A Tale of Many an Adventurer- Joe's Story

Chapter 1

Joebushy- if anyone has read the original chapter 1, they probably left after reading the first Paragraph. So, I now give you the upgraded chapter 1. Enjoy!

" Jacob! Stop it, you idiot!" Joe's little brother, Jacob, was throwing snowballs at him. They had their backpacks on and had just got off the bus. Joe was already freezing cold. How couldn't he be, he had almost five rocky snowballs down his back. " Why should I stop, doduff?" Jake said sarcastically. " You sure like ticking me off, don't you?" said Joe, looking Jacob in the eye. " Of course! What'd think? I don't get paid for making you go tick!" Joe laughed at this remark. Joe and Jacob were definitely brothers. You could tell by the way they fight. Starts with a snowball, ends with Jacob running away crying.

Joe was an American boy, sixth grade. He had white skin, and brown eyes with a touch of green. Same with Jacob. American, white skin, brown eyes. Neither of them knew a life-changing secret. One would have told the other. Joe had brown and black hair, while Jacobs was a light brown and a dark blond mix. Joe was much older then Jacob, being age 12. Jacob was only 9. Big difference. Joe was fairly skinny, between eighty and ninety pounds. Jacob, who was kind of heavy for his age, weighed around eighty. Not a big difference. Joe was decently intelligent, Jacob was average. They belonged to a big family, one of four siblings and parents. Joe was the oldest and Jacob was the second youngest. Their sister, Sarah, who was 10, was right behind Joe, and their baby sister, Rachel, was 3. Sarah would have been with the two walking home, but she had cheerleading that day, a Wednesday.

That day had been a cloudy winter day, somewhere in the middle of January. It was when it all happened. It had started earlier that day at Joe's school. He and a lot of his friends had been in the computer lab. Just on the computers as normal. But the screens on certain people's computers had all of a sudden started shining a golden glow. That had made all of the boys who saw the computers feel different, more powerful. But Joe had seen it and he hadn't felt any different. No more athletic, no smarter. Jacob looked at Joe and saw he was troubled. " What's on your mind, you lump of a speck of dust?" Joe stared at him. " Nothing much, you big pile of dirt." At this, Jacob stuck his tong out at Joe, looking him straight in the eye. Jacob and Joe kept talking as they walked along the side of the icy road.

" Hey, Joe, guess what I did today?" Jacob asked with happiness. " Did you have an accident?" Joe asked, snickering. " No way!" Jacob snapped, " The last time I had an accident was-" " I don't want to know, ok?" Joe cut in. They were just about to go over a hill when they heard the sound of an old truck motor, roaring with fury. " Joe, what's that?" Jacob asked in a quivering voice. " Dunno'," Joe told him. They stood where they were, not being able to see over the long hill up. Then a crude, no, more virtual looking truck burst over the hill. And it had two metal bars sticking out of its red colored sides.

It roared toward the two on the edge of the road. Joe guessed the bars were for a last resort, which they were. The truck went head on toward the two brothers. Joe had no time to think. He ran into his brother and then both of them rolled down a ditch along the side of the road. The place they lived was very wooded and very full of hills. Once the truck had passed, Joe and Jacob ran into the trees. Once they were a decent way in, they heard the truck flashing by where they had just been. " Thanks- Joe," Jacob said in between breaths.

The air around the two started getting warmer. The snow around them melted. " What the hel-" Joe started, but just as he did a leave that had just been snowy and wet caught on fire. " Run!" Joe commanded. They both forgot about being out of breath. They just ran as hard as they could. They ran down a wooded hill and through a yard, toward the next road they could find. They got on the road and turned left, trying to head for home. They heard the engine again. It was coming towards them on the road they where now on. The hill was to steep to climb up, and if they went farther down they would just be at the lake. " We have no choice, Jacob," Joe said, " We're going past them. No matter what." Jacob looked scared enough he could wet himself at any second. Then the truck pulled up in front of them.

A man stepped out, with long white hair. He wore a black long-sleeve shirt and black pants, and looked out of place standing in the middle of the woods. He looked out of place just being in the world. He had and extra big backpack, giving him the impression that he had wings hidden inside. He had a big red band stretching across his body, left soldier to the bottom right of his shirt, and another one on his left leg. His sleeves on his shirt looked like something was trying to stick up inside, same with his pants legs.

" I am Naraf," he explained, " sent here by a being far superior to you." His voice was dark, but he actually sounded like a teenager, almost like he was about eighteen. " So?" Joe said, staring at Naraf like he was wearing a really bad Halloween costume. " You dare question me? You, you mortal fool. You and your... brother here must be vanquished!" He reached into his truck and pulled out a sword. Both Joe and Jacob couldn't help laughing. He turned around and asked them, " What'd I do to make you laugh? You have no reason, I take it?" Joe and Jacob laughed even harder. " Now listen here!" Naraf yelled. Joe and Jacob kept laughing. " I still have my heat ray!"

Joe and Jacob just couldn't stop. Joe finally said, " I think you left your door open!" The two couldn't stop. Naraf turned around to look at his truck. " No, I don't believe I have," he said. " Just zip up your pants!" Jacob giggled. Naraf looked down. " Excuse me? I am not accustomed to your earthly matters." Joe and Jacob laughed even harder at this. " Listen, man," Joe said, still laughing, " Look down to where the sun don't shine and you'll see what I mean." Naraf looked down at his pants. Now or never, Joe thought. He ran up to Naraf, who was still hunched over, checking around his pants. He kicked with all his strength at Naraf's head. But his kick missed.

Naraf had moved with extreme speed and had turned up behind Joe and in front of Jacob. He clutched his sword hard and attacked. Joe didn't even have time to turn around. There was a scream. Jacob had fallen. Joe ran towards the hill. He picked up a stick and then ran toward Naraf. He slashed as hard as he could, but nothing. It was like a lion agenst a kitten. The kitten can scratch all it wants, but the lion will be to fast or not hurt. A no-win situation.

Naraf then went for Joe. The attack was accomplished. Joe started falling. He had pain, agony, and complete anger. His vision started blurring. But then something happened. He started to go back up. His vision came back, and he saw that he was surrounded by a greenish glow. Naraf was walking away. Joe finally regained control. He then looked at his brother. He, too, was glowing green. A weird predicament. Joe ran toward Naraf, whom was still walking forward. He then slowed into a walk, then he stopped. " Naraf!" Joe called, " It'll take more then that to bring me down!" Naraf turned around. " Ha. You're still here, are you? Well, I suggest you stay where you are, kid. You're out of you're league." " Out of my league!" Joe yelled, " I just stood up to you- like- killing me! Out of my league? Yeah, right. Whatever."

Naraf glared at Joe, then at Jacob. " Kid, you got some potential. I would kill you now, but I think you'll be a good opponent someday. That's why I am sparing you and your sibling. But you won't remember this. Good-bye, Joe, until we meet again." Naraf then destroyed his car with a flick of his wrist. Dark magic. He then ripped his backpack not using his hands, but his wings that were hidden inside the pack. He then flew off. Joe and Jacob then whited out.

They found themselves at the foot of their walkway. " What happened?" Joe asked Jacob. " I don't know, but that was really weird. One second we're talking about accidents, the next we're here! Maybe we have physic pants, or physic underwear, or physic-" " Do I really want to hear this?" Joe asked. Then the two walked into their house.

" How are you?" their mom said as they walked in. " Good," they both said. " Do your homework!" said their dad. " Did they plan saying this?" Joe asked Jacob. " I bet," Jacob said. Joe only asked that because he had forgotten his homework at school. So he went upstairs. He then thought to call his friend, John. So, he picked up the phone and dialed. It was John who picked up.

"Hello, John?" Joe started, "I needed to know what we have for homework tomorrow." "Um, Joe, I can't really tell you." John said. "Why not?" Joe asked. "Because you're not in my class, remember?" John said with almost disbelief. "Oh yeah, thanks anyway. Bye!" said Joe. "Bye." John answered. "Ok, that was dumb." Joe thought as he hung up. Why would he of called John? Even though he knew his friends weren't home, or at least the ones in his class, he shouldn't have called John. "Oh well," Joe said to himself.

He knew he couldn't do homework, so he decided to play video games. But that's where he made the mistake. He plainly turned his system on. If he would of known what would be happening in the next few minutes, he would have at least said good-bye. He grabbed his controller. Once past the tidal screen, he found he felt he had played it before. But from what he recalled, it was new to him. His hands were gripping the controller tightly. He didn't like the game; it felt much too real. It was based in another world, and it seemed to be in medieval times. He played as a healing mage. Then he thought back.

He vaguely remembered doing something like that in the real world. But it must've been a dream. Was it? He didn't remember very clearly. Nothing was clear. The screen did show Joe, but it showed other figures, too. Figures that were blurred out. Joe was to addicted. He was so far, two. He was on this one island, farther out from a bigger island. Something was coming. Then the screen went blank. Total darkness.

But it wasn't the only thing that went dark. Joe's bedroom, although in late afternoon and with windows, had gone pitch-dark. There was a sucking sensation on Joe's whole body. He felt as though he was going up into his television. He grabbed for his bedpost, but it had disappeared. He then started swirling, feeling less wind then he should have been. He then closed his eyes and felt the world pass away from in front of him.

When he opened his eyes, he found he was lying on a fluffy patch of grass on a mini Island. He looked around. He could see a shore; maybe a few minutes' swim away. The island had a swirling hill, with a path around it. Joe could see a single tree on top of it, so there must have been fertile soil. Or so he thought.

He looked around. He had to take in what was happening to him. He looked on the ground to see a smooth wooden staff. A crystal-clear blue gem was mounted on top of it. He bent to pick it up, and he felt something. He looked at himself. He was wearing the robe of a healing mage, a dark purple one. It was the kind of robe with a hard outside for protection. Like in a game. A strategy, battling game. "Oh, heck no..." He said, with a look of dread on his face. There was a growling from the top of the mountain. Joe decided to go up and investigate.

He walked up the rocky spiral path to the top of the mountain. It took longer then he expected. He saw that the tree he had seen earlier had the biggest, most exotic leaves he had ever seen. The leaves growing first were green, and the bark was at first glance brown, but looks can be deceiving. Once Joe saw it up close, he saw that the bark was actually a dark yellow, and the leaves on the top were blue and red. The tree was so big he couldn't see the other side of it. But the tree had something in store to do just that. It turned invisible.

Good thing it did. On the other side stood a pack of wolves, maybe about six of them. They were all staring at Joe with their blue eyes, their tongues hanging out. Joe saw that explaining their eyes as blue didn't give the just of it. Their whole eye sockets were blue. A torturing color. A glowing sky blue. Out of instinct, Joe started down the rocky path, along the spiral hill. The wolves barked fiercely. They were after him.

It must of have been a rare treat for the wolves; the island only had grass. The rocks down the path were so huge, completely immense. Joe had to dodge around them as he was running. Then a wolf ran to in front of him. It stared at him, eye to eye. It barked again, but this time went mad. It was like what a dog sounds like when it's chasing something; outrage. There came more mad barks. Joe looked behind him. The other wolves stood there. He looked at the staff he still held. " What can I do?" he whispered to himself. Then it came to him. The idea to annoy.

He whipped his staff around, knowing that it would intimidate the wolves. They growled without mercy. Then they lunged at Joe's head. When they had almost met it, though, he ducked. The first wolf ran into the other. Then they all fell. Straight down. They would of fell on Joe, but at the last second, he started sliding down the hill. When he got to the bottom he looked around. The daytime was fading away. He looked up the mountain, then, to see the wolves after him again. When they got to the bottom of the hill they lunged again. This time they hit Joe. He fell backward and fainted.

Joebushy- There. I knew I would get around to finishing this sooner or later. Please review.