A Letter of Warning

I write this as a testimony and as a warning to any who may find and read this document. Please if you read this take heed to the warnings within this scroll and stay safe…I would hate for anything bad to happen to those who find me when I’m not myself. I suppose I should start by saying you are safe within the circle at your feet so please read this in comfort. If you haven’t guessed by now, I am a human that’s been cursed to live the rest of my days as neither man nor beast but something in between. For all intent and purposes we shall call me a half dragon.

Forgive my rudeness, for I have been a horrible host and have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Zeke Runefield, or it was until my family banished me. My family consisted of my mother and father, who where guild magi and my brother, their star pupil, and myself. I was the youngest of the family of four. Now, I am a very shy and timid person at heart and take many things to heart strait away. Due to this, I act on impulse and am easily swayed into doing things. Our family was busy, but happy, and worked on enchanting items for the guild and any traveler that could pay for an enchantment. My father was of the best in the kingdom and had preformed many great feats in his time. That is how he met my mother and the rest is history. My brother, Zelf, was a child prodigy at the young age of seven. By the time I was born he was well into his teens at sixteen. He had mastered most elements by then and was going to take over the shop while mother raised me. As I aged, it became apparent that I was not like my brother. I struggled with even the most basic of spells. My parents tried everything from locking me in a chest as punishment, to withholding supper from me until I preformed the spell correctly. Life was hard but they were supportive and showed there love in their own way.

Now, Zelf would always show off his skills with magic and loved to rub it in my face. To say I was jealous of him was an understatement. Once I turned thirteen, I had had enough of his constant jabs and decided to teach him a lesson. My plan was to find something that he couldn’t do and master it so he could never beat me at it. My searches lead me to alchemy. Within a couple months I had mastered a style of alchemy that allowed me to form almost anything I wanted out of the very essence of things nearby. Alchemy is morphing the already present materials and making them into something else. Unlike spells which require fancy word play and twisting the elements to your will, all of which was difficult for me. Alchemy came to me easily. It was like second nature. Now, to learn alchemy in that time was forbidden by the lords of the land. So I learned how to work around the law by making it look like I had summoned whatever I needed using magic instead. To do this I simply used the training that I received from my parents and enchanted it into the item while the alchemy was still being formed. A skill I still use today for self defense and convenience.

Proud of my accomplishment, I went to show Zelf up in a magic duel. Rules to this duel were simple, we each got one shot at wowing a small crowd of travelers, and they would decide the winner. We were not allowed to see the other perform, so I was unaware of the dark deed my brother was about to conjure up. He simply cast a hypnosis spell over the small crowd to make them only vote for himself, whether they liked my show or not. Needless to say, after my performance no one even clapped for me. Felling utterly defeated, I fled back to the cave I had formed for myself when I needed to study in private.

I later overheard the travelers talking outside the tavern and learned of my brothers cheating. In a rage I confronted him about it and after he laughed in my face I decided to douse him with a water spell. It was supposed to blast his face with a torrent of water and I planned to say something along the lines of “cool your ego, hot head” (I know lame, but I was 13 at the time, sue me), but my spell backfired and I found myself drenched head to toe. Zelf then laughed and froze my now wet shoes to the ground so I was stuck in the middle of the street. Now, there’s something you should know about magic ice. It doesn’t melt like normal ice. It stays at the same temperature until the caster dispels it or the one who gets frozen breaks it off themselves. Feeling helpless and having half the town laughing at me didn’t help my self-esteem or common sense, and caused me to use my alchemy to create something to break the enchanted ice so I could flee.

After I dried my clothes and made new shoes for myself I went home, as I closed the door and walked into the parlor I was instantly blasted by a force spell that pinned me to the wall. There stood my father with a look of disgust and hatred on his face. “When did you learn alchemy, Zeke?” His voice was full of venom and his eyes seemed to stare into my very soul. I instantly turned pale “How did you find out?!” I asked with a trembling voice. “The whole town knows after your little stunt this afternoon! They are now calling us traitors to the kingdom. My store was flooded today with people demanding to know how I could let my son break the laws of the land!”He screamed with increasing volume. I was then flung through the still closed door out into the street. “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND NEVER RETURN!!!” boomed my father. “But father…” I started. “YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE AND ARE BANISHED FROM THIS DAY ONWORD!!” I simply froze where I was. Soon people were gathering outside and were starting to form an angry mob. I pleaded to my now ex-father and was again blasted with a wave that sent me rolling toward the exit of the town. As I stood to leave I turned to look at the town I once called home. The mob began to throw stones at me as I fled into the hills. After running for an hour, I came upon my cave. Weak from all the running I collapsed onto the floor and fell asleep.

Two years passed during that time I used my powers to make the cave a place to be proud of. With all the resources around here I was able to make anything I needed to live. But two years of solitude allows one to think, and my thoughts where on revenge. I walked back to my cave with an added swiftness in my step. “At last!” I exclaimed “It may have taken a year to find them all, but I have finally gathered all the components for the summoning spell.” I placed the final regent into the bag of items and started the summoning preparations. When all was ready, I lit the Yew branches in the middle of the circle and, as the fire grew to a steady burn, I tossed in the bag of items and started the chant. “I, Zeke, call upon the Great Dragon of the North to come and aid me in my time of need.” As I spoke the magic words, I saw the flame go from its vibrant red to a sickly looking green. Soon the forces of magic started to congregate into a spiral in the center of the circle. I stood and watched in anticipation as the magic took the form of a portal. Soon the surface of the portal looked as smooth as glass and through it I could see the dragons face staring back at me. “Why have you disturbed me, human boy?” the dragon asked. I stood in awe for a few seconds taking in the magnificent creature. His skin was an icy blue color with piercing sapphire colored eyes. It was a small viewing portal, so his head took up the whole portal so his body was mostly hidden from sight. The horns on his head were covered in scratches from past battles and shown a beautiful ivory. Under the horns was a pair of fin like ears that seemed to move to help catch sounds. The webbing of the fins was a pale grey that looked the same color as his under neck. His moth was closed, so I guessed he spoke through telepathy because he then spoke again and asked with an impatient tone “Well?”

I was shocked back into reality by the demand. “I am Zeke…” I started “I know that. You already told me your name during the summoning, boy.” interrupted the dragon. “Sorry” I replied shyly “I summoned you to help me get revenge on those who have wronged me in the past.” “And why should I help you, boy?” asked the dragon “There seems to be nothing there of value for a trade.” I stood puzzled at the request “Why would I have anything for you and also why have you not come through the portal? You’re supposed to be under my command till I release the summon spell on you.” At this the dragon laughed “ME, at YOUR command? Oh that’s rich.” He continued to laugh until I grew impatient and tried to close the portal with a spell. “Venn Tolond Sec…” Suddenly, my whole body was paralyzed. I could do nothing but watch as the Dragon forced his head through the portal with his eyes glowing. “You really should be careful who you summon, boy” The dragon hissed “Not everything you summon can be controlled or ordered around.” As I stood there under the dragons spell I saw him look around “So, you’re an outcast to your people then. What a pity that I don’t care.” The dragon chuckled “And a competent Alchemist to boot.” As his concentration on me weakened I found I could speak again. “What are you doing, and why won’t you help me?” The dragon looked back at me and smirked “I’m looking around for anything to trade with boy. So, if you want me to help, stay there like a good boy and leave me to search.”

After a few minutes the dragon looked back at me and said with a bored look “You have nothing that I want and anything of value in here is alchemized making it worthless. So I’ll be leaving now…unless you have a better offer?” at this he released the hold spell on me. At this point I was furious “No, dragon, I have nothing to offer to you. Besides what would I give an’ All Powerful Being’ like you anyway?” At this the dragon growled at me “I’ve had just about enough lip out of you, boy. You think you can talk to me like some inferior being? Do you even know who you summoned, boy?” I stopped and realized that I didn’t know the name of the dragon. It then dawned on me I was in deep trouble. The dragon saw my panic and said with an evil glare “Oh so you don’t, do you? I guess that means I’m the one in charge then doesn’t, boy?” I tried to flee but was again paralyzed in place. The dragon then snaked his long neck around to face me. “Your wish for revenge shall be granted, but at the price of your humanity.”

He then started to chant and I felt excruciating pain shoot down my left arm. When I looked at where the pain emanated from I could see a strange black serpent like tattoo starting to travel down my left arm, stopping just before my wrist. From there I could see what looked like scales start riding up my arm, the same color as the dragons! My head shot up as another wave of pain shot through me, and I would have been reduced to a crying heap on the floor if my body wasn’t still under the dragons spell. As the scales ran up my arm I could feel the same happening on my right. Soon my entire body was covered in the same colored scales as the dragon. The next wave of pain nearly caused me to pass out as I felt a tail start to grow. It thankfully didn’t tear through the pants I was wearing and stopped growing as it reached the floor. I instinctively raised it a little off the floor so it would help with balance. It was thick at the base and thinned as it went on. All the while my body was growing taller and more and more muscle was being added to my relatively weak frame. The next pain was centered on my back and I knew what was coming. My shirt felt tight around the arms and chest, and then I felt a button pop off the top. *shhrrriiippp* I watched in horror as my top fell in tatters all over the cave floor. In its place I could see the defined body of a blacksmith or bodybuilder. After all that, my back grew a second pair of arms with hands that had ridiculously long boney fingers ending in small claws. Shortly after they grew out, I could feel the thin membrane start to fill in, and within a few seconds I had a pair of fully functional dragon wings. With the shirt gone the tattoo was fully visible with the end of the serpent curled around my heart as though it was constricting it. From there it traveled up my left shoulder and down my left arm. Next my face started to change. If you have ever had a hangover you know how bad that can hurt, now add twenty tons of force and the highest pitched ringing in your ears. Yeah, that pain will feel close enough to what it felt like. As my skull was changing I was unable to focus on anything, and my body finally decided to black out.

I awoke later feeling like I was hit by a pack of bulls. “What happened to me?” I groggily asked to no one in particular. “You passed out, boy, and left me here to watch over my new creation.” said a voice in my head. I then tried to put my hands over my ears and found that I couldn’t feel my ears anymore…no, I could feel them but they felt off. I look over at the pool of water that I irrigated from the lake to see that my face looked just like the dragon’s face only smaller. I stood now at 7ft, and was built like a tank. “Enjoying the new you, boy?” the dragon said to me laughing again. “You are neither man nor beast, and because of this you will live the rest of you days in solitude, boy. You will never be loved or cared for again by any living creature. There are some perks to this new form though. You are no longer attached to the life span of those pathetic humans and will live for millions of years alone. Any life threatening injury you take will not kill you, but the pain you receive will be beyond any pain you have ever experienced. Yes, I think you have learned your lesson now. I will be back to check on you in a decade or two. Oh and don’t worry about death you’re immortal now until your time in this world ends you.” And with that the dragon returned to his side of the portal and closed it.

I just felt numb for a while not knowing how to handle this new life that had been thrust upon me. “I…I’m a freak now. The dragon cursed me and has left me here to live in complete isolation…forever.” As the last word left my mouth I started to feel completely helpless. “Why did this happen to me? All I wanted was for him to freeze over their crops, or steal some livestock; Just something to help me feel closure. But no… he had to change me into this…this freak!” I could feel my blood beginning to boil and everything started to go red. “Careful, boy, you don’t want to loss control so early.” came the dragon’s voice “Don’t blame me if you lose control and do something you regret for the rest of your life. Ha Ha Ha Ha.” I was up with a start and looking all around but I couldn’t see the dragon anywhere. “Where are you, dragon?! Come out and face me!”I roared. “Temper temper, boy. Did you forget you’re MINE now? I can talk to you whenever you are in this cave, with or without the portal.” taunted the dragon. “NOW CALM DOWN BEFORE I FREEZE YOU AGAIN!” With that all my anger vanished and I was able to focus again. “Good you learn quickly, boy. Now there is more to this curse than I originally anticipated. That tattoo on you is more than a body decoration. That serpent will be an indicator for how long you stay yourself.” “What do you mean by that dragon?” I asked “As the serpent’s head grows closer to your heart, you will no longer be yourself.” answered the dragon. “Why wouldn’t I be myself?” I asked with a worried look on my face. “As I said you are neither men nor beast, but a mix of both. If you let the beast side of you take control you will be lost until the beast sleeps. You will be aware of everything he does as long as you are concise when the change happens, but you will be unable to do anything to stop it. Have hope though, he will be unable to use any of your powers or spells.” “So I will go berserk then.” “Yes that is correct. Hmm, I will call your beast half Zeker then. Fitting, no? I believe you are now fully up to par, so I will be leaving you. Goodbye boy see you in a decade or three” taunted the dragon as his voice faded into silence.

So there you have it. That is how I lost my childhood, banishment from my former life, and the loss of my humanity. I’ve been able to control the beast with the training I have, and have been able to create two items that will help control Zeker. The first is a pendant that holds a series of special gems of my own creation. Each gem holds a core element. You know like Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light and Dark. The seventh gem however, holds a sealing charm that binds the beast inside it if he gains control. That way he is unable to do anything, while I can stay in control. The next item is a ring with the same core gems as before but the seventh gem on the ring is to allow me to use Illusions and other types of mind tricks. I mostly use it to hide my monstrous self when I need to go out. Now, if I were to lose them Zeker would be able to overpower me within 24 hours. I know this now because he has gained control before, and it caused the complete destruction of a whole town. That’s right my old home town.

It started a short while after my “rebirth”. I could feel Zeker pushing for control and I had only been able to complete the ring. I had almost finished the pendant, but was unable to perform the seal correctly. So I did what had to be done and took to the skies, flying back toward the town that banished me. I landed out of site and used the ring to make myself into an older man. I admired my handy work and slipped into town. I then came upon the enchantment shop…my old home. After a quick knock on the door I was let inside by a girl I had never seen before. “And who is this pretty young thing who helped an old man like me?” I asked in my best old folk voice. “Oh, I’m Zelf’s wife, Myron.” She answered with a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I smiled at her and told her my offer “You see this pendant needs an enchantment that’s too difficult for a man my age. So I came from the city to find the best enchanters around. Is your husband home, milady?” She smiled at me and ran back to get him. This gave me time to look around. Everything was the same, except the door for obvious reasons. But even with my new senses, I couldn’t locate my parents anywhere. Just then, out popped Zelf from the back room. “Welcome to my humble store. It’s so nice to meet you.” He put his hand out to greet me. Now, as you know an Illusion is only that. So any contact with my skin and he would have been able to feel the scales. So I just handed him the pendant and explained myself to him. I won’t lie, but his face lost that smugness for a split second when I refused to shake his hand, it was priceless to say the least. He took the scroll and went to do the enchantment, but stopped, turned back, and noticed my ring. It was only an instant but he was already thinking about stealing it from me. “I must ask, my dear fellow. Where did you get that ring?” Zelf asked. “I had it forged in the city and the gems are my own creation.” I replied with pride. “Fascinating… You must teach me the gem formula before you leave.” Zelf said as he went to the back to complete the order. Now I was just beaming with pride “I did it” I thought to myself “I have bested my brother at something.” As I sat there, I looked out the window like I used to do when I was young. It would be the last time I would ever see it like that again.

“Sir, it will be a while before your pendant will be ready.” Myron said as she walked up to me with a tray in her hands. “Would you like to have some tea and sweet buns while you wait? I’ve made them myself.” “I would love to.” I replied. “Then here you are, sir.” She said as she placed the tray in front of me. She then proceeded to head back to the kitchen. I started to sip the tea and snack on the sweet buns. All the while my brother had finished the enchantment long ago, and was watching me through the curtains. “Any minute now and he will be dead thanks to the splash of poison in his tea there.” Zelf said to himself with an evil grin cross his face. “Then I’ll get rid of him just like I did to dear old ma and pa. Oh I’ll make a fortune on these amazing items.” He then went back to prepare the spell that would dispose of me. I was enjoying the site through the window so much that I didn’t even notice the dull feeling running through my body. I began to feel tired and thought to myself “Maybe a nap won’t hurt; I mean I used to see old men drift off in mid conversation all the time.” I then dozed off… or so I thought. The poison had done its job, if I had been any normal being I would be dead right now, but I’m not normal…I’m Immortal.

After I came to, it was too late. Everything was utterly destroyed. I stood up and looked around. People lay dead everywhere I could see. Buildings had been torn apart piece by piece. I looked at the destruction and felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. “How did this happen?” I fell to my knees and stared down at my hands. “What is all this!!!” I exclaimed as I noticed my hands were covered in blood. “I…I did this…but…I…no nono nononononono NONONO NOooooooo!!” I tried to take off but found that Zeker had not been successful in staying uninjured. Both of my wings had been torn off at the joint, but had already knobbed over while Zeker was still in control. I also found that my left horn had been almost completely broken off, but broke at the base leaving me with a large broken horn. Any other scrapes or marks had healed all ready. While I was trying to find any survivors, I came across what was left of my old house. In the rubble, I found my pendant and ring next to the body of my now dead brother, Zelf. As I retrieved them I heard a small cry for help. I flung myself at the noise and began franticly moving rubble. I found Myron still alive…but she was too far gone to be saved. “Come to finish me off have ya?! Not satisfied with the rest of the town HUH?! Well come and finish me off, you bloody murderer! You already killed my husband; take me as well so we can rest in peace, you MONSTER!” She screamed at my while choking on her own blood. Her words pierced me through the heart. “I’m sorry” was all I could manage. “You’re SORRY!? Why should I…” She stopped and stared at me a moment. “Wait a minute…your eyes. They’re different now. They aren’t glowing anymore. They look like the eyes of the…old...man. You’re him aren’t you? ” Myron asked. “Yes, I was that old man I came here to have that pendant enchanted to prevent this from happening, but something happened and I passed out. So he took control.” “Who did?” Myron asked. “Zeker…my beast side.” I replied with tears flooding my eyes. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this. I was just here to get the charm done correctly, and then I would have never returned.” I wailed “I can never ask forgiveness for the evil that was done here all I can do is live with this pain for the rest of my days. Not even death can help me due to this curse.” “I don’t have long, but I want to apologize to you before I fade.” Myron said with pained breaths. “It was Zelf and I who caused this to happen. The tea was laced with poison that was meant to kill you. We were going to get rich off that gear of yours. *cough* we were greedy, and paid the ultimate price because of it. I’m so sorry…can you forgive me?” Myron asked through gasps of pain. “Yes, I can forgive you, but Zelf is the true monster here. His greed caused my other half to escape.” “What is your name? Please tell me so I know who to ask for pardon.” Myron said “My name is Zeke, fair lady. Now, please let me end your suffering.” “Zeke…such a lovely …name.” I closed her eyes as she took her last breaths.

I spent the next 2 days burying all of the people in the town and doing my best to restore the land. With what little strength I had left, I cast a spell over it so that the area would be a place of peace and anyone who entered would find complete happiness for as long as they lived there.

And that brings me to the end of this letter. If you find this note outside this cave

Do Not Enter The Cave!

I have prepared all the wards and barriers I know to keep Zeker in check, but after what happed. I never want to be the cause of that much pain and death ever again.

If you still want to help please go find my pendant. For it is the only way to control me…

And the beast within me.