11 | King of The Gremlins
By the time the group had left Lady Zapphiretta's lair, the sky was already pitch-black. Soaking wet and shivering in the cool night air, Oliver decided that they should seek shelter. Everyone else agreed. It was pointless to wander aimlessly around in the dark.
Since the terrain was quite rocky, the wizard in disguise was able to find a cave in only a matter of minutes. Once inside, the soldiers collapsed on the floor in complete exhaustion. Oliver knelt down and turned his back toward the rest of the group so that they couldn't tell what he was doing. He pulled some twigs out from his pocket, set them on the ground, and quietly whispered a simple incantation. Immediately, vibrant, amber coloured flames appeared on the pile of sticks. The soldiers, fortunately for Oliver, were so tired that they didn't even notice the instant fire. The young man gave a sigh of relief. He was about to lie down and go to sleep, but paused when he began to hear a chorus of unknown voices echoing through the tunnels.
Oliver, being extremely curious, trudged through the shaft, searching for who or what the vexation was. The further he went, the louder the noise became. Red, shimmering lights appeared to line the walls of the tunnel giving off glimmers like jewels. Suddenly, he felt uneasy and realized that it was foolish and unwise to explore the cave alone and decided to head back to the campsite. Too late, Oliver became aware that he was, in fact, not alone. As he surveyed his surroundings, it became clear to him that the red lights that he thought were rubies had actually been eyes the entire time. They were the eyes of gremlins.
The army of vile creatures looked up at the young wizard with evil delight in their glowing eyes. They had bat-like ears, wielded crude clubs, and were attired in nothing but slimy, green skin. Their revolting, jagged, yellow teeth told him that they also had latent teeth brushing skills.
Oliver had made the most classic error. Whenever someone follows mysterious sounds, they always meet trouble, and in this case, it was a lot of trouble.
"Oh, Master will be pleased with us." They chided. The gremlins poked the young man in the back with their weapons and urged him forward, leading him into an enormous chamber. In the center of the room on a golden throne sat a fair haired man wearing glittering robes and a crown covered with a variety of precious jewels.
Oliver gulped, frozen in fear. The coldness of the caves didn't help.
"Well, well, what do we have here? It's nice to see you again, brother." He looked at Oliver with a mischievous grin on his tan face.
"Oh. Hi, er..." Fake Tabazan paused, realizing he had no idea which brother he was speaking to.
"You've forgotten my name, haven't you?" Asked the stranger, frowning in disappointment.
"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."
"No worries, it happens all the time." The prince sighed. "I'm Rasadain. Why have you come here, anyways?"
"I've come to rescue you!" Oliver told him with a jubilant grin.
"WHAT?!? RESCUE ME? Why ever would I need rescuing? I am King of the gremlins!" Replied Tabazan's brother. The creature cheered, beating their slimy chests. Their beady red eyes gleamed with pride. "Since I have the great misfortune of being seventh in line to our father's throne, this is the one and only chance I have of ruling. Being the youngest in the family, Tabazan, you of all people should have insight on how I feel."
Caring more about his own life than the prince's feelings, Oliver walked up to Rasadain, grabbed him by the arm, and began dragging him toward the exit. Running through the tunnel, they soon met the soldiers. A deafening shriek could be heard as an angry mob of gremlins chased after them. Oliver knew very well that his party was dangerously outnumbered, so he did the only thing he could think of that could save them. Waving the cloak of stars in front of him, he created a light so bright it temporarily blinded the gremlins, providing them with the perfect escape.
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