The Chosen One: Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Metting with the Mage (Bladewood)
Slade P.O.V

She was beautiful. The perfect mix of beauty and strenght, with a pinch of temper and sass. Precious...gah, what a wonderful name to describe a wonderful girl. And now she was in danger. I knew how stupid it was for me to reveal my abilities to some girl I'd just met...but she was differen't. Her dazzling brown eyes sent a tingle through my body every time I gaze into them. They were like deep tunnels, inviting me to come inside and try to dig out her secrets...

I stepped infront of her and raised my hands.

"What are you doing?!" she repeated, a hint of fear and anger dripping off at the end of her voice.

"I told you," I said, curling my fingers into my palms, "that I am going to protect you."

She groaned, "Slade move, I can protect myse-"

"I insist, madam," I laughed, doing a little bow and then lunging.

They were Cyclopes- I could tell by the giant red eyeballs in the center of their foreheads. They were each about 10 feet tall, giant clubs with nails wedged in between the cracks resting on their backs. They were dressed in tattered, dirt covered clothing and they had the reflection of hate casting a shadow over their faces.

I curse myself mid jump, realizing my sword wasn't with me. I'd have to rely on magic, something I'd always been bad at. My hands ignited with crackling white fire mid-flight, and I decked one Cyclopes across the face. He fell to the ground with a shot, a large red blister sprouting across his jaw and forehead.

The second and third Cyclopes charged, their clubs flailing wildly, slicing through the cold wind. I dodged one of them, but on hit sending me flying into a tree.

"SLADE!" Precious cried, her voice cracking as she did. From the corner of my vision, I saw her race forward, a sword brandished in her hand. But she was too late and too far away. The beast slammed his club into the ground, and a wave of rubble sent her flying into the air.

"Precious!" I screamed in a mock comparison of her cry. I kicked off the ground, and snatched her out of the air, inches from the ground.

Landing gracefully on the ground, I looked down into her face. Her arms were wrapped around my neck and her lashes were brushing against my cheek. A small scratch was spurting blood on her face.

"Precious?"

She lifted her head from mine, and stared into my eyes. I could feel those deep, dark pupils staring at me with the love and passion of a strong woman...and I dropped her.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry," I said, racing off to fight the Cyclopes.

Hey. Don't blame me. Relationships don't exactly work out with me. The last girl I date turned out to be a Vampire, and the time before that I accidentally froze her half to death. I was not about to run my or this girl's life.

The second Cyclopes rushed me, but I feinted left and blasted a solid mixture of ice and fire at his foot. He stuck to the ground and fell down, like a giant log after being chopped down by a lumberjack. The bigger they are, the harder the fall, I told myself.

I whipped around, sending a purple bolt of electricity into the Cyclopes's face. The lightning surged through his cornia, past his retna and shocked him all around. He stumbled slowly, and with a cry of protest, exploded into smoking bits of dust.

I turned. The other two monsters had disentegrated as well. I looked for Precious, who was sitting on the ground, eyes wide.

"Slade..." she said. As I drew closer, she flung herself around my neck. "My god you saved me!"

I pushed her away, soft and politely and said, "Yeah...um...your welcome, Ms. Saliva."

"Okay," Precious said, wiping the blood and dirt off her school clothes. "Now, I really need to introduce you to Master Bladewood."

~

As we walked back to her hotel, Precious explained to me that she was a demigod, a daughter of the Greek god Ares and a mortal. She had gone on many dangerous quest, and had sort-of-kinda found herself along the way. But then she had gone to study the ways of magic with a wise mage named Bladewood. She'd accompanined him and one of her friends, named Josh.

As the hotel grew bigger in the distance, I looked ahead. Precious was nice and pretty and smart...but I couldn't date her. No, I couldn't put her through the danger that filled my life- no matter how much she said she could handle it.

We walked in the hotel, the consierge greeting us, and headed towards the brass door elevator. Inside, I could feel the heat from the vent blowing down on my face, making me sweat. Precious stood on my side, and as the elevator eleavted up to the 35th floor, I sighed.

"Precious," I said. "You're nice-"

The door suddenley opened, and we were greeted by a blond haired boy with eyes like miniature golden suns.

"Josh!" Precious said.

"This is Josh? The kid from school?" I asked, eyeballing him seriously.

"Nice to meet you too, Slade," he scowled at me, than sent a flashy look towards Precious. "Bladewood is waiting for the two of you."

Precious swallowed, her brow narrowing. Despite her firm expression, I could see the fear and sadness in her eyes.

"Down the hall to the left," Josh scowled at me. I didn't know how or why, but I knew I would probably have a problem with this kid.

We made our way down the hall and Precious guided me into Room 432.

Inside, the smell of smoke, incense, and fresh butter hit me straight in the face. Sitting at the small kitchen table was a rather young looking man with short gray hair. He was dressed in a combination robe-armor outift and his eyes were a thundering storm gray.

He looked up as we entered and his eyes widened. "Greetings, I am Bladewood the Bard. I presume you are Slade?"

"Yes sir," I said.

"Sit," he said. His face was expressionless, but a sense of emergency trailed from his voice.

I sat in a chair at the table, Precious taking the one next to me.

"Now, presume Precious has explained everything?"

"She explained enough," I replied. "What I don't understand is why you came all the way from the north to find me."

"You are the Chosen One," he said, his expression seeming a little tired and bored. "It is as simple as that."

I flashed a look at Precious. "Well I guess that slipped from her mind when she was telling me everything."

"Sorry," she said, turning head towards the opposite end of the room.

"Do not accuse Precious of keeping secrets," Bladewood said. "It was not her place to tell you. But, you are indeed the Chosen One."

"What exactly do you mean by 'the Chosen One'?" I asked, rubbing my temples in confusion.

"You have been 'chosen' by the gods. You have been blessed with the essence of magic, though you are only a mere mortal-"

"Chosen for what?" I interrupted.

Bladewood sighed in frustration, but kept calm. He lowered his head and breathed softly. "You have been chosen to save the world from total destruction. There is something under the Earth....a great threat that even I can't fathom what it is. It will rise and it will bring all of Hell's army with it. We have contemplated that it might possibly be Hades's doing, since he rules over the Underworld...but we are still unsure."

I closed my eyes. I felt like a character in a fairy tale. Chosen One? Must save the Earth? What was this, Star Wars?

"So," I began. "You're telling me I'm destined to save the world." I scoffed, laughing under breath. "Yeah right. I can barely even control my powers, much less defeat an ancient demon with them."

"That's why I am here," Bladewood said. "I was assigned to train you-"

"Assigned? Ha...by who?"

"My father-"

"So your father tells you to find a boy who is supposed to save the world from total armeggedon, and you just do it? Was your father mental or something?"

"Slade..." Precious began, but Bladewood cut her off. "No, Precious. Alow him to speak. I understand that he is confused, but this is how it is Slade. You are the Chosen One. There is no escaping your destiny."

I gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "Destiny? I'm Slade. I have magical powers that are dangerous and that hurt people. I live by myeslf in a house in the valley. I have no friends. I'm quiet and simple. I. Am. No. Hero."

I stood, a small tear streaming out my eye and down my cheek. I grunted and stormed out of the room into the hall. Josh was waiting out side the door, a scowl on his face.

"So? You staying or you leaving?"

I then proceed to tell him to go do something with himself that's unprintable. I left Josh standing there with a look of complete surprise and astonishment on his face, as I exited the hotel.

~

The door creaked open, as I entered my house. I'd lived alone for years, and it was nothing knew. The house was a small, white washed wood shack, and my room was in the basment.

My head was down when I opened the door, and I only noticed the fresh damage when I saw the blood on the floor. The fan had been ripped out of the cieling and the lights had been shut off. I raised my hand, igniting a small ball of fire for me to see. The couches and chair were ripped open, stuffing spilling out, and the TV had been blown apart. The kitchen was ransacked and fridge stripped of its contents.

The wooden floor boards had been pulled up, revealing the pink insulation beneath them. It was humid and dark- the perfect living condition for a demon or whatever kind of monster had destroyed my home.

I looked down. Thankfully, the floorboard containg my sword had not been ripped off. Thank you wards, I said to myself, disenchanting the floorboard and ripping it off it's hinges. Beneath the floor, hidden in the insulation was a golden, eagle design hilt. It was small, about the length of my fingertips to the middle of my forearm. I picked it up and closed my eyes, willing the power to come.

Suddenley the weight of the hilt increased dramatically. I opened my eyes. The hilt now sported a large, 6 foot long blade that glowed white and gold. In my hand was a giant Olympian Greatsword.

Weilding it, I slowly made my way to the basment stairs. I'd seen enough horror movies and was smart enough to know never to scream- that would only alert the enemy...but I guess my feet were not that smart. I took one step and the floorboard screeched. I cursed under my breath, and squeezed the blade tight in my hand...

Then the house exploded.

Next Chapter: Chapter 8: