The Conqueror (T) - also on FF.net!

Chapter 1: Like A Zombie

The sounds of dinner were filling the Great Hall at Cameran Palace. Forks and knives clinging against plates, people taking swigs of water or some other drink...it was all there.

Among all of the tables, four in total, there were various people who worked at Cameran Palace. Ranging from those who were personal servants of Queen Ilene, to those who were members of her guard (like me), and even those who were on KP duty...they all ate here.

As I took two nice cuts of juicy-looking steak and passed them to the person next to me, I couldn't help but wonder about that foreboding feeling that I had had for the last few days.

It's not what you think it is, I told myself. It's not as though I'm suddenly going to have a heart attack or anything like that. It's just that you're nervous because...because why?

"Are you looking forward to the ball, Mal?" my buddy Nick asked me.

Nick was roughly my age (indeed, he was a little over a year younger than me), but somehow, he looked a lot older and more dignified. It can be said that I have a pretty boyish face, at least when...well, I won't give it away just yet. Suffice it to say that I wasn't proud of my physical appearance, at least when I compared it to his.

He was roughly average in size, with glasses and black hair. When you compared that to me, who was tall, broad-shouldered, and had wavy brown hair...yeah, he looked more dignified. Plus, my face just looked childish.

Nobody's going to want to dance with me at the ball!

Not that that was a problem for me. During all the school proms that I'd ever been to, back when I actually attended school, I would typically go stag. I was never that interested in a romantic relationship at all, to tell you the truth.

"Please don't call me Mal" I said. "It's Malcolm, and I wish that you guys would all remember it".

"We remember it" Mike said. "We just like to annoy you sometimes, bro".

I couldn't help but smile slightly. Having been members of the queen's guard for a while, it seemed sometimes as though we shared a familial bond with each other. We were allies, after all, not enemies, and that was quite clear. Nobody had to say it; it just was that way.

Angelina, the youngest of the four of us, was sitting to my right, watching as I cut into my steak and put a piece in my mouth. It tasted just as good as it always did, nice and juicy, exactly how I liked it.

"The ball's at seven o'clock tomorrow" I said out loud, as though I were trying to convince myself that that was the case. "Sir Aaron's Masquerade, held every three years here at Cameran Palace".

"Uh...we knew that already" Angelina replied. "Why are you telling us that?"

"Just wanted to talk about it for a bit" I told them. "Are you guys going to help with setting it up?"

"We all have to" said Mike, sounding kind of annoyed with me. "Honestly, Malcolm, are you on another planet or something?"

"Maybe" I responded in between swigs of root beer.

"Oh, shut the hell up, Malcolm" Nick told me. "Stop playing dumb with us. In any case, are you going to be wearing a mask for the ball?"

I shook my head. "Costumes just don't appeal to me very much. I don't think I'll get a partner, though; I like just going stag".

"Stag?" Angelina asked. She was only sixteen, after all, and probably had little experience with balls and the like.

"It means without a partner" Mike explained. Turning to me, he said, "That is what it means, right?"

"Oh yeah, it is" I replied. "But why are you asking me that? Isn't that obvious to pretty much everyone?"

"You never know" he said. "You were sounding like you were on another planet just now, so you never can tell".

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's fair".

We ate in silence for a while longer, punctuated only occasionally when we would pass food to each other. Then, Nick spoke up.

"You heard about Sir Aaron's staff?" he asked the three of us.

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked, tearing off a piece of baguette with my teeth (even though I was aware that it was unsanitary, I didn't particularly care...because I'm a barbarian, okay?).

"There are all sorts of stories about it that have been passed down through the generations. It's currently in Sir Aaron's old chambers, which even Queen Ilene never accesses".

"I wonder why" I said casually.

"Well, rumor has it that it's cursed" Nick replied, "Nobody know what the curse is, or if it's even really there in the first place".

"So, why are you telling us this?" Angelina asked him. Even though she was the youngest of the four of us, she was the voice of reason in that moment.

. "Because I was wondering what you guys thought of it. In any case, dinner's about to be over, and then one more day to go before the ball".

Even though I was nervous about it, I was also very excited for the ball. After all, it only happened once every three years, and I hadn't even been here for one year. It was going to be a good time, I was convinced.

Eventually, the bell rang, signalling that dinner was over. People were generally permitted to finish whatever was in their mouths before the food would be taken away, and then Queen Ilene would give an announcement.

I always looked forward to the queen's announcements. It helped me stay grounded, in a way; I liked being in the know about the happenings around the castle and beyond its walls.

The servants came around and grabbed all of our plates, a process that took several minutes due to the fact that there were so many of us. When that was done, Queen Ilene spoke up.

"Yes, yes, good evening, everybody".

"Good evening, Queen Ilene" the whole hall, including me, repeated back in unison. This was the one part of the announcements I didn't like, because it seemed creepy, in a way...as though we were all zombies.

Zombies…

Usually, zombies were something that you'd only see in movies. The idea of a zombie apocalypse coming really didn't have much of an effect on me, just because I considered the idea of it ludicrous, so unlikely that the possibility wasn't even worth considering.

But somehow, today I was on edge. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, but I just was, and I'm not afraid to tell you the truth about it.

"You look nervous, Malcolm" Angelina said, tapping me on the shoulder.

"What? No, I'm fine" I replied, trying to convince myself that that was indeed the case.

"As you all know, tonight marks two days until the triannual Sir Aaron's Masquerade will occur. The ball begins at seven in the evening, right here in this hall. All of the tables will be moves into another room, save for one, which will be the buffet table, from which each of you will grab food.

"For the preparations, it is all hands on deck. Everybody will be expected to help in some way, because wealthy people from far and wide will be coming. Everything has to be absolutely perfect".

"Last time", Mike told me, "I heard that half the people got food poisoning from the cooking. We can't have that again, can we?"

"Everybody will be expected to be on their best behavior for the ball. And remember one thing: Sir Aaron's old quarters are off limits to absolutely everybody who does not wish for a very painful fate".

Nick tapped me on the shoulder. Whispering into my ear, he said, "She's talking about the staff, Malcolm, she has to be".

I nodded, but I tried to pay attention to the rest of what Queen Ilene was saying. I knew, somehow, that it was extremely important, and it wouldn't do to be distracted, not in the least.

"That is all that you need to know for tonight" Queen Ilene said. "I would advise you all to return to your dormitories and get some sleep, because all of you need it".

I stood up from my chair and shook hands with Nick. That was customary; everybody who worked at the palace, after every meal, had to turn to the person next to them and shake his or her hand. This was ostensibly so that we all developed a strong bond with each other.

"Well, good night, Mike. Good night, Angelina" Nick said.

Both of the aforementioned people waved at us as we made our way out of the hall and out into the field that surrounded Cameran Palace.

The palace was situated on top of a small island in the middle of a lake. The lake, in turn, was surrounded by mountains, making for a rather beautiful sight. In winter, the lake would freeze over, making it a great place for ice skating. In summer, you could swim in it. Really, the life of a guard at Cameran Palace wasn't bad at all.

I followed Nick down the hill, briefly taking a look at the sun, which was sinking behind the mountains. It was roughly seven in the evening, and sunset today, according to Queen Ilene, was 8:26 PM. (She gave us the weather conditions every day, just so we knew).

Nick was my roommate in the apartment I slept in. Said apartment was in a small building located right next to the lake, not unlike a college dormitory.

The day had been very hot, but it was starting to cool down slightly as we walked down the hill towards the apartment building. Even though it wasn't that late, I was feeling pretty tired already; the formation exercises we'd done had been brutal.

In spite of my fatigue, I didn't go to bed immediately once I reached my apartment. It was, after all, a little early for that.

Instead, I decided to ask Nick more questions about what he'd heard about the staff. If there is such a thing as morbid curiosity, I was certainly suffering from it in this moment.

"So what do they say about the staff?" I asked him. "And what is the very painful fate that Queen Ilene was speaking of?"

"Well", Nick replied, "they say that the staff contains a spirit inside of it. If you break the staff somehow, you release the spirit that is contained within".

"And what is that spirit?" I asked, thinking I knew the answer already; I just wanted to make sure of what it was.

"It's Sir Aaron's Lucario, at least allegedly. They say he's been trapped in that staff for a thousand years, and hasn't gotten out yet".

Trapped in a staff for a thousand years. I could hardly think of a worse fate.

"Of course, to Lucario, it apparently just feels like he's asleep. At least, that's what I've heard".

"From whom?" I asked him. Again, I thought I knew the answer, since there was only one being that was so cunning that they would search for the secrets of the palace at all costs.

"Meowth, of course" Nick replied.

"Of course it's Meowth" I groaned. "He's just so mischievous all the time. Remember when he stole food from the Christmas feast and fed it to his friends up in the attic?"

My comrade snorted. "You bet I do".

There wasn't too much else to say; both of us knew what the other person was thinking. Even though I'd only known Nick for roughly eight or nine months, I felt as though we were kindred spirits, in a way. We understood each other very well.

"Well, I'm feeling pretty bushed" Nick said eventually. "I think I'm going to head to bed".

"Good night, Nick" I replied. I wished that I'd have been able to sleep, but I just felt so on edge that I didn't even know if that would be possible.

"Night, Malcolm".

I walked into my room and brushed my teeth. Even if I wasn't going to bed right away, I decided that it made sense to at least be ready. I watched the sun finish setting outside before getting into bed.

Turning on the TV, I heard the reporter talk about the stock market, as well as whatever sporting event was going on down in Saffron City. Looking outside of the darkening sky, I was able to fully appreciate the huge difference between Saffron City and the Silver Mountains, the region of Kanto in which Cameran Palace was located.

After about an hour of flipping through the channels, trying in vain to find something that was interesting, I decided that enough was enough. It was just like Queen Ilene had said; I'd need sleep for the following day.

I changed into my pajamas and got under the covers. Despite what I had thought would happen, it didn't take long at all for me to fall asleep.

Of course, I couldn't get lucky enough as to have a dreamless sleep. Clearly, the powers that be in this world (Arceus, I'm looking at you) didn't want it to be that way.

Almost as soon as I closed my eyes, I found myself in a void. I was falling, but very slowly, like a skydiver who has deployed their parachute.

I couldn't help but scream (I'm rather afraid of heights), and that was when I realized that it was a dream. Normally, I'm not a lucid dreamer, and I rarely remember my dreams once I have awoken.

However, this time was different. I found that I was perfectly aware of my current state, that my real body was lying asleep on the bed that I'd been assigned way back when, when I'd first moved into Cameran Palace.

There was a banging sound, and I began to fall in earnest. There was the sensation of my stomach dropping, and my ears were popping repeatedly as my descent progressed.

I was spinning out of control, starting to feel a certain level of motion sickness. I soon found, however, that, if I spread my arms and legs out like a skydiver, I could control the spinning a little more. As soon as that happened, I felt a good deal less sick.

Eventually, my feet touched solid ground. I hadn't expected to survive a fall from such a height, and yet here I was, standing on the ground, seemingly uninjured.

Then again, I thought, feeling slightly less amazed, this is a dream, after all. It doesn't have to obey the basic laws of science.

"Welcome to my pit" said a booming voice.

When I say booming, I don't necessarily mean loud. In fact, this voice was somehow neither loud nor quiet. It wasn't in between, either.

It was both loud and quiet, in a way, and it sent chills down my spine. And that wasn't the only thing, either.

Almost immediately after I became aware of the chill, I became aware of a sensation of pure evil. I couldn't see anything there, but the voice radiated absolute malice.

And then I saw it, and the sight nearly caused me to faint. Indeed, I probably would have fainted had it not been only just a dream.

It was a dragon.

Now, when I say dragon, I'm not talking about a cute little creature that someone takes care of in a sanctuary. Nor am I talking about a dragon Pokemon like a Dragonite or a Charizard.

I'm talking about a creature with a very long, billowing tail, swirling all over the place. There's little doubt in my mind, however, that the tail was at least a thousand feet long.

For at least a hundred yards, the dragon's back was as thick as a house, and then it gradually narrowed until it was little thicker than the cable of a zip line.

Now, the colors of the scales were pretty; roughly every five feet (although I'm a bad judge of that), the colors alternated between gold, dark crimson, and indigo. In the dark dungeon I seemed to be in, the scales shone in bright colors.

"You are probably wondering who I am, and why you are here" the dragon said, still in the voice that was neither loud nor quiet.

I'm not normally one to lose my confidence too easily when I'm supposed to speak. However, around this dragon, I couldn't find my voice.

Is this some supernatural power he has?, I wondered. That he can suppress my voice? Or is it just me being nervous?

No. I'm not scared. How could I be? It's just a dream.

"I am Matamoros, the Conqueror!" the dragon boomed. "And I have come to give you a warning".

"Sheesh, I'm not scared of you" I said. Apparently my voice was not magically suppressed at all, which was kind of a relief.

"You should be" Matamoros replied, sounding somewhat angry. "Have you ever heard of dying in a dream, boy? It is possible, at the hands of a dragon!"

I wasn't too keen on dying in a dream; indeed, given that I was only nineteen years old, I wasn't too keen on dying in general. I simply shook my head. "I don't want to die".

"Then you will listen to what I have to say" the dragon continued. "As I was saying, my name is Matamoros. Do you still not believe that I am a threat?"

Did I ever say you weren't a threat?, I thought to myself. I didn't say it out loud. Even though I was somewhat skeptical of Matamoros's claim that he could kill me in a dream, it wasn't something I wanted to risk.

Matamoros leaned back and took a deep breath. After that, I heard one of the most horrific sounds I'd ever heard in my life. It was even worse than the sound of the dragon speaking.

The dragon began breathing a large amount of fire. It wasn't orange fire, though; it was bright blue, a light, icy blue color. It was the same color as the eyes of Matamoros.

I remembered, when I was younger, learning the hard way that blue fire isn't any cooler than orange fire. Indeed, it is very often even hotter. As a result, I stood back from the dragon as the fire drifted out of his mouth.

Finally, the fire stopped, and Matamoros looked back down at me. He smiled, a malicious, hungry type of smile.

"That felt good" he told me. "If I wanted to, I could vaporize you right here and now. Like I said, you can die in a dream, but I really don't want you to die, at least not right yet".

I was somewhat relieved, but I had read enough novels to know that this was a common trope. Typically, the villain would tell the main character that they weren't going to kill them yet. Typically, they were being saved up for a far more painful demise at a later date.

Maybe I shouldn't be relieved, I thought. I didn't say it, though, because it sure seemed as though Matamoros's powers were preventing me from speaking again.

"Yes" said the dragon. "I will not kill you here, but I will give you a warning. You should know that I want you very, very badly".

I was pretty sure that the dragon didn't "want" me in a romantic sense. He wanted something from me, and I had a feeling that that something wasn't something I was going to approve of.

"Okay" I replied casually. I silently facepalmed for having said something so casual in front of Matamoros, because I might end up paying dearly for that.

When I wake up, I'm going to have to tell them all about Matamoros, I thought. If this dragon guy is a threat to everything I care about, then everyone I care about has got to know. It's as simple as that.

But would they believe me? I mean, if I just told them, "There's a gigantic dragon who is a threat to everything we care about", I'd probably get laughed off the face of the planet, no matter if what I said was true or not.

Matamoros sniffed rather threateningly. Steam came out of both of his nostrils, and I couldn't help but flinch.

"You mock me, Malcolm Bannock? Trust me, you will live to regret that very, very much".

"I wasn't meaning to -".

"That's enough of that!" the dragon thundered. This time, his voice really was loud instead of that weird tone that was neither loud, nor quiet, nor anywhere in between. He looked stone-faced, so angry he didn't know how to express it.

"Let me show you what is going to happen if you do not submit to my demands" Matamoros said. This time, he said it casually, as if he was talking about what he was going to eat for breakfast the next morning.

Matamoros conjured what looked like a TV remote out of thin air. When I say out of thin air, I mean it. Where there had been nothing before, there appeared the remote.

The dragon clicked on the remote, which must have been difficult thanks to his claws. Eventually, what looked like a movie screen appeared, and I could see a horrible scene taking place on it.

I saw a teenage boy, probably not more than fifteen or sixteen years old, standing on a sidewalk in some location that appeared tropical, making me think it was Hoenn or Alola.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen on the screen. The boy, who had black hair and brown eyes, was talking to a man who had short red hair and a beard.

The word "simulation" was stretched across the screen, but that didn't make me feel any better. It might not have been real, but I knew Matamoros had the power to make it real, and that was terrifying.

The older man was helping the teenager put on what looked like some form of belt. The very sight of it made me flinch...because the belt didn't look like just your average belt.

Attached to it were six red sticks of some sort. At first, I didn't realize what they were...and then I did.

That belt is full of dynamite.

The worst part about the scene was that the boy didn't even seem bothered that he was on a suicide mission. He had absolutely zero chance of survival if he did this, but he didn't appear bothered at all. Neither did he look excited; he was nodding casually as though he'd done it many times before.

He put on the belt, and then ten seconds passed. The whole time, Matamoros was looking down at me, clearly trying to elicit a reaction out of me.

It's not going to come. I was determined of that.

Then, there was a group of people walking along the street about a quarter of a mile away. They were walking casually towards the boy and the red-haired man.

The red-haired man nodded. "Go fast!" he exclaimed at the boy.

The boy started running as fast as he could, but the sticks of dynamite attached to the belt were weighing him down. You could see the desperation on his face; he very much wanted to reach his target before the dynamite went off.

He didn't make it in time.

I'll spare you the gory details, but the boy did not survive. It was clear that he wouldn't, since he was in several bloody pieces.

"Oh snap!" the man yelled, which was not the reaction I would have had had I been present in that scene.

I had to force myself not to cry. That boy, even if he wasn't real, even if he had never been real, had blown himself up in the pursuit of killing others. He'd done it on that man's orders, willingly and without any hesitation whatsoever.

I was still determined, however, that I wouldn't show any emotion at the scene. I would not give Matamoros any satisfaction.

Matamoros pressed a remote, and the movie screen turned off. He then turned to me.

"Yes...that is what will happen if you do not acquiesce to my demands. It will happen more and more frequently if something is not done about it".

"That was done on your orders?" I blurted out, this time unable to help myself. "You sick, sick animal!"

I mentally slapped myself in the face, my resolve to show no emotion completely forgotten. "How did you - did you get him to -".

"This is just one example. There are hundreds of people all over the world, all of whom will follow my commands whenever I say the word. And that number will only grow".

"You...you monster!" I yelled. "How could you do this?"

"Because it's for the greater good" Matamoros said simply. "Someday, you'll understand. Until then, remember me".

I would remember Matamoros. He was the most evil creature I'd ever laid my eyes on, and he'd convinced a guy several years younger than me to blow himself up.

Like a zombie. He was acting like a zombie.

Those thoughts I'd had earlier, while I was eating dinner with Nick, Mike, and Angelina, were coming back to me in full force.

I can't believe this is happening. I have to do something about it.

Tomorrow, I resolved. Sometime tomorrow I would tell somebody what desperately needed to be heard, because if I didn't, suicide attacks like that boy's (and probably a whole lot worse) would only become more frequent.

"One last question" I told Matamoros. I knew that it couldn't be that much longer until sunrise in the real world, but, for as long as I was in this dream world, I was desperate to know one more thing.

But you're bunking with the devil here, Malcolm, I told myself. There's no guarantee that Matamoros will tell you the truth.

Well, it's worth a try. What do I have to lose?

"Shoot" the dragon replied, leaning backwards as though he were about to shoot flames from his mouth once more.

"What do you want me to do for you?" I asked him.

Matamoros only laughed. "Malcolm Bannock, you will know in due time. Now be gone from my presence!"

The dragon snapped his claws, and I woke with a start.