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Kaotic beginnings: chapter 2

Something large, green and angry (that wasn't Rave for a change), swung out of a creaky wooden seat with knuckles dragging the floor, and blocked the party's path to the bar. It had a row of piercings in its pointy ears, bright yellowish eyes and tusks jutting from its jaw. As it opened its ugly maw to make an objection, The Dragon murmured soft words, fiddled with his sunglasses a bit, and just as promptly the curious creature sat back down as though nothing had happened, blinking rapidly. The remaining patrons resumed drinking, not wanting to get involved with the magical customer but throwing cautionary glances his way all the same.

Anar watched as the blue glow around their new friend intensified. He'd always been able to see magic, to identify it in people and objects, and he could even magnify the power of it. He just couldn't use it himself. Back in the Underworld it had been the ace up his sleeve - he had been a Demon proper then, with all the power that was associated with the profession. The Natural Magic flowing in his blood had allowed him to completely override the security systems set in place that prevented minions from using their powers in the capital city of Pandemonium. His final days had been rather eventful indeed. In his sight, The Dragon was a marvellous shade of blue that pulsed like nothing he'd ever seen before. He was rather in awe, actually.

As they sat at a rickety table while their new-found friend ordered drinks he still felt as though there were something familiar about him, regardless of how crazy that sounded. He'd know if he'd met a dragon before, surely?

"OK, so what's the plan? Give me something vague that I can go with," Rave hissed to him, "we robbing this guy? Clonk round the head in a back alley?"

Anar shook his head. "There's always a reason why these things happen to me," he explained. "We've met a dragon on another planet, and we'll soon find out why."

"Yeah, but to come out of one crazy caper and be thrown into another? It's a bit much, even for us," Rap argued, also whispering.

"I was really looking forward to meeting your uncle and seeing your big fancy house," Rave frowned, "you promised me a comfy sofa..."

"How do you think I feel? I may never see another episode of 'Home and Away' ever again! We've got nothing to our name but my magical artefact of a bag, and whatever I can pull out of it. And that doesn't include money. They might not even use money here, wherever 'here' is."

The Dragon pushed metal tankards towards them with a smile. Frothy liquid sloshed. The aardvark and two dinosaurs eyed it warily. Budweiser, it was not.

"You're originally from one of the Earth's aren't you?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question as he carried on, "and you've just travelled here from the Underworld."

They nodded, slowly.

"Isn't that curious, how you didn't go home? I wonder how that happened. I mean, where are you going to stay? What are you going to do for money?" he said the words so sweetly, so innocently, with that faint smile still on his long scaly face.

Rave jabbed a claw rudely at him, "bet dragon teeth fetch a fair price, bucko!"

Rap flapped a hand, "let Anar deal with this!"

"Anar's always said you can't trust dragons! So now I'm in trouble for listening to him for once? Give me a break."

The Dragon tilted his head, his horns catching the lamplight, "I want to help you," he said softly.

"In return for what?" Anar asked (a little more snappily than he meant to).

Wings rustled and a tail snaked and flicked in the corner of his eye.

"You're a Warlock, aren't you?" the dragon said. "A Warlock with an ancient magical artefact on his shoulder-"

Anar bared his teeth, forgetting they weren't quite so intimidating these days, "you're not having The Bag!" he snarled. A crazed maniac had tried to rob him of it many years ago while he was on a college field trip, and things hadn't ended too well for them...

"Yeah," Rave agreed, "we need that for our dinner."

"Pot Noodles?" The Dragon laughed.

"How do you know about Pot Noodles?!" Rap squeaked.

Their curious companion spread his hands openly, "I am older than the fabric of time, I have existed from the first spark to the final snuff of the Universe and its many manifestations. I know about Pot Noodles. And Mars Bars. I also know about Warlocks..." he trailed off, as if catching himself before giving too much away.

"Touch my hand," he gestured to Anar who leaned back defensively. "Go on, just a touch."

"We've met some weirdos in our time," Rave hissed to Rap, "but this one takes the digestive biscuit."

A grey finger reached out and pressed against scales. Everything turned blue. It was searing like the sun (or suns) and he swore. He was blinded by the magnitude of magic. That was the effect he had on creatures such The Dragon. It worked on his Nightmare friend too; Destroyer could do amazing things in his presence.

"That's what I want from you," The Dragon stated, breaking contact, "in return for helping you."

Anar's ears swivelled, his interest piqued, "Really?"

"It doesn't have to be a touch, you know that, just being in close proximity to me... it fuels me, with your powers of magnification I will be God-Like. I can do anything. I can take this funny little planet and create a wonderful new Earth full of everything you could desire. Roads, cities, telecommunications, the Internet. All for you. A shiny new playground. Isn't that what you'd like?"

They looked at each other. Was this guy for real? Was he serious? A new Earth? What was wrong with the old one?

"We just want to go home," Rap shrugged. "We don't want a new playground, thank you very much."

Rave nodded quickly, "yeah. We're going to live with his uncle," he jabbed a thumb to Anar.

"Right," Anar agreed, still blinking blue spots, "I've got stuff to do, I still don't know about how my ancestor gained magical powers. I've got a book to translate that's written in Draconish. I want to track down the remaining Nightmares that The Council of Sorcerer's tried to hunt and kill. I got waylaid when I had to go to Hell, now I'm being waylaid with getting sent to this weird planet. We just want to go home!"

The Dragon's shoulders sagged. The beginning of a frown curled his lips. Behind his sunglasses was a curious light that grew in intensity as a clawed hand adjusted them and for a brief moment they slipped down his snout.

Blinking rapidly, Anar's head swam. He felt oddly drunk. How many of those awful beers did he have?! They were warm and bitter - absolutely dreadful. He pushed the tankard away, "I think I've had enough," he managed to force out with effort.

Rap and Rave nodded in agreement. Drinking on an empty stomach was never wise. They should have known better.

"So, it's agreed then?" The dragon asked brightly.

"Agreed?" Anar repeated, feeling lost. His head pounded.

"Yes, I will help you get home to your particular Earth and in the meantime you will work for me."

Rave wasn't sure about that. "Work?" he spat. It was a dirty word.

"I mean..." the scaled creature sighed deeply, "you're pretty much stranded otherwise, aren't you?"

They were still struggling, mentally. They took a moment to assess their situation.

"Shit, yeah, we are. Aren't we guys?"

The raptors nodded. Up the creek without a paddle. "Yeah. Stranded. What are we going to do?"

The hairs at the back of the aardvark's neck were still prickling, his inner self was trying really hard to tell him something important. His mind began to clear of the curious mental fog, and he grabbed at The Bag, flinging it open and reaching inside. He slapped his vital paperwork on the old tavern table making it wobble. His Leaving Permission and Gate Access from Hell. Scrawled on and signed at the back page by the Contract departments clerk.

There was a quiet around him, but he could feel the questions hanging in the air.

The dragon spoke, "oh dear, did your slip contain an error there?"

Rap and Rave nosed over their friend's shoulder. "What does that bit say?"

He scanned the bad handwriting, "looks like 'Blank Plant: gate 3499C'," Anar mused, "this was written on when I was in the contract office," still the cogs turned, "but why would they have changed it?"

"Well it was only a few hours ago, mate! Did they say anything? Did you say anything about changing the gate number?" Rap asked incredulously.

"I... don't remember." It was true. He didn't! The contract guy was nice enough. Wasn't he?

Rave thumped the table with a snarl, "he was a dragon! The contract dragon!"

"Oh well, that explains it," The Dragon declared loftily, "you can't trust dragons. Except me, of course, you can trust me. I'm going to help you, after all. And I don't even ask for anything in return. I'm simply offering you employment. We're not all bad."

Rap asked, "what are we being employed as, exactly?"

"Ah!" scaled hands rubbed together eagerly, "as you are no doubt aware, I am indeed a dragon, and dragons collect things. The objects that I collect are scattered through time and space and I require assistance in locating them and bringing them here. Oh, to answer that question, 'here' is actually the Black Planet; it's a rather curious bit of space rock - it's so named because the shadow of the rings around it make it difficult to see from the rest of the galaxy; a kind of camouflage, if you will, which is rather apt as I'm creating a modern military organisation here and, lucky for you, you're my very first recruits."