The rise of a normal man. Chapter 1- Breaking into dawn
#1 of The Rise of a Normal Man
Here's the first chapter! I wasn't sure how well it came out. Comments and critiques are appreciated! There won't be any hot stuff in the first couple of chapters, but it will show up eventually ;) I promise.
Chapter 1-Breaking into Dawn
The fox let out a quick breath, her lungs stinging slightly from the chilly air. She hopped from her left foot to her right, trying ton stay moving and stave off the cold.
Though her fur usually kept her nice and warm, the chilly day was pushing the white fox's limit. It didn't help that she was standing in a glade with about two feet of snow equally distributed everywhere. She also wasn't helped by the fact that she wore very little herself.
Her luscious white fur was copious enough to cover her modestly while keeping her warm. Regular clothes would just bunch up against her annoyingly. All she had on to break the sea of white was a few leather belts, one across her chest and back that held a few items, flint, bottles, a few snacks. The belt that ran atoned her waist held a short sword contained within a sheath.
"C'mon... Where is he?" She muttered to herself. The man she was waiting for was a mentor of hers. He was teaching her about the strange and wonderful ways that magic was flowing within the world. She didn't take much stock in his philosophical prophecies however, she figured the country's problems could solve themselves without some old goat telling them 'the end is nigh!'
She was just about to give up when a voice chucked from behind her,
"Elaine my dear! I've been waiting for you!" She spun, yerfing, he always did that, she could never figure out how the old robed goat was able to move so quietly. He had a staff that was sporting green twigs growing from it, one of which he was munching in happily.
"*munch munch* Mm. C'mon! We have much to do!" He stated simply with a bit of an odd grin. Elaine shook herself and moved to follow the old goat,
"You've been waiting for me?? I've sat here for the past 30 minutes!" She leveled her ice blue eyes at him, trying to demand an explanation.
"Oh posh! I was here long before that! A wizard is never late!" He laughed. He didn't seem to have any trouble breaking a path in the deep snow, in fact, the base of his robes didn't even appear wet.. Elaine figured this was a facet of the magic user's unknown amount of wards he had created over his long life.
"You still haven't told me what we're doing here."
The old goat just shrugged and said,
"All in due time my dear."
She groaned and zipped her mouth, trudging after the wizard through the cold snow.
Tom Stevens watched the clock with a trained eye.
"Ten.. Nine.. Eight.." He muttered. He was sitting in a small cubicle amidst a sea of identical little office spaces. He was twiddling a pencil and tensing his muscles, prepared for that final second he could get out of the dreary place.
The clock ticked 5:00. He jumped up, already grabbing his coat. A coworker called out to him,
"Anxious to get outta here eh Tom?" Tom simply made a affirmative noise in his throat and got to the elevator in record time. Mashing the lobby button, he soughed and removed his tie from under his coat, he was off hours. It didn't matter.
He checked out at the front desk and made his way into the car-park next to his office building. He made it to his econo-box gas saver car and stopped for a moment, looking at himself in the mirror. What looked back at him was a sad sight.
He saw a young man, not more than 19 or 20, with pale skin and dark hair. He still had that 'vagabond' look to him that stuck with him after high school. His body seemed thin and lanky, and truth be told Tom would have preferred a little less flab in some areas. He sighed and jumped in his car. There would be more time for vanity later, now he had to beat the rest of the 'office rush' attempting to escape the work-day.
He started the old car with a sputter, and drove a little faster than safe to the exit of the car park.
"Ah! Elaine my dear! We've arrived!" The robed goat said simply. Elaine stopped and glanced around. She didn't want to point out anything, but the little clearing was exactly like the all the others they had passed by. She simply looked at the goat with questioning eyes.
"Oh don't give me that look, this is a special spot, where the connections between realities is weakest." Elaine gave him a glazed over look.
"Oh come on now my dear, I told you all about the workings of our world did I not?" She nodded, saying,
"I vaguely remember it... It had something to do with a infinite amount of realities?" The wizard nodded,
"Yes that's right. Well, there are places that the dimensions.. Slide against one another, making the jump easier." He spread his arms and a teal circle of light inscribed itself on the ground, melting the snow.
Elaine recognized it from a few of the books the old goat had made her read,
"You're making a portal? To where?" The goat kept his hands raised, but smiled warmly at Elaine.
"To our future. Well, metaphorically speaking of course, not our actual future of course, but our only hope." Elaine tilted her head, confused,
"What do you mean?" The goat sighed, and put down his hands, the spell he had created now running off of whatever power source he had created. The circle of runes on the ground started to swirl faster and faster as time progressed.
"My dear apprentice, I know you aren't one to pay attention to politics, but our land is no longer as safe as it once was. War is on the brink of all the major kingdoms, all the guilds are being broke up, only the most secretive are resisting."
He glanced back at the spinning circle, noting that the runes had reached their peak speed, and would not be going any faster.
"I hate to say it my dear, but you will have to go on alone from here." Elaine's ears folded against her head,
"Wha-wha? I can't go through that!" The goat shook his head,
"Nono, you misunderstand me, I only mean.. Ah, you're a smart girl, you'll get it." And with that, he stepped in the swirling runes, and a flash of teal light consumed him. The runes slowed as the light faded, and the teal switched to gold, pulsing slightly. Elaine just stared open-jawed, trying to puzzle together what had happened.
Tom sighed and leaned against the wall in his apartment, wondering how his life had come to this, a small two room apartment, a crummy job, and absolutely no social life to speak of.
"Get a hold of yourself Tom, it isn't the end of the world." He muttered to himself. Then a raspy voice piped up from his couch.
"Why no, it isn't. But it is the end of ours." Tom spun like he was on a swivel, prepping to yell, attack, or something, but his thoughts hit a dead stop when he saw a goat sitting on his couch.. A goat with human looking arms.. And a robe.. And glasses... And..
"Are you going to gawk at me all day or introduce yourself?" The goat piped again, interrupting Tom's thought process. He swallowed and shifted his eyes,
"Uhh, I'm Thomus Stevens.. This is my apartment." The goat smiled brightly,
"Ahh, English! America? Yes, the accent seems familiar. The universe does have a sense of humor. But who am I to doubt its choice?" Tom just looked on with the same blank expression.
"What the hell are you talking about?" The goat's smile faded,
"Where I come from, the world is in turmoil, and it was my duty to provide someone, a hero, to help recover the peace.". Tom frowned,
"Sounds like the introduction to a bad video game..." The goat shrugged.
"All I know is, is that the universe has chosen you to help us. Be nice to Elaine for me." Tom seemed to snap out of his confusion,
"What, hold on you-" There was flash of golden light in the apartment, visible from the street below it was so bright in its intensity. All that remained in the apartment was the smell of burning ozone, and some car keys dropped on the floor.