parlous
adjective
adverb
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“Say that again?” Josh asked.
“You are the Hero.” The old man said. His gap tooth grin showing clearly through his unkept facial hair. Josh hesitated to call it a beard, since it nearly swallowed the man’s entire face.
“The hero?”
“The Hero!” The man said for the third time. “The one destined to save the world!”
“Uh…huh. Look, I’m just going to go now. I’m sure you can find another hero somewhere else. Somewhere that’s not here.”
When Josh turned to leave, the man’s hand lashed out, holding fast to his arm with a grip that was significantly stronger than it should have been, given the man’s paper thin frame.
“No! It has to be you! I can tell. You have the spark. The spark that will let you cross over to the world unseen.”
“Uh…”
“A world hidden from normal view, but still there. A world where magic still thrives. But it will by no means be easy, oh no. That place is on the verge of collapse, and if that happens, even this world, the one you know, will begin to crumble. Oh yes, both worlds must be saved, and you are the one to do it. You will face perils the likes of which you have never seen before, dangers that will make you question your very soul. But you are the Hero, the one who can face these dangers with head held high and see the end. But you will need help. First, a weapon!”
The man rummaged through the oversized rags he wore and pulled out a metal rod. It had nothing to differentiate it from any other metal rod, save for the small mark at one end. The man held it out to Josh.
“This! This is a holy weapon! Many Heroes have used it in their journeys. I admit that not all have succeeded, even with its help. But that is not important. Here, take it! Use it! Discover its power!”
Not seeing another way to get rid of the crazy person, Josh took the rod. To nobody’s surprise, nothing happened.
“Uh…Oh, oh wow. I can feel the power.” Josh said.
“No, no, no. No, you need to activate it first. Obviously it won’t do anything now. You need to give it a name first.”
“A name? Really? Okay, I’ll call it—”
“Wait! Do not give it a hasty, ill formed name. The name is power. The name is life. If you give it a name given without thought, without meaning, it will produce a poor weapon. Far too many Heroes have fallen due to a poor weapon. Think. Feel. Give it a name that has purpose. Meaning.”
Josh sighed. The man was still holding his arm, so he figured he might as well humor the guy. He did have a bunch of names that he thought sounded cool and strong. But then he thought more. Way back in middle school he had written a stupid fantasy story. Or at least, he had tried to. He had mostly given up on it and discarded the whole thing. But there was one character that stuck with him. He had used it in future works, always in the same role. It was the name of a dragon. A noble dragon that oversaw everything and protected the world when no human could. A dragon that was nearly a god himself.
“Can it be a name that only matters to myself?” Josh asked.
“Yes, of course. In many ways, that is the best kind of name.”
“In that case…”Josh held the rod up. “I name you Yivain.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the rod glowed with a pure golden light. It shifted and contorted, wrapping around his right arm. When the glow subsided, the rod was gone. In its place was a brilliant golden gauntlet. Elaborate metalwork form the image of a dragon with an open mouth moving along the surface. Jewels of many different colors dotted the surface, between the knuckles and along the arm.
“What the hell?” Josh shouted.
“Yes, yes! Wonderful!” The man exclaimed. “A fine weapon indeed! I can feel the power coming off it! Once you discover its secrets, it shall serve you well!”
“Wha…What? What’s going on? What is this?”
“It is your holy weapon, Hero. It will aid you in your journey to save the world. But, there is more. One weapon cannot do what is needed. The way forward is far too dangerous, even for one such as you. You need allies. Friends, companions.” The man pulled out four more rods from his rags. Each sported a slightly different mark, but were otherwise identical. “Take these! Find companions to give them to. But be warned, do not choose idly. Choose those of strength, intelligence and conviction. Poorly chosen companions can lead to your death as surly as a poor weapon would. Go now, Hero! Find your companions! Save the worlds, both seen and unseen! Only you can do this!”
The man let go of Josh’s arm. Josh looked down at the gauntlet on his arm. He had to admit, a part of him was getting excited by the idea, now that he knew there was more going on than he understood. But there was one important question he had to ask first.
“Hey, how do I turn this off?”
No answer came. He looked up, to where the man had been standing. There was no one there. Just an empty street.
“Huh. Guess I’ll have to figure it out myself.”
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And thus, the call to adventure is given! Whether you want it to be or not. I'm sure this can only end well, right?
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