Cloud 9

Cloud 9

     Clouds are an interesting thing. From the ground they look like huge solid islands, although in reality they are not. They are made of moisture, which a lone airplane or other flying contraption may fly through unharmed. But what if some of the clouds are something more, something...special.

      Henry Dawson had just graduated from high-school and was enjoying the summer. His future was bright, with college in late August, a nice car his parents had given him, and a surety of his career choice (which was becoming a doctor). To most people this sounds like the perfect life, but not to Henry. He hated the whole idea of it. Now, don't get me wrong. It wasn't because of not being smart enough or motivated enough. It was because his future goals were what his parents wanted. 

     Second thoughts had become an everyday part of Henry's life, yet in spite of that, he couldn't get past the idea of letting his parents down. He had run through every possible scenario in his mind of how to get out of his “preordained” destiny. However, it was a lost cause. 

     As the summer moved on, his apprehension and anxiety about his future grew into an obsession. It was all he could think about and caused many restless nights. He hoped against hope that something would happen before he was trapped. 

     It was now the very day before Henry was to leave for college, and there had not been any remedy to his situation. He was feeling stressed so he decided to take a walk through town. He was going down a sidewalk near an alley when he heard someone calling out, “Henry Dawson, come here.” He looked around to see who it was, but the sidewalk was totally clear of people. The call came again, “Henry Dawson, come here.” It was coming from the alley. Henry's curiosity was aroused, he had to find out who would be asking for him out here.

     He followed the unknown voice down the alley until he came to a rusty metal door. The door was the side entrance to an old abandoned warehouse. Approaching the door, Henry noticed that it was slightly open. Gathering his resolve, Henry pushed it open and entered in. The room was dark other than the light from the dusty windows. There were boxes and crates everywhere, of all shapes and sizes, covered in dust. 

     The call of, “Henry Dawson, come here.” was heard once more. It came from the other side of the building, which Henry began walking toward. He had to maneuver past a huge stack of boxes that almost reached the ceiling to get to his destination. Passing the last box, he saw within 15 feet of himself a small room with a light on in it. He slowly crept to the doorway and looked inside. To his utter amazement and surprise, there was a middle aged woman, possibly in her late 40's, sitting in a chair waiting for something. 

    The woman had a slender pretty face, light green eyes, brown hair that was gathered into a long braid down her back. She was of medium height with a petite build, wearing some kind of official military outfit, which Henry didn't recognize. It consisted of a dress jacket, a skirt, a hat, and very plain black shoes. There were many different insignia on her jacket that showed she was of a high rank.

     Suddenly amidst his observations the woman stood up, turned, and extended her hand to Henry. He hesitated to shake her hand, so she took the initiative and shook his first. Then she introduced herself, “My name is Captain Stephanie Lacey of the Earth Protection Service.” 

     Henry began to say, “My name is..”

    “Henry Dawson,” Capt. Lacey said before he could finish. 

    “How did you know that, and what do you want?” asked Henry somewhat suspiciously.

   “We have been following you for years, and determined through that time that you were a prime recruit.” 

    “Recruit?” Henry questioned. 

    “Let me explain. I am a part an agency that protects our planet from aliens who have been trying to invade the earth. It was started nearly 200 years ago, by a group of British scientists who found a wrecked alien ship. The ship was empty, and after looking over of the ship, they slowly and painstakingly disassembled it piece by piece. Then they loaded everything onto a large boat and returned back to England. 

 

    The scientists kept the discovery to themselves and started to examine what they had discovered. Through that process they learned how to build, operate, and power many different ships and other vehicles. And over time that technology has been greatly improved upon. We are always in need of people to join us, and every few years we recruit 10. This way we have been able to operate these 200 plus years.” 

 

     Henry was stunned. “You want to recruit me? What do I have to offer?” He stammered.

    “Throughout your life you have exhibited great strength and courage. Your mind is very quick, and not once have you questioned if I was lying to you.”

    “You have my attention now! What more can you show me?” 

     “Follow me.” capt. Lacey said. 

     She stood up from her chair and walked out into the warehouse. Henry followed her to the far side of the mountain of boxes to a door he had not seen in the dark. She opened it and bright light from outside rushed in, nearly blinding them both. When Henry's eyes adjusted, he was met with an amazing sight. There was a space ship sitting right in front of him. He just stood there, staring, with his mouth hanging open.

     The ship was silver and round with no wings and two engines in the back. It sat low to the ground with a two person cockpit in the center. Capt. Lacey pushed a button on her watch. The cockpit opened and small footpads appeared across the hull. She motioned Henry to get in, so he climbed up on the ship and walked on the footpads and into the back seat. The Captain followed his lead and closed the cockpit canopy. 

     Then she started the engine, which was much quieter than Henry had anticipated, and pushed a few buttons beside her. Right after she pushed them, the ship's engines went completely silent and what looked like a vapor covered the whole ship. 

     “What was that?” Henry questioned. 

     “It is our greatest discovery. The ability to become invisible and undetectable.”

     “Wow!” was all he could say.

     Following their quick exchange, Capt. Lacey took a hold of the steering yoke and the ship lifted off the ground. The feeling of taking off filled Henry with excitement as the ship rose up higher above the warehouse. At the height of a few hundred feet, they were off! It was exhilarating to be flying in a real space ship. “This beats having a car!”, Henry thought.

    “Now I will take you to see one of our big ships, what we like to call, 'Cloud 9,'” Capt. Lacey explained.

    They flew on for a few minutes and then began to slow down as they approached a large cloud formation. As they came nearer, the captain pressed a button on the steering yoke and began to speak, “This is Capt. Lacey. I'm requesting permission to land.”

     “Please transmit your ID code.” a voice stated.

     “Will do.” Capt. Lacey replied.

     A few seconds later the voice came back, “Proceed to land.”

     The captain shut the speaker off and said, “Get ready to be amazed.”

    She then pushed another button, and the cockpit canopy turned a darker shade. Right before Henry's eyes the huge cloud was replaced by a massive ship the size of a small city. It was massive, 2,500 feet long, 850 feet wide, and 100 feet tall at the highest point. The ship was a grayish color with guns mounted all across the hull. There were four medium sized hanger bays, various antenna, windows everywhere, and a command tower towards the front. “Are you serious?!” Henry exclaimed.

     “This is 'Cloud 9',” Capt. Lacey proudly stated.

     She gave Henry some time to let him get a good view of the ship. When she decided it had been long enough she started the landing process. The ship slowly maneuvered to a landing platform on top of 'Cloud 9' and softly touched down. The shield surrounding their small ship turned off, and one foot above them was the cloud cover once again. “This cloud cover can only be seen through our special sensor,” Capt. Lacey explained.

     As the cockpit opened, Henry noticed a very important looking man and two officers, waiting for him. The man was tall and burly with red hair, a red wispy beard, and a glint in his eye. Captain Lacey shut the engine off and climbed out, followed by Henry. They made their way over to the waiting men and were warmly met.

     The big man came up to captain Lacey, grabbed her hand and said, “Glad ta be seein' ya agin', lassy,” in a rich Irish accent. 

    “I'm glad to be back, Commander McClurrey. I brought you the new potential recruit, Henry Dawson.”

     The Commander turned to Henry and grabbed his hand, “Glad ta meet ya laddy. We've a' been havin' our eye on ya for quite some tyme now. I'd like ta be showin' ya aroond our mihty ship.”

      “I'm very happy to meet you Commander McClurrey. Your ship is awesome! I can't wait to see inside.”

        “We be headin' there right now and you'll be a gettin' the full tour,” the commander chuckled. 

       Then the Commander turned and led the way down through a hatch into the giant ship. They went down a ladder and came to a long hall, which led to a partially wider room full of elevators. The Commander walked up to the middle elevator, pulled out a keycard from his pocket and inserted it into a small slot in the door. He then spoke his rank and last name. There was a short pause and then the door opened. The small group got in and Commander McClurrey pushed the “C” (for control tower) button. 

     No sooner had the “C” button been pressed, when they reached the control room. The doors opened and a magnificent sight met their eyes. It was an enormous room with jungle trees, vines and exotic plants everywhere. The ground seemed to be made of dirt with leaves, twigs, and grass covering it. Up above there was a clear blue sky with the sun shining. Was this a jungle?!

      The group made their way down a paved trail toward the front of the room. The scenery on the trail was beautiful with something new every few feet, and even some animals could be seen among the trees. As the path ended they came to a clearing where the ship's command center was located. There was still grass, trees and foliage spread over the area. Three giant windows looked out over a large portion of 'Cloud 9'. Directly in front of the windows were many computer consoles and there was also a flat panel that projected a fully colored 3D hologram right above it.

     Henry looked at it all in awe and wonder, not believing his eyes. “This is a science fiction dream come true,” he blurted out.

     “Aye, indeed it is me boy. I've 'a been here for many a year and it still makes me giddy.”

     “What's with the jungle, commander?”

     “It be part of the technology we've a had since the beginning of this here organization. The jungle is projected from a special machine that creates an artificial habitat. We chenge it from tyme to tyme to make things interestin'. But we always be a keepin' it warm even with snow”, he exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

      “This place keeps getting better all the time”, Henry said in response.

      “Well lad, it's been nice seein' ya, but I hav' a ship ta run here. Soo, Captain Lacey'll be showin' you aroond.” The commander grabbed Henry's hand, gave it a hearty shake and walked to his command station.

       “Would you like to learn what we do on this floor?”, Capt. Lacey asked.

       “You bet,” said Henry.

       So, the two spent the next hour and a half going to the various control stations and listening to the crew members explain how things worked. Some of the things they learned were: the ship had special shields which made it totally invisible to the human eye, it was completely noiseless, it was indistinguishable to radar or any other form of detection, was armed with advanced weaponry, and it would force any and all objects from crashing into it by using air currents to gently direct them away. They also never had to worry about running out of power because it was generated from special turbine's that used energy from the sunlight.

       When their rundown of the control center was done they headed back to the elevator. Capt. Lacey hit the “H 1” button and they arrived at the ships main hanger bay. It was located at the underside of the ship and was a sight to behold indeed. Capt. Lacey began telling him all about it, “This is where our most important spacecraft are stored. We have 25 small fighter craft, 5 troop shuttles, 15 repair modules, a fuel ship, and extra armaments. We occasionally have skirmishes with the aliens attempting to get to the earth.”

      “You haven't said much about the aliens yet. Please tell me more, if you are allowed to.”

     “Don't be silly of course I can tell you(she said with a smile). They look like human sized creatures that resemble insects, they have incredible heightened senses, are very intelligent, and are invisible to detection by modern technology. They have totally given up on large attacks since we are so powerful against their large war ships. Small infiltration, and fighter ships have been their primary method of attack for the last 30 years. We keep most of them from getting through, but sometimes they make it to earth and cause “accidents”.

     “Accidents?”

    “Yes, for example: unexplained car, plane, or boat wrecks. The Titanic for instance or the Bermuda triangle (where they still have a hidden colony.) The Chicago fire, the Hindenburg disaster, the Great train wreck of 1918, and the Cocoanut Grove fire. There are many more, but you get the idea.”

     “I had no idea that was all caused by aliens.”

     “That's nothing compared to what would happen without us. In the early days this group saved the Earth.”

      “You told me a little bit about that earlier, but there is still much more I'd like to know.”

      “I'll give you the long version, it should give you the answers you need.”

     “Over 200 years ago a group of 10 British scientists were on an expedition to the Congo and found a wrecked alien ship in the jungle. The ship was empty, but they found the bones of the aliens nearby. After looking over of the ship they slowly and painstakingly disassembled it piece by piece. Then they loaded everything onto a large boat and returned back to England.

     They kept the discovery to themselves and started the process of examination. Their task was much harder than they anticipated, for every ship part had writing of an unknown language on it. Nearly two entire years were needed to decipher the alien language.

 

     When they learned how to read the markings on the ship many astounding revelations were unearthed at a rapid pace. Within a few short weeks the scientists knew how to start the ship, use the ship's computer, and even get it hovering off the ground. Amid the joy of all their findings a great new terror would soon overwhelm them.

       Reading through the massive collection of data in the ship's computer, they came across an entry warning of a nearby alien race who planned to attack the earth. The attack was planned for 40 years from their current time, and it was a full invasion. All intelligent beings would be wiped out completely.

      At first the scientists were quite distraught and shaken over such terrible news. But over the next week they came to the conclusion that something must be done to prevent the attack. With having personally seen alien technology themselves they were fully aware of how dangerous it was. The earth's technology and weaponry was no match for an alien invasion.

     They decided that the best way to fight alien technology, was, with alien technology. The ship's computer was loaded with so much information on weapons and technology (used for offense and defense) in warfare, that we are still reading through it, now. The scientists took turns pouring through the entries in the computer for weeks on end to find the best ideas to protect the earth. Their diligence was well rewarded with what they found.

      The first entry was for a one manned, armed attack ship. Another thing they found were plans for assault rifles and other hand weapons. Then personal armor, and jetpacks. Next, and most importantly, they found plans for enormous ships that could be disguised as clouds and become invisible if needed. These ships were the size of small cities which needed crews of 150 to fly, but could hold 2,500 soldiers, each.

      Money was not an issue, for the scientists were very well off and had decided the earth's future was more important than their own prosperity. The materials they needed were readily available on the earth. The last thing presented a hard dilemma. Workers were needed, to help build the ships, who would keep things secret.

     The scientists held intensive job interviews over a two year period to find trustworthy accomplices who were willing to dedicate their lives to protecting the earth from the upcoming invasion. Some of their stipulations were: they needed to be young (at the time), honest beyond reproach, no criminal record, and people of great sacrifice with no desire to get rich or gain power. They were very creative with their questions to avoid people who were unqualified from finding them out.

     Following the job interviews, the scientists hired 500 workers, who would be kept busy 6 days a week for 10 to 12 hours a day. The cover story they told their friends and family was that they were making parts for trains. The work was to be done in two enormous warehouses they had constructed in an out of the way corner of the countryside.

     The projects of building 30 fighter ships, and 3 cloud ships that were 1200 feet long, 450 feet wide, and 100 feet high at the tallest point, took 20 years to build! It was the greatest technological achievement in the world's history, up to that point. And the best part was that it still remained a secret. 

      With another 20 years till the planned invasion was to occur, there were still many things to do. The workers who built everything had to be trained into pilots, mechanics, soldiers, gunners, and officers. They also had to know the large ships like the back of their hands. Many new recruits joined the cause from all over Europe swelling their numbers to 4,000 people.

      The year of the alien invasion came, and on the 25^th of May, 1834, their ships filled the sky right below the Earth's atmosphere. There were more than we anticipated but we were well prepared. We also had the element of surprise, in that we had a large technological army equal to their own. However in spite of that small advantage, the battle was fierce, their sheer numbers against our heart and better piloting skills. We fought them for three entire days, finally pulling off the victory the third night with a huge offensive, where we took out their capital ship. We got the majority of the vermin in that great battle, yet a few small colonies still exist throughout the galaxy.”

       “That is the coolest story I have ever heard, and I totally believe it after seeing all of this.”

       “I never get tired of telling that story, it's one of the main things that helped me decide to join.”

       They finished the tour of the hanger and moved on to the soldier living quarters. Each soldier had their own room that was top of the line. It was just a single room, but with one voice command it could change into a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, a hot tub, and many other variations. A room fit for a king!

      The next stop was the engine room, located in the rear of the ship. The manager showed Henry a large group of 20 round glowing cylinders connected together, and explained what they were. “This is the ship's power core. The long glowing rods are where the power from the sun is stored. It is collected from the advanced solar shell that covers the entire hull of the ship.”

      The last section of the tour was focused on “Cloud 9's” weapons systems. Capt. Lacey took Henry to see the main guns, and even allowed him to sit in the gunners chair! He was thrilled! In total the mighty ship had 20 main guns, 75 medium laser cannons, 50 light laser cannons, and 50 missile tubes. 

     With the tour over, Henry and his guide headed back to the control room. While they walked Capt. Lacey talked more about the agency. “After all you have seen, you need to decide if you want to forsake your life on earth and join up with us. The commitment is absolute, no going back. It involves not seeing your family, your friends, or anyone else you know. We will collect some things from your house if you like, and bring them here. Despite your requirement to remain off the grid you may visit any of our other ships or we also have secret vacation spots throughout the earth.”

     By the end of the talk the two had reached the control room. They made it through the jungle and there waited for the Commander. Soon enough the burly scotch-man headed their way. As was his custom he heartily shook both their hands and welcomed them back, “How was the toor me boy?!”

     “I loved every minute of it!”

    “Now we should a be a goin' to me quarters to discuss if'n' ya will be a join'en us on this here ship.”

       So off the three went, directly to the Commander's quarters. When they reached them, they went into a grand room that was fully furnished with many Scottish looking pieces of furniture and assorted knickknacks. The room was ten times the size of the soldiers' quarters, and a large window also made up the east wall.

 

        Commander McClurrey led the way to a nice leather couch and kindly asked them to take a seat. Then he said to Henry, “Now as I'm shure, Capt. Lacey told ya aboot the decision ya need ta a be a makin'”

       “Yes sir, she did.”

       “And did ya mull it over in yer mind, along with a facterin' in the steep price of it all.”

       “Yes sir.”

       “We'll, ya have any a questions for me.”

      “No sir.”

      “OK then, what be yer decision?”

      “I have always gone along with what everyone else thinks I should do with my life, which I am grateful for. But not anymore! I have had enough! Commander McClurrey I have decided to join the Earth Protection Service and dedicate my entire life to it!”

       “Well said me lad! You won't be regrettin' it! Now the next thing for ya to do, is to return home one last time and collect any things ya wish to be takin' with ya. See your parents one more tyme and come back here to be commissioned by me. The Captain here'll take ya home now.”

      With the meeting ended the Commander returned to his station. Meanwhile Capt. Lacey and Henry headed back to the ship they arrived in. They reached it quickly and took off. They landed back at the abandoned warehouse a short time thereafter. Before Henry left for home Capt. Lacey, told him to be ready at 6 the next morning. She would land the ship in his backyard.

       When Henry got home his parents gave him the normal greetings not suspecting a thing. He ate the farewell dinner before leaving for college (that his Mom had planned on for the last week) and had a typical evening. When it was time to retire for the night Henry made sure to give his parents both big hugs, said he loved them and would miss them a ton. He then did a thorough search of the house and collected the items he wished to keep. 

      Despite all the excitement of the day and the prospect of his new life he slept marvelously. The next day he woke up at five, quietly gathered his things and waited outside. Right at 6 Capt. Lacey arrived to load up all his things, and within minutes he left his life behind.

      Their ship landed on “Cloud 9” and was met by a small group of soldiers who collected Henry's things and carried them to his new quarters. Henry and Capt. Lacey followed them to the new room. After the soldiers finished setting down his things and left the room, Capt. Lacey instructed Henry to to put on his uniform and report to the command center withing 30 minutes.

     Henry changed his clothing and headed to the command center. As he traversed his way through many corridors, he was thinking there would only be a few people to watch the ceremony: Commander McClurrey, Captain Lacey, and some crew members. He was quite calm as he approached the entrance to the room, then, upon entering, a huge applause met his ears. Where the jungle had been, there were now stadium seats lining the walls, filled with over 1,500 soldiers and crew members! And for those who could not leave their posts, they were watching the ceremony on small view-screens. The majority of them were cheering the new recruits' name. Henry!, Henry!, Henry!

     It was thrilling for Henry. He had no clue joining the Earth Protection Service was such a huge occasion. He took in all the sights before walking to the Commander on the stage in the center of the room. 

       He stood facing the crowd while Commander McClurrey gave an introduction speech as follows: “As your leadin' officer of this here ship, ma favorite part is ta meet new recruits. I learn a lot from their files, but ta be a meetin' them in person gives me a much better idea of who they be, much like Henry here. He is a far greater person than I coulda' guessed. Much more fire and heart to im', along with jolly good manners and the like.” A large cheer and applause followed. “Now on with the swearin' in of the new recruit.” 

     Everyone stood at attention and silence filled the room. Then Commander McClurrey faced Henry and began, “Please raise yer right hand. Now state yer name please.”

      “My name is Henry Dawson.”

      “Have ya made yer decision, without being pressured.”

      “Yes sir!”

      “Please state yer choice.”

      “I will join.”

      “Now havin' stated yer choice please read the pledge on the main screen.” 

     “I, Henry Dawson have decided to dedicate my life to the Earth Protection Service, sacrificing a normal life for the sake of mankind!”

       Immediately a thunderous applause from all in attendance filled the room. It was deafening and went on for nearly 15 minutes. 

      The commotion having died down, Commander McClurrey had each person in the room meet Henry and welcome him to the family. It took over 2 hours to meet all 1,500 people, who were most certainly the friendliest he'd ever met.

       That night the final thought's that went through his mind before going to sleep were, “Tomorrow is the beginning of my new life.”

The story of Lord Baingalad

   In our previous story, we met our hero Túrandil, and his arch enemy, Lord Baingalad. Now, the story focused mainly on the wizard named Túrandil. Lord Baingalad was not talked about very much. So, I wanted to answer as many questions about him as possible, and to do that I will tell his story.

                   Here, without further explanation, is the story of Lord Baingalad.

Chapter 1

    Many, many, years before the great battle between Túrandil and Lord Baingalad, in a far away country, there was a small family that lived at the foot of a huge mountain. There was a mother, a father, and their six month old son. They lived by themselves and lived off the land. The father was a woodsman and the mother took care of the baby and the house. They were happy and life was good. 

    The baby's first winter was the worst winter in years. Food was scarce and the family began to starve. They thought things could not get any worse, then of a sudden something horrible happened. 

    The father was hunting near the house and to his delight a deer came out of the brush. He shot it with his bow, killing it. Then he cleaned it and started dragging it to the house. This was a stroke of good fortune. But they were not the only ones starving. There was a pack of wolves nearby. It so happened that the wolves smelled the dead deer and went to find it to feed their terrible hunger. They came upon the man quickly and began attacking him viciously. He began to scream for help! His wife heard his screams and came running from the house with an ax. The man yelled, “No! No! Go back!” But it was too late; she was already hacking the wolves with the ax. There were too many! One grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Both the woman and her husband were killed, leaving their little baby all alone in the house.
 

   Hours passed by and the baby began to cry but nobody came. After an hour of crying, a strange looking man who was wearing a hood over his head, entered the house and picked up the poor child and calmed him down. He checked the house for the baby's things, gathered up what he found, wrapped it up in a cloth bag, and left the house. When the strange man went outside he was confronted by the wolves! They came at the man, and right before they could attack, he raised his hand and fire came forth from it, sending the wolves running away, burned and scared. Then he climbed on his pony with the baby and rode up the side of the mountain. 

    They rode on for two hours until they reached a cave way up on the mountain. The strange man got off his pony and led it into the cave while holding the baby. The cave went on for a short way, then abruptly came to great wooden door with a big lock on it, blocking the path. The man got a silver key out of his pocked and unlocked the door. When he opened the big door he entered a mansion, with many rooms, built into the mountain. It was beautiful with polished wooden floors, finely carved furniture, crystal lamps, silver plates and goblets, polished marble ceilings, and many other niceties. It was paradise. 

    The strange man took the baby into his room and laid the sleeping child on a small bed. Then he took his hood off to reveal the face of an aged man around 60 years old. His face was weather-worn from years of working outside. He had a short dark gray beard, a kindly smile, and bright green eyes. He just stood there watching the sleeping child, thinking that the baby needed a name. After musing over this thought for a few minutes he came up with a name. The child would be called Baingalad which means 'fair radiance', because the old man thought the child was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. The next mourning when the baby woke up, he was frightened by the strange new face looking down at him. But he soon came to love his kind new caretaker as a son loves his father. 

 

    It turned out that his caretaker had been a sorcerer named Palanaur (which means distant fire) for many years, and a mighty one at that. He had been the royal adviser to the King of a small kingdom in a far away country. That had gone very well, up until he accidentally killed someone by casting a spell the wrong way, which henceforth got him banished from the country. So, with no place to live he sailed across the sea, found the mountain cave, and decided to make it his dwelling. It had been nearly thirty years since then, and he had grown lonely in that time.

   When he learned of the family living near the base of the mountain he began watching over them from afar. He never let the family know of his existence, but it made him happy just to watch them. On the day they were killed he had heard their screams and came down the mountain to see what had happened. He saw the dead man and woman laying on the ground. He was very sad and disappointed that he had been too far away to help them. He had heard their baby crying in the house, and right then, he decided to take the child with him and raise him as his own.

    Baingalad was a light haired boy with bright blue eyes and a disposition much like his master's. He was very smart and as he grew, he learned the things all children learn; how to walk, talk, eat, and think. He called the old man Uncle Palanaur and loved him dearly. The boy also learned things most children don't know, like magic and how to make potions. He learned how to fight with many weapons, too. By the time he was fifteen, he had become very powerful and very knowledgeable, having been taught by Palanaur. On his sixteenth birthday decided to tell Baingalad what had happened to his real parents and how he had rescued him. The boy was saddened by the story but his love for the old man grew tenfold that day.

 Chapter 2

   Time moved on and fourteen more years passed by, during which time Baingalad had reached manhood. He was of average height, with a strong build, the same light hair (down to his shoulders) and bright blue eyes. Living with his Uncle Palanaur so many years, he had become even more like him; in mood and thought, as well as his mannerisms, just like a true father and son sometimes do. He had become a more powerful sorcerer than his master. His friend had grown quite old, nonetheless he was still strong and in good health. They were now closer than ever; each day together was a great joy!

   Then disaster struck. One day Baingalad went out to gather food for the upcoming winter. He was gone the whole day and returned when it started getting dark. Just as he was nearing the cave where he and is master lived, he saw two men run out of the cave carrying many valuables from the mansion. His mind immediately went to his master and he quickly ran to the cave, ignoring the thieves. The door was broken! He began to panic and rushed inside to see if his master was alright.

  

   He entered the main room and was devastated with what he found. Everything was broken in pieces; furniture, crystal lamps, priceless paintings, and there were scorched bodies laying throughout the room. And there behind it all lay his master! Bleeding and dying from wounds all over his old body. Baingalad ran and fell at his masters feet, sobbing and crying like never before. Palanaur reached out and touched his beloved Baingalad and said in a quiet dying voice, “Don't cry my child..My time has come..I have lived a wonderful life. While you were gone, many thieves invaded our house...I tried to fight them off...There were too many of them...Don't seek revenge. Live your life...You have made me so happy..Thank..you...my..son....” And with that said, Palanaur died a happy man in the mansion he had made. Baingalad was in terrible grief and collapsed on the floor in front of his master.

   Hours later, Baingalad awoke from his dark sleep and was quickly brought back to his painful reality. It was too much for him to take. His best friend in the world was gone and he was all alone. He wept bitterly for many hours, but knew he had to move on with his life. So, he cleaned up all the mess in the mansion, threw out all the dead thieves and buried his master. He decided he couldn't stay in the mansion anymore because of the pain it held. There was nothing there for him now. Baingalad gathered his weapons, magic things, and valuable keepsake items from his master and said a final farewell to everything he had known. 

   Never having been out into the real world, he wasn't really sure what to expect. His master had told him all he knew, but the old man hadn't been part of the world for over sixty years. Despite being nervous, Baingalad still had the courage to see for himself. He walked for many days before he found any signs of civilization. What he found was a large village with many friendly people, busy at everyday life. He liked what he saw and decided to get a job and live there among the people. Maybe it would help him move on from the death of his parents and master. He found a job working for a blacksmith named Ollveren (which stands for stream and joyous) who made weapons and armor. Ollveren was a great man, full of joy and laughter, but always a hard worker. He was tall and quite round with red hair and a beard. Baingalad almost felt like he'd found a new master all over again. 

    Baingalad learned his new trade quickly and excelled at it. He was so good that Ollveren made him his partner, and the two gained great renown throughout the land. Baingalad didn't tell anyone about his past or that he knew how to use magic, yet he still practiced it when nobody was around. His magic skill was constantly growing. 

   

   After four years living in the village, Baingalad met a very sweet girl named Luineth, she was very beautiful with golden shining hair and sparkling blue eyes. He fell in love with her and married her the very next year. In their third year of marriage they had a baby girl whose name was Tadluin (who looked like her mother) and Baingalad loved her immensely. He thought life couldn't get any better. 

    Time continued on and Baingalad and his family lived a very normal life without any major troubles. Before he knew it, 10 years had gone by. 

Chapter 3 

    As far as stories go, this would be the perfect ending place. However, this is not the end. Our story must take a dark turn into the depths of evil. 

    One early spring morning, Baingalad got up and headed to work like usual. The day was going very well, up until the lunch hour came. At which time Baingalad and Ollveren began to notice people running by with their most valuable possessions. This continued on for some time and Ollveren began to wonder what was going on, so he stopped another person that was going past and asked him what the problem was. The man gave a hurried reply, “Haven't you heard?! A great army is coming to attack! They have already decimated three other villages. I must leave to save my own skin.” And with that the man quickly ran off. 

   Just as Ollveren was about to say something, a great clamor was heard and smoke began to rise at the entrance to the village. Baingalad's house was near there! His wife and his daughter could be killed! They were all he could think of and he ran as fast as he could to reach them. As he came in sight of his house, he saw soldiers entering in; it was too late! Then he heard his wife scream in the upstairs bedroom. At that sound, his heart started racing and he rushed into his house and up the stairs to find a group of soldiers, including the two thieves who had killed his master! His wife and daughter were lying dead on the floor! The room began to spin as the shock of it all hit him and he fell into darkness. 

    Baingalad woke up later in pure darkness without a clue of where he was. He waited a short time before he tried moving and found out he was just a little stiff. Nothing seemed broken. He then discovered he was under a pile of wooden debris, which he shoved away. As the darkness left, he saw he was in the midst of his burned down house. When he began to look around, he was stunned to see the whole village had been burned as far as the eye could see. After he had passed out, the soldiers burned his house with him in it and part of the roof had fallen over him, sparing his life. The village was totally demolished with charred dead bodies lying everywhere. Baingalad just sat down and began weeping. Everything he loved was gone...again. There was one hope left, his closest friend Ollveren. If anyone could survive this, it would be him. 

    Baingalad got up and headed towards the blacksmith shop. As he approached it, he saw it was still partly standing. Laying near it was Ollveren with a huge ax still gripped in his hand, surrounded by slain soldiers. He was still alive! Baingalad walked over and knelt down beside him with tears falling down his face. Ollveren looked at him, smiled and said, “I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Those dirty vermin destroyed everything. They needed a good thrashing!” 

    Baingalad replied back with a small laugh, “You must have been a force to be reckoned with.” 

    Ollveren coughed real hard and then said, “I'm not going to make it. I was wounded too deeply. I must say my farewells, dear friend. But first I must tell you something important. The two men who did this to me said they knew you. They said your master killed their band, and killing me was part of their revenge. They said they joined the army that is taking over to help fulfill their revenge and replace the band of thieves they led. They told me how they killed your wife and daughter and how fun it was seeing the look on your face when you saw them dead.” 

    This news hit Baingalad like being struck by lightning and he had to steady himself to avoid collapsing from the shock. Ollveren waited for his friend to calm down and then continued on, “There is nothing you can do to avenge yourself. The army is too strong. Leave this land, go far, far away and never return. My time has come. I must now leave this world. Don't forget me my friend.” Then Ollveren closed his eyes and was gone, leaving Baingalad all by himself, alone and hopeless. 

    When Palanaur had died in the cave all those years ago, Baingalad had moved on with his life and had been pleased with that choice. But not this time. He would hunt down the two thieves who had destroyed his life and make them pay dearly!

   He got up and went to the outskirts of where the village had been and entered into a small cave where he had kept his magic things. He gathered up his staff and cloak and followed the enemy's trail. Baingalad traveled for two days before he spotted the enemy camp. During the night he crept to the front of the camp and waited until morning. 

    When dawn came, Baingalad stood up with his staff in his hand and yelled out towards the enemy, “I am Baingalad and I am looking for two former thieves who have joined your army. They must answer to me for the death of my family. If you hand them over I will spare you.” At this bold statement the soldiers began to laugh and mock him. 

    The man who looked to be the leader said in an irritated voice, “They have returned to the castle, but if they were still here I would not give them to the likes of you. Begone or I will have you beaten, fool!” This made Baingalad very angry and he decided to make them pay. So, he mouthed the words of a spell to himself, and suddenly asteroids began to fall throughout the camp, killing soldiers and destroying supplies! 

    Soldiers panicked as a call to arms was issued throughout the camp. Soldier's ran to grab weapons and armor to join in the fight to help stop the crazy sorcerer. After ten minutes, over two hundred soldiers had assembled and were running hard at Baingalad, but just as they got to him he unleashed a huge rush of lightning from his staff. This totally caught the soldiers off guard and many of them lost their lives. The remaining thirty quickly came at Baingalad, who took down fifteen with a single strike of lightning and fought the rest hand to hand. Only one remained alive and he was greatly wounded. Baingalad knelt down beside the soldier and viciously grabbed him by the neck demanding to know where his castle was. The soldier told him the kingdom was in the east. When Baingalad had this answer, he threw the soldier down and walked towards the east. The soldier called after him for help, hearing his cries the sorcerer turned around to send lighting from his staff, finishing him off. 

Chapter 4 

    Baingalad traveled east for many days and came across three burned villages, with countless dead bodies. There were also many farms and small houses that had been burned to the ground. Seeing all the destruction fueled his anger even more towards his enemies, turning his heart dark and evil. 

    Continuing his journey, he came over a small hill and beheld a large open plain with a river running down past a walled city. It was the enemy kingdom! And, oh, what an amazing sight it was to see. The sight was even grander when he saw off in the distance, on the side of a small mountain, there was an enormous castle with a stone bridge leading to the city below. Now, the city had a tall stone wall surrounding it and it looked to hold many thousands of people. Baingalad came to the gate and demanded to see the ruler of the kingdom. The gatekeeper was very short and rude with him and told him to go away. Baingalad shouted at the gatekeeper, “In that case, I will let myself in, you worthless fool!”

    He reached out his staff and sent a huge fireball into the guard tower, demolishing it and killing the gatekeeper. Immediately afterwards, he picked up a rock and magically caused it to hover in mid air. Then he cast a spell, which made the rock grow to a great size and he hurled it at the gate. The boulder went through the gate, totally destroying it and crashing into a building. 

    Horns began blowing frantically throughout the city and people prepared for battle. Baingalad entered the city with his sword in one hand his staff in the other. 

    He walked until he reached the city square, where he was met by a small band of soldiers armed to the teeth. A man who looked to be the captain stepped forward and said, “What do you want with our city?”

Baingalad angrily yelled back, “I have come for two former thieves who joined your army! They have caused me great harm and owe me a great debt! I want them brought to me for punishment!” 

    The captain looked at him, pulled out his sword, and shouted “These men you speak of are our army's top soldiers. Come and get them yourself!”

    Baingalad replied, “I will!” and quickly attacked them with a blast of lighting, leaving them all dead.

Baingalad then came to the gate of the bridge and blasted it with fire, sending it crashing down. Next, he walked across the bridge, turned around and sent fire from the sky, totally obliterating the bridge to avoid being followed. 

    A little way beyond the bridge a small army awaited him; nearly three-hundred soldiers! At the front was the captain. He moved forwards and said, “A messenger brought word of your attack in the city square, and of your errand.” 

    “I am a powerful sorcerer and I demand the two thieves be brought to me!” Baingalad roared. 

    The captain stepped back in line and called for his men to bear arms. The sound of swords being unsheathed came next. Then the captain yelled, “Attack!” Before the army could make its first move, Baingalad had already made his. What he did was use magic to pick up the the remains of the bridge and hurl it onto the soldiers, killing most of them. Only a handful remained, but Baingalad quickly dispatched them with his sword. He left the captain alive and made him lead the way to the King.

    The castle was quite old and a very worn down shabby building, built into the side of the mountain. It looked more like a fortress than a castle. Baingalad followed the captain to the throne-room and stood before the King. The King was a middle aged man with graying hear and a long braided beard. He was rather tall and had the look of arrogance about him. 

    The King saw that the commander was being led by force and had a look of fear on his face. The commander approached the King and told him in a shaky voice, “My King, this man demands your two best men be delivered to him for punishment. I am very sure he is serious, having killed our men.” 

   The King looked at Baingalad and said, “I have heard of you. The men you ask for told me. When I heard their story I took them in and pledged to help them get revenge on you in return for their services.” 

    “What kind of mad King are you?!”, Baingalad screamed.

    

   The King began laughing and said, “Get out of my sight!”

   The second he finished his statement, he hit a button on his throne causing the floor to fall out from under the enraged sorcerer. Baingalad fell down and hit a hard floor below. The fall dazed him somewhat, and when he sat up, he saw he was surrounded by many soldiers. Before he could defend himself, they attacked. He was hit from every side until he was seriously wounded. Then, they took him outside the city and threw him down in the forest, leaving him for dead.

Chapter 5 

    Baingalad woke up two days later, sore, stiff, and confused about where he was. He sat up to look around and discovered that he was in a dark forest next to a river. Since he had been unconscious for such a long time, it took a few minutes for his memory to return. Upon realizing his predicament, a great anger surged inside of him. He decided right then that he would dedicate his life to destroying the enemy kingdom, no matter what it took. He would destroy their villages, capture the royal city, and make their people wanderers without homes. 

    With revenge as his motivation, an extra energy filled his body, and he began to drag himself through the dark forest, which was a very slow process. Nevertheless he made it to a small river and collapsed from exhaustion. Sometime later he woke up in a strange bed, in a small dark room, with an old woman sitting in a chair in a corner. She looked to be in her early 70's with white hair and gray eyes. One could see that she had been very tall and beautiful in her youth. She also had the air of sophistication, and perhaps royalty, about her. He looked towards her and said, “Where am I? And who are you?” 

    “I am Saeleth (which means wise lady), and you are in my house. I found you laying near the river and brought you here four days ago.” She replied.

Baingalad asked, “Why do you live out here?” 

    “I was the King's sorceress for many years, and it was wonderful. I had my own private quarters, many servants, a carriage with six fine horses, and was given much authority in the king's court. It went well until I spoke out against his two new generals. I was his head counselor, and I believed that our kingdom had no room for common thieves to have any input in important matters. So, in a fit of rage, he banished me from the kingdom.” 

 

    “How do you feel towards him.” Baingalad implored.

    Saeleth got a sneer on her face and said, “I would kill him right now but I'm too old and week.” 

    A few moments of silence followed while Baingalad sat and thought about what to say next. Coming to his decision, he confidently stated, “I'm going to trust you with my story and maybe you can help me out.” Therefore, Baingalad spent the rest of the day telling his story to the old woman. At the end of his story he fell fast asleep.

    Baingalad woke up some days later to the same surroundings as before, but it was daytime and he could now see the room better. There was a window across from him looking out to the dark forest, the walls were made of dark wood with many knots in it, the floor consisted of finely laid tile (which was surprising for a house in a forest), and many books lined two shelves. The last thing he noticed was the old woman sitting in her chair in the corner. She saw he was awake and came over to stand beside his bed. Then she said, “I have been going over your story in my head and have decided to help you get revenge. I cannot offer you any physical help, but I will teach you what dark magic I know. I will even teach you how to change others or yourself into powerful magic creatures. It may take you a few years to learn it all.” 

    An evil smile crept over Baingalad's face as thoughts of revenge flowed through his mind. Then he said, “I will give you five years to teach me all you know.” Then he fell fast asleep once again, and slept two more days.

    When he finally woke up, he felt revitalized. After locating his clothing, Baingalad gingerly dressed himself (being sore from his ordeal) and went outside. The area outside the house surprised the sorcerer. It was a very lovely place; there was a river of sparkling water flowing beside the house with a quaint wooden bridge crossing it. On the other side of the bridge were two large gardens, one of vegetables and one of beautiful flowers. There was a small building besides. Turning his gaze back to the house, he saw red, yellow and blue tulips planted along the base of it. A nice path went from the front door across the river to the gardens. This paradise is where Baingalad stayed and trained with Saeleth.

    Over the next five years, Baingalad learned many strange spells, both good and evil in nature. He also increased in power and strength beyond his wildest dreams. However, in light of these positives his heart grew more evil day by day. Having finished his training, the sorcerer headed out into the world, prepared for revenge. 

 

    Saeleth had pointed Baingalad in the direction of the royal city and told him to follow the river beside the house. He would reach the royal city within a few days. Then he was to spy out the land for his future attack. She had advised Baingalad that the key to victory in war was knowing your enemy as well as they know themselves. Out of his great respect for Saeleth, his mentor, Baingalad heeded her counsel and did exactly as she had instructed. He walked in the direction she had shown him and sure enough he came within sight the city. Baingalad was amazed with how big and well defended the city had become in just five years. He knew he would need a large army. 

  
Chapter 6

    Baingalad's plan to create an army involved going into many village's and city's in the Kingdom to recruit thieves, robbers and other sorts of low life's. When two years had passed he had a group of eight thousand men who would be trained into soldiers. They took him as their unquestioned leader and called him Lord Baingalad.

    Before training could start they needed somewhere to train. Baingalad went out by himself in search of a place to build his own castle to train his army. A month of searching brought him to a large valley, with a hill in the middle, where his castle would be built. He brought the group of men to the valley and told them his plans. The men were very impressed and readily agreed to build the castle. They were so eager to start that they began building it the very next week. The castle took two years of hard work to complete, but when it was finished it was well worth the effort. 

    It was a grand base for the sorcerer and his followers, equipped with every luxury of the times; tapestries, finely woven carpets, choice furniture, fine china, polished silverware, and gold chandelier's in nearly every room. These elegant items were all stolen from villages of the enemy kingdom, for Baingalad felt that it was rightfully owed to him, in light of what they had done to him and his family. The layout of the castle was equally extravagant: there were over 75 rooms, many for the men to sleep in, a large kitchen, eight dining halls, three pantries and a larder, 15 bathrooms, weapon storage rooms, an enormous wash room(for the massive amount of laundry), a large dungeon, the Lord's “royal” chamber, and the throne-room. 

 

    As soon as the castle was finished, Baingalad brought the old woman to the castle to show her what had been done. Saeleth was astounded with what she saw. The castle was 40 feet tall, the breadth was 60 yards and width was 60 yards in measurement (counting the wall surrounding it), it was made of expertly carved stone, 8 guard towers each with a ballista , large wooden spikes to keep enemies from climbing the walls, and the gatehouse for the entrance. She told him she knew he was a very brilliant and resourceful person but she had no idea to what extent. She also had a big surprise for him. This made him very excited, and when he saw what it was, he was ecstatic! The surprise consisted of powerful magic items: A glimmering robe that enhanced his agility, a strange curved magic sword, Saeleth's entire library of spell books and magic books, and special plans for making magic weapons.

    To train an army, there are two main things you must have; first you need people, and second you need equipment (namely weapons and armor). Now, Lord Baingalad had the first requirement, however the second was non-existent. To remedy this, he went into one of the villages and hired a blacksmith that was sympathetic to his cause to make weapons and armor. Deep inside the castle, a large forge had been built for just that purpose. The blacksmith used the weapon plans from the old lady. Some of the soldiers were also reassigned to work with the blacksmith. The finished weapons looked much different than what anyone had ever seen before. There were strangely curved swords, large rounded blades, shields with sharp edges, and long poles with an unnatural (magic) fire on the end. 

    With the hefty task of making weapons and armor completed, the training could commence. Baingalad wanted the best soldiers possible, so he personally spent an entire year intensely training his men. They were now professional soldiers, able to take on anything.

 

Chapter 7

  

  The army gathered a week later and arranged for their campaign. Lord Baingalad's plan was to head towards the Royal City, seventy miles to the east. Along the way he and his army planned to attack and destroy all the villages between them and their main target. 

    The first village the army reached was undefended except for a small group of villagers, who were quickly defeated. The reason the amount of resistance was so sparse was because the King was getting his city ready for the approaching army. Just as Lord Baingalad had promised, he destroyed the village and left the people to wander without a home. It was a tragic sight, but not to Lord Baingalad. His evil heart loved it. 

    When every village and city in their path had been demolished, the army headed for the Royal City. It was a long march of two days to the east. As they came within sight of the Royal City they stopped to set up camp, to rest before their assault. 

    Lord Baingalad climbed up into a tall tree to see what the city was doing to prepare for his army. What he saw from his high perch was quite discouraging. The entrance to the city was completely rebuilt, it consisted of two thirty foot guard towers with a huge gate of iron, and four iron grates, one behind the other. An army of ten thousand soldiers was gathered in front of the gate. The walls of the city were lined with archers and crossbowman. Lord Baingalad could also see many soldiers on the inside of the gate and scattered throughout the streets. The bridge had been rebuilt. It was made of heavy stonework but it now had metal grates that could be dropped to prevent invasion. There were also guard booths along both sides of the bridge. The castle had been totally rebuilt to nearly four times it's original size.

    Lord Baingalad was not satisfied with what he saw from the tree. So, he climbed down and entered his tent to find a way that would allow him to see more. He got out one of his magic books, found a seeing spell and cast it on himself. Once again he climbed the tree and looked towards the city. This time he could see through buildings and his sight was greatly enhanced, to the point where he could even see their faces. He saw that there were soldiers waiting in ambush in most of the houses. In front of the castle was an even bigger army of thirty thousand in waiting. When he looked at the castle, he could see an army of five thousand Knights, gathered in the giant throne-room surrounding the King. The two thieves who had ruined his life were also there.

    At sunrise the next day the army began war preparations. They were not what any of the soldiers had anticipated. An astounding request was issued by Lord Baingalad. He asked, “Are there any among you who wish to be changed into a magic creature” This caused a great stir throughout the army as jaws dropped and men gasped. Not one of the soldiers had even conceived such a thought. Many wouldn't dare to even read about such a thing. But in the large group that was assembled, there were some who loved the idea and readily volunteered. 

    Lord Baingalad called them forward and had each soldier stand before him. Then he cast a spell which transformed them into either a minotaur , an ogre, or a troll. When this task was finished there were fifty ogres and fifty minotaurs standing before the assembly! The look on all the soldiers faces was that of horror and surprise. They regained their composure as the call, “Form up!” was ordered by their leader.

Chapter 8

    Within the hour, the army was ready and marching towards the royal city with Lord Baingalad in the lead. They marched for a short while before coming to the army of ten thousand, guarding the entrance to the city. Lord Baingalad came within shouting distance of the enemy army and called for his troops to stop, whereupon he began issuing his demands to the enemy army. “I, Lord Baingalad hereby demand your two generals be given over to me for punishment of past crimes against myself, and you give us the city. If you comply, I will leave your city in peace. However, if you refuse, I will crush your city to dust!”

  

    The captain of the royal army yelled back, “Your demand has been heard and rejected! Why should we fear your small army against our magnificent city?! Try as you might, but we are well prepared for you!”

 

   Just as the captain finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground, dead, with a burning spear in his chest that Lord Baingalad had sent hurtling through the air, using magic. While the royal army was focused on the dead captain, the attacking army ran towards the confused men, catching them somewhat off guard. But despite this, the enemy quickly recovered, valiantly fighting back. They started pushing Lord Baingalad's army back, which was a cause of great worry. Defeat seemed eminent until Lord Baingalad exerted his power over the battle. 

    This came about by the sorcerer casting a spell on the arrows in the royal archers quivers. The spell caused the arrows to be pulled out and hover in mid air, then caused them to bombard the royal soldiers below, killing many of them. He also called forth a stampede of cattle from nearby farms to tear through the enemy lines. All the chaos gave Lord Baingalad's army the chance they needed to win the battle before the gate. Nearly all of them survived. 

    Lord Baingalad and his men took a few minutes to rest before attempting to assail the gate. With the walls lined with archers and two menacing guard towers, the soldiers couldn't get very close. This created a major problem in the eyes of the soldiers, but not for Lord Baingalad. He had a plan. 

  

    The sorcerer slowly lifted his staff, and a ball of fire began to form on the end of it. The fireball grew in size to a huge blazing orb. Time seemed to stop before Lord Baingalad fired it in between the two guard towers causing a huge explosion, destroying both towers, and killing all the archers on the wall. 

    Next up was the gate. As I mentioned before, the main gate was enormous and had four iron grates, one behind the other. The soldiers tried cutting it with their swords but it was too thick. Now it was Lord Baingalad's turn. He looked around for something to use to break down the gate and spotted a large river nearby. He walked over to the river and began waving his staff over the water. Water began coming out of the river to form into a sphere right above it. It grew to a great size and then froze, making a gigantic ball of ice. The ball began to spin very fast; then all of a sudden it went flying right into the gate. The force of the ice ball was so strong that it broke the hinges and caused the gate to crush part of the large army behind it. Three thousand royal soldiers died from being smashed by the gate. 

    As soon as the gate had fallen, Lord Baingalad used a wind spell to send the loose debris through the air and into the stunned soldiers, in an attempt to kill them off. It took a few minutes to find out if it worked, seeing as the wind was very powerful and had caused dust to block everyone's view. When the dust settled the sight that remained was incredible; there were dead soldiers all over the place. 

Chapter 9

    Lord Baingalad and his army slowly entered the city, having to step over all their smashed adversaries. They all gathered just inside the gate to plan the next move. Lord Baingalad told his men that many of the houses leading along the path to the bridge had royal soldiers waiting in ambush. So the plan that was put into action involved archers climbing on the houses and waiting. Then the sorcerer would summon hundreds of poisonous snakes from outside the city to go into the houses. The snakes would then attack the enemy soldiers, causing them to panic and run out of the houses, allowing the archers to pick them off. 

    After the archers were situated on the rooftops of the houses, Lord Baingalad cast the summoning spell, and within mere minutes, hundreds of snakes poured into the city and went straight for the houses. There were so many snakes, that it looked as if a raging river was going through the city. Many screams of terror followed as the snakes entered the houses, sending soldiers pouring out of every single house to be instantly shot by arrows or cut down in the main street. The death toll reached five thousand, with hundreds of deaths from poisonous snakes. Then just as quickly as they had come, the snakes left the city and returned to the wild.

    The great bridge loomed ahead, presenting yet another large obstacle to overcome. Guard towers filled with archers lined both sides of the bridge. There was also the matter of the metal grates that had been dropped to prevent their crossing. But even though Lord Baingalad was a mighty sorcerer, he could only complete one magic task at a time. The first task he chose was to destroy the guard towers. There were six guard towers on each side of the bridge and each one jutted out over the valley. Lord Baingalad decided to use the position of the towers to his advantage. He held up his staff and cast a spell causing clouds to form and to dump heavy rain on the guard towers, while at the same time freezing the rainwater on the towers. When the ice built up enough, the weight caused each tower to fall down into the valley below, sending the enemy archers to their doom.

    The next task was figuring out how to cross the huge gaps in the bridge. There were a total of four gaps, each spanning twenty feet. A brilliant and amazing idea came to Lord Baingalad's mind! He quickly began looking up an old spell he had heard of as a child, and to his delight he found it. Holding up his staff, he chanted the spell and a rainbow formed across each gap! These were not ordinary rainbows, either. They could be walked upon. The splendor of what the spell had done astonished all, friend and foe alike. After regaining their composure, the invading army marched across the bridge to meet the thirty thousand royal soldiers who awaited them. 

    Upon approach, Lord Baingalad and his men saw they would not be dealing with the same soldiers as before. These were the King's elite soldiers. It was easy to tell the elite from the regular soldiers. They had heavier armor, stronger weapons, and the King's royal crest emblazoned on their armor and shield's. The army of thirty thousand soldiers consisted of: ten thousand spear-men, ten thousand swordsmen, five thousand archers, and five thousand ax-men. This would be a major challenge for Lord Baingalad, who was seriously outmatched with his army of five thousand that remained. 

    Before Lord Baingalad and his army had a chance to do anything, the enemy archers ran to the front of their ranks and began sending myriads of arrows into the approaching army. The result was catastrophic. One thousand men were killed, sending the rest retreating to the bridge. After regrouping at the bridge Lord Baingalad said he had been totally caught off guard and needed a better means of attack. As he mused over this dilemma, an idea struck him when he happened to be looking at one of his soldiers swords.

    Lord Baingalad got his spell book out and found a powerful spell that would make their weapons very powerful. The book also said the spell would make any weapon feel as light as soft wood, cut through armor, and shoot fireballs at enemies; however the spell would only last for one hour. Lord Baingalad had everyone stand before him and hold their weapons up. Then he pulled out out his staff and began chanting a magic spell. Following a few minutes of chanting, a red mist gathered over the raised weapons, and immediately every blade was covered in an unnatural magic fire that could not be quenched. 

    A new plan of attack was quickly devised and explained. Thereupon Lord Baingalad, led his army towards the enemy and stopped in the same spot as earlier. They waited until their adversaries were convinced the arrow assault would again be a success. When the archers ran up for the easy kill, they were met with a blast of fire from Lord B and his men, and every archer that ran up was killed in the ambush attack. At the exact instant the archers were slain, the entire red army rushed forward, swinging their improved weapons. The onslaught of their attack, coupled with the improved weapons, dealt a mighty blow to the elite army, sending them reeling. The small army took out twenty thousand elite soldiers in the first attack and quickly finished off the rest. Despite defeating all the soldiers protecting the city, Lord Baingalad's lust for revenge was unabated. He had to kill the King and take the two thieves, or his attack on the city was a worthless endeavor. 

Chapter 10

    In his foolish arrogance, the King made sure his enemies would reach him unhindered by removing all his guards from the halls of the castle. He held fast to his belief that Lord Baingalad would be killed in his throne-room. So, when the sorcerer and his men entered, they made it all the way to the throne-room without meeting a single guard, or coming across any booby traps. 

    The King had the grandest throne-room (or room for that matter) that any of Lord Baingalad or his men had ever witnessed. The room was enormous; three-hundred feet long by three-hundred feet wide, and sixty feet high. Walking in, the first thing that came to their attention was the spectacular ceiling. It was made of white granite with images of every animal you could think of painted on it, and in the center was a large round glass window spanning nearly 100 feet. A giant chandelier hung from the glass window above, with crystal prisms sending a rainbow of shimmering lights through the vast expanse of room. The walls were overlaid with crystal and adorned with gold and priceless gems. In the center of the room there was a small pond with exotic fish in it. Four streams led from the pond to each corner of the room. Near the back of the room sat the most exquisite throne in the entire region. It was made of diamonds and rubies fused together with crystals into one solid stunning piece. 

    On the throne sat the King of the realm, and beside him sat the two ex-thieves whom Lord Baingalad had come for. Surrounding the King were two thousand fully armed knights. The King looked towards Lord Baingalad and scoffed, “I see you have returned, my good sorcerer. Your display of power against my army was quite impressive, but now I shall watch you perish!” Then, with a wave of his hand the King's knights began their approach while he and his two generals watched from their seats. 

    Lord Baingalad had already planned his attack; however, he was holding back for the right moment. He waited until the enemy knights were halfway across the large room; then he struck suddenly and fiercely. Lord Baingalad whipped out his staff and sent a bolt of lightning careening off the far wall to the glass window, causing the whole thing, chandelier and all, to come crashing down onto the approaching soldiers, maiming or killing half of them. It was a devastating blow, but the enemy came on anyway. Their attack was intense. Not even the magic blades the red soldiers wielded could hold them back. It was a long and violent affair. Two thousand of Lord Baingalad's men were killed in the battle. The King's men weren't so lucky, as they were all killed, leaving two grim looking generals and one flustered King.

    Lord Baingalad looked towards his men and said “I wish to deal with the King and his generals myself. Wait outside.” So, all two thousand of his men left the throne-room, leaving the sorcerer alone with his adversaries. After everyone was gone, Lord Baingalad came before the King and waited in silence for him to speak. 

    A few minutes passed and then the King spoke up quite arrogantly (despite his position of weakness), “You are a fool for attacking my Kingdom! As I recall, you were easily dealt with the last time we met. My two generals will finish you off this time!”

   Lord Baingalad was incensed with the King's haughty words and his reply demonstrated it. “You are the fool! I have bested you, yet you still boast! This Kingdom is better off without it's jester of a King! I have not forgotten our last meeting, and have come to return the favor! I will see to that after my revenge upon your generals is finished!”

    The time that Lord Baingalad had been waiting for had finally arrived. It was time to exact his revenge. He pulled out his sword and beckoned the two generals to come towards him. As they approached a look of madness came over Lord Baingalad's face and he screamed, “You have brought me to ruin! Now you shall pay the price! You have crossed the wrong man! I have power you have never seen before!”

    Before either man could reply, the sorcerer was on them with his sword. The assault was so furious and sudden that both men were knocked back on their heels. This wasn't Lord Baingalad's best move, as his fury quickly abated with the amount of energy he had exerted. The two generals were masterful swordsman and took full advantage of the sorcerers exhaustion. When a few minutes of their attack had elapsed, Lord Baingalad was nearly defeated. Then, suddenly, Lord Baingalad sent a shock-wave through the room, knocking the two men to the ground. What happened next was the greatest show of power Lord Baingalad had ever performed and was a testament to how mighty of a sorcerer he had become.

    He stepped back, picked up his staff, and began to wave it in the air. After a few seconds, a green light began to surround him and he grew in height to at least double his normal size. His staff turned into what looked like a flaming mace made of living fire. The King and his two generals were mortified at what they saw. The time for shock was short lived as Lord Baingalad swung his flaming mace towards the two men. His aim was true and the mace struck both men, sending them through a large window in the castle wall and down the nearby cliff, to a violent end on the rocks below. 

Chapter 11

    Lord Baingalad walked towards the stunned King and released the spell, which returned him to his former height. “I challenge you to a battle of blades; man to man, without magic. We may each use a single sword of our choosing, and no cheating.” he said to the King.

    “I accept your pathetic challenge,” sneered the King .

    Then the King walked over behind his throne and opened a long box. From the box he drew a finely crafted sword and returned to confront the sorcerer. Upon returning, he boasted about his swordsmanship. “I have spent my entire life learning to use a blade and have become quite skilled at it. Old though I am, I can hold my own against anyone, including you.”

    Lord Baingalad did not respond. Instead, he drew his own sword and suddenly lunged towards the King, missing his chest by mere inches. The battle had begun! The hatred each man had for the other caused their fighting to be fast and aggressive. Some of the blows were so fierce that both blades were getting notches in them. This was not just a battle of skill with a sword. With all the debris on the ground, great footwork and agility were needed to avoid injury. The dance of swordsmanship made its way around the great throne room. It looked as though each man knew the others every move, meeting strike for strike and blow for blow. But as the King was more advanced in years than the sorcerer, his strength began to wane. His strikes became softer and slower. 

    Lord Baingalad took the chance presented to him, attacking more furiously, letting rage fill his mind. Before realizing it, the King was backed into a corner. A look of worry came to his face and he began panicking. At that exact moment, the sorcerer pinned the King's sword arm against the wall. The King appeared to be at an end, but he had not been true to his word, for he had a dagger in his sleeve. With his sword arm trapped, the King used his free arm to pull out the dagger and struck at Lord Baingalad. However, the sorcerer saw what was going on, whipped out his staff just in time to send the King flying across the room with a blast of fire. The King landed on the other side of the room with a loud crash, which left him stunned, yet still alive and slightly wounded.

    In the act of picking himself up off the floor, the King saw the sorcerer fiercely coming towards him. Lord Baingalad began screaming at the King, “You traitor! I gave you a fair chance! Now you will pay!” With that said, the sorcerer set his feet and began to wave his staff in a circular motion over his head. He spun it faster and faster. The faster he went, the darker the sky grew. A deafening howling sound soon filled the air. Then to the Kings horror, a small cyclone came down through the ceiling, touching down on the floor. It started pulling the screaming King towards it, who was frantically grabbing at anything he could to stop himself from being sucked in. It was of no avail. The King was pulled up into the wild vortex. The instant the King reached the cyclone, it dramatically increased in size and pulled all the shattered glass, dead bodies, and debris into itself, pummeling the helpless King to death. 

    In spite of the violent wind, the sorcerer remained where he was standing, without even a single scratch or bruise on his body. He just stood by, watching the dead King spinning around inside the cyclone, laughing wickedly all the while. Upon becoming satisfied with enjoying his revenge on the King, he sent the cyclone up through the ceiling and away to unload its contents off the cliff. 

    A short time later, Lord Baingalad emerged triumphant from the castle to his impatiently expectant men. Most of the men had been worrying about what they would do if their master should perish. So, they were very relieved to see their powerful leader return unharmed. The sorcerer walked through the ranks of his soldiers and sat down on a slab of stone. A moment of dead silence followed, then he told what had transpired in great detail, leaving nothing out. The story ended to a loud applause, much laughter, sneering, and snide comments about the King.

    One of the toughest soldiers, who had remained silent amid all the noise of everyone else, spoke up. “My, Lord, in light of our great victory, what do you propose to do next?” 

    Lord Baingalad turned his gaze toward the man (whom he had great respect for) who spoke, and stood up on the slab of stone he had been sitting on. Then he began to extrapolate in a loud voice his current and future plans. “Our first order of business is to rid this city of its worthless people. We will make them live and fend for themselves, as we have done with many of their cities! Next we will allow anyone who wishes, to join our army! And we must rebuild this city for our own uses!” 

    Lord Baingalad was not done yet. His most shocking statement came next. “The taste of revenge was very sweet, my men. But why stop with just one small realm when we can rule the world!” (For in the west there were many kingdoms of varying sizes and strengths.) The men, being greedy as they were, cheered their loudest at these last words.

    The day after the great victory, Lord Baingalad told his men he had to go by himself to see Saeleth and tell her the good news. When everything was situated in the royal city, he left, following the river until he reached the old woman's house. He saw her working in her garden and called out to her. Hearing his voice she turned to look and was quite surprised to see him. Then she dropped what she was doing and ran to him and hugged him, for it had been two years since she had seen him.

    “I have done it!” Baingalad exclaimed, “I have defeated the fool King, his army, and his two generals!”

An evil smile came over Saeleth 's face and she began to laugh. When her laughing subsided she triumphantly declared, “What wonderful news! The world is purged of their wretchedness!”

   Then, Saeleth invited Baingalad into the house for refreshments, so he could tell her all about his victory. He stayed at her house for three days, telling her all he could about his past exploits and future plans. She very much enjoyed his tales and was in high favor of his upcoming plans. He offered to house her in his castle, but she told him her days of war were done and she desired to finish out her life in her private paradise.  

   Baingalad was disappointed with her answer, yet he understood her feelings on the matter and promised to visit her as often as he could. So, they gave their farewells and the sorcerer left, following the river and back to the royal city.

Chapter 12

   Throughout the next two years, much of Lord Baingalad's plans had come to pass. A large majority of the people were forced out of the city to live a life of poverty and sadness. Thieves, robbers, scoundrels, and men of ill repute flocked from all around to join the army, causing it to swell to over 50,000 strong. Every remaining village and town of the kingdom had been either enslaved, plundered or destroyed. The city was rebuilt to twice it's original splendor and served as a means of amassing huge quantities of wealth. Even though the city was so splendid, Lord Baingalad chose, instead, to remain in his own castle, because it was better equipped for war. 

    The last part of Lord B's plan soon began to show fruit as kingdom after kingdom was attacked and plundered. Every victory increased the sorcerer's lust for death and destruction, which had the extra effect of making him a tyrant. All the goodness he once possessed had been replaced with cruelty and bitterness.

    During his many campaigns Lord Baingalad had heard rumors of a great kingdom hundreds of miles in the east; possibly the greatest Kingdom on the continent. But as it chanced, he was too busy conquering the west to find out at the time. However, he would be sure to check when time would allow. 

    After ten years of battles the amount of adversaries began to dwindle and the sorcerer became restless. He wanted more battles to feed his lust! One day as he sat in his castle, pondering these thoughts, he suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard. He immediately called a meeting with his advisers and military leaders. When they all were seated, Lord Baingalad told of the many rumors he had heard about the huge Kingdom far to the east. He then went on to say that he wished to send a small group of soldiers to investigate the rumors and see if the Kingdom was worth attacking. Always being of the same mind as their leader, everyone readily agreed. 

    The very next day, a scout was sent out. It was a very long time before the scout returned from the east, for it had been further away than anticipated; over three hundred miles! The scout was quickly brought before Lord Baingalad and asked to give his report. 

    As soon as the scout stood before the sorcerer's throne, Lord Baingalad asked, “How did your errand go?”

   “My Lord, the kingdom which you sent me to spy out is greater than any of the rumors suggested. It's borders far exceed our own by many leagues, the land is lush with much rich soil, and the peoples there are very hardy and would make for useful slaves. There is also, I might add, much wealth. Unfortunately I was not able to see what type of army or defenses they have. ”

    “You have done an exceptional job. I will greatly reward you for your effort.” 

    Then Lord Baingalad stood up and announced in a loud voice, “My mind is made up! We will invade the mighty kingdom in the east, and enslave their peoples! At the end of his speech, a great cheer went up from all the men in the throne-room. 

    A meeting was called soon after, where the plan of war was devised. A small raiding group would be sent to test the might of the kingdom's army and to spy out their defenses. When that was established, Lord Baingalad would prepare his army for war, and march unannounced upon the unsuspecting kingdom. 

    The raiding group was sent fourth and reached the kingdom without incident. They executed the next phase of the plan. They spied out the enemy's defenses, and then rode throughout the kingdom, raiding villages in an effort to incite the enemy to attack. It was only a short time before an attack came. The battle was short and the small group was handily beaten, except for one archer who escaped to Lord Baingalad's castle. The information he provided allowed the sorcerer and his advisers to formulate a good strategy for invasion. The sorcerer wanted the invasion to commence smoothly, so he spent an extraordinarily long time getting ready for it. 

    On the occasion that Lord Baingalad felt the time for invasion had come, he came to the balcony overlooking his war camp and announced in a loud voice, “The time has come! We move out today!”

    This is the point where our window into the life of Lord Baingalad comes to a close. His was a life of joy and pain, of great power, and great weakness, but in the end a villain he was. What good could he have done had he taken the right path? That, we will never know. 

The End