T . A . CRUICKSHANK
CROOKED LEG PUBLISHING
PADDINGTON
for Will and Emily
and my dog Maggie
I. The Falling of a Friend 1
II. Encountering Doom 3
III. The Battle
IV. Imprisoned 8
V. The Ceremony 10
VI. The Quest 11
VII. Bornax 15
VIII. Mysterie Manor 18
IX. The Protector 21
--Chapter I--
The Falling of a Friend
The fountain of life shimmered as the gold, glassy liquid sprinkled out. The Magician sat in his long white cloak, slumped in his chair. A nice, warm beverage lay beside him. His long oak staff, with a dark blue jewel prized on top, sat merrily on the wall. Long, purple hair sprouted from the top of his head, a pipe hung out of his mouth. The wise man stared at a picture on the wall of King Alcruick. It was tilted in its gold frame.
Suddenly a long ring sounded at the door. Rex walked into the old rusty cabin. He grabbed a whisky and sat down in the hay, his pet dragon, Bornax sat beside him. He took off his muddy, mucky armour and scrubbed it with a blunt dagger to kill off all the bugs.
Meanwhile, at Gatmo Castle
“Hello Brother,” said a snaky voice behind him.
Rex walked over to the fountain of life and tasted the red liquid pouring out. The towners stared in horror.
“It’s blood,” said Rex.
“No,” said the towners, “Never.”
“It’s coming from the castle,” said The Magician.
“To the castle,” yelled Rex.
“Arrghh!” said everyone.
Rex and his army rushed up to the castle with the towners. They scrambled inside the throne room. Their eyes exploded in pain. There was the king, dead, with several stab marks on his chest.
“Him!” yelled a towner, pointing towards the door. A man in a long black cloak hooded his head from view. The magician’s eyes went blue and then red. A stick appeared in front of the hooded figure. The figure tripped and the hood fell off, revealing the evil menace.
--Chapter II--
Encountering Doom
The head was black. Nothing could be seen. It was Sorcerer Doom. Next moment, stampedes of people were sprinting out of the castle. Rex ran alongside Bornax. Doom’s followers went after them. The Magician slipped on a polished tile and knocked himself out. Rex pulled him to the nearest clanker. He chucked him on the big, green, four legged animal. The blind creature galloped into the lower levels of the castle, using only its sense of smell to guide it. The followers were still in pursuit. The portal was just ahead. Rex braced himself for impact, but the followers were already upon him. Rex started fighting the followers, but there were too many. The followers secured The Magician and dragged him through the portal.
The magical bonds meant that The Magician could not move, and could not do any magic. Sorcerer Doom walked over and flicked The Magician.
“I have you now,” he laughed.
Rex played desperately with the diamonds at the entrance of the portal. He was trying to open the portal. There was a tiny flicker and the portal opened. Rex signaled to his army and they sprinted through after him.
--Chapter III--
The Battle
Rex stood in the middle of a massive hole. The edges were 1000 feet high. Volcanoes stood around the top. Dark clouds formed around the sky. Lightning struck the ground and a dark figure appeared holding a dagger embedded with red rubies and a bright purple skull in the middle of the handle. The magician floated into view, but he wasn’t safe. He was at the top of the hole lying on a bed of air, magical bonds wrapped around him tightly. The dark figure moved his arm and The Magician flew down until he stopped in front of Rex. The dark figure grabbed a staff out of his pocket. It had a great big blue jewel.
“The Magician’s staff,” said Rex.
The dark figure nodded and snapped the jewel off.
Lord Tyranus lived in a small, creaky, old house. His destructive army were in the underworld, drinking. They had just won the Ruins of Dromshan over Warlock Zomba in a vicious fight. As soon as Lord Tyranus heard laughter from the Skeleton Rim, he grabbed The Sword of Killing Streaks and ran to it. He made the noise with the rocks that signaled his army to come. ‘Clonk-click-clack-cleck,’ and he ran off.
The Magician’s mouth frothed up and his skin started wrinkling, then he just disappeared. The dark figure held up the dagger and one million skeletons moved around the edge of the hole and charged down straight at Rex and his army. Rex’s army held up their shields to block the front row of skeletons, but there were too many. The skeletons swung their axes and they hit the armour, breaking it to bits. Rex saw no chance of winning the battle. His soldiers were dying and the skeletons were growing. Bony hands appeared out of the ground and eventually they pulled themselves out to be skeletons.
Suddenly men dressed in long, muddy brown coloured cloaks, holding double-sided swords, and wearing necklaces with crawler teeth sticking out, walked into view around the top of the hole. They had one triangular eye, and one normal eye, and they had diamonds sticking out of their small, boney heads.
Another dark figure walked into sight. He walked into the light. He was wearing a leather jacket, the same colour as the cloaks of the men with diamonds sticking out of their heads. Under the jacket was a stained, white button up shirt. He had a helmet in the shape of a skull, with sharp teeth like those of a vampire. He had long, sandy, ripped pants. In his hand was a sword as white as a ghost, and sticking out the bottom of the sword was a clear jewel.
“The Sword of Killing Streaks,” thought Rex.
Unexpectedly the cloaked men started running. The man with the sword pointed it directly at the other side of the hole. His eyes turned red and the other side of the hole exploded, sending fiery rocks flying everywhere. One descended on Rex. He turned around and saw it coming. It hit his head and everything turned black.
--Chapter IV--
Imprisoned
‘Drip, drip, drip,’ went the water falling from the prison roof. Rex grabbed one of the iron bars and pulled every last thing, but it was no good, he was trapped. He looked next door to his cage and saw Sorcerer Doom imprisoned. Right across the room he saw the keys but the men were guarding them. It looked like they were in a small bar or lounge. There were racks full of wine and cider. In the left corner was a small dusty, stained couch. To the right of that were various rusty shelves of pots and pans.
“Lord Tyranus,” yelled Doom, as the man with the sword walked into the room. He pulled out a chair and grabbed a glass and a bottle of cider. Pouring it into the glass and sipping it, he said “Sorcerer Doom, my old friend.”
“You never won that battle years ago in Ramco,” yelled Doom again.
“Yes, I did,” said Tyranus, “Yes, I did.”
Suddenly a loud rumbling came from the room above.
“They’re ready for the ceremony,” smirked Tyranus making a hand movement. The men under the control of Tyranus marched down the stairs, unlocked the cages and grabbed Doom and Rex, wrapping them in dragon skin. They then carried them up the stairs to the room above.
--Chapter V--
The Ceremony
Doom and Rex were thrown into a cage, which was hanging above a pot of bubbling dragon blood.
“Finish them now,” said Tyranus, pointing at his men. They pulled a lever and the cage started lowering. As they were being lowered, Rex stared at the dagger in Doom’s pocket. He reached out and grabbed it. Once Rex had the dagger he attempted to cut the bars. Doom saw him and grabbed his head, whacking it into the bars. Rex turned around and punched him in the face. Doom pulled the staff out of his pocket and whacked the dagger out of Rex’s hand. It flew up and stabbed Lord Tyranus. He went blue and exploded. The diamonds of the men under his control shrank until they were gone.
“We’re free, we’re free, we’re really, really free,” sang the men as they pulled up the cage imprisoning Doom and Rex. Doom and Rex jumped out. Unexpectedly, Doom pushed Rex back off the platform. As Rex fell, Doom disappeared into a flash of purple, with a loud POP! Rex fell. He thought he was finished, when suddenly he got caught on a chain. He swung to the ground beside the large pot and ran through an old, dusty doorway.
--Chapter VI--
The Quest
Rex shut the door and stared down the hallway. On the wall were pictures of knights. At the end of the hall was a scroll. Underneath the scroll was a gold plate engraved with writing. It read
‘Whoever looks in this scroll may see the message inside.
It may be bad, it may be good, but it will change his life.’
Rex stared at the scroll. Suddenly he felt like he was being sucked in. It was soothing. He had never felt like this before. A voice spoke.
“You must find the three gems, one a diamond, one a ruby and one a sapphire, and bring them back to the wizard, the one who can defeat the Sorcerer Doom.”
Boom! Rex fell over backwards. He got up and found a map and a sword in front of him. He grabbed them and sprinted out the door. He looked at the map and the first place marked was Gatmo Castle
Rex arrived at Gatmo Castle
“Master said you would come,” said the ugly thing.
“What?!,” thought Rex, “He knows about my quest.”
“Pick the diamond you think is the right one,” said the troll.
“I have no intention, but if you say so, I will,” said Rex, grabbing a diamond.
“That one is incorrect,” said the troll.
“Really?!” said Rex, as he threw the diamond straight at the troll’s eye.
“Oiy!” yelled the troll. He punched Rex. Rex was thrown high in the air and tumbled and flipped until he hit the wall with a crack. As the troll stood up, the real diamond slipped off his lap.
“You’re a cheat,” yelled Rex, blood running down his head.
“No, I’m not,” said the troll, quickly picking up the real diamond and waddling down the hall. Rex got up and sprinted after the troll who was heading towards the lift. The lift is a box that floats up to any place you want. You say where you want to go, and you go. Rex saw that he had not even the slightest chance of catching up. Surprisingly the troll’s bag came undone and three fake emeralds fell out. Rex picked them up and threw one at the troll. It missed and hit the wall. He threw the second one.
“Really?!” said Rex, as he threw the diamond straight at the troll’s eye.
It just bounced off the troll’s back. This was the last one, Rex thought. He aimed and threw it. It skidded along the ground just in front of the troll. He stepped on the emerald and with a howl of pain, fell over. Rex caught up. He desperately looked for the diamond. He found it in the troll’s bag. One diamond, just a ruby and sapphire to go, thought Rex.
--Chapter VII--
Bornax
Rex walked in the dark, misty air of the Ruins of Dromshan. He headed into the graveyard, where the map indicated that the sapphire was hidden. He saw a purple glow from the end of the cemetery. He walked up and saw a large statue of a hooded man, holding a staff. At the end of the staff was the sapphire. Rex thought he saw the statue move, so he quickly grabbed the sapphire, but as he turned to go, he tripped on a stick. He turned around to find that the statue had moved and tripped him over.
“Hello Rex, I’m Death and I’m guessing this is Bornax,” said the hooded figure. He pulled out a dragon from his cloak. It was Bornax. He dropped a small, blue jewel into his mouth. Bornax started growing. His muscles stretched the skin and tensed up, his eyes turned red and his teeth became as sharp as swords. Bornax swung his tail at Rex. Rex jumped over it and it smashed into the wall beside Rex, making bricks fly. One came at Rex, but he lifted up his sword. He knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but for some reason it sliced it in half. Rex jumped up and tried to cut Bornax, but his sword just bounced off his scales. Bornax started blowing fire. While he did, Rex started sprinting back out of Dromshan. Rex got to the tower top as a large foot smashed through the bottom of the tower, causing it to tumble over. Rex jumped back towards Bornax, landing on his head. He grabbed the top of one of his large ears as Bornax shook his head violently. Rex picked up his sword and put his legs in the dragon’s nostrils. He leaned back and stabbed his sword into the top of the dragon’s mouth. The dragon fell over in pain, blood pouring out of his mouth. Rex sprinted straight at the castle gates of Dromshan. Just as he reached them, Death appeared in front of him.
“Just a sec, that sapphire belongs to me,” said Death.
Rex pulled out his sword. Death pulled out his staff. Clang! Cling! Schiing! The swords struck each other. Rex had Death on the ground. Death lost his staff. Death kicked out and knocked Rex’s sword out of his hand. Rex jumped for his sword and grabbed it. Death got up and pulled back his hand ready to punch. Rex quickly realized and drove his sword into Death’s heart. He fell over silent, dead. Rex sprinted out the gates and put the sapphire in his bag. Two gems down, one to go!
Rex got to the tower top as a large foot smashed through the bottom of the tower, causing it to tumble over.
--Chapter VIII--
Mysterie Manor
Rex arrived at the place where the last gem was hidden. A sign out the front of the place read ‘Mysterie Manor’. Rex thought that the person who wrote that must be a bad speller. He opened the door and walked inside. He saw a red glow from an upstairs room. Rex jumped from step to step, but as he stood on the fifth one, it cracked and he fell down a long, dark hole. Rex stared around and tried to get up, only to find himself tied up in chains. Suddenly he got picked up and whacked on the back of his head. He was knocked out cold.
Rex woke to find himself in a large, square room. He was in the middle, tied to a steel post. Unexpectedly Doom walked in laughing.
“You thought you could take me down. I’m the one who banished The Magician in that battle,” he spat, choking with laughter.
“You…you evil…” Rex said, lost for words. Doom pulled a large cushioned, cobwebbed couch out of the corner of the room and sat down.
“What? You evil what?” yelled Doom, now anger crossing his face. Purple flames flew from Doom’s fingers, piercing Rex’s chest and arms.
“Arrrrrrgh!” yelled Rex, in horrendous pain.
“Ha,ha,haaaa,” laughed Doom.
Rex remembered his sword. He grabbed for it, but it wasn’t there.
“Oh, your swordy, wardy is over there,” said Doom, babyishly pointing to Rex’s sword on the wall. Rex had an idea. He reached for the gems in his bag, but one of the chains held him back. Rex did the one last thing he could.
“You evil, ugly baboon,” he yelled at Doom. Doom twitched and screamed. Purple flame came out of his fingers, just as Rex had wanted. Rex struggled and managed to get the chain that was holding him back. He lifted it into the flame. It burned and slipped off. Just at that moment, Rex grabbed the gems. He wished the other chains would melt. They did exactly that, and Rex flipped on the ground. He got up and pulled his sword off the wall. A sudden movement caught Rex’s eye. He turned around to find a four-armed skeleton holding a bright, golden sword, ready to attack.
“Rex, meet Bramac,” laughed Doom.
“You ready to rumble?” said Bramac in a deep tone. They clashed swords, and clashed again. Rex stared in horror as this giant skeleton laughed through the battle. Bramac swung at Rex’s legs, but Rex jumped. Rex cut at Bramac’s head, but Bramac ducked. Bramac kicked and Rex flew back into the wall. Rex held up his sword and defended Bramac’s move. Rex punched Bramac hard, but it was Rex’s hand that went red. Bramac made a hard cutting move at Rex. Rex dived aside and stuck out his feet, causing Bramac to trip. He hit the floorboards hard and cracked straight through them, falling down a hole.
“Never,” screamed Doom. At that moment, Rex grabbed the last gem, the ruby. He put all the gems together, but as he did, Doom cut off Rex’s leg causing him to fall over. Suddenly the room went white, and there were blue and green flashes.
“The Magician!” yelled Rex. Rex was in so much pain, he fainted.
--Chapter IX--
The Protector
Rex woke in a hospital bed. He remembered the blue and green flashes and was happy that Doom had been destroyed. He stared down at his metal leg. Beside him was a large book with a note on top. It read ‘From The Magician.’ Rex grabbed the book titled ‘The Three Gems,’ and read the first page.
The last one to collect the gems becomes the protector.
Being the protector means you will live forever.
If someone else becomes the protector after you,
you will go to the land of the greats in heaven.
That was enough for Rex. He got up and sprinted to The Magician. He found him outside the castle.
“Who was the last protector?” asked Rex.
“I was,” said The Magician.
“But…” Rex gasped.
“I know,” said The Magician. “I have served my purpose well, and now you must do the same. Goodbye Rex.”
And with that The Magician floated up off the ground and turned into butterflies, which flew away. Rex gaped.
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