//------------------------------// // The Dragon King // Story: The Sun and the Clover // by BG9 //------------------------------// Anon woke with a start and looked around. He was in a jail cell, his arms and ankles bound in chains. Did he pass out? He ran through all he remembered. He remembered the camp. Fighting Igneous. Then flying into the storm. But after that it was all just a blur. He rubbed his head and looked at his chest in the dim candle light. His entire left breast we black. It wasn't a bruise or a burn, it was as if his skin was that of a corpse. He looked around worriedly. "Hello?" he called out "Is there anyone there? Hello? I need help!" A man in fine silk robes came to his cell "Well, well. The thief awakens. Good. Igneous wants to give you his special treatment." "Did you do this?" he said, pointing to his chest "Quiet, prisoner." All of a sudden he began to go into a fit of coughing. the kind of violent coughing that makes one's back ache. The man unlocked his cell. Anon steadied himself. Now was his chance. As soon as he grabbed his shoulders, Anon went to use his magic. Nothing happened. He tried and tried but no matter how hard he focused, no magic would come forth. "Trying to use your magic on me, eh?" the man laughed "save it. Those shackles are made special. They are made of a material the disrupts the flow of mana. No matter how hard you try, you'll not be able to focus your mana strongly enough to make anything happen." Anon began coughing violently again, not being able to stand. The man forcefully moved him to his feet and dragged him across the hall and into a large office. It was nothing short of impressive inside. The walls were lined with red velvet and the floors were white marble. Igneous sat at his immaculate wooden desk in purple robes similar to guard. Above his head was a small gold statue of a dragon eating its own tail. "Good. Sit him down. I'll take it from here." "Sir!" The guard sat him in a chair in front of the desk and departed and Igneous lit up a long pipe. "What is your name?" "Don't have one." He got up and walked over to Anon "Let me clue you in on something, Mr. Don't Have One." Igneous punched him in the gut so hard he coughed up bile "I'm not much a fan of jokes. So I'll ask again." He punched him again so hard his head began to swim "What is your name?" "Anon." he said "Anon E. Mouse." "There see? That's better." he began to pace, taking a puff of his pipe "Mr. Mouse. How did you come in possession of one of the king's feathers?" "King's feathers?" Another hard punch "I thought we reached an understanding. I do not like jokes." "I don't know what you're talking about!" Anon said in between coughs "Really? So you're telling me you have a feather said to grant life eternal, a feather only found on dragon's wings and you don't know what it is or how you found it, is that right?" He kicked the chair down and slammed his kneed into his stomach. Anon coughed so hard he felt his lungs might burst. "That's quite the cough you have there." Igneous said "Yes." he replied "I just got it." "Where did you get the King's Feather?" he asked again "The thing you had in your pocket." "I Listen to me I'm the successor to Clover the Clever. Clover gave that to me in a dream. It is absolutely crucial I speak to the Dragon King. I was told he knew Clover personally." Igneous sighed "It seems you like getting kicks to the stomach. Are you a masochist of some stripe?" "I can prove it. Let me show you my crest. Nightmare Moon has returned and she'll kill us all if we don't act soon." Igneous looked worried all of a sudden "Nightmare Moon?" "Yes. Please, I must speak to the Dragon King." Igneous began to pace back and forth "If what you are saying is true this is indeed troubling. But I must verify this is true. Come." Igneous walked to the door and two guards came to his side "Walk this one to interrogation room seven." "Sir!" they said in unison Once again Anon was picked up forcefully and dragged into a room down another hallway. This room was completely see through. As he entered, the shackles were undone and he was locked inside. Igneous looked through the glass. "If you are indeed the successor of Clover the Clever, I ask you show your crest to us and preform life magic. If you do that then we may believe your claims." "Gladly." Anon held up his right hand and the emerald clover shimmered brightly, then placed it on the ground causing grassing to grow from nowhere. Through the glass there was a lot of nervous whispering. "We believe your claim. For now though, you will have to keep a bracelet on at all times that prevents any use of magic. If you do that, we can grant you audience with the Dragon King." "And my friends?" "They will be kept as insurance in case you try to double cross us. Please understand, for all we know you could be some bandit who somehow stole it from someone else." "Fine. But you better not lay one hand on any of them. Or I'll show you Clover's power personally." Again, Igneous and the guards nervously whispered to one another. They unlocked the cell and attached a metal bracelet on his wrist. "Follow me please." Igneous said They travelled down a few sets of stairs and through a large iron door. Anon couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was beautiful. A vast, sprawling kingdom with giant stone buildings, some of which were the size of sky scrapers. In the distance was an imposing castle that looked much like ancient Japanese castles. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Igneous asked "Its more than beautiful." "It was our king's last wish. He used his power to save use from the Great Calamity and give us an oasis." "The Great Calamity?" "Yes. Shortly after Clover vanished, everything began to go into chaos. First the Leylines closed, then all hell broke loose. Earthquakes across every corner of the world, tsunamis crashing into shores of every continent, tornados and hurricanes. It was if the world itself was imploding." Igneous and Anon walked through the path up to the castle. Just before reaching it was a large golden statue of a well built man holding up a large pole arm. "Who's that?" "The king before he transcended human flesh. He, along with his brother, became the first humans to become dragons." "You talk as if they're gods." "Some say they're angels. They're immortal and wise beyond measure. They're also beings that, when driven to ire, cannot be stopped." "Let's hope I don't anger your king then." "For your sake, I hope not." They traveled past large iron gates and into a giant garden filled with fruits of all types. Past this grand garden was the castle, adored in nothing but black and white and crawling with guards in armor. Everything about the castle was nothing short of spectacular. Rare paintings, priceless artifacts, fine silks and marble. It was the picture of wealth. The throne room managed to be even better than the rest. It extend for fifty feet and was lined with tall golden columns, a guard standing by each one armed with large axes. At the end was a large stage with drapes of red silk. A outline was visible showing the visage of a man. Igneous bowed. "My lord." he said "I bring troubling news." "Speak." said a loud, booming voice "This man claims to be the successor of Clover the Clever. He claims Nightmare Moon has arisen from her grave as prophesied." There was a long pause before the outline got up and marched forward through the drapes. A blonde haired man emerged in a large red and gold cloak. His face showed an expression of bewilderment through his long gold beard. "Is this true?" he said, now in a more human and measured voice "Yes, my lord. He even demonstrated his ability to use Life Magic." The king paused and waved his arm. "All but Igneous and the Successor are dismissed." he said "We are not to be disturbed." The guards, as well as several women, all made haste out of the chamber, closing the large doors behind them. "So," the king began "This man claims to be the successor to my dear friend." "You knew Clover?" The flames from the torches flared with ferocity and the king slammed his foot to the ground. "Do not interrupt me, worm. You will only speak when spoken too!" The king fixed his robes and started again "If this is true, it can only mean one thing. Nightmare Moon has beset the world again, threatening to awaken the Devil within the Core to destroy creation. Is this accurate?" "Yes, though I'm not sure what you mean by the Devil within the Core." "Can you not see into Clover's past? Can you not see the devastation Nightmare Moon caused?" "I've gotten glimpses. But, you see, I'm a mortal. I barely learned the fundamentals of magic not a month ago." The king began to pace, his shoes slightly clicking against the marble floor. "I find your story hard to believe. Clover? Giving her crest to a mortal? A mortal who can use complex magic after a month of basic training and was seen with one of the feathers of my wings? The very feather I had left in her care and have sought out for years and given to you in a dream?" The king abruptly stopped and then began to burst out laughing. "It's all so ridiculous that only the mind of Clover could've imagined it. Even in death she hasn't changed. Igneous, you may release his bind. Send word to release his friends as well. Send them to the royal guest room. Henceforth they will be treated the respect and authority due my royal advisors." "Yes your majesty." Igneous said with another bow "Now, come. We have much to discuss." They began to walk down a side hall "What about Novo?" "Of whom do you speak? Another one of your friends?" "Yes. She escaped into the desert by the sound of it. She was dressed in black, had a skull mask with a horn." "You're traveling with one of the King's assassins? Your story becomes more amusing by the minute." "She probably still thinks you're after her. I need her with me if I'm going to be able to defeat Nightmare Moon." "Very well. I shall send for her." They stopped at a large ornate door and the king unlocked it. Inside was a large office with two giant bookshelves on either side and a purple silk carpet leading to a glass desk. They both stepped inside. "This is a nice office." "Listen." the King said seriously "You are in grave danger coming here." "Why do you figure?" The king sat at his desk and rested his chin on his hands. "Things are not as they appear. The Great Calamity changed the world more than most know. Only a handful of people have recollection of what it was like before it occurred." "What are you saying? And who knows?" The king sighed "It's not so simple. I am one who still has memories from before then. However, the very act of telling you these memories would completely destroy the world, the fabric of reality itself would collapse." "Destroy the world? You're not making any sense." "There are five who know of what I call the Old World: Myself, Nightmare Moon, and the Three Sisters of Avalon." "Three? I was told there were Nine." The king sighed "I mustn't tell you more. However, you crest memories. You say you've been having difficulty accessing them?" "Yes. It's just random flashes." "It makes sense. Clover is trying to prevent the world from inverting in on itself." "You talk as if she is still alive." "In a way she is." he said "I know where the truth lies. However you and you alone are the only one who can see it. It seems you can view the past without damaging reality as we see it." "It sounds crazy but I guess I don't have much choice do I?" "None at all." "What can you tell me?" "The world we live in is a lie, a fabrication. Once the veil is stripped away, hell will once again fill the world. I pray you learn to fix it when the time comes." "Where do I go?" The King suddenly shot up "Quiet now. We're being watched." Anon looked around and saw nothing. "Come now. I must show you to your quarters." The King put his arm on Anon's back. He felt something slip into his back pocket. As they walked back down the hall, the King tapped him twice on the shoulder began to talk louder than usual. "As you can see, these tapestries were made in nymph silk and the paintings used with paint shipped all the way from the west. I was given the recipe from the King's Royal Archive. It was mixed with the black ink found only in the Avalon and invented by a Green Knight." He was silent the rest of the way until they reached a large guest house on the west side of the castle. "Now Clover's Successor. I pray and trust you get the rest you require. I'd make sure to double check all your bags so as not to forget anything. And whatever you do, do be sure not to stare too long in the mirror as it may be a health hazard. An adage of my people you see." Anon closed the door behind him. Nothing about this was right. Why we he going on about nonsense? Anon reached in his pocket to see the King had slipped him a note. "This place is no oasis but a prison. I am being held captive here by Nightmare Moon herself and have been for centuries. Trust no one for all among you are informants. You must escape at all costs." The second he finished reading it the not burned to ash in his hand.