Draconic Testament (39 page)

“It’s much too late and dangerous for that now.” Abaddon said. “With all that’s going on? No, too late.”
“I can’t just leave her.” Zaxxarius said.
“Sebastian.” Vander said. “Buddy. You can’t go back. Life is not fair, and trust me, this is going to be nothing compared to what’s going in store for you when you’re Overlord. I know you didn’t ask to be Overlord, but I know what you did want to be.” Vander said. “A hero. Remember when we were kids, watching dumb cartoons like Batman? You totally bought into the whole superhero thing back then. He was your role model! I know it was a bit of a joke, but in your heart, you did want to be a hero. To save people. Didn’t you? Simply by having an Overlord, you would save lives. You’d make lives better for people. Would Veronica want you to throw your life away when you have so many people to save? Think about that, man.” Zaxxarius looked away and thought about it. Would she? Or, perhaps it doesn’t come down to her. Perhaps it’s for the best, that this is some sick lesson he must learn. “What about Talia?” Zaxxarius asked.
“She’ll be fine.” Vander said. “She... she was going to move away, her family was taking her. She was going to come see you to say goodbye, but... yeah.”
“I see...” Zaxxarius said. “She said she’d start college. She has the qualifications for it... perhaps she’ll be fine.”
“And your mother should be fine too, yeah?” Vander asked. Zaxxarius said nothing. Vander didn’t know.
“Yeah... She’s probably resting peacefully right now...” He murmured. “But, I don’t have the slightest clue how to lead people.”
“Don’t worry.” Abaddon said, stepping forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll help you. I stood by Sancterus for the majority of my life, watching him lead.”
“Alright then...” Zaxxarius said. “It’ll take me a bit to get over it, but... Perhaps all that technology will help me get over it. Yaevinn should like that.”
Zaxxarius was led into the bathroom, only in his boxers. They had taken his clothes off to heal him, and inspect his body. He flushed with embarrassment when he had realised. He looked at himself in the mirror. “Going to cry?” He whispered to himself, touching the smooth skin of his face, and inspecting his canines. They were nowhere near as large and sharp as the Cazrians, but he looked like a vampire. The bathroom was... different. The sink was practically the same, and the toothbrush was designed with Cazrians in mind, but it worked on him better than his human one did. He inspected the toilet. Clean, and the same as a humans, only the flush took everything down. He wondered if he was going crazy, inspecting everything, but he had realised that his life was going to get a lot more comfortable, but harder. Then he got into the shower. He noticed there was no shower hose, just buds sticking out of the sides and ceiling. The door had to be shut tight to turn the shower on. He didn’t mess around with the dial, and turned the shower on. Water erupted and shot straight from the sides and the ceiling, smashing against his skin, but the water didn’t hurt all that much. He hardened his skin anyway, since it took him by surprise. The shower turned off automatically after about a minute. No sponge, no soup or anything. He got out, and dried up. He heard footsteps outside. “Lord Zaxxarius?” A female voice said. “I'm your maid. I have a selection of clothes here.”
“Alright, leave them outside.” Zaxxarius said.
“As you wish.” The maid said. When he heard her leave, he left the bathroom and looked at the clothes that were there. Flashy clothes, a lot of them. Robes adorned with jewels... Then there was one at the end that looked almost boring compared to the others, but boring was what he liked. It was a red coat, with shoulder pads with a padded grieves. He also had what looked like white leather gloves. Perfect for him. Matriarch Tyria had gone ahead, since the council was ready to get together to meet and discuss the future with Zaxxarius. That was where they were going, and he would have the opportunity to see the streets and common folk. They were on private property, and they could still hear the vehicles outside, but they couldn’t see them. The area was fenced off, and flowers grew on the gates. He could see the vehicles zoom by through the flowers, but not enough to make out what exactly they were. He looked up at the sky. Blue, with clouds, and a sun. He didn’t know why exactly he had expected any different, probably from movies and novels he had read, but he was glad that the sky was the same as one earth. For some reason, if the sky was any other colour, it would bother him a large amount. “Is the sky different on earth?” Abaddon asks. “I’ve only been at night.”
“No.” Zaxxarius said. “It’s the same as here.”
“In the night-time on earth, you have a white moon, and the sky is black.” Abaddon said. “Here, we have a blue moon, and the sky is also black, with streaks of purple. I heard that people from other planets found that curious. The dragons set up most planets the same way, only without the streaks of purple.”
“It must be beautiful...” Zaxxarius said.
“It is.” Abaddon said.
“You excited?” Vander asked. “You’re royalty! You’ve got a ton of money, and women will likely be falling at your heels.”
“It’s odd... I’ve never really liked nobles.” Zaxxarius said. “You’ll love it, when women crawl in your bed at night.” Vander chuckled.
“About women... You should know that you are allowed any woman you desire as your lover.” Abaddon began, making Zaxxarius blush slightly. “But, a lover is all they’ll be. You can even have multiple as your concubines, but you’ll also need a Queen. A Queen is chosen based on stature and ability to lead her people. Don't make the same mistake Voltrin did, taking a commoner as his Queen.”
“You mean I can have as many women as I like?” Zaxxarius asked, frowning. Though, somewhere, in the more juvenile part of his mind, he did like the idea. “...What about the Queen?”
“You’re to have children with the Queen. For this reason, the Queen is not allowed to have anyone else in her life.” Abaddon said. “The Queen can, of course, refuse your proposal, mind you.”
“Isn’t that a little sexist? I can have all the women I require, but the Queen is not allowed to have anybody?” Zaxxarius asked.
“Not at all.” Abaddon said. “Overlords can be female, so the rule applies to the King in that case too.”
They walked out into an outside parking lot, heading towards what looked like a motorised carriage. It was large, and the inside of the carriage looked roomy, and it also had no wheels. Where the wheels were supposed to be was a space where Neon-like lights were illuminating out of. It was hovering, above the floor. “Hover cars?” Zaxxarius asked.
“Yes.” Vander said. “Cars in Cazria are Hover cars. Pretty cool huh?”
“Yeah...” Zaxxarius said.
“Get in. We’ll be hovering above all the other hover cars in the area, because you’re royalty.” Vander said. Zaxxarius was about to climb in when a whirring sound came from above them. He looked up, as it sounded like an airplane, but his jaw dropped when he saw what it actually was. A large battleship, three times as big as his school, was flying overhead. “Wh... What’s that?” Zaxxarius asked.
“That’s an HQ Battleship.” Abaddon said. “It’s one of the main warships of a Kingdom. Unfortunately, there are not more like it. It’s built to be a juggernaut, and it hit’s like a battering ram, but there are battleships that are more efficient for war. Against a foe in war, agile planes would be the end of this thing without proper backup.”
“Guess what this HQ Battleship is doing here?” Vander said, chuckling. He was a little excited.
“I don’t know. What’s it doing here?” Zaxxarius asked.
“Look on the side.” Abaddon said. “Do you see that symbol?” Zaxxarius looked up at a symbol on the bottom right side of the Battleship. It was a sphere, with a crooked backward number three, which was illustrated with only lines, no curves, in the middle of it. There was a horizontal like through the middle of the odd E shape. “The sphere represents the portal. On this side, the portal is constructed with a portal stone, which looks like a sphere when it’s closed. It’s a physical object, which is why it takes a lot longer to open on the other side.”
“What about the E?” Zaxxarius asked.
“The E?” Abaddon asked, confused.
“The insignia.” Vander said. “It looks like an earthen letter, called an E.”
“That’s an insignia, as Vander said.” Abaddon says. “It’s the symbol of an Overlord and the Elrics.” Abaddon said. Zaxxarius looked confused. “The ‘E’ shape on its own means Overlord, but with the line through it, it makes the Elric insignia.”
“I see...” Zaxxarius said.
“Know why it has an Elric insignia on it?” Vander asked.
“Well, is it not dedicated to our family?” Zaxxarius asked.
“It’s a HQ ship... so guess who would fly in it?” Vander asked. Zaxxarius took a moment, then his eyes widened, and his eyes shot back up at the ship. “No way... I get to ride that?” Zaxxarius asked.
“Yeah.” Vander says. “That thing will take you across the Kingdoms on your journeys, safe and sound, and any damage to it is reported, so if it looks like you’re under attack, not only can it fight back with furious force and hold again the worst of attacks, but everything from the nearest Airport will be deployed to your rescue.”
The Hover-Carriage lifted itself off the floor, and rose above the floor, blowing away leaves from the floor. The gates weren’t even needed to be opened, as the Hover car rose over the gate and took off. The Hover car flew over the rest, flying above the streets. There were practically no Hover cars on the level that they were on. “This is the 4
th
level of the streets. Most Hover-Cars do not even have the technology to go this high on them.” Vander says. “The ones that do are really expensive, so only lucky commoners and Nobles can ride them. Oh, and Peacekeepers too.” Zaxxarius didn’t feel as if he was floating in the air, or even moving. He looked outside onto the streets, at the Hover cars below. They were great, they were like human cars, only more stylish and looked extremely professional. “Even the most common car looks like a Lamborghini around here. Looks are not the problem; it’s more the components within the car.” Vander said. The people on the street wore an odd design of clothes, but it was still likable. He also noticed that most of the buildings were made of Mithril. “Mithril...” Zaxxarius said. “Mithril is the rock you use for buildings?”
“Yes.” Abaddon said. “Our aesthetic choice for a lot of things in the world is based on privacy, and reaction to magic. Mithril is used on practically every building, so Sorcerers cannot peer and spy on those with magic. Those without magic needn’t worry, and build their houses or manors out of different material, since they have no Aura to spy on.”
“This is incredible.” Zaxxarius said. He wondered what food they had to eat. And things to do for fun. His head whirled with ideas, as he looked up and something caught his eye. It looked like an orb, hovering above the air at each intersection. “What’s that?” Zaxxarius asked.
“Security cameras.” Vander said. “Peacekeepers, the police, use magic here. And they’re fast to the call, unlike Police back on earth.”
“Don't those camera’s use resources?” Zaxxarius said. “It seems like a lot of electricity is being used in this World.”
“Electricity. Haha! No, no, those orbs, and practically everything else, run off the mana in the air! There’s no need for electricity when you have mana, baby!” Vander said. Then, Zaxxarius moved onto the next thing to marvel over. He caught sight of some odd figures walking the streets below. A boar-like creature, on two legs, walking among the Cazrians normally. A small creature, like a midget, with black fur. The Hover-carriage went past these things, but he couldn’t point them out. Then it hit him. The Crusade. The Cazrians had gathered a bunch of races together on their world, and linked Cazria to their home world. There were more than Cazrians to talk to and mingle with. That made him excited, and he wasn’t racist, so he had no problems with that. “That’s an Carrak.” Abaddon said, pointing at a two-legged white haired Cat-like creature, only it had no tail, and four arms. “They have been fighting on their homeworld against Industrialisation their whole existence. When they accepted Cazria, the industrialists came here because of the technology, and back on their homeworld, the Tribals have obtained a fair chance to fight back due to the population loss.”
“And what about him? The small one?” Zaxxarius asked, pointing at a small, furry, cute creature with a wizard-like hat. “That’s a Duyarri. They are small, and they’ve defended themselves thanks to their rapier wit with machines. They are not so good around chemicals, as they are very fragile, but if not for them, we wouldn’t have Hover-cars.” Abaddon chuckled.
“And that Boar creature?” Zaxxarius asks, pointing at an average sized, two-legged, pig-like creature.
“That’s an Orina.” Abaddon says. “The Orina look fierce, but they are actually far smarter than they look. That’s about all there is to say about them. They’re simple folk.”
The Hover-Car stops in a large space in front of a massive tower. There were smaller battleships hovering above the tower, probably lookouts for any attacks, or perhaps a quick exit. “This is the Tower of Xelphan.” Abaddon said. “This used to be a mere hovel, but, as Xelphan began to gain followers and his family grew, it raised into a Tower. Now, this is the heart of our capital, Trinity.”
“It’s huge.” Zaxxarius said. It was even bigger than the Eiffel tower, as if it were the finalized version of the Babel tower, and it had managed to pierce the heavens. “It’s probably one of the largest landmarks in Cazria.” Abaddon said. “There’s that too.” He says, pointing over in the distance, to the south-east. Zaxxarius looked. At first, he couldn’t see anything, but upon looking harder, he saw a storm in the background. A hurricane. He knew what it was from Abaddon’s stories. That’s where his parents died, and where he was born. “Come.” Abaddon said. “They’re waiting for us.”