Land Where Dragons Rule



Ch. 1: End of a Horrid Day

Doktor Frogg sighed as he collapsed onto the lair’s threadbare sofa.  It had been a typical day of failure for the League of Super Evil, sparked off by yet another of Voltar’s idiotic ideas.  This time around, the little cretin had decided to get the rest of the league involved in a plot for revenge against the neighborhood children.  Musing to himself, Frogg realized that he didn’t even remember what it was that Voltar was gaining his vengeance for.  He was suddenly and violently snapped from his reverie by the sharp teeth of Doomageddon digging painfully into his ankle.  Carefully, he shifted into a better position in order to scold the hellhound, but instead shrieked in pain as Doomageddon dug his fangs even deeper into the unfortunate Doktor’s ankle.
Just as he was about to shove the rest of Frogg into his mouth, Doomageddon’s actions were interrupted by the cheerful whistle of Red Menace.  The muscular man walked into the room, and yet he seemed completely oblivious to Frogg’s plight.  After a few moments, however, he finally did take notice of the fact that Frogg’s ankle was wedged between Doomageddon’s sharp teeth.  “Hey Frogg,” inquired a completely clueless Red Menace, “You know there are much better ways to feed Doomy, right?”
As he spoke, Red sat a bowl of some foul substance down onto the filthy floor of the lair’s living room.  Doomageddon quickly noticed the putrid smell of the substance and, realizing that it was one of his favorite meals, released Frogg’s leg in order to eat what was, to him, a much heartier and more easily obtained meal.  “Trust me, I know,” replied a very disgruntled Frogg in response to Red’s query.
Gingerly, he leaned forward and rubbed his ankle in order to get some feeling other then pain back into it.  He quickly gave up on the prospect, however, because his metal claws only seemed to make the pain worse.  Red Menace quietly moved as if to sit down, and Frogg adjusted his position to make room for the muscular man.  
Several minutes passed in silence, interrupted only by Doomageddon’s loud slurping and the random cartoons blaring, unheeded, on the television.  Frogg slowly shifted his gaze and gave Red a thoughtful stare.  At first, Red didn’t notice, because the cartoons playing on the television had finally captured his attention, but eventually he became acutely aware of Frogg’s goggled eyes drilling into him with a look that almost seemed to pierce through his very being.  Hesitantly, he turned and asked, “Is everything okay, Doktor Frogg?  You seem quieter and more tense then usual.”
Frogg flinched violently, his train of thought shattered by Red’s sudden vocalization.  “I’m sorry,” he stuttered as he regained his composure, “I was just pondering something.”
Red Menace’s eyes widened with excitement as he asked, “Is it another new invention?  I love your creations!”
Frogg shook his head and was about to respond when he was interrupted by the loud and somewhat squeaky voice of their minuscule leader, Voltar.  “Gentlemen,” he announced loudly, “Today marks the day of one of the League of Super Evil’s greatest successes!”
Frogg rolled his eyes in irritation.  All that the League had managed to do earlier in the day was hit a few unlucky kids with balloons filled with some of the old cheese Doomageddon had dug out of the back of the refrigerator.
“I propose,” continued Voltar, completely oblivious to Frogg’s disdainful scowl, “that we go out to Villaynes for a celebratory dinner to mark our great achievement!”
Voltar’s idea was met with an enthusiastic cheer from Red Menace, an unhappy groan from Doktor Frogg, and a contented belch from Doomageddon.
“Wait a minute,” chimed Red after he had calmed down somewhat, “Have they even finished rebuilding Villaynes yet?”
“They won’t be finished be finished with that project for a few months yet,” answered Frogg before Voltar could think of any responses, “Why don’t we just stay here and relax? That’s celebration enough for me.”
“No, no, no, no, Doktor Frogg,” whined Voltar, “A victory as great and evil as ours must be celebrated by a high class meal that states our grandeur, even if its not at Villaynes.”
“But Voltar,” rebuked Frogg, “Don’t you remember that we have been banned from all of the other evil restaurants in town?  We’re even banned from the evil hotdog stand that the Line Master frequents!”
Voltar groaned at this and sauntered away in defeat.  For once, he could find no retort that would get everyone out of the lair and into some restaurant or another.  “I’ll be in the garage, polishing my Abominator BMX Ultimate Evil Edition if anyone needs me,” he said in a saddened tone as he walked out of the living room.
The rest of the League were left to their own devices, so Frogg quietly excused himself and went to his lab.  Since Doomageddon was full from his mean, the Doktor had some free time, during which, he didn’t have to worry about the pan-dimensional hellhound’s tendencies to come in and ruin his work.  Frogg planned to use this free time to create what would be one of his greatest inventions ever.
With his usual bouncing gait, Frogg walked over to his worktable.  As usual, it was covered in a wide array of junk which Doomageddon had left there just to annoy him.  With a sigh, he began to clear away the pell-mell assortment of items, which ranged from a half-eaten pair of Red Menace’s sneakers to a strange grey-green substance that Frogg could only hope was play-dough or clay.
Three trash bags and several minutes of hard scrubbing later, Frogg had cleared away a space large enough for his newest invention.  He was planning to build a laser with the ability to open a portal to other dimensions.  With it, he could summon a vast array of highly powerful creatures which he could harness and use to take over the world.  He had spent years planning and calculating everything for a laser with such capabilities, and now he was finally ready to initiate its construction.  
From a nearby drawer, Frogg pulled out his notes, as well as various parts and tools for the inner workings of the laser.  For the most part, the components were obtained via Frogg’s frequent dumpster diving forays.  There were, however, a few parts that were so rare that Frogg had to buy them with what little money he did have.
Mere hours into the construction of the laser, Doktor Frogg was interrupted by an explosive noise from the opposite side of the lab followed by a low growl.  He looked up and adjusted his goggles back to their normal setting only to see a very hungry looking Doomageddon sitting in the far corner of the lab.  Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Doomageddon stared hungrily at Frogg’s partially completed laser, and Frogg stared at the pan-dimensional hellhound.  
The silent standoff suddenly ended as Doomageddon launched himself at the laser.  Frogg screamed in protest at the hellhound, but his voice was drowned out by the screeching of steel being ripped apart.  Within moments, Doomageddon had ingested the entirety of Frogg’s work, including all of the most expensive components and years work of painstakingly calculated notes.  None of this really mattered to Doomageddon, who belched contentedly and teleported out of the lab, leaving the unfortunate Doktor to mourn over the loss of what would have been his greatest and most powerful invention yet.  
A couple of minutes after Doomageddon’s abrupt departure, Frogg had managed to pull himself together.  As he stooped down to pick up what scraps were left, he found his sadness morphing into fury.  Frogg suddenly stopped what he was doing and stomped out of his lab, shaking with rage.  This time, he swore to himself, he was going to give that pan-dimensional mutt a piece of his mind.
Red Menace and Voltar were soon awakened by the sound of stomping feet as well as scarcely hid enraged muttering.  Voltar was the first to come out of his room, highly irritated that he had been awakened in the middle of the night.  He rapidly scurried down the stairs to yell at Frogg for waking himself when he abruptly cut himself off.  He had noticed Frogg’s rage and had thought better then mess with him while the Doktor was in a mood like this.
Red Menace was not far behind Voltar, though he was still half-asleep and clinging to a little pink teddy bear.  However being more emotionally sensitive then their diminutive leader, Red noticed Frogg’s rage immediately, and was instantaneously awake and alert.
“Doktor Frogg,” he asked while gently pushing past a somewhat stunned Voltar, “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
Frogg snapped around to face Red, somewhat surprised by the sudden sound of the taller man’s voice.  “No, I’m not okay,” he screeched, “Doomageddon just destroyed years worth of work and you’re asking me if I’m okay?!?”
Red shrunk back in fear.  Frogg had never gotten this angry with Doomageddon before.  ‘What ever it was he broke,’ thought Red to himself, ‘he really pushed Frogg too far.’
After his outburst at Red, Frogg stomped into the living room in search of Doomageddon.  The hellhound, seemingly oblivious to what was occurring in his surroundings, was relaxing on the couch to digest his meal.  When he heard Frogg stomping angrily over toward him, he lazily cracked an eye open to watch events unfold.  He perked up, however, when he noticed that Frogg’s rage was directed toward him. The absolute last thing he wanted was to be hassled by the angry gadgeteer’s yelling.
“Frogg,” warned Red Menace, “I really don’t think shouting at Doomy is going to make anything better.”
“Do you think I really care at this moment?” spat Frogg vehemently, “I just want this pan-dimensional freak show to know that I am not one to be trifled with!”
Hearing the open insult, Doomageddon stated his challenge with a loud growl.  The disgruntled Doktor shifted his angry glare and shouted, “I’ve had enou-gwaaaah!!”
Frogg’s exclamation ended with a scream as Doomageddon bolted off of the couch in a yellow blur and clamped his fangs onto the Doktor’s legs.  Frogg expected to be released after a few moments, but this time, Doomageddon had other ideas.  When the hellhound didn’t release him, Frogg panicked and began franticly struggling against Doomageddon’s iron grip.  His efforts were only rewarded by angry snarls from the pet, as well as an increase in pressure on his leg.
While this was happening, Red Menace and Voltar slowly recovered from the shock of Doomageddon’s sudden attack.  When they were capable, they both jumped to Frogg’s aid in unison.  Doomageddon had other plans in mind, and dodged around the two evil-doers just before they could grab him.  Instead, they slammed into each other with a loud bang.  They quickly got up and lunged again for the hellhound.  This time, however, Doomageddon teleported, dragging the now helpless Doktor Frogg with him.
Frogg had been teleported before, but this time felt different.  Rather then immediately appearing at their destination in a ball of blue flames, they were floating in an area where nothing existed.  All around was black, lacking sound, light, and substance.  That was, until Frogg noticed something else.  Floating before then was a strange glowing portal that grew from a tiny point until it filled half of Frogg’s field of vision.  Some deep gut-feeling told him that this was the event horizon; a portal that connected all dimensions and all times simultaneously.  Only creatures such as Doomageddon could safely navigate the event horizon.
Doomageddon growled what sounded a lot like laughing, and Frogg suddenly felt terrified.  Effortlessly, the hellhound tossed him into the event horizon and listened to Frogg’s screams echoing through the area until the portal had engulfed him.  He then teleported back to the lair to enjoy the rest of the night in peace.

End of Chapter 1.