Legends of Archazia

[The Green Fox]

In the land of Archazia, where stones are powerful, and good and evil are locked in an eternal struggle, there lived a young shaggy haired boy named Zalbek. He lived in a small log cabin within Warship Woods, with his parents, Faldizeek and Maltoola. Faldizeek, Zalbek's father, was a silversmith, and weapon crafter, he designed weapons, so the townspeople could defend themselves against monsters. Maltoola, Zalbek's mother, was a good sorceress who assigned magical attributes to the weapons that Faldizeek crafted. She was considered unusual, as Archazia was a world that had very little magic in it. One cold winter night, Faldizeek had just whipped out a beautiful axe, and was hoping to use it to chop down some trees and get firewood to his family. Maltoola took the axe into her secret lair and conducted a ritual to make sure the axe was swift and powerful. Then without further delay, Maltoola handed it to her husband and wished him luck, as he set out into the cold winter night. Two hours later, Zalbek was in the middle of a deep sleep, dreaming about dragons and sacred gems, when suddenly he heard a loud noise. It was a hailstorm, but Zalbek was still dreaming.

"THE DRAGON!!! He's here! He's causing our own roof to cave in on us! Am I the only one aware of this?" shouted Zalbek. Maltoola, who was used to these monologues, reminded Zalbek that he

was dreaming.

"Dragons aren't real honey. You're dreaming, that was just hail!" said Maltoola, firmly. "Your father is out collecting firewood, so we can stay warm

throughout the winter! I just hope he doesn't run into any firewood monsters!" Zalbek finally woke up.

"Firewood monsters! Ha! Dragons aren't real, but firewood monsters sure are. Truth is, dragons ARE real, and

you're just shielding me from the dangers of the outside world, because you know firewood monsters are easier to defeat than

dragons!" stated Zalbek.

"Well, okay, they are real. When I think you're responsible enough to deal with dragons, I'll give you a sword for your birthday!" said Maltoola, grimmacing at the

sheer thought of Zalbek wielding a sword.

"I am 16 years old! The only monsters I've ever killed are firewood monsters!" said Zalbek. "All the other kids my age brag to me about all the dragons they've slayed, tamed, and/or

ridden on. And why do I keep dreaming about dragons? I think I have prophetic powers! I think the dragons want me! I need to tame one,

and ride one!" said Zalbek.

"Okay then, Mr. I want to be ride dragons, anyway I'm worried about your father. He should have been back two hours ago!" said Maltoola looking up at the clock. The growls, and

howls of the dark, evil, and quite vociferous creatures of the night could be heard as plain as day. Ravenous and

savage ogres were beating on the windowpanes, and coyotes were running rampant, dining on the flesh of the purple people eaters.

"How old was my father when he was given his first sword?" asked Zalbek in an inquisitive tone. Maltoola stared into space for a while, then turned to see

her frustrated son.

"Well....how do I put this....he was five. I just don't think you're quite ready yet Zalbek!" said Maltoola. Zalbek sighed, and went back to sleep. Another two

hours passed. Zalbek's father had not yet returned. Zalbek himself, was still muttering in his sleep.

"I have the sacred gem of JahoozleGat! I have it Mama! The dragons gave it to me! I know I do!" he said. Doubtful, skeptical, and foolish, but well meaning Matoola once again tried to remind her son that he

was dreaming. Zalbek began screaming. But then, as she was trying to calm him down, a tiny green gem fell out of his shirt pocket. Maltoola picked it up, and then looked at the clock,

then back at her son. She now realized that something had to be done. Her husband had not returned. She had physical evidence that her son was a prophesized

hero.

"Wake up Zalbek!!! We're going to go look for your father, and you're going to have to protect me!" said Maltoola. Zalbek woke up, and dashed into his mother's secret lair, and

pulled out a freshly enchanted sword.

"That's right. I'll protect you with THIS! Come on, let's go!" said Zalbek. He dashed out the door, his mother following, and the two of them began marching through the

woods in hopes of finding their beloved Faldizeek. As they ventured down the paths of seemingly no return, the voices of the evil monsters could be heard more

and more clearly. Every living thing in the woods was ready for dinner. They finally came to a dead end, near some bushes and wilting roses as red as elf

blood. When it finally seemed like all hope had been lost, suddenly they heard some rustling in the leaves.

"I wonder what that noise is!" shouted Zalbek. Three seconds after Zalbek spoke, Faldizeek could be seen running from a giant 9 foot tall ogre. The ogre

was demanding a game of shuffleboard, but Faldizeek thought the ogre wanted to eat him.

"WOW!!!! That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen Mama!" said Zalbek. The ogre stopped chasing Faldizeek, who was sitting behind a tall Evergreen tree, shiverring with

fright. Zalbek walked right up to the ogre. The ogre looked down at Zalbek.

"Uhhhh.....who's yer daddy?" asked the ogre. Zalbek pointed to the frightened man behind the tree.

"OHHHH....he no play shuffleboard with me. He also try to steal wood from me. Me eat trees. Me no want dat guy

to steal my trees! You related to dat jerk? Me crush you!" said the ogre. Right before the ogre layed his foot down, Zalbek pulled out his sword and gave

the ogre's big stinky foot a taste of it. The ogre ran off into the woods crying with pain, then Zalbek rushed over to see his frightened and bewildered father.

"The monster's gone now. I saved you!" said Zalbek. Faldizeek realized this was true, after scanning every nook and cranny of the woods.

"Thank you Zalbek. How did you do it?" asked Faldizeek.

"I did it with this sword!" said Zalbek showing off the shimmering green tinted sword.

"Does Mama Maltoola know you ventured out into the wild blue yonder in search of me?" asked Faldizeek, in a demanding tone.

"Umm...yeah, she watched the whole entire thing, she was right here with me!". "HEY MAMA!" shouted Zalbek. Maltoola came running to see her family, her feet crawling with leeches.

"Excellent work Zalbek. I must admit, I misjudged you! I can't wait to tell your father about the gem that appeared inside your pocket!" said Maltoola.

to be continued in next chapter.

[The Green Fox]

Maltoola told Faldizeek all about Zalbek's strange experiences in his dreams, and of the gem that physically manifested in his pocket. Faldizeek came to a conclusion.

"Zalbek is just like me when I was his age. I had strange things manifest in my pocket when I was 16. Yes, it is a sign from the dragons! It means that

Zalbek is becoming a responsible young man who can fend for himself....with our added support!" said Faldizeek. With that, Faldizeek made a proposition.

"I'm running out of material to make weapons. Why don't you take these coins, and go into DwimbleDwuzz Village, it's just two blocks from here. Buy us some iron, some silver,

and some mythril!" said Faldizeek. Zalbek hesitantly agreed, and set off for the village. He took the strange green gem with him, and it began glowing when he came nearer to the village. It suddenly became hot, glowing red, and painful to hold. Zalbek told it to "chill out" and then he put it in his pocket. The village was bustling with activity. There were merchants who came all the way from the Sploot Kingdom to sell goods, even the chickens were doing barter and trade with each other, and the economy was thriving with activity. As he reached a three way intersection in Town Square, Zalbek's gem began to glow again, and felt as hot as magma.Zalbek once again commanded it to "chill out" and it did so, respectively, looking up at his owner Zalbek with a look of approbation. He began to wonder why the gemwas behaving strangely. He sensed that it was because a great evil was nearbye. He knew that dragons would breathe fire if they sensed something they believed to be evil, hence the stone became red and hot and glowed when evil was near. The gem was given to him by dragons, hence the burning sensations. He suddenly felt as if

he wasn't in the same town anymore, almost as if he had been transported to another dimension. He saw that the weapons store, and the weapon crafter's store, had

both been replaced by fortresses with vines growing on them. The old village cathedral had been re-designed from top to bottom, and it gave off strange vibes. Zalbek decided to enter the cathedral, to see if the

people there could banish the evils that had fallen upon the town. But when he entered, something felt different about the building, he could tell it was not the peaceful place it used to be when he entered, and could hear strange chanting. As he went further in, it appeared he was in a church. But it was not a regular church. Zalbek witnessed a strange event taking place. A pile of weapons were being placed near an altar by strange cloaked headless figures. Some of the figures had unusual pencil-thin bodies. The cloaked figures began stomping on the weapons. He then heard a voice cursing and shouting obscenities at the weapons. There was a congregation cheering for the destruction of the swords, shields, and arrows. One cloaked figure standing next to the pulpit, who was destroying the weapons, was holding a human skull covered in blood, and he began shouting.

"These are useless! Utterly useless! Good thing we don't live in this world of mere third-dimensional mortals!" shouted the cloaked creature. Zalbek was scared, and wondered what he was talking about. Zalbek pulled his old green cloak that he got for his 15th birthday, in order to disguise his true identity. He then took a seat in the back pew. The cloaked creature continued to ramble on and on for hours,

but most of it was in a different language he didn't understand. When the cloaked creature was finished speaking, he began shaking hands with people in the audience. When Zalbek got up out

of his seat to shake the strange creature's hands, his green cloak fell off, revealing a mortal human boy. The cloaked creature was shocked, but did not look as if he had hostile

intent. He gave Zalbek a good stare, then took off his cloak, and revealed himself to be a tall lizard-like being.

"A human, I see. My name is Vale. What are you doing here?" inquired the lizard creature. Zalbek was quick to respond.

"Yesterday, this was a weapon's shop. I came here to buy weapons. Now it's some weird church type place. Why is that?" asked Zalbek.

"This temple....a weapon store you say? I've never heard such words. Weapons? No no, we do our battles with magic. You pitiful humans must never learn it, it would not be good for you. Besides, are you really a human? I've never seen a human in this land before!" said Vale. "And what in blazes is that glowing sparkly thing in your pocket?" Zalbek reached into his pocket, and pulled out the shiny red gemstone.

"It's umm...a magical artifact bestowed upon me by dragons!" said Zalbek.

"Reaallly....humans from the third dimension are not supposed to know about such things!!! May I see this artifact?" asked Vale.

"No, you may not!" replied Zalbek. "This is mine, and the dragons gave it to me!". Vale laughed, and folded his arms, looking down at Zalbek as if he were an insugnificant rodent.

"Do I look like a stranger to the dragons? Am I not reptillian? I serve a dragon myself, why would I have any problem with this artifact!" said Vale.

"Well, it doesn't like you!" said Zalbek.

"Oh really? It's alive? MY, what kind of interdimensional fluke would have to occur to allow something like that to enter your dimension of mortals. So, dear boy, how

can you tell it doesn't like me?" asked Vale.

"It's glowing and, well, hmm, ouch, err, I have an idea. I guess I'll just give it to you!!!" said Zalbek, handing over the glowing red gem that was burning, and painful to hold. A wicked smile beamed from Vale. He violently relinquished the stone from Zalbek's grasp and clutched it with his scaly hands. Instantly, he felt a burning sensation, and had to let go of it, because it felt so painful to hold.

"AAAAAAUGH! You fiend!!! The only way something like this, or someone like you, could have slipped into our dimension, is if some force in your dimension is declaring war on us! I, being the leader

of this group, herebye order my colleagues to seize you and put you in shackles!!!! YOU HEAR THAT, FELLOW SORCERORS? SEIZE THE STRANGE KID!" commanded Vale. The entire crowd

of savage cloaked sorcerors began chasing Zalbek out of the building. Zalbek picked up his gem on the way out, and began clutching it as hard as he could. He heard a voice yelling at him;

"I will disable that stone's ability to give off such powerful painful heat! And I shall steal it from you no matter how hard you clutch it!" said the voice. Zalbek continued to clutch it regardless of those words, and

he began pretending that he was dreaming, that he was actually nestled in the shade, under a tree, near a beautiful lake out in the middle of the woods. He closed his eyes, as he ran furiously away

from the pack of evil sorcerors. He continued running harder, and further, as fast as his feet could carry him. He also began using his mind's eye to visualize the image he had thought of

in his head, spreading out before him. He found that his mind and the powers of the gem were working in sync. Suddenly, the cloaked creatures chasing him faded away. The ground faded away. Zalbek found himself underneath an oak tree, feeling very tired and disoriented. He reached into his pocket, and low and behold, his little green rock was gone.

[The Green Fox]

Chapter 3: The Lake, the Cave, and the Geologist

    Zalbek could not believe that his gemstone had disappeared. His only guess was that he must have been clutching it so tightly that it fell out of his hands right at the last

moment of being transported to the area near the lake. Zalbek began fearing that the red stone was now in the hands of the sorcerors who were chasing him out

of the temple. He had no idea where he was, or how he ended up there. He assumed that it was due to the incredible power of the gem. However, after getting up off the ground

and onto his feet, he had the distinct impression that he was not alone. He then began to hear a high-pitched voice shout out his name.

    "I'm drowning! I'm part of your future!" cried the voice.  "Don't lose me!". Zalbek had the distinct impression the voice was female. He felt a strange connection to the voice. He had the distinct impression it was something phantom, and as he tried to find the source, he couldn't find anyone. He began to enter a state of panic, looking everywhere for the source of the voice. He surveyed the entire lake, and couldn't see anyone

drowning. He hit his head against a tree in the process and was knocked unconcious. After a few minutes, he began to regain conciousness. When he finally woke up, he saw a young boy his age with blue hair looking down at him.

    "Hey, are you the wielder of the stone? Stones have power you know!" said the boy with blue hair.

    "I know they do. I think that's how I ended up here. But umm, who the heck are you? Did you hear the voice?" asked Zalbek. The boy with blue hair looked puzzled.

    "What voice?" he asked. "I didn't hear any voice. I wanted to know if you're the wielder of the stone spoken of in ancient legends of Archazia. My name is Alex, by the way, I come from the outskirts of  Dwimble City, and I'm friends with a geologist here who likes to study rocks. ROCKS, haha! She's very skeptical about their magical properties, however!" said Alex.

    "What's her name? And why did you laugh like that after talking about rocks?" asked Zalbek with a smirk on his face.

    "I'm just kinda insane that way, I guess. The geologist? Her name is Rosa Rockslore. She studies rocks. Me? I'm an ice mage, I study ice magic. Rosa has currently set up house in that cave over there!" said Alex pointing to a cave located conveniently right next to the lake. "But uhh, anyway, so you think the power of a stone actually brought you to this area? Was it an amethist stone? I feel those have tremendous power! Anyway, you think a powerful stone warped you here?" asked Alex.

    "The last thing I can remember is I was being chased by a tall reptillian being!" said Zalbek.

    "Whoa whoa whoa, let's not ride the crazy express, cuz that's a road I've already been down long ago!" replied Alex. "And what's this about a voice?"

    "I heard a female voice calling out to me for help!" said Zalbek.

    "Uh oh! I'd better make sure Rosa Rockslore is okay. I've gotta go into the cave to make sure!" said Alex.

    "She really lives in a cave? Hey, let me tag along with you!" said Zalbek. Zalbek tagged behind Alex, and they entered a beautiful cave hollowed out in limestone. They walked down a narrow passageway

leading to a red door. Alex knocked on the red door three times, pausing four seconds in-between every knock.

    "Why did you pause four times in-between each knock?" asked Zalbek.

    "So Miss Rosa knows it's me! She's been known to hit people over the head with giant rocks if she considers them strangers or intruders!" explained Alex.

    "Oh. She sounds like a nice lady!" said Zalbek in a sarcastic tone.

    "Rosa dearest, it's me, your boyfriend!!!" said Alex. Alex was not Rosa's boyfriend, and he said this frequently when knocking on the door, simply to annoy Rosa. A short nerdy looking girl with orange glasses, purple dreadlocks, and a disgruntled egotistical "I know everything" disposition answered the door, hesitantly.

    "What do you want now Alex?" asked Rosa. "And who's that shaggy haired runt with you?"

    "Rosa dearest, meet Zalbeak. Isn't that your name, Zalbeak?" asked Alex.

    "NO! It's ZALBEK!" exclaimed Zalbeck angrily.

    "I don't think I want to know who your oddball friend is!" protested Rosa. "He looks like some kind of renegade emo freak, just like you!"

    "You don't know who he is? You were screaming for his assistance just a few hours ago!" said Alex jokingly.

    "WHAT????? Have you completely lost your mind?" shrieked a confused Rosa Rockslore. Alex laughed.

    "This kid, right here, Zalbeak, ahem, I mean Zalbeck, he's a wanderer, a magical, mystical wanderer from another dimension!" said Alex.

    "I'm from Archazia, I live in Warship Woods, I'm NOT from another dimension!" protested Zalbek.

    "Okay, well, I'll put it this way, he possesses a stone he thinks is magical, and he wants you to put your geologist skills to the test and analyze the stone!" said Alex.

    "Actually, Alex, I don't have that stone anymore!" declared Zalbek. "It faded out of my hands as I shifted in-between realms!" After hearing this, Rosa feared she was on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown.

    "MYSTICAL THINGS! They hurt my brain!" shrieked Rosa in desperation. She put her hands over her ears and hid under the bed, her whole entire body and being shaking and twitching nervously.

    "You mentioned being chased by a being. Perhaps that being possesses the stone you were telling me about?" asked Alex.

    "I certainly hope not! I think that being was evil!" said Zalbek.

    "Well, now that I know you don't have this alleged "magic rock" anymore, and since Rosa wasn't the one calling for help, and since you tell me all this talk of stones and evil beings and beautiful female voices, I'm starting to think you might just be a crazy person, like I am! You even hear and see things that aren't really there, just like I do! You know what? You're alright, kid! I think this is the beginning of a fantastic friendship! Our next stop...a place where all your questions about stones and beings and voices can be answered......Morgan's Lair of Meditation!"

    "Uhh, okay! Thanks for trying to help me!" said Zalbek. Alex glanced at Zalbek and smirked.

    "No problem, bro!" said Alex. Alex and Zalbek left Rosa's cave, and headed for the woods, in search of adventure.

[The Green Fox]

Zalbek and Alex bravely ventured towards a large forest near the lake. They entered the forest, and found a sign that read "Mystical Morgan's Lair of Meditation!". Next to the sign was a large hollow withered tree.

Alex told Zalbek they needed to enter the tree. So they did exactly that.  Upon entering the tree, they saw a rectangular elven table, and bookshelves with various books about magic; above them were cabinets.  On top of the wooden counters were bottles of herbs and other various assortments of wooden tools. They also saw a magic wand, treasure chests made of peanut brittle, and a quill pen.

    "Who is Mystical Morgan?" asked Zalbek.

    "She's an etherial pixie from the heavens, who helps us discover our true potential!" explained Alex.

    "Oh, I guess that explains it!" said Zalbek.

    "Morgan, we need you, fair maiden!" shouted Alex. A slim and beautiful etherial female figure came floating down mysteriously from the ceiling, or perhaps from nowhere, it was somewhat unclear.

    "What is it that you seek, Alex? Another back rub?" asked the mysterious figure, who presumably, was Morgan.

    "Umm..no, actually, Zalbek here, is the one who needs help, but not a back rub! He needs you to help him enter a meditative state so he can figure out where he misplaced his magical stone!" explained Alex.

    "Yeah, I kinda wanted to figure out where my magic stone was!" said Zalbek. The figure began to speak.

    "I am Morgan, and I will help you find your stone. Close your eyes, and clear away all blockages!" said Morgan.

    "Blockages, that isn't even a word!" protested Zalbek. Morgan ignored Zalbek's comment and continued.

    "Visualize where you last were when you possessed the stone!" she commanded. Zalbek began visualizing. Suddenly, after several minutes, he saw that the stone was now in the hands of the evil reptillian being!!!

    "How do I get the stone back from the evil one?" asked Zalbek.

    "The stone is pure and good, therefore it will cancel out the intentions of the evil one! It has already  him!" said Morgan.

    "How?" asked Zalbek.

    "It became its true form! Well, err, the stone was inhabited by a dragon. Your stone....is not inhabited by a dragon anymore, but the dragon has your stone, and said dragon is residing in these woods, somewhere, nestled under a tree hmm, yes. Yes, I foresee that you will find him in these woods! Go now, and find him, brave prophecized hero! Remember, your dragon, his name is Dhilgazhor!" said Morgan.

    "Anything else you need to tell me?" asked Zalbek in an inquisitive tone.

    "Ahh, I see that there are other evil ones. They have very interesting intentions!" said Morgan.

    "What are the intentions of the evil ones?" asked Zalbek.

    "They want to keep the people of this dimension in the dark! They do not want us to know about magic things, or our own inner powers, they want to suppress us and keep us lost! It was a divine reason that

that stone ended up in your hands, Zalbek, brave boy! You are the true hero who will save Archazia!" exclaimed Morgan.

    "What about the voice I heard near the lake? The female voice calling for help, who was that?" asked Zalbek.

    "It's coming to me...I'm learning something about this voice you describe!" said Morgan.

    "Really? What are you discovering?" asked Zalbek.

    "The voice you heard....was definately not Alex!" said Morgan.

    "UGH! I think I guessed that! NOW PLEASE TELL ME, who is it?" asked Zalbek.

    "I see a girl, in trouble! She is a princess! Her name is Gwindle. You are destined to marry her someday! The evil force that is pervading this land got ahold of her somehow!" explained Morgan.

    "Oh my gosh, I have to find her!" said Zalbek. Morgan laughed.

    "First things first. You must find Dhilgazhor first!" said Morgan.

    "Okay, let's go find him!" said Zalbek. So Zalbek and Alex left to look for Dhilgazhor.

Chapter 5: Dhilgazhor

    Zalbek and Alex headed off into the woods. It didn't take long before they stumbled upon a sleepy, malnourished, large green dragon lying underneath an oak tree.

    "Are you.....Dhilghazhor?" asked Zalbek, tapping the large dragon on his scaly back. The dragon roared a thunderous roar as he awoke from his slumber.

    "Mumble mumble, grumble grumble, I am the oldest and wisest dragon in the land, mumble mumble!" said Dhilgazhor, in his sleep state.

    "Yes, but are you Dhilgazhor?" asked Zalbek.

    "Yes, indeed, I am Dhilgazhor, the mighty! Mumble mumble!" replied Dhilgazhor in a slightly more gruff tone.

    "Are you really?" asked Zalbek.

    "Yes, I would love to caress your beautiful silky soft silver scales, Mary, my dear sweet woman!" mumbled Dhilgazhor. Zalbek looked disturbed and confused.

    "Are you dreaming about one of your old flames?" asked Zalbek.

    "I'm a dragon, all dragons have flames!" responded Dhilgazhor.

    "Okay, whatever, anyway, I just want to know if you're the MIGHTIEST stongest dragon in the land!" said Zalbek foolishly. 

    "Dhilgazhor's a mighty one, dragons, strongest lands, fierce mumbles in the dead of night, brave warriors, without a heat lamp, err, fair maidens, and vegetables wrapped in tree sap!" mumbled Dhilgazhor.

    "I don't want you to mumble nonsense! I want to know if you're Dhilgazhor, the strongest and toughest dragon of them all who kicks lotsa butt!" said Zalbek.

    "YES, I AM! YES I AM! I AM DHILGAZHOR! I AM THE STRONGEST DRAGON IN ALL THE LAND! ROAAAR!" shouted Dhilghazhor, spewing forth his legendary regal flame breath.  His flames set Alex's ice cape on fire.

    "MY CAPE! FIRE! FIRE! IT BITES! IT BURNS, and worst of all, it BURRRRNS!" yelped out Alex, as he began running around in circles in a frenzy. Dhilgazhor simply laughed.

    "FOOLISH ONES who DARE wake up the great Dhilgazhor, let it be known, I am the banisher of all evil things, and for your insolence to my name, you will pay with your...oh wait a second, you're my friend...

Zalbek. You're...the keeper of the stone, which is the small pocket sized hand-held representation of myself! I'm so sorry, young one. Listen, Zalbek, brave young lad, I'm not really feeling myself. I used up most of

my magical energies to eliminate the dark sorceror who had gotten ahold of me!" explained Dhilgazhor.

    "AAAAAAAAAK! If you used up most of your energies on him, why'd you have to waste what little energy you had on me? I'm not evil!" shouted Alex. Dhilgazhor laughed.

    "Zalbek, I am YOUR personal guardian, and as your personal guardian I wanted to know, is this person your friend?" asked Dhilgazhor.

    "Yeah! You should probably save him before he's a barbecued burger!" said Zalbek.

    "Very well then. If he is your friend, then I shall restore him!" said Dhilgazhor. "Flames, be gone in the name of Tiamat!" he shouted. Within an instant, the fire on Alex's cape was extinguished, as if by magic.

    "Now I can't use ice magic anymore, way to go Dhilga dork!" said Alex. Dhilgazhor roared.

    "ROAR! Do not hurl such words in my name! I'm an old dragon, I've been on this earth for a long time, please do not insult me. I am actually a personal guardian to all who need me. When Zalbek no longer needs

me, I will seek the next keeper of the stone. You may get the chance to be the next keeper of the stone, if you stop using my name in vain! I am a guardian to all who accept me!" said Dhilgazhor.

    "I'm sorry Dhilgazhor. I didn't know you were so...umm....holy and old, and whatnot!" said Alex.

    "Well, ahem, I forgive you, as I am actually a warm, sensitive, tolerant, and calm dragon, I'm just somewhat in somewhat of a dilemna, if that makes any sense! Wait, mumble mumble, that doesn't make sense! Okay, let's put it err, umm, this way, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, if you will!" said Dhilgazhor.

    "What exactly do you mean by that?" asked Zalbek.

    "Well, young one, sometimes it's hard, to be a dragon! I'm somewhat frail and old, and I used up my last remaining powers in that temper tantrum. Now I don't even have the power to inhabit the stone, anymore,

which by the way is stuck in one of my nostrils!" revealed Dhilgazhor.

    "THE STONE....that you used to inhabit is stuck in one of your nostrils?" asked Zalbek. He was once again disturbed, and confused.

    "Do it! Say something to make me angry!" said Dhilgazhor. Clever little Zalbek came up with a perfect strategy to anger Dhilgazhor.

    "I don't want to make you angry! I like you!" said Zalbek. Dhilgazhor made several thundery grumbles.

    "You will do as I wish. You will make me angry! You will say something to make me angry! This I swear! I repeat, you WILL say something to make me angry!" said Dhilgazhor.

    "No, I won't!" said Zalbek. Zalbek's refusal to say something aggrivating, actually began to make Dhilgazhor more angry than ever. So angry, in fact, that he spewed out fire from his nostrils, and the rock

came out with it!

    "Well, you succeeded in making me angry, and now the stone is free from my snout! However, I have exhausted all my energy, and I can no longer inhabit that stone!" said Dhilgazhor, with a sigh.

    "Is there any way I could get you your powers back?" asked Zalbek, as he placed his newly recovered stone back in his pocket where it belonged.

    "Yes, there is. Behind the gate to the old cathedral in Town Square, there is a flow of magical energy that comes in specifically to assist dragons, or those of reptillian kind! I used up all my energies saving that cathedral from evil lizard sorcerors who were invading it, dressed in strange cloaks. You see, not all of us dragons and reptile folk are good, some of us are bad. I destroyed all those evil monsters that were invading the sanctity of the cathedral, because I had to!" said Dhilgazhor, who almost seemed proud, despite having lost all his powers.

    "But in the process you lost all your magic energy?" asked Zalbek.

    "I wouldn't have used ALL of it up, had I not erected a fiery barrier that can only be extinguished with....hmm...mumble mumble, ICE magic!" declared Dhilgazhor. Alex looked frustrated.

    "DARN YOU DORKAZHOR!!!!!!!! I'm an ice mage! This could all be solved right now, if you hadn't reduced my ice cape to ashes!" said Alex.

    "Hmm, well, you have a point. But keep in mind, my nap was disturbed!" said Dhilgazhor

    "Oh, heh, your nap was disturbed, yeah sure. So I guess that gives you the right to have a psychotic fit?" asked Alex.

    "I did not mean to be a burden. Maybe I'm not the greatest dragon of them all. I love all of Archazia's people. I did not mean to dissapoint them! If I'm not wanted, then perhaps I should just be

killed!" said Dhilgazhor, as he began to shed a tear.  "Go ahead, stick a spear through my old useless frail body. I'm no good anymore anyway! I'll return to Draco!".

    "Umm...you're kinda overeacting. I'm pretty sure I can get a new ice cape, somehow!" said Alex.

    "You and I have both lost our powers, Alex. We have something in common. Please, let us be friends. I forgive you, please forgive me!" said Dhilgazhor.

    "How did you know my name was Alex?" asked Alex.

    "I know the names of all of you folks. I am a personal deity! Anyhow, please forgive me, young one known as Alex" said Dhilgazhor. Alex forgave Dhilgazhor for his tantums, and he and

Zalbek raced to Dwimble Town.

[The Green Fox]

"I have to be honest, there are things that are troubling me that I cannot talk to you about!" said Dhilgazhor, as he, Zalbek, and Alex were strolling through Dwimble Town.

"Please, Dhilgazhor, you can tell me and Alex anything, you have to know that!" said Zalbek, trailing diligently behind Dhilgazhor.

"Ok, I suppose I should just spill the beans. My most recent owner, before Zalbek came along, well, that person happened to be a lady, and that lady was very good to me, and now I've lost her!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Man, I know what that's like. I've had like....so many girlfriends and relationships, that I can't even count!" said Alex, trying desperately to think of one relationship he had been in.

"Oh, well, she wasn't that kind of significant other, as I only date dragon females, because if I were to marry a human, well, human females cannot......lay dragon eggs, among many other reasons that I shall not go into!" said Dhilgazhor.

"This conversation is gross! It's bothering me!" said Zalbek. Dhilgazhor chuckled, then sighed.

"This lady that I used to belong to, she was a princess, her name was Gwindle!" said Dhilgazhor.

"GWINDLE! I know that name! I heard her calling to me for help!" said Zalbek.

"Hmm, well, she is definately in need of help! She has not been kidnapped, as you might have thought, considering she is a princess, but rather, she is demon-possessed, and doesn't realize it. She acts confused

as to why I abandoned her in favor of you, Zalbek, but at the same time, she began beating me with a ball and chain and abusing me, and locking me in a cage and depriving me of food!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Ooh, I have an idea. Ask Mystical Morgan to help you! That's what I always do!" said Alex.

"You and Mystical Morgan, up in a tree!" said Zalbek. Zalbek kicked Alex in a jovial siblingish manner.

"OW! Watch it, punk! She's just...a spiritual advisor, that's all!" said Alex. Dhilgazhor continued to grumble.

"I have entrusted you, as the keeper of the stone, Zalbek, to help me, as well as this land known as Archazia. Princess Gwindle is currently a madwoman on the loose! She could be here wandering the streets

of this town, as we speak!" said Dhilgazhor.

"A demon possessed princess that used to be good is running through the streets, what next!" groaned Alex.

"Well, I was going to say, that she is not always mean. She goes through these phases of sorts, that can last from 5 seconds to 4 minutes to 24 hours!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Kind of like my ex-girlfriend!" said Alex.

"Exactly. What? Say, Alex, I think Mystical Morgan could possibly help you get your ice powers back. Why don't you go back into the woods and see if she can help you regain your powers

through a meditation excersize, hmm?" asked Dhilgazhor.

"Yeah, that sounds like a cool idea!" said Alex, as he abandoned the party.

"Why don't you go with him to Morgan's house? She might be able to help you get your powers back too, with her mysterious mysticalness!" said Zalbek.

"No, that would be such a corny way to end the story, the author of this tale is not THAT dumb, lazy, or at loss for ideas! Besides, err umm, I do believe that, err, mumble mumble, the only way a guardian dragon can regain his powers, is if he knows that the person he is guarding is loyal to him, and trusts him!" said Dhilgazhor. Zalbek proceeded to give Dhilgazhor a hug, then he told him how important he was to him.

"That's ma boa, Zalbek!" said Dhilgazhor. Dhilgazhor did not look as if his power had been completely restored. He was jotting down notes on a piece of paper. He began to speak. "Now I need you umm, err, mumble mumble, to recite this err, poem of power restoration, Zalbek!" said Dhilgazhor. Zalbek recited the following poem:

"Old Mr. Dragon, your powers shall return! With the power of the heavenly hosts, you so soon will fly the skies, and you'll see things you wish to burn!

Oh, Mr. Dragon how elegant your wings, you shall use them to fly so very high, and see so many different things!

Because, great Mr. Dragon, your powers rival that of kings!!!!" But Dhilgazhor's powers still did not fully return.

Several minutes later....

"I JUST REMEMBERED! Of course my powers can't be restored quite yet!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Why not?" asked Zalbek.

"We need to open the gate to the cathedral with ice magic!" said Dhilgazhor. Zalbek put his hands on his face in frustration.

"And we can't do that until Alex comes back from Morgan's house and has his ice powers restored!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Yeah, and that could take....like...eons!" said Zalbek.

"No, it won't take long at all, because the author was luckily too lazy to finish the rest of this chapter!" said Dhilgazhor. So sure enough, Alex came running by, with a brand new ice cape.

"Hi guys! Let's storm that cathedral and get Dhilga Dork's fire powers back!" said Alex. So Zalbek and Alex followed Dhilgazor, to the cathedral. When they got there, they did their thing, opened the gate,

and Dhilgazhor got a taste of that sweet sweet dragon power. But just as they were heading out of the cathedral, they came face to face with Princess Gwindle.

"You and Alex stand back, while I have a talk with the princess!" said Dhilgazhor.

Chapter 7: The Many Guardians of Princess Gwindle

Princess Gwindle was thrilled to see Dhilgazhor, she raced up to him, embraced him, and kissed him.

"Oh, Dhilgy, please be my guardian again! I'll do anything for you!" said Gwindle. Dhilgazhor backed away from Gwindle's grasp, as Gwindle struggled to keep clinging to him.

"I won't be your guardian again, until you reject the dark spirit that has overtaken you!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Ugh, Dhilgy, what are you talking about? You're completely insane if you think that!!" said Gwindle.

"Don't question my words, I can see it in your eyes. And if I have to, I will destroy that evil spirit myself, just as I destroyed its cloaked minions! Interesting you're drawn to this cathedral, as I recently cleansed it of all its impurities, and now you're polluting it again with this demon inside of you! This evil demon!" said Dhilgazhor.

"Evil? Evil is just a concept! You're still stuck in duality! There is no right or wrong!" said Gwindle. Dhilgazhor roared a thunderous roar.

"SHOW THYSELF, DEMON!!! SHOW THYSELF! And if you will not show yourself, then I demand that the many guardians of Princess Gwindle remove the hold that this demon

has on this poor princess!" commanded Dhilgazhor with authority.

"Dhilgazhor, you fiend! Now I must kill you!" said Gwindle, her eyes red with hate, grabbing a sharp knife off of the ground and racing towards Dhilgazhor. But suddenly, invisible etherial forces pushed Gwindle to the ground. Gwindle heard voices that sounded haunting, like ghosts.

"Princess Gwindle, we are your guardian angels. We regret to inform you, that you have a demon inside of you, posing as a guardian angel from a higher dimension! This demon is the very

source of the evil that has taken over Archazia, and it must be removed and killed, for the future of this world!" stated the voices. Princess Gwindle then felt a tug, and something left her body. She was lost and

disoriented.

[The Green Fox]

"Where am I? What's going on?" asked Princess Gwindel. Dhilgazhor was quick to answer.

    "You are in Dwimble Town cathedral. You are the princess of Archazia. You were possessed by a demon, but he's left your body now! Everything should be fine now!" said Dhilgazhor. Gwindle embraced Dhilgazhor.

    "I love you Gwindle, I'll never let anything bad happen to you again. Sadly, I can't be your guardian any more, because I had to move on to seek the next keeper of the stone. But I still love you, and will

watch over you nonetheless!" said Dhilgazhor, as he gently nuzzled Gwindle. But suddenly, Alex and Zalbek noticed the demon, although removed from the princess, was still alive, and visible, and was floating

around the cathedral. He looked like a cross between a genie, an alligator, and a frog with large black mosquito eyes, and bad face acne.

    "Attention, third dimensional mortals. My name is Mezbog, of the Grezlarian Imperial Command. You all have a choice. A choice to become one with me in the higher realms!" shouted the demon.

    "LIES! You are simply a demon that is infiltrating the higher realms! You are soooo evil! ROAAAAAAAARRR!" said Dhilgazhor angrily.

    "Me? Evil? No, I am not evil. Ahh, you lowly third dimensional mortals think you are so intelligent, don't you? You are all quite cute, and amusing. A demon is simply a concept. Lies are simply concepts. Right and wrong, ha! One in the same!" said the demon.

    "Using that logic, you could do anything, and not even be aware of it!" argued Dhilgazhor.

    "Ha! Are you suggesting that I am blind in what I do? Not in the least bit. I know full well what I do. I have simply attained a state of mind where I realize that nothing truly exists but a void of unfulfilled events

and processes! And I intend to fill that void, by helping everyone reach my state of mind, so we can all get beyond this silly little world!" said the demon.

    "If your goal was to help the people of Archazia advance to a higher state of mind, why did your forces want to confiscate my magical stone? And if you're not evil, then why did Gwindle try to kill Dhilgazhor

when you had control over her?" asked Zalbek.

    "A good question, especially from someone as young and ignorant as you! Ha! But of course, do not take those words personally, because young and ignorant are simply concepts, and they mean virtually

nothing! I can explain why Gwindle wanted to kill Dhilgazhor, I can explain it all in your terms, so you lower ones understand it better. Dhilgazhor does not really love Gwindle, nor does he love any of the ones

he protects. If he truly did, why does he always move on to seek a new keeper of the stone? Because Dhilgazhor is in fact, a demon who inhabits rocks! And stones themselves, are putrid little things, that harness

power that is too complex for you humans in your current state of evolution!  And it wasn't me that caused Gwindle to react that way and try to kill Dhilgazhor. Why, Gwindle was simply overcome

with emotions, which caused her to react out of raw anger. Why, in your terms, Gwindle, simply put, has a horrible temper problem. No wait, Gwindle is a horrible person!" said the demon.

    "I thought horrible was just a concept!" said Zalbek sarcastically.

    "Well, I was simply putting things in your lowly earthly terms so you would better understand me! Dumbing things down, so to speak. The real truth is, is that I govern all of you! Over time, I have gained allies all over the galaxy! But most people refuse to submit to me, including you fools! And so it is!" declared the demon with a look of pride. Fake angelic light began to radiate from him.

    "Okay okay, hold the phone for a second. What the heck are you talking about?" asked Alex.

    "Always asking questions. Submit to me and you won't have to ask any! Yes, the reason I wanted to ban weapons from this land was so that none of you could defend yourselves when I swarmed in

and took over. And the reason I wanted to ban magic from this land, is so that only an elect ruling elite can use it properly! Which is why I wanted to confiscate your stone, as it was magical!" stated the demon. Zalbek and Dhilgazhor were very angry at the demon. They devised a plan to stop him.

    "Alright, demon, I'm just going to call you that, cuz that's what you are whether you want to admit it or not, you dislike my magical stone, don't you?" asked Zalbek.

    "No, I do not dislike it. I simply think it is being misused. Only licensed Centi-C-1-8 professionals of the Grezlarian Command should use magic!" replied the demon. Zalbek almost laughed, but was too angry

to laugh.

    "Dhilgazhor, inhabit your stone!" commanded Zalbek. Dhilgazhor and his spirit entered and embodied the green stone. Suddenly, due to the fact evil was nearbye, the green stone turned red, and began to become very hot, and began to radiate red light.

    "Maybe if you feared me, you would respect me more!" stated the demon.

    "Fear and respect, they're just concepts aren't they?" said Zalbek. He backed up slowly, and then released the stone from his hand, and tossed it right at the demon.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shrieked the demon. "Fear is not just a concept, I admit it, you're correct. That stone is going to KILL MEEEE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" shrieked the demon. Within an instant after the fiery hot stone made contact with the demon, it shrivveled up, and exploded!!!! But it was not entirely vanquished. Minature Mezbogs began forming out of the ground, four of them to be exact. Dhilgazhor left the stone, and collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion. He had used up all his power again. But Zalbek ran swiftly all the way up to the alter, and grabbed one of the swords that hadn't been destroyed yet. It was a beautiful sword with a red ruby in its center.

    "You're running from us!" shrieked the four demons all at once. "You fear us!!! You fear us!!" they screamed.

    "On the contrary, you demons, fear me! The great warrior, ZALBEK!" shouted Zalbek. Zalbek swung his sword at two of the demons and took them out in one single blow. He did the same to the third one,

and killed that demon as well. But the last one remaining had one final trick up his sleeve. He walked up to Dhilgazhor, and inhabited him.

    "I AM KING MEZBOG!" shouted the final demon inhabiting Dhilgazhor's body. "Prepare to meet your doom!". So the demon spit fireballs at Zalbek, but Zalbek dodged them skillfully, and using his sword, he

deflected every last fireball right back at the Dhilga-Demon. Alex grabbed a sword of his own and joined in the fight, stabbing the possesed Dhilgazhor in the chest and neck areas, whilst Zalbek deflected all the

fireballs. Princess Gwindle shot magic kinetic psi-beams of light at the demon. Eventually, the demon inside Dhilgazhor shrivveled up and died. Dhilgazhor lay motionless in the center of the cathedral.

    "Is he...dead?" asked Zalbek. Alex felt his chest. There was no pulse.

    "Yes. Dhilgazhor is dead!" said Alex. "But let me try something!" Alex picked up a small prayer booklet on the ground. One of the prayers was a poem of sorts, about helping a dragon. It was the one

Zalbek had recited before.

          "Old Mr. Dragon, your powers shall return! With the power of the heavenly hosts, you so soon will fly the skies, and you'll see things you wish to burn!

        Oh, Mr. Dragon how elegant your wings, you shall use them to fly so very high, and see so many different things!

            Because, great Mr. Dragon, your powers rival that of kings!!!!"

A beam of light appeared and began casting itself down on Dhilgazhor. And Dhilgazhor could breathe, and his heart was beating again, as if by magic. And Dhilgazhor was alive again! And Zalbek and Alex

and Princess Gwindle embraced him!

    "You did it Zalbek! You saved the land of Archazia.....from me!" he jokingly said. And everyone laughed.

    "Mezbog was a demon posing as a higher being! That is why it is important we stay in touch with the good higher dimensional beings, through use of Archazia's precious stones!" explained Dhilgazhor.

    "Yeah, you're right!" said Zalbek.

    "Now we need to go to the royal castle of Archazia, and return the princess so she can be with her

father!" said Dhilgazhor. So they all got up and piled themselves onto Dhilgazhor's back, and flew off into the skies, hoping to reach the magical castle of Archazia. And reach it they did.

                                  Chapter 9: All is well again, and then some

  After Dhilgazhor and the gang finally reached the castle, they met the King of Archazia, Farlachoozia, who was delighted to be reunited with his daughter. After he learned it was Zalbek and Alex's brave efforts,

with some added help from Dhilgazhor, the king knighted all three of them. And the king assured Zalbek, that when he came of age, he could marry his daughter, if he desired to. After that, Zalbek said goodbye to

Princess Gwindle and Alex, and Dhilgazhor returned Zalbek back to his home, with his loving parents, in Warship Woods. Zalbek was returned back to his kitchen, unscathed.

    "What took you so long?" asked Faldizeek, Zalbek's father.

    "I had an adventure of sorts!" said Zalbek.

    "And you're even back in time for lunch!" said Maltoola, Zalbek's mother.

    "Really? That's amazing. I've been gone for what seemed like days to me!" said Zalbek. Faldizeek laughed.

    "Well, son, did you happen to scrounge up any materials for weapon crafting?" asked Faldizeek.

    "Oh. No, I didn't unfortunately!" replied Zalbek. But Zalbek suddenly felt a lot of weight in his backpack. Not the pastrami sandwich kind either. He felt heavy weaponry.

    "Forget the materials, I've got loads of new weapons for us to fight evil monsters with!" said Zalbek proudly with a huge grin on his face. Faldizeek and Maltoola stared in awe at the large array

of MAGICAL MYSTICAL weapons for destroying and vanquishing evil!!!!!! But they didn't need to use them for a long long time. And they all lived happily ever after, and had plenty of other adventures

as well. Read about them in The Legends of Archazia 2: Rise of the Doom Lords.

Epilogue:

One day, after all of those events, Zalbek went to see Dhilgazhor. But he was flying off into the sunset. And he left a note.

    "Gone to seek the next keeper of the stone!"

                                                        Love, Dhilgy

                                                                                            THE END

Note: There will be a total of six archazia stories. Only the first two and final stories focus on

Zalbek and Alex and their adventures, the others will feature completely different main characters.