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Preface1,298 words
Prologue1,890 words
Ir - Irral Tafiaf2,722 words
Jiil - Wer Dnilok2,072 words
Fogah - Lleisgar di wer Niceroth3,991 words
Vrrar - Opsola Tairais (Luh Ir)3,126 words
Jlatak - Jiilral Tafiaf2,954 words
Jiko - Irral Sutrinus3,114 words

Fogah - Lleisgar di wer Niceroth

Fogah

Lleisgar di wer Niceroth

“Rise of the Barbarian”

The ground shook violently under us, stopping us in our tracks. Large chunks of earth split upwards and crumbled to the side; a nightmarish form of demonic origin emerging from the pits of hell itself. From behind the two larger changelings, four green reptilian eyes converged on Havok, then myself. As the dust cleared, a serpentine body was revealed by the light of the sun above; the sudden burst of the mammoth beast having cleared the skies. I could clearly made out its draconic head, the four hellish eyes gazing at me with two at each side of its head. Its entire body was as dark as the abyss of space, paying homage to its obvious changeling origins. It was twisted, spines sprouting along its back and body; its large bat-like wings spreading to block out the sunlight as it dragged itself to its feet.

“You’ll need this,” Havok said from beside me. I glanced at him, taking the offered shortsword. I felt myself trembling involuntarily. Havok shot me a reassuring smile and nodded. “Fear not,” he said as he gazed onward to the enemy, “we shall not die this day. Charge!”

How is charging a monster as big as an apartment building not going to kill us? Because fuck logic. That went out the window an hour ago.

I embraced the sudden surge of purpose filling my body with strength. I watched briefly as Havok charged forward, shouting “Caex!” as an ethereal longsword manifested near his palm. He gripped the hilt firmly with both hands as he swung it, a trail of dark mist following in its wake, he let loose a thunderous battle cry as he neared the two large changelings that seemed intent on eradicating all evidence of Havok’s existence, meaning they were focused completely on him, leaving me standing as the lone target for the mammoth changeling now glaring at me. I raised my shortsword, charging forth and bellowing my own roar of conquest, and the towering demon rushing towards me.

Each step of the titan violently shook the ground, threatening to make me fall as it rushed forward, leaping over Havok and its two brethren. My vision quickly turned red, but I ignored it, trying to outmaneuver my enemy was far more important. I quickly rolled forward, nearly being crushed by the titan’s forefoot as it stomped the ground where I had been. I glanced up briefly, noting it easily reached four stories tall. Its length equaled, in my mind, to at least forty feet or more from its elongated neck to tail. I found my fear vanishing..I was thrilled to see this beast as my enemy. Something inside me yearned for this looming battle. It wanted it.

As the titan turned its gigantic form, neck ushering its reptilian head towards mine, I had every intent of obliging my desire for bloodshed.

“Raaaaah!” I roared, swinging down with my sword on the titans snout. It jerked back with a echoing hiss, swinging its tail towards me as its body twisted appropriately. I quickly jumped back, the tip of its tail impacting my side and sending me careening across the ground. I rolled for several yards coming to a stop on my back. my gaze fixed upward, seeing the titan’s open maw dropping down towards me. I barely had enough time to react, trying to twist myself to a knee and roll away; feeling instead something grip down hard on my leg. I cried out in pain as I felt myself lifted several feet above the ground, the pressure on my leg releasing as I saw my world spinning. Then, with a loud CRACK of the sound barrier, an immense force of natural plated armor and bone smacked into my form and sent me flying towards the ground.

The impact came, I felt every bone in my body breaking. I lay in a heap, gazing upward, with a blurry view of reality. I tried to groan in pain, but the sound never came, nor did my attempted breath. My eyelids fluttered; I barely felt my death grip on my sword handle. I saw briefly a blotch of darkness against the sun, coming down towards me. As it approached, I started hearing soft cracks resounding in my broken form. I felt the pressure on my chest lighten, I took in a sharp breath as my eyes opened widely. I had a clear view of the titans clawed foot above me, the red in my vision instantly darkening to a crimson. I felt a surge of impossible energy manifesting through my form.

Then the creatures forefoot slammed into me. I felt nothing but the intense pressure of the earth on my back, feeling it break and crumble under my form. The creatures forefoot started to raise, but not by its own will. I realized the pressure against my arms, had somehow managed to force themselves upward. The trembling muscle and armor above me told me of the titans struggle to keep its foot down; something inside me had enough power of its own. The impossibility of my current feat was lost to the undying rage swelling inside my heart. I felt my arms tremble, the forefoot jolting lower towards my form as I struggled to raise it. Whatever was granting me this strength was losing this struggle.

“Jedark!” I heard Havok cry from somewhere away, noticing instantly the sudden loss of weight being exerted onto my arms from the forefoot. I roared, my face straining as I gave everything I had, slowly raising the forefoot up enough to allow me to my knees. “Jedark!” cried Havok again, and once again the creature faltered. I pushed harder, my face contorted and my snout clenched shut; eyes shut with my efforts and blood oozing from between my teeth. I managed to bring one foot firmly against the ground, then with another push I brought the other. Slowly, my body shaking with fatigue, I stood straight with my arms outstretched and holding the titans forefoot above me.

The roar of victory I gave emerged from deep within. My eyes shooting open to clearly view Havok standing not too far from me, viewing his gawking expression with a snarl of my own as a response. He acted quickly, raising his hand upwards and shouting again. The creature finally released the crushing weight on my frame, I swiftly knelt to take hold of the sword I had lost earlier. With a swift upward arch of my arms, I sliced off the titans larger clawed toe, hearing it cry in pain. But I wasn’t done yet. As the creature tilted on its other three legs, I leapt upward and firmly impaled my sword in between the sections of its natural armor. Again it roared, but I ignored it, raising myself so as to begin to crawl up its foreleg, taking out my sword and placing it firmly in my jaws as I gazed upward towards my goal.

“Ixen!” shouted Havok, I witnessed a fireball crossing my field of vision and impacting the side of the titans head. It twisted and writhed violently, losing its balance and falling onto its side. Its weight crushed one of its own wings in the process with a sickeningly loud sound. It thrashed against the ground, nearly making me lose my grip as I stood and ran up its leg then across its back as it came against the ground, feeling my toe claws taking any grip they could find to thrust me ever closer to my objective. I reached its neck, watching as the creatures two eyes from the side of its head turned to glare at me. I bellowed another roar, spittle and blood shooting out as I maintained my momentum and speed up the neck. It started to raise its head, I recognizing my opportune moment. I leapt upwards, having reached just beyond the middle of the neck and shot forward in the air as I raised my sword. Both clawed hands firmly gripping the handle, turning it so the tip was pointing down..

The creatures head met the end of my blade as I lowered it mid-strike, sinking deep just behind the dual eye sockets of the titans skull. My body impacted the head next, I gave off a resounding “Oof!” as I held firmly to the blade. Once again, the titan thrashed, head slamming against the ground as its body flailed in a vain attempt to dislodge the sword. My toeclaws were thrust forward, sinking deep between the armored plates into muscle beneath, holding me steady as I withdrew the sword. I quickly impaled it again, and again, gripping the sword for support as the creature thrashed opposite of my preferred angle of balance and striking each time it moved to support it. The titans writhing became weaker and weaker, a clearly open gash spewing forth the beast’s greenish blood. I struck one last time, hearing a sickening SKRUNCH as something gave.

The titan lay still, head going limp against the ground, its eyes still open as the glow quickly faded with its final breath. I panted heavily from my endeavor; feeling my body suddenly weaken from its exertion, I releasing the hold from my sword to lean forward on my knees. My arms crossed forward, my head resting between them, my breathing heavy.

What the hell had I just done?

I raised myself on my knees, my hands resting on my scaled thighs. I looked to the heavens, seeing a clear blue sky meeting my gaze. What I had just accomplished was impossible. I should be dead from being crushed. I closed my eyes slowly, taking in long, refreshing breaths. I had felt so alive. So very, very alive. Yet I knew, deep down, that by killing this titan I had somehow unlocked something primal inside me. Something I may not want. I brought a claw to the top of my elongated head, scratching against my head scales slowly as I let loose a drawn out sigh.

* * *

The sun had long set as Havok and I enjoyed a well deserved respite. The prior events had caused me to think hard on my current situation. The thoughts on the ramifications of my insane display of strength had rocked me to my very core, causing me to fear my own capabilities. Not only that, but I witnessed first hand Drekamythian Sorcery. The display had broken my understanding of what the core of my reality should be. It had brought forth the disturbing truth that I had witnessed something crafted from my mind molded into an actual, physical manifestation of magic. It was, as my mind believed, entirely impossible.

Then again, waking up in my bed and seeing a character from my imagination next to Princess Luna was also impossible. I sighed, chewing on the meat of one of the fallen changelings. Havok was a surprisingly good cook for someone who had used a campfire and makeshift oven of rocks.

“Do tell Travis,” Havok said after he swallowed a bite, “from whence did thou come if not here?”

I had explained previously to the warrior of my otherworldly origin. I left out the details of seeing a world from a television show and entities created from my mind, for obvious reasons. All Havok knew was that I had appeared here from a similar realm to his.

“From a land called America,” I responded as I took another bite of my portion of meat. I was becoming slowly used to using my jaws to tear the flesh and swallow it whole, rather than chew. My previous attempt at such elicited a laughing fit from Havok to my embarrassment. “I lived a normal life there, until I ended up here.”

Havok nodded, “A place full of your kind, I presume?”

“Not exactly. I was human once.”

The warrior raised an eyebrow, “Oh? So this form-” he made a gesture towards me “-is not that which you originally took? Is your realm full of shapeshifters then?”

I chuckled, “No, nothing like that. I was there, then in a flash of light I was here in this body. I can’t explain it.”

“Ahf,” Havok said as he spoke with a mouthful, “Mafif!”

“Say what?”

He swallowed. “Magic,” he said more clearly.

I shrugged, “Maybe.”

The campfire to our side quickly became our sole source of illumination as the night took over our surroundings. The yellow light played across Havok’s features, I glanced towards him for a few moments. I still could not get over how he appeared. I had imagined Agamemnon to be a character with a strong personality and will that resembled, oddly enough, one of my all time favorite actors. It was an innocent manifestation of my imagination, allowing me to properly convey his actions in the stories I wrote. Now it seemed like someone was playing an almost hilarious joke on me. Just seeing Vin Diesel speak and act in Havok’s shoes made me want to break out into laughing fits.

Though, as I thought back, using the movie Pitch Black as inspiration for Havok wasn’t so much of a horrible idea; he did kind of look badass while fighting.

“I’ve battled these creatures before,” Havok said breaking my train of thought. His manner of speech was more formal, darker. “They invaded our Anagonian brothers to the north, coming south for us. They were known as Nightmares.”

I blinked. Did he just say Anagonia? I stayed quiet as he continued, his gaze going downward as he wiped his hands on his tunic.

“If it was not for the power of our Sorcery, I a doubtful the Imperial Empire would have survived the first wave. My guard had known for some time the plight of our Anagonian brethren. My people seeing the footage on newscasts and feeling their pain as our own. In the beginning, we sent our assistance to them in the form of our modern military. Yet, just as the Confederacy had suffered losses with their own, so did we. They seemed to spawn from everywhere, erupting from pits of green hellfire and consuming every living creature in their path. It was only when the Imperial Church realized the Nightmares use of magic that we took alternative measures.

“So we sent out our most powerful Battlemages, hoping that with their addition in with the standard forces we would gain an advantage. By that time, however, it was too late. Anagonia had fallen, every city consumed by the plague of darkness. We barely had time to recall our forces before the Nightmares loomed over Drekamythian borders.”

A moment of silence loomed for a brief moment before Havok sighed heavily. “I was at the Tardaskian Plains preparing for battle when I was taken here.”

It took me a moment to remember the location from the map I had drawn long ago, but I quickly understood the significance. The Tardaskian Plains was a location just south of the Anagonian State of Lexington. If the Nightmares had gone that far, then that meant the natural barriers of the Lexington Mountains were useless and Drekamythia would all but be open to them. I cringed at the thought. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of changelings consuming everything in their path. Though something poked at my memory of what I understood changelings were capable of. “What do you mean ‘consumed’, Havok?”

“Hmm?” he responded, looking up to me. “Oh, eating flesh, killing everything. They showed no mercy.”

“Eating flesh?” I said, my eyes going distant. “That’s impossible....changelings only consume emotions.”

“Changelings? What are these changelings?” Havok sounded suspicious.

I sighed. My mind would have eventually betrayed me at some point. “What you call Nightmares are actually called Changelings. They’re shapeshifters, consuming emotions.”

Havoks leaned forward, glaring at me sternly. “You know this how?”

Here it goes. “Because where I’m from, everything here, or what’s supposed to be here, isn’t real. It’s fictional, a part of a show. A kids show, to be exact. Changelings like the ones you faced are not supposed to be trying to consume flesh.”

He looked at me a moment longer. “You’re mad.”

I huffed, “I wish I was. Seeing you already told me I’m beyond insane.”

Havok stood, “Is that an insult?!”

I stood as well, meeting his gaze. “No, it’s fact. You know what, fuck it. I wasn’t about to explain the shit I’ve gone through seeing you and that other dragon here. I mean, sure, I can slightly deal with a fucking talking pony from a cartoon show, but you?!” I took a step forward, Havok going tense. “You’re not supposed to exist! You’re a damn character form a fucking story I wrote! You and everything you described are things that belong in a book, not in reality!”

I saw Havok breathe heavily for a moment, his fists clenching and relaxing. He had a stern expression, one partially filled with anger and something else. I quickly realized that something else was pity. “I’ve seen my own, most trusted, most capable soldiers lose their mind.” Havok said, “But only after so many battles, so many warriors. Never before have I seen someone, some creature loose theirs after one.”

“You’re father was a dragon,” I stated in as calm as fashion as possible. “Your birth was not supposed to happen. An accident of magic. You were then explained away as an excuse to usher in an age of peace and cooperation from the true Drekamythians, allowing your people to continue to inhabit their lands.”

I watched him stagger back a step, glaring at me with wide eyes. “No one knows that,” he said, then his expression hardened as he growled, “expect for a Nightmare. That’s it, isn’t it. This is some game, some trick! Taking me away from my people when they needed me the most! Caex!” He then rushed forward, his dark longsword manifesting in his grip as he took a wide swing down toward me.

I had only a second to react.

I shifted on my axis, tilting to my side and rolling on the ground towards where my shortsword lay. I grabbed it quickly, coming to my knees and parrying a second strike from Havok’s weapon. I quickly stood, thankful for my experience with swords as I used the motions to the best of my ability to combat the new threat. I tried to remain concentrated on not entering a rage, thoughts from the previous encounter with the changelings coming to mind. If I lost myself here, I might kill Havok and my only link to any explanation for why I was here. It was a slim possibility, but it existed nonetheless.

With a twirl, I brought the blunt side of my sword to a strike against Havok’s grip on his sword. My lack of experience in combat showed as I missed by miles, instead continuing with the momentum of my swing to swing around and surprise Havok by striking him in his back. I barely had a chance to regain my footing from my mistake as the warrior bellowed a warcry, swinging his sword again to try to slice down upon my neck. I found myself rolling forward on the ground, jumping to my feet to miss another strike as it impacted the ground just inches from my snout. I cursed myself as the red hue started to enter my vision.

“I’m not your enemy!” I shouted, our swords meeting as Havoks face contorted in seething rage. He seemed to ignore my words, pressing down against my sword. His strength surprised me, bringing me to my knee as my arms struggled to support my defense. The red hue was starting to consume the entirety of my sight, I closing my eyes as I tried my best to ward off the looming desire for bloodlust. “Please,” I said between clenched teeth, “You were a mistake, but you become something far greater!” I felt the pressure on my sword lighten somewhat, I continuing. “Your father forsook you, but your mother did not. She taught you in the ways of chivalry and leadership, your entire life an excellent example of what a true Drekamythian should be. Yet you were something more, something greater, not only to yourself, but also to me.”

I raised my head, eyes opening and looking into his. “You became my inspiration to live, Havok. Your ideals, how I created you became that beacon of light that led me through a very dark time in my life.”

Slowly, cautiously, the pressure against my sword lessened. As it did so, I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I felt my anger beginning to subside. I saw in Havoks expression then something that hit me to my core. Reverence. He took a step back, his sword disappearing into a poof of dark mist, looking at me as if he had just seen a ghost. “Melkos?” he said silently. I could see the beginning of fear striking him, his knees beginning to buckle.

I took the initiative, releasing my sword to the ground and bridging the gap in two steps. My hands found themselves supporting his frame as he slowly came to his knees, looking at me with a perplexed expression. “I don’t understand,” he said. It took me a moment to catch my breath, having just recovered from my near miss with my rage. I shook my head then. “No,” I replied finally. “I’m not Melkos and I am definitely not a Nightmare.”

He looked away, his expression maintained as he tried to grasp the meaning of what I said. He shook his head slowly, “Then who are you?” He asked, looking back to me as I helped him to his feet. “No soul other than my parents know of my birth. None know. How could you?”

“I’m just someone who needed a hero,” I said with a smile. It was a difficult effort considering my facial structure, but I achieved it nonetheless. “On that dark day, years ago, you became that hero to me. That’s how I know.”

“Touching moment isn’t it?”

Both of our heads turned to the new voice, my expression lightning as I saw Time Turner again. The brown stallion of time was standing proudly, a wide smirk on his face as he looked from Havok then to me. He gave me a wink, “You seem to have kept yourself alive.”

“Heh, that I did.” I took a step back from Havok, rubbing the back of my neck. “Though I can’t say it hasn’t been without its fill of surprises.”

The Doctor nodded sagely, “Understandable. I apologize for not arriving sooner, we kind of lost track of you in the forest. You just...disappeared!” He gave a chuckle.

“A talking horse?” Havok whispered in astonishment.

“Yeah, I kind of passed out from my wounds.” I said

“No, that’s a pony...” Havok whispered again.

“Ah,” Whooves replied, “I was sure you’d make it back to the camp. We had a few interesting ponies I thought you’d like to meet.”

“It’s talking...” Havok then looked to me, literally screaming “It’s a talking horse!”

Both the Doctor and myself quickly looked to the Lord Emperor. “Yea, so what?” we both said in unison.

Havok’s eye twitched, going into a full spasm as Lazarus landed beside the earth pony. I carefully observed the human, watching as his astonished expression turned neutral. He looked from Whooves then to the Dragon, then to me. “I understand now,” he said with a slow nod to me, “I’m dreaming.”

“Welcome to my world,” I replied.

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