The Protectors
The Sword
Weeks passed without much happening in the way of the mystical. Every day I devoted a little time to reading a few pages of the centuries-old logbook. Tina ended up popping in a few times for no other reason than to bug the hell out of me. Even her little visits, though, couldn’t stop me from starting to think that the vampire incident was just a dream and that the trolls were just humans. I could tell it was the same for Mike and Tré especially.
Each time I returned to the book less eagerly. That is until I got the solid, handheld proof I needed.
I was flipping through the book, eyes skimming over page upon page of hand-written text when I decided to stop at a page entitled “Weapons.” The first and longest section was “Swords.” An old and worn envelope was taped to the page, and I carefully took it off. I could tell there was more than just paper inside of it. It wasn’t sealed shut either. Opening it, a feather quill, a piece of paper, and a piece of parchment that was probably hundreds of years old fell out. Quill in one hand, paper in the other, I noticed one short sentence scrawled on it: Blood is your ink.
Talk about a weird-ass, cryptic note. Bracing myself, I figured what the hell, why not give it give it a try? I pricked my finger with the sharp, pointed end of the quill and a drop of my blood welled up, wetting the tip. Suddenly I felt it changing size, shape, and substance in my hand. Startled, I drew it away from my finger. Within seconds I was no longer grasping a feather quill pen but a sleek and slender steel sword.
It felt completely natural in my hand, not too heavy or too light. I turned it over in my hand, eyes wide. A sword. I had a freaking sword in my hand that I could actually kill someone with. Tearing my eyes from the weapon’s blade, I scanned the paper frantically. There was nothing else on the front, but on the back there was another short sentence scrawled: Parchment is your sheath.
Whoever thought the whole idea up must’ve had one hell of a sense of humor. Feeling paranoid about being caught with a sword in my hand and then having to try to explain why, I put the piece of paper back in the envelope before unfolding the parchment. It was about the size as a regular piece of computer paper and looked like regular, old parchment that would tear easily if I wasn’t too careful.
Slowly, trying not to slice the “sheath,” I slid the blade of the sword onto the parchment before folding it up around the cold steel. I felt it start to change again, and before I knew it, it was just a feather quill pen.
I put them both back in the envelope quickly before anything else could happen and starting reading what the book had to say about swords.
Swords are the most effective and versatile weapon there is for dealing with magical creatures. They should only be used in defense, however. Killing a magical creature or person is a serious offense even if they are “evil.” The only exception is if it for the good of both its species and everyone else. If you are found guilty of killing a magical creature or person without an adequate reason, you will be stripped of your title as “Protector” and face punishment from the victim’s species as they see fit.
You should learn how to properly use a sword in case of an emergency. The better you are with it, the better you can protect yourself, and more importantly, others. Always try to wound and never try to kill. A sword can cause harm to everyone from humans to dragons, so be cautious and if you use one and make sure you know what you are doing.
I couldn’t believe I actually had a sword now that I was supposed to use in defense or in case of an emergency. I didn’t like the thought of either of the two. And using it against a dragon? There was no way I was ever going to try doing that. I really hoped that it wouldn’t come to me having to defend myself or anything and that I would just continue on as I had, no magical disturbances.
Unfortunately, that calm, regular life would end.
Each time I returned to the book less eagerly. That is until I got the solid, handheld proof I needed.
I was flipping through the book, eyes skimming over page upon page of hand-written text when I decided to stop at a page entitled “Weapons.” The first and longest section was “Swords.” An old and worn envelope was taped to the page, and I carefully took it off. I could tell there was more than just paper inside of it. It wasn’t sealed shut either. Opening it, a feather quill, a piece of paper, and a piece of parchment that was probably hundreds of years old fell out. Quill in one hand, paper in the other, I noticed one short sentence scrawled on it: Blood is your ink.
Talk about a weird-ass, cryptic note. Bracing myself, I figured what the hell, why not give it give it a try? I pricked my finger with the sharp, pointed end of the quill and a drop of my blood welled up, wetting the tip. Suddenly I felt it changing size, shape, and substance in my hand. Startled, I drew it away from my finger. Within seconds I was no longer grasping a feather quill pen but a sleek and slender steel sword.
It felt completely natural in my hand, not too heavy or too light. I turned it over in my hand, eyes wide. A sword. I had a freaking sword in my hand that I could actually kill someone with. Tearing my eyes from the weapon’s blade, I scanned the paper frantically. There was nothing else on the front, but on the back there was another short sentence scrawled: Parchment is your sheath.
Whoever thought the whole idea up must’ve had one hell of a sense of humor. Feeling paranoid about being caught with a sword in my hand and then having to try to explain why, I put the piece of paper back in the envelope before unfolding the parchment. It was about the size as a regular piece of computer paper and looked like regular, old parchment that would tear easily if I wasn’t too careful.
Slowly, trying not to slice the “sheath,” I slid the blade of the sword onto the parchment before folding it up around the cold steel. I felt it start to change again, and before I knew it, it was just a feather quill pen.
I put them both back in the envelope quickly before anything else could happen and starting reading what the book had to say about swords.
Swords are the most effective and versatile weapon there is for dealing with magical creatures. They should only be used in defense, however. Killing a magical creature or person is a serious offense even if they are “evil.” The only exception is if it for the good of both its species and everyone else. If you are found guilty of killing a magical creature or person without an adequate reason, you will be stripped of your title as “Protector” and face punishment from the victim’s species as they see fit.
You should learn how to properly use a sword in case of an emergency. The better you are with it, the better you can protect yourself, and more importantly, others. Always try to wound and never try to kill. A sword can cause harm to everyone from humans to dragons, so be cautious and if you use one and make sure you know what you are doing.
I couldn’t believe I actually had a sword now that I was supposed to use in defense or in case of an emergency. I didn’t like the thought of either of the two. And using it against a dragon? There was no way I was ever going to try doing that. I really hoped that it wouldn’t come to me having to defend myself or anything and that I would just continue on as I had, no magical disturbances.
Unfortunately, that calm, regular life would end.