The Savior From Anther World!
- Locked due to inactivity on Apr 12, '17 3:54am
Thread Topic: The Savior From Anther World!
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~Prologue: The Death Of Heroes Past~
"This is it, our final destination.." The captain of the army, a man by the name of Drowe, speaks loud and clear to all 254 other men here. Within the blink of an eye, he wipes the sweat off his brow, while staring intently at the castle doors. "We are so close to finally being free of the tyranny of Lord Vargas. Now men, remember your training, for he is a crafty devil." Immediately after he says that, the giant doors openby themselves, and everyone tenses up, anticipating the hulking form of Vargas himself. When nothing happens after a few seconds, the men begin to slowly tread through the huge doorway. Drowe follows shortly after, holding the rear flank and shutting the doors behind them all. "Welcome to my castle!" A loud voice booms from out of nowhere. "Come to the top, if you wish to save your beloved queen." Drowe growls and points his sword to the closest set of stairs just down the hall. "Men! To the chamber of queen Elizabeth!" Without hesitation, they all head for the stairs, climbing up them without haste. "For the queen, we will slay you!" Ring out the cheers from the army. About ten minutes later, they all arrive at the top, and peer into the hall. "No monsters, huh? Something bad is going to happen. Stay vigilant!" Drowe focuses on the area ahead, seeing nothing but the ruins of what appears to be a dining room. Broken dishes, silverware, and such lay strewn about the floor, causing the army to wonder what the hell goes on at dinner time. Without a warning, a black shadow appears and cuts the heads off of about five men, with one slash of its claws. "Don't let the enemy get through you! Parry their attacks with some of your-" About thirty more fall, with either no head or huge gashes in their gut. The black shadow then unleashes a huge circular attack, its claws spinning away from its own body. ten, no, twenty, die each second, and this keeps up until the five strongest warriors are the only ones left alive. Drowe, Matthew, Michael, David, and Brandon. "This is bad! At this rate, we'll have to use them." Matthew says, throwing his weapon down, and the rest follow suit. One by one, each of them raise their right hand to the sky, and a different symbol appears on each person's hand. Matthew has the symbol of earth, David has the symbol of water, Michael has the symbol of fire, Brandon has the symbol of air, and Drowe's symbol is a combination of them all. They all then stand in a circle, grasping hands, and in the ancient language of Draconian, they all begin chanting a spell simultaneously. "By the holy light of day, we beseech thee. Great gods and goddesses, give us the power to incinerate evil at the source!" A white light covers the area, searching for and destroying evil. After a minute or two, a blood curdling screech, then a dying moan sound out from the whiteness, forcing all five warriors to cover their ears. A minute later, the light clears and Vargas is seemingly dead in the middle of the group. Drowe is the first to react. "Jeez, that took a lot out of me. I don't know about you lot, but I could use some rest." They mumble in agreement, before moving to pick up their weapons. Just as they do, Vargas picks himself up, glaring daggers at them all. "You all die, now!" Nobody moves a muscle, genuinely surprised that Vargas was not dead. They would soon learn that they would regret the hesitation. With quick strikes, Vargas impales Michael and Matthew on poison treated blades, then proceeds to slash off the heads of David and Brandon, respectively. Then there was Drowe. He could not move, only watch as his friends suffered quick or slow deaths. "How are you still alive?!" Vargas cracks his neck with his hands, then glares at Drowe. "Fool! I am Lord Vargas the immortal!" His right arm spazzes violently, before he grabs Drowe by the throat and chokes the life out of him. "You've failed, fool. I always did say I would end you first.." Unbeknownst to Vargas, however, the symbols of the elements disappeared before he killed the five of them. And many years later, a baby boy will be born. He will see and know sadness, but will go on steadfast in the face of danger. He will be brave enough and smart enough to end Lord Vargas The Immortal's reign of terror. He will become The Savior From Another World! -
~Chapter 1: The Loss of Maria Roebuck~
In the city of Draco, there lived a boy. In an older styled house, he and his father lived comfortable lives, but nothing was ever the same when his mother passed. His father was slowly slipping into depression ever since, and he even started drinking. Garry Roebuck was sad indeed, and the same could be said about eleven year old Jeremy Roebuck. His little emerald eyes had lost their once innocent view on the world, and it had been a whole year later that he found out certain things about his mother. Jeremy was nine at the time, and he was travelling with his mother to his school's talent show. He was going to perform some simple magic tricks, something a kid his age could do easily. Jeremy planned on showing his friends the things he could do, and he was feeling giddy about it. His mother looked down at him and smiled. "Can't wait to show everyone? I can't wait to see it, myself." She patted his head and ran her fingers through his slightly outgrown blonde hair, while little Jeremy grinned up at his mother and nodded. "It's going to be fun!" They soon came upon the main doors leading into the school, and headed inside with a crowd of other students, parents, and teachers. Jeremy hugged his mother and pointed to the gymnasium. "The seats are in there. Go ahead and pick a spot while I prepare myself for my act." His mother nodded and bent down to kiss his forehead, then got back up and walked into the gym, waving to her son. Moments later, Jeremy had his things ready and on the stage, behind the big red curtain. When the show had begun, he had no idea of the looming figure watching from behind the door leading to the stage, had no idea of the murderous intent of this person. When his name was called by the show's host, the principal, he gulped and headed for the curtain, only to have both his arms grabbed from behind. "Don't move another inch, kid, or I'll end you!" The voice, loud and furious, shocked and frightened Jeremy. He stopped moving and his breath became hitched in his throat, until he was pushed forward. He dared not look back, just kept walking as the person moved him forward. "Good kid, just keep moving and you may live..." Jeremy moved through the curtain to the stage and looked around at the audience, some of who gasped, while others frowned. "Maria!" The person in question stood up, and Jeremy's eyes widened as he gazed over at her. "How are you here, Vargas?! I thought we sealed you away!" Maria Roebuck yells, gaining the attention of the other audience members. "Mom? What are you...?" Jeremy grunted as a fist slammed into his ribs, causing him to cough up a little blood. At the sight of that, everyone got up and grabbed their kids, fleeing from the school. In mere seconds, it was only Jeremy, Maria, and Vargas left in the gym. "Don't hurt him!" Maria ran towards the stage, but stopped when Vargas moved his hand over Jeremy's head. "Stay right there, or your boy gets it. Now, does he have the mark?" Maria thought for a moment, then looked to Vargas. "No, I haven't seen it appear on him. Why are you asking that?" Vargas smirked, then shoved the boy to his side. Jeremy fell on his front and had the wind knocked out of him. "Looks like I won't have to kill him. You, on the other hand.." His hands were around Maria's throat in an instant, and she punched and gripped at them, trying to break his grip on her. "Vargas!" The name slipped from her tongue, causing her to scowl. "You'll never get away with this! You-!" He snapped her neck quickly, relishing in the sound, and let her body fall to the floor. "I never tire of that feeling." Vargas loomed over the boy, grabbing his upper arm, and chanted a spell. After he finished, a black star mark appeared on his neck. "If you ever wish to avenge your mother, come to my world.." With that, the towering man vanished, and the police showed up.
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Screaming, Jeremy woke up in a hospital bed, the slight but lingering pain of surgery remaining in his ribs. "Ah, you're awake. I'm sorry for your loss, young man." A police detective by the name of Johnson tells the young boy. "You're only ten years old, yet that had to happen to you.." Jeremy bolted upright, alarmed at what Johnson said. "Yes, you are now ten. It was a couple of months ago that your mother was killed by someone with seemingly super human strength. You were in a coma for about two and a half months." Jeremy tried to get out of bed, but nearly fell trying to do so. "Your father showed up so many times. In fact, he's here now." The blond looked to the side of his bed, and sure enough, saw his father asleep in a chair. "Anyway, I'd like to ask you questions, but at this time, I'd like to see you get some actual rest before I do that. If you need to contact me, my card is on the table." Johnson said, then took his leave. Jeremy sighed and laid back in his bed, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, he couldn't remember what all had happened before his coma. Johnson mentioned something about his mother being murdered, but all he could think of was a name. Vargas... -
~Chapter 2: Glimpse Of Another World~
Hours pass, with Jeremy lying in his hospital bed, trying to remember what exactly had happened. Every time the young blonde tried to remember something, all that he could remember was Vargas. The name, if that's what that was, made him feel nothing but rage, and he felt himself stewing in it. He hoped that he could figure it out, sooner rather than later, for his sake. The ceiling must have looked very interesting, as he'd been staring at it for the last hour or so, and he grew tired of doing nothing. Swinging his legs over the side of the hospital bed, he touched the cold floor with his feet, and slowly steadied himself to get off the bed. With a small grunt, he stood fully off the bed and felt that he could balance himself well enough to move. Trying not to wake his dear old dad, he crept over to the door and opened it, to see nobody in the hallway. He looked to his left and saw a sign pointing the way to the washrooms on this floor. Quietly shutting the door behind himself, he made his way to the male one and went in, going straight for the sink. He turned on the cold water and splashed handfuls of it in his pale face, shivering at its touch on his skin. He then looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, mildly distressed with what he saw. His face had become wan, and he had bags under his eyes. His thoughts drifted to his father, and he found himself thinking about how he was feeling. "He's probably feeling just as bad as I, if not worse." He mumbled to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index and middle fingers. His hands suddenly trailed to the back of his neck and grasped at a now nettlesome piece of skin, one that burned slightly, and he remembered a detail of the incident from before. Jeremy saw a vision of his mother, running towards him, and crying out his name. A bright white light blinded him suddenly, and he held on to the sink for dear life as the ground shook underneath his feet, threatening to knock his balance right out of him. After a minute or two, his vision returned, and the shaking stopped. Before he even let go of the sink, the door burst open and in came three strange looking people. The strange part about them was that each one of them had metallic silver hair, and small, beady little black eyes. To Jeremy, they sort of looked like they jumped out of a cartoon, but reality made them look terrifying to the eyes. "Whadda ya want, punk?!" The tallest one screamed, causing the shorter blond to wince at the sound. "N-Nothing, I just came here to wash my face.." The one that screamed came closer to him, sniffing the air. "Something 'bout you a'int right, kid. I don't like it. Grab him!" In an instant, the other two were upon him, taking hold of his arms. He struggled against them, hoping that he could break free, but to no avail. The tall being looked right into Jeremy's eyes, and he didn't like what he saw. His eyes widened and he yelled again. "Let 'im go! He's the boss's kid.." Their arms released Jeremy, who sighed in relief. "We're sorry to have caused you problems, young sir. We'll leave you alone now." With that, they ran out of the washroom and left him speechless. He then slowly made his way to the door and looked out into the hallway. The place was packed with people, but there was no noise that he could hear. Shutting the door, he ran to the mirror again. "What's going on? I'm sure this place was empty before.." He saw the shadow of a person move closer behind him from the reflection in the mirror. "That's because you weren't here before.." A voice, similar to his own, spoke to him. He turned around and gasped at what he saw. "Are you me?!" What he was seeing was a different version of himself, with pale skin, grey hair, and silver eyes. "Jeremy, do you not remember the sound of my voice? Two years ago, you spoke to me for the first time. In fact, it was on your eighth birthday.." Jeremy thought for a second, before his eyes widened. "Jared..." -
~Chapter 3: Old Friends Reunited~
"...But Jared, I'm afraid." From within the confines of his room,
eight year old Jeremy looked to his left, to the being he was speaking to. "It is all right. Father says there will be some pain, but only for a moment. The only thing you need to worry about is the nosebleed that will follow. But that is short lived, also." With a shaky hand, he covered his nose and looked to his now ten year old friend. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm surprised it took you this long to get here, you showed so much promise back then." Two years passed by Jeremy within the blink of an eye, and he was back in the present. "Yes. I'm glad I can finally talk to you, face to face. It's the only way I like talking to people." Jeremy removed his hand from his nose, and saw that the bleeding had stopped. The skin on the back of his neck burned slightly, and he gasped as he fell to his knees. "I'm
sorry for that, my uncle has been getting rather extreme in his ways." The memories of earlier years began to flood Jeremy's mind again. "I don't know if I'll be able to do it." Eight year old Jeremy said, refusing to look at his friend. "Remember what I told you, it isn't that bad. You only need to do it once, and your body will be used to it. That's what's so great about magic, it adapts to fit your limitations. And in time, can break your limitations." The sun had begun to rise after Jared spoke, and Jeremy shook his head, standing from his bed. "I don't know, let me think about it for a while, enjoy the day for a bit. It IS my birthday, you know." Hesitantly, Jared nodded, sighing. "Fine, but please, don't be too long. Uncle Vargas has been drinking again." Being too young to understand what that meant at the time, Jeremy just nodded and headed for the door to his room.After quietly opening it and stepping out, he crept down the stairs carefully, hoping to not wake his parents up, and went for the door leading outside. Inhaling the cool morning air deeply, Jeremy sat on the front porch overlooking the grassy knoll in front of the house. "The morning sun, it is quite calming." Jeremy turned to the source of the voice and saw his father, Garry, seated in a chair. "It's surprising to see you up so early, kiddo, given your love of sleep." The young boy looked to Garry, fear lacing his facial expression tight with worry. "Father, you remember how I can't usually sleep at night? Well, last night I did, and what I saw terrified me. Mother and I were going somewhere, to my school I think, and she was attacked by this
giant man with metal colored eyes. His face hasn't left my mind, and it worries me. I fear it might be a vision of what's to come.." Garry stood up and walked over to his son, sitting next to him and pulling him into a hug. "Don't worry, Jer-Bear. I'm sure it was only a dream. After all, we live in peaceful times now, with no threat of raiders again." At this moment, Garry looked to his son's face. "Jeremy, did you hit your nose? You're bleeding a little." Jeremy's vision began to blur, but he remained sitting up. A slow moving, mind numbing tingling sensation swept over him, causing him to breathe erratically. "F-Father..?" With a grunt, he began to fall backwards, but Garry caught him before he could hit the floor. "Jeremy, what's wrong?" Everything began to fade out of existence for little Jeremy, but the last thing he heard before he fell under were the words "Come to me!"
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Jeremy came to in a small pond, the water just barely touching his nose, and he sat up to take in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a heavily wooded area, the trees blocking out most of the sunlight, and a dense fog obscured even more of his vision. "Father? Mother? Jared?" Footsteps came from behind him, and he bolted upright. "Hello, child of prophecy." Around five different female voices spoke out, in unison. "We've been keeping a close eye on you, nurturing your abilities, protecting you. The time to begin your journey is nigh, young hero." Jeremy looked confused. "What? I don't understand, what do you mean, 'hero'?" Jeremy waited for a response, and after a minute the voices continued. "In your blood is the power of the elements. The valiant heroes of time past entrusted to you the ability to control Fire, Water, Air, and Earth all together. You have been chosen to free the universes from the perilous agenda of Lord Vargas The Immortal. Together, with the five of us at your side, we will defeat the universe destroyer and claim the ultimate power from him, so that we may prevent further destruction." This was all too much to take in for young Jeremy, who felt confused still. "But why me? I'm not strong, I don't even know how to use my abilities." Jeremy waited. "Because YOU are the descendant of those heroes!" -
~Chapter Four: Who Is Vargas The Destroyer?~
Jeremy grasped the back of his neck and felt a surge of pain rush to his head, forcing him to his knees. "Hey, you okay? I'm sorry my uncle did this to you. I don't know why he did, he was always so caring before he left last week." Jared helped the blond to his feet, Jeremy's arm over his shoulder. He began leading him out of the crowded hospital, only to be stopped by a man with orange hair and a sleek orange suit. "Son, who's he? Is he hurt?" Jared looked up to the man and nodded. "He seems to be a little dizzy, and I think he is in pain. He just travelled here, after all." The man hesitated speaking now, thinking over his words carefully. "Travelled, you say? By boat or by plane?" Jared just looked up to him, then they both nodded, seemingly in agreement. "Well then, let's bring him home and help him heal. Surely he can tell us where he came from then."
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Along the way to his great mansion, the man in orange had told Jeremy his name was George. "And for all of the people reading this, I know who you are..." Jeremy was confused at that, but Jared shrugged. "I think Dad's gone a bit senile in his days. He's claimed before that 'We all live in a fictional world that is run by a slacker twenty year old with an overactive imagination.' Personally, I think he's gone a bit nuts." George looked offended. "Hey, it's true! I'm the only sane one here. I can even describe him. He's got long black hair, he loves to play something called 'video games', and he doesn't have a job." Jared just rolled his eyes, sighing. "Riiiiiight. And I'm Princess Elizabeth." Jeremy looked to George, then to Jared again. "Regardless of his mental state, it's considered rude to call him that. Where I'm from it is, at least." Jeremy looked to the floor of the living room, preparing himself, mentally, for what he spoke next. "It's difficult for me to put into words, but I guess you could say I crossed over from my dimension into yours. When I was eight, I received a vision, most likely from five Goddesses, that consisted of her telling me that I was chosen to stop the 'Universe Destroyer'. She said I had the power to do it because I am the descendant of four heroes of the past." The room became silent, Jared and George just staring at each other. Eventually, they both looked to Jeremy, and George was the one to speak. "These Goddesses you speak of, did they mention who the Destroyer was, or who he was related to?" There was a great amount of tension in the air after George spoke, leaving Jeremy reluctant to answer. He looked the man in the eyes questioningly, and George picked up on it. "His name is Vargas, and he is my brother." The weight of the words seemed to drop on Jeremy's head, and he didn't speak. "I mean, I'm sure he is. He's not very open about it, but I have found out about his power. It is a terrible thing, an ancient, unstoppable, evil magic that we thought was lost to time. But, if you are who I think you are, then you can stop it." Jeremy perked up at that, all tension gone now. "There is one thing I have to confirm, to know that you are the one I think you are. What was your mother's name?" With a frown, Jeremy spoke again. "Maria. Maria Roebuck." George burst up from his chair and started dancing crazily, like he had found what he had been searching for after years of looking. "It is you! You are the savior from another world! Take that, Micheal!" He began to laugh like mad, and it scared the two kids a little. "I was told to be your guide here. The Sage Of Light instructed me to take you to her temple on the day you would arrive. This is wonderful!" The door opened to reveal a red haired woman with a golden yellow dress standing there. "What's all the commotion about?" She looked to George, then to Jared, and finally to Jeremy, who stood up, mouth agape. She looked just like- "...Mom?" -
~Chapter Five: The Sage of Light~
"...Mom?" The redheaded woman just looked at Jeremy in confusion, until the boy ran over to her and threw his arms around her. "I thought you were dead. I thought Vargas killed you.." His last words caused her to gasp aloud. Gingerly removing his arms from herself, she knelt to his eye level and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Young one, I am not your mother. My name is Mary. And, what do you mean by Vargas
killing me?" Jeremy looked into her eyes and could only see his mother in them. He wondered if he was losing it, just a little, but decided to not think like that. "You look so much like her, but her hair was the same shade as mine." He shook his head to clear his mind, then looked to Mary again. "I remember now, he came to my school and killed her. I wasn't conscious at the time, but on some level beforehand, I could feel his murderous intent. Like he wouldn't be whole unless he claimed another soul. It was something that made me forget the whole situation, until now. When I saw you, it all came back to me." This was a lot to take in for everyone, as noted by the silence that followed, but after about twenty seconds, Mary hugged the boy. "I'm so sorry. You've been through so much, but you're alive at least." Just
then, George spoke up again. "Which means Vargas didn't seem to think you were important. Well, he won't be seeing this coming, then. Come, young Jeremy, we must make haste. The Light Sage's temple is about a five minute walk from here. She will set you on the right path to your destiny."
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Five minutes pass as Jeremy, George, Jared, and Mary make their way to the temple. When they get there, Jeremy is the only one to go up the small marble stairs. "The Vision is for you alone. You, and only you, can go in there and receive it." The boy, hesitant but determined, nodded to the orange headed male, then turned to walk through the giant doors. They opened easily enough, but slammed shut behind him. Looking around, Jeremy noticed that it was nearly pitch black, save for a small lit torch at the foot of a Goddess statue, which resided in the middle of the building. There seemed to be a pedestal holding something in front of the statue, and as he slowly made his way to it, he noticed that it was a sword, a rusted one, that held a small insignia unkown to him on the base of the blade. The insignia consisted of a blue eye, with a red W in front of it. "Young hero, take up my blade and raise it skyward to receive your Vision..." Jeremy did not hesitate, did not question the voice, just went to do as she told him. The blade came out with just a single tug, and he held it up. The room filled with a bright white light, and the sounds of nature soon came to his ears. The forest from years ago returned,the only difference being the white clothed and haired woman sitting next to the pond, her back to him. He watched as she stood and turned to him, then walked over to him, dragging her ridiculously long hair across the ground. "Young Jeremy, you have done well to make it to me. I trust George was of help in that?" He nodded, staying respectfully silent. "Then you know who I am, no need to stay on that. With the Goddess Sword, you must slay the monsters holding the other sages captive, and free them to receive a blessing. Once you have done that, come see me again. I will give the blade a final blessing, and return its darkness destroying power, so that you may use it to destroy the evil spirit that has taken over Vargas. But before any of that, you must go and see Princess Elizabeth. She will bestow upon you a set of armor that is suitable for a hero of the Goddesses like you will soon be." Jeremy nodded. "This is the destiny I was meant to fulfill? Will I learn more about why I'm the one chosen on the way?" The Sage of Light nodded, smiling pleasantly. "Yes, and yes. I cannot tell you everything now, but know this: You have all the training you need to wield that blade." With that, the forest faded, and Jeremy was back in the temple. In his left hand, he saw that he had a scabbard for the Goddess Sword, which he strapped to his back and proceeded to sheathe the blade. Before turning to leave, he noticed that there was a black star glowing on the back of his right hand. "Must be important. But there's no time to lose." He turned to leave and did just that, unaware that an evil presence had been watching him the whole time. "So, it was you, kid..." -
(Bump post because almost finished with next chapter, and I don't want this thread to get locked as well.)
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~Chapter Six: Princess Elizabeth And The Two Trials~
"Well, how did things go?" George asked, watching as Jeremy walked out of the temple, purpose in his stride. "I must save the other sages from the beasts that hold them captive, after I meet with the princess." The young blonde spoke with a mature tone. "I knew I was different from everyone else, that much was clear to me, even as a young child. But I never imagined I would be responsible for saving all the universes..." Jeremy looked to his newfound friends, confidence swelling within him. "We must go to see the princess, then." George began walking again, leading everyone to the bustling town center. In the middle was a water fountain that held a statue in the middle of it. The statue appeared to be made of well polished stone, and it resembled what looked to be a captain of an army, who was wearing a royal sword. As they passed by it, Jeremy looked to the nameplate at the base. "Captain Drowe, of the 23rd army." As he read the words, the statue began to glow an otherworldly blue, and he pointed to it. "Guys, the statue is glowing." Jeremy approached it, oblivious to everyone else at the moment, and heard a voice speak to him. "Find me, young swordsman. Where the waterfall sleeps, shout the words gathered here..." With a quick nod, Jeremy turned back to his friends. "Never mind, we must continue on our way." With that, they all headed through the big gate at the northernmost part of the town, until they were stopped by two guards watching the gate. "Halt travelers, I've not seen your faces before. Speak your intentions." George stepped closer to the guard, gesturing to everyone behind him. "My family and I are here seeking an audience with the princess. We wish to speak to her regarding the safety of the kingdom. It is urgent that we speak to her now." The guards just laughed. "Oh really? And why should we believe you?" Just then, a person cloaked entirely in black came up to the guards, motioning for them to let them all pass. "We can trust these people, they are speaking the truth. Let them in now." The guards choked on their next words. "S-Sir Frederick! All right, you may all go." Frederick nodded to the guards, before taking lead of the group. "Young warrior, you are the one sent by the Sage of Light, correct? I have seen your untapped power just by looking at you. I will take you all to the princess." Everyone sighed in relief and began following Frederick through the gate and into the castle courtyard. When they got to the courtyard, Jeremy gasped in childlike wonder. The yard had many big flowers, arranged in a giant circle around a lone cherry blossom tree. Sitting in front of the tree was a young girl, with long, bright golden hair. She had a pink royal dress on, and was eating a vibrant red apple. "Princess Elizabeth, He has arrived.." Frederick bowed to the young royal, before Jeremy stepped closer to her. "Hello world traveler, the legends seem to have been true. I know why you are here, but the sacred armor you seek cannot be given easily. You must endure two trials, one which tests your skill in swordplay, and one which tests your bravery." The princess spoke slowly and carefully, making sure Jeremy understood every word. He nodded. "Come sit in front of me and we can begin your first trial." The young boy took his place in front of her, when Elizabeth held her hands out, palms up. "Place your hands upon mine to begin." He did just that, and the world faded away into whiteness. Jeremy shut his eyes and when next he opened them, he was sitting alone in a field, near a heavily guarded fortress. The sky was dark and gloomy. "You must make your way to the center of the fortress, to a building cloaked in darkness. You will find a mirror in the center of the area, but you mustn't look into it. If you do, one of the Rejects will appear and try to kill you. That is everything you should be wary of. Good luck, Jeremy." The young boy stood, mentally preparing himself, before he heard a noise. It sounded like humming, and he turned around to the source. About ten feet away there was a grand rock formation, above a dry riverbed, which looked like it once had water flowing through it. Jeremy thought back to earlier in town, to what happened with Drowe's statue. He looked to the top of the rock and opened his mouth to speak."Captain Drowe, of the 23rd army!" As he shouted the words, a rectangular hole opened up in the rock, and a primitive staircase formed from the base of the formation, which led to the entrance. "Come to me, young Jeremy..." The boy began his short walk up the stairs, coming to the entrance, and went in. The part of the stone that had opened up shut behind him, covering the now enclosed area in darkness. Remaining silent, Jeremy shuffled his feet along the ground, listening to how the sound echoed in the room. He eventually decided to just walk forward until he hit something. After a minute of doing so, he began to hear a soft chanting noise in his head, and a small flash of gray light hit him in the head. It wasn't a hit strong enough to knock him down, but it did hurt a little. His hands went to his head and he tried not to cry out. He felt something warm trickle onto his fingers, which he guessed was blood. "Be quiet, human, and it will not find you." There was a hushed voice beside his right ear, but he did as was told to him and stayed quiet. He didn't need to question what the being was talking about now, anyway; He could hear a low growling noise about an arm's length away from him. The thing making the noise suddenly made another noise that resembled sniffing, and the boy froze in terror. Its eyes had been closed, but now they opened to reveal that they were solid red. The room filled with a dim orange light, finally allowing Jeremy to see the beast as it was. Its appearance was similar to that of a lion's, its body covered in mangy, blood stained brown fur. Its head was different though, as it bore two rows of fangs and had a very short snout. It jumped at Jeremy, rearing its claws. The boy just barely managed to dodge as the beast swung at the air behind him, landing with a loud thud. He noticed, from the way that it landed, that something was off. It began to stand on its hind legs, like a human, and whirled around faster than the young warrior could move. Its claw swiped at his left arm, and cut through his flesh, before it roared and sent him flying backward into a wall. "Human child!" His head was bleeding, but he managed to find that voice from earlier again. He saw a small, floating female in front of his face, trying to keep him conscious. To Jeremy, she looked like a Pixie. "We have to go, now!" The beast roared and began to attack again, but the boy couldn't move. "Come on...!" The young warrior found his strength again and rolled out of the way of the beast's claws. His arm hurt, but he had to think fast. In a flash of white light, a stone with an ancient language covering its surface appeared in the middle of the room. Jeremy could hear it call to him in a chorus of worried voices, and as his right hand stretched forward to touch it, his left eye began to burn. When his hand made contact with the stone, he felt a strong surge of power course through his arm. The knowledge and skills of various swordplay techniques found their way into Jeremy's subconscious, dizzyingly quick. His left eye had changed as well, and he could see a thick red line coming out from the beast's side. With one swift movement, he tossed the now useless stone aside and unsheathed his holy blade. The red line changed to a dark crimson as the beast lunged forward, but the boy was ready. As it jumped, he ducked and grabbed one of its hind legs with his left hand, stopping its momentum. He then slammed it to the ground, cursing under his breath, and brought his blade to its chest. He stabbed clean through the heart with one swift motion, and watched as its red line shriveled up, unti -
shriveled up, until it disappeared. It lay there, dead, and Jeremy dropped his sword. Gripping his left arm, he felt cold, and slowly fell backwards, losing consciousness as he hit the ground.
Jeremy awoke in the field from before, wounds dressed and blood cleaned. The sky had cleared and the warm sunlight shone down upon him as he lied there, feeling a slight haze from the battle earlier. Eventually he sat up, preparing himself for the challenge to come. After stretching and admiring the fortress from his position of relative safety, he began to make his way to the fortress, to begin his first challenge... -
~Chapter Seven: A New Friend, And Onward To Challenge Number One - Swordplay~
"This sure looks menacing, huh?" The voice came from beside the young blonde, and he turned his head to the left to see the little creature from before, hovering next to his shoulder. He took in her features now that he could see her clearly. She was nearly eight inches tall, with blue translucent wings on her back. She had lime green hair that was kept in a ponytail, and she was wearing a shin length blue dress. Her petite golden eyes focused on him as he looked at her. "Hello again, human child. Thank you for earlier. If you hadn't come, that monster would have eaten me for sure." Jeremy smiled and held his left hand out to her. "I'm just glad I got there when I did. Also, you don't have to call me that, I have a name. It's Jeremy." The little creature took his index finger with her hands and they both "shook hands", if you can call it that. "Priscilla. Nice to meet you, Jeremy." He nodded. "Likewise." His hand fell to his side and he looked at the huge door, feeling a little intimidated. "Oh boy, does it ever. But, I can't let that stop me. The universes are depending on me to conquer the challenge this fortress provides. I have to stop 'The Immortal' at all costs..." Priscilla raised a hand to her chin, thinking for a moment. "Never heard of that. Is it a person?" Jeremy nodded again. "Well, sort of. It's more of a very powerful ghostly being that took control of a guy's body to destroy all it touches. It's threatening the existence of all worlds, that much is for sure." Priscilla motioned to the door. "Mind if I come with? I'd like to repay you for saving my life, and I figure I can do that by being a second pair of eyes for you." Jeremy smiled once more, and he felt overjoyed to have someone to watch his back, literally. "I wouldn't mind that at all!"
Opening the giant gate-like doors, he nodded silently to Priscilla, who followed after him when he ran inside. There were smoldering, ruined buildings all around, save for the small, black brick building in the center. "Hero emerging! Begin first challenge!" A loud voice boomed out, and a figure appeared in front of the building. They were covered in rusted and ancient looking samurai armor, from head to toe, and were brandishing a very old looking katana. The Goddess Sword was unsheathed at once, and Jeremy gripped it tightly while bowing slightly to his enemy, a sign of respect among the swordsmen. He then inhaled sharply and ran forward, holding his blade out. He tried a horizontal slash, but the samurai warrior blocked it by holding his sword up vertically. Jeremy tried it from the other way, but had the same result. While this was going on, Priscilla flew up above the fortress walls, high up into the sky, to scan the area for other potential threats. When she saw that nothing else was amiss, she flew back down, continuing to watch the fight. Jeremy closed and opened his left eye in a heartbeat, and he could see the life force of the enemy again. This time, however, the line was completely black, and trailed no longer than four inches away from the knight's body. He assumed it was a reanimated body, and shrugged it off as such. Readying his blade, he began to run towards his foe, but stopped in time to avoid a downward slash. Priscilla flew over to the weary blonde's side. "Watch how he moves. If you time your attacks carefully, you can get some good hits in." Jeremy nodded, readying himself for another attack. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then stepped forward, holding his blade with both hands. He began to swing it horizontally, but as his foe moved to block it, he removed his left hand from the hilt and lunged forward. As the Goddess Sword pierced through the ancient armor, the knight let out a pained grunt, but moved its hand to Jeremy's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Good work, young one. You have conquered this fortress, and so I see you fit to wield my blade, the Path of Sorrows." Sheathing his weapon, Jeremy humbly accepted the warrior's blade, which he strapped to his waist. "Cut down some monsters for me with that, will you? Whenever you use that, I hope that you use it honourably. Farewell, and good luck." The samurai warrior bowed to Jeremy, before disappearing into a cloud of black smoke. But before he disappeared, he uttered something that Jeremy couldn't hear. To him, it sounded like it had something to do with respect, but that was all he could tell. He shrugged it off and cautiously walked over to the black building, trying the door knob. After a few seconds of this, the door began opening by itself and the young warrior stepped inside, followed by Priscilla, the door closing behind them. The room was empty except for a rectangular mirror about Jeremy's size. He walked toward it, the wooden floorboards creaking under his feet. The room began to change, it's dim light brightening ever so slowly to a blinding whiteness. "Well done, Jeremy. First challenge successful. Step back through the door to return to reality." Jeremy turned around to the door, but then took one last backwards glance at the mirror. It looked really clean, and it surprised the young blonde. But when he gazed at his reflection in it, he shuddered. It gave off a very disturbing vibe, his reflection did. He quickly turned back to the door, intending to leave the fortress, when a hand fell on his shoulder. The sensation chilled Jeremy to the bone, and he pushed the hand off his shoulder, turning to face the person who touched him. "You really should have listened to that royal b----, eh kiddo?" Standing before him was... himself. The person looked exactly like Jeremy, down to the clothing. His hair was more unkempt, his eyes a dull green. His face held a demented grin, and his hands seemed to shape into claws at certain intervals. "Curiosity's gonna be the death of ya. Horrible to meet you, I'm everything you're not. Now, we're going to have some fun, or rather, I am. Your screams will be music to my ears..." He licked his lips, stepping forward. Jeremy reached for the door once more, but was thrown backwards, his back making an audible thud against the brick interior wall. He hit the wall with such force that the wind was knocked out of his diaphragm, and he fell forward on his face, inhaling and exhaling erratically. The sound of chains clinking together hit his ears. "I'm going to tie you up now. Best that you don't try to escape, they'll eat at your skin." Jeremy's hands were pulled behind his back, then the chains were clasped around his wrists. He found he couldn't move his hands, even if he wanted to. With a defiant look in his eye, he looked up to the imposter's face. "What's with that look? You brought this on yourself, you know. She told you not to look into the mirror, and you did. Really can't blame anyone but yourself, bud." With a defeated sigh, Jeremy's gaze fell back to the floor. He wondered why he didn't listen, why he looked. Curiosity, as the imposter said, will be the death of him.
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