Dave slowly slid down into his chair. Today was another day like any other. He sat in his high achiever classes, listened to his teachers drone on about meaningless subjects, and didn't pay a bit of attention. He never did. Coming to school was a social activity, not to be taken seriously. At lunch, he would hang out with friends, maybe buy a personal pizza and a PowerAde, but he would never worry about school work. He shrugged it off, never taking it seriously, always saying he'd pass on test grades, which, in fact, would be entirely possible if test grades were weighted more of his grade, but as it was, he could never get higher than a D because of his lack of work ethic. Today was no different.
"And so," droned Mr. Harris, "that concludes our study of the Big Bang theory. Next week, after the weekend break, we will begin studying the formation of the first atoms." Dave shook his head to keep his eyes open. His problem wasn't sleeplessness, it was sleepiness, brought on by the incessant monotones of his teachers.
He bell rang just as Dave was about to pass out on the desk. Lunch hour, thank God, he thought. He stood from his seat and followed the rest of his class out of the room. He made his way across campus to the lunch room. He couldn't wait to get his hands on a hot pizza. The December winds were killing him. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself. The rest of the High school seemed accustomed to the chill, but he couldn't get used to it, after having lived his life in Florida and having moved to Virginia. The chill bit straight through his thin, flimsy cotton jacket. It was more like a sweater with a zipper.
As he was walking back to the cafeteria, an announcement blared out of the loud speakers. "David Hacks, please report to the Principal's office. Repeat, David Hacks, report to the office." Dave turned around on the dime and walked speedily to the office. He passed several onlookers who had heard of him. As soon as they realized he knew they were watching, they backed off. He was known to have a violent temper and would just as soon talk to you as he would break your neck. At least, that's how the other students knew him. He had one true friend, and only one. Her name was Karen, and he talked to her a lot. She knew he didn't like socializing, so she spread some rumors. He liked the lasting effect of these rumors, as very few people would wind up talking to him.
He threw open the door to the office and stepping into the heated room. He was still clutching his jacket tightly to him, and warmth finally seeped in. He looked at the aid by the desk, and said in as pleasant a tone as he could muster, "Why was I called in here?"
Apparently, he wasn't pleasant enough, because the aid immediately turned on her heels with a look on her face like she just swallowed a lemon and walked back into the back offices. After a moment, the principal appeared, holding a note in his hand. He looked rather please with himself. "David, we know what you did to that Henderson boy, and now I've got proof." He and the principal did not get along very well.
"Oh?" said Dave, very apathetic. "What have you got?"
"We've got an eye witness account. Right here," said the principal as he extended the note forward. Dave picked it up and read it. He knew who had written this the moment he laid eyes on it. Of course, Dave hadn't done anything to Tony, the Henderson boy, and this note was not even remotely close to proving that he did. There were a few words scrawled on it in very hasty hand writing. It detailed when and where the "attack" took place and who was there. Apparently, Dave had on very strange clothing and was wielding some sort of sword. Dave almost laughed out loud. He could barely conceal the smug grin. What was in this tell tale note wasn't even feasible. Why would he carry a sword around with him? And what sort of outlandish clothes was he supposed to be wearing? At this point, he uttered a sort of muffled chuckle and grunted at the same time.
"Mr. P, this is as invalid as your drivers license." And with that, Dave took the note and torn it in two. And then in four. And then in eight. Then he threw it in the garbage. The principal looked shocked.
"You… you… you're on home suspension!" the principal sputtered. "Get your things and get home! You're not coming back to this school until New Year's!"
"Whatever. That's just more time off. See ya later, loser face," Dave said nonchalantly. And with that, he got up and lounged off to his locker. The principal had a mortified look on his face when Dave turned for a final "eat it and like it" look. More onlookers shuffled away. Dave realized that his mother wouldn't be too happy with his behavior, but there wasn't much he could have done about that.
When he reached his locker, he saw Karen waiting there. "Hey Dave, how's it hangin'?"
Dave shook his head and grinned. "I guess I'll only see you at the creek. I'm suspended until New Year's," Dave said almost wearily.
Karen gasped. "That's two almost an entire month away! He can't do that, can he?" Karen had a look of concern on her beautiful face. She had bright blue eyes, like a cloudless sky, blonde hair, like golden rays of light flowing down her back. Her smile would cure sickness, her laugh heal deafness, her kiss cure even the most broken heart. She was the most beautiful seventeen-year-old ever to grace the land of Virginia. Dave knew what a gold mine he had having her as a friend. His problems dissolved before his eyes as she looked at him.
"It doesn't matter what he says, I'll do what I feel like," Dave replied soothingly. Karen smiled.
"That's what I like about you. You don't take no shit from no one," Karen said smiling.
"Look," Dave started, "I gotta get going. If the principal catches me here, I'm an expelled man." Dave threw open his locker, grabbed his back pack and headed out. The backpack wasn't exactly light, either. He had homework in all of his periods except phys. ed. He had Chemistry, Calculus, AP English, AP History, and his elective, Advanced Art. He was carrying home four books and an art kit.
Dave trudged down the hallway. When he emerged into the open air, he looked at his watch. December 4th, 2007, 1:21 pm, it read. He set off on his way home, expecting to get there in twenty minutes.
Dave never really made it home that day. Something happened that he didn't understand. He was walking down the street, mostly minding his own business, when he saw a kid being beat up by a bunch of guys his age. He recognized one of them as Tony Henderson. I'll settle this shit, he thought. He started to cross the street, but he recoiled in pain. He had run into something, something hard. He blinked and saw nothing in his way. He moved forward again, but was again repelled by an unseen force. This time, he forced his way forward. He fell headlong forward, but instead of hitting the invisible wall, or even the ground for that matter, he kept on falling. He was falling, falling…
Dave say up and opened his eyes. He was sitting in a grassy clearing in a large forest. Movement caught his eye. He turned to see what it was. A little bear-like creature are staring at him. It had really big ears, though, almost like a mouse's, except pointier, and it was roughly the size of a small dog. It stood upright, however, and even had a walking stick. When it spoke, its voice was small and squeaky. "Um… Hiyas! Welcome to Rugglum, my home! What brings you here?"
Dave could scarcely believe what he heard. This little creature was talking to him. He leaned back a little, and said in a shaky voice, "Um, I think I'm lost. Could you help me out a little? I need to get back home."
"Well in that case, my name is Twilly and I'm a moglin. We're a peaceful race who love to take care of our forest homes. Lots of us learn healing magic too, like me!" At this point, a small flash of light and a light breeze announced the entrance of two very strange looking people, a man and a woman. The man was wearing purple robes and golden arm bands. His sleeves were laced in gold, and he was holding a strange looking crystal ball. Dave noticed a very long walking stick behind the man. The woman was dressed almost like a female version of Robin Hood.
The strange little creature who called itself a moglin spoke up again. "These are my friends Robina Hood the Ranger, and Warlic, an Archmage! Nice teleport spell, Warlic!"
Warlic, the man, spoke with a very soft and gentle voice. "Thank you, Twilly. Glad you liked it!" He spoke as if he was pacifying a three year old. Twilly turned back to Dave.
"Because you are just starting an adventure away from you home, there will be many things in the world of Lore that could surprise you. What do you want to know first?"
"Um, how did I get here?" asked Dave. Twilly looked surprised. Warlic took to explaining this one.
"You see, when your mother and father got married, they--"
"Okay, I know what that is, but how did I get to this land? I was just on a street in Virginia!" Dave said nonplussed.
"Where?" asked Robina. Her voice sounded just like Karen's. Dave looked closer at Robina. In fact, she looked a lot like Karen, except with red hair instead of blonde.
"Oh my god, this isn't happening," Dave said to himself in a muted whisper.
"Were you sent out of your home too soon?" asked Twilly.
"I guess so!" said Dave loudly. "I don't know how the hell I got here. I don't even know where here is!"
"Calm down. Maybe you were robbed and hit on the head, destroying your memory. This land is called Lore. The nearest town is Battleon. You are an adventurer just starting out. It seems that a bandit attacked you. You have no gold with you." Warlic seemed to be very knowledgeable. Dave wondered if he understood any of the things in his school books. Maybe he was educated for this era. Dave stopped himself from delving into things without knowing what he was delving into.
Warlic stood and brought both hands together. When they came apart, some gold coins piled out of his sleeves. "This is our currency, in case you've forgotten. You can keep all of your gold on you by this simple spell, making all of it fit into one package." Warlic picked a small animal skin pouch from his belt and ran his hand over it. He began scooping the coins into it. When he was done, he knelt and handed them to Dave. "What name do you go by?" he asked.
"D-d-Dave," Dave stuttered.
"Odd name, to be sure," said Robina. "Well, you don't seem to be armed. Here, take this long sword." She drew a sword from her scabbard and held it handle out to him. He took it in both hands and studied it. It was an average blade, sharp enough to fight with, a little battle battered, but still had some use left in it. Dave stood up and looked at his three new acquaintances.
"Why am I going to need this?" he asked.
Warlic almost laughed out loud. "So that you are not attacked again and are left defenseless."
"Wait, why would I get attacked?" he questioned, rather nervously.
"That bump on the head must have hit a crucial location. This is Lore. We are a war-like continent. Anyone you meet is a potential enemy." Warlic smiled.
"Oh, look, Dave has finally got a chance to get back on his feet. Here comes a monster," said Robina casually. Dave froze. A monster? This was too much. His knees got weak. And then he saw it. It was a little, strange fly-like creature. It was about the size of a cat, and it flew, actually hovered, about. It was closing in on their location, and Dave was the most relaxed there. He dropped his pack and held the sword ready. He didn't know if this "monster" was venomous, so he couldn't allow it to hit him. He stood in a defensive position and waited for it to attack. He realized that the others had backed off. There was plenty of room to maneuver, so he could swing the sword safely. Well, safely for his allies.
The thing struck first. Dave repelled the attack as best he could and swung forward. He caught it directly in its back, knocking it to the ground. He stepped back and waited to see if it was still alive. It was, in fact. It lifted from the ground and speedily attacked. It hit his arm, stinging like a big mosquito. Dave felt it, but he didn't seem to feel it at the same time. He swung the mosquito thing and struck it, this time right down the middle. The sword did its work. It was sliced cleanly in two. Dave shuddered. What the hell was he doing fighting weird freak sized bugs in a magic land?
"That was very good! You have a lot of potential! I think Galanoth would love to talk to you," said Warlic.
"He killed a bug. I don't think that would qualify as a Dragon Slayer in the making," commented Robina.
"Pessimist," muttered Warlic. "Come on, let's get you to town."
The whole group moved through the forest, trekking to the town Battleon. Robina was leading, and Warlic bringing up the rear. When they finally did get to the town, Dave realized there were only about four buildings and a huge tower spiraling into the clouds. The first building he spotted had a sign hanging over the door. It read "Yulgar's Inn". The next was across the way and had "Aria's Pets" painted across the front door. The one next door to that was Warlic's own shop. The small party entered the inn. A sturdy man was behind the counter. He had long brown hair and a friendly smile, covered by a bushy beard. "What can I do you for?" he asked.
"This young man needs to restock his inventory. He's a beginning adventurer," Warlic explained.
Yulgar nodded and motioned for Dave to look behind the counter. What Dave saw was a huge collection of sword and daggers, knives and blades. He noticed that almost all of them had a tinge of color to them. There were only seven different tinges, red, blue, black, white, yellow, pale blue, and gray. The red blades seemed to be aglow with flame, while the blue seemed to be stirring like waves in the sea. The black ones were like blades of shadows, evil resonated from them. The whitish blades and swords radiated light and good. The yellow seemed to be alive with static. The pale blue swords were colored so because they were frosted. The gray blades wavered and shifted before Dave's eyes. There were other, more regular blades, like those one could view in a museum.
"Um, I think I like that red one, there." Dave pointed to the one that caught his eye. Yulgar motioned for him to lift it. Dave's hand closed around the hilt, which was warm, like someone had been gripping it for hours. He tried to lift it from the holding clasps, but it wouldn't budge. He tried again, but again, it stayed. Yulgar chuckled and shook his head.
"You see, the more enemies you defeat, the stronger your spirit becomes. You will be able to lift that blade once your spirit can handle it," said Yulgar wisely. Dave nodded. He was beginning to get used to this world. He would need to learn swordsmanship from a skilled swordsman, but he doubted he'd have trouble finding a swordsman.
"Warlic, who was it that you were talking about earlier, when I had just killed that bug?" asked Dave.
"Oh, Galanoth. Yes, you should come with me, right now. I'm going to get you in a guild. Oh, you'll like Galanoth. He's a good man, and not many would stand against him in battle. As strong as I am, I wouldn't like to. It would be quite a match up, though," Warlic said. They left the inn and began traveling again.
After about a day of marching south, they reached the place called Dragonstone. Here Galanoth, the Head of the Order of Dragon Slayers, resided. Upon arriving, Galanoth approached them. "Greeting," he said in a deep, booming voice. He was a giant of a man, standing at least seven feet tall. He was wearing a helmet that looked like the skull of what appeared to be a dragon. His cape, a deep crimson color, was shredded at the ends, and his armor seemed to have sustained many blows. In his hands was the biggest, more powerful sword Dave had ever laid eyes on. It was ornately crafted, with a blood red hilt and a small dragon crest embedded in the tang. It was a yard at least in length. It had a large oval hole in the center of the blade, ranging from a little after the hilt to close to the middle. Near the base on each side was two spiking prongs, turned up to point the same way as the rest. Red jewels were encrusted at the base of the hole. The edges were engrained with a reddish looking metal. On the hilt, two curved spikes extended towards the handle, giving enough room to wield the huge blade. Dave gawked at the blade. Galanoth began speaking again. "Art thou brave enough to quest for the legendary Order of Dragon Slayers?"
"Galanoth, this is Dave. I see promise in him. He is very young and extremely inexperienced. He may prove to have worth. I think that, for now, training under your guidance is the best thing for him. He'll need a proper blade and an armor suit. Can you provide these things for him, provided he will pay you back after he has won enough battles?" asked Warlic.
"I see potential, but I also see a lack of work ethic. He will not succeed if he does not put himself forward. Can you do this, boy?" Galanoth asked Dave. Dave nodded. "Come, have you no voice?" asked Galanoth.
"Yes sir," said Dave. He was still in shock that dragons existed. He wasn't exactly ready to try to slay one yet, but if his new friend Warlic thought it could work, he would try. After all, that was the best he could do under the current conditions. He would need to protect himself.
Warlic turned to leave, but hesitated as he did. "Dave, maybe you should take these," he said. He extended his hand, in which he held two small vials, one with a red liquid in it, the other with a blue liquid. "The red is a health potion. It will increase your endurance for a short time without any bad side effects. The blue restores your mana. Your mana is used when you cast spells. Good luck on your quest." And with that, Warlic turned about and teleported away.
"Why did we have to walk through the woods for a day if he could have teleported us here?" Dave wondered aloud.
"I must teach you about our order if you are to join the ranks. Know this, if you do become a Dragon Slayer, you are on call all day, every day, no matter what your rank. If dragons are attacking innocents, we will be there to help the victims and kill the evil dragons," Galanoth stated with a hint of foreboding in his voice. Dave nodded.
"I want to become a Dragon Slayer if Warlic thinks that it'll be best for me," Dave responded.
"Well, you'll need armor. Follow me," Galanoth said as he began to stroll to a nearby house. Or at least, that was as close to a description as Dave could come to. It was more like a hut, but in much better condition. Dave followed Galanoth inside. A suit of armor was already laid out, and it looked to fit Dave perfectly. "The secret of our power is in our ancient armor. When on first dons this, it is merely metal, however, our armor gains great might as we feed on the spirit of fierce dragons. Every dragon we defeat makes us more powerful. Here, try this suit on for size." Galanoth motioned to the armor already laid out. Dave lifted the breastplate to himself. It was almost a perfect fit. He took off his thin jacket. Now only in his t-shirt, he lifted the breastplate closer. It was a perfect fit.
"Look, seeing as I am new to this, I need help buckling on the armor," Dave said. Galanoth nodded and began assisting him in dressing down. Within a few minutes, Dave was suited up. He flexed his muscles, finding the maneuverability, the flexibility in the armor. He twisted his arm up and turned. It was like greased wax in turning. "What am I to learn if I am to become a dragon slayer?"
"Before I can teach you anything, you must prove your self worthy of become one of my order. Grimfang the dragon has been attacking towns around Battleon. He will not surrender without a fight. You are going to fight him. If you are not successful, I will defend you, but you will lose a golden opportunity," Galanoth said, expressionless.
Dave stared at Galanoth with an expression of utter disbelief. "You're sending me against a dragon without any instructions!" he demanded.
Galanoth simply nodded and said, "If you want to honor Warlic, you must take the assault to Grimfang." Dave nodded again with an expression of defiance, but he kept his mouth shut.