Fan Fiction ❯ Harry Potter and the Hero of Time ❯ Drakan reveals the plan ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8-Drakan reveals the plan

Outside the cave, the party reassembled and wiped their blades on the grass. The darkness in the sky suddenly deepened and lightning crackled around the plateau. Two new figures appeared behind William and Alzeroth. One was a black-robed human wizard with golden skin and hourglass eyes that leaned on a staff topped with a crystal held by a dragon's claw. The other was a man with a white mask over part of his face with a neat suit and slicked black hair.

"Who are you," said Link.

"I am called Phantom," said the masked man. "I am a musician, architect, author, a jack-of-all-trades, as it were."

"I am Raistlin Majere," said the evil wizard. "My reputation precedes me, at least according to the good Professor Lupin. I intend harm only toward Drakan and his toadying minions in this venture. I do not intend to seek godhood, now that I know its consequences."

"Nor would you make much of a deity," said a new voice from the heavens. "You already lost your soul when you agreed to assume the Black Robes. I never lost my soul." A bolt of lightning struck the ground near the edge of the cliff and resolved into a tall, muscular wizard wearing midnight-blue robes.

"Drakan," William said. "What? Come to pick up the body of your precious Fewmaster, Lord Toede, have you? Or are you going to surrender yourself to us and end this all easily?"

"You are a fool to think that I would surrender myself to this lot of mortals and disgraces to immortality."

"I think you will find," Gandalf cautioned, "that we have different ideas about what disgraces immortality. Explain yourself or leave us now."

"Very well, Gandalf, since you will not trade barbs. I am here to tell you precisely what I plan to do to finish my plans to take my rightful place as supreme ruler of the cosmos. I need only destroy the Opal Tower to consolidate my reign over Elsewhere, but that has proven impossible thus far.

"Recently, I have discovered a means of achieving my ends that cannot be foiled. I plan to unleash upon this world the essence of Chaos."

"You must be joking," said Raistlin, raising his hands as though to ward off a blow. "Nobody can control Chaos, not even those born with immortality in their blood."

"Really, Archmagus, did you think that I would do this if I were not certain of victory. Since your companions do not seem familiar with Chaos, I shall explain Himself to them.

"Long ago, the planet Earth was created by the All-father, the chieftain of all deities ever to inhabit Earth. The All-father created the Earth so his children, Gandalf included, could enjoy their dreams. In another dimension, the master deity was Chaos, the Father of All and of Nothing. Chaos produced several children, including the pantheon of Krynn and the golden goddesses of Hyrule. Chaos eventually found a way to influence the world of Krynn. He entered into a magical jewel called the Graygem and used this new body to create centaurs, minotaur, dwarves, and sundry other interesting things.

"Some years ago, though, a race called the Irda cracked the Graygem and released Chaos. Himself was most displeased and then called forth daemon wights and dragons of fire to destroy Krynn. The armies of the pantheon of Krynn prevailed and they forced Chaos from Krynn, losing all contact with their deities forever. Chaos has since wandered the cosmos, inadvertently falling into a sphere designed to limit his contact with the mortal world. I designed that sphere for just such an occasion and have used it to subjugate Chaos.

"Chaos now awaits release from his spherical cage and wants to wreak his revenge upon Elsewhere. If you do not surrender here and now, I will have no choice but to absorb Chaos into my being entirely. In my current state, I am fallible, and if you can prevent me from absorbing Chaos, you will prevail. Until our next meeting, then." Drakan snapped his fingers and vanished in another bolt of lightning. As the storm subsided temporarily, a fire flared up near the edge of the platform.

The fire illuminated the vast moats of lava below the Drakanian Temple. The Temple itself was perched on a floating island about one mile away. The only way to the floating island was a narrow walkway made of blackened stone and the bones of countless innocent victims sacrificed in unspeakably black rites. A vast stone guardian stood at the end of the walkway, eager to knock the intruders back to where they belong.

"There you are, sir," said a huge red dragon who perched on a ledge above them. "What are your orders regarding the battle?"

"General Ember," said William. "Your orders are to attack the armies of monsters and demons that will storm from the temple. When those are dispatched, you are to lead all who remain in fighting condition against the temple itself. We shall be well clear of the temple when you strike in all likelihood."

"Very well, sir. Colonel Cyan Bloodbane of the green dragons is most pleased to see his old friend Raistlin contributing to the war effort."

"Cyan Bloodbane has been a good friend in the past," returned Raistlin. "I should like to have a good chat with him when this is over." The painfully thin man began to cough then, the pain wracking his body worse than any weapon. William pulled out a goblet full of an herbal potion from within his robes and handed it over to Raistlin.

"I believe I brewed this properly." Raistlin only nodded, drinking the potion down with a grimace. The coughing spasm subsided and everything returned to normal. Ember had since flown off to rally his troops for battle. Professor Lupin was not pleased at all at this new turn of events.

"These explanations are far too glib," he said. "I want real answers, if you please!"

"What do you see as a problem with the situation, Professor?"

"Raistlin being here, for one thing. How did he escape the Abyss? How did you revive Ember without angering Queen Takhisis? And what's this bit about Father Chaos?"

"Professor, sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. You can make me take Veritaserum when we get back, and that will only confuse things further. Queen Takhisis, the leader of the evil gods of Krynn for the unenlightened, needs us to eliminate Chaos. She loaned us the draconians and chromatic dragons for the duration of the hostilities. Raistlin escaped the Abyss thanks to his nephew, a White Robe named Palin Majere, defeat Chaos at the end of the Age of Despair. You will find out about this if you read the novel Dragons of Summer Flame, which should come out within three years."

"What? You're asking me to read a book that hasn't even been published yet?"

"If you must know, I am from a version of Earth that exists in the year 2001 AD. All of this is fiction to their minds, but I have overcome the inherent limitations of that and came here to get away from the bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is inefficient and wasteful, nothing like what we need here and now. Now then, if you would all follow Raistlin and I, hurriedly if possible. Raistlin, we shall need your light."

"Very well," agreed the archmage. "Shirak." The jewel atop the famed Staff of Magius burst into light, penetrating the shadows of the bridge and lighting the way forward. The party slowly crossed the bridge, mindful of the Red Bubbles and other fire beasts patrolling the lava below. At the end, a gigantic statue stood to prevent intruders from bypassing.

"Some variety of golem or similar guardian, no doubt," said Raistlin.

"Very astute, Raistlin. This variety of golem is known as an Eyegore, found previously in the Stone Tower Temple of Termina. They can throw vast blocks of asphalt and some of them have the ability to shoot beams of injurious light from their eyes. The large eyes are their weak points, being especially vulnerable to Hookshot or Arrow attacks. The key is to strike them just after their attack while avoiding the asphalt. Link, would you please eliminate this threat?"

"Certainly," said the Hylian, pulling out his Fairy Bow and quiver of arrows. "This should be fun." Link awoke the Eyegore by standing near it and then waiting for it to dredge up a block of asphalt before he struck its eye with an Arrow. After four hits in the eye, the Eyegore swooned and fell to the ground, detonating as it struck the stone. Behind the Eyegore, the entrance to the temple stood wide open.

Note: The War of Souls trilogy hadn't come out when I wrote this. I didn't know about the High God. Read the 3.5 edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting for Dungeons & Dragons for full details.