A/N: Hey there everyone, I'm WritingMan0508 and this is my first ever fanfiction published on . I actually have two other fanfiction's published on Wattpad which is where I originally started my writing journey. If you're interested in my other fanfiction regarding the Destiny Franchise created by Bungie, then go ahead and search for WritingKid0508 or Hus'Ak Hex.
But enough background information. I've recently been getting into the Rising of the Shield Hero and I enjoyed the content in it, so when I stumbled across the [Many Worlds Project, it was like even more stories to enjoy. These stories are genuinely awesome and I wanted to take a shot at making one myself.
I plan on having this story have volumes and having their own chapters, kinda similar to how I wrote stories on Wattpad. Though this is an attempt to make the tables of contents cleaner and organized lol.
If you are one of my readers of Wattpad, then hello! This is my attempt to stay active at writing.
So I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter of Journey of the Bo Staff Hero, and thank you for taking the time out of your days to read this book!
Key:
'Thoughts'
[Skills Menu]
"Speech"
*Sounds*
Chapter 1 "An Exciting New World"
Owen Jenkins is a man of focus and determination throughout his life, especially in his years of High School. He rarely spoke to his classmates as he focused it all on obtaining scholarships and completing his assignments on time. From the sounds of it, he seemed like an excellent student with poor social skills!
Well, it was just so he can go back home and be lazy without having to interact with the crazy students from his High School…
Though he did have a small group of friends that rarely talked to him when he went back home…but is it wrong to not want to think about the future when you can go home and play games?
Definitely, since he had not only managed to get any scholarships, he also had no idea what type of career he wanted to do because all he did was play games! If only he had focused on thinking about a future he would enjoy since what were the chances that playing games could become a career for him?
He definitely needed to find something since pressure from his parents had been leading Owen to go on numerous Transit Buses and going to busy towns to find some form of work. Hopefully working as a cashier in the local thrift store would be enough to start his life!
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"Sorry kid, but we're not currently looking for a new cashier," a gruff voice replied from across the manager desk.
Owen Jenkins' world froze as yet another interview failed, and this time it was for a postion as a cashier! Maybe he could say something that could change this man's mind.
Gulping nervously and shifting himself to be more comfortable in his seat, Owen replied, "um, I was Salutatorian in my graduation...That has to count for something right?"
That seems to pique the manager's interest as he asked another question for the young adult.
"Salutatorian you say? Well looking at your resume again, it says you're dependable and you always finish your deadlines? I guess that checks out…" the manager continued to mumble before continuing, "well how good can you say you are when it comes to social interaction? You did apply as a cashier after all so you'll be meeting people throughout your shifts."
"Well…I say I'm decent when it comes to interacting with strangers," Owen answered, though his mind was saying something else.
'Yeah! I don't like to talk to strangers, I always feel like I'm gonna say something embarrassing…though if it's to land this job then I'll have to lie, hopefully my social skills will be good enough'
The manager would grunt before an awkward silence echoed throughout the small desk room as the interviewer proceeded to look back at Owen's resume. All the while, Owen continued to move his right leg up and down in nervousness.
After a moment, he would get a response from the store owner as he looked back up to Owen.
"I'll consider hiring you, if you get a response from my email in a few days then you got the job, if not then I found someone else."
Those words didn't bring exactly the type of comfort Owen wanted but being potentially considered for a job was better than nothing right? Standing back up, Owen pushed his seat further into the desk, grabbed his resume, and thanked the manager for his time before leaving the room.
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Walking out of the thrift store, Owen would pull out his phone to check the time.
'1:23 PM…crap! I only got 7 minutes to get to the bus stop!'
Quickly putting his phone away, Owen ran down the streets as he proceeded to run towards the location of the town's courthouse. As he ran, his mind thought about how his parents would react to how this interview had gone about. He didn't have any phone plans to send them a message so he would have to tell them once he got back home.
By the time he got to the transit bus stop, he had barely made it onboard. He would show his ticket to the driver before squeezing his way through the densely packed bus before sitting down in one of the back seats.
'What will I tell my parents? They've been pressuring me so much recently that it just feels exhausting to head back home and deal with them…oh well…I might as well read one of the schedule pamphlets while the bus takes me to my stop…'
Scourging through his hoodie pocket, he soon came across the pamphlet he was searching for. However when he brought it out, the pamphlet, that supposedly showed the numerous buses that traveled throughout the state had instead been replaced with something that looked like it came out of a fantasy comic!?!
"What the hell…" Owen whispered, he would take a good look at the mysterious pamphlet. It read simply as "Legends of the Bo Staff" and depicted a basic metal looking Bo Staff with a reddish gold colored gem that shined brightly at the top of the weapon.
Behind the Bo Staff, Owen made out the form of another weapon, that being a Rope-Dart that contained a teal colored gem in the center of the blade. While a Candle sitting upon a small handle with a bluish purple gem in the center of the wax. Both objects next to the Bo Staff as if it were its followers.
'This is definitely not the schedule pamphlet I picked up earlier…'
Opening the pamphlet, Owen found it to not be like a comic but like a small book that introduced to you the characters of the story.
"The Vassal Rope-Dart…a warrior who is both nimble and deadly…" He continued flipping, as he learnt of the other item that showed in the cover.
"And the Vassal Candle, a mage of powerful elemental magic made by smoke. Together they follow the direction of the Holy Bo Staff Weapon…huh? There's nothing here?"
As the young adult stated, there was nothing on the next couple of pages as Owen turned to see them. Just blank pages, not even pictures or page numbers were on it!
But suddenly the pamphlet began to glow brighter, covering Owen's field of vision as he screamed in panic. As he could no longer see and felt his body begin to shift. Soon finding himself in a white void but before he could even process where he was, Owen would feel his body be dragged somewhere else as he heard a voice calling out from the white void he was now in.
"Oh most divine and holy magic! Please bring us the Bo Staff Hero!"
*GASP!*
*THUD*
Owen would fall into a rock solid floor as he began to collect himself from the outer body experience he just went through.
'What the heck was that!?! Did someone place some type of drug inside the packet or something? Well…would that even work?'
But he would not be able to continue his confused thoughts as a voice of an older man seemingly spoke behind him.
"Um excuse Sir Hero, may we ask for the name of your holiness? Are you okay?"
Turning around, Owen would be greeted with the sight of a man around his late 70s. His hair was a dark gray and he wore a series of robes that were tied with a black sash that traveled across his waist. It reminded Owen of those old mentors like figures in video games or media regarding ancient cultures.
'Did I get sent to the past? Like the times of ancient China? Or was I kidnapped to a temple? That would explain the robes he's wearing…wait didn't he ask for my name? Gosh get yourself together man!'
"O-oh, I'm Owen Jenkins, sir? And I'm good, thanks for asking…" Owen answered as he shakily got up only to realize what he was now holding in his right hand.
It was the Bo Staff from the cover of the pamphlet! It was surprisingly light in his hands, he would let his eyes roam on the weapons gray metallic surface that had a few lines of gold that led up and down the entire shaft. At the very top of the weapon was a bright reddish gold gem that shines dimly when looked at.
'I can't let it go! Is it actually stuck on me?!?'
"Is your holiness family name Owen?" The old man asked as he watched Owen inspect the Holy Bo Staff in their hands.
Kicking himself in his head for getting distracted, the summoned hero shook his head and explained his name before asking questions of his own.
"No, my family name is Jenkins, my first name is Owen. Though I have to ask, why are you calling me 'your holiness?' and who are you? Where am I?"
A gentle smile broke out on the old man's face as he told Owen his name and answered the questions shot at him.
"I am but a mere advisor to the Pan Bo Royal family, though my name is Ming Gúwén. It is an honor to meet you, my holiness. Please follow me, I will make sure to answer your current questions before we meet the royal princess."
Not given any other choice, Owen would nod his head and follow Ming Gúwén as he left the room. Though Owen would see numerous people of both genders in shrine-like clothings in the room as well, it brought mixed feelings in seeing their obvious looks of awe.
'I guess they're looking at me with such reverence since I'm like a holy figure here? Before coming here, the packet practically hinted that the weapon I'm currently holding is one held by a hero? Since those Vassal weapons described themselves as being used by heros too…what have I gotten myself into?'
While walking, Owen would be told of where he was. Apparently he wasn't in the past as he believed but rather was in an entirely different world! And in this world, the weapon he has in his hand is called the [Legendary Bo Staff] and it has summoned him to become the Bo Staff Hero of this world to face a grave threat.
A threat that Sir Ming said would best be explained when they meet the Royal Princess. The thing is…Owen wasn't a fighter, he had never gotten into a serious fight and the only 'fights' he had were usually online arguments in the online games he had played on his laptop.
'Please let there be some kind of one shot-one kill ability in this weapon…'
Oh yeah, he had forgotten to mention that when he had left the room. Sir Ming had told him to look for a small icon in the corner of his vision as it would show him something called 'Status Magic'
He did find the icon in the bottom right corner of his vision and stared at it before a screen popped up in front of him. It read as….
Name: Owen Jenkins
Class: Bo Staff Hero Lvl 1
Equipment: Basic Bo Staff (Legendary Weapon)
Magic: None
Skills: None
It was underwhelming to say the least but it was interesting that the world he was summoned to had game-like mechanics. Owen knew that this was not some sort of super VR, as the best technologies that could come close to this would be suits that sting you if you were hit. Usually he had seen those types of suits be used in Vidtube paired with VR games.
It also hurt a lot when he fell fast first on the ground, as he rubbed his nose while he thought to himself. But later, his eyes would wander towards the numerous open windows that showcased the brightly lit city as the noises of busy people echoed through the night sky.
It was a sight he had never expected to see in person. His gaze would be noticed by the old advisor accompanying him who soon provided more information to Owen.
"The Fortified Capital of Lingyi is where we are, Sir Jenken. It's the capital of the Pan Bo Dynasty if you're wondering the name of the nation you're in. It's quite a sight isn't it?"
Indeed it was, nodding his head, Owen decided to share a bit about himself.
"Yeah it's gorgeous. I'd only seen photos of stuff like this in magazines…ah sorry, a magazine is kinda like a thin book with paintings and some words describing them. I've never traveled outside of my country back home, so it's honestly breathtaking."
The description of a magazine seemed to interest Ming but he gave a small smile before showing Owen their destination.
It was a gigantic door, with beautiful scriptures and artwork engraved on the door. There would be two ring handles that were used to notify the arrival of a person.
But before Ming could reach for the handle, Owen quickly spoke up with concern.
"Sorry for stopping you but…is there anyway I should greet the royal princess? I've heard stories of how disrespecting royalty or nobles can lead to your execution…"
Ming would shake his head amusingly before comforting the young hero, "Do not worry, your holiness. The Royal Princess is a kind young lady, she will not take offense as you are new to our world. We would be fools to kill you as you are the only person who can defend us from the threat we all face."
Sighing a breath of relief, Owen decided to trust the advisor.
'He seems like a nice honest man…so I'll trust him on this, the caretakers and guards here have been rather respectful.'
The door would open to reveal the room where Owen would encounter the Royal Princess…
Upon entering the room, Owen would see numerous lanterns being lit by numerous caretakers who bowed to the person at the end of the room before bowing at him and Sir Ming.
The Royal Princess was the definition of a noble lady, she had no imperfections on the skin, had her dark black hair in neat buns while also having two long strands of hair, seemingly wrapped around a pole like ornament that laid within her hair bun. Her outfit was a very long red and gold robe that had large sleeves that were dropping towards the ground, and across the robe were numerous symbols of what looked to be of the very weapon in Owen's hand. It seemed Red and Gold were the colors of this nation.
'Alright, there's definitely cultural importance regarding my weapon here. But the princess sure is pretty though, her outfit really has good quality to them! No surprise since she's the princess of this nation.'
Feeling her gaze upon him, Owen bowed respectfully before following what Sir Ming did, who had begun sitting on his legs. Separating the Princess and the Holy Hero was a small wooden table that held a tea pitcher and a few tea cups and plates.
A gentle spoken voice directed themselves to Owen in greeting, "Hello your holiness, it is an honor to welcome you to my home. My name is Pan Bo Róngyaó, though you can just call me princess if you wish."
'Alright don't mess up, you're talking to a very important person, you can't act arrogant or be rude!'
"T-the Honors is all mine, my lady. My name is Owen Jenkins, but Jenkins is my family name. Um…if you don't mind me asking…what is this grave threat that I'm hearing about?"
Owen watched as the princess' face turned into one of somber and worry as she spoke, "You see, a threat called the Waves of Calamity seek to destroy our world and its people. My nation has summoned you in hopes you will help us fight them off. We've faced only one wave here in this country and it has devastated the lives of many civilians, many in the world are in fear and are in need of your help…"
When asked to describe them, the princess would state that the sky turned blood red and grand swirling masses poured monsters from the unknown en masses. Causing unprepared places to face heavy casualties, it was only by defeating a monster called the 'Wave Boss' was the first Wave stopped. And he had to fight that multiple times…
"Um…I would love to help but how and where would I even begin? Is there anything with this Bo Staff that can help me? I have never used a weapon like this before either…"
"Yes, our records have described certain abilities possessed by the Holy Hero. Let me tell you about one of them…"
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Princess Pan Bo Róngyaó would provide some information regarding his Holy Weapon. Apparently legend spoke on how all previous Bo Staff Hero's had something called a 'Help Menu' which would educate the heros about the inner workings of their weapon.
Looking around his Status Menu, Owen would come across the Help Menu and was shown another screen with numerous sections discussing different topics.
'Seeing things like, Dragon Hourglass, Power-Up Methods, and stuff like forming my own party, and etc. Woah it's like a manual or something, though some places seem to be empty? I should probably ease the princess's worry and tell her I found the help menu and talk about the things that she could answer.'
"Don't worry Princess, I managed to find the Help Menu. There are many things it's telling me about, like registering at the Dragon Hourglass?" Owen said as he scrolled down the help Menu.
With a clap, the princess looked much better emotionally as she began talking about the Dragon Hourglass and a couple other topics the Help Menu brought up.
The Pan Bo Dynasty had only 1 Dragon Hourglass and it was located in a nearby Shrine in the city district. The princess stated that it would be best for Owen to go there during the next morning. She also said that the Holy Weapon can register at the hourglass to learn when the next wave was coming, something that was confirmed by a notification sent to him by the Help Menu.
[Registering at a Dragon Hourglass will allow the Cardinal Hero to know when the next Wave in the local region will come.]
Though the princess has stated it next, it would be best for Owen to read the Help Menu whenever he can because even she did not know what a few of the topics were.
"I apologize for not being able to respond to all of your questions. Like I mentioned earlier, we do rely on texts from previous generations when it comes to the power of the Holy Bo Staff."
Owen waved it off, understanding where she was coming from. Though a part of him really just wanted to end the conversation as there was too much info for him, "It's fine. I'll need to read if I'm to save this world, you know?"
Pan Bo Róngyaó sighed and nodded her head in agreement, "I hope you'll find the time to, your holiness."
She then continued, "well I believe we should turn ourselves in for bed. There is a bathhouse deeper inside the palace for you to clean yourself with. I will have caretakers and guards escort you to your room for the night, as I must respond to my parents' letters."
'Oh...right... at least I can go wash off all this sweat I'm drenched in because I've been so nervous talking to someone who can casually have me executed… but also parents? They haven't made an appearance either.'
"Now that you mentioned them princess, where is the Emperor and Empress?" Owen simply asked. Trying to ignore the fact that he probably smells awful in front of the princess…
"Ah it is because of the consequences of the first Wave that has led to my father and mother having to leave for talks with the other two major powers and nations in this world," Ming Gúwén answered for the princess.
"Two other powers?"
"Yes, while we may share borders with smaller states that usually consist of one or two towns. There are two other nations that are more or so on equal power as us."
'Okay, vague response. I guess I'll ask for more information next time I think about it. But right now, this world needs a Hero! One who isn't drenched in sweat. Though maybe this can be the path I've been looking for my entire life.'
"Thank you for helping me understand my duties, my princess. I will do what I can to help your people and your world," Owen responded as he stood up, bowed, and left the room following a pair of guards and caretakers.
For now, a nice warm bath and a good night's sleep is what he needed now! Though as he followed the people around him, Owen could think of one thing.
'Will I ever be able to go back home?'
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'And do I want to?'
[Otherworld Index]
The Cardinal Weapon Shrine Families:
The [Holy Bo Staff] is the Cardinal Weapon of the Bo Staff World. It works alongside the [Vassal Rope-Dart, and the [Vassal Candle].
When it comes to religion , the Cardinal Weapon is heavily worshiped by the common people. Though there are no such things as 'Churches'. Instead the Cardinal weapon has numerous shrines full of dedicated Shrine Families who wish and plan to assist future Cardinal Heroes in their journey. These shrines cultivate different resources for future heros to take and grow to become more powerful, and these shrines are fiercely defended by the Shrine Families.
Many commoners see the Bo Staff Hero as the ultimate form of self freedom, as tales of wandering righteous warriors have led to numerous romantic stories surrounding the Holy Weapon.
However, many nations seek to use the Cardinal Hero to expand their influence while also having the descendents of the Hero as it results in a powerful lineage dynasty. The results have led to numerous wars between rival states.
A/N: Hey there guys! I hoped you enjoyed reading the first chapter! So I decided to do that Otherworld Index that some of the other MWP fanfics have done, just to provide more information to the readers. Now I won't have the index show up at the end of every chapter, just the chapters that are used to showcase something new in the world/story.
Also no combat scenes as of yet, I just wanted to use this chapter to get a bit of world building out there.
So in my fanfic it's the Holy Bo Staff, Vassal Rope-Dart, and Vassal Candle. I wonder what's the story regarding both Vassal Weapon's hmm…but we won't be seeing either of them in a while
Next Chapter will showcase the Power Up Methods of the Cardinal Weapon as well as a combat scene. I'll try to write chapters to be around 3-5k words long, like my fanfiction's back on Wattpad.
