Adventures of John: The Doctor, the Daleks, and the Dragon
Chapter 1: The Hunt
A sickly green light illuminated the swamp, seeming to come from the fog that clung to every surface. The fog was thick, obscuring the details of the marsh. The fog hid all variety of dangers, from sink pits to venomous reptiles hiding in wait. The leafy canopy of trees buzzed with insects larger than a man's face, and indescribable creatures swam through the murky waters of the swamp.
In the center of the swamp stood a single slab of rock, the only dry land in the entire realm. A group of thirteen hooded figures were arranged in a circle on top of the slab, a strange pattern painted into the rock in blood. The hooded figures chanted quietly in a long-forgotten language, an eerie red glow emerging from their clenched fists. The figures continued to chant, that same red glow beginning to radiate from the blood beneath them. Their chanting grew louder and the glow grew brighter, until a swirling circle of darkness appeared in the center of the circle.
A massive claw slowly emerged through the newly opened portal, followed by an immense arm. "The Death Bringer comes," the hooded figures chanted. "And all the realms will tremble at his coming."
Suddenly there was a flash of light, blinding all of those within the circle. When their vision cleared, they saw the monstrous arm severed at the shoulder, twitching on the ground. Standing over it was a man in golden armor and a fiery red cloak, a golden blade dripping with ichor in his hands, eyes blazing with golden light. "I'm afraid that the Death Bringer has been delayed," he said, snapping his fingers and closing the portal. "His flight is experiencing some minor turbulence. I'm afraid he will not be able to reach his destination for the next couple centuries."
"Defiler!" one of the hooded figures shrieked, pulling out a nasty looking dagger. The others quickly followed suit.
"Defiler?" the man chuckled. "I think you have me confused with someone else. No, you see, I'm not the 'Defiler'. I'm John the Adventurer." The figures hesitated for a moment after hearing his words, shock and fear apparent in their postures. "That's right," John laughed. "Now it's your turn to tremble."
He leaped at them, a second golden blade materializing in his other hand. He swept through the cultists like a whirlwind, blades striking with lightning speed. The cultists tried to fight back, slashing with cruel blades and blasting bolts of dark energy, but nothing worked. The blades slashed through air and the bolts only managed to strike their fellow cultists. Soon only two cultists remained, and that didn't last long as the Adventurer struck of the head of the first.
The last of the cultists ran, only to find his way blocked by the Adventurer. "Going somewhere?" John asked. "I'm afraid you'll need to answer some questions first." He pulled off the cultist's hood, revealing the black skin and hair of a dark elf. "What is it with you dark elves these days?" John asked. "You used to be a powerful and noble race! Evil, but noble. Now, just a few days ago I saw a dark elf lady working as a serving girl at the Blooded Blade, and here you are, worshipping some random demon. But never mind that. I have some questions for you. There is a spell, a spell that can tear open holes in the universe, and someone is going to use it very soon. This cult of yours is connected to a whole lot of other dark arts cults throughout the realms. Who would have access to a spell like that?"
"You will fail," the dark elf cultist laughed. "This spell will be the end of everything, and there is nothing you can do to stop it." The elf jerked his head to the side, snapping his own neck.
"Waffles!" John cursed.
. . . . .
Another dead end. For the past two days, or five weeks by my perception, I was searching for the answer to my vision. I had yet to encounter another rift, but things were getting nasty in the magical realms. The bad guys were getting worse and the good guys were getting scared. Something bad was coming and everyone felt it. It was up to me to see that the multiverse didn't end when it came. But so far, I was getting nowhere. This was the seventh mystical cult I had tracked down, and none of them had anything of use. This one might have actually had something, but that stupid cultist had to break his own neck before I could get it out of him.
I sat alone in my room, my cat Stripes rubbing his head against my leg. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and my childhood friend Pixie fluttered into the room, surrounded by an aura of rainbow light. "Any luck?" she asked. I shook my head in response. "Then you should go back to Arendelle. It must have been weeks on their time since your last visit."
"Not until I have this fixed," I answered. "I won't put my wife in danger. This spell is my problem, and I am going to fix it."
"She can handle herself," Pixie told me. "You know that."
"Of course I know that," I responded. "It's just that-"
Suddenly a rift split the air in the center of the room, sucking everything in.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed as the rift sucked in one of my favorite LEGO sets. I threw my cat behind me to make sure he wouldn't get sucked in, and then leaped towards the rift. I wasn't going to let this thing stay. The rift sucked me in, Pixie dashing in behind me.