December 27, 696
One year has passed since the events of Zebulon's bolt of lightning hitting you. Life has normalized for you, Rowan, and the Bordeaux siblings. Ruling over the dragons was not very difficult work for you. Despite how proud of a race dragons were, they were quite subservient to you. You regularly capitalized on this fact, and created many programs to benefit both the dragons and the people of Kelper. Using the combined talents of dragons and humans, you created a research team that worked on producing new technology and inventions. The most successful was something you called the E-Crystal. The E-Crystal, or Electrocrystal, was a crystal created to be able to store electricity and use it for various functions. Basically, it's a crystalline battery. Despite many of the memories you had of your previous life having been long forgotten, you still remembered the old technology. Computers, phones, the internet, etc. You worked alongside this research team, and eventually research facility, to recreate many of these technologies for the magic world. Soon, you predicted that Kelper would have the same kind of technology that you grew up with.
Another project, created by Rowan, was the "Pygmy Dragon Project". This project aimed to breed dragons that wouldn't grow beyond the size of a large dog that could act as companions for people. Granted, it would be expensive to take care of a dragon, so only nobility might be able to take advantage of it, but having humans and dragons living side by side was a goal of yours and Rowan's. This was one solution. Rowan's magical abilities also led themselves to helping many people of Kelper. The winter was very harsh, but with a little research and magic, Rowan was able to devise a solution to the crops dying in winter. Farmers were now able to grow their crops all year long. Rowan also created a powder that allowed snow to melt easily so the snow covering the crops could be used to water them. Needless to say, Rowan was very popular in Kelper. Rowan had many dragons stationed throughout Kelper, acting both as messengers and as supervisors. They monitored the people to see whether or not they were happy. Occasionally, they would ask people if they liked living under Rowan, and what Rowan could do to improve life in Kelper. This was a major success. People were having their voices heard, and Kelper was becoming as democratic as a monarchy ruled by an immortal sorcerer could.
Despite all of this positivity, there were many groups in Kelper still upset that Rowan was their ruler. There were revolts, riots, and even people trying to break into the palace. Allow me, the author, to describe how that went:
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April 22, 696
"Master. One of the messenger dragons has informed me that there is unrest in the north of Kelper." You started. "She was able to confirm that they mean to come to the castle and confront you in person."
"Well Gannoth." Rowan smiled an evil grin, running his hand through his dark, demonic hair. "Let's welcome them as they should be."
"It's been a while since we've let loose." You smiled a toothy smile. "I'll tell Lucien and Marcelle to ready the dungeon."
"Meet me in the throne room, and be in your dragon form." Rowan stated. "This'll be fun." He laughed.
"Will do." You smiled as you rushed off to the Barteaux's section of the palace. You dedicated a small wing of the palace to the siblings, where they lived and worked. "Lucien?" You asked into the empty hallway. "Marcelle? Where are you." Without delay, both of them appeared before you.
"You rang Ganny?" Marcelle smiled.
"What do you need of us My Lord?" Lucien said with his usual poise.
"Prepare the dungeon for prisoners." You smiled. "We may need it."
"Yes My Lord." Lucien bowed before disappearing.
"Okey Dokey!" Marcelle giggled before disappearing alongside her brother.
"Ganny..." You laughed. "That still needs some getting used to." You immediately changed into your dragon form, watching as the blue scales enveloped your body and your wings grew out of your back. While you preferred being in your human form, it was nice to be a dragon from time to time. Once the transformation was complete, you made your way to the throne room, where Rowan was waiting. He was wearing his crown, which was a rare sight.
"Come Gannoth." He said in a menacing tone. You were never afraid of your master, but the way he said it made you slightly unsettled. "I'm trying to get into character." Rowan smiled. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine Master." You laughed. "I wasn't scared. I just haven't seen you like this in quite some time."
"That is true." Rowan laughed. "Anyway, sit next to me." Rowan gestured next to him. You walked over to your master and sat down. Instinctively, you laid your head on his lap. He proceeded to stroke it. "What's more intimidating than stroking the head of the king of Dragons like he was your pet?"
"I don't know. Blowing up their friends?" You laughed.
"True." He smiled, showing off his demonic fangs.
"Sire!" Someone yelled. It was one of the guards of the castle. You and Rowan had two kinds of guard. First were Marcelle and Lucien, who were more like personal bodyguards and friends. Then, you had the group that this guy was a part of. They were just regular knights that served as your and Rowan's servants. Marcelle and Lucien acted as their Commanders. "There is a group of people at the front gate. They seem quite angry."
"Let them in and show them here." Rowan responded in a displeased tone. "I'll deal with them personally."
"Are you sure sire?" The guard asked. "They are..."
"Are you questioning me?" An angered Rowan sneered. He held out his palm and formed a small ball of dark energy. "Let them in and bring them here. I'll deal with them personally. Understand?"
"Yes Your Grace. Forgive my rudeness." The guard cried.
"I'll think about it." Rowan said, smiling an evil grin. The guard scurried out of the throne room. Within minutes, a group of 10 people were in the doorway. "Hello my subjects. What brings you to my palace?" Rowan asked in a slightly agitated tone. He wanted to make sure that they knew he meant business. It also helped that he was stroking a dragon that looked ready to kill anything Rowan wanted killed.
"Rowan Tyrell." The leader of the group sneered. "We'll never bow to a murderer like you."
"I am your king. You will address me as one." Rowan chided.
"I don't care." The man said under his breath.
"What was that?" Rowan asked angrily.
"I SAID I DON'T CARE!!!" The man yelled. "I don't care if you're the king or a village elder or a farm boy. I'll never listen to the likes of you!" The man finished his yelling by brandishing a dagger. "I'm going to kill you Rowan. I don't care what happens to me. I'll kill you, and I'll let every person in the kingdom stab you until your corpse is unrecognizable." The man lunged forward, much to the surprise of the rest of the group.
"Edward! What are you doing?" One woman yelled. But it was too late. The man, Edward, was running towards you and Rowan.
"I'll kill your disgusting pet too!" He yelled. You snarled at him, but were stopped by Rowan's hand.
"Let it go Gannoth. I'll handle it myself." Rowan smiled. Edward continued running until he was inches from Rowan. it was then that he tried to stab Rowan in the chest. Much to your surprise, the dagger pierced Rowan's skin.
"How do you like that, Demon." He smiled.
"It's slightly uncomfortable." Rowan smiled evilly, grabbing onto the dagger and pulling it out of his chest. It was covered in Rowan's blood. The man leapt back in terror.
"You should have collapsed. I stabbed your heart." He said, distraught.
"You forgot one thing about me." Rowan laughed, tearing off the ruined robe and showing his muscular torso. There was a hole on his left pectoral where the dagger pierced his skin. The man, and his whole group watched in terror as the hole closed itself, eventually showing no sign of a stab wound. "The naivety of you mortals is almost amusing to those who can't die." The man retreated to his group. "How were you expecting to kill someone who cannot die?"
"We have another plan." The man stated. "If I was to be stopped, we have someone quite proficient in magic. A warlock who made a pact with an angel."
"Ooh!" You smiled. "An angel."
"Gannoth. He's yours." Rowan smiled.
"Who said he?" A woman smiled. She had long, blond hair that seemed to flow like a calm stream. She appeared almost angelic. In fact, she conjured angelic wings on her back. "You'll never take another soul Tyrell. My magic can harm even the strongest of evil beings."
"This'll be fun." You smiled, walking over to the woman. She seemed frightened by the dragon menacingly approaching her, but she held her ground. When you got close to her, you stopped and transformed into the Angel of Death. You stretched your arms, legs, and wings. "It's been a while since I've done this." She was terrified. "Meet the Angel of Death." She flew back, trying to ready a spell. Unfortunately for her, you were much faster, stronger, and more powerful than her. You were able to get behind her and catch her head in your hand. With her head firmly in your hand, you had control. However, her arms were still moving.
"You Bastard." She cringed, showing clear signs of pain. Before she could do anything, you waved your free hand, completely immobilizing her.
"You have too options." You said to her in a quiet, but menacing tone. "Either I blow you to bits, or I crush your skull. Choose wisely." You started to laugh like a maniac.
"Please don't kill me." She cried, before screaming in agony. You tightened your grip further, making her scream some more.
"That's not an option." You stated. "Maybe one of your friends would like to choose for you. Is that better." Her only response was more screaming. "Hey!" You yelled to the group on the ground. "How should I kill your precious warlock?" Another person tried throwing a knife at you, but you caught it in your hand by the blade. It caused you no harm. When you let go of the blade, there were clear indentations for where your fingers were on it. The knife floated in the air by your magic, before exploding in black flames. "Thank you. You gave me a brilliant idea!" You smiled an evil, twisted smile, grabbing the severely damaged, flaming knife. Using some more magic, you straightened out the blade so it was a functional knife again. "Any last words before you die?" You asked.
"Please..." She started.
"I don't care." You interrupted her as you stabbed her through the heart, making her entire body explode in black flames. After a couple of seconds, there was nothing but ash left. "Any other mages for me to kill?" The entire group was speechless and terrified. "No answer, eh?" You grinned another evil grin as you scanned the group for magical auras. You felt a strong one come from a man in the back. "Trying to hide from the Angel of Death will only quicken your sentence." You magically pulled the man from out of the group. His body rushed towards you.
"Help me!" He yelled. A few of the people tried to grab him, but they were pulled along instead.
"You think your strong enough to resist me?" You smiled. "There is but one person strong enough to resist me, and he's sitting behind me." Soon, four of the remaining nine traitors were standing in front of you. "Don't even try to hurt me without magic. My wounds will heal just as quickly as my Master's."
"Master?" The mage of the group asked.
"Yes. Of all people, you should be familiar with familiars." You laughed. "Pun intended."
"You're his familiar?" He asked.
"For a wizard, you sure are dumb." You sighed.
"Familiars tend to be far weaker than their Master." Another person stated.
"And that's true with me!" You smiled. "I may be ruthlessly strong, but my Master is Godly."
"He's not exaggerating." Rowan added.
"Anyway... attack me mage. I want to see what you can do." You smiled, releasing your hold on the wizard. He fell to the ground, panting. "You know, your the first person I've ever let go from my immobilization. What does it feel like?"
"Pure terror." The mage stuttered. "It's akin to having your whole body crushed."
"That does sound terrifying." You smiled. "Perfect! Now hit me with your strongest spell." The man, obeying your orders, prepared to cast a spell. "I'm ready." You grinned an evil grin. The wizard thrust his arms forward, releasing a huge blast of fire at you. You put your hand forward and blocked it with ease. The fire dissipated at your palm, leaving no marks on your hand. Below the blast, you could see scorch marks on the floor. The wizard collapsed to the floor, panting. "I will admit, that was quite a spell you cast. I almost felt heat there. Ready for my attack?" You taunted.
"No." He said feebly.
"Too bad." You laughed maniacally as you pointed a finger at him. "At least you tried." The tip of your outstretched became shrouded in a black aura, before focusing at a point at the tip off your fingernail. "Goodbye." You grinned as you fired a black beam of energy at him, passing through his body, killing him instantly. The beam wrapped around and killed the other three people near him. You then set each body on fire with your trademark black fire. After one minute, you dispelled the fire, as there was nothing left for it to burn.
"Gannoth. That's enough." Rowan ordered.
"But I was having so much fun Master!" You complained.
"Gannoth. This is an order." Rowan scolded you. For the first time since the first week of knowing him, you were genuinely frightened by Rowan. "Don't worry Gannoth, it's part of the show." Rowan's voice echoed in your head, happily. "Just play along."
"Yes Master." You replied, folding your wings on your back in sorrow. "I wanted to kill them all." You told Rowan telepathically.
"Yes, but I want to have some fun too." Rowan responded telepathically. Rowan, done with the telepathic chat, turned towards the remaining five traitors. "Now, the five of you." Rowan stated. Just those five words had people almost collapsing in fear. "We have a simple rule."
"By we, he means me." You interrupted. "With very few exception, those who lay their eyes on the Angel of Death do not live to tell the tale."
"Gannoth, I'll forgive you for this interruption, but no more." Rowan chided.
"I'm sorry Master." You whimpered. "I need to improve my acting skills. That was bad." You telepathically told Rowan.
"It's fine. They got the message." Rowan responded mentally. "What am I going to do you." Rowan stood up from his throne and walked to the 5 terrified men and women. Rowan took out his swords, which started to glow an ominous black. "It's not often that these come out of their scabbards. Can any of you detect magical auras?" Silence was the only answer Rowan received. "I asked you a question. If you do not respond, I'll sentence you to punishment worse than death."
"I can!" One person squeaked out. "I can barely do it."
"That's fine enough." Rowan stated. "I want you to describe to your friends the magical aura of my swords." The woman looked at the swords, and nearly fainted. "What did you sense?"
"It's gargantuan." She cried in terror.
"Yes." Rowan smiled. "People say that magical swords can adjust in size to match the strength of their magic. If mine were at that size, they'd reach across Kelper and into the sea. Are you ready to die?"
"Yes." All five of the people cried.
"Oh, Edward. Don't think you'll be let off that easily." Rowan laughed, magically pulling his body away and towards you. He tried to get away, but was caught in your clutches. You held his body as tightly as your magic would allow without killing him. His screams of agony were unending, but pleasurable to your evil ears. "I might be loved by the people. I might love my people. I might be trying to turn a new leaf. But, when someone betrays me, they meet their fate at the hands of the ruthless, terrifying Rowan of old. The one that destroyed Firenze and Kitria. Traitorous scum, you are all going to feel pain worse than anything for a long time." Rowan grinned his evil grin as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, Zebulon appeared next to him. "Did you see any of that?" Rowan asked the Archdemon.
"I've been watching. It was quite amusing." He responded. "Any requests, Your Grace?"
"Of course. Make sure these scum burn in hell. Make them suffer until my last breath." Rowan ordered.
"Your last breath?" Zebulon asked. "That's a new way of saying eternity." The four people about to be slain by Rowan were curled up in terror.
"Thank you, Zebulon." Rowan smiled, dismissing the Archdemon. "Gannoth. Make sure Edward watches his friends' deaths.
"Of course, Master." You responded, loosening your grip on Edward. "Edward, watch your friends die. You'll wish you were as lucky as them." Edward refused to open his eyes. You dropped him to the floor, where he panted. "Open your eyes and watch, or you will never be able to see again." You ordered. Edward opened his eyes and saw his four fellow traitors on the floor. "Good."
"Goodbye, scum." Rowan angrily raised his swords in the air, with their black auras trailing behind. He quickly slashed downward with them, chopping the four traitors into pieces, before allowing their bodies to disintegrate. "Now you, the leader." Rowan grinned, looking towards Edward. "Gannoth, put him in the dungeon. We'll deal with him their."
"Yes, Master." You said, obeying his command.
"Morrik?" Rowan asked to the air. A dragon the size of your small dragon form appeared in front of him.
"Yes Your Grace?" He asked. "Your word is my command."
"Find the families of the people we just killed and tell them that they payed the price for treason." Rowan ordered. "You can still identify them with their ashes, correct?"
"Of course, Your Grace." Morrik replied.
"Harper?" Rowan called. The head of the guard rushed in.
"Yes Your Grace." He knelt in front of Rowan.
"Make preparations for a public appearance." Rowan ordered. "The people need to know that treason is unacceptable." This was the last thing you heard before making your way out of the throne room and towards the dungeon. You saw Lucien on the way, who said that preparations were complete. You approached the door, and opened it. You were greeted to a small, stone room with a very small window at the top. This window was the only source of light for the room.
"You will be provided with food and water." You said to Edward, who was terrified. "And don't bother using the little strength you have. Even I couldn't escape from there, and I'm not a disgusting, weak mortal like you." With that insulting remark out of the way, you literally threw him into the room, causing him to create a small dent in the wall. He suffered serious injuries, but you didn't care. The main thing that makes your dungeon different from most is that no matter how bad your condition is, you can't die in it. The only way to be killed in it is at the hand of Rowan himself, or someone he gives permission to. Since you didn't have permission to kill him, the insides of Edward will remain broken from the impact with the wall, and he will remain in excruciating pain until he is put out of his misery. You locked the door, and left the dungeon. On your way out, you passed by Lucien again. "Hey Lucien." You smiled, reverting back to your human form.
"Hi My Lord." Lucien replied.
"Seriously, you can call me Gannoth." You laughed. "Anyway, since he can't die in there, can't you continuously use him as a blood supply?"
"I can." Lucien smiled, showing off his fangs. "Plus, I can choose whether or not someone I bite becomes a vampire. Scum like him doesn't even deserve to meet a vampire."
"I agree." You replied. "But, at least you have a source for dinner. See you later Lucien."
"Goodbye Gannoth." Lucien said awkwardly. He really has problems not being formal. You made your way to your bedroom, where you saw Rowan changing into new robes. "Hi Master."
"Hi Gannoth. How's the prisoner?" Rowan asked, putting his arm through the sleeve.
"If I had to guess, 90% of his bones are shattered beyond repair." You laughed.
"I'll see to that myself as soon as I am finished with my speech." Rowan smiled. "You did well out there. But next time, don't hog all the killing to yourself."
"Sorry..." You apologized. "Got carried away."
"It's fine!" Rowan smiled, turning into his blond form, and tussling your blond, spiky, anime-wannabe hair. "I'll heal enough of his bones so that he can function. I want him to suffer, but not too much yet."
"The inclusion of yet intrigues me." You laughed. "Also, sorry about interrupting you earlier."
"It's okay Gannoth." Rowan smiled. "You know I would never punish you, unless you betray me."
"And I never would!" You laughed. "Is there anything you want me to do?"
"Tell Lucien and Marcelle that they have dinner downstairs." Rowan grinned.
"I already did." You smiled.
"Look at you Gannoth. Always one step ahead of me." Rowan laughed. "I need to give a short speech, so I'll be back."
"Am I not accompanying you?" You asked.
"Gannoth, you are not for one simple reason." Rowan started. "I need you to go down to Edward and question him. Find out whether or not there are other treasonous scum like him. I'll meet you there."
"Will do." You replied.
"You can do whatever you want with him. He can't die down there." Rowan laughed. "And, take this." Rowan shot a small beam of white light at you. "This acts as the key out in case you get locked in the room. I made that room inescapable even for you. This allows you to get out if need be."
"Thank you Master. See you soon." You rushed towards the dungeon, where you were going to have some fun.
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There's been a character missing from the events of Tales of the Arcane. What ever happened to Leopold? He has been training non-stop with Gabriel, his angel companion and trainer. Gabriel is to Leopold as you are to Rowan. Now, he is a strong fighter. A one man army. He might be the greatest swordsman alive right now, but is it enough to stop Rowan? That is for you to decide.
End of Chapter
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