Daily Chapter 1: An Epic Quest
So I started this thing where when I wake up each morning, after breakfast, in an hour I write (rougly) 500 words of fiction. It's based on a similar challenge that a good friend of mine executes daily in conjunction with her thesis. She's an amazing writing and it helps her focus. I am hoping this wil help me focus too!
Not every kid can see the magical world. Humans are by far the least likely to be able to tap into this secret underbelly of society. It’s a wonder that modern civilization has been allowed to continue existing. Then again, even I fully don’t understand how this secret underbelly of the world really works. All I know is that I’m a 14-year-old kid and I’m about to die unless I catch that ledge.
My hands firmly grip the ledge as I’m pulled out of self-reflection on the marvels of the secret world I explore every night. People question why I’m always so tired at school, if only they knew the truth. My eyes grow wide as I stare at the firmly packed dirt that my fingers are gripping onto. I grip hard as I pull myself up. Below me is a pit of fire. Behind me is an axe on a rope, arching up and down a long stone hallway. I had just escaped the dungeon of the arch-mage Dunban the dangerous, or as his mother calls him, Daniel.
Daniel’s a 16 year old who is obsessed with not losing his connection to the magical world when he turns eighteen. As such, he has been kidnapping all sorts of magical beings in an effort to discover the secret to not forgetting, Satyrs, Centaurs, Elves, Gnomes, Owls, Cats, Grate Danes (I was surprised too to know, only Grate Danes are capable of magic, or at least the magic required to converse in English (or whatever language that particular human speaks)), and a host of other creatures both known and only spoken of in fantasy novels. I had taken on the task of trying to free as many as possible.
Mere moments ago I was in the deep research labs of Daniel’s magical keep. In there I found an entire parliament of owls pouring liquids from one beaker to another. Cauldrons of strange multi-colours liquids bubbled with steam escaping as the fires underneath raged bringing light to the dimly lit dungeon. The cold stone walls were damp with who knew what and each owl had long sad faces. Gulping, I whispered a spell and the manacles attached to their talons, keeping them pinned to the ground as if part of a ford production machine, opened as a green light filled the room for a moment. Most of them flew off but one looked at me with sadness in their eyes.
“He will punish you.” The owl said in an airy voice before also taking off and disappearing in a puff of smoke. The entire room filled with smoke as the fifty some owls all disappeared. It seemed there was some sort of anti-magic charm on these manacles. I would have to avoid getting captured by one at all costs. That’s when I saw one of the hard metal balls come flying towards my face. I ducked down and dived out of the room, slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind me. Heavy breathing escaped me as I heard the dull thuds of the manacles with their balls and chain slamming against the door.
I carefully got to my feet, my back pressed against the door as I pulled a heavy wooden bar down in front of it. The bar kept it in place as it shook in its frame. Dust flew from the door in every direction as I bolted down the stone hallway. The sound of my quick steps pounding against the cold hard ground rung out as I jumped over arrows bolting from the wall and slid under harsh jets of flame. My hair singed a bit on the end. I’d have to have that cut before going home. That’s when I saw the five-foot gap with the pit of flames. I had found one of the underground exits to his lair. As I took two steps back the sound of a sinking stone tile was all I heard to know I didn’t have time to look back. I ran as fast as I could and jumped. The axe flew through the air at me but I managed to cross the gap.
Slowly, gingerly I pull myself up and onto the hard dirt. This kept getting harder. Still, I had to do something or the entire magical world would fall under his evil rule. I took a moment to rest, sitting on the cold dirt as I watch bits of the edge where I was gripping crumble down into the fires below. Thankfully, he hadn’t managed to scry my identity yet. Relishing in my luck and safety slowly I get to my feet and walk out into the crisp cool night air, ready to return to my regular life.