89th chapter
And uncover the meaning and the end of it all


We have to get over there, was the rallying call that came from Ankthar. He readied his weapon and jumped atop Ysera. “All right giddy up then drake” he yelled as he held tight onto her neck. Ysera of course was still in her elven form and did not take kindly on full grown elves jumping on her back. She shook him off, picked Sira’dreth up, and ran off to a nearby cliff and jumped down. From beyond the cliff rose a gargantuan dragon whose every wing beat shook the mountains around them. Ankthar jumped to his feet, took hold of Wisim and said, “teleport us there”. Manvalas grabbed Wisim by the shoulder and Wisim said: “All right, hold on.”
The world began spinning before their eyes, mountains swept past them like raindrops and then the spinning slowed and something else entirely came in view.
A dragon whose left wing had been ripped in half fell to the ground spewing fire and soot at a perfectly white creature that glowed brightly, floating in midair.
A blazing stone whipped past their noses leaving behind deafened ears and a trail of smoke so thick that for a second all they saw was darkness.
Through the muffled sounds they heard the bellows of dragons in blend with explosions and unearthly screams as ice fell from the sky.
They fell to their knees and crawled out of the smoke to see as three dragons fell to the ground their bodies encased in ice.
A massive rumble was wrought when they landed. Three dragons the size of mansions fell to the ground and a minor earthquake ensued. The cliffs above them tumbled to the ground. Stones as big as houses fell around Wisim and only by creating a bubble of pure force were they saved. A massive stone fell directly on the bubble after at least 200 meter fall. It skidded off the surface of the shield like a pebble.
Ankthar stood up and punched Wisim lightly in the head, “don’t you ever do that again! Next time you teleport me anywhere make sure it’s a nice bed so far from any action that its inhabitants greatest thrill is eating their pickles raw.”
Wisim ignored him and climbed up a nearby fallen cliff . Manvalas followed and they started running towards the gate. The ground in front of the gate was laden with stones that barred the entrance.
And Mizra was nowhere to be seen.

Through the cracks of what was left of the gate she flew gracefully into the stronghold of Grim Batol. Dragonspawn and smaller drakes ran to meet her, weapons and fires ready. They were stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Mizra. They all recognized her for what she was and did not know how to react. Going against her was like going against their mother, sacrilege.
Some moved away to make way for her, some stood their ground, but most simply looked around wondering what to do.
Then came the voice. High, mighty and dreadful she spoke: “do not bar my way. I am on a mission larger and more important than anything you can imagine. So do not bar my way.”
So the masses of Grim Batol made way for her. She landed on the dusty floor and began walking, her wings held up high. She walked slowly and surely her ice armor and eys glowing shining white. Wherever her feet touched the ground she left a footprint made of ice. And so through the ranks of the red dragonflight she walked into the darkness of the dungeons.
Deep down a great dragon opened his eyes.

They climbed their way through the rubble, slowly nearing the entrance. Ysera came into view in the starlit sky. Despite her impossible size she landed gracefully without making a sound near one of the frozen dragons.
She turned her head towards one of them and scanned his body with her eyes. Inside the enclosed ice casket she saw his eyes move.
She raised her head towards the group and said: “you go on ahead and attempt to stop her. I must save these poor souls.”
And so they climbed, after a couple of minutes they were atop the rubble and saw the well lit stronghold and the red flights ranks in orderly lines in front of them as they saw something glowing bright moving down.
“MIZRA!” Wisim screamed at the top of his lungs.. “MIZRA COME BACK”.
But the light kept on moving, without pause, until it was lost completely.
Wisim jumped and ran down paying no heed to dangers until a dragon stepped in front of him and barred his way from the entrance.
Please the dragon said, we respect and acknowledge you powers but you cannot come in here.
Step aside dragon, we are going in there to stop my daughter. The dragon was unsure. This entire thing was highly unusual. What was a simple dragon to make of it?
He was about to let them pass when a great bellow was heard coming from the far reaches of the stronghold: who trespasses on our grounds? Who has broken the code?
A large dragon came into view at the far end of the stronghold, so large that his head almost scraped the roof.
Ah blast now we’ve done it Ankthar said immediately changing into his dwarfen form.
The dragon was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who had come knocking on his door. He was frozen for a few seconds. And then he kept on going. Our orders are to let none but those from our flight pass through these corridors. And we will follow these orders to the letter. Leave now. Or we will force will be applied.
Wisim’s eyes turned blue with power as he muttered something under his breath.

He was in a desert. No, he was in a forest. No, in a city filled with amchinse beyond his wildest imaginations. A giant snake swirled around him as he tried to make sense to where he was. He tried everything, he tried to stop the world changing around him. He recited the poem faster than anyone had ever spoken and so slow that eternity would not have been enough time.

“Find out the truth of your fallen friends
Hurry; make haste, before evil makes amends
Discover the glory of the death kings fall
And uncover the meaning and the end of it all”
The last line stuck to his mind:
And uncover the meaning and the end of it all
Uncover the meaning, he said to himself. Uncover the meaning.
Sand appeared around him and from the sand rose buildings, mountains roads, towers castles forests bridges monuments and heroes. Nothing was stable nothing was assured. Exen’tor was going mad, all the things that had happened today and this world where nothing was what it seemed to be. His friends were fighting, his team was shattered as soon as it was put together. And he was an aspect. The aspect of time.
Yet all he could think of were two lines:
"Follow the saner road of madness
And uncover the meaning and the end of it all.”