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Declan looked around. The sky was cloudless, and sunless. The air was warm and cold at the same time. And everything was different to how he knew it. The trees were floating at different heights all over the plain. Red grass swayed all over the place, making a strange whistling sound. Hills humped up from the ground, shrinking and regrowing in other places, in different colours. Strange animals crept, slithered, walked, crawled, and jumped around him, some with strange wings that never seemed to stop moving, some with more limbs than seemed physically possible, others making loud honking sounds, and others that Declan just couldn’t describe. And the world smelled…different. Strange. Magical. Like jam. He took a step forward, and his leg sunk into a knee deep fluffy white substance. It was rising and falling steadily as if breathing, but seemed to shift as soon as he touched it.
‘Don’t. Move. A muscle.’ Whispered a voice behind him. Declan turned around to find a thing staring at him. He was short, even shorter than Declan. His eyes were changing colour continuously, and his hands were slightly clawed. Its head was covered in long hair, and a beard. And he had scales all over his body.
‘Why not?’ Declan practically shouted back. The fluff shook some more.
‘Shut up!’ came the thing’s strained whisper. ‘Now get off the cloud!’ Declan, staring at the strange old (obviously deranged) man-beast, and smiled. Then, he jumped up and down on the “cloud” and bellowed at the top of his voice, ‘NO!’ Instantly, Declan was jolted off the fluffy object, as it sped right up into the air.
The “cloud” was a cloud. It was large, it was fluffy, it was white. Then its eyes opened, and the ultimate level of cuteness unfolded.
‘Aw!’ Declan said.
‘Don’t say that!’ the creature said. ‘It hates…’ but at that moment, the cloud’s expression darkened. Literally. It turned grey. Rain started pouring from the bottom, and the cloud’s eyes turned red. And for the first time, the clouds mouth opened. Declan screamed as the mouth, ringed with fangs of lighting rained lighting on him and the man-like thing.
‘RUN!’ the creature said, abandoning all whispering voice, and racing with Declan toward a nearby cave. ‘Come into my house!’ Declan ran for his life, as the cloud poured rain down on the ground, shot more lightning bolts, and bellowed its triumph in a voice of thunder. He ran through the entrance to the cave, and fell onto a rock.
Chapter 3: Sir Arkenstien Vrolcroft Dingilius Siritinaglis the 4th
The thing pointed at a large rock. There was a rumbling, and a huge hunch-backed creature stomped to the entrance, heaved the rock over it, and dropped the rock. Declan gasped.
Declan looked around. There was a tapestry on the wall, featuring a bunch of strange gems. A stool stood in a corner, and a hallway leading to what Declan presumed was another room. There was a merry fire, glowing deepest purple but letting off more heat than any fire Declan had ever seen before. Even that one where the accidentally (on purpose) set the school on fire.
‘That’s Bill,’ the thing said. ‘He is a Danggervit, and helps me with everything I do. That’s why I have so many bones around the place.’ He picked up a skull that looked alarmingly like a human skull, and tossed it to Bill. Bill crunched it in his fanged jaws.
‘I don’t know who you are, or where I am, or why I’m here, but I’m only staying here until the cloud goes away!’ Declan said.
‘O yes,’ the thing said. ‘Where are my manners? I’m Anderbeany.’
‘That’s a terrible name!’ Declan scoffed.
‘Well yes, I was thinking the same thing,’ Anderbeany mused. ‘Yeah, that’s not quite right. No, my name is Sir Arkenstien Vrolcroft Dingilius Siritinaglis the 4th. We’re in the dimension of doom, although we probably need a better name, as it isn’t very doomy.’ Arkenstein lapsed into another long silence. Finally, he spoke.
‘There’s no way out of this place, as far as I know,’ Arkenstein said. ‘None at all.’ Declan put his face in his hands.
‘If you don’t say please,’ Arkenstein said. Declan jerked his head up, and said, ‘PLEASE!’
‘Well,’ began Arkenstein said. But just then, there was a loud rapping on the rock.
‘By order of the High Emperor King Chieftain Cool Dude,’ a snarky voice barked from outside, ‘please tell us if you have seen a boy, 158 cm tall, piggy eyes, snotty nose, 12-year-old wearing a red T-Shirt, brown pants, blue boxers, pink socks, white shoes, and holding a bag containing unknown (and possibly dangerous) objects.’
‘Oh, did I forget?’ Arkenstein said, as he shooed a furiously complaining Declan into a small cavity in the wall and dropped a rock in front of it. ‘there’s the High Emperor King Chieftan Cool Dude. He’s the worst thing that happened to this world. Fell out of the sky like you. I brought him in myself. But he became power hungry. Soon, he became ruler of the world. And he rules it with an iron fist. COMING SIRS!!’ Declan saw as Bill lifted the rock away from the entrance. Then, he stared. There were things outside. Strange things. They were like men, but their heads were snakelike. Their hands were three fingered. And they were riding strange winged dogs with scorpion tails.
‘Stop your flattery, and tell us the answer to the question!’ the one with a cobra head on the biggest dog thing sneered. ‘The High Emperor has been too easy on you, but I am not as forgiving. Now, answer!’
‘Nope,’ Arkenstein answered. ‘I haven’t seen no boy, General Rakta. Just that cloud. I see you’ve taken care of it? OK. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be leaving you to your…’
‘We do mind!’ General Rakta. ‘I need to make a search of your house!’
‘I’m afraid that’s impossible,’ Arkenstein said. ‘Bill is in a bloodthirsty mood.’ Bill gave a large belch in the background, and sat down in a corner.
‘We’ll deal with him,’ General Rakta said menacingly, holding up long thin simitar. ‘Remember the first law. Obey the High Emperor King Chieftain cool dude. OR ELSE!!’ Arkenstein sighed, and let them in. The guards streamed across the small room, and Declan watched through the crack as they turned over baskets, stomped on the fire, ripped up the tapestry, and generally wrecked everything.
Just then, Declan felt something hard dig into his head. He looked round, and saw a shelf. On it was a strange red and blue rock. He picked it up, and immediately felt…different. Stronger. More powerful. Even…magical. He slipped it into his pocket. Just then, the snake heads went away.
‘You can come out now,’ Arkenstein whispered. Declan crawled out. Then, Arkenstein noticed the missing rock.
‘Don’t. Move. A muscle.’ Whispered a voice behind him. Declan turned around to find a thing staring at him. He was short, even shorter than Declan. His eyes were changing colour continuously, and his hands were slightly clawed. Its head was covered in long hair, and a beard. And he had scales all over his body.
‘Why not?’ Declan practically shouted back. The fluff shook some more.
‘Shut up!’ came the thing’s strained whisper. ‘Now get off the cloud!’ Declan, staring at the strange old (obviously deranged) man-beast, and smiled. Then, he jumped up and down on the “cloud” and bellowed at the top of his voice, ‘NO!’ Instantly, Declan was jolted off the fluffy object, as it sped right up into the air.
The “cloud” was a cloud. It was large, it was fluffy, it was white. Then its eyes opened, and the ultimate level of cuteness unfolded.
‘Aw!’ Declan said.
‘Don’t say that!’ the creature said. ‘It hates…’ but at that moment, the cloud’s expression darkened. Literally. It turned grey. Rain started pouring from the bottom, and the cloud’s eyes turned red. And for the first time, the clouds mouth opened. Declan screamed as the mouth, ringed with fangs of lighting rained lighting on him and the man-like thing.
‘RUN!’ the creature said, abandoning all whispering voice, and racing with Declan toward a nearby cave. ‘Come into my house!’ Declan ran for his life, as the cloud poured rain down on the ground, shot more lightning bolts, and bellowed its triumph in a voice of thunder. He ran through the entrance to the cave, and fell onto a rock.
Chapter 3: Sir Arkenstien Vrolcroft Dingilius Siritinaglis the 4th
The thing pointed at a large rock. There was a rumbling, and a huge hunch-backed creature stomped to the entrance, heaved the rock over it, and dropped the rock. Declan gasped.
Declan looked around. There was a tapestry on the wall, featuring a bunch of strange gems. A stool stood in a corner, and a hallway leading to what Declan presumed was another room. There was a merry fire, glowing deepest purple but letting off more heat than any fire Declan had ever seen before. Even that one where the accidentally (on purpose) set the school on fire.
‘That’s Bill,’ the thing said. ‘He is a Danggervit, and helps me with everything I do. That’s why I have so many bones around the place.’ He picked up a skull that looked alarmingly like a human skull, and tossed it to Bill. Bill crunched it in his fanged jaws.
‘I don’t know who you are, or where I am, or why I’m here, but I’m only staying here until the cloud goes away!’ Declan said.
‘O yes,’ the thing said. ‘Where are my manners? I’m Anderbeany.’
‘That’s a terrible name!’ Declan scoffed.
‘Well yes, I was thinking the same thing,’ Anderbeany mused. ‘Yeah, that’s not quite right. No, my name is Sir Arkenstien Vrolcroft Dingilius Siritinaglis the 4th. We’re in the dimension of doom, although we probably need a better name, as it isn’t very doomy.’ Arkenstein lapsed into another long silence. Finally, he spoke.
‘There’s no way out of this place, as far as I know,’ Arkenstein said. ‘None at all.’ Declan put his face in his hands.
‘If you don’t say please,’ Arkenstein said. Declan jerked his head up, and said, ‘PLEASE!’
‘Well,’ began Arkenstein said. But just then, there was a loud rapping on the rock.
‘By order of the High Emperor King Chieftain Cool Dude,’ a snarky voice barked from outside, ‘please tell us if you have seen a boy, 158 cm tall, piggy eyes, snotty nose, 12-year-old wearing a red T-Shirt, brown pants, blue boxers, pink socks, white shoes, and holding a bag containing unknown (and possibly dangerous) objects.’
‘Oh, did I forget?’ Arkenstein said, as he shooed a furiously complaining Declan into a small cavity in the wall and dropped a rock in front of it. ‘there’s the High Emperor King Chieftan Cool Dude. He’s the worst thing that happened to this world. Fell out of the sky like you. I brought him in myself. But he became power hungry. Soon, he became ruler of the world. And he rules it with an iron fist. COMING SIRS!!’ Declan saw as Bill lifted the rock away from the entrance. Then, he stared. There were things outside. Strange things. They were like men, but their heads were snakelike. Their hands were three fingered. And they were riding strange winged dogs with scorpion tails.
‘Stop your flattery, and tell us the answer to the question!’ the one with a cobra head on the biggest dog thing sneered. ‘The High Emperor has been too easy on you, but I am not as forgiving. Now, answer!’
‘Nope,’ Arkenstein answered. ‘I haven’t seen no boy, General Rakta. Just that cloud. I see you’ve taken care of it? OK. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be leaving you to your…’
‘We do mind!’ General Rakta. ‘I need to make a search of your house!’
‘I’m afraid that’s impossible,’ Arkenstein said. ‘Bill is in a bloodthirsty mood.’ Bill gave a large belch in the background, and sat down in a corner.
‘We’ll deal with him,’ General Rakta said menacingly, holding up long thin simitar. ‘Remember the first law. Obey the High Emperor King Chieftain cool dude. OR ELSE!!’ Arkenstein sighed, and let them in. The guards streamed across the small room, and Declan watched through the crack as they turned over baskets, stomped on the fire, ripped up the tapestry, and generally wrecked everything.
Just then, Declan felt something hard dig into his head. He looked round, and saw a shelf. On it was a strange red and blue rock. He picked it up, and immediately felt…different. Stronger. More powerful. Even…magical. He slipped it into his pocket. Just then, the snake heads went away.
‘You can come out now,’ Arkenstein whispered. Declan crawled out. Then, Arkenstein noticed the missing rock.