• Prologue
    Dreams



    Captain Brummel was once a human warrior who appeared to be in his late forties, but Zawgrin's curse had turned him into a proud, strong tiger. As he valiantly rode towards Zawgrin's castle on his horse, his mind flashed back to the previous day.
    Captain Hercule Brummel was a tall, strong, and fierce warrior. He had light skin and light brown hair. His deep brown eyes flashed with a warrior's spirit. He was training his knights when a messenger came up to him and gave him a letter. "Sir, this is from Lieutenant Weiloom." The messenger had a tenor's voice. "He says it's urgent."
    "What is it?" Captain Brummel asked in a deep grumble.
    "I do not know, sir."
    "Very well. Return to your post."
    The messenger saluted him before leaving. Captain Brummel returned the salute and turned his attention to the letter. He opened it up and read it slowly. It read:

    Sir,

    We need your assistance. Zawgrin has invaded King Mareno's castle, has kidnapped the princess and has left us some dragons to face while he escapes. We need your help right away, sir! My men can't hold out much longer! Please hurry!

    Lieutenant Weiloom


    Captain Brummel crumpled up the letter and threw it to the ground. Zawgrin, that b*****d! Captain Brummel thought to himself. When I get my hands on him, there will be hell to pay! He turned to his knights. "All right, men. Listen up!"
    The knights stopped their training and turned to the captain. "We are going to King Mareno's castle. The lieutenant and his men need backup. Now, your orders are to help Lieutenant Weiloom and his men defeat the dragons and stop Zawgrin. Do I make myself clear?"
    "Sir, yes, sir!" The knights cried in unison.
    "Well, then, move out!" The captain ordered. The knights ran to get themselves geared for battle.
    The captain walked over to his office. He entered to see his armor in one corner and his claymore next to his armor. He donned his armor and picked up his claymore. He placed his claymore in its hilt on his back. Before he left, he looked at a small picture on his desk.
    It was of a middle-age couple with a baby in the woman's hands. The woman had long blond hair and deep blue eyes. The man had soothing brown eyes and a powerful body. The baby had blue eyes like his mother and light brown hair like his father. Ahhhh.... Lorena and Jolet, you looked beautiful, fifty years ago. I miss you both. Captain Brummel thought to himself. I still remember that accursed day, when Zawgrin's forces took both of your lives. I vowed from that day on, that Zawgrin will die by my hand for what he had done to you. Captain Brummel wiped away his tears before leaving his office.
    He walked over to the stables and grabbed his horse, Xian. He got on and followed after his knights, who had gone on ahead. He caught up to them a few minutes later. "Who gave you the order to leave without me?"
    "No one, sir. We just assumed that you wanted us there as soon as possible." One knight said.
    "Well, what would happen if you got there without me? Huh? You would have all been dead! I would have you all flogged for abandoning your commanding officer, but we don't have time for that. Let's go!" He raced towards King Mareno's castle and the other knights followed him.
    As they approached the castle, a blue light appeared over the top. "Sir, what is that?" A young knight asked. The light turned into a growing dome.
    "That must be Zawgrin. Everybody, stay together and charge through that thing!" Captain Brummel forced his horse to run faster. His men followed close behind him and they charged through the blue dome into the castle.
    When they got to the castle, they found the drawbridge closed. "Sir, what are we going to do?" A knight asked.
    "Will you relax?" The captain said. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Ouveros Porteos!"
    The drawbridge began to shake. The knights watched in awe as the drawbridge began to lower. "Sir, what happened?"
    "It's magic. You should know that. Now, let's go!" Captain Brummel jumped off his horse and stormed towards the entrance with his claymore in his hand. His men got off their horses and followed him with their weapons ready.
    Captain Brummel burst through the door and found a zebra-man waiting for him at the top of the stairs. It saluted the captain. "Captain, thank Taeroh you are here. We are in dire need of assistance."
    "Lieutenant?! Is that you?! What the hell happened to you?!" The captain asked.
    "Well, when we got to the castle, we heard Princess Yeira screaming for help. We ran to her chambers and found Zawgrin in the process of kidnapping the princess. He summoned a dozen dragons to stop us. Before Zawgrin escaped, he shouted, 'Let's make this game more fun.' He shouted some words and a blue light erupted from his hand.
    Suddenly, we became animal-people. Then, Zawgrin laughed and said, 'Now you shall suffer the curse of Animalia! You will bow down before my power!' He escaped with the princess on one of the dragons. You have to hurry, sir. My men can't hold out much longer."
    "Has everyone been affected by this curse?"
    "I don't know, sir. But everyone here has changed, including you and your men. Look into that mirror over there." The lieutenant pointed to a mirror.
    Captain Brummel walked over to the mirror. He looked at his face in the mirror and let out a yell. Instead of seeing a human's head, he saw a tiger's head. He ripped off one of his gloves and saw that his hand had become covered with a tiger's fur and his fingers had formed into a paw. He could see his tail swishing back and forth. He turned to his men and saw a variety of animals. "That b*****d! I'm going to kill him when I get him."
    "Uhhhh...sir? What about my men?"
    Captain Brummel shook his head. "You're right. Let's go." He turned to his knights. "Men, get over to the princess' room and stop those dragons."
    "Sir, yes, sir!" The knights yelled. They ran upstairs and ran down the left hall. The lieutenant drew his sword and followed the captain as soon as the captain got upstairs. Together, the lieutenant and captain stormed towards the princess' room.
    When they entered, they found that the eastern wall was completely gone and eleven dragons were crowding the space, fighting with ferocious strength against the knights. Bodies of knights littered the floor and at least a score of soldiers were hiding behind their shields. They were shouting out spells. Bolts of lightning and fireballs flew towards the dragons. They struck the dragons, but the spells had little effect on them.
    One knight noticed the captain and lieutenant. "Thank Taeroh you're here, sirs. We're losing the battle."
    "Well, we're here. Stand back." The captain shouted over the roar of the dragons. The knights scrambled to get out of his way. Captain Brummel got into a fighting pose. He raised his claymore over his head. "Storm Cross!"
    Lightning erupted from his blade. The captain waved his sword into an enormous cross formation. A giant cross made of lightning appeared in front of him. He thrust his sword and the lightning cross was launched towards the dragons. It electrocuted five dragons.
    "Very good, sir." The lieutenant said.
    "We're not done yet. Look out!" The captain pushed the lieutenant out of the way as a jet of fire erupted from one of the dragons' mouth. They fell to the ground.
    Captain Brummel got to his feet and noticed that Lieutenant Weiloom's tail was on fire. "Lieutenant, your tail is on fire." A knight told him.
    "I can see that." Lieutenant Weiloom said. "Captain, can you help me?"
    "Yes, I'll help you out." Captain Brummel placed his paw over the lieutenant's tail. "Saitum." A small stream of water washed over his tail and extinguished the flame. "Lieutenant, take care of those dragons."
    "Yes, sir." Lieutenant Weiloom said and he charged towards the dragons. He dodged the dragons' attacks and leapt into the air. He slashed wildly at the dragons. Two dragons were beheaded and three more were instantly killed as they were stabbed in the throat. The dead bodies fell out the opening. "The last dragon is yours, sir. "The lieutenant said to the captain. As he said this, he was hit severely by the last dragon's attacks. He yelled in pain.
    "Lieutenant!" The captain charged. "Mano eetuma! Saidem Lomber!" A magic shield instantly surrounded him. The dragon spewed fireballs at him, but the fireballs were deflected. "You cannot hurt me, dragon!" He leapt into the air and hacked away at the dragon's chest. The dragon roared in pain and tried to claw the captain to pieces, but Captain Brummel's shield protected him from physical attacks. "You are no match for me!" The captain took his claymore and severed the dragon's head.
    After the battle was over, Captain Brummel walked over to the lieutenant and rested against the wall. He noticed the lieutenant mending his wounds. "Here, let me help." Captain Brummel placed a paw on Lieutenant Weiloom's chest. "Ulzira Zhomber!"
    The lieutenant was encased in an orb of white light. Every wound on his body was instantly healed. "Thanks, sir. That feels much better."
    "Hey, I'm not going to lose one of my finest soldiers."
    The lieutenant grinned. "Thank you, sir."
    "So, has the whole world been affected by this curse?"
    "I really don't know, sir, but most likely that it has."
    I wonder if the dead are affected by this curse as well. The captain thought to himself. He got up and walked over to a fallen knight. He removed the charred helm and saw a horse's head instead of a human's head. I guess the curse lasts even after death. He walked back over to the lieutenant. "Get the rest of these men ready."
    "Huh? Why, sir?"
    "We're going after Zawgrin."
    "Do you know where he is?"
    "You know the answer as well as I do. That cowardly snake is hiding out at his castle. Now, our current mission is to save the princess and stop Zawgrin once and for all. Are you up for it?"
    Lieutenant Weiloom got to his feet and stood at attention. "I'm always ready, sir."
    "Good, now fall out!"
    "Yes, sir." Lieutenant Weiloom began shouting to his men, "Come on, men. Grab your stuff and let's go. We're going to Zawgrin's castle. Now move!"
    "Sir, yes, sir!" The remaining knights grabbed their gear and left the princess' chambers.
    Captain Brummel helped Lieutenant Weiloom to his feet. "I'm going to tell the king about this." The captain said. "You take the knights and head for Zawgrin's castle."
    "Are you sure that is wise, sir?" The lieutenant asked. "Will he be able to take it?"
    "I have no idea, but the king has a right to know what went on here."
    "Very well, sir. I'll take the men over to Zawgrin's castle. We'll hold him off until you come."
    "Excellent, I wouldn't expect anything less from my finest officer. Now go and fulfill your mission."
    "I won't let you down, sir." Lieutenant Weiloom saluted the captain and he returned the salute. Then, Lieutenant Weiloom left to join the other knights.
    Captain Brummel left the princess' room and walked over to the other side of the castle. He stopped in front of a huge oak door bearing the royal family crest of a boulder with a crown containing the royal family's gems on top and a broken sword at the bottom. He knocked on the door. "Who is there?" An old, wheezy voice asked.
    "It is I, your majesty. Captain Hercule Brummel of the royal knights." The captain answered.
    "Enter, captain."
    "Yes, sir." Captain Brummel pushed the door open and stepped inside. He closed the door. He saw an archaic mouse lying on a huge willow bed and covered in sheets. "The curse has affected you too, my liege?"
    "Unfortunately, yes. Now, I heard a commotion in my daughter's bedroom. Please tell me what happened and do not lie to me. I will know if you do."
    Captain Brummel's heart began to fill with grief at what he was about to tell the king. "The princess has been kidnapped by Zawgrin, sir."
    The king bolted up in his bed. "What?! Are you sure?''
    The captain hung his head. "Yes, sir."
    "How did this happen?"
    "My lieutenant received a distress call from one of the knights patrolling here. He sent a messenger to tell me of the problem. I grabbed my men and rushed over here. We reached Princess Yeira's room, but we were too late. Zawgrin left with the princess and summoned some dragons to stop us. My men and I stopped them, but Zawgrin was long gone. My knights are on their way over to fight Zawgrin as we speak."
    "I want my daughter returned safely. I entrust her life with you, Captain. Defeat Zawgrin and get her back safely. If she does not return before I die, there will be no one to take over the kingdom."
    "I will not fail you."
    "Good, now go! Do not disappoint me!'' King Mareno dismissed the captain with a wave of his paw.
    "Yes, my liege." Captain Brummel bowed and left the king's room. He went down the hall and down the grand staircase. As he left the castle drawbridge, he noticed two knights waiting for him. One had been transformed into a beaver and the other had become a leopard. "Why are you here and not with the others?"
    "Lieutenant Weiloom told us to remain behind and wait for you." The beaver said.
    "He wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to you." The leopard said. "So, we are to accompany you to Zawgrin's castle."
    Hmph! Well, that's the lieutenant for you. Captain Brummel thought. Always looking out for me. The captain spoke to the soldiers, "You have new orders. You are to protect the king. Let no one pass you by. Understood?"
    The leopard and beaver saluted him. "Yes, sir!"
    "Good, now go do your job."
    "Yes, sir!" The beaver and leopard left the captain and stood at the entrance.
    The captain walked over to his horse, which was still tied up. He untied Xian and got on. He kicked Xian's side and he neighed. Then, Xian ran south towards Zawgrin's castle.
    That night, Captain Brummel set up camp and started a small fire. He pulled out some food and a wooden frame with a picture in it. As he cooked his food over the flame, he looked at the picture and tears formed in his eyes. The picture was of him a few years ago. He was playing with his son, Jolet and Lorena was watching them from a distance. "Oh my dear wife and son, I miss you so much. I hope you're thinking of me up there in Taeroh's eternal paradise." Captain Brummel ate his food and quietly cried himself to sleep.
    Captain Brummel awoke to a dark and stormy morning. "I guess Zawgrin likes playing god. He thinks this weather is going to stop me. I'm not giving up!" Captain Brummel continued traveling for three days in the storm, even as it grew steadily worse. He reached the castle in the late afternoon. The storm was worse than ever before. I will not fail you, my king.
    He pulled out his claymore and rushed towards the castle door. He reached the door and kicked it open. He ran inside and yelled out, "Zawgrin, where are you?" He looked around to see the skeletal remains of his fallen knights.
    A tall, lanky man appeared at the top of the grand staircase. He had a slender body and smooth black hair. He had icy blue eyes, a sharp pointed nose, and an evil sneer. He was wearing a dark cloak over a green tunic and beige pants. He had one hand behind his back. "Geez, do you have to yell? I was just settling in as 'Supreme Ruler' of this planet."
    "Zawgrin, what the hell happened to you? You used to be on the side of good. Why have you chosen the dark path?"
    "Hmmmm....what made me choose?" Zawgrin asked mockingly. "How about power? That's always a good thing."
    "But you were the king's most loyal wizard!"
    "Shut up! I don't care for that old bag."
    "Why did you kidnap the princess and curse this entire world?"
    "Being an evil ruler is so boring." Zawgrin sneered. "I needed some excitement in life."
    "You want excitement? I'll give you excitement!" Captain Brummel wielded his claymore as he rushed towards Zawgrin. He raised his claymore over his head and brought it crashing down on Zawgrin's head. The claymore bounced off an invisible shield and he was knocked back a few yards. "So you protected yourself against physical attacks."
    "Yeah, I knew you were bound to show up after you sent these pathetic knights to fight me. If you want a job done right, do it yourself." He brought his hand around to reveal the skull of Lieutenant Weiloom.
    "No! Lieutenant Weiloom! You b*****d, I'm going to kill you!" Captain Brummel summoned up his rage into one attack. "Frombetio!" A large fireball flew from the captain's paw towards Zawgrin.
    "Imana Zooma!" Zawgrin teleported away and appeared at the south end of the hall. "You cannot harm me! Anything you throw at me, I can either block it or get out of the way. Now, you will perish! Sevno Atomb!" A green orb appeared from Zawgrin's palm. He threw it and it landed in front of Captain Brummel.
    "Ha! You missed me!"
    "I was not aiming for you!" The orb exploded into a growing dome.
    "Mano eetuma!" A magical shield surrounded the captain. The green dome passed by him without leaving a scratch on him. The dome disappeared, but so did the magical shield. Captain saw that the skeletal remains of his knights were obliterated. One more second and I would have been done for!
    Zawgrin charged with a flame saber in his hand. He reached the captain and began slashing away with his blade. Captain Brummel parried every attack. Captain Brummel attacked ferociously, but Zawgrin parried his every move, too. "It seems we are evenly matched." Captain Brummel said as he panted with exhaustion.
    Zawgrin did not look tired. "Not really, I was going easy on you. I felt that I should give you at least one more taste of life before you die. Yumsa!" He shouted as he placed a hand on his chest. Zawgrin began to move in hyper speed and he struck the captain with fast attacks.
    The captain yelled in pain as the fiery blade pierced his body. He dropped to one knee. "I'm not giving up!" He said as he coughed up blood.
    Zawgrin stopped in front of him. "It's over for you, captain."
    "That's what you think. Ulzira Zhomber!" The captain coughed out as he placed a paw on his chest and he was encased in an orb of light.
    "Oh no you don't!" Zawgrin charged with his blade ready. He brought it back and shoved it through Captain Brummel's heart.
    The orb of light disappeared. Captain Brummel yelled in pain as he was engulfed in flames. Then, he fell to the ground and never rose again.
    Princess Yeira ran out of a small room to see what went on. She had long blond hair and deep green eyes. She had pale skin and she wore a crimson dress. She let out a scream of terror as she saw the burnt corpse of Captain Brummel. "No! Captain Brummel!" She fell to her knees and began crying.
    Zawgrin walked over to her. He patted her on the back. "Now princess, don't cry. Everything is going to be alright."
    Yeira got to her feet and began beating Zawgrin. "Alright?! Alright?! You killed my best friend! How can everything be 'alright'?"
    Zawgrin grabbed her hand. "Oh, quit whining and go back to your room. Go play with the things I have given you."
    "I will not, you b*****d!"
    "Insolent little whelp, go back to your room!"
    "No!"
    "Now! Or else all your nightmares will become a reality!"
    "You wouldn't dare!"
    "Try me!" Zawgrin yelled in anger. He raised his fist, but brought it back down. He sighed. "You have become a real pain in the a**, you know that? Remind me why I haven't killed you yet."
    "I'm the only child of King Mareno. When he dies, I'll become queen of Avaris. You planned to wed me so that your title as 'Supreme Ruler' will be official, but I refuse to marry someone as evil and cruel as you."
    "So, King Mareno is still alive. How is that old wind bag?"
    "Why do you care? All you care about is yourself."
    "Awww, come on. Don't be like that."
    "It's true! Ever since you put this curse on this world, there have been more casualties. More wars have broken out and nobody trusts anybody anymore. If you want to be ruler you are going to have to deal with everyone's problems, including those on the forbidden continent. You will forever bear everyone's grudge." She continued to rant about being a ruler.
    "Enough!" Zawgrin shouted. He shouted some words and Yeira lost her voice. "Return to your room at once and do not come out again. Here's a little gift to keep you pre-occupied. Ahmyo reituna zhekuna exprondia!"
    Yeira let out a muffled scream. Suddenly, two cat ears appeared out of her head. She cast Zawgrin a 'what-have-you-done-to-me?' look.
    "I have given you the 'Curse of the Cat'. Now, you are slowly and painfully turning into a black cat. That will keep you busy for a while. But don't worry. I'll take off the curse as soon as our marriage is set. Now, be gone!"
    Yeira cried in agony as she ran back to her room. "Now, to continue business." Zawgrin teleported back to his room. He walked over to his throne made entirely of the bones of fallen knights. He meditated and six gems appeared. He spoke to them. "Go scatter yourselves across the land and remain hidden. Do not allow anyone to see you!" The gems flew out the window and disappeared.
    "Now, to make some guardians." He continued to meditate and six demons appeared in front of him. One was a monstrous sea dragon, one was an enormous fire demon, one was a frog demon, one was the king of a creature called the Quinlar, and the last group of demons was dragon-like creatures called Skreetars. The last demon was a creature called the Bone King. "My monsters, protect the gems and let no one obtain them."
    The demons roared in acknowledgement before disappearing.
    Zawgrin pulled out a crystal ball. In the ball, an image of every village in the world appeared. "People of Avaris," Zawgrin said to the ball. "It is I, Zawgrin, your new ruler. As of now, you are all under my control! You will all bow before me and follow every one of my commands. I need some excitement in my dull, evil life! I challenge you to find the keys to your freedom. These 'keys' are six gems and my most ferocious demon lords protect them. If anyone is brave enough, bring to me the Fire Ruby, the Aqua Sapphire, the Forest Emerald, the Bone Diamond, the Sky Amethyst, and the Quinlar Quartz. My demon lords will not be easy to defeat. So, is anyone brave enough? I'll be waiting. You're future depends on those warriors."
    Zawgrin put his crystal ball away and walked over to his window. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "I am Zawgrin, king of Avarisix. I will rule this world with an iron fist. I challenge all who oppose me!" He let out a maniacal laugh. "It's about time I get to see one hell of a show!"
    Zack McFlaren awoke with a start. "Whoa! That was a weird dream."