Donovan Jones "The Animator"
Sunday 2 February 2014
Saturday 31 August 2013
A Fantasy Story Chapter Seventeen
Chapter
Seventeen
The
Terrifyingly Exciting Unknown
The sun rise is most beautiful this
morning as I look out over the vast ocean from the second floor balcony of the
blue temple. Van had stayed the night there under Peter’s care in a different
room from Aurora just like Merry wanted. I knew that there wasn’t much that I
could do get on her good side, that Merry, but I still felt that I should at
least try to show her that I mean them well. Suddenly I felt a pinching
sensation in my chest as I heard soft footsteps walking towards me. When I
turned around I saw Aurora standing there as if I caught her stealing cookies
from the cookie jar.
“Mornin”
I said turning back to look over the ocean again.
“Good
morning, how are you doing today?”
“I’m
actually doing alright right now. Nothing is trying to kill me, I ain’t hungry
no more and with a scene like this to look at, it’s really hard to think of
anything wrong”
Aurora
giggles as she looks out at the same ocean as Van “Yeah, you’re right. I guess
I never really thought of it like that before. It’s nice”
Aurora and I took a moment to watch
the sun slowly rise, lighting up more and more of the clear blue water which
reflected the clouds almost perfectly. A cool refreshing breeze blew towards us
rustling the long grass and nearby trees. I couldn’t help but to feel that I
should try and make some sort of conversation with Aurora and figure out more
about this world, but where do I even start? Not to mention there’s that whole
thing where I’m from another dimension, for all these people know, I’m from
Dynasty and just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Figures that I’d be the one person drafted
into the wrong place wrong time slot, I might as well be head of the fan club
after all I’ve been through” Van thought to himself, under his breath.
Just as I was about to attempt to
ask a question Aurora asked me one first! Startling me.
“Where
do you come from?” She bluntly asked me.
“Wha-what
do you mean?” Van nervously replies.
“I
can tell you know. I can tell what some ones stats are by their aura. I can
tell how fast, strong, and intelligent they are. You, on the other hand, are a
clouded mystery. There is a weak aura shell but deep down there is a far
stronger spirit, almost as if there is something blocking your strengths. I’ve
been able to use this technique all my life and I’ve seen many people before,
but you are the only one where I can’t see who you truly are. So? Where do you
come from?”
I stood there awe struck that there
is someone who is this awesome addressing me in person and calling me out on my
secrets. Interrogating me like a military force would to an alien life form.
She got me; I had no other choice now as I couldn’t think of a lie cleaver
enough for her. Van took a deep breath as his head hung down in defeat.
“Earth;
I’m from Earth”
“Earth?
I’ve never heard of a place called Earth. How many people live in Earth?”
Van
chuckled “Well I don’t know for sure but it’s about six billion with one
hundred and ninety six countries in the Milky Way galaxy. In short Earth is just
another planet.”
Then Van waited for the Dynasty
shaking scream with his fingers stuck in his ears for protection. Due to
Aurora’s technique, she saw that his words were true and became confused at
first which then was turned into hysteria and finally loud noises. They only
lasted for a short while as Aurora tried to process the information that Van
told her and then, after she had stopped shouting, she decided to try asking a
question.
“So
you’re here now, what are you doing? What are you going to do?”
Her question was really good and I
had to take a moment to figure out just exactly what I was doing. I thought
about how I got here in the first place, the people I left behind and the
people I’ve meet. Kat told me that I could be a hero and Peter told me that I
am a chosen person that is supposed to help Dynasty out of its darkness. Now
that I sort through my thoughts I’ve come to see that I have no idea what I’m
doing here.
“Honestly?
I have no idea what I’m doing here. I sort of stumbled into this world by
accident and so far I have been trying not to die. I guess I’ve been trying to
find a way back home since I got here”
“Oh
I’m so sorry about that. Perhaps-“
“Aurora,
are you up here!?” Another voice said from the stairs. It was Dominick rushing
up to see what she had been screaming about.
“Oh
Dominick, yes I’m fine. I was just startled was all”
“Did
he do something to you?” Dominick said giving Van a stern look.
“No!
I swear I didn’t do anything that would make you stab me with this Halberd!”
Van said as Dominick held his weapon to his neck.
“You
better not have”
Thankfully Aurora stepped in and
saved me with a cheery smile.
“That’s
enough Dominick, be nice. We were just talking, there’s nothing to worry about.
Let’s go” She said leading Dominick back down stairs by the arm. I could have
sworn that she gave me a wink as they left as to say “don’t you worry, I’ll
keep him in line”. Thank goodness.
I thought a change in scenery would
be nice and decided to walk outside on the main road the village had. The
locals seemed nice enough as I walked about the grounds looking for answers I
didn’t have yet.
“Perhaps
someone will be able to give me a clue to what I’ll do next here” I thought to
myself as I passed a rug vender.
Van was hoping to find something new
to obtain to his inventory such as clothing or an accessory. There were many
things that he could have gotten, from rings to hats and shoes but at the last
vender, there was nothing that appealed to him.
“Hey!
You find something good, ya?” Ace said walking up to Van.
“Oh
hey Ace. No, not really. There’s nothing that I really wanted to get, and no
answers”
“Answers?”
Ace asked concerned.
“Yeah.
Earlier today I was asked “what am I doing here” and I haven’t really been able
to think of an answer. I was kinda hoping that I’d find something here to give
me a clue to what I should do next but… I can’t find anything to help me out”
Note: Time and time again, when Van
is conflicted as to what he needs to do, he would look around in his room in
hopes he’d find a clue to what he should do. It could be a text book that he
had left on his bed for a test or even a quarter on his dresser for a school
spirit day. Other times he has even used a field of wheat to remind him to cut the
grass and another he used a bicycle that made him remember to go to volleyball
practice the next day, though it was strange to find a bicycle in a bathtub.
Van was now looking for any sort of trinket or house hold item that would
convince him to move on.
“If
that’s the case then you should join us to Auron Flux. Maybe there you’ll find
what to do, ya?” Ace explained enthusiastically.
“Auron
Flux? What’s that?”
“What
do you mean? It’s the biggest city in Dynasty, how can you even ask that?”
“Oh
yeah! Right” Van replied with a nervous chortle.
“Making
more promises again Ace?” Merry asked Ace in a spine chilling tone. “Let me
make something clear to you, if I find you on the same boat as Aurora and I
then I will toss you off the side and hold you down until the sharks come”
I could only nod yes to Merrys
ultimatum as she drug Ace away, back to his house. I stood frozen in place, too
afraid to make a move as if the hand of death holding a rattle snake slightly
nudged my tail bone.
“How
the hell am I supposed to pass up on a challenge this good? But what did she
mean boat? What Boat?!”
Later that same day Van over herd
some people talking about the fair well they were going to throw for Aurora and
her protectors as they leave on a boat from the docks located on the beach Van
originally washed up on. There was a moment of time when all of the locals were
gathering in the center of town where Van could have easily sneak away and find
the boat everyone was going to take, however he decided to wait and see what
everyone was fussing over. He heard them talking about a summoning
demonstration before she left for the boat and Van couldn’t help but to stick
around to watch just what that meant. In a nearby tree I waited to see what
Aurora’s summoning ability would look like. Soon enough she walked out of the
Blue Temple and into the circle the people had made in the dirt. Everyone
seemed to have held their breath as they watched her preform the ritual, which
looked like a precise dance that drew a symbol on the ground that glowed a
fiery red. Then, after the dance was finished, the ground crumbled away and
from the smoky embers rose a giant lion with huge paws and a wild mane that
seemed to have flames in it. Aurora seemed to be dwarfed by comparison in size
but when she approached the lion, it seemed to be soothed by her presence and
acted like a house cat would.
“Amazing”
Van thought to himself in the cover of the tree. “But now is as good as time as
any to make my escape to the boat before Merry sees me and destroys my soul”
During the distraction, Aurora made,
Van swung through the trees as if trained by ninjas to the boat that everyone
else was scheduled to ride. With the other crew members loading up the
supplies, Van casually boarded the boat and decided to scout out an excellent
hiding spot where Merry won’t be able to see him. The boat itself was fairly
large and resembled a Nao Ship from the fifteenth century. A large wooden ship
with multiple levels and a large deck for loading and unloading large crates
and other products.
Noise from the crowd of people that
accompanied Aurora and her protectors alerted me that I didn’t have much time
to find a hiding spot. I quickly ran around the depths of the ship, in and out
of various rooms hoping to find and awesome place, but there wasn’t any place
that seemed to be any good for a long period of time.
“I’ll
have to stay on the move if I want to keep hidden. If only I had an invisible
cloak or something”
Suddenly, Van heard footsteps
walking towards him which caused him to dance in a panic and take refuge in a metal
locker.
“I
didn’t dance! I just ran around a little bit”
The
locker was small to fit his broad shoulders inside, but as the footsteps
entered the room, Van managed to enter and close the door quietly. I tried to
keep my cool as I hoped for all that was sacred that whoever was inside the
room wasn’t Merry and that she didn’t see me. Just then, I remembered about reading
about a technique that involved bending light within your aura causing you to become
transparent. Suddenly, the door opened up and I saw woman peer into the locker,
looking for something that I didn’t know.
“Huh?
The mop isn’t in here. Perhaps it’s already on deck” She said as if she couldn’t
even see Van crammed inside the supply locker.
Van exited the locker confused and
took a moment to try and comprehend what just happened.
“Was
finding strangers in lockers that common that no one cares? Did she personally
just not care? Could she just not see me?” I asked myself as I pondered around
the room. Then Van noticed a small
mirror on the wall and out of curiosity, he approached it. I focused just like
I had done in the locker to make myself invisible, and then I saw what that
lady saw. Van turned entirely invisible right before his existence. It was
there and then that I realized that not only was I getting stronger from
drinking that Magika serum, but my natural ability’s as a human being are
starting to become second nature to me every day.
“This
is Awesome!”
My celebration was cut short as I
felt Merrys presence coming forth from down the hall. I could recognize the icy
chill in the air anywhere and that was my clue to get the hell out of there and
hide in a better spot. For some reason I could feel that even though I could
give the illusion of invisibility, that she would be the one person that would
see right through my disguise.
“Here’s to hopein’ that I
can hide long enough from her”
Monday 12 August 2013
A Fantasy Story Chapter Sixteen
Chapter
Sixteen
Everyone
Has Their Limits
I felt the tension in this room
weigh heavier and heavier the longer we stared at each other trying to figure
out what the other was thinking. Minutes felt like hours as time went on and I
started to feel exhausted from everything I’ve been through without rest or
food. Suddenly I started to hear echoed whispers in the room, too faint to hear
clearly but just loud enough to make out a few word.
“I
don’t know… Person… Attack… Save her… Hope she’s OK… This guy… Nothing brash…
Weak, I don’t… I can… Aurora” was what I heard someone say, however I didn’t
anyone talking.
“What’s
going on? What do I do now?” I began to question myself hoping that the answer
would come to me soon.
Just when I was about to try my hand
at saying something to these people, we all heard the voice of a very familiar
guy coming from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Ace running towards
me holding clothing that he had got for me to wear, like he promised.
“Ace!
What are you doing here?” Everyone seemed to say in harmony sparking even more
confusion.
“Wait!
You guys know Ace?” Van asked Aurora and her protectors.
“Hold
on! How do you know Ace?” the guy asked Van.
“Ace!
Who is this man?” the lady in black said.
“Woah!
Does this mean that you work with Aurora Ace?” Van asked Ace.
“I
can explain, just let me explain” Ace said out of breath.
“You
better explain quickly or else I’ll be forced to do something about him” The guy
said again holding a halberd to Van.
“Wait,
hold on! I’m not here to fight anyone. I’m just here to- Woah! Watch out!”
Aurora was swaying back and forth
before falling forward towards the hard floor head first. The male protector
turned to see what was going but was moving too slow to do anything to catch
her from falling. Aurora didn’t give me a choice and forced me to take action
in front of everybody. Everybody was in awe as they watched me flash over and
pick her up before her head hit the ground. The two protectors tried to rush
over and stop me but where two weak from standing watch over Aurora. The next
thing they knew Van and Ace where the only ones left standing in the room while
the other three collapsed from exhaustion.
“Well
Ace, I think it’s time we get these three out of here now”
“Probably
for the best”
“We’ll
have to carry them all the way back out of here. You know that right?”
“That
won’t be necessary. There’s a levitation stone in here that will take us
straight up to the temple” Ace said walking over to the back of the room where
he activated a leaver on a statue for the levitation stone, a disk big enough
for all of us to ride.
Ace and Van got everyone on the disk
and slowly elevated up. They stood in silence and listened to the low hum of
the magika that radiated from the levitation stone as they go closer to the top
level. Van carried Aurora with the guy on his back and Ace carried the lady in
black because Van was still scared of her “aura”. It is true that I was
beginning to see more things that I couldn’t before such as aura and the pitch
black aura emanating from that lady was intimidating.
All of the sudden my vision started
to get blurry and my legs begun to shiver underneath me. I never felt like this
before in my life but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before I pass out from
pushing my body to its limits. Instead of giving up and dropping to my knees I
convinced myself to keep going for just a little bit longer so I can get Aurora
and her protectors to a safe location. Suddenly I got a surge of terrifying
emotions shoot from my spine to my brain which reminded me about the last time
I rode a levitation stone.
“Ace!
Where will we end up when we get up there? Cause this is a bad scene to look
at” I asked with tired heavy breaths.
“Right
in the center of the temple on the main floor”
“Right
where everyone can see us eh? That’s just my luck”
The stone floor opened up and
allowed our hero Van and his new friend to emerge from the depths of the trials
and showed the entire village that their summoner had made it successfully.
However it was to their surprise that they saw the summoner and two over her
protectors being carried out by a stranger they didn’t quite recognize. Truly
was a strange sight to look upon for everyone as I finally reached my max limit
all I could do was ask one last question.
“Who
here can help them?” Van asked as he slowly lowered to his one knee.
My vision was starting to darken as
I looked upon the crowd of people that started to gather around us, trying to
figure out what I was doing. I could barely feel my legs and my arms kept
getting shooting pains that made it difficult to hold Aurora. Someone came to
aid the man on my shoulders while Ace took the scary lady away somewhere I
didn’t know. Finally I saw two people carefully take Aurora from my arms and I
knew that my job here was done. In my confused and exhausted state I tried to
get back up and walk out the doors of the blue temple so I could go somewhere
else. Ever since I got to Dynasty I had always finished off the day by either
going to another location for another adventure or getting into a fight where I
would then get knocked unconscious, but this time around I completed everything
and there wasn’t anything else to do. Right before I could make it outside I
felt a hand grab my shoulder which stopped me from leaving.
“Wait!
Don’t go now. Please stay” The voice behind me said.
And finally, at the entrance of the
blue temple, I fell for the first time. Why did I have to fall now? What am I
supposed to do now? What is going to happen to me now? Van asked himself in his
slumber.
Now then, time passes on and Van’s
body is transported to a different location for scientific study. Scientist
poke and prod his unconscious body to figure out what makes him tick.
“That’s
not funny! I don’t know where I am or who’s doing what to my body, for all I
know what you say is what’s happening to me. Throw me a flippin bone here”
Oh alright, never let me have any
fun you know that right? Anyways we now find our passed out hero lying in a
bed, completely safe from any sort of scientific experiments. Gradually Van
begins to gain consciousness again but is still too tired to do anything but
listen to the voices inside the room.
“Come
on and give me a break already. I couldn’t just have left him floating out
there” I heard Ace say.
“No
but you didn’t have to bring him to the temple and have him interfere with
Aurora’s praying” Said a lady in a low and unimpressed tone.
“I
didn’t have anything to do with that! He did it all on his own will, and I bet
Peter had something to do with it too”
“You
know Peter was always worried about Aurora, ever since she was little he had
been there like a father to her. Why didn’t he just send you down instead of
this guy? You’re actually a protector for Aurora”
“I
don’t know. I was training with the boys for the Z-G tournament. Maybe he felt
that he couldn’t?”
“And
why didn’t you come to see yourself? Where you so busy that you couldn’t come
down and check yourself? Forgive me if I was happy for a day so I can go
outside and eat!”
“I
said I was sorry! How many more times must I apologize before I’m forgiven?”
“When
you starve in a chamber for three days with nothing but venture rations to hold
you over”
“You’re
cold Merry, very cold”
“Where
did he come from anyways? Strange clothing, incredible strong and was able to
enter the trials. Only protectors are allowed to enter and I didn’t see another
summoner hanging around here and I doubt that he’s a summoner the way he took
down that guardian without even summoning an Aeon. So who is he Ace?”
“I
know that his name is Van and that he’s from somewhere called Corn-ache. But
look at him Merry. I can tell that this person is worth being friends with”
“You
said that with so many times I can’t believe you anymore. You said that with
that old guy who robbed your shack, the other kid who tried to sleep with half
the village and then went home crying when I put him his place. We’re still hurting
from that solider that was lost and needed to get back home”
“How
was I supposed to know that she would bring an army to raid our village?”
“That’s
just it Ace! You don’t know. And when you learn to be a little more careful
with your little friendships with everyone then maybe I’ll consider you’d make
a good decision. But until then, I won’t. Now I’m going to see how Aurora and
Dominick are doing. You can join me if you decide that seeing you friends is
more important than taking care of another disappointment” I heard Merry say
before walking out of the shack.
Ace stood there reflecting on what
she said to him and feeling sad about what he has all done. Van feels strength
return to his body and is able to sit up in bed.
“Ace,
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, I just wanted to help out the
best I could”
“It’s
alright. It’s not your fault that she’s mad at me. It’s my fault” Ace said wiping
tears away from his eyes.
“But
still, I feel bad that she’s upset with you. You’re my friend too and I don’t
think that you should take all the blame for this. I was the one who took
action, all you did was help me out of the ocean”
“Nah
you don’t have to do that, I’m the one who keeps messing up and its time I face
the music. I’m the one who keeps messing up”
“No!
Not this time! It might seem like you have to take this guilt all on your own,
but this time you don’t. I won’t let you handle this all on your own when
you’re not the only one to blame. I’m not like those other people you’ve helped
before, I will not betray you on purpose, that’s not how I roll” Van said
angrily to Ace, standing up from the bed with his body covered on bandages.
“Hold
on Van. You shouldn’t move around too much”
“I’ll
be fine, don’t you worry. Now I got some apologizing to do and I would like to
do it with some help. Will you help me?” Van said holding Ace’s shoulder.
“OK.
I’ll help you. And I’ll start with these” Ace went over to a dresser where he
had set out some clothing for Van.
There was a white button up shirt
with no sleeves and a logo on the back. Along with the shirt Ace had boots,
socks, and baggy brown pants that were far too big. After putting everything,
that Ace had to offer, on Van realized that something happened to his body. He
had under gone a major physical change and was no longer as heavy as he once
been back on earth. Muscle mass and definition started to form on his stomach
and arms, which made him feel even more confident than before and fueled up
with energy. So once again Van mixed and matched his very own outfit and took
the button up shirt, socks and boots from Ace and kept his shorts because they
still fit half decent.
“Alright
Ace, no turning back. Let’s go see Merry and them so I can properly apologize
to them” I said grabbing his arm and storming out the front door.
Luckily Ace grabbed me before I feel
out of his tree house some fifteen feet above the ground.
“Woah!
This is a tree house!” Van said looking over the side of the balcony.
“I
know it is. That’s why we should take the levitation stone down, yeah?”
After we properly arrived to the village, Ace
showed me that Aurora and the others were staying inside the summoners room
located inside the blue temple. We marched through the front door and headed
straight to the room where I carefully opened the door and looked upon Merry
standing in the middle of the room, Aurora who was resting in bed and Dominick
who was sitting next to Aurora’s bed. Merry looked at me angrily however proved
to be ineffective against me as I walked straight towards her only to stop and
bow as a knight would three or so feet before her.
“I’ve
come here to apologize for my actions. I only had the best intentions of the summoners
safety in mind and did not mean to cause you to worry. And I’ll do whatever I
can to ensure you that I mean you no harm” Van said apologetically with his
head bowed to Merry.
I didn’t move and waited for their
response, whether it would be joyous or punishment that awaited me I didn’t
move. Finally I heard a sigh from Merry, almost like a sigh of relief masked as
disappointment.
“Apology
accepted, but from now on leave Aurora and us alone. We don’t need anyone
following us trying to do us favors. Understood?”
“Yes,
I understand” I said a little disheartened.
“Good,
now leave us be so we can let Aurora rest and gain her strength back. As for
you Ace, Thank you”
Ace and I left the room and they
closed the door behind us. We walked out into the village and took a seat on
the stairs just outside the temple.
“So
what will you guys do now?” I asked Ace looking for ideas.
“We’ll
wait for Aurora to get her strength back and when she feels up to it then we’ll
head out to the next temple so she can pray for the second level. I just hope
it’s soon”
“Why’s
that?”
“If
we leave soon enough then me and my team can all take the same boat for the Z-G
tournament in Auron Flux”
“Auron
Flux eh?”
“Yeah,
it’s one of the biggest cities in Dynasty. Oh hey! That reminds me; what are
you going to do?”
“Uh…
I don’t know, I don’t know where to go really or how to get back home. Plus it
doesn’t help that I got separated from the only people that probably could have
helped me out the most”
“Well
then why don’t you come with us to Auron Flux? I bet there somebody there that
will recognize you, if not then there’s bound to be something you can do to
find a way back, yeah?”
“Yeah!
That might just work. Alright, I’ll do it” Van said with excitement as his next
adventure was being laid out in front of him.
What will happen I wonder? There’s
so much I have to consider now. Do I try to make a better mends with Aurora’s
team, or will I set out alone to the next adventure that will take me closer to
home. And what about being a chosen? Will I have to stay here in Dynasty for a
little bit longer and figure out what I will have to do in order to save it?
Here I thought figuring out what I want to do after high school was going to be
the most difficult question I’d have to answer.
Sunday 4 August 2013
A Fantasy Story Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
The Three Trials of
the Protectors
“It’s
cold in here” Van said as he walked further into the depths of the trials.
Magika resonated from the
environment lighting the way for our brave hero through the darkness towards
the first room. A fork in the road caused Van to take a brief moment in his
travels to ponder which path he wanted to take.
“The
Path of the Summoner, or the Path of the Protector? Which path is for chosen
ones?” I asked myself as I carefully considered the possible outcomes.
“It
might be quicker to take the summoner’s path to reach Aurora, but if it’s
rigged for just summoners then I won’t stand a chance. So obviously I must take
the protector’s path” Van said reassuring himself that what he thought made
sense.
Van stepped with light feet down the
narrow hallway leading to the second room. He half expected there to be traps
set all over the place causing him to be in constant danger. Luckily for me, I
didn’t come across any traps and made it to the second room safe and sound.
The second room was just as big as a
gymnasium with a huge door on the far side. Upon closer inspection I found darkened
lines leading to the door and five glowing orbs sitting on the ground in front
of it. I slowly walked towards the orbs and noticed that there was a groove
carved into the floor and a dark line drawn straight from it to the door. My
mind told me the answer as I read the inscription “Light” on the floor around
the groove.
“I
need to take the orbs and put them in the correct holes to open the door” Van
thought to himself looking at the multicolored orbs.
Realizing my objective I ran over to
the orbs and grabbed the one that shined white as pure light. I set it in the
floor hole and watched the magika light the lines to the door.
“Awesome.
Alright, let’s do this” Van said running back to the other four orbs and
placing them in their corresponding holes.
Water was above the door that I had
entered through; Earth was on the wall with steps leading up to it. Fire was a
little bit trickier because it was on the opposite wall to earth and I needed
to jump from platform to platform to reach it. However the Fire orb was easy in
comparison to the Aero orb which was on the ceiling and the only way over was
to use the cargo net that was suspended over the entire roof. To make sure I
didn’t drop the orb as I climbed across, I put it in my item belt.
“Thank
goodness I’m still wearing this enchanted ware or else this would be very
difficult” Van thought to himself as he made his way over to the hole.
There was a moment of panic as I was
about to place the orb into its hole my hand had a moment of weakness and I
dropped it. My eyes saw time slow down as I watched it fall down pass my body
and onto my foot where I caught it like a soccer ball, or football if you’re
from England. After settling my nerves, I kicked the orb up to my hand and
finally placed it in its hole.
Van saw the last light rush to the
door, busting it open violently and allowed him to move on to the third and
final trial. I contemplated letting go of the net and just dropping to the
ground like in the movies but then I thought about just how high up I was and I
convinced myself that a thirty foot drop might hurt so I had to find another
way down. It only took five minutes to get down the slow way and once I was
down I quickly ran through the open door and into the third room of the day.
“You
have got to be kidding me” Van said as he looked upon the third and final room that
he has to get through in order to save Aurora.
“Save?!
I was just checking up on her! There was no giant golem in the agreement. A
giant spiked sword wielding giant golem that’s giant! What am I even supposed
to do here?”
Van soon realized that he was
confronted by a guardian set up by the summoner and her two other protectors to
stop others from entering the chamber of prayers. The stronger the guardian is,
the stronger the people inside are. Knowing this Van knew that this fight might
be harder than he first thought.
“I
didn’t know that! I didn’t know any of that! Stop assuming I know things. But now
I know what I’m fighting, I don’t have to worry as much right?”
On the contrary, in order to break
through to the chamber of prayers you must defeat their guardian which in turn
will open the door granting you access to them. Now please do remember your
manners when inside because Aurora’s protectors will not be as friendly as Ace is
so good luck out there. Also you should draw your sword now because the golem
is attacking you now and I’d hate for you to die so soon into the story.
I had to think on my feet as I ran
around the third room trying to dodge the golem’s attacks on me. I’d take cover
behind the pillars inside the room to buy me some time before moving to the
next safe spot and closer to the golem itself. Finally I had enough of playing
mouse and charged the guardian head on. Our swords collided epically as sparks
flew the ground shook like a tremor and as I sunk into the stone floor, the
golem was lifted up and I tossed that heavy bastard across the room as if it
was a teddy bear. Quickly it got back up and I rushed it head on before it
swung its sword at me again and it worked. The Golem tried to block my blade as
I ran through it but it wasn’t strong enough to stop me and was halved.
Whipping my blade clean and twirling it back into its sheath, I performed a
rather awesome victory pose and for a brief moment I thought I saw a green
circle light up around me as if I leveled up somehow, But I couldn’t relish
that thought right now for I now had to enter the final room and see whether or
not I was going to save Aurora or save myself from Aurora.
Van quickly approached the door to
the chamber of prayers and pushed them open. They slammed the walls on either
side scaring the people inside.
“Who
are you?! How did you get in here?” one of them asked me.
“My
name is Van and I’m here to make sure Aurora is still alive”
Just then we all hear footsteps
coming from within the deep chamber. They grew closer and closer and then we
saw a woman emerge from behind the veil that hid the inner chamber from those
who aren’t summoners. We all stood on edge, waiting to see if she managed to
complete the spirit bond. My hand rested on my sword just in case she was
playing possum before causing killing everyone. And then, just when I could barely
take the suspense any longer, she spoke.
“I
did it! I made the Spirit Bond”
Monday 29 July 2013
A Fantasy Story Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
The Next Chapter In More Ways Than One
Van
watched the priest walk away, back to the blue temple. He was intrigued by the
mystery offer that awaited him so much that he almost didn’t hear what Ace was
saying to him.
“Hey!
What do you say?” Ace yelled
“Huh?
What was that?” I asked confused
“I
said; what are you going to do with Bowakka’s armor now?”
“Oh right, I have to give it to its people, so
the temple”
“I
like that idea. Oh hey that reminds me, you still need some new cloths! I’ll go
get them and meet you inside the temple” Ace said before running off through
the crowd to his place.
I still can’t believe that there’s
still a crowd of people around me. They seem so happy just to be around me and in
turn made me happy, proud and even weird. I’ve never been in a situation where
other people wanted to be around me before and now that I have been thrown into
that predicament, overwhelming feelings crash over me as I struggle to keep my heroic
demeanor. After making my way to the blue temple I soon found myself talking to
old man big hat.
“First
things first, I made a promise to a friend that I’d deliver this armor here.
Secondly, why did you want to see me for?”
“Excellent
news! Just excellent, but there is troubling news as well”
“What’s
troubling ya?” I asked as I began to strip the armor off.
“Our
summoner has been praying in the chamber for three days now and I fear that she
has lost control and even. No I mustn’t think about that”
“Hold
on old man, what are you talking about? What is this summoner? What chamber?” I
had to know.
“Have
you not learned about summoner’s? This is quite peculiar to meet someone that
hasn’t. Where in Dynasty do you come from exactly?” He asked making me flinch.
Suddenly I was face with a very
important decision, whether to tell people that I’m from another dimension or
not. I didn’t know enough about Dynasty to make up a place and my parents didn’t
raise me to be a liar which made lying to others very difficult for me.
“Well
I… I have... um… I’ve been knocked out many times and I can’t quite remember
everything” Van said with a nervous chuckle, hoping that the priest would
believe him.
The priest looked over to Van
unimpressed and said:
“I
have been a priest here for twenty five years and before that I traveled all
over Dynasty as a holy scholar; do you expect me to believe such a transparent
lie? Tell me the truth young one, I’m sworn to keep others secrets when I
accepted my rank as a priest so you can trust me”
Well, it looks like I haven’t much
of a choice now that old man big hat called me out on my only story.
“…WHAT!?”
The priest yelled for the entire temple to hear.
“Why
are you screaming? You said you’d keep it a secret”
“Right!
Right, I’m sorry it’s just so amazing. To think that I’d be around when a prophecy
would come true!”
“What
are you talking about now? You’re confusing me with all your Dynasty history”
Van said upset.
“Sorry,
sorry. There is a prophecy that I learned about right here in Bowakka. It told
about a human that came from another dimension during a dark time of
territorial war for Dynasty. He ended that time by defeating the one waging war
on all the other lands, which allowed the kings to form a peace treaty”
“That’s
all good and well, but what does it have to do with me?” I asked with curiosity.
“That’s
the thing I was about to get to. After his death yet another tragedy happened,
causing financial strife between the different lands and another war broke out
when a band of thieves raided a city of all its gold which was then found in
the possession of a king of another land. After that another hero rose up and
with the accused king, found out who took the gold and planted it in the king’s
possession.”
“So
basically Dynasty has had some tough times and every time something bad happens
someone from another world is sent here to sort things out, right?” Van said
summing things together.
“Precisely!
Hart was the first hero, then came Colt, Theo, Raphael, Lancelot, Yevon-”
“Hold
on Lancelot? The famous knight of the round table, Lancelot?” Van interrupted.
“The
very same, but that’s just to name a small portion of the hero’s, men and women
alike, that have come over in our time of need. The most recent hero was
Bowakka; a highly skilled enchanter who helped the islands when pirates sailed in
search of a powerful treasure”
Van stood in awe in front of the laid
out armor on the table. There was so much information going through his head that
it made him dizzy.
“So
if what you say is true and that people come here in order to save this world
then the reason that I’m here is because I’m the one next in line?”
“I
believe that’s accurate. I knew you were special as soon as I saw you inside
Bowakka’s magic armor that you were chosen as well. Which is also the reason I
wanted you to do something for me”
“I
just never would have thought that I could be something so… so… Awesome! Can you
believe it? I’m having difficulties believing it, how awesome am I right now?”
“Um
sir, are you alright?” The priest asked trying to keep Van on track.
“Oh
right, sorry. What was it you wanted me to do?”
“I
wanted you to go to the praying chamber and make that Aurora is alive and human”
“Yeah
I guess I could do that but why didn’t you do that already? And what did you
mean by alive and human?”
“What
I mean is when a summoner prays inside the chamber there is a chance that the spirit
takes over the mind and body of the summoner if they do not form a spirit bond”
“And
what do you want me to do if that happened? Cause I’ll tell ya now, if this
Aurora tries to kill me I won’t hesitate to kill her first”
“I
know that, but if she isn’t and
alive can you bring her back up safely?”
“Sure
thing old man, just leave it to me” Van said before heading out the door.
“My
name is Peter, not old man”
“And
I’m Van; now let’s go! I gotta summoner to check on”
Peter led Van to the main door that
lead to the chamber of prayers, a heavy stone door with interact carvings to
make it look more elaborate than a normal door. It was painted blue and had rubies
placed in it to represent fire.
I personally inspected the door
checking for door handles, buttons, levers, a toggle switch, a touch screen,
perhaps a knob but I found nothing after feeling around for a bit. Shortly
after I gave up trying to figure out how to operate the door and I turned to
ask Peter.
“So
how does it open?” I asked shrugging in confusion.
Peter was no help and just stood
there looking at me with awe. I really was at a loss to what I should do and
when I try to ask for help, he just stands there, great.
“You
really are the chosen one, this is truly incredible” I hear Peter say to me.
“Oh…
it’s opened…huh” Van said in disappointed as he turned and saw the stone door
wide open.
“What’s
the matter Van? Are you not pleased to know for sure that you have the ancient prophecy
power passed down through those with great destinies?”
“Well
yeah I’m pretty glad that I’m a chosen, it’s just… I was expecting a grand
entrance you know? Door opens slowly and shakes the whole temple, lights
shining with a chore singing. But I guess this will do. Alright, I’m off”
Van says, saluting Peter before
running through the stone door and entering into the life threatening dangers
of the trials he must go through before reaching the Chamber of Prayers. Very
impressive Van, I didn’t know you had it in you.
“Wait
What? Are there dangerous trials in here?!” I yelled back at Peter but it was
too late. The stone doors closed behind me and locked me inside.
So
here’s what’s up for Mr. Van Jones, Dynasty hero. I have agreed to help Peter
check on Aurora, who is praying to spirits in order to gain a summoners beast.
I am greatly unprepared, no shoes, and heading to lord know what kind of death.
My luck is getting a work out with all this action, but now that it has back up
from destiny, I only worry about dying a little bit instead of worrying a lot.
Monday 22 July 2013
A Fantasy Story Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
A Hero’s Legacy
Van and Mayhew froze in place as the
Anubis mummy slowly emerged from the darkness. Its heavy breathing filled the
silence of the room with a suspense which weighed heavily upon Van, for Van was
the one who it shot its intimidating gaze to. Mayhew tried to warn Van about
the dangers of the Anubis, but was too scared to speak a single word.
Now this Anubis is standing right in
front of me and is staring directly into my eyes. It’s as if I was supposed to
know who this was and say something. Nothing comes to mind as I struggled to
figure out what I can do. Suddenly I could hear a deep mystic voice echoing in
the room.
“Who
are you? You wear my master’s armor and yet you are not him.” Said the Voice.
I looked back to Mayhew for
something to say but he was frozen in place, leaving me on my own. With
hesitation and uncertainty, I tried to answer the question as honestly as I
could.
“My
name is Van. I was trying to find my way back to the village. Along the way I
found this armor and decided to wear it because my clothing was destroyed.”
“Unacceptable!
Bowakka was a mighty warrior and no one should be allowed to wear his armor.
I’ll dispose of this imposter immediately for the people he fights for. Die” the
Anubis said raising his spear high above his head.
He quickly trusted his spear towards
my chest, but unfortunately he only hit the stone floor.
“Impossible.
How are you so quick? You move just like him” I heard him say as I retuned the
Bowakka blade to its sheath.
“I
sorry to say, I don’t know. But one person said to me that I am a hero.”
“I
see. Well then, I guess I can allow on hero take another hero’s legacy. I
really haven’t much choice anyway. Just promise me one thing. If you make it to
the Blue Temple, give them the armor so that hope will be given to his people.”
“I promise” I said as he took his last breath
before falling in two.
Van and Mayhew took a moment of
silence in honor of the fallen guardian of the ancient temple before they
inspected the open door.
“Look!
There’s the tunnel” Mayhew said pointing the way
“Oh,
that’s convenient. What’s next, cake?” Van jokingly asked.
“Hold
on, what is that?!”
Alright now, just give me a second
here to gather my thoughts. Van and Mayhew come across a pink cake, sitting on
a plate in the middle of the tunnel. Yeah right, no I refuse to believe that
this exists. Nobody would have left cake in this place; this is too ridiculous,
take this away.
“Can
we eat it?”
“No
Mayhew, we cannot eat the mystery cake in the abandoned tunnel. It’s too
suspicious.”
Oh alright fine, I’ll take the cake
out of the story.
“Thank
you” Van said looking up to the celling.
Mayhew and Van make their way
through the dark tunnel. The stench of old cake lingered through the air.
Eventually they find the end of the tunnel where it appears that part of the
roof caved in.
“Hey
look over here” Said Van crouched down beside some fallen rocks.
A skeleton of a small kid, whose
legs are under a heavy boulder, lies on the ground reaching for a section of
wall made of brick. It wore a brown poncho that looked fairly similar to what
Mayhew’s is wearing.
“Do
you know what happened here?” I asked Mayhew
“Yeah
unfortunately, his legs were crushed under that rock. Nobody came to save him,
no matter how much he yelled or screamed.”
“Do
you know who this is?” I asked, with a hunch.
“Not
a clue. I wonder if his parents miss him”
I thought about calling Mayhew out
on his obvious lie. However I also thought about the consequences of doing that
and decided not to. Instead I looked at where the skeleton was reaching at the
wall and I discovered a door.
“Well
there’s the door, but how does it open? I could smash it open, but if there’s
someone behind on the other side they could get hurt.”
“Or
we could use this key here and open the door safely” said Mayhew standing
beside a pedestal, similar to the one in the ancient temple.
“Alright,
but let me take the armor off before I make a scene. Wait!” I said trying to
stop him from opening the door, but it was too late. Mayhew set the idol in
place activating the door mechanism, making the entire wall shake and rumble.
On the other side of the wall,
villagers are praying to the statue of Bowakka when all of the sudden they
heard a series of gears activate in order to open the door. Everyone’s
attention was upon the statue as it was raised up, reviling an unknown person
standing on top of a platform.
Back on Van’s side of the wall, he
sees a platform behind the brick wall. Suddenly the platform hovered out from
the room and made Van jump on top of it. Before Van could take any logical
action, he was carried back into the room and up a shaft where the base of a
statue was rising up, sending him into another room.
After the dust settled I found
myself standing on a lit up, hovering platform, wearing holy armor of an
ancient hero in a temple full of very faithful locals who just witnessed an
indescribable event. I knew that the next action I took would have to be
carefully considered before the villagers either started to praise me or chase
me after realising I’m an imposter just wearing Bowakka’s armor for kicks. The
silence finally broke when an old man in a big hat came rushing through the
doors yelling for help.
“Help!
Help! A monster is attacking the village! Help! Help!” the old man cried out.
Supernaturally I sprang into action
against my own will. Before I knew it I had ran outside, still wearing mystical
armor, and started to look for this monster that big hat old man proclaimed to
be attacking the village. Then I saw it; a gigantic red bird with dragon spikes
and four bird legs. The bird circled around the village, looking for its next
target when it saw me standing in the middle of the road wearing my digs.
Without hesitation it lunged towards me at full speed, giving me only a few
seconds to draw my sword, realize that the bird was holding ace in its claws,
rethink about cutting the bird in half and instead jump out of the way before
it could fly into me.
“Just
my luck! Why did you have to get caught?!?” I yelled at ace after the bird flew
back into the sky.
I had to think of something to save
Ace and do away with the bird so that the village will be safe.
“But
what in the world could I do?”
The narrator clears his throat as he
puts down his ham sandwich and finds his place in the story. Van was indeed in
a predicament as his newly found friend Ace hangs on for dear life to the
talons of the monstrous dragon bird. Just then an idea came to his steam
powered head of his.
“I
have to get on top of the bird and make it let go of Ace when it’s close to the
ground” Van thought.
“Hold
on! I have to ride that thing? Are you crazy?! Just look how high it goes, and
even if I get on it how do I make it let go of Ace safely, instead of five
hundred feet up?”
Van then saw a catapult that was set
up and ready to fire. Without wasting time he jumped in and launched himself
through the air.
“I
Hate You So Much!” Van said as he collided with the dragon bird, tackling it
towards the mountain side.
I soon realized that even though I
had caught the bird, I still had to get Ace free of its clutches and make sure
that it didn’t bite my freaking head off as it snapped its beak at all my vital
parts. All three of us landed on the rocky cliff side rather pleasantly allowing
us to roll to our feet and eye each other up before making our next move. Ace
was standing right there beside me sporting some heavy chains around his chest
and waist.
“Ace,
are you alright?” I asked making sure he was still all there.
“By
the gods, you know my name great Bowakka!”
“Really?
Ace it’s me, Van” I said removing the mask and helmet.
“Van.
Why are you wearing that armor?” Said Ace in a very serious tone, even making
the bird flinch.
“Woah
Ace, I’m sorry. I didn’t know who this belonged to when I found it. I didn’t
think much of it then, but I learned that it belongs to the people of this
island and took the responsibility of returning it” I said holding back the
bird’s beak from chomping on my head.
Unexpectedly Ace removed his chains
and used them like a whip to one hit knock out the bird I was having so much
trouble with. He then approached me in an angry demeanor to give me a bro hug. It
was awkward.
“This
is great! Woah!” Ace yelled with delight as he danced around the mountain side.
“Let’s
get back to the village! They’re going to be so happy! Come on!” Ace continued
as he ran to a path leading down the mountain.
I was about to leave behind him with
relief knowing that they are not going to hang me for stealing their hero’s
armor, when I noticed that the bird started to burn bright red just like the
hellhound before bursting into the million tiny lights and shooting off to
unknown-land.
“Hey
Ace! Did you see that?”
“No,
see what? Is there another one around here?”
He didn’t see the million lights
just above his head exploding and then shooting off like a firework? I guess
not.
“Oh
no nothing like that, it’s just some light I saw in the sky. Probably nothing”
I said trying not to make Ace worry too much. Mainly because I couldn’t tell
for sure whether or not it was just me seeing things again or not, but I didn’t
want to act out the role as the paranoid guy.
We made our way down safely to the
village where everyone was waiting for our return. They were cheering and
celebrating for the return of their hero Bowakka, but they quite down after
they saw who was really under the mask. For a brief moment, as I stood in front
of all these people, I felt like I shouldn’t have even bothered making my way
down the mountain and that I should have perished along with the dragon bird.
Just as I contemplated turning back, I felt a
hand reach out and grab my shoulder; it was big hat old man from the temple
earlier. He looked at me with a big smile full of pride stretching his wrinkly
face making me feel better and less doubtful.
“People
of Bowakka” big hat old man began “Our savior Bowakka has long since passed
leaving us his memory and what he taught us in our darkest time. But now, when
we needed a savior the most, our prayers are answered! This young man has
slain the monster that has plagued our village for months and he has done it
wearing the protection of Bowakka! Which means that he has Bowakka’s
blessing to go forth as a hero to help others like us all over Dynasty just
like he once did” The old man said causing the crowd to once again cheer and rejoice.
“Thanks
for that mister. I owe you one” Van said confidentially to the priest.
“Oh
that’s quite alright my boy, but since you’re in such a giving mood, meet me in
the temple later. There is something very important I would like you to do for
me”
“Popsicles!
Why did I say I owe him one? Oh well I guess it can’t be that bad, it’s not
like it’s going to be the start of another adventure. Because I’ll tell ya, it
feels like I’ve been on three to four of them already” Van naively thought to
himself.
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