The Challenge Continues

And so we've reached a new day of the challenge. I can safely say that I've made it all the way to the beginning of Chapter Four. I don't feel inclined to start over anymore and jump to a different project: definitely a step in the right direction. The next obstacle is procrastination, unfortunately. A common bane among writers - and one that unfortunately I have fallen prey all too many times - but one I hope to conquer. I just have to figure some sort of balance between writing and doing other things in my spare time.

It's just another habit I have to break. The upcoming chapter should be interesting - concerning exploration of some ruins (which I believe was where the draft I posted stopped), and I have some ideas. Not all of them compatible, unfortunately. I can only use one of those ideas, since y'know, no rewrites. I really think that's all I had to say.

Till next entry, I suppose.

First Day Challenges

Well, here we are on the second day of my self imposed challenge.  And I can honestly say this is going to be more challenging than I thought. For part of yesterday, old instincts kicked in, trying to tell me to abandon this project, rationalizing it with all kinds of ideas that I could write instead, or ideas on what I should do to rewrite the project. I won't go into specifics - they're not important - but all of those suggestions sounded perfectly rational and logical. But I just want to ramble for a bit about what happened on that first day.

I had all kinds of second thoughts about what I was doing. But I turned them all down. I loaded Microsoft Word, ranted privately and came out feeling more resolute than ever. And I didn't back down. If anything, I jumped into it and scribbled out most of the second chapter and, once I'm done with this blog, I'm going to jump back into it again, doing another rant on Word if I feel all these doubts creeping up on me again.

See, doing this is forcing myself to change the way I think - don't constantly change the project. Don't give it up whenever you get discouraged by the way its turning out. Don't switch projects. I also feel that I have to clarify one of my rules.

I can't rewrite as I go. Yesterday, I ended up reworking the same paragraph multiple times because I was indecisive about what the plot was. It delayed progress - either one of the options would have worked. So my rule about not rewriting paragraphs? That applies to in-progress chapters as much as it does finished ones.

So the challenge continues. There's going to be more road-blocks on the way. I'm going to get through them all. I'm going to finish this draft, dang it.

That is all for now. I may do another blog entry tomorrow. 

A New Dawn

Well, after my little experiment in posting those chapters, I finally feel more resolute. I know what I'm going to do now. I'm returning the world to its form that I had originally had planned in the first place, the draft I just finished posting over the course of the past few days. However, I am restarting it. But it will be for the very last time. I'm trying an experiment, imposing a challenge on myself - just to see if I can actually do it, actually produce a finished rough draft.

My challenge? No rewrites for this draft.

After considering it for a bit, I realized that a good portion of my writing problems are my own fault - I keep deciding that something isn't 'good enough' and continually rewrite it. One version of this story refused to go past Chapter Two, if only because I insisted on rewriting and rewriting it over and over again, trying to make it better.

As they say, the 'perfect is the enemy of the good.'. I think that's my problem. I think that, coupled with the fact that I've been slacking off on writing, explains why I never finish writing.

On top of that, I need to get better at writing endings and every time I insist on a rewrite, every time I insist that it could be 'better', I deprive myself a chance to get into the really cool and interesting parts of the story, and I deprive myself of the chance to actually write proper endings.

I have to keep plugging away.

Here's the rules I drew up for myself:

1. NO CHAPTER REWRITES UNTIL I HAVE A COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT TO THUMB THROUGH.

2. Proofreading is allowed.

3. Small edits to make dialogue flow better, fix wording issues etc are allowed.

4. Rewriting whole paragraphs - allowed, but frowned upon.  The actual plot events, emotions etc that I describe in the paragraphs stay as they are. The rewrites are strictly to improve clarity not to change plot points. The idea here is that I stand by what I wrote.

5. No more than two consecutive paragraph rewrites in a row. I run the risk of starting to change the plot, I think, unless I restrain myself.

6. No significant additions to a chapter. Small stuff is fine - i.e. stuff that will enhance the already existing narrative (clarifying a point, expanding on a character's thought process, emotional state, expanding on a description etc.). Stuff that will change the course the plot - and potentially lead to other chapters no longer fitting into the narrative - is not.

7. Draft finished before summer or earlier. And I'm putting myself on a deadline. Summer starts officially on June 21st. That should, hopefully, be ample time to complete an entire draft.

I've tied up my internal perfectionist editor and thrown up into a closet in the back of my brain. Let's get this party started.

Archeologist Couples, Indecision.

Alright, and here is the last of the chapters that I'm going to share. I do really like how this shaped up overall, at least in terms of world-building. However...however. I find myself paralyzed by internal debate. On one hand, I know I'd have a fantastic time writing the setting, and exploring this strange frontier I've made up for myself. On the other, however, I also feel like this encroaches on the territory on a very large, multibook project I've had planned for quite some time - the settings are a little too similar for comfort.

Maybe I could fold elements of this in there? I don't know. And so, at the end of the three days, I find myself more indecisive than ever. Ugh.

This chapter brought some good stuff to the table. I really did like the archeologist couple in here. They're fun characters, and their banter is good too.

On the bright side, though, I think I will try to update this blog a more often. So enjoy Chapter Three.

Chapter Three

He woke the next morning, feeling much refreshed although the memory of the dream still lingered in his mind. He climbed out of bed and bathed, feeling much better afterward, even though he had to put back on the dirty, stinky clothes he'd been wearing from the day before - they were, quite literally, the only thing he had aside from the now mostly empty satchel and bag of money. 

Back in the main room, he found that a number of other guests were already eating and talking. Retin eyed him, as he sat down.

"So," he said. "You got a date with her." 

"I don't know if I'd call it a date..."

"Retin!" the innkeeper appeared. "Fresh rolls. Deliver them, if you please." 

"Yes, Grandmother." He gave Daniel another baleful glare. The rolls turned out to be delicious, slathered with butter and drizzled with honey. They were served alongside smoking sausages that tasted a bit odd to Daniel's mind, but he supposed they might have come from some of the very weird creatures that this world seemed to have. A cup of juice was placed at his elbow. He drank thirstily. It was very sweet and tasted of an odd blend of oranges and grapes. 

As he ate, he began thinking ahead to what he wanted to do. Alieas had invited him to come to those ruins which, he thought, would probably be a good idea. He might get some answers there, or maybe not. In any case, he still needed to know more about this world. He was still fairly clueless.

After breakfast, he picked up his satchel, and swung it over his head whenever the door swung open and Alieas walked in followed, followed by a burly man with a giant walrus-like mustache and a tall, pale woman with dark eyes and a high-necked dress. She had a sword at her hip and a cloak on her back.

"This is him, Mother!" she was saying. "I told you he'd still be here." 

"You are the boy my daughter met yesterday?" she asked, studying him with a severe eye. "She invited you to join us on our hunt today for the lost ruins." 

"Well...yeah."

"It's quite splendid," the man with the giant mustache said - Alieas's father, Daniel guessed. "She needs quality friends." 

"In any case, we would be delighted to have you along," Alieas's mother said. "I am Faran, and this is my husband Kemkarat. We have been hoping our daughter would invite someone to join us for some time now."

"Erm, I'm happy to meet you." Daniel said after a moment. 

"We are leaving now. If you wish to join us, you must come now." 

"Well, yeah. I was about to come and find you." He said. 

"Then come." 

He stood, waved goodbye to the innkeeper, who appeared to be piling even more tasks on poor Retin.

"This is going to be a lot better, I can just tell," Alieas gushed. 

"How come you wanted me to come?" he asked. "Just curious."

"Oooh. Because you're the mysterious one. Retin's just so dull, you understand. But you wandered in from the desert and walked all the way to the village by yourself! What was that like?" 

"It was hot and I was tired," Daniel said. 

"Just like I thought," Alieas nodded gravely. "Our ride isn't too far away." They had just left the village perimeter when Daniel's jaw dropped. There, standing before him, was a bizarre floating vehicle whistling steam. Gears chugged, pistons moved, random pipes pumped out white or occasionally bright purple smoke. It looked like it would fall apart at any second.

"You...live in that?" 

"Every day," she said. "We travel around in it. Honestly, we've had it for years."

"Hurry up, you two. I want to get to the ruins before noon." Faran strode inside, a metal hatch with a wheel in the middle, a bit like what he would expected to find from a submarine. 

"Why does she carry a sword?" he asked, as he ducked inside.

"Protection, of course. She's a very good swordswoman, and the sword's enchanted - it's sort of a family heirloom. Even the Rune-Crafters in Lanarskisil couldn't do any better." 

"Rune-Crafters? Lanar-what now?" 

"The Capital, silly! Biggest city in the world! And Rune-Crafters, well. They're about enchanting objects, making them stronger. Her swords way sharper than any blacksmith can make it, and it has special powers."

"Really? What are those?"

"She doesn't know," Faran said. "If you saw them, you're far too close to death for your own good."

"Oh."

"Well, Daniel, do make yourself at home. It's a little cramped, but quite pleasant all in all." Kemkarat bowed. 

"Yeah, thank you." 

He looked around. It was fairly dark, with small windows providing a little bit of light. It was obviously clean, cold and slightly sterile but nevertheless there was a homey feel to the room. An armchair had been jammed into a corner, tablecloths covered surfaces.

And the books and scrolls. Hundreds of them, stacked all over the place - here, there and everywhere. He picked one up curiously, some sort of scholarly work on the minute detail of the architecture of a place that he had never heard of before. On top of the books, papers overflowed every which way, some with half scribbled notes on them, others were what appeared to be grocery lists, still others lists of equations.

"Right," Faran said. "We're off." 

He peered up front, in time to see a much larger window in front of a series of levers and buttons. A beat up leather chair stood in the middle, while Faran pushed a button or two and pulled a lever.

With a great groan and wheeze, the vehicle began to move. 

The village was soon lost to view, replaced by more of the empty desert. 

"So," Kemkarat said. "Alieas says you walked all the way here from the desert. Is that so?" 

"Yes," Daniel said. "I don't remember much before that." He thought, on further reflection, that it would probably be a good idea to keep the dream to himself. And the pendent as well. He didn't know them at all and Amar's warning about trusting people in whatever weird land he'd ended up in struck true. He didn't know these people at all - they seemed nice enough. 

"Maybe you were raided by bandits and they had a device that stole your memories!" Alieas said.

"That would be interesting!"

"That's a thing that can happen?" 

"Yes," Kemkarat said. "It unfortunately is - there are such devices that drain memories from a person, and let the holder view them as he sees fit. It is...not a pleasant experience." Daniel had an unpleasant thought at that point -what if his memories were stolen from him? He tried to think back, but drew a complete blank. 

But there was also that dream, he thought.  That felt like memories. Maybe they're still buried. I don't know anymore.

He fell silent, lost in thought. Alieas chattered on next to him, speculating on what sort of person he might have been, what he have done, each proposal more outlandish than the last. 

"So what's so special about these ruins?" Daniel asked after a short pause. 

"Well, they're quite unique," Kemkarat said. "I have a book around here somewhere. They were freshly uncovered just a few months ago - it's one of the old outposts of Mar Koru." 

Daniel felt a chill down his spine.

"Mar Koru?" he said, trying to act casual.

"Mm, yes. The Society of Light. Defunct now, but they have long roots. We're going to examine one of their older outposts." 

"It's basically ruined buildings with pottery inside and some writing on the walls," Alieas said. "Not really all that much fun." 

"So...this Society of Light. What makes them so unique?" 

"Well, they were guardians against the monsters from Outside. Nobody knew too much about them, they were a very secretive bunch - last one recorded died...let's see. Alieas, could you find A History of Traok and Environs, please?" 

"Here, Father." 

"Thank you." He took the book, flipped it open and quickly skimmed through it, apparently looking for the page.

"740 D.M." 

"That means nothing to me," Daniel said. "What year is it now?"

"It's 1357 A.E - Ascension of the Empire, by the way. This happened thousands of years ago. But, if you believe the legends, Mar Koru never really dissolved. They merely went underground, keeping their existence a secret. And some people say they've met one of the agents. Personally, I've always believed it. Evidence has always been on the scanty side but well..."

"You're not launching into that old story again?" Faran called from the front seat. "I fear you're going to waste his time." 

"What story?" Daniel asked interested.

"Well. It happened many years ago. I was but a young man, having freshly left the college for my first taste of adventure. In any case, I went to the forests by the Sea and one night, I found myself alone in the woods. It was night, I was tired and thought that I should camp for the night. But I saw an old man, who offered me shelter." 

"So what did you do?" 

"Well, I accepted of course. But the old man turned out to be a terrible monster in disguise, a disgusting beast with more legs and eyes than I care to count. It summoned...well, something. Holes."

"Holes?" Daniel said. "That doesn't sound scary." 

"Ah, but these weren't any holes. They were rips in the universe, gaps to the void between the worlds, where it is said fell monsters and even more horrifying creatures dwell." 

"All conjecture." Faran said from the front seat. "Honestly, dear. It gets wilder every time you tell it."

"So what did you do?" 

"What any sensible person would do, of course! I thought the beasts off myself, swing a punch. But the creature avoided my attack. I, being in the prime of health and limber from my tenure playing Siflan, dodged the creature by swinging to the left and then I looked around for a weapon of some description. And I found what I was looking for! A spear, probably taken from some poor hapless victim!" 

"Siflan?" he asked.

"It's a sport," Alieas said. "I'll tell you about it later." 

Daniel stared at him. Kemkarat was fairly rotund. From the corner of his eye, he could Faran shaking her head, plainly amused. 

"So, of course," Kemkarat said. "I stabbed the creature with the spear, kicking it as I did so into one of those holes in reality which all closed up."

"Do you still have the spear?" Daniel asked, interested.

"Alas, no. It was lodged in the creature when it fell back into the Void." 

"Last time it was merely a shaft of broken wood," Faran called. "The time before that you said you defeated it with your fists." 

"It happened, I promised you." 

"Didn't you say this had something to do with Mar Koru?" Daniel asked. 

"Oh yes. After I defeated this terrible creature, I left the cave and saw a man standing there, an older person with a sword in his hand. He had the pendent around his neck and thanked me on bended knee for dealing with the creature." 

"On bended knee," Faran snorted. "Dear, I love you but I don't think anyone would get down on their knees to thank you." 

"He had the pendent around his neck, he said that he'd been hunting that monster for some time and then he waved his hands and - wouldn't you know it - I was suddenly in the nearest village. No sign of anyone around me. I say, Daniel, are you alright?" 

"I'm...I'm fine," Daniel said, looking away. The second Kemkarat mentioned an old man, memory fragments surfaced suddenly in his mind: a very old man, whose mind was since gone, babbling, a bloodied hand and a familiar pendent being placed around his neck...

Alieas looked at him with concern. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Excellent news, everyone," Faran called. "We've arrived."

Two-Headed Ostrich-Lizards and the Apocolypse.

As promised, here is the second chapter of the thing I started yesterday. The more I look at this setting, the more I find it appealing to write in and romp around it.

I ended the world on the second chapter. Yep. All in a day's work.

Chapter Two

Daniel walked forward eagerly, thinking vaguely that he might use some of the money that Amar had given him to buy a room at an inn or something - if there was an inn. As he drew nearer, he realized that it was built on the shores of a lake, glittering under the moonlight. Simple stone buildings stood here and there, built along a winding dirt road. Tall lanterns on posts provided warm light.

He noticed, though, that there didn't seem to be any particular way for the lamps to be lit. Illuminated spheres hovered next to tall bronze poles. 

"Halt! Who goes there?" 

A man appeared from the darkness, riding on the back of a tall two-legged creature that resembled an ostrich, though Daniel was confident ostriches didn't typically have two heads or frills around their head.

"I'm just a traveler," he said hastily. "I'm just looking for somewhere to sleep tonight." 

The man narrowed his eyes, studying him. "You came from out there?" he gestured to the empty wilderness. 

"Yeah. I didn't mean to land here but well, it's kind of a long story and..." he realized he was babbling.

"Yural. What do you think?" 

The two heads leaned over him, both studying him. The creature let out a long throaty call.

"She seems to like you. I suppose that means you're not an evil spirit come to curse us into oblivion." The guard seemed almost disappointed. 

"Um, no. I'm not." Daniel blinked, bemused. 

"Right, then. You said you wanted somewhere to sleep. The Wayhouse isn't too far away. I'll take you there myself." 

Whatever this Wayhouse was, Daniel thought, it sounded better than the hard ground. He followed the man to a large comfortable looking building. They passed through an archway into a wide courtyard, of tiled stone and a massive lump of crystal standing in the center of the square. More of the hovering balls of light adorned the walls. Daniel could see better now, he noticed there was a rune carved into the wall, right behind each of the lights. 

"Well, here we are. I'm going to get back to my rounds. Best of luck to you, stranger." 

"Um, yeah. Thanks." Daniel said, and walked inside. It was pleasant inside as well, with lots of tables but only a handful of people - a rowdy bunch of men laughing and talking in the corner. A girl, about his age, cheerfully chatting with some other guy, who appeared absolutely smitten. She turned and saw him, and offered a flashy smile. The guy glared at him. 

He shrugged.

"You're here for a meal and room?" He turned to see an older severe looking woman studying him up and down. 

"Well - yeah. Um..."

"Three Otters." 

"What?" 

"Copper pieces. You do have money, don't you?" the woman sounded a bit impatient. 

"Um, yeah." He opened the satchel, and rummaged around in it before he finally found what he guessed was the money, finding three of the copper pieces - which did, in fact, have otters on them and handed them over. 

She took the money, pushing it into a pocket on her apron and pulling out a key.

"Take the hallway over there." She pointed. "Third door on your left. Now. Sit, you look like you could use a good meal." 

He obeyed, and presently found himself enjoying a meal of hot soup, bread and some sort of hot spicy drink that tasted just a slightly bit sweet. The meal was good, and he found himself devouring it, happy for a change of pace after three days of the flat tasteless rations Amar had provided. Presently, he became aware of someone watching him and he looked up.

The girl sat there across from him, her chin resting on her hands. The boy was with her too, looking none too pleased.

"So...where are you from?" she asked. "Those are interesting looking clothes." He glanced down at his T-shirt and jeans, now stained and filthy from the desert. 

"Can we just leave him alone?" the boy asked. "I mean - we were having a good time just us, right?"

"I just met you, Retin," the girl said. "You're a good flirt, but this isn't a date." The boy scowled. 

"I - well..." Daniel said. "I walked here from the desert. I'm just lost."

"Oh," the girl sounded. "So...just the desert? Are you a spirit or something?" 

"No," Daniel said. "At least, I don't think so." He tore another piece of bread off. The girl stared at him intently.

"Uh...who are you?" he asked uncomfortably after a moment. 

"Oh, sorry. Rude of me not to introduce myself. My name's Alieas. I'm just here for a bit of socializing tonight, before I have to go to those boring old ruins tomorrow."

"Ruins?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, my parents are archeologists and they travel around, looking at these old ruins. I have to go with them, of course, since I'm not of age. It's really very dull."  

"Oh." Daniel said. "Sounds kind of cool." 

"Not really," she said, and then snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know! We're actually here to investigate some desert ruins tomorrow, you should come with us! You seem like a fun guy to hang out with." 

"You think so?"

"I know so!" she said. "So, its settled then? Tomorrow, just leave the village, look for the archeological expedition, it's just outside of town. I know my parents would love to have you along!" 

"You sure about that?"

"I'll tell them, of course. They'll be interested in meeting you." She smiled. 

At that moment, the innkeeper returned, and smacked Retin with a broom. "What are you doing out here? Get in the kitchen, there are dishes waiting!" 

"Yes, Grandmother, sorry!" he gabbled, and took off, running to the kitchen. 

"I apologize for him," the woman said, picking up Daniel's bowl. "He's a good boy, but lazy sometimes and he annoys the other guests." 

"It's fine," Alieas said, waving her hand airily. "He's good company." The woman nodded absentmindedly. 

"Yes, yes. Now, then. Are you ready for me to show you to your room?" The question was directed to Daniel.

"Yeah. I'm beat."

"Right then. I'll see you tomorrow." Alieas waved, as Daniel stood. She had already turned her attention to some other person, sitting in the table and had struck up a conversation with the boisterous men from the other table.

He followed the woman down the hallway to a very clean room, though somewhat sparsely furnished - a simple bed, low to the ground, a desk and a chair. Nothing else. 

"If you need to wash, the baths are right through there," she pointed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Um, no. I think I'm good but thank you." 

The woman nodded. "We serve the morning meal starting at six." 

 She closed the door, leaving him alone. He knew he probably needed to at least try and wash - three days of wandering in the desert had left him feeling fairly disgusting but he didn't move for a while. He lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling for a long time and before he realized it, he had fallen asleep.

He was home again, in his comfortable mess of a bedroom. A stack of homework stood precariously on his desk, dirty clothes spilled out all over the floor. But something was wrong. He tried to put a finger on it, but nothing came.

"Hello?" he stepped out into the hallway and into the living room. "Anyone home?" 

Nobody was there. He felt a prickle of fear. There should be somebody. His siblings. His parents. Anyone. 

The pendent felt warm against his skin. He studied it, wondering where it had come from. He stepped outside. There was nobody around. No cars, no people. And the silence. No birds sang, no wind whistled in the grass. It was as though the whole world had gone mute. 

The dread began to increase. 

He stepped into the street - just plain, quiet suburbia, nothing special. And then he saw it. Darkness. A vast wave of it, rose high, higher than the sky, covering everything, sweeping forward. He stumbled backwards.

"No..." he whispered. "No." 

And then for the first time, he saw somebody else besides him standing there, a boy with medium length black hair, and eyes. He turned to look at Daniel. 

"Owen?" he whispered hoarsely, wondering how he knew that name. Some distant memory stirred in the back of his mind. He and Owen had been friends, he was pretty sure. 

"Well, guess this is it, huh?" Owen asked. "End of the world and all that. Any regrets before we all die?" 

"I..." he said. 

The darkness drew closer. "This is a dream, isn't it?" 

"No dream, dude. I don't know what you did, but I don't think you did a very good job." 

"What I did?" Daniel asked. Owen didn't seem to be paying much attention. His gaze was focused on the imminent destruction of the world. 

The Darkness reached the town buildings. As it touched him, Daniel noticed that the details began to wash out of them, leaving behind what looked like wireframe sketches before they too dissolved.

"Well, good luck, buddy. See you on the other side, I guess. If there is a other side." He laughed. 

The massive wave of nothingness loomed right above their heads now. The light from the pendent began to glow fiercely, a bubble of light formed around Daniel. 

And then it crashed down. Everything vanished. 

And for a little while, Daniel floated in emptiness, dimly aware of himself. The world was gone, surrounded by a bubble of strange copper light. And then he fell, though he strangely felt no fear. Comets and stars blazed around him, suns burned bright, planets tilted slowly in the never-ending night. 

And then he saw the world and knew, somehow, that was his destination as he drew closer and closer...

He woke up, panting and drenched in sweat. 

What was that? My memories?

He swung his legs over the bed and stepped into the washroom, splashing some water over his face, thinking back over the dream.

"So am I dead, then? If the world ended then..." he didn't feel particularly dead. Nothing about this world suggested he was dead. He picked up a towel and dried his face, staring at his skin. He stopped.

"It just doesn't make any sense," he said aloud. "If the world ended, then I shouldn't be here. I'm pretty sure this isn't the afterlife. I hope it isn't the afterlife..." 

He pulled the pendent out and studied it. "It's connected." He decided. "Somehow, in a way I don't understand. But I'm going to figure it out." 

And with that thought, he headed back to the bedroom and fell asleep.

A Post?! What Madness Is This! (Also: A Chapter for Your Amusement)

Yes, I am once again making a post on the blog. It's been a while, a few months, and I think its overdue. I've been keeping myself busy, focusing on writing more and better. In particular, I keep working on one project that I can't seem to get any headway on. I suppose I should give a little backstory about this project. It's (very, very, very) loosely inspired by a project I made when I was fourteen - my first ever attempt at a novel, in the old days when I had developed an obsession with Ancient Egypt, and just dropped some kid in ancient Egypt, loaded him up with magic items and then watched what happened.

Looking back at it, it's honestly quite terrible (though its 126 pages long - I was very determined.). The concept of some guy just appearing in another world and then going on an adventure was one that stuck with me, however. The idea morphed into another project (which I still haven't finished, and which got all the way to 120k words or thereabouts), before coming back home to its desert roots. However, here is where I am stuck. In the first iteration I was playing with, I made it all the way to Chapter Four before I finally called it quits and decided it wasn't working.

This version wasn't really based on Egypt, so much as a desert and then a big, exotic setting that was going to have lots of different scenery and setpieces. I gave up on that one around Ch. 4, after writing myself in a roadblock and then tried again. And again. And again. And no matter what I did, this time I couldn't make it past Ch. 2.  I even brought back the Egypt them, though I changed into a Techno-Egypt-Steampunk-Magic remix, which was my base.

Then, today, I re-read what I wrote last month. And its actually not terrible, at least I don't think so and I wonder why the hell I abandoned it so quickly. But I thought I would request feedback. Thus, today, tomorrow and Friday I shall post one of the finished three chapters for this story. Provide feedback if you wish. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One

Daniel got slowly to his feet, blinking in the harsh desert sunlight and wondering how he had gotten there. He tried thinking back, but he drew a blank. He couldn't remember where he was from, how he had gotten here or much of anything else for that matter. He took stock, struggling to remember.

"I am Daniel Stevenson," he said slowly, hoping that it might trigger something. "I am seventeen years old." Nothing. He was still drawing a blank. He looked around. He was standing on a relatively flat stretch of stone, mixed with dry, tangled scrub here and there. The sky was a washed out cloudless blue, the sun bright and merciless above. He'd only been here a few minutes but already sand had gotten into his clothes and hair, irritating his skin and eyes. 

A dead tree stood to his right, a bird glared at him. It was a curious looking creature, with four eyes, and silvery wings that looked almost like razor blades. He took a few steps backwards. 

"Probably wise," said a voice. "The Krajit is a nasty predator. That's a small one though. It might maim you if you get too close - they're quite territorial. It's the larger ones that develop the taste for human flesh. I don't think we need it around while we talk." 

Daniel spun around. A man stood before him, dressed in a plain dun-colored robe and carrying a long wooden staff. He was neither old nor young, with close-cropped black hair and stormy gray eyes. He tapped his staff on the ground. The bird ruffled its feathers and flew off, disappearing into the sky.

"Wha...? Who are you?"

"Hmm? I am but a humble servant of the Light. You may call me Amar. Yes, that will do, I think. But who are you? That is the far more interesting question."

"My name is Daniel Stevenson," he stammered. "I'm seventeen. That's all I remember. Where are we? What is this place?"

"We appear to be in the middle of the desert," Amar said. "Though I suppose if you want specifics, then we're in the ancient realm of Traok." 

"The Battlefield?" Daniel asked, then blinked. "Wait - how did I know that?" 

"You speak the language of course. That wonderful pendent around your neck gives you that ability." 

Daniel glanced down, realizing for the first time that he did, in fact, have a pendent around his neck, a very plain amulet of what looked to be beaten copper, carved into a strange device. He reached up, around his neck and discovered that it was fused to his skin. Amar was watching him.

"Mar Koru," he said, translating the rune on his neck. "The Order of Light."

"Yes," Amar agreed. "You're a member now. The last member in fact. The pendent grants you unique abilities and as you proceed, you will no doubt uncover more of them." 

"As I proceed?"

"On your quest, of course. Traok is a dangerous, beautiful place and its name is an apt one - this is where the great battle between the Transcendent Gods takes place." 

"The what Gods?"

"Not important right now." Amar waved his hand. "Point being that you serve the Light now. You're here and you wouldn't be here unless there was some great need. You are the only person who can do this task - whatever it is." 

"What is it?" he said. "I mean..."

"That, unfortunately, is hidden from me." 

"So you just expect me to wander aimlessly until I find this...whatever it is I'm supposed to do?"

"Something like that. You'll stumble into it sooner or later."

"And you can't just give me my memories back." 

"I don't have your memories to return. Perhaps you'll find them questing, or possibly a way back home. You're not from this world after all." 

"I guessed that, funnily enough. And you can't send me back, I'm guessing?"

"Also beyond my power. You're here now, Lord of Mar Koru. By the by, I'd keep that pendent hidden. There are an uncomfortable amount of people who know what that pendent entails and most of them will be interested in seeing your head on a plate." 

"Um, thanks for the advice." He picked up the pendent and lay it in his hand, studying it for a moment before tucking it underneath his T-shirt.

"Well, I think there is but one thing left to do here before I depart. You're several days travel from any sign of civilization and of course, it wouldn't do to leave you stranded out here. He tapped his staff, on the ground. The dust swirled around it, forming into a plain gray-white satchel. He picked it up and handed it to Daniel, who took it bemused.

"You'll find some food in there - enough to get you to town if you're careful. There's also a bedroll, a canteen full of water, and some money to get you started." 

"You're not coming with me?"

"I have business elsewhere, my dear boy. I came to see you off on your adventure and so I have. I've but one last thing."

 He lifted his staff and pointed westwards, across the rocks and barren landscape. 

"Civilization is that way, three days march as memory serves. Nothing too memorable - just a simple little village but from there, you will find things will start to get interesting. Good luck. Be careful of trusting people, I think we will see each other again. Goodbye!" 

"Wait - no!" Daniel stepped forward, just as Amar vanished entirely. He was completely by himself in the middle of a desert, holding a satchel filled with limited supplies. 

"Great," he kicked a rock. It bounced several feet away. "Just great. I'm stranded out here in the middle of nowhere, no memories and a pendent that will make people want to kill me. What am I supposed to do now?" 

But he already knew the answer to that question, he supposed. His memory wasn't going to return, and he definitely wasn't going to get himself home just by standing around in the desert. He threw the satchel over one shoulder, and started to walk in the direction Amar had pointed. 

Two hours later, he was sore all over, exhausted, and panting from the scorching heat. He stopped, finding what feeble shade he could underneath some rocks and took another swallow of water from the canteen. A stab of anxiety overtook him - what happened whenever his water run out? He was in the desert, after all. Water wasn't exactly a common sight. 

But there was no help for it. After a while, he forced himself to keep going, stumbling several more miles as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Darkness fell, he settled in for the night, pulling out some of the rations Amar had provided, which turned out to be flat, tasteless bread that looked like it had never heard of - nor ever would hear of - an expiration date. He ate some of it and lay flat on his back, studying the night sky. 

It was breathtaking. Two enormous moons dominated the sky - one a pale green, the other a darker blue. And the stars - millions of them, filling the sky in great clouds. He thought he could even see the swirling nebula amidst the stars. 

"It's beautiful," he said aloud. "But - so strange." He knew, studying the sky, that this wasn't what the sky at home looked like. Different constellations. Too many moons. As he studied the stars, he heard things, snarling predators. He thought back to what Amar had said about the Krajit and shivered, wondering what other nasty things waited in the night. 

He slept fitfully, and in the morning felt rather the worse for wear. 

I've got to get out of here, he thought. The sooner I can find this village or whatever, the better.

He took off again, stumbling through the wilderness. The second day walking was even worse, whatever sort of life he led before coming out here walking was clearly not a very large part of it. He was out of breath, his legs hurt, he was soaked with sweat. 

Around midday, he stumbled upon a stream and some actual greenery amidst all the red and the sand. He eagerly filled his canteen, drinking thirstily and stayed there for several hours before falling on the hard ground, staring up at the bright sky. He pulled the pendent out from under his shirt, studying it. 

Mar Koru, he thought. The Order of Light. I was drafted into some sort of crazy secret society.

The thought was just bizarre. After a short while, he put it up and continued the march, going for a few more hours before stopping for another rest and a bite to eat. The sun set, he pulled out the bedroll, crawled into it and tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was just like the last night: he heard noises all throughout the desert, nasty unpleasant things. 

It happened towards the end of the night, the sun was a pale promise on the horizon. A thing lunged at him, a shape still hidden in the darkness. He rolled aside, scrambling out from under the blankets, panicking. He had no weapons. No means of defense. Nothing to protect himself with. 

Another snarl. The creature lunged forward, this time he got a better look at it - it was a large lizard-like creature, about the size of a wolf, its back covered in long plated quills, rather like a porcupine. Razor sharp teeth gleamed out of the darkness. His heart was in his throat - he'd made it two days and now he was going to die, in a strange world with no memories. 

He backed up.

"Nice...whatever you are. I don't want to hurt you. But oh man - you want to kill me." He was aware of how stupid he sounded, standing out here, talking into a predator lizard plainly interested in eating him. The pendent suddenly flared white-hot against his chest. 

He hastily pulled it out, it began to glow with a bronze colored light, which slowly began to expand into a bubble surrounding him. The creature growled, lunged, but it couldn't break the shield. It snarled at him, backed off and vanished into the darkness. The bubble vanished, the pendent went dark and cold. 

Daniel let out a long breath, studying the pendent for a moment and tucked it underneath his shirt before staring up at the sky. 

"That was way too close," he said aloud. 

He began walking soon afterwards, thinking vaguely that he might get some traveling done while it was still cool and comfortable outside. He stumbled upon another stream, drank and ate some more of the food in the satchel, noting anxiously that it was starting to run low - maybe half a day's worth and then it was all gone. 

The day wore on, the sun rising higher and higher into the sky. He took several breaks, hot and tired and aching more than he could ever remember before. 

But he was rewarded. Towards the end of the day, he saw lights in the distance and the dim outlines of buildings. 

That must be the village, he thought. I made it.