. Bean nearly slipped and fell, but Koga caught her just in time and hoisted her. She could feel Elfo shaking and clenching onto her in fear.
Finally, they came across the entrance to a large cave. Koga walked over to the cave entrance and noticed a sign placed against the wall. He kneeled, brushed aside the snow, and read out loud, "Do you dare enter the cave with a single trap?"
"Looks like we made it. Gwen said that if we found this sign, we would find Malfus," said Bean.
Oscar sighs and shakes his head. "He's still doing this after all these years?"
"He's done this before?" asked Bean.
"In our college days, Malfus would set up traps in random spots around the college. It would always be something silly, though. Like one trap had set someone completely on fire,"
Bean, Elfo, and Koga slowly glanced over at Oscar. "That's not silly…that's horrible…" said Elfo.
"You guys just don't understand a good joke," stated Luci. "I always pulled pranks like that on my classmates in grade school."
"Same here!" said Oscar.
"To hell with traps," said Koga. "All this damn traveling better pay off. Let's go in this cave and get this over with."
"Hold on, Koga, we can't just go in there recklessly!" Bean warned.
"Oh, give me a break. I'm too damn fast for a tra—" CRACK! ZAP! A sudden zap of a lightning bolt struck Koga. His hair stuck up, and black smoke resonated around his body. "I'm too fast for a trap…" He coughed up smoke.
"Told you," said Bean, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
"Well, at least the first trap is gone now," said Elfo.
SNAP! BOOM!
Koga was struck in the face by a large wooden hammer and sent flying in the air, sliding on the ground in front of Bean, Elfo, and Luci. "Ow…" He groaned.
Oscar looks at him. "Ok…I think that's all the traps."
They ventured into the cave. The light began fading as they went deeper and deeper. Oscar was able to create a ball of fire, and it lit up the dark cave with light. The further they went in, the harder it was to keep the fire from being put out by rushing streams of water. This caused Bean, Elfo, and Luci to slip and tumble to the dark bottom. Thankfully, the fall wasn't far.
"You dorks ok down there?" Koga called out to them.
"We're fine! Just wet!" said Bean. "How about you two?" She looks down at Elfo and Luci.
"I'm ok! Your boobs cushioned the impact," said Elfo,
"I'm glad they're good for something," said Bean.
Luci hops out of Bean's coat and shivers. "I'm done being carried about and used for a heater! Where the hell is this Malfus guy anyway?"
"You will never find me!"
Bean, Elfo, and Luci gasped as they heard the booming voice.
"I am hidden in the darkest part of this cave. Leave now, and I shall spare—"
"Malfus?!"
"W-What? That voice…It couldn't be…"
"Malfus, come out from around that corner! I can see you over there!" said Oscar.
Bean, Elfo, Luci, and Koga looked in the direction where Oscar's gaze was. Malfus stepped out of the shadows. Malfus was a short man with a hunched back. He was bald and wrinkly, just like Oscar. He had a false left eye and a long, bushy unibrow. His beard is long and white with hair ties at the top and middle of his pony-tailed beard. He wore a ragged red cape and carried a walking stick.
"It's no wonder they got through the trap with two parts! It was you!" Malfus points his walking stick at Oscar.
Oscar waved him down. "Oh, please! That two-part trap nonsense. Did you even take into account parties of three or more? Or a super-human giant sword-wielding man?"
"No, I'll have to do something about that next time," said Malfus, stroking his long beard. "But enough about that, why are you here, Oscar? Have you grown tired of your dragon obsession? Or did Gwen turn you down?"
"You just had to bring up Gwen, did you? It was decades ago, Malfus!"
"Decades of pain and heartbreak!" Malfus cried.
"You're the one who decided you couldn't handle a poly relationship, Malfus!"
"And you're the one who chose giant dragons over Gwen!"
The two would go back and forth for a few more minutes before Koga couldn't handle it anymore.
"WILL YOU OLD FARTS SHUT THE HELL UP!?" Koga roared. His voice bounced off the cave walls. "I'm cold, burnt, and my face hurts from that stupid hammer! YOU!" He points his finger at Malfus. "Tell us what the hell you know about getting to the world of dragons before I beat it out of you!"
Malfu's eyes widened. "So that's why you all are here,"
"I left some of my studies with you years ago, Malfus. You were just as interested as I was. I know you might've found out something."
"Yes, yes, I do know," Malfus walked over to a corner and sat down. "So your obsession has led you this far, Oscar?"
"It's not just about me, Malfus," Oscar replied seriously. "Terrible people are trying to get their hands on the key. I'm going to make sure that won't happen."
Malfus sighed. "That's very risky, Oscar. But…you're crazy so, It's unsurprising," He chuckled half-heartedly. "Figuring out where the key goes wasn't hard. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out yourself. The final battle between man and dragon happened at the center of the world."
"The center of the world?" said Bean, confused.
"Yes, that's where they all vanished from existence. But, there is a catch," Malfus held up his wrinkled finger. "To go to the other side…you will need the magic…of a dragon!"
"The power of a—Where the hell are we supposed to get a dragon?!" Koga asked frustratingly.
"Well…we could go and find that dragon we saw a few months back?" said Elfo.
"But where can we even find that dragon? We haven't seen it since then!" said Bean.
"Like I told you, venture to the center of the world, and you'll find your dragon. But be careful. If evil hands are after the key, you must do all you can to prevent them from getting it," said Malfus. "Especially the hands of pure evil…"
"Thank you, Malfus," said Oscar, stepping forward and grasping his hands. "Despite our history…I really appreciate you helping us."
"I still think that this is all far too risky. But I won't stop you," said Malfus.
"No need to worry about me. I've made up my mind!" said Oscar, turning away from Malfus. "Alright, our final destination is the center of the world! There…I will find my way to the dragon world and seal it from the inside. Off we go!" He put his hood on his head and walked to the cave exit.
"Just one destination after another…" Koga shook his head, and Elfo and Luci followed along.
"Thanks again, Malfus," said Bean, smiling at him. "You've been a big help."
"Anything that can help further your experience, Tiabeanie,"
Bean's smile faded. "I-I didn't tell you my name…"
"Listen closely, Princess Tiabeanie," Malfus whispered. "You must protect your brother, Tavish. You must make sure that he doesn't fall into darkness. He must not fall into his destiny…"
Bean's eyes widened slightly. "W-What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"All will be revealed soon enough…"
"I don't understand—" But she paused and turned around, hearing Elfo call out to her.
"BEAN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Elfo called out to her. "We're leaving! Come on!"
Bean turned back to Malfus. But Malfus was gone.
"Bean!"
"I'm coming!" She replied, making her way back to the group.
Their next destination…The center of the world.