Terra: The red and black arches of Castle Kali rose from the tropical jungle a mere two kilometers from the ocean. A curved, tiered wall rose from the ground to a height of at least two hundred meters above the forest, concealing the settlement below with a dense, impenetrable covering. Only one metal door on the entire castle faced the jungle, the one protecting the ancient complex of treasure vaults.
'Princess Amanda'
Within the vaults, three thousand years of the royally sanctioned plunder of other civilizations was stored. If a great deal of the wealth were counted, the castle vault would have contained enough gold to fill the empty treasure chamber beneath the Swiss Alps, while exceeding the wealth of the entire royal family of Madoopalus more than ten fold.
Gems the size of hen eggs covered the tops of tables and chairs, adorning the buildings and decorating the armor and clothes of the human occupants.
Priceless works of art by artists that died thousands of years ago adorned every hall and chamber. The only creatures with as much wealth as the royalty of Madoopalus were the dragons, who existed as little more than flying combat vehicles. All the humans had to do was call them, and the dragons would answer.
'Princess Amanda'
The red building was cluttered with items, having been filled in the past decades with the spoils of war. With the birth of the Princess Amanda, the rouge wizard king, named after his parents and grandfather, grew interested in the dragon vehicles. Upon creating the first flying machine, he called it the 'Queen of Fire'. Since then, the familially named dragons flew in the skies above the castle.
The dragons were promoted to officers, gaining rank and title, while their scales were treated with the blackest of magic, to create enchanted armor and leathery suits of clothing. The soldiers of the city were not without the dragon's favor, though. Side by side, the soldiers and dragons marched through the jungle, carving a road toward the ocean.
The air was filled with the stench of rotten eggs. The witches and wizards of the castle had finished their spells, and the sounds of battle echoed through the tropical forest. The ogres could be heard just beyond the perimeter fence, in the great plains at the northern edge of the island. The ogres were a race of giants that lived by the creed of might makes right.
In just the last twelve hours, the ogres have managed to break through one gate of the castle, slaughtering most of the residents of the northern district in the process. The waves were filled with the noise of the witch mounted flyers, firing big black balls into the rough horde of ogres that rose to meet them. However, the witches barely had enough time to land before another wave of ogres would run through the gate. The battle was going poorly for the defenders of the castle.
A dozen ogres crashed through the throne room, meeting the King of Fire and the Princess in battle. The giant Prince Charles charged with the soldiers, setting himself upon the field of battle. With a mighty stroke of his sword, Charles knocked an ogre out of his way, while the dragon crashed into the beast. For every ogre they killed, in came another to take his place.
The King of Fire was tiring, and his daughter was only ten years old. The King fell from his mighty steed and the Queen disappeared from the field. The Captain of the guard fell near the Princess, a bolt from the ogre thrower embedded in his chest. George rushed to her side, pulling her from the battle. The great wooden doors of the castle, which previously stood open, closed to all but the wizards that were too old to fight. The ogre's had brought a device, employing the technology of the elves and forbidden magic.
A sphere of green, swirling fire tore through the air, crashing into the heart of the castle. Within the fire could be heard the screams of men and women, as the inferno burned to the stone in the center of the throne room.
Amanda: "On that day, I learned that the fatality rate for losing a parent to the ogres was around ninety percent. Though I don't know how close my odds were."
The young Princess pulled the charred skull of a goat from her pocket, set it on the table, and waited. When her spell was complete, the skull moved it's mouth, speaking to her in the voice of an old man.
Aunt Jane: "Thank you, Amanda. With the skull, we can phase through the barrier. In the throne room, we will find our father," the old man's voice trailed off, as if he had said something the young Princess should not have heard.
Amanda: "We have to find a way out of the burning throne room. Slowly, my soldiers are trying to make their way back in. We survived the tide of ogres and the fire, so we should be able to do this; right, father?"
The King of Fire: "Yes, Princess. Go! The air is clear, but I will not risk your life any longer. Go!"
Amanda: "I'm coming, father. Tell us when we can pass through the barrier."
There was a distant sound of war horns in the distance. In the last minutes, only foot soldiers that did not fit through the door were left alive. The soldier ran to the Princess, now her guard.
George: "Princess, the front of the castle is in the possession of the ogres. We've tried lighting the torch, but it's giving the ogres too much of a range to suppress. We need to find another way out..."
Amanda: "We risked our lives by delivering the King's message. Now I will deliver his order. Prepare the others. We must attack!"
George: "Princess!"
Princess Amanda: "Yes, my guard?"
George: "You must hurry, Princess. Go back to the old man there, wait for him in the room just to the left of the throne room. The stone barrier surrounding this area has been opened, and it is safe for you."
Amanda: "Thank you, your highness. I am on my way."
George: "Princess, we will find a way to get you out of here."
The Princess found a small nook, where she pretended to be asleep. She had to wait an hour. In the fire, the screams of the soldiers, dying in the blaze, gave way to the snarling of the ogres as they came to kill the Princess. Witches, disguised as ogres, began to march, creeping closer to the Princess.
Someone behind her was pulling her hair. The Princess, pulling and twisting, swore at the dragon behind her. Suddenly, the old man appeared, pulling her and her guard into the stone nook.
Amanda: "Father, can we go now? We really need to get out of here."
The King of Fire: "Yes, let's go. Do not anger the ogres."
The ogres, seeing the King of Fire allowing the Princess to leave, jumped through the burning gate, shouting their war cry. The Princess led the way, followed by the soldiers, with the stone doors opened just enough for them to squeeze through. The Princess could hear the snarls and footsteps of the ogres trying to follow her. They were met with the roar of the dragon.
The dragon: "Aha! Princess, I thought this was like a birthday, but I see now that you planned all this. You're my new favorite person. I got to see, like, ten ogres die."
Amanda: "Thank you, dragon. Now, can you fly us to safety?"
The dragon: "No! I'm pretty tired. I think we're going to have to ride one, like, all the way there. How else are we going to get to safety?"
Amanda: "Then we need to find a horse that can carry all of us."
George: "I suggest just climbing up on the dragon, your highness."
The dragon was clearly exhausted. Riding a dragon, even a small one, is dangerous. George led the way, with Amanda and the dragon following. The horse of the Princess, named Bon Bon, was put out to pasture elsewhere. Bon Bon was not as fast as the dragon and it was carrying three people, two of which were witches.
Bon Bon was racing across the great plains of Madoopalus. The horizon had begun to lighten, suggesting that sunrise was mere minutes away. Bon Bon had the endurance it took to outrun the ogres.
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