Chapter Text
(The Demon Realm/ One hundred thousand years ago)
The frigid air was filled with the terrified cries of the wild witches and the wailing of their frightened children as they fled their once peaceful village. Above them, the storm raged on, with yellow lightning bolts streaking down from the turbulent clouds. The monstrous creature, its enormous wings pounding the air, seemed to revel in the chaos it had wrought.
In the midst of the pandemonium, a woman and her wife burst out of their home, clutching their young son tightly. Their house crumbled behind them, consumed by a searing lightning strike. The trio was hurled into the snow, tumbling across the icy ground, away from the smouldering remains of their home. Nearby villagers, despite their own fear, rushed to their aid, helping them to their feet.
"Come on!" urged a young man, his voice filled with urgency as he grabbed the mother, who held her son, by the arm. "We need to go! It's coming!"
The woman nodded, her eyes filled with fear, and cast a worried glance at her wife, who was scrambling to her feet. "Rebecca!" she shouted, her voice desperate.
"I know, I know!" Rebecca responded, her voice trembling as she quickly rose. "I'm right behind you, Margret! You just focus on getting our son to safety!"
As the villagers began to run away again they spotted a small squadron of their tribes warriors flying over the village with their staffs.
The leader of their village was with them, barking orders at his people as he flew over them. "Get the children and civilians into the cave on the mountain!" He shouted at some of his warriors who were escorting their people out of their burning homes. "Then get on your staffs and help us lead this thing away!"
"Yes, sir Glamrock!" One female warrior yelled up before escorting a man and a woman with their baby to safety.
Glamrock cast a quick light spell to help guide his people up the mountain safely then looked down at the village, his heart breaking in two. Their village, the home his small community had worked so hard to build, was now burning in flames. Nothing could be done to stop the fire and nothing would be left to salvage once the flames had died. It was all gone. Rage filled in Glamrock's eyes as he looked up to the sky.
A flash of lightning briefly lit up the silhouette of the monster that had destroyed his people's home. Judging by the size of the beast's wings, he guessed it was some sort of dragon. But it was not like any dragon he had ever seen before. It was enormous. Almost half the size of the great titan whose body now gave life to the Boiling Isles miles away across the sea.
"Sir!" Another witch flew up beside him on his staff. "The children and civilians have all been evacuated from the village and are on their way up the mountain! They should reach the caves by sunrise!"
"Very good commander!" Glamrock yelled over the howling wind.
"RAAAAAAAKKK!"
Another loud roar drew their attention back to the sky. Glamrock looked up and saw the beast flying down towards the ground. His eyes grew wide with horror when the dragon finally emerged from the clouds and spread its enormous wings to slow its descent.
Its feet crashed down into their former village, sending clouds of snow as well as pieces of debris flying into the air. Now that it had revealed itself Glamrock realised the dragon had three heads and its scales were golden. Its eyes were orange and filled with hate. Its three throats flashed yellow in a random order, building up the power inside of it so it would be ready to expel more lightning from its three mouths soon. The right head lowered to the ground and began to sniff the area, searching for any survivors to feast on.
"Wh-What is that thing?" The commander stuttered as he and Glamrock pulled their staffs back to get away from the beast.
"I-I have no idea." Said Glamrock. "But whatever it is, it is definitely not from around here."
The dragon's left head turned sharply and snarled, snapping its jaws. Glamrock followed its gaze and to his horror realised it had spotted the light spell guiding his people. And if it had seen the light then it had seen them. The left head roared, alerting the other two to their prey.
"It's going to kill our people before they reach the caves!" The commander shouted. "Sir, what do we do?!"
"We don't have time to wait for the rest." Glamrock turned to his commander. "Gather up as many of our warriors as you can and take to the skies. Come and find me once you've made sure all our people get to safety."
"What are you going to do?"
Glamrock turned back towards the dragon, his eyes narrowing. "I'm going to distract that monster until you and the others arrive. Don't keep me waiting, you hear?"
"Yes sir." The commander turned his staff around and flew away.
"Alright, you big beast." Glamrock summoned a large ball of fire in his hands. "You want something to hunt? Then come hunt me."
The brave leader thrust his hand into the air, shooting a massive line of fire into the sky. The dragon's heads all turned towards the light and saw him. The middle one roared, the inside of its mouth building up with yellow lightning. Glamrock released a war cry before zooming forwards on his staff, lowering his hand and sending the fire straight into the middle head's mouth.
The dragon's neck recoiled, the middle head coughing up smoke. The other two heads both roared angrily and shot forwards. The left shot out a spear of lightning while the right tried to crush the witch with its jaws.
Glamrock just barely managed to dodge the right head's fangs and did a quick loop around the enormous bolt of lightning. Glamrock roared and threw two balls of fire at each head, hitting each one directly in the eye. The two heads screamed in pain and backed off. The third however had recovered from Glamrock's first attack and was very, very angry.
Glamrock, by some miracle, managed to avoid the blast of lightning that erupted from the beast's mouth. The brave leader risked a quick glance at his people. They had almost reached the caves. If he could just lure the dragon away for a few minutes they would be safe.
Glamrock stared down into the middle head's large eye, meeting its hateful glare with his own intense one. "Come on!" He yelled at the dragon. "You go through all this trouble to attack our home and you can't even defend yourself! Impress me you stupid beast!"
The middle head growled then roared. Suddenly the dragon began to turn its body around, rising one of its spiky tails into the air.
Glamrock gasped and quickly created a shield of magic around him just before the tail struck at him. He still felt some pain when the impact slammed him against the side of his shield, causing him to let go of his staff as he was sent sailing through the air.
The wind rushed in his ears as he spun uncontrollably. The shield bounced off the ground like a ball, smashing into trees and rocks before finally breaking apart. Glamrock landed on his back on top of an enormous frozen lake. His body slide along the ice as he slowly came to stop.
The brave man grunted and hissed in pain as he felt his body. Despite the hundreds of bruises now had on his body and the blood dripping from his forehead, the man didn't think he'd broken anything.
His staff, which had landed a few feet away, shrunk down until all that was left was his palisman. A tiny bluebird with small beady black eyes. The bird stood up groggily and ruffled its feathers, shaking the dizziness out of its head. It chirped in alarm when it saw its witch and quickly hopped over to it.
Glamrock stood, his breath hitching and his legs shaking. He held out his hand and the bird jumped on, chirping with concern and worry as its owner held it up. "I...I'm alright Chipper." Glamrock said as he placed his palisman on his shoulder. "Just a little sore."
"RAAAAAAAKKK!"
Glamrock spun around just in time to see the dragon emerge from the sky. It landed on top of the frozen lake with a loud thud, its full weight cracking the ice and almost breaking it.
Glamrock fell to his knees when the ice beneath him split. Thankfully it didn't break any further. The witch looked up at the enormous monster. More specifically at the middle head which he was certain was smiling.
The dragon roared before reeling back all three of its heads. Its throats began to flash yellow again, building up the lightning that was about to come flying out of its mouths.
"Chipper." Glamrock looked at his palisman. "Go. Leave me."
The palisman stared at its witch in shock before frowning and shaking its head. Chipper nuzzled his beak against Glamrock's cheek, cooing softly and refusing to leave.
Glamrock sighed but smiled, bringing one hand up to pet his beloved palisman's head. "You as stubborn as I am you little bird. That's what bonds us together." The brave warrior stood, staring up at the dragon as it was about to fire. "Bring it on you damn beast!" He yelled, spreading his arms out. "Do your worst!"
The dragon's three heads quickly lowered, their mouths opening to fire. Suddenly a flash of blue light slammed into the beast's chest, knocking it off balance and causing it to fall. Glamrock covered his eyes as the dragon roared in pain before falling to the ground, its heavy crash echoing across the land.
The wild witch looked up in surprise, breathing heavily. "What the?" He looked at his palisman. "What just happened?"
Chipper cooed, saying he was unsure. Suddenly the ground vibrated heavily, causing Glamrock to fall to his knees. There was a pause then another heavy thump. The water below the ice rippled as trees along the shoreline shook. Chipper looked over his witch's shoulder then froze. The palisman released a loud cry of panic before jumping down from Glamrock's shoulder and bouncing up and down in front of him.
Glamrock held up his hands, trying to calm the bird down. "Whoa whoa, Chipper! Slow down, I can't understand what you're saying."
"SKREEEEEEEEEEONGK!"
Glamrock spun around, his jaw dropping. Through the storm he could faintly see the shore of his people's island. He could also see something walking out of the ocean behind it, coming closer and closer.
It was another large beast!
Unlike the dragon, this one did not have wings. Instead, it had multiple dorsal fins trailing down its back to the end of its tail, each one flashing blue as its energy travelled up the creature's body.
The beast had two claws for hands and only one head. A head that was currently sporting a pair of very angry glowing blue eyes. The creature appeared to be some kind of giant lizard, fueled by a power no wild witch had ever seen before.
Glamrock was in so much shock he didn't realise the dragon had recovered until Chipper warned him. Taking action into his own hands, the palisman transformed back into its staff form and flew beneath its witch, picking him up and flying him away to safety.
Once they were high enough Glamrock forced Chipper to stop and turned to observe the two creatures. "Oh titan not another one!" He yelled as the giant lizard stepped onto the ice. "What are these things?!"
From the front of the staff Chipper noticed something and alerted his witch.
"What?" Glamrock bent down so he could hear his pailsman over the wind. "What did you say?"
The pailsman chirped again and nodded its head towards the two monsters. Glamrock looked at the two creatures and realised they were...glaring at each other? The lizard blew smoke out of its nose before growling. It slammed its tail into the ground, causing more cracks to appear on the ice. The lizard roared and charged forwards, its thins flashing bright blue. The dragon also roared before running to meet its foe.
The two monsters clashed in the centre of the lake, creating a powerful shockwave that shot across the air and almost knocked the witch off his staff.
Glamrock couldn't believe what he was seeing. "They're...fighting each other?" He said as he watched the two monsters slash and claw at each other. "Why?"
"Sir! We found you!"
Glamrock turned on his staff just as his commander, along with at least fifty other warriors, flew up to him.
"We got the civilians into the caves like you ordered." The commander informed before looking down at the lake. His eyes shot open when he saw what was going on. "Another one?!"
"Yeah." Glamrock looked down at the fight. "It came out of the ocean a few seconds ago. Then they just started fighting."
The lizard roared in pain when one of the dragon's heads latched onto its arms with its teeth. Enraged, the large monster spun around, slamming its tail into the dragon's chest and knocking it away.
"If these two keep this up they'll destroy our entire island!" One female warrior yelled over all the roars of the two beasts. "And are people will be killed in the process!"
"Orders sir?" The commander asked.
Before Glamrock had a chance to reply the giant lizard roared again. All the witches looked down as the beast sent a blaze of blue fire into the dragon's chest and slammed it against a nearby mountain.
The dragon's wings spread around the mountain as it slumped to the ground. It was dazed for the moment but was already starting to recover. The lizard took the opportunity to look up into the sky.
Glamrock and his warriors froze when its eyes landed on them. The lizard tilted its head slightly like it was thinking then looked down. It looked back up at the witches and roared. Only this time its roar was much softer. Just as it finished roaring the lizard was attacked from behind by the dragon and knocked to the ground.
Chipper suddenly began chirping and looked back at his witch. Glamrock leaned closer so he could hear what his pailsman was saying, eyes widening in surprise.
"He what?" He asked, looking down at the two fighting monsters then back at his pailsman. "Are you sure?" Chipper nodded.
"Sir?" The commander asked. "Did I just hear your pailsman say he can understand those things?"
Glamrock nodded. "That you did." He said as he looked at the man. "Chipper just told me he and the rest of our pailsmans can understand those beasts' tongue and the big lizard just spoke to them."
"What did it say?"
"Chipper says it asked for our help. It wants us to shoot fire into the ice below the dragon's so it will fall into the water. Then we need to freeze it with ice magic and trap it down there."
"What?" The commander looked down. "Are you certain that's what it said?"
"Chipper seems to think so. The lizard said it will make sure the dragon falls into the ice. We just need to break it. But it doesn't want us to freeze the water back up until it gets out."
The commander frowned. "We...We could trap them both then, right? If we freeze the water before the lizard gets out then we will have hit two birds with one stone."
Glamrock looked back at the large reptile, feeling conflicted. On one hand he wanted both these monsters off his island as soon as possible even if it meant killing them. But...that lizard thing had saved his life. Glamrock didn't know if it had done that intentionally or if it had just been a fluke but it had still saved him. Now it was trusting them to do the same for it.
"No." Glamrock looked back at his commander. "We're not freezing the water until the lizard climbs back out. The dragon is the one who attacked our people so the dragon is the one we make sure pays for what has happened today."
The commander nodded. "Yes sir. We will follow your orders."
"Good." Glamrock turned to his warriors. "Alright, everyone! You all know the plan! Dive down and fire into the ice below the dragon! And do not under any circumstances hit the big lizard! Now follow me!"
Glamrock dived down towards the two monsters, his loyal warriors diving after him. The dragon's right head spotted them out the corner of its eye and snarled. It turned in the direction and opened its mouth.
"Barrel roll!" Glamrock yelled just as the dragon fired a bolt of electricity at them. "Now!"
The wild witches followed their leader as he did a barrel roll around the lightning. Unfortunately, some could not perform the manoeuvre fast enough and they, along with their pailsmans, were fried to ash.
Glamrock snarled and summoned a ball of fire into his hand. This monster was going to pay for every life it has taken today. Once he was close enough, Glamrock shot his large ball of fire into the ice.
The other witches did the same as they flew past, pelting the ice with fire and forcing it to become weaker. Suddenly the dragon's right foot broke through and the monster lost it's footing. The three heads all roared in surprise and rage as the lower half of its body plummeted through the ice and into the freezing cold water below.
The golden dragon yelled in anger began to beat its strong wings, trying to keep itself above the surface.
But before it had a chance to climb out to safety, the lizard charged forwards and released its most powerful and aggressive roar yet.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEONGK!"
Glamrock gasped as the lizard slammed its full weight into the dragon, forcing them both to crash through the rest of the ice and into the freezing cold water below. The witches all watched in shock as the two creatures sunk deeper into the water until they were no longer visible.
For a few tense moments, nothing happened. Then a large silhouette appeared in the water, zooming upwards as fast as it could. The lizard burst out of the water, slamming its sharp claws onto the nearby shore and dragging itself to safety. As the lizard collapsed with exhaustion, Chipper looked down into the water and chirped in fear when he saw the dragon swimming back up.
"Now everyone!" Glamrock yelled as he drew a big light blue circle in front of him. "Freeze it back up!"
The wild witches quickly drew their own spell circles and fired beams of freezing cold ice into the water. The water quickly began to freeze back into ice and the dragon's body began to slow. It's middle head stretched up in one last final attempt to breach the surface before it froze completely.
Glamrock's shoulders sagged with relief while his warriors all cheered. His eyes drifted down to the giant lizard resting on the shore.
Against his better judgement, Glamrock flew down towards the creature and landed near it's head. He approached the beast cautiously, just in case it wasn't as friendly as it appeared to be. Chipper perched on his witch's shoulder, eyeing the giant monster curiously. Sensing it was no longer alone the lizard opened it's eyes, staring directly at Glamrock and his pailsman.
The witch stopped to see if the lizard would do something to suggest his presence wasn't welcomed. But when it did not, he continued to approach and once close enough, gently laid his hand over the beast's snout.
Glamrock looked up into the creature's red-orange eyes. "Thank you." He said. "You saved me and my people. I know you didn't come here with the soul purpose of helping us but you did. You have my eternal gratitude."
The lizard blinked slowly and made a low gurgle sound with its throat. Chipper translated for it, telling his witch that the lizard was also thanking him for not trapping it in the ice.
Glamrock nodded at the creature. "You're welcome. Now, why don't we get some of our healers and see if their magic can help you recover a little faster?"
(A little while later)
After the massive lizard had been fully healed and allowed to rest for a few hours beside the lake, the creature had eventually regained enough of its strength to return to the ocean.
How it could swim through all that boiling hot water and not have a scratch, Glamrock didn't know. Though he supposed after today's events that was the least weirdest thing that had happened.
Before the lizard left it had lowered its head down to the lake to observe its frozen foe one last time. It growled when it saw the dragon's middle head, blowing smoke out of its nose and onto the ice before rising back up and walking away.
Glamrock stood outside the entrance to the cave on the mountain, frowning with worry as he watched the lizard swim away. Chipper was perched on his shoulder and asked him what was wrong when he noticed the frown on his witch's face.
"I fear this may not be over old friend." Glamrock said as he gently picked the pailsman off his shoulders and let it sit on his palm. He lifted Chipper a little higher so they could see each other more clearly. "That dragon isn't dead. I know it's not. Something that big and ferocious will not go down so easy. It will break free one day. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day it will get out and I have a feeling I won't be around the day it does."
The man sighed before looking down at his pailsman. "Which is why we need to make sure you are so you can help defeat it again. Are you ready?"
Chipper nodded before asking his witch a question.
"Yes, the cave drawings are being made as we speak." Said Glamrock. "And I have already sent scouts across the realm to find more of those creatures and report their locations back to me. We will add them to the wall for safekeeping."
The old witch sighed sadly, rubbing the back of his pailsman's head fondly.
"Are...you sure you want to be the one to do this? We can find another pailsman instead."
Chipper shook his head and chirped, saying he was willing to do what was needed to ensure the safety of their realm.
"Alright." Said Glamrock. "I will miss you old friend. No witch has ever had a pailsman as loyal as you. Nor have I ever had a friend as loyal as you."
Glamrock turned and entered the cave with Chipper.
As they travelled further they saw more of their tribe's people setting up torches and caving drawings into the walls with their magic. Images of the two monsters clashing with each other were everywhere, as well as drawings of his people joining the fight to help. When they reached the end of the cave Glamrock found his warriors had finished preparing the time capsule. It was a small red wooden box with carvings of a bird etched onto each side.
Glamrock knelt down and placed Chipper inside the box. He ran his fingers over the bird's feathers, listening to the sound of his pailsman's happy coos one last time.
"Goodbye old friend." He said before slowly drawing a spell circle over his beloved pailsman. "I will see you in the next life."
Chipper cooed one more time just before the spell circle was finished. The bird's body suddenly hardened, transforming back into its standard wooden form. Glamrock took a deep breath before grabbing the lead of the box and placing it back into position, sealing the tiny bird safely inside. He then picked up the box and tucked it under his left arm, using his right to draw another spell circle in the stone wall. A small chunk of the wall crumbled to pieces. Piles of rocks fell to the ground and then rebuilt themselves into a small stand in front of him.
Glamrock placed the box on top of the stand and ran his hand along the lid. "I hope when the day comes for you to reawaken you will find a new witch who will take good care of you. Until then. Sleep well old friend."