Here We Go - 8

Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm


That run in with Spiderman was interesting. I’ve always known that that everyone who calls themself a “hero” sees right and wrong in a different way. I’ve seen paladins who claim to be working for the greater good, but they’re too narrow-minded in their so-called crusade against evil to see those they unintentionally hurt.

And on the other end are guys like my old friend Ivellios. He was a dark elf, a race known for cruelty, hatred, and evil. But he was different - well, sort of. He had no lack of cruelty, but with a little help from me, he turned that cruelty and hatred of his evil brethren into one of the greatest weapons I have ever seen.

But this Spiderman, he has a view of right and wrong unlike any I’ve ever seen before. His view is idealistic, and that’s both his greatest strength and weakness. His emotions give him a much greater drive to succeed, but at the same time his emotions hold him back, preventing him from ever reaching his true potential. He’s almost like me, back when I was a kid.

Drayco returned that night, slightly less-than-eagerly awaited by Doctor Octavius. Tabra, on the other hand, was completely oblivious. She and Rodmir had been busily trying to figure out the mystery of the strange device that had seemingly brought Drayco to them. They had almost given up when Drayco returned, about an hour after he had left.

“Did I miss much?”

Otto was already up and glaring, the actuators having already alerted him to Drayco’s return.
“Where the hell have you been? You can’t just go flying around like that here!”

“Relax, I didn’t do anything that big. I just stopped a robbery, nothing to worry about.”

“Hmph, good, knowing you you probably would have blown something up.”

“Well, normally, I’d say that’s a good assumption.”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

“Hey Tabra, what are you doing over there? It’s pretty late, shouldn’t you be going to bed or something?”
Drayco walked over to where she was sitting, busily fiddling with the device.

“So, you can cast a few spells, huh?”

“Huh? What?” said Tabra, suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings.

“What’cha doin’?”

“Oh, just trying to figure out the thingie that poofed you here.”

“What ‘thingie that poofed me here?’”

“This.”
Drayco sat down on the sand, and Tabra handed him the strange device that had seemingly brought Drayco to this world.

“Hmmm...”
Drayco examined the object, but couldn't think of what exactly it was. Tabra caught a glimpse of his eyes in the full moonlight, and was a bit surprised to see that hey lacked pupils.

“Hey, what’s up with your eyes? They’re all, uh, weird, n’ stuff.”

“Remember how I told you I’m half-dragon? Well, this is one of the things that I got from my dragon side. Dragon eyes tend to be a single color, and so somehow I have pupilless blue eyes.”

“Oh, okay. So, can you breathe fire?”

“Heh heh, my personal favorite ability, actually.”

“Can I see?”

“Hmmm, okay, but you have to help me figure this device out when we’re done.“

“Okay!”

“Alrighty then.”
Drayco stood up and took a look at his surroundings.
Sand and water. Not much to work with... hrm... I have an idea.

“Watch this!”

“THRAE!!”
A sphere of whirling winds appeared on the ground at the edge of the water. Drayco focused for a moment and the sphere moved into the water, sending up a swirling geyser of water.

“AUS RAEV!!”
A flash of pale blue light and a gust of cold air, and the geyser froze into a spiral column of ice.

“And for the finale...”
Drayco took a deep breath, and let out a straight breath of reddish flames. It struck he column of ice at the base, melting it instantly. The rest of the column fell into the flame, and also melted.

Tabra stood wide-eyed and, for the first time in her life, speechless. Rodmir’s jaw had dropped as far as a cat’s jaw could, and he was staring intently at Drayco. He was about to say something, but Tabra spoke first.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!!!”

“Now, let’s try and figure out this thing.”

“Okay!”

*   *   *

Otto had been watching this display of magic, his human eyes still not believing what they were seeing. His other eyes, on the other hand...

We are unsure of the cause of that display, Father. However, there are many possible explanations for it.

Hmmm, could what this Drayco character calls ‘magic’ really exist? The more I see of it, the harder it is to disprove. Tabra already seems to think so.

She is a child. Human children are very impressionable, and tend to believe anything they see without question.

I guess you’re right. I wonder if this ‘magic’ is some kind of advanced science? Or perhaps it’s something like the ‘Alchemy’ of ancient philosophers?

That is a good assumption. There are chemicals that are known to freeze things or emit gases when they are mixed. And combustion is a fairly simple concept.

That must be it. Or something like it.

Further study would be helpful.

Agreed.

*   *   *

Drayco spent a few minutes examining the object. He looked at it from every possible angle. He smelled it. He even went so far as to taste it once, but that proved to be a bad idea.

“Well, I can tell that it’s made of mostly adamantine. And that it’s magic, of course.”

“Adamantine? What’s that?”

“Oddly enough, it’s a metal substance that’s found in my world. It’s known for its extreme hardness and durability, and some say it comes from meteorites.”

“Wow. So, it’s like space-metal or something. Cool.”

Otto walked over to the fading campfire wher Tabra and Drayco were sitting.

“Adamantine, eh? More nonsense.”

“It isn’t nonsense when you get hit in the head with it,” Drayco said with a wry grin.
“Just out of curiosity, Otto, why do you instinctively believe that everything you believe is right, and anything else must be false?”

“I don’t believe everything else to be false. I simply don’t believe anything without proof.”

“Yet no matter how many times I try to prove magic exists to you, you rationalize it as some kind of illusion...”

“You have not given me proof. Proof implies something absolute, something that cannot be interpreted as one thing or another. What you have shown so far is something that can easily be replicated by science and technology, albeit it being a bit extravagant.”

“Hmph. Stubborn humans...”

“And what do you mean by that? You seem to have something against all humans, from the way you talk. Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?”

“Seeing as I’m not human, well, at least not all human, no. And so far, nearly every human I’ve met has been the same - stubborn, and unwilling to see another point of view if it isn’t similar to their own.”

“Not all humans, though. That is what you just said, right?”

“Yes. Some humans are different. Some kill others for voicing a different point of view, instead of just ignoring them. I prefer the ignorant ones.”

“Hmph...”

“Now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to figure out what could be my way home.”

Drayco resumed his examination. Otto resumed his place against the rock, but not before Rasvim had snapped in the direction of an actuator that had come a bit too close.

Hmm, adamantine and diamond... two things known for durability, hardness, and weight... And iron... wait, diamond and adamantine... I remember something about those two when used together as magical components...

“A dimensional anchor! That’s what it is.”

“A what? I thought anchors went on ships?”

“Not this kind. A dimensional anchor is used as a target for some kinds of dimensional travel, like teleportation spells.”

“So that must be how you got here! It must’ve ‘anchored’ you when you were teleporting. I think I turned it on right before you got here”

“Except I don’t know any teleportation spells. But wait... that wizard blasted me with something...”

Drayco suddenly recalled the event that had occurred right before he had appeared in this world. He remembered dodging the wizard’s magic, and casting the final blow against him...

...and then he blasted me with that thunder spell... wait, he activated the dimensional gate right before he blasted me... he must have knocked me into the gate! And he only had enough time to activate it, there was no way he could have set a destination to it in that amount of time. But without a destination, I should have been thrown into a void...  but, the anchor...

“You must’ve activated the anchor at the exact moment I was thrown into the gate. That’s the only way I could have been called to an anchor I’d never been in contact with. Congratulations Tabra, you saved my life!”

Drayco leaned over and gave Tabra a pat on the head.
“Ooooooookay, I’m not sure how I did it, but, uh, go me! Boo-ya!”

Rasvim flew over and landed on Tabra’s shoulders.
”Kreeeaaa! Tabra! Thurirl!”

“Oh, Rasvim wants to thank you for saving him, too.”

Otto once again walked over to the conversation by the campfire.
“Oh joy. But you still haven’t found out how to make the device send you home.”

“Jeez Otto, it’s almost as if you didn’t want me here,” said Drayco, rolling his eyes.