Gerlard: the Dark Wizard Showboats

WRITER NOTE: This is a retrospective of the main antagonist Gerlard Strent through his eyes in Chapter 42 of "Prince Gabriel of Alladornis" coming in July 2nd, 2025. Some major spoilers ahead so proceed with caution. This chapter also happens to be one of Sean's favorite chapters in the novel as well. So, with all of that in mind, please enjoy the reading.

I smiled as I looked upon the army of my enemies through the solar eclipse and darkened sky. Feeling cocky, I walked ahead about a few feet from my student, Pepvin, and the assembled dark army.

I then summoned my personal and favorite weapon: the serpent scythe! The same one when Terrance and Ruth fought off against me in the dark room.

Next thing I did was showed off some of my moves in front of the two armies right there and then. I went this way and that like a master weapon showman showing off my moves that were in fact quite deadly (if I do say so myself). Following, I swung my scythe as if it was an extension of his own body.

The blade cut through the air with accurate precision. I sliced through the grass like a farmer harvesting their own crop, then tossed the scythe high like a baton.

Without much effort, I caught it mid-air, while my gaze never left my enemies. Every movement, no matter how fluid, was a deadly reminder of my lethal skill. I, however, was definitely showboating.

Once I was done, my army and student clapped for applause. Meanwhile the other side was still standing there waiting patiently for their enemies’ make the next move. They weren’t impressed about my little show at all. I saw that as such so I held out my right fist to silence my army from clapping.

“I’m assuming you all weren’t impressed?” I asked menacingly.

Terrance steps forward, and replies on behalf of himself and his silly compatriots: “We aren’t here for a show, Gerlard. We’ve come here to finish you off, once and for all.”

“Oh, I see, I see…I’ve got myself a really tough crowd, then. Well, I guess we should go on with the show, then.”

“Give it up, Gerlard!” shouted Orisimin, my former student. “You’re clearly outmatched! There’s no way you even stand a chance against our forces!”

“Oh really!? Well, we most definitely shall see about that.”

I turn my way to the dragon and commanded the creature the following: “Fangnst, my dear friend, come forth and approach me! For I challenge you to a duel!”

The dragon looked a little confused there as well as everyone else did. Why would I challenge the Blue Scaled Guardian alone? They all must be thinking. Fangnst looked down towards his pathetic friends, and they all looked up to him. From what I can see, Terrance signaled him to go ahead and that they all got his back supposedly.

Fangnst then nodded and went forward. Eventually, the dragon was in front of his moral enemy, aka me, as his friends were literally behind him. This was now a stand-off between me and one dragon.

While grinning, I stood there as I have watched the dragon approach me. Once the dragon was directly in front of me, I took out my hand and asked the dragon: “Shall we bring on the heat?”

“This is the end of the road for you, Gerlard,” responded the dragon showing his teeth. Without resisting, Fangnst then takes a deep breath and fires his blue flames towards me.

However, I quickly lifted my hands and out comes a red fiery wall. As the dragon’s flames engulfed my fire wall, there was none of me behind it at all. Fangnst looked towards his left and right but found no signs of me whatsoever. My planned worked. Now, to execute!

Orisimin as well as everyone else at first didn’t see where I went. I eventually came out of nowhere right behind the dragon. It was all thanks to my invisibility spell that I was able to pull off.

Apparently, once the orc saw his dragon friend in trouble while not knowing where I was, Orisimin quickly shouted: “Fangnst, behind you! Look out!!!”

It was already too late for I chanted without hesitation: “Reverse their time in this world, deage them to their first word!”

Suddenly purple and red energy surrounded the dragon, engulfing the creature very quickly before Fangnst could even react. Fangnst felt some sharp pain from within him as he was slowly shrinking down to size. As his body was doing so, the dragon cried throughout. Eventually, his voice too had changed drastically.

In a split second, the dragon’s form even became quite so different. For it was at this moment, Fangnst’s older appearance rapidly became more infant-like.

Now, the dragon’s horns were little stumps, his mohawk was currently a buzz, and fangs were just two teeth teething with no other teeth. His dark blue scale was lighter than usual, while his claws were of a tiny kitten, and his purple eyes were much wider.

Successfully, I have beaten Fangnst in a quick fashion. For I had transformed the great and ancient dragon to an adorable, innocent one. Such a pathetic little thing.

I laughed sinisterly after my profound deaging spell was complete. “Now, I have the advantage this time around!”

Everyone there was awfully surprised by what they just witnessed! A dragon deaging in an instant before their very eyes! Their faces were priceless!

I smiled as I looked down at the baby Fangnst as it was looking around with a confused expression. The baby dragon eventually looked up to me and gave me a growl as it showed its two teeth. It sensed me as a bad person already. Smart guy.

“Ah, you still can sense me somehow,” I said as I then kicked the baby dragon rather violently.

“Fangnst!” Terrance cried as he came up. “Gerlard, you bastard! You will pay for that!”

“Now, don’t let me deage you too, you little brat! I now have unlimited magic unlike the last time we fought.”

Terrance bit his tongue and remained silently still. That was very assuming. I saw this and chuckled seeing the display. “This time, I have the clear upper hand!”

I then turn around towards the baby dragon and pick it up by the tail. As I did this, the baby dragon was crying in pain.

“Let him go, Gerlard! You’re hurting him!” shouted the orc this time.

“You want him, then here catch!” Before I tossed the baby dragon towards Orisimin, I decided to torment the infant one more time.

I took the baby Fangnst above my head, and started spinning the creature from its tail. After six fully awful (assuming to me) spins, I successfully toss the little critter to the orc with perfect accuracy. Without hesitation, the orc catches Fangnst before the baby dragon could even fall to the ground. That was a bit disappointing. I was hoping the little guy would land on the ground.

“It’s okay my friend. I got you,” the orc said reassuring the little guy while rubbing his sore tail. By which, Fangnst appreciates. So sickening.

“How did you even do such a spell?” asked Sonas.

With a big grin, I replied without skipping a heartbeat: “It’s quite simple really…I gathered a small dose of water given from the Spring of One’s Prime in order to do so.”

Everyone, including my student: Pepvin, were quite in shock and confusion after hearing this newfound conundrum.

I look at the reactions of everyone’s faces there. Again, priceless. For everyone was in utter disbelief, including my own student. I laughed hysterically after looking upon them.

“Just how did you even get a dose?” asked the red dwarf this time around. I believe Lemmy was his name.

“What do you think? All I had to do was wait until you all healed the water and once you were all gone, I was able to gather some in this canteen of mine," I said as I showed my own canteen. "All thanks to me summoning Zithnevermous one night when my student was preoccupied. By then, I was able to take this opportunity of a lifetime without no one noticing."

The canteen itself was a black leather with red stitches among the edges. As for the lid, it was the color purple. This all was to match my color theme after all.

“Once I had gathered it all, I simply took some and made a few spells with it behind the scenes. One of them being the spell of deaging as you all can see with your pathetic little dragon friend. So you all better think twice if any of you want to challenge me now, for I simply can make you all younger or worse.” After I was done explaining, I couldn’t help but laugh there sinisterly.

“How did you do all of that without me knowing?” stated Pepvin, giving a confused look.

“Arg, you’re so annoying with these damning questions,” I remarked in annoyance. “I obviously did it when you were in the shrine reading that stupid grimoire! You don’t realize how bored I was getting while you did your studying.”

Pepvin then shuts up before saying anything more after seeing my reaction and outburst. Good, I'm glad when he knows when to shut up.

“You tyrant! Change back Fangnst now!” ordered the orc without any fear. Surprise we are getting courageous lately.

“No can do. I have what I need at this moment. Not just to show you all what I got at my disposal, but to also have a head start.”

“You knave!!!” yelled Arkcon as he clenched his fists.

“Call me all you want. Still won’t change your current predicament, I should thank you Warriors of the Three Kingdoms & Beyond though. You were able to bring the water back to its state of usage. Now, I can use it for my heart’s content to gain all my magic and become more of an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

“It’s just too bad Peter Mace couldn’t do the job properly in the first place all those years ago. If only he didn’t fail, I would have had this key item from the get-go and he would have suited more of my needs.”

“What did you say, Master?” asked Pepvin. By whom, who had a dumbfounded look upon his face. It felt like the world all around him was collapsing right in front of him. His face: priceless.

“Oops, did I say that out loud?” replied the villain humorously. “I tend to carry myself away when I’m monologuing.”

“What has my father got to do with any of this?” asked Pepvin again.

“I’ve heard rumors about the cursed Ecaieci Island along with its secret so I asked your father to do a simple task. He managed to take Karine there and took them both to the island successfully.

“Once there, he gathered all the ingredients necessary and placed them in the spring. Sadly, however, he was too greedy and mistakenly killed himself as the pond disposed of him. I watched them through my all seeing crystal orb until that point as they voyaged. But to all intents and purposes, I just gave up on the whole thing, going on my merry way.

“This all happened shortly after I studied the arts of dark magic and not a single person knew about this until now.” I then chuckled there after I talked, and Pepvin was absolutely (clearly) upset about the whole thing. So full of emotions.

“You watched my father die and didn’t do anything about it?” asked Pepvin angrily.

“Why yes. He was a pathetic man to begin with.”

“You’re truly a bastard as they say you were! How could I be so blind!?”

“I’m called many things, my boy. It ain’t my fault you believed everything I said nor do in the goodness of your nature. You should have listened to your friends there when you had the chance. Oh, by the way, the deal is off.”

“What!? But you promised!”

“I tend to break my promises. I’m sure our mutual acquaintances can testify on that part. No harm, no foul.”

“You, you not only have used me but you’ve used my father until he got killed! You’ve used us Mace Men for the last time!” shouted Pepvin, full of resentment. Now, he's got spirit. About time too. Took me long enough.

“Haha, you both were so easy to manipulate. How can I resist?”

“I’ll fucking kill you!” yelled Pepvin as he summoned his mace and giant sword.

“Hahaha, I don’t think so,” I said as I then start chanting a new spell: “From one snake skin to another, send me where I don’t wander.”

Purple and red magic energy quickly summoned around me. Once it consumed me, a laser beam of magenta shot directly into Pepvin’s heart.

Pepvin was then tossed over down to the ground violently. This causes my now former student to pass out cold. When Pepvin got knocked out, his two weapons both disappeared out of thin air.

“Pepvin!” cried Terrance as he quickly went forward to check on his friend while everyone else remained there in shock. As the so-called Knightly King runs towards his friend, the sun comes out from the solar eclipse as I was nowhere to be found…This all significantly means that something (or someone) was about to brew from the darkness of itself. Aka me, hahahaha.