Draconia

The Land of Elixirs

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They mostly came in the spring, when the trees and plants bloomed, so they could feast on its bountiful offerings. The dragons were all different sizes and are mainly herbivores now. Ever since the Great Standoff, they agreed not to eat the locals anymore. Many are still afraid of them, yet there are many who are not. The dragons especially like the fiery mushrooms. It is understood these mushrooms give them the power to breathe fire. These aren't the only magical edible the Valley offers. There is a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, fungi, floral, roots, animals, and other items that provide many enhancing benefits. Only dragons can digest the fiery mushrooms. Any others who tried, were able to blow fire but died within hours from spontaneous combustion. There are, however, numerous items from the Valley the locals diet on. Some help with nutrition, some help with ailments, and some initiate special abilities. Many are still yet to be discovered.

There are many diverse creatures in this world. One that lives near the Valley are the Pyrites. They are typically around seven feet tall, skinny with brown fur and have six inch long antennae on top of their head. Their faces, hands, and feet do not have fur. They also have huge eyes. The Pyrites inhabit a village on top of a mountain above the Valley. It was originally built in this difficult spot to defend against the dragons but now seems unnecessary and inefficient, as the locals and dragons have reconciled and the village is a good hike from the water and food source.

A local Pyrite stood in awe at the top of the mountain above the Valley, taking in its beauty. Blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges, browns, and even purples were scattered throughout the area. A river ran through the center of the Valley, which was surrounded by a colorful forest. The Pyrite could see a large manga tree not far from the river. It contained the manga fruit, which were large circular red fruits on the outside and purple on the inside. When consumed, they gave the consumer extra strength. Many ate them while working to enhance their performance. He then noticed a dragon. It was crouched down in a stealth position behind some bushes, stalking something. The Pyrite looked in front of the dragon and saw children playing. Alerted, the Pyrite drank a solution and bolted down the side of the mountain at a tremendous speed. As he was running, he saw the dragon pounce and knew he wasn’t close enough. The dragon landed in front of some children, and they all jumped backward in surprise. “Raaarrrrrr!” the dragon said and all the children laughed. Apparently, they were playing.

The Pyrite reached the children and stared at them blankly. The dragon looked at him confused and a bit frightened, not sure if it had done something wrong. The children ran and jumped on the dragon laughing and giggling.

“It’s okay Sheeve!” came a voice from the side of the Pyrite, “He’s a friend.”

Sheeve looked over at who was talking. He saw it was a fellow Pyrite from his village, “Oh, uh, hey Roker. I’m sorry. I was just…”

“I get it! I appreciate your concern,” Roker interrupted, “I can only imagine what it looked like. I saw you run from the village down the mountain. You are faster than most with that elixir. I apologize for causing you to waste it. I will get you another.”

Sheeve responded, “No, no! That is not necessary. Well, since everything is okay, I will head back.”

“Actually, while you're here, I could use your help,” Roker insisted.

“Is that so? Hmmm, okay then, how can I help?” Sheeve replied.

Two little Meetles ran out from hiding behind Roker’s pant legs. “Yay! We have company! Can you believe it!” said one Meetle.

“Of course I can believe it, doofus! It is about time though. Finally, someone new to talk to!” the other Meetle replied.

They were small yellowish short-haired animals that crawled on all fours. They were long and stood only around one foot off the ground, unless they were on their hind legs, which put them a couple feet in height. The Meetles had little claws and fangs but seemed very friendly. And they can apparently talk.

“What? You guys sick of talking to me?” Roker kidded. The Meetles became quiet. “Well?...Cheesy? Rolly? What’s wrong? Dragon got your tongue?” he persisted.

Rolly answered, “No, that’s not it at all! It’s uh, um it’s…”

“You always talk about the same thing!” Cheesy blurted with a smile not understanding what he’d said might be hurtful.

Roker smiled back, “Cheesy, you’re so honest. That’s what I love about you. And I guess you’re right. I always talk about the chaka root.” The two Meetles looked at him endearingly. Sheeve couldn’t help but notice how cute it was. Roker continued, “Well, what do you expect? It’s my life’s work. My father looked for it his whole life and never found it. Now, I am worried I might be in the same boat. Except!...We found the right circumstance! You guys saw for yourselves. I think this is it this time!” The Meetles only stared back at him. He knew they didn’t believe him, so he changed the subject, “Aaand..we’re going to have company this time!”

“Yay!” “Yippie!” the two Meetles cheered. Cheesy did a backflip. Roker grabbed some cheese and threw it to them, the bigger piece went to cheesy.

“Chaka root, huh? Sounds interesting,” Sheeve added. There were always rumors around the village that Roker was up to something mischievous. It seems the rumors were correct.

“Yes! That is what I need your help with,” Roker replied, “Maybe you didn’t drink that elixir for nothing. Children! Go see your mother! I will be working for awhile.”

“Yes father!” the two children replied simultaneously and ran off.

Roker led Sheeve and the Meetles through the forest and up a large hill. At the top of the hill, there was camouflaged wood on the ground. A hole was broken through it. It appeared someone had fallen through. Sheeve peered in the hole and saw it dropped around fifty feet into a hidden cavity within the hill. There was a pungent smell coming out of the hole, like something had died. He strained, looking more intently into the cavity and saw big dragon carcasses at the bottom. There was also nesting and old broken dragon eggs.

“This is a dragon lair!” Sheeve declared, “You’re crazy if you think I’m going in there!”

Roker only smirked. He grabbed a coiled up rope that was already anchored and threw it in the hole. “I guess you won’t be known as one of the ones who found the chaka root then. Oh, and I guess you won’t be able to try it either.” Roker shrugged his shoulders, then swung himself down the rope and into the hole. The Meetles jumped on him as he was going down.

Sheeve looked in the hole again. He sighed, “What the heck am I getting myself into?” He took a deep breath, then swung himself into the hole.

At the bottom, Roker had already lit a torch and was searching an area by one of the dragon carcasses. He lit another torch and handed it to Sheeve.

“How did you find this place?” Sheeve asked.

“You know that hole up there?” Roker gestured up toward the hole they came in. Sheeve looked at the hole. He continued, “Yeah, that was from me…falling through it. Luckily, that dead dragon broke my fall. I did hurt my arm though. My little buddies fetched the rope and got me out of here. But not before I saw that.” Roker directed Sheeve’s attention to some fungi on the wall behind a carcass.

The fungi was white in the torch light, but when Roker took the light away, it glowed iridescently. It fluctuated from a neon yellow, to green, to blue. “Wow, what is that stuff?” Sheeve reacted.

Roker responded confidently, “It’s called vivacity. It is the most potent form of energy in this world. If you eat it in this form, your heart will explode. There are many elixirs that can be made with it but that is for another day. Right now we are here to find the holy grail. The chaka root. It is said that chaka root grows under a decaying dragon, in a dark area, where vitality can be found. As you can see, there is vitality right above this dead dragon and we are hidden from the sun. I would bet my life savings there is chaka root under it.”

“That wouldn’t be much!” Cheesy pointed out with a huge grin.

“What is that?” Roker responded.

“Your life savings. That wouldn’t be much!” Cheesy repeated as if he was saying something very informative.

Roker laughed, “Thank you Cheesy. Once again, you are correct.” He walked up to the dragon carcass and tried to lift it. It barely moved. He looked over at the little animals and Sheeve, “Well, are you guys gonna just stare at me?” Everyone walked over to the dead dragon body and got into position. “Okay, ready?” Roker looked back and forth at them, “On three. One…Two…Three!” They all lifted with all of their might. The carcass began to rise into the air. It continued rising, and the ground under it started to reveal itself. “There you go! We almost have it!” Roker urged.

The dragon’s skin was soft and squishy. As soon as Sheeve noticed it, his hand went through the skin and into its body. It felt like slimy mush. “Ewwww!” he said. The carcass fell back on its side, and Sheeve fell face first into it. He lay there with half his body and head submerged in the rotting corpse.

Roker couldn’t help but laugh, “Haha! I’m sorry man, but that’s kind of funny!”

Sheeve pulled his head out of the slimy mush and stared at Roker, “Seriously?” Goop dripped from his face.

The two Meetles burst out in their own laughter. “That’s disgusting! Harharhar!” said Rolly.

“Yea, I’m going to throw up, hahaha!” added Cheesy and then he threw up. The throw up landed on Sheeve’s legs and feet. The two Meetles erupted in laughter again.

A deep-toned growl was heard from behind them. This immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. They looked and couldn’t see anything, but they could see the cavity went further back into other rooms. Next, they heard heavy breathing, then another growl. This time the growl was longer and louder. Sheeve, Roker, and Rolly looked at each other, fearfully. Cheesy only stared at them with a grin.

“Who wakes me from my slumber?” said a terrifying voice.

Cheesy’s mouth opened wide, and he happily informed, “There’s something in there guys!”

Rolly looked at him dumbfounded, “No kidding Sherlock! Why don’t you go say hello?”

“Okay!” replied Cheesy. He started to walk toward where the voice came from.

“Whoa, hey! He’s just kidding bud. Come back!” Roker warned, “Here’s some cheese. Come get the cheese.” Cheesy walked back to Roker and grabbed the cheese.

They heard some scuffling, then loud thumps like something very large was walking closer. A snout appeared from around a corner, then huge, sharp fangs inside a massive mouth. A dragon’s head peaked around the corner and stared at them. It sneered angrily at them and revealed its entire body. The dragon was enormous. It stood twenty feet tall. It was a dark gray color on top and a lighter gray color on its underbelly. Its body was covered in armored scales and had long, serrated claws to go with its huge fangs.

“I asked a question! Who wakes me from my slumber?” the dragon repeated furiously.

“Uh, he did!” Rolly answered, pointing at Cheesy.

The dragon rushed forward, placing its face directly in front of the tiny animal, “Yoouuu! You little runt! Why would a little pipsqueak like you dare to come in my lair! Do you have a death wish?”

Cheesy stood chewing on the last of his cheese, “I do not have a death wish, but you my friend, have stinky breath.”

The dragon reared its head back aghast at what he’d heard, “I have never dealt with such disrespect! You will pay with your lives!” It took a deep breath. Smoke expelled from its nose and fire blew from its mouth.

The group leaped out of the way. The fire blasted the dragon carcass that was behind them. It continued blazing on the carcass, cooking the rotten flesh until the body was almost incinerated. Roker threw an orange elixir to both the Meetles. They drank the elixirs and within seconds, their bodies began vibrating and they hunched over. The little animals grittily hollered in pain, as their bodies started to enlargen. The Meetles bodies stretched in length and broadened in girth while their claws and fangs gained in size. They stood up on their hind ends at a new height of around eight feet ready for battle.

The dragon raised its eyebrows at what it saw. Even though the Meetles were much larger now, the dragon still towered over them at twenty feet tall. The dragon growled at them, and the Meetles hissed in return. They pounced on the fire-breathing beast. The dragon swatted Rolly to the side. He crashed into the wall. Cheesy landed on the dragon’s chest, stabbing his claws into its scales. He quickly ran around to its back and latched on with a rigorous bite. The dragon roared in pain, then grabbed Cheesy and threw him into the wall next to Rolly. Roker and Sheeve helped the Meetles to their feet, faced the dragon, and prepared to attack.

Roker pulled out another elixir. This one was red. He drank it, then hunched over as the Meetles did. He shouted in pain as he transformed. His body thickened and muscles increased in size. He felt extremely strong. The dragon reacted swiftly, lunging at him with its mouth wide open. The beast chomped down around Roker but was halted mid-chomp. Roker had caught both sides of its mouth and was bracing them open. He had hold of two fangs on either side. The Meetles jumped on the dragon while it was distracted and bit down on its neck. Sheeve drew his slingshot. He loaded it with special exploding nuts and shot them at the dragon. The nuts hit the dragon and exploded, but its armored scales protected it well. While the dragon continued to fight through Roker’s hold, trying to bite him in half, it looked at Sheeve wondering how he was causing all these little explosions. Sheeve stared the beast in its very large eye that was staring back at him and launched a nut directly at it. The nut nailed the eye and exploded. The dragon screeched in agony, while Roker ripped its fangs out of its mouth. The Meetles jumped off the dragon. Roker grabbed hold of its snout. He lifted the dragon up in the air and chucked it across the room. The dragon smashed into the wall, hit the ground, and lay still.

“Way to go pops!” praised Rolly.

Roker smiled, “You guys also did well! That includes you too, new friend,” he said looking at Sheeve. “You’re quite the shot with that thing,” he added, gesturing toward Sheeve’s slingshot.

Sheeve nodded, appreciating the compliment. Then something caught his eye. There was something shining behind Roker. “Wait a second,” he said and walked past Roker, “ What is that?”

They all turned and saw what Sheeve saw. The dragon carcass was burnt down to almost nothing. Under the remains, were sparkling leaves. The leaves were dazzling; so much that they were hard to look away from.

“This is it! We have found the holy grail! This, my friends, is the chaka root!” Roker enthused.

“Rrrrrrrrrr, uuuhhhgg,” came sounds from the dragon. Everyone jumped around to face it and postured defensively. “My head hurts,” it said. It saw them all ready to attack him, so he confessed, “Look, you beat me. I’m not much of a fighter anymore anyways. Not since I lost them. I only want to be left alone.” The dragon saw the burnt carcass behind them and cried, “Oh no! I disgraced her body! What will I do now! Please, just leave me alone! Why have you come here anyways?”

It was quiet for a moment, then Roker answered, “We came for that.” He pointed at the chaka root.

“What? The sparkly plants?” the dragon asked, “What is so important about the sparkly plants? Sometimes, they grow at gravesites. They are only for decoration.”

Roker pondered what the dragon had said and replied, “I have an idea. How about we help you bury your a, friends?…”

“That is my wife!” the dragon interrupted, “And, uh, the other one over there is, uh, was my daughter.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Roker continued, “Um, so how about we help you bury them, and in trade, you give us the sparkly plants?”

The dragon thought for a minute and responded, “Yes, that will be fine. I could use your help… to…” it whimpered, “to…to lay them to rest.” The dragon composed itself, “It has been too hard to do it myself.”

Roker and the rest of the group helped the dragon bury its family in one corner of the lair. It was quite an arduous task being how big the carcasses were, especially the unburnt one. They lit little fires around the graves and lowered their heads.

The dragon spoke compassionately, “They were everything to me. They were my light. If it wasn’t for my wife, I never would have left that life of violence and hatred. She showed me the way. I do not know what to do without her. Honey, you showed me how to be kind. I am good because of you. Daughter, you gave me something worth fighting for. I understand the purpose of life because of you.” Tears dropped from the dragon’s eyes, “I will always cherish the time we spent together and will never forget our memories. I love you two, forever and always.” They all stood for a minute longer. The dragon continued crying. A tear fell from Roker’s eye as well.

Roker collected the chaka roots and thanked the dragon. Before they left, he told his newfound fire-breathing friend, “Maybe next time we’ll fight…together. We could use your help. By the way, what is your name?”

The dragon sadly grinned, “Maybe. I once went by the name of Crool. That was during the war. She called me Grumbles. I don’t think she knew how happy I really was. Now, I don’t know what my name is.” The beast turned and walked into the other room.

The four climbed the rope and exited the dragon’s lair. The sun was beginning to set. Roker had an accomplished smirk on his face, but he was staring off in the distance, as if something was on his mind.

Sheeve broke the silence, “That was quite an experience! I’ve never fought a dragon before.”

“Hmm? Oh, yea. You did great,” Roker replied, obviously distracted by his thought.

“It is time, isn’t it?” asked Rolly, who was looking at Roker.

“Yes, my little buddy,” Roker replied, “Even though we have finally found what we’ve been looking for our entire lives, I fear it may be too late. We must begin the journey.”

“I’m hungry,” Cheesy said, randomly.

“Now?” replied Sheeve, “You want to go on a journey now? The sun is going down. We should head to the village.”

Roker turned toward Sheeve and put his hand on his shoulder, “You head back to the village. Tell the chief we found the chaka root and all will be well. You must also tell him I have gone to find the enchantress. She will tell us what we must do.” Roker stared at Sheeve intently and asked, “Can I count on you?”

Sheeve was taken back at first, but after realizing how serious Roker was, he answered, “Yes, of course. I will tell him right away.”

“Good,” replied Roker, “We shall go then. You have honored our future.” At that, Roker and the Meetles sped off over and down the hill. It wasn’t long before they disappeared out of Sheeve’s view. Sheeve was a bit confused but did as he was asked. He headed back to the village to notify the chief.

Roker didn’t waste any time. Even though it was late, he pushed to make it to the Lakes of Enchantment. This was where the enchantress lived. No one knew much about her, except that she had the power to create rare elixirs and was responsible for turning the serpent queen into stone. Roker also knew she could use the chaka root to foresee the future. Her vision was limited, but she could give him the answers he needed.

He arrived at the lakes. The enchantress was nowhere to be seen. It was pitch black and eerie sounds could be heard. Animals were slithering, hooting, croaking, chirping, growling and banging on bushes and trees all around him. Wolves howled in the distance. Roker knew there were big cats in the area that thrived on all the game the lake brought. He didn’t have much choice. The Meetles helped him build a small boma and start a fire. Then, they laid down to rest for the night.

…”Nooooo! Grab my hand!” Roker shouted. He was on the ground reaching for his sister, who was being dragged away by a shaggy black-haired Howler. Howlers are similar in size as the Pyrites but thicker and more muscular-bodied. Their hair covers their entire body, and they move around in the trees very easily. They have four menacing fangs that protrude from their mouths, making their appearance very intimidating. Their ears were also very large.

Roker scanned the area and saw numerous Howlers attacking his friends and family. He realized they were in his village. Huts were on fire and dead bodies lay strewn around him. He tried to get up, but for some reason he couldn’t. A friend of his, Juda, was being assailed by many of these ugly creatures. As she fell to the ground, she stuck a Howler in the stomach with a spear. Roker drew his knife and sliced one of the passing intruders.

The Howler stopped, “What was that? A tickle? Hahaha! Come with me!” The Howler dragged him into the chief’s hut. The chief was being dismembered alive.

“Nooooo! Chief!” Roker cried, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I failed! I will tickle them! Huh? I mean I will kill them! Why did I say that?” The chief's arms and legs were pulled apart from his body. A Howler pierced his heart with its blade. The chief’s head fell back. He was dead. Tickle, tickle. Roker felt something tickling his feet. “What is that?” He looked at his feet and saw nothing. He heard the sound of grass crunching under someone’s footstep and bushes being moved around. Tickle, tickle. “What the hell are you doing?” Roker yelled out loud as he woke up…

Roker rubbed his eyes and saw someone standing in front of him. It was Sheeve. “Hey man, I was just messing with you!” Sheeve said.

Roker shook the cobwebs out of his head, “Ohhh, ughhh. Hold on.” He looked around, “That was you tickling me?” He glanced at Sheeve’s hand and saw he was holding a stick with leaves on it.

“Yep, I’m busted,” Sheeve replied.

“That was weird!” Roker responded, “I mean, in my dream. I thought one of the Howlers was tickling me.” He stopped talking for a second, then said, “Why are you here?”

Sheeve walked up to Roker and sat next to him, “Well, the chief told me everything. I understand what you’re doing out here now, and why it is so important. If we don’t do something fast, all our people are going to die. I am here to help you.”

Roker noticed the sincere determination in Sheeve’s face and replied, “Okay then. We will do this together.” He got to his feet and swept the area with his eyes in search of the enchantress. “There!” he said and began to walk. Sheeve followed.

“Where are the Meetles?” Sheeve asked.

“Huh? Oh they’re probably out getting us some breakfast. They’re good at that,” Roker replied. He led them to the other side of one of the lakes. There was an alluring cleared out spot on the embankment under some overgrowth of trees. Twenty feet high, branches stretched out and over a large circular dirt patch in the middle of the grass. Rocks encircled the dirt with unlit torches evenly placed between the rocks. A flat boulder was positioned in the center of the dirt, and a small hut sat on the backside. Roker and Sheeve stopped in front of the circular rocks.

“What do you think this is?” Sheeve asked.

“This is where she lives,” Roker answered. They stood and waited.

All the torches lit instantly. They both watched the hut door to see if it opened. It didn’t. Something tapped Roker’s shoulder, and he turned to see the enchantress.

“Well look who it is! My childhood friend who never visits!” the enchantress teased.

“Ah, haha! Dreya! It’s great to see you!” Roker replied and gave her a hug, “This is my friend, Sheeve. He is here to help. I assume you are aware of the dire situation we face.”

Dreya nodded, “I am.” She turned toward Sheeve, “Very nice to meet you.” The enchantress walked around and stood in front of the flat boulder, in the center of the dirt. Her tone became more serious, “You know there is only one way I can see forward. Did you actually find the chaka root?”

Roker pulled out a rag that was wrapped around something. He opened it to reveal the chaka root, “I did.”

“Oh my! Where in the world did you find it?” reacted Dreya, surprised, “Nevermind, let us get to work.”

At this moment, Roker caught a glimpse of the two Meetles sneaking out of her hut. Rolly had an orange colored fruit in his mouth, and Cheesy had a large block of cheese. They tippy-toed slowly, trying to sneak out of view. Roker stopped them, “Ehmm! What exactly are you two doing?”

The orange fruit fell out of Rolly’s mouth, “Uhhhhh, we uh, we were bringing you some food?” he responded as more of a question than a statement.

Dreya giggled, “You two are funny! I have an inkling they weren’t the only ones involved. Kale!” Another Meetle peaked its head out of the hut. It was a female. She was darker colored than the others; a dark brownish-purple. She peered inquisitively at Dreya, unsure if she was in trouble. “I see you made some friends!” the enchantress teased, “We need your assistance. Please grab the pink and the turquoise elixirs.” Dreya looked back at Roker, “Go ahead and place the chaka root on the boulder and everyone join hands.” Roker stepped forward and did as she asked. Sheeve didn’t move. “That means you too, friend,” she told him. Sheeve took a step and grabbed hold of both their hands.

Kale returned with the two brightly colored elixirs and placed them on the boulder. Dreya lowered her head. She closed her eyes tightly. A symbol appeared on her forehead. Her eyes entered REM mode. Roker and Sheeve could tell she was in deep concentration. The boulder transformed into a pot full of liquid, and the elixirs and chaka root fell in. The liquid churned back and forth, back and forth. It continued churning for a minute. Then, it swirled rapidly and began rising. It floated up out of the pot. The pot reformed into the boulder, and the liquid drifted its way into a vile Dreya was holding.

“Whoa!” said Sheeve under his breath.

The enchantress drank the vile. The symbol appeared on her forehead again, but this time many more symbols appeared, running down her arms to her hands. Energy flowed out of her hands like smoke from a fire. The energy came together and began to form something. It was as if they were watching a 3-d projection of some sort. The smoke-like energy completed its design. Roker and Sheeve stared at it, mystified.

“What could it possibly mean?” questioned Sheeve.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” replied Roker.

The energy had formed a picture depicting lines connecting to small figures and shapes. A line started at the bottom and ran up into what looked like a Howler. Two lines split off from there and met with a shape that resembled a volcano and the number four. Three lines split off from there, but they were hazy; and the figures they went to couldn’t be made out. Numerous symbols surrounded the figures and shapes. They were the same type of symbols that appeared on Dreya. They were ancient writings.

Dreya spoke all-knowingly, “It is a map. It shows the journey you must take. The symbols are clues to help you once you have reached each destination. This is the path you must follow to save your people.”