The Character Gauntlet part 3

warning: No native english speaker!


Prompt 15

Dormport, the capital city of Chomaseth and Heirax headquarters, lay in ruin. Thick, black smoke turned the daylight into night. Weak fires erupted from piles of rubble. Just outside the fallen wall was a cemetery. It was covered with burial stones. Almost all of them broken. The lucky ones remained intact. At one of those intact stones stood a man. He was small and somewhat slim. The soft wind made his grey hair flow and his blouse flutter. His face was old, had a scar on his brow. He was gazing down at the burial stone. 'Rest forever my sweet Ylia.' it read. Behind him approached a few Heirax soldiers. "Bendegoz, my friend. I'm sorry to interrupt--" the one at front said.
"You are not interrupting, boy. Do tell!" Bendegoz said, still with his back to the soldiers. "Karbalus would like to see you." The soldier said. Bendegoz turned around, walked past the soldiers but he was held by the shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss." The soldier said. Bendegoz gazed over his shoulder at the man, then turned around and lay his hand on the soldier's shoulder. It was a sign of respect. "Thank you." He said, and he made his way out of the cemetery through the fallen wall. The Heirax soldiers could really change after all. At the beginning of his journey, he would've never thought that: Heirax soldiers cannot change. But after they removed the battery that messed up their minds, they became friendly. It was a great relief for Bendegoz, as he was a person that could wish even the meanest person a happy life. He walked across a large bridge and into a busy street. Although the soldiers killed his daughter, he could now forgive them. It was difficult, but he did it.

He arrived at the palace of the king. Still the same, but some parts of the building had fallen. He stepped inside, into the coolness of The dome. People were busy, walking around, preparing for the great feast tomorrow. They were civilians, workers and soldiers alike. Bendegoz got into the Crown hall, a massive hall decorated with paintings of old and statues of heroes. He gazed up. The glass roof was broken and pieces of steel pointed out. Here and there was damaged stone and debris. At the end of the hall was the Golden throne. Not so shiny as it used to be though. Bendegoz walked toward it and looked around. Anybody there? Then he heard the sound of nails touching stone and it came closer. "There you are, Bendegoz." A heavy, growling voice said. It was louder than a human could speak and it echoed through the hall. He turned around in a flash. Before him stood a large red blue dragon. Four horns decorated its maned head. His yellow eyes pierced into Bendegoz. "Karbalus, I was beginning to think you were already there." He said. The dragon smiled, revealing its sharp teeth. "No, I want to share that moment with you and everyone else." Karbalus said. "Well, let's go then." and Bendegoz followed the dragon outside. The sun shone unto its feathered wings, a maroon red and sapphire blue.

They got into the busy street. People stepped aside for them. Some looked up, others minded their own business.
"Is your daughter's tombstone still standing?" Karbalus asked. "Luckily, yes." Bendegoz answered. "She deserved a better place to rest." Karbalus whispered. Bendegoz remained silent as they walked up the hill. The Spear appeared in front of them. It was still standing strong, even after Goldammer damaged it. There was a gap near the top of The Spear, all the way down on the ground lay pieces of carved stone. The rest was down the cliff. Most thought Goldammer could never ruin a city like Dormport. But they had underestimated him. That dragon was a great force of power, that only divine creatues could defeat.

As they came closer to the spear, they heard a rumbling sound. Similar to that of thunder. It came from the spear. Had it come to life? Bendegoz had asked someone to look at it. To fix the broken parts. To let the time of ancients return. And he had done it.
The top of the Spear turned, rotated, until they saw the face of a bearded man carved into the stone appear. Who was he? One of the gods? A sharp, alien sound filled their ears. The middle parts of the Spear began to rotate, pieces of old rock plates came loose from the Spear and started floating besides it. This was the wonderful technology of the ancients. The spear started humming, a low deep sound. A man in Heirax armor approached them from the gates of The Spear. He was young-looking and had piercing green eyes. For he was also a Heirax soldier. "Bendegoz! Karbalus! What just happened exactly? I was inside, couldn't see." He said. Bendegoz folded his hands. "First of all let me say: Good job Lester." Lester smiled. He and a few others managed to bring the Spear back to life. Into its original state. A loud sound interrupted their chatter. Lester turned around to take a look at it himself. All three of them gazed at the lowest level of plates, which was activated. The plates started flowing around the Spear, all at the same time. Each of the plates told their own story.

The sunset made the Spear even more wonderful. People gathered in front of the Spear, gazing in awe. Some had tears in their eyes, some were extremely cheerfull. Karbalus motioned at Bendegoz and Lester and bowed down. The two men got onto his back and he launced himself into the air. His powerfull wings carrying his heavy body. Bendegoz had only been on a dragon once, but that wasn't the best time. Now was better. The sunset illuminated the mountains on the other side of the cliff and shone down onto the city and the palace. Karbalus landed on the very top of the Spear.
The wind almost blew them off his back. "This is beautiful." Lester murmured to himself. Bendegoz waved at the people down below. But Karbalus had something else in sight. Something in the far distance, in between the mountains. Bendegoz patted Karbalus on his neck, "Look Karbalus. Look at all those people! Are they cheering for us?" He said. But he got no reaction from the dragon. He gazed at him over his shoulder. "Karbalus?"
"Something is coming." Karbalus whispered. Bendegoz frowned and followed the gaze of Karbalus. His smile faded. Lester saw it too. "Karbalus, I think we should go back down." Lester said. Bendegoz thought the same, for soon it wouldn't be safe up here.


Word count: 1125



Prompt 14

The journey to Earth had grabbed the interest of the king. He had seen them take off, had waved at them, wishing them best of luck. Though he did not think of them much, he couldn't wait for them to get back to Heirax. To hear their stories. Not around a campfire. No, in his gigantic palace which was named The Dome.
The king was now also in The Dome and he was bored, so he decided to clean the throne once more. He had done it earlier this morning, but it wasn't shining bright enough. He was all about shining. Putting up a big, fake smile for his people to trust in, while his soldiers beat everyone up. But he knew. He knew how his soldiers treated his people, and he acted like he was blind.
But why should he care? He had a good life. His people just needed a strict hand to guide them.

He sat back down and ordered a giant bottle of Ale. "Where's my wife? Is she already up?" He asked his right-hand man, Roman.
"She's outside, sire," Roman said.
"Why?"
"The scientists from Earth just arrived. I thought you knew, sire?"
The king jumped out of his throne, raced past Roman and his guards to the deck. The deck was close by, actually attached to part of The Dome. When he got outside, Thunder Egg had already landed. The crowd cheered at their arrival. "When did they land?" The king asked his wife. "5 minutes ago." She said. "Then I'm just in time." the king gasped.
The group of scientists came towards them while waving at the crowd. The king put up his fake smile and spread his arms, "Welcome back, good people! I've prayed for your safe arrival." He led them inside, his wife next to him. He waved at Bendegoz, the calm man with the white hair and the colorful jacket. Bendegoz sped up to reach the king. "Bendegoz, my friend! Have you enjoyed your trip to Earth?" Bendegoz was silent for a few seconds, as if he wasn't sure, "Yes ofcourse my king! It was a great pleasure." And he put up a fake smile. The king smiled back, but he knew how Bendegoz really felt. King was a master in human behavior.
They reached the massive crown hall in which the throne collected all the gazes. It was indeed a giant, shining throne, the king was proud of it. He noticed all the gazes, "Cleaned her up myself! She must shine for my guests." And he laughed.
The king sat back down in his throne with a sigh, but he held up his fake smile and motioned his guards. The guards led the scientists to their chairs. Chairs as shiny as the king's throne.
"Let Bendegoz come forward!" And he waved his hand in the air. Let's see if we can get it out of you. One of the guards almost pushed Bendegoz forwards. Bendegoz bowed. The king smiled and gazed around the hall in pride. "Bendegoz! Speak!" And he went silent. The whole crown hall went silent.
"I uhm..."
"Speak up!" The king yelled.
Finally Bendegoz began. "Earth was a beautiful planet." Some people shook their heads, "and I enjoyed being on it. The landscape where we landed was a bit of a wasteland, but overall it was great."
"What about the humans that live there? Did you meet any of them?" The king asked.
"They are gone. Left Earth after they destroyed it."
"Did you encounter any other dangerous creatures?"
Bendegoz remained silent, but after a while he said: "There was....one particular creature that one might consider....dangerous. But you wouldn't believe me if I told you, sire."
The king narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Would I now? What creature was it?"
Bendegoz hesitated. "It stood in front of us, but it was also all around us." The king frowned. But then he laughed. "What have you been drinking, Bendegoz?" The hall was filled with laughter.
But Bendegoz remained serious. "This particular creature.....was Goldammer." The smile faded from the king's face. His gaze became a bit furious. He slowly rose from his throne. "Are you sure about that?" He asked while stepping forward.
"Yes, sire."
"How do you know?"
"It was like the old tales told. Like the carvings in the wall of old Grotnir--"
"Those carvings were made by the modern people. They are fake!" The king snapped. "There is no thing such as Goldammer! It is a lie!" His yell echoed through the hall, silencing everyone. "Saaleck wasn't fighting Goldammer in that portal! He was weak and made it up, to cover his suicidal feelings!"
Bendegoz staggered.
"This kingdom needed a new king, a strong leader. A human leader. Someone like me and not a beast like Saaleck. Animals like that don't belong here." And he sat back down in his throne. "That's why I hunted them down."
"But you still have Dragon hunters employed. Do you think they'll come back perhaps?" Bendegoz said
"Never! I can spot every dragon that comes into our kingdom!"
After a while of silence, guards came in to remove Bendegoz from the king's view but he stopped them. "Tell me, what exactly have you seen? Wasn't it just your imagination?" the king asked.
"It was like nothing I've seen before. A huge figure of black smoke and dust. The voices of tortured souls filled our minds.....I'm pretty sure it was Goldammer, sire." Bendegoz shivered at the thought. The hall filled with worried voices. It became louder and louder. People were scared. "Silence!" the king shouted, "do not believe this man, people! He's trying to scare us, scare me! But he can not scare a king who knows the truth. Goldammer is a lie, a myth!"
The hall went silent again. The king cleaned his throat and focused on Bendegoz. "Who was with you?"
"A soldier, sire." Bendegoz said.
"What was his number?"
"I believe it was 5032. But he saved my life, sire. There is no need for punishment."
The king laughed, "And who are you to decide that?" he gazed around the hall, turned to Bendegoz again, "You are an ignorant man, Bendegoz. You can't see reality. There is no Goldammer, you just made it all up. And why would my soldiers go with you while you are not even an official?"
Bendegoz remained silent. "Like I thought, no answer." the king said. He felt a certain pride growing inside, a pride of being knower of all, no one could stand up against him. Would they even dare? Not Bendegoz. He was a weak man, living in his imaginary world.
But Bendegoz spoke again.
"Your father..." he said. ".....was eaten by a crazed dragon, no?" The king widen his eyes, almost jumped out of his throne and came toward Bendegoz. A furious look on his face. "Do not speak of my fathers death!" he shouted, and stopped right in front of Bendegoz' face. People gasped, because it was something they had never heard before. Bendegoz had almost yelled it through the hall. When the king's father died, he told his people it was because of heart faillure. How could that man possibly know this? The only one who knew was his wife, Roman and a few of the army generals.
"What was the dragon's name again...Ostolvjiin?" Bendegoz said as he became calmer and calmer. The king was furious. His father was the nicest man he had ever known. When he was sad, he could cry out at his father's shoulder. When he was happy, his father was happy, and the other way around.
The king tried his best to squeeze back the tears. He could not show weakness in front of his people. Not now. He came closer to Bendegoz, "How can you possibly know?" he whispered in his ear. The silence of Bendegoz was almost killing him.
"Those were the words of Goldammer himself.." Bendegoz whispered back. The king blinked a few times, backed away from Bendegoz. "Take him away, now!" he shouted. Guards grabbed Bendegoz by his arms and took him away. The scientists were stunned. The people gazed in shock. Bendegoz was out of the hall and the king slowly turned back to his throne. He was still squeezing away the tears. With widen eyes he said down, then ordered everyone to leave his hall. They obeyed and soon it was quiet. He send away Roman and his guards and stared into space. His breathing was slow but his heart pounding loud. He leaned forward, head in his hands and cried. Cried until he could cry no more.
With red eyes he returned to his room, that had a beautiful view at the Spear. He looked at it for a while. The sunset made its metal plates shine. What was the number of that soldier again? He wanted to find out what exactly happened. If that soldier existed and why he would go with Bendegoz. And if Goldammer wasn't a myth, would it come here?
Eat him, just like his father?

Word count: 1516


Prompt 13: "We can build cities for the Romans." "Actually, I was thinking about saving mankind." "Forget that nonsense, Josh. Rocks, I tell you."

The coffee cup came down at the table with a bang. "I totally forgot!" Bendegoz said, and he got up from his chair in a flash. "What did you forgot?" Asked Ylia, who was on the opposite side of the table. "My appointment!" He raced to the hall to grab his stuff, "...First through the gate, second street left, all the way through the park, Visore Lane 79..." He murmured to himself. Ylia frowned and also got out of her chair. She followed her father to the door. "May I know what appointment?" She asked. "Once I get back, I'll tell you. It's nothing out of the ordinary though." He smiled at her and pulled the door open. "Be careful with my door please.." she said. But he was already outside, disappeared into an alley.

"Willow! Time to go my old fella!" Willow glanced up from his pillow and snorted when Bendegoz pulled him up by his whiskers. He waddled outside, lifting his head up, sniffing the fresh air. Bendegoz got on his back, and off they went to Prymeus, a small town not far from Devaentrus. It was a cloudy day though, not what Bendegoz had expected. Willow was as slow as ever, grumbled with every step. An hour later they reached the gate of Prymeus. But they had left early enough. Bendegoz wouldn't want to miss out on this appointment. At the gate he was stopped by a few Heirax soldiers, who were in Prymeus for a few weeks already. Bendegoz had no idea why they had such interest in Prymeus, as small as it was. "You have an ID on you, old man?" One of the soldiers asked. The others gathered around Bendegoz. Trying to intimidate him. But Bendegoz was as calm as he always was, and searched his bag for the little card. "Here you go, my boy." he handed the card to the soldier, who gazed at it for a few seconds, then gave it back. "Have a nice day." He grumbled and motioned to his soldiers.
Bendegoz went on, looking back at the soldiers a few times, and went the second street left. He waddled along a beautiful park, with trees and flowers and all. Willow saw a tasty plant but Bendegoz directed him the other way. Once they made their way through the park, they turned into Visore Lane, searching for the house 79. And they found it at last. It was a small house made out of grey stone, with wooden doors and windows. He strapped Willow to a steel ring, and then knocked the door.
A large woman opened up. At first she frowned, but then her face cleared up, "You must be Bendegoz, come in!" She said and stepped aside for him.
Once in the livingroom, they sat down at a table that was filled with all kinds of food. Some of which he knew, but others were totally strange to him. "That is magnificent!" And he pointed at a large cake in the form of a dragon. "You know, my grandfather had a dragon in his younger years. Truly a wonderful beast it was. Well I have seen the pictures only, but--"
"Yes, my father had one. Its head was mounted on the wall above the fireplace. With those beautiful blue scales and those large horns." She interrupted him.
"Was it a nice beast?" Bendegoz asked.
"We never knew. My father was a dragonhunter, you see. Killed the beast with one shot to the head!" She laughed.
Bendegoz remained silent, gazing at the dragon cake. He did not hate the hunters but didn't love them either. His father was a dragon hunter, a very famous one. Until he died.
For quite some time it was silent. This awkward, I-don't-know-what-to-say silence. Then Bendegoz crushed through the silence: "What do you know about earth?" he asked. She laughed, "Not much."
Well, this day couldn't get any better. "I have studied at Dormport in my younger years," He said, "I have devoted my life to learn all about Earth; what it is, what creatures it has, how resourceful it is, etcetera!"
"Well that is...interesting." she said, though there wasn't much interest on her face. "Yes.." Bendegoz murmured, thinking about how awkward this situation was. Any more of those answers and he was gone.
"I have worked with a lot of designers and fashion experts." She began. "I can see that." Bendegoz said. She was indeed a woman busy with fashion, as could be seen; Her orange hair was in a sloppy knot, she had multicolored glasses, a pink beat necklace and a blue dress. Was this the fashion in this region? Bendegoz oppressed a laugh. He couldn't care less. He always wore what fitted best.
Bendegoz did not really listen to her those two minutes she was talking, he just nodded all the time. Why had he agreed on coming to her house last night? She seemed nice then, but now was different.
So he decided to do something he had never done before: leaving dinner early.
"I uhm...I have my daughter waiting for me at home. I should really go now." And he stood up. She blinked in surprise. He was just here for ten minutes and he already wanted to leave? What kind of man was this? She knew: a boring man, a scientist only interested in Earth. "Well, that's your choice then." She had a ignorant look about her, or that's how Bendegoz thought she acted.
So he took his jacket from the peg in the hallway, and went through the door. He thanked her for the food, but had to watch out that his words wouldn't come out too aggressive.
Now he was on his way back. Arrogant woman. What was she thinking! She knew I liked dragons and earth, I told her in the pub. He passed the soldiers at the gate, who he greeted cheerfully. Ha! Even those soldiers were nicer than her!
He went right back to Ylia's house. She opened the door and frowned. Willow pushed her aside as he ran inside. "You're already back?" She asked.
"Yes.." Bendegoz grumbled as he stepped inside. Ylia closed the door and came after him. "Something happened?"
"Meh, she was a dragon hunter fanatic." He sat down, "I ate her dragon cake. I thought it was a tribute to the dragons."
He laughed, "What would've happened when I told her about you joining the resistance?"
Ylia smiled, "I think she would've kicked you out!"

Word count: 1087



Prompt 12: “No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.”

Bendegoz hadn't slept good for a while. His mind told him to go on an adventure and get out into the mountains. Deep inside he knew this wasn't the best thing to do, but after a while he decided to get out at night. The sky was clear and the moon shone. This was the perfect night to venture into the mountains. With the light of the moon, he could see possible enemies coming. Or not. He didn't even know what kind of creatures crawled here. He had only read books about animals that used to live on this planet. But those books were published many years ago. Now could be different.
So he sneaked along the sleeping tents, where the scientists were in a deep sleep, and along the gates they had set up. Just as he was 2 meters away from the gates, he bumped into a soldier, patrolling the borders of the camp. "I'm truly sorry, kind sir." he whispered. "You are not supposed to be here." the soldier said.
"Just let me take a look for a minute, I'll be back shortly."
"You will stay here, doctor."
"Nothing will happen, I can assure you." Bendegoz was almost begging.
"I will not let you get out there, doc." The soldier was persistent.
"Why would you even care anyway? I'm not an official right? I do not deserve protection?"
The soldier remained silent. After a while he said: "We are ordered to protect all civilians in this camp, which includes you. Or are you a soldier?"
"Then why don't you come with me? Just a up the path, that's all." And he pointed to a few hills. There were some remnants of a cement road. The soldier hesitated. His looked at the camp, then back Bendegoz and to the road. "Okay, I will come with you." He said.
All excited, Bendegoz went up the old cement road that led up the hills. After two minutes he stood at the top of the hills, looking out over a destroyed village. For a while they stood there, looking out over the town in silence, until the soldier said: "Happy now, doc? I don't see anything int--" Bendegoz held up his hand. "Shh! I hear something..." And he started walking. The soldier went after him, kept a sharp eye on their surroundings. Down the hill they went. Bendegoz reached the end of the village, but he did not stop.
The soldier went after him. Finally they arrived at a small stream of clear water. Bendegoz brightened. He kneeled down. "Wow! Water! Isn't this amazing?" He said, but the soldier was only aware of his surroundings. Just as Bendegoz wanted to taste the water, he heard a groan from somewhere behind the rocks. The soldier went in to check first, but Bendegoz stopped him because he wanted to check it himself. He peeked over the rock and saw a man in shaggy clothing sitting against a rock. He was holding his leg. Bendegoz hurried to the man, who seemed wounded. As soon as the man saw Bendegoz coming, he called for help.
"Wow...are you...." whispered Bendegoz as he closed in. "Who are you?" He asked. The man released a dramatic sigh,"Please, I need help with my leg." The man's gaze fell upon the soldier, and he said: "Do you have some sort of camp nearby?"
"What do you need? I'll get it for you." Bendegoz said, being the caring man he was. "Please take me to your camp, I need medical supplies."
So Bendegoz took the man's arm around his shoulder and they went back to the camp. The soldier followed them, watching his back constantly. They reached the town again, when the man suddenly stopped. He sat down. "I can't...I'm too tired." Bendegoz frowned. They just walked for only a few minutes and he was already tired?
"You must get up or--" Men jumped from the rocks, dressed in the same shaggy clothes as the man. Bendegoz turned around and saw that the man stood up, there was nothing wrong with his leg. The men approached them silently. The soldier stepped back, aimed his gun at the men. Bendegoz also stepped back, until he and the soldier stood back to back. "What did I told you, doc?" murmured the soldier over his shoulder. "Who are you?" asked one particular man, dressed in a long brown coat, a cowboy hood covering his head, as he approached Bendegoz. Bendegoz didn't know what to answer. "Which clan do you belong too?" The man was almost in Bendegoz' face. He swallowed. "We come from the Heirax clan." he finally said, shivering. "Never heard of it." And he motioned to his men, who came closer. "Now, no lies, tell me where you come from. That guy behind you doesn't look like anything I've seen before."
"I'm not lying to you, sir. Why would I?" The man motioned to his men again. They grabbed weird looking weapons and charged at the soldier. He did not have a chance to shoot, he was thrown to the ground.
Heirax soldiers were strong but one could not stand against five.
Bendegoz thought of something very quick: "Let's make a deal. If you stop troubling us, and just go your merry way, I will not send my army after you."
The man frowned deep. "what army?"
"My army of invisable monkies." answered Bendegoz. "You better watch it, they are everywhere!"
The man let out a loud laugh. He observed Bendegoz for a while. "Hah, this man is crazy. He's got nothing on him anyways. Let's go people." The man waved them and they left, dissapearing behind the hills. Bendegoz waited untill they were out of sight, then turned to the soldier. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"You won't be leaving the camp again any time soon." the soldier said, as he got up.
"Your golden words saved you this time, but i'm not sure they will next time."
Bendegoz grinned.


Word count:999