Kingdom of Fantasy: The Prince From the Dark

Chapter 22 - A Plan for Destruction

The air was dry and warm outside the hill, and the only plants to be seen on the ground were the decaying shrubs of various shades of brown and olive-green weeds that thrived along the cracks between the stony hill's layers and the sand-like dirt of the floor which Maple stood on.

It cannot be that difficult to search for some poisonous snakes in this hell of a place, Maple thought to herself.

The Green Guardian still took steps into the withered woods around her and bitterly complained to herself about how lifeless and black the dead forest was. She was even disgusted by a black furry spider that was crawling in her way, which then moved aside. The shriveled trees still towered like tall upside-down scorched squids, the sky was as grey as pale ashes, and the sand was of a dark color. She even took a glance at the hills behind her, only to see that they too, were barren. The only sources of fresh life, for now, were the prickly stinging weeds that thrived along the decaying old trees and the greener area outside the empty circle the hill she left was surrounded by. Even though there was some lush outside the area of darkness, there was not as much fauna as Maple expected. As a Green Guardian, she was accustomed to being surrounded by a lively environment.

I cannot believe I was sent to this horrible place. She continued to herself, That man back there never even told me his name... What if he was lying? Could he just be looking for a way to kill me and conceal the evidence? What if that man was the Wizard Mel was searching for?

She could hear talking from a distance, and she decided to stay in place.

"You heard the master," a first voice growled. It sounded like the voice of a gruff feminine character, "we are to make sure that stupid weed does as she was told!"

"Yeah! But how are we going to report to him if she goes astray?" A second voice answered back, sounding strangely goofy. "Why don't we just kill 'er ourselves?"

As the voices came closer, Maple's ears picked up the sound of feet trodding on the sand. Feet... More like paws... Paws of four-legged animals. The faintest jingling of armour can also be heard. The clinking paused as the first figure gave a command.

"Halt!" the first voice snapped again, "we wait before we take action. She's close."

Maple turned around and began to walk closer to where the voices were coming from. She stopped when she saw a trio of black sleek hounds with glistening red and gold armour, long pointed snouts, pricked ears, stubby tails, and brown paws that looked like their feet was covered in dirt, although it was just the pattern of their fur. She also took note of one of the three dogs having scars on its face and legs. Maple then started to rush towards the animals, swaying her hands back and forth.

"Shoo! Shoo!" the Green Guardian exclaimed, "Go away!"

Maple continued to sway her arms only to earn the response of the black dogs retaliating by charging toward her with angry snarls. They stopped attacking when she was too tired to persist in attempting to make them run away, realizing she was failing at it over and over.

"You have got to be kidding me!" The Green Guardian resumed, "Now he sends spies like you mutts to make sure I do his dirty work!?"

"Your vanity disgusts me and is an insult to our master!" Blister, the dog with the scars barked, "He only assigned us to check on you temporarily, until he decides to come back to watch you, like a hawk, astride his dragon. I bet he would be more than glad to incinerate you while you are loafing about!"

"So what? He never got to tell me who he was. Why should I abide?"

A deafening whoosh filled the air, and the dogs and the Green Guardian looked up. There was that same black horrific dragon with its scarlet undersides and dark twisted horns circling the sky like a large serpentine buzzard with ragged bat-like wings and black scales that glistened under the bright sky's light. The flying creature then stretched out its wicked paws and landed on the floor, with a puff of wind and sand emerging from the floor as the animal's feet collided with the ground. The dust that wafted aground the monster clouded the sights of the dogs and the lady and eventually cleared up. A towering reptile with a stern pale rider on its back is now all that stands in her way. He slid down the back of his dragon, wearing the expression of bitter indignation on his face, with his eye glowing red with anger.

" I spared your life for one task, and this is how you repay me?" The rider growled with a lowered voice, "I should have killed you when I first encountered you for what you are, but I decided to be patient and give you some importance."

"Who's gonna make me!?" Maple spat.

"You made the wrong choice, Guardian. From this point onward, I will be watching over you like a hawk. Purposefully make one mistake, and I might as well cut you up and have my dragon pelt you with fire. Is this how you would prefer to end your life?"

The Green Guardian remained silent as she was speechless. And there she noticed something clutched in one of the rider's hands. A blue crystal. Gentle lights of many colors radiated from the stone like a faint aurora surrounding the crystal. However, she did not want to make commentary to earn the result of jeopardizing her life even more. Then, she turned back to resume her search for the creatures she was assigned to track.

"Good," the rider commented, "You should have surrendered your asinine vanity minutes ago, but this will now do."

The passing minutes turned into hours, and the sky eventually became grey and dark as night was approaching. The trees have now morphed into black poles of horned shadows, looking eerier than when the daylight was able to touch them. They passed by endless trees and shrubs until they eventually discovered the most unlikely of things to be seen in a supposedly lifeless piece of land. A nest. To be more specific, an abandoned den underneath a decayed shrub. In the nest, there were three particularly round objects as smooth as a pearl, yet as grey as ashes.

"Is this it?" The Guardian wondered.

"Perfect. The unhatched offspring of the viper," the Fallen Prince added, "I one I have slain must have been its mother, yet they lack the will to guard their young."

"The viper?" Maple asked.

"A Crimson Death Viper. With venom that is capable of killing a Fairy. They were believed to be extinct for centuries."

"Who in the right mind would have the will to use such creatures?"

"Do me the favor of putting the eggs here."

The Wizard took out a wooden box he stowed in his black robes. He grabbed the bottom with one hand and used his occupied hand to open the lid. Maple obeyed and put the trio of pearls in the box. The lid was then closed, concealing the unhatched offspring. His dogs resumed following him around and took a seat on the floor.

"My box!" Maple exclaimed. "You stole it!"

The Wizard kept the closed container in his hands, with one of them on the top and the other on the bottom.

"Not ready. I promise I will give it back when you have completed your mission. Are you ready for it?" The Wizard continued. He still carried the small crate with one hand and conjured a crimson saber on the other, ready to attack when needed. "You said King Regal and Mel, including their loyal subjects, are hosting a meeting. Can I ask for its location?"

"Fine, since I am powerless without my fellow brethren. They are meeting in a place called the City of the Sun, which is somewhere in the Desert of Eyes and Ears, if I remember correctly."

"Very well. Take this to them." He took out the gleaming blue star from one of the sleeves of his black robe. He threw the gem onto the ground, and both he and the Green Guardian watched as the stone shone even brighter upon its impact with the ground. Then, a bright and windy white-and-blue vortex swirled in front of them, with illuminating light that almost seemed to blind them. The brightness tapered as the spiraling structure opened up like some kind of nebula. He then gave Maple the box, ordered a command to his dogs, and they shoved her, along with her miniature crate, until they passed through the vortex. As soon as she disappeared, the light reduced itself back to the blue star it was before.