The Traveler Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Copyright © 2021 XANDER JADE

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Cover design by: Alex_gavrilas

  THE TRAVELER

  BY

  XANDER JADE

  Chapter 1

  It was another long, crappy day at Phantasmedia Software Company. Don’t let the name fool you, it was merely a name and just one division of our company. The other divisions were production, which handled our solar or photovoltaic cells. Then we had our mechanical division, which handled the implementation and maintenance of these, and other products designed by our company. I could work in all the above divisions. I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, lucky me.

  My name is Dominic or Dom for short. I stand about six feet two inches, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a slim build, the result of years of doing martial arts, mostly Krav Maga. I graduated with a double major. Development and electrical engineering degrees. There are not many people who studied both these fields, so I found myself in demand at all times. Even though the pay was great at Phantasmedia, I was constantly annoyed by all the mandates and requests I received before I was done with a project. Since I was the team leader, everyone expected me to finish my duties quickly, but the ass wipes didn’t understand how hard the shit was they wanted done. Ugh!

  Anyway, I was working with my team on a new photovoltaic cell, as our latest attempt had been disastrous, when the cell arc flashed. It was a good thing we were wearing safety gear, otherwise our group could’ve been seriously injured. We were damn lucky.

  After cleaning up and disposing of the material properly, my team and I went to our lab to get back to the drawing board. We had a few more weeks to get the kinks worked out, and we would need every bit of time to get it functioning. Again, our lazy supervisors had no idea how fucking tough it was to develop these types of things in the time they gave us.

  Shit, sorry, I’m ranting and getting off subject. We had to figure out how to fix and implement circuits for these panels because of the new electrical system they started using this past year. At the very beginning, I told them it would need to be a new photovoltaic cell design. The team I was in before this shit had handled software for the processing units that our test robots used. They were state-of-the art and I enjoyed that division immensely, but when our production side of the company came out with their latest product, they failed to tell anyone of the new enhancements. It would’ve been fine if they were discussed and planned out beforehand, but that didn’t happen. The consequences were found out quickly. The photovoltaic panels we had used in the past worked great for a couple weeks, but then they started degrading and within a couple more weeks, they just stopped charging. The higher ups were obviously in bad moods because the new electrical panels were supposed to be shipping out in a couple months. Now, when we finally figured out said problem, the consumer would have to buy the cell panel too. Lucky them. So, the bastards pulled me over and told me to fix it.

  “We need to have this working quickly and proficiently. ASAP!” the CFO and COO yelled.

  Fuckin pricks! Now, I was going back and forth trying to come up with the solution and design of the new cell. The design wasn’t too far off from the previous, somewhat longer and thicker for the new circuits we needed to use. It had been a long and stressful week.

  Sighing, I got back to cleaning up my workspace. Just thinking about that shit pissed me off, but I needed to concentrate on getting this done before leaving for the weekend. I was ready to get home and online to play the MMORPG game Nightleaf. My guild found the dungeon we were currently at a couple nights ago. It had been tough getting through the levels, ending up with us getting our asses handed to us by a Lich boss on the last level. That bastard was tough. Lily, our rogue, was determined to get through it that night, but I was skeptical. We needed more mages to take it down. Our team had been playing together for about a year now, players from all over the world coming together to do what we loved to do. Play video games. I liked to go home after work and relax, not worrying about our project. Somehow the company expected me to work until the projects were done, but on another note, it did make things interesting with all the overtime pay.

  I clocked out on Friday at 4:30 pm and headed home on my moped. Yeah, I know, GEEK! Getting to my apartment thirty minutes later, I hopped into the shower, wanting to wash the day’s worries away. After completing the task, I made myself a chicken salad sandwich and sat down to relax for a few minutes to think about my itinerary. Since it was Friday, I was getting online with my crew, but was leaving the next day to head out into the forest to go camping. I was an avid outdoorsman. Any time I could get out and explore or hunt, my ass was there. My armory contained many guns and bows. Some people thought I was a little crazy but hey I didn’t give a crap. I was going to head out to my favorite spot in the Aurelia National Forest, and relax after the hectic three months my employers had put me through. Crap, I needed to get my gear together. Jumping up, I headed upstairs.

  ~~~~~~

  An hour later, I sat down at the computer and signed in. My peeps were already on and waiting. When they saw I was on, they immediately went into the dungeon to tackle the beasts and evil doers. Everyone was in a good mood, but when we reached the boss level, the bastard Lich killed us again. The others were arguing about how to take it down; I was in the background just listening and wondering if we would ever get past this boss.

  Two hours later, when it seemed our team would accomplish nothing else, we took a break saying we’d regroup in the next couple of days. I advised them about my trip and they told me to get some rest and be ready when I got back. Shutting down my computer, I went to bed.

  Dawn came early and my alarm went off. Everything went as per my usual routine. A few minutes later, after dressing and brushing my teeth, I grabbed a muffin and a banana for breakfast, then left in my sedan down Hwy 23. Three hours later, I pulled up to the ranger station and talked with Roger for a few minutes before hurrying up to the parking lot. Grabbing my pack, I hiked up the hills to my favorite spot and set up camp. After getting the tent set, I went out to grab some firewood for later that night, and when satisfied that everything was in the right place, I pulled out a protein bar to eat for lunch. A few minutes later, I put a pair of binoculars around my neck, grabbed a bow with a few arrows for protection, then headed up the mountain.

  Stopping frequently and searching for any animals or birds that were around, I saw a few foxes and rabbits, a couple doe, but not much else. After hours of hiking, I headed back to camp where I put away the equipment I’d used and pulled out my PPCS to start dinner. When the food preparations were done, I lit the wood to get the fire going for some warmth. It would be cool during the night.

  When I finished dinner and the stove cooled down, I stowed it in my tent, then got up and walked into the forest about a hundred feet. I took some deep, cleansing breaths, and found the air pure. The s
unset streamed orange, red, and purple across the sky. I smiled and just watched as the sun descended slowly, but in the northeast the sky was a deep black. I didn’t remember any mention of storms for the weekend and the sudden lightning ripping through the dark clouds was a sign of trouble. Walking back to the camp, I sat down on my stool and watched the storm coming closer and closer.

  Night was approaching. My shoulders slumped. The outdoorsman in me saw my weekend shot from the impending weather, and I had no idea of the extent of it because I had no signal on my cell phone.

  Lightning struck close by. I jumped up to run to the safety of my tent. Just as I was scampering inside, lightning struck my camp. I screamed from the excruciating pain. It felt like being stung by a thousand bees at once. I was in agony for over a minute. As the pain slowly dissipated, my heart started pounding. It pumped faster and faster, almost to the point where I felt like it would explode. An intense light appeared, blinding me for a few moments. Then it, too, disappeared and I felt as though my body was shutting down; my arms and legs were numb, my breathing slowed. So this was what it was like to die. Seconds later, the darkness enfolded me.

  Chapter 2

  I tried to open my eyes, but I felt groggy. My body was cold all over and I stretched both arms to figure out what was going on. I felt a wet substance as my hands flowed through what seemed to be grass. Okay, I must still be in the woods. I forced my eyes open, and groaned as I lifted my torso to try to determine the situation. I opened my eyes wide as I took in the surrounding scenery, a clearing filled with green grass and trees as far as I could see. This wasn’t my habitual camping area, but I couldn’t fathom how I got there and had no idea where I was. Getting myself off the ground, I took some deep breaths, giving me time to think about my current predicament. I looked up towards the sky for answers, but couldn’t get a good reading on the time of day as it was overcast.

  I turned in a lazy circle, focusing on trying to find some kind of trail or road; maybe I could find something familiar by walking for a bit. After a couple minutes, I thought fuck it and moved towards a dirt path over to the right of the clearing. As I ventured off through the woods, I looked down at my attire. I was still wearing the t-shirt, khaki pants, and leather boots I wore to the campsite. But my pants were inches shorter, like they had shrunk, and my white t-shirt seemed tighter. I went through my pockets and my wallet and keys were gone.

  What the hell? Did some bastards rob me and drop my body off to rot somewhere out of sight? All I remember was that lightning strike and extreme pain before blacking out.

  Gasping, I checked over my body to see how badly I was injured. I was stumped. No visible wounds or burns.

  I was struck by lightning for god’s sake, that should’ve left injuries on my body. Weird. Very, very weird.

  I grumbled curses as I walked, but made my way through the forest, alert, looking around to make sure no one was following or sneaking up on me. After what felt like hours, but was probably only half an hour, the trail stopped. I thought over and over again about my last memories before I found myself in this forest.

  Either that lightning messed with my brain, or I’m dead. Well, maybe not actually dead. Perhaps I’m in a coma, lying in a hospital bed. I’ve always wondered what that would be like. Not that I wanted it to actually happen.

  Shit, this is getting me nowhere, I’ll just keep going.

  I scanned the area, trying to figure out what my next step was, and saw something further up ahead, a kind of structure. It seemed to be a cabin. I was heading that way when I heard something like a growl behind me. I whipped my head around and frantically looked in all directions, until I found the source of the noise. A black, malnourished panther. I looked around to see if it had a friend, but it seemed to be just this one. Not wanting to make any sudden moves, I stood stock still as the feline moved closer, walking around me to the other side. I didn’t really understand what was going on at that moment, so I just waited.

  The damn panther was watching me and backing up. I looked towards where it was moving to and saw what looked to be a carcass of some kind. It made sense now; the panther thought I was going to eat its dinner. I almost laughed aloud but thought better about it and started easing my way towards the cabin. The sorry-looking cat was still baring its teeth but not with intent to kill, just warning me to stay away. It also appeared to be injured. Its front legs and hindquarters had fresh gashes on them which were bleeding. I guessed the critter had to fight for his meal and was recuperating when I came up.

  Knowing I might not have much time, my feet took me quickly to my destination, and I took in the rundown structure before me. Damn, it wasn’t much of a shelter, seeing as the windows and some parts of the roof were coming apart.

  I heard grumbling overhead. I looked up and scanned the sky. A storm was coming. Seriously? Another storm to deal with? I hurried towards the cabin before any rain came. The door was still on its hinges, but open. Inside, I noticed first off that it was furnished: couch, kitchen table, and chairs. There was a long bookshelf in the hallway that housed many books that looked somewhat taken care of. I looked closely at some. The titles were in a language that I didn’t know, but the illustrations gave me the impression they were some kind of training manuals. Maybe related to wood or metal.

  Going further along the hallway, three rooms came into view with beds that looked like no one had slept in them for a long time. There was dust everywhere, the rooms smelled musty too. There were also closets in all three rooms, but aside from this furniture and a dresser in the first room, there was nothing else. Weird. But when I looked in the closets I found a multitude of items. One closet had clothes hanging, shirts, brown pants with strings to tie at the waist instead of buttons, and some leather boots on the floor. There was a dagger in a sheath on a shelf with a few other knives. I picked up the former and checked to see if it was useful. It was still in good shape, the edges were sharp, and the hilt was secure.

  At least I can use this to defend myself. I put it to the side and checked the other knives. One was for cleaning animals and the other two were for everyday use. I told you, I’m outdoorsy, so I know this kind of stuff. Well, I can’t really take all the credit for this knowledge, my grandfather taught me everything I know. My dad died when I was eight, so grandpa took it upon himself to show me what it meant to be in the Williams family. At least until he passed away five years ago. I miss that man. Dad, too.

  Shaking my head, I looked back down at the knives. Picking up the blades, I walked out of the front bedroom and put them on the table before going to look in the other bedroom closets.

  The next closet only had a map of the area and I would look at it in depth later but the last one had books on the shelves, which was peculiar. Why not have these out in the hallway with the others?

  I could read a couple of these titles, but the others were in another language. The names of the books I could read were Basic Understanding of Runes and History of Risona. Runes? What the hell would anybody use that for? I’d only heard about runes in video games, enchanters used them. I then had another confused thought. Risona? Where the hell is that? Never heard of it.

  Putting those books to the side for a moment, I poked around some more and saw at the back of the closet, a recurve bow with a quiver lying to the side. Picking the bow up, I looked it over, then tried the draw and found it to be at least 50 to 60 pounds. A good weight since more than likely I would probably need it soon, especially if that panther was still out there. As I was taking the bow and quiver to the kitchen, I was startled by the loud thunder and lightning outside. I hurriedly put down the items in my hands and went to the window to see how bad the storm was. I pulled back the dust covered drapes and scanned the gloomy sky. Well, I wouldn’t be going out anytime soon it seemed, so I tied the drapes to the sides on the hooks provided, and went back to the table.

  I plopped down onto the chair, uncertain if it would hold my weight since it looked worn out and old. Nothing happened
, thank goodness, so I picked the bow back up and carefully looked it over. It had some type of script writing I couldn’t decipher and could swear it looked like some of those in the MMO games I played. It was in great shape, no splits or cracks that I could see. The arrows looked pretty new as well, which was odd considering by the look and smell of this place, it would seem that no one had been there for a long time. I picked up the dagger to examine it further. It had the same writing on it too, which I couldn’t decipher. I put the blade down, and tried to get things straight in my head.

  I woke up not knowing where I was and not seeing my camping equipment anywhere. A dirt path led me to this delightful piece of property, out in the fuckin woods in the middle of nowhere with clothes and weapons that just happen to be here as well. A bookshelf with books in the hallway filled with what looks to be skills or crafts that are business oriented. Another hidden shelf in a closet that holds books with information about runes and the history of a place that I haven’t even heard of. Really, what the fuck is going on?

  I huffed and went back to the hallway to further inspect some of the other books. They seemed to be about training with weapons and what looked to be some sort of itemized list of elements. At least it would seem that way from looking at the pics inside, since the language was foreign to me.

  I shook my head. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but was going to find out. Outside the storm was still raging. I went back to investigating the house, but the only thing I found were leaks in a few spots at the back of the cabin. Not knowing where any tools were to fix or patch the problem, I went into the kitchen to see if there was running water. I stopped short and actually checked the appliances or lack thereof in the kitchen. There was an old-fashioned stove but no fridge or microwave, and also no faucet at the sink. A pump was in its place.