One Way Ticket To Talenthar – Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ludger was stunned. He looked at the tall man. He did not know what to think. This person knew his identity and was asking him to enter the strange building. He just stood there, transfixed.

Making a slight coughing noise the tall man said.

“Sir, you are an honoured guest here. His Royal Highness and my Master are awaiting you. Please do come in.”

Finally Ludger recovered from the shock. He walked in through the thick portal. He stopped while the tall man silently closed the thick stone door. In front of Ludger stretched a long corridor, smoothly carved from the solid rock. It gently sloped downward. The butler, pointing to the far end, said.

“Shall we go, Sir.”

Pushing back a feeling of dread, and realizing that he did not have much of a choice, Ludger agreed to follow. As they started down the corridor, Ludger queried.

“Who are you? Where are we? And who are we going to meet?”

The tall man answered in hushed tones.

“My name is Eyegar, Sir. I am the assistant of the great magician, Master Andrack. We are now in his keep near the kingdom’s capital of Talenthar. We are going to meet His Royal Highness Prince Arexis and, my master, Andrack.”

This did not provide Ludger with any new understanding of the situation. But now, at least, he new the names of the people involved. He followed Eyegar in silence, down the sloping corridor. Their way was lit by smoky torches set in convoluted ornamental iron sconces.

After a few interminable minutes, they ended up in a high ceiling rotunda. A half dozen openings lined the circular wall. Eyegar, without hesitation, went straight into a low set tunnel, opening on the right. This corridor was darker and of lower ceiling. It changed directions every thirty, or so, feet. They soon arrived in front of a strange, massive door. It was made of solid wood of an unknown species and clad in bands of intricately engraved iron. All kinds of cabalistic signs made a complicated pattern on the door. Ludger could feel a pulsing force emanating from it. He did not know what to make of it. He instinctively tightened his grip around the MAC 10, his knuckles turning white in the process. He had entirely forgotten that he was carrying the weapon.

Eyegar knocked at the door and ceremoniously opened it. It revealed a dark, cluttered, rectangular room carved out of the solid rock. The walls were covered with open shelves, loaded with arcane paraphernalia and dusty tomes. A massive, dark, wooden table was loaded with an impressive collection of phials, beakers, and more leather bound volumes. They were arranged in total disarray. In the middle of the room stood a large stone pedestal. On its top rested a large, shallow, black enamelled bowl. It was inlaid with gold cabalistic signs. A smoky haze filled the room. The temperature felt warm, after the cold dampness of the corridors.

At the far end of the room a roaring fire consisting of small tree trunks, was ablaze in a massive fireplace. Three people were seated in front of the blaze, apparently lost in deep conversation. When the door had opened the largest of the huddled figures daintily jumped to his feet, which was an exploit considering his bulk. He came toward Ludger with his arms outstretched.

The man was big. He was well over six foot six and must have weighed at least three hundred and fifty pounds. He was wearing a shiny, midnight blue, silk gown that covered him to his feet. It contrasted deeply with the long mane of white hair that crowned his head. A long tapering white beard adorned his face. The man had a ruddy complexion and his deep blue eyes twinkled like a child’s. His mobile pink mouth was pursed into a smile, that accentuated the twinkle and displayed a row of perfectly formed white teeth.

Ludger looked, awestricken, as the man -who looked like an overgrown Santa Claus- approached him. He did not know if he should fight or flee. He decided to stand his ground, since everybody seemed calm and composed, except for the large man who was bubbling with joy.

The large man finally reached Ludger. He grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting him off the ground in a show of colossal strength. He put him back on the ground and gave Ludger a crushing, affectionate, hug. Ludger felt somewhat battered and dizzy from the man’s exuberance.

The man, still holding Ludger’s shoulders, looked deep into his eyes. He said, in a resounding voice filled with excitement.

“Dear Mister Morton, I am so glad to see you. I hope you had a pleasant trip. Welcome to my humble abode. My name is Andrack and I am the reason you are here.”

Ludger’s thoughts reeled at this last sentence. Finally he would have some answers. But before he could formulate his questions, Andrack was continuing in an apologetic tone.

“But were are my manners? Let me introduce you around. You have already met my assistant, Eyegar.”

He was casually pointing to the tall man that stood silently by the door. He turned toward the far end of the room and pulled Ludger by his arm, as the walked toward it. Andrack pointed to a powerfully built man about Ludger’s age. The first thing that caught the eye was his full head of tousled red hair. The second one was an honest open face lit by serious violet eyes. He looked somewhat regal, dressed in soft leather pants, tucked into short, shiny, boots and an embroidered, royal purple, velvet smoking jacket over a ruffled white shirt. He was seated on the edge of an elaborately carved chair, shifting nervously as if uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Andrack said, bowing to the young man.

“This is His Royal Highness Prince Arexis, heir to the throne of the Kingdom. Your Majesty, may I introduce to you Mister Ludger P. Morton, our chosen Saviour.”

Ludger, not knowing what to do, bowed and coughed nervously. As he straightened himself up, his eyes caught sight of the fourth person in the room. The creature looked about four feet tall. It was seated on a square stone in front of the fireplace. It had long wiry limbs that ended in three fingers and toes, tipped by sharp, curved, black claws. Its wide-set, intelligent, brown eyes seemed to gleam wildly in the firelight. Its short snout was cut by a wide, lipless, mouth full of sharp pointy teeth. The creature was covered by sparse silky fur. Its head was bordered by large pointed ears. It was dressed in emerald green velvet shorts with bright red suspenders.

Ludger nervously glanced at the strange creature. He half expected it to jump for his throat. He nervously toyed with the safety catch of the MAC 10.

Andrack, pointing to the creature, finally said.

“This is Dregnar, an intellectual Troll at the service of His Majesty’s family. He his Prince Arexis faithful servant.”

After the introductions were completed, everybody stared at each other nervously. Ludger was confused by the situation. He did not know how to start getting answers to the flood of questions coming to his mind.

Andrack, seeming to sense Ludger’s growing confusion, said.

“Excuse me for the strange circumstance of our meeting. You must understand that, what was done was agreed to in last resort, after all other possibilities were exhausted. We need you to save our world, and possibly yours, from utter destruction by the forces of evil.”

Ludger, looking intensely in the magician’s eyes, pointed the MAC 10 to the man’s large abdomen. He said in a low menacing voice.

“You may have agreed, but I was not consulted in this matter. I want you to return me to my world, right now….”

A pained expression came over Andrack’s normally cheerful face. He sighed, then said in a surprisingly low voice.

“Dear Mister Morton, it pains me to inform you, that it is impossible for me to grant you your wish. Even if I wanted to. I used all of what remained of my magical powers to bring you here.”

When he heard this, Ludger’s arms went limp. He sat heavily in a chair, in front of the Prince. He put his MAC 10 on the floor at his side. He put his elbows on his knees, grabbed his head with both hands, and while looking down at the bare stone floorsighed deeply.

Deep inside him, Ludger had believed, that when he would have found the people responsible for his presence in this world, he would be sent back to his own world in time to be at work on monday morning. He had never believed that this could be a permanent situation. Andrack’s last words had taken all the resolve out of him.

Dregnar, looking at the Prince, said in a high-pitched gravelly voice.

“Your Highness, I always thought that it was a bad idea to bring a stranger to help us.”

The young Prince looked at his servant and said in a deep voice.

“Poor Dregnar, this is no time for regrets. We must find another way to fight this evil.”

He then looked at Ludger and continued.

“Dear Sir, I wish that you would join our quest. But if you decide against it, we will offer you all the hospitality possible in these trying times. Your are welcome to stay as long as you wish at the castle in Talenthar.”

Ludger, forcing a drawn smile to his lips, answered in a tired voice.

“Your Highness, I appreciated your kind offer of hospitality. But I know nothing of your quest, thus it is difficult for me to make up my mind about the future.”

Prince Arexis answered with a smile.

“Of course, Sir, I will let Master Andrack explain to you the significance of our situation, and the importance of your help.”

Andrack replied in a booming voice.

“Your Highness, I will be glad to tell this long story. But, first, I am sure that our guest would appreciate some good Arthuran brandy.” Turning toward the other end of the room he said. “Eyegar, please bring us a bottle of our best brandy and three glasses.”

“Yes Master Andrack.” Replied the tall man.

He quickly bought to the fireside a silver tray on which rested a large crystal decanter filled with a dark, amber liquid. Three large snifters were also present. He offered one to the Prince, one to Ludger and one to Andrack.

Ludger looked at the generously filled snifter, twirled it expertly and took in the strong pungent aroma. It compared favourably with the best Cognacs and Armagnacs that he was accustomed to. He placed the snifter on the low table beside him, after taking a long sip. He rummaged through the many pockets of his hiking vest. He produced, from one of them, a long silver box that he opened. In it rested six of his favourite cigars (H. Upmann’s Lonsdales). He offered the box around and only Andrack took one of the long cigars.

With a beatific smile on his cherubic face, he expertly rolled it between his fingers and sniffed it with glee. He said to Ludger.

“This cigar has the most beautiful aroma that I have ever experienced. Where are they from?”

“They are from an island, in the warm south seas of my world, called Cuba. They grow, on this island, the best cigar tobacco in the world.”

Ludger felt a twang of homesickness, thinking about his world, but he nonetheless prepared his cigar and lit it with his small disposable lighter. He took a long satisfying draught out of the cigar. After he exhaled deeply, he grabbed the brandy snifter and installed himself comfortably to listen to Andrack’s story.

The large magician, looking at him, said.

“That was a neat little fire spell that you use to light your cigar.”

“It was not a spell. It was a mechanical device from my world, called a lighter.”

As he said that, Ludger tossed the small, disposable, plastic cylinder to the man.

Andrack caught it and suspiciously inspected it. He tentatively flicked the sparking wheel, as he had seen Ludger do. He laughed heartily when a little flame danced from his huge closed fist. He looked at Ludger and said.

“This is a very useful device.”

“Keep it. I have another on me.”

The little cylinder quickly disappeared in Andrack’s silk robes, after he had lit his cigar. He thanked Ludger for the gift, then eased his great bulk down in a chair, that complained creakily in protest. He let out a long stream of smoke toward the ceiling, as if searching where to begin. He finally launched himself in his long story.

“This world is a world of magic. Where you use technology, like the lighter you gave me, we use magical spells. Everybody can become adept at the household spells, but you need a certain affinity with the magical realm to aspire to the higher arts.

The source of our powers comes from the land itself.There are magic fields coursing through the land distributing the power everywhere. But, alas, these fields, by themselves, are very weak. They still permit us the use of the most basic household spells. They are inadequate for most other uses.

These fields used to be amplified by the mighty river of Power, after it mixed its waters with the river of Gods. The actual mechanism of this phenomena still eludes us. But since the rivers are dried up, the point is moot.

There are two kind of magic. The magic coming from the land is called white magic. It is good and used for constructive purposes, for the betterment of mankind. The other, more insidious kind, comes from the forces between the universes, from between reality and non-reality. It is called black magic. It ensnares its adept in doing evil things. It cannot be controlled. Lust for power control its minions.”

Andrack took a sip from his snifter and a draught from his cigar, then continued.

“This was once a strong Kingdom ruled by my good friend, the late King Bluthor, father of young Arexis here present. Prosperity was everywhere and magic flowed freely through the land.

Troubles started around twenty years ago, when a young bright student of the Magical Institute of Talenthar, MIT for short, became tempted by the dark forces of black magic. His name was Magdar. As it is traditionally done to magicians found guilty of this most heinous crime against society, the Board of Regents of MIT decided to banish Magdar. He would be sentenced to perpetual exile behind the magical doors of the Gates of Doom, in the distant Howling Mountains. Since his magical soul could not be brought back to the side of Good this harsh punishment was executed.

I was very disappointed of Magdar. He had been a brilliant student with great potential. But as chairman of the Board of Regents, my duty was to strongly support the banishment.”

Andrack took a long pull from his cigar and exhaled deeply.

“A few years back, Magdar escaped from beyond the Gates of Doom, with the help of a trusted advisor to the King. This traitor had organized a rebellion that led to Magdar’s escape.

Magdar’s powers had increased tremendously during his long exile. He was bent on revenge. He wanted to totally dominate the world with the help of black magic.

The Great Magical War ensued. It brought destruction to the thriving heart of our land. This area is now called the Desert of Death. You have crossed it on your way over here. The small fragment of your world that was brought with you, lays in its centre. It resides in a tear in the fabric of space and time, that was opened during the War. The Creature of the Mist, or Guardian, as you might know him, stabilizes that area, to prevent direct communication between our universes.”

The large man stopped his narrative. He leaned forward to grab the large decanter from the table. He generously refilled his snifter and passed the decanter around.

Ludger asked him, with a hint of hope in his voice.

“Do you mean that the Guardian can communicate between the universes and bring me back.”

Andrack replied.

“No, he can only prevent flow between the universes. He cannot directly communicate with any of them. He has no powers to get you back. Only I, might be able to do so if we restore the source of the river of Power.”

Ludger felt his last bit of hope crumble in front of him. He said.

“You mean, I’m really stuck here?”

“I am afraid you are. Unless we win and reestablish white magic’s powers for good.”

“How were they lost in the first place.”

Andrack, raising his hand and holding the cigar in front of him, replied.

“I was just coming to that point in my story. Here go.

This first assault in the War, ended in somewhat of a stalemate. Tremendous casualties and destruction had been suffered by both sides. Magdar’s extraordinary powers were no match for the combined might of the Magician’s Guild. While both sides had retreated to nurse their wounds and restore their powers, magicians in outlying area mysteriously began to disappear.

Magdar’s hordes of evil creatures launched a surprise attack against the forces of King Bluthor, who were guarding the magic dam that regulate the flow of water, and magic, from the Lake of Power.

The King’s forces were led into a trap. They were cut from behind by a band of rogue dwarves, who had been lured by the appeal of power. Enormous casualties were suffered by both sides. Unfortunately, my good friend, Bluthor was wounded during this attack. When Magdar got to him, he gave him his coup de grâce. He was able to grab the key to the water lock from the King, but fortunately, not the sceptre of power. This sceptre, when the King dies in battle, automatically returns to the source of the river of Gods. It rests in a magical cave where the new King will take his oath of loyalty to the land and claims the sceptre that will give him his powers.

The side effect of this, is that if the sceptre remains unclaimed, after a certain amount of time, the river will dry up. This has already happened. Because of the constant fighting, Prince Arexis has not yet been able to make the pilgrimage to the source of the river of Gods.

Shortly after King Bluthor’s demise, Magdar locked the majestic portal of the Magic Dam with the stolen key. A powerful containment spell was cast so no magic would flow through, it also restricts the access to the lock.

So here we are, with no magic at our disposal. Magdar is raising a colossal army composed of all the evil races. Be there goblins, trolls, mermen, black dwarves and elves, graks or other evil creatures, they will now fight united under Magdar’s banner to inflict us our final blow. As I am speaking these forces are amassing in the west.”

When Andrack stopped, Prince Arexis cleared his throat and said.

“Please hear me, Mister Morton, our troops are sparse and exhausted. We have no supplies. Since the death of my father I have not been able to claim the sceptre of Power. Thus I have not received the pledge of allegiance to the Kingdom from the city-states of Baldour, Baldycree and Leventhar. There is even rumours that Leventhar might be searching to form an alliance with the Empire across the sea, with which it has been trading for centuries.

The elves, protected by their enchanted forest, will not get involved in a fight not their own. The dwarves in the northern mountains will not help unless I am King. Also, to make matters worse, Magdar has claimed my sister, Princess Nathalia, as his bride to be.

We had exhausted every avenue of action. In despair we summoned the Great Oracle Trallen, Keeper of the Source of Power. With all his wisdom and clairvoyance, he told us that the only way to fight back the forces of evil, was with a different form of magic, brought by someone not of this world.

Andrack searched the universe for such a person, and you, Mister Morton, is that Saviour chosen by the Gods to help us.”

Ludger tried to protest but Prince Arexis continued.

“I implore you to help us in our quest, for the sake of our worlds.”

There was a long silence where both men held their stares. Ludger was annoyed that he was trapped against his will. He could only see two avenues, opened in front of him. First, he could return to his home and live like a hermit. This would not be too bad, since it was the reason he had built his retreat in the first place. Second, he could do as they wished and help them.

Ludger looked at Andrack and asked.

“What are the odds of me, returning to my world, if we are victorious? Also, how would I explain my disappearance?”

Andrack answered shrugging his shoulders.

“The return spell has never been attempted and could be very risky. Also all traces of your existence, in your world, would have been erased when you breached the space-time continuum.”

“Are you trying to say that it is improbable that I could return? And if I do return, nobody would know me. I would have to start a new life all over again.”

“I am afraid so.” Replied Andrack.

“This does not leave me much of a choice. I can start a new life here and now. Or hope that I can later return, if you win, and start a new life back home.”

Looking at the Prince, Ludger said.

“Your Highness, I will help you in your quest. But I do not have any special magic. You may find that I am not much help in your endeavour.”

The young Prince gave him a firm handshake and exclaimed.

“By the grace of all the Gods, I finally see some hope coming to raise the flagging spirit of our quest. Mister Morton, I heartily welcome you into our midst and, by the way, please call me Arexis.”

“Thank you, Arexis, you can call me Ludger. I am glad to bring whatever help I can provide.”

Andrack gave Ludger a powerful bear hug. He said.

“I knew you would help us. Welcome aboard.”

He then raised his glass and said.

“And now a toast…. To victory!”

Every body replied in unison.

“To victory!”

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

From 1990: One Way Ticket To Talenthar

The Sass