The Heroes of Treecian Chapter One
Summer was over and the school year was sure to be filled with dread. Kendrick was already running late. He wished he could be flirtatious, cool, and confident but all he could be was the son of a great inventor. Living permanently in his father’s shadow. Kendrick’s mother had left them during the summer and the divorce was still fresh on Kendrick’s mind.
He couldn’t bear to go to school but he was eventually forced out. His best friend wasn’t even there to walk with Kendrick to school like usual since Jude had begun working on different routes. Kendrick dashed through the streets when his nose caught a delicious smell. The bakery was open nearby and the smell of baked goods tempted Kendrick. He knew that if he were to be claimed by the smell, he’d never leave so he painfully trudged closer and closer to the school.
“Ugh, here we go.”
. . .
The day flew by more or less. The only benefit of the first day was no schoolwork. Before he knew it, Kendrick was on his way home. The only good thing about it was that he got to talk to his best friend face to face again. As he walked along the sidewalk he saw something glimmering in the corner of his eye. He bent over to inspect it and saw a dirty ring. There was something in the center he couldn’t quite make out. He’d have to wash it off when he arrived home.
As he walked through the doors, he wanted to talk to his father but when he walked in, he saw his father asleep on his desk surrounded by schematics. His father was an inventor and was always drawing up new designs, that was his job they came from a long line of inventors starting with his great grandfather Julian Vance. He had a business partner named Skylar Rillem and they were both great inventors but Julian specialized in remote controlled technology. The family schematics were passed through generations of Vances.
Kendrick slowly creeped up to the bathroom and turned on the sink and put the ring under the flowing water. Instantly, the water pressure went haywire. The cold stream began to spin violently around the metal band, defying gravity as it spiraled upward into a miniature whirlpool. Kendrick stumbled backward, his back hitting the bathroom tile, his eyes wide with panic. The spinning water suddenly flared with a warm, glowing crimson light.
The droplets didn’t splash; instead, they vaporized into a thick, scarlet mist that smelled faintly of cinnamon and ozone. The steam coalesced over the sink, twisting and shaping itself until a small, translucent creature materialized, floating lazily in mid-air .It was a miniature dragon, no larger than a housecat, sculpted from solid red light with smoke curling softly around its tail. It stretched its wings, yawned a tiny puff of harmless warm air, and looked directly at Kendrick with a completely relaxed expression.
“Yo, what’s up Poppy?” a mysterious, incredibly laid-back voice asked.
Kendrick’s heart hammered against his ribs. He gripped the edge of the counter, his knuckles turning white. “W-Who are you?” he asked nervously, his voice cracking. The little dragon floated downward, resting its chin on its front paws as it drifted over the sink basin.
“Whoa, chill it out, my man. Let’s keep it chill. No need for high blood pressure. Name’s Red. Yours?”
“K-Kendrick,” he stammered, unable to take his eyes off the glowing red wings gently flapping to keep the creature airborne.
“Nice to meet you, Kendrick. I see you are very full of potential. Anywho, let’s get to business.” Red slipped the ring on Kendrick’s finger as a crimson smoke surrounded him. A belt materialized on his waist with smoke bombs, nun chunks, and a grappling hook. On his back, a red katana appeared. Kendrick was amazed by this and looked for a place to go.
“Yo, Poppy. I’m speaking in your head right now but you’re needed at the town park. Something may happen there and you could heighten your abilities and practice too.” Red advised. Kendrick struggled to grab the grappling hook on his belt but opened the bathroom window and fired the grappling hook. It latched onto a street light and Kendrick leaped.
“Woohoo!” Kendrick screamed like a maniac. For once, his mind was on nothing else but the feeling of pure adrenaline. It was like a drug and Kendrick was already addicted.
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. . .
Jude’s day at school had been pretty average. He’d gotten to see his friend again and got to catch up. On his way home from school, he decided to go through the park instead. While he was there he sat near the park fountain and saw something. It was a tiny medieval shield that was so small, it looked like it belonged to an action figure. When he picked it up, it immediately grew in size until it was big enough for him and then just as quickly as it had grown, it shrank, now pulsing with a humming glow.
On his way home from the park, Jude kept tight hold of the metal crest, seconds ago it had been nothing but a tiny shield, his mind racing. The copper light had vanished, but his muscles still hummed with a strange, unbreakable strength. He needed answers, so he headed straight to the one person who might actually believe him — his best friend, Kendrick. Jude quickly went into an alley way, a specific shortcut to Kendrick’s house.
Jude started picking up speed, but he was stopped in his tracks as the crest in his palm flared with blinding light.
“Hold, true citizen!” a booming, chivalrous voice echoed through the bedroom, vibrating with absolute authority. “Be not afraid!”
“What the — ?” Jude stumbled backward, “Who said that?!”
Out from the glowing sapphire crest stepped a tiny, translucent figure. It was a miniature lion sculpted from solid blue light, wearing an incredibly detailed, microscopic knight’s helm.
“Fear not, young squire!” the lion declared, drawing a minuscule glowing broadsword and raising it high. “I am Sir Cobalt! A valiant Mini Elemental bound to this sacred crest. For a thousand years, I hath slept, but now I awake to serve the cause of justice by your side!”
“A Mini Elemental?” Jude blinked, looking from the tiny lion over to Kendrick’s room interior. “Wait, you’re a knight?”
“Indeed! I am the shield for the defenseless and the hammer against the forces of darkness!” Sir Cobalt proclaimed, striking a heroic pose on Kendrick’s desk. “The bond is struck, Jude! I sense the pure heart of a protector within you. Together, we shall vanquish evil and uphold the code of honor!”
Jude couldn’t help but smile, feeling the instinctual knowledge of combat rushing through his veins. “So… how do we do this, Sir Cobalt? Can we start?”
“Thy readiness from such a young squire fills my spirit with pride!” Sir Cobalt roared valiantly. “Speak the oath of the realm, squire! Command the heavens by shouting the battle cry and we shall ride into glory!”
Jude gripped the crest, a brilliant copper aura enveloping his fist. Words shaped on the back, small enough for Jude to read and repeat aloud.
“I, Jude of the Haroldson lineage do hearby pledge my allegiance to the crest of Cobalt until I renounce ye to be a protector of this region.”
Suddenly, a massive burst of energy erupted from the crest, swirling around Jude like a fortress of light. Heavy, copper armor crystallized over his shoulders, and a towering shield materialized in his left hand, glowing with unstoppable power. Jude never felt more alive!
“Now come young squire! It is time to maintain order and peace!” Sir Cobalt roared.
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