Traudl Quest: Part 7

I thought this would be the final entry, but it started getting way too long. So I promise this is the penultimate chapter. It wraps up next week!

When we last left Traudl, she was deep in the evil domain of the fiend, Mozebarr. I already spoiled that this isn’t the final chapter, so I won’t pretend she fights and defeats him this time out. So… there goes that excitement.

But, please… read anyway! I promise it’s good!

Traudl continued on, fighting stronger monsters as she progressed. Her supply of healing potions dwindled, since every chest she found now was empty. No doubt Ziphar was taking the items for himself and leaving none for her.

Traudl came to a wide hallway with an arched ceiling that led into a great hall. Ahead, Traudl could hear raised voices. One of them was definitely Ziphar. Traudl ran quickly into the chamber and could see Ziphar standing before a throne made of skulls. Standing before the throne was a man Traudl surmised was the Fiend Mozebarr. He was a tall and slender man, wearing long black robes with large red hand shapes flanking down the sides. Unlike the other people in this land, his face was animated and his responses to Ziphar were thought out and didn’t seem to follow any script.

The Fiend made a quick hand gesture. A ball of light came from his hand and struck Ziphar in the chest. Ziphar stood where he was, motionless. The Fiend walked away from his throne and moved toward Traudl.

“Welcome, hero of legend!” Mozebarr said, as came before her, a hint of mockery in his voice. He wore on his head a golden crown with a red jewel in the center. He looked to be a regular man of middle age, bearing a malicious countenance.

“You have come far, Traudl of Tomilton, but you shall go no further.”

“You know my name and where I’m from?” she asked.

“I know many things, child: who you are, why you came here, what you seek.” The Fiend said, as he began to pace around her. “This crown holds infinite power and knowledge, which is why I sought to have it. The king of Ailehan never truly understood its potential.”

Traudl turned to face Mozebarr, who was now standing behind her. “I need to bring it back now. Maybe you can come with us and tell the king how to use it?”

Mozebarr let out a heavy laugh that echoed through the hollow halls of his dark domain. He came around in front of Traudl. “No, you don’t understand, Traudl. You have to fight me for it. At least that’s how this is supposed to go. You are a strange one indeed. I knew this of course. I know everything about you.”

“Everything?” Traudl said, as her eyes grew wide.

“Oh yes, child. I know why you really came here, but naturally I won’t tell you that for free.”

“Why not?”

“Because, you’re here to destroy me.”

Traudl shook her head. “I don’t really want to hurt you. I just came here to—” She hesitated. “—for my friend, Sylva. I don’t remember why anymore. The king asked me to get the crown back and stop your evil ways. Maybe he’ll remember why I’m here. I think maybe you used the crown to put an evil magic spell on everyone so they can’t live and be happy. That’s worth stopping, I think.”

“Oh, and what makes you think the people are not happy? Do they not look happy?”

Traudl frowned, “They’re not happy. They can’t say what they want to say. They always smile and never frown. How can you know how to be happy if you’re never sad? The sun always shines, except for in this place. How can you know how nice a sunny day is, if you’re never stuck inside during the rain or snow? Worst of all, they never sleep, and so they never dream. How can that be happy?”

Mozebarr scowled. “There is no death here! There is no pain! Death makes people unhappy. Pain makes people unhappy. For so many years they have lived without these notions. Would an occasional dream make up for knowing you can only live for so long and then you are gone? Would it make up for losing the people you love?”

“Enough of your talk! Give me the crown!” Ziphar shouted, now free of whatever enchantment Mozebarr had put on him.

Mozebarr turned around and gave Ziphar an angry stare. “You again? Perhaps I underestimated you and your resistance to my magic.”

Ziphar stormed over to Mozebarr and held out his sword. “I tire of your banter. Give me the crown now, or you will face my blade.”

“Who are you exactly?” Mozebarr said as he pased a moment in thought. “Ah yes, Ziphar of Enas’ni. You evaded my initial trap by coming up the river. And you got stuck mid-quest, when one of her predecessors fell to me. You slept until this little fool woke you up.”

Mozebarr let out a sudden laugh. “Ah, but she doesn’t even realize her blunder by leading you here. This is delicious! The very reason she was here, lead haplessly into my trap. Though, I suspect you came willingly, unable to resist the siren call of my enchantment. And so you stumbled here on the coattails of a half-witted child.”

Ziphar shook his head, “How dare you? What makes you think I followed her in? Did I not come for you first?”

Mozebarr rolled his eyes, “Don’t be so vain. I know all and see all that happens in my land. You would be dead if not for this child. Strange now that you fight separate, when in her heart she desires your friendship.”

The fiend laughed as he walked back over to his throne. “Whatever could have come between you?”

Ziphar followed him back to the throne. Traudl kept a safe distance.

“We have a predicament here don’t we, Traudl?” Mozebarr said as he sat down. “You want the crown, but it means you’ll have to fight me, and the fight in you seems to be waning. My enchantment never fully took hold. Maybe its your elven blood? Or maybe something else in that thick skull of yours.”

Traudl was aghast. “I’m not an elf! There are no elves left in the world. Some magic powers you have. I’m obviously a halfling.”

Mozebarr looked as if he was going to speak in retort, but then settled back. “In the end that doesn’t matter, I suppose. The time has come. Draw your sword or leave this place. I’m not going to willingly give you the crown. Well, there is a third option.”

Traudl finally crossed the distance between she and the Fiend. “What is it?”

He gave her a terrible smile. “This little quest has gone on longer than you can know. Since I took the crown, the king has sent many men after me, but none have ever returned. The foolish perished at my hands while the wise…  well…” Mozebarr snapped his fingers and from the two doors flanking the throne room six men entered.

Traudl stepped back away from them. “Heroes joined with you?”

“Oh yes, Traudl, just as you will. You see there is more here at stake than you realize. All the strength you have right now has come from the spell I put over this land. If you defeat me, and give the crown back to the king, that strength will fade until it is gone entirely. The armor you wear and the weapons you wield will become too heavy for your spindly little frame and you will return to being the helpless child you were before. If you join with me, I’ll tell you why you came here. You can do whatever it was you came here to do and continue to be powerful.”

Traudl continued to back away. “But then I would be your slave, like all the people in the towns?”

“Think about this, Traudl. I make the rules here. If you choose to fight me, the results will be fatal. You won’t magically reappear in front of the king again, and hop another boat to come after me. You will be dead. I am giving you a choice. Live as my powerful ally, with all the knowledge you seek, or die a foolish death here.”

Traudl withdrew the magic sword and pointed it at Mozebarr. “I guess I know what I have to do then.”

Mozebarr smiled as he stood up, “Is that so?”  He waved his hand in the air suddenly Ziphar snapped to attention and came to Mozebarr’s side. The Fiend’s eyes grew wide, and he stared back at Traudl in shock.

“The Legendary armor and sword! You didn’t take it? How can this be? None have ever resisted it! The greatest trap under my command has failed.”

The sight of her former companion falling to Mozebarr’s side scared Traudl to no end, but she tried her best to sound confident. “I didn’t need that armor. I have all the strength I need, even without the magic crown.”

“No matter, child. This one is strong, as are my other six servants.” Mozebarr snapped his fingers and the armored men began to surround Traudl. “KILL HER!” he shouted.

The men all attacked and one by one Traudl sent them tumbling to the ground until at last she had to face Ziphar. She was reluctant to harm any of them, but was most distressed at having to fight Ziphar..

“I don’t want to fight you, Ziphar. I’m your friend, remember?”

He struck out with the Legendary Sword, which Traudl blocked with her shield. As Traudl withdrew her shield she could see Ziphar’s face was beginning to change, he was starting to look like everyone else.

“Please, don’t fight me! The armor and weapons have made you crazy! Please, take them off.” She pleaded, but to no avail. A melee erupted and soon the two were exchanging steel. Traudl’s strength held, but her heart began to fail her. She couldn’t bring herself to harm Ziphar, until at last his blade evaded her shield and pierced her side through a weak part in the armor.

Immediately the blade began to glow blue, as did the rest of Ziphar’s armor. He withdrew the blade and fell back trembling. Traudl fell flat on her backside, grasping at her wound. She looked down and saw blood trickling from the small cut. She rose to her feet and stood before Ziphar again. Right before her eyes, his face returned to normal.

He continued to shake and tremble until at last a bright light emanated from him and temporarily blinded both Traudl and Mozebarr, who was watching this strange turn of events in horror.

Ziphar fell to his knees, dropping both his sword and shield. He looked at his hands for a few moments then turned to Traudl.

“Traudl, what have I done? How could I have attacked you? What madness came over me?”

Traudl walked over and helped Ziphar stand up. “It was the Fiend’s evil enchantment, but I think it’s broken now.”

“How?” a whispered voice mumbled from behind the two. Traudl turned to see Mozebarr was staring at her, visibly shaken. “The curse on that armor and sword has been broken by the spillage of your blood. How could I have not foreseen this? All around you, child, there is a light my sight cannot pierce. Into your past my mind delves, but into your heart I am blind. In a century of my rule, I have never known such fear as I have now.”

Mozebarr slowly rose again from his throne and walked over to where the six slain soldiers lay. He waved his hands in the air and they all stood again, healed and prepared to fight.

In the meantime Ziphar picked up his sword and shield and stood beside Traudl. “I feel as if I’ve been awoken from one nightmare and then fallen into another. Though in this one I find hope. Let this be the end, Traudl. We fight together now, not for glory, not for reward, but for peace and to end the nightmare.”

Traudl smiled and the two walked over toward the Fiend and his resurrected army.

“It is my uncertainty that makes me fear you, elf. Now my fear has blinded me all over and I can no longer see beyond the moment. This ends only with your destruction!”

Suddenly, the six warriors, along with Mozebarr, were taken in a mighty whirlwind and brought over the throne in the middle of the room. They spun there for a few moments, before a flash of light emanated from the center of the whirlwind. The two heroes averted their eyes from the brightness. When the light fell away there was a mighty seven headed dragon standing in the middle of the throne room.

Traudl drew out a healing potion and drank it, to rid her of any wounds she received during the previous battle. As she looked over she could see a look of worry on Ziphar’s face. He turned to meet her gaze.

“Are you afraid, Traudl?”

She shook her head and smiled, “No.”

Ziphar gave a quick glance at the seven headed beast then turned back to Traudl. “Why aren’t you afraid?” He said, as he started breathing heavily.

“Because; I’m not alone.”

Art credit for the featured image to the Dragon Quest game series. The image credits Akira Toriyama, but you can never believe what you read on the internet. I sourced it from HERE.