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  Multiverse 1

  Rambling tales spanning Fantasy, Sci-fi, and in between…

  Chris Hechtl

  Copyright © 2014 by Chris Hechtl

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book and or portions thereof in any form.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and locations are fictional. Some may be parodies. Some characters are with permission. Any resemblance of some characters and places to others are strictly in the mind of the reader. :)

  Cover art by Chris Hechtl

  The models are owned by their respective creators and used under the usage license. Some models were made by Chris Hechtl; others were purchased on Daz3d.com or Renderosity.com.

  Proofread and copy edited by: Tim Brown, Jory Gray, Poon Yee, Ulrich Schlegel, and Thomas Burrows. Professionally copy edited by Rea Myers.

  This book wouldn't have come about without the hard work of all my beta readers but especially the dedicated hard work of Ulrich. He tirelessly toiled over “Bringer of Fire and Light” until he was heartily sick of the story. :)

  Thank you.

  Table of Contents

  Introduction to the book:

  Fantasy:

  Magical Audit

  Portal

  Sci-Fi

  The Cull

  MetalWar 2305

  Yo Ho Ho

  Trapper

  The Meat Grinder

  To Roar and Soar

  Sleigh Ride

  Hunters: The Karnack Rex and the Hellcat

  Ambush

  Survival of the Fittest

  Federation Stories:

  Higher for Hire

  Siren Call

  Bringer of Fire and Light

  Author's afterward:

  Appendix:

  Sneak Peek:

  Sneak Peek 2:

  Introduction to the book:

  The good, the bad and the ugly. When I get an idea, either in the shower, in um…never mind, but anyway, if I get an idea I throw it on paper or in a text file. Sometimes the meme will stay with me for a time, and I'll add and expand on to the initial thoughts…other times, it's a lost cause as I refocus on a current project. Here is a small sample of the short stories I've come up with over the past ten or so years. (There are hundreds of others that I'm not ready to share) As I said, the good, the bad and the ugly.

  Enjoy.

  Fantasy:

  Fantasy isn't really my cup of tea, but I do dabble in it from time to time. I'm no J.K. Rowling or Tolkien though. I do occasionally have a thought that needs to be expressed though, even if it is just to get it out of my head so I can get back to the current project at hand. Here are a few.

  I freely admit I am inspired by various things in books, television or movies. Or sometimes, a combination of two of those things. Of course, I always have to put my spin on things…

  Magical Audit

  Every one thousand years, the king and queen of magic do an audit. The king was the oldest of dragons, the queen a majestic unicorn. Thousands of years ago they had lent their magic to the select few mortals who they had chosen to be worthy. But there was a price; their descendants would be tested to be certain they were still worthy. Those that did not pass the test were stripped of their magic and became mortal. It is a nervous time for some; the magical live and trade their magic. They had built a community outside the mundane for themselves. As they aged those with special ability or interest moved deeper and deeper into the community away from the mundane mortals.

  The time for the human school of magic to be audited was nearly at hand. It was and had always been evenly divided into white and black magic, the ying and the yang. The magical community had declared it neutral ground, and a requirement for all magical beings to attend before being certified fit to use magic.

  Magic practice took many forms. Some humans used wands, primal magic or elemental. Others resorted to potions or shape-changing magic. Advanced users could use complicated powerful spells. Spells that could twist the very fabric of time and space to the user's will.

  Spells were the formulae needed by humans to perform advanced magic beyond the basics, also known as elementals. Humans had learned to do advanced magic, but the spells had to be broken down into components. Spells evolved as not only passwords but steps in the recipe to get what the user intended.

  For centuries those with magic relied on spell books and other forms to pass on knowledge and to list the steps involved. But when the normal humans created computers that changed. A spell register was created, and spell components were translated into code modules. A spoken spell executed the program.

  Over the past several decades, that process evolved and became easier to use. The latest version used a glowing holographic style interface in front of the user or over their arms. They could type out spells, notes, recipes, search the same, chat with others, or do other things. The spells could be activated with a touch or password command.

  Spell pockets had also been used for hundreds of years. Mundane items like pouches were used to contain space folds or portals. Space folds were the most compact but used the most amount of energy. A portal used the mouth of the container as a substrate. When a person put their hand inside, they reached through the portal into a physical space in their home or storage center. There was a limit though; a pouch could only pass through items as large as its mouth diameter.

  For thousands of years since the first generation of magic came about, magical animals of the high order used thought and primal magic to aid their partners. They had been imbued with their magic from their partners or from the king and queen. Over the centuries the animals had taken sides in the white versus black cold war. Familiars came in many forms: from cats, rats, owls, crows, stags, flowers, and trees to other animals like frogs and toads. There were also rare magical creatures, some sapient. They were ancient and mostly immortal. Some kept to themselves in the wilds like the Fairies, Leprechauns, Wyvern, Mermaids, Yeti, and others. The Phoenix was the champion of the white, the Black Cobra champion of the dark.

  The Phoenix was the familiar of the current headmaster who was a white wizard, one of the most powerful in the magical community. She was a white gold, majestically beautiful. The dark arts professor had a smoke-like Black Cobra, one who tended to stay in the shadows.

  Professor Dermigan, the dark arts teacher, was one of the strongest of the dark arts wizards. He kept in the school, exchanging his position with professor Calif, the current headmaster, every year for centuries. Some questioned Dermigan's preoccupation with the school. He would tell them he liked to be on the lookout for the competition while slowly twisting and molding the young.

  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  There came a time when the Gray twins, Garnod and Nurnico, grew old enough to enter the magical high school. The school was a combination of magical school and high school, one that was hidden from the nonmagical.

  The two humans were identical twins, a boy Garnod and his sister Nurnico. The girl always dressed in flowing white and gold, the boy in black leather trimmed in gold. Each had a pendant on a necklace. The girl had a silver unicorn with gold eyes; the boy had a golden dragon with silver eyes. The boy had black hair with red streaks and highlights; the girl had white hair with silver streaks and highlights. The boy had freckles and a dark complexion; the girl was a pale ivory white. The boy was husky and broad; the girl was slim and tiny.

  To attend the school they had to pass an entry exam. The teachers tried to assess which side they were on, white or dark. The twins were quiet through the entire exam and did not answer nor give a personal preference. They were declared neutral, though the boy did have a sign of the theatrical and darkness while the girl seemed sweet and innocent.

  Their
magical powers were assessed. The master in charge was disgusted when the report came in; they had a very low ranking. The white instructor had them test on a few simple tricks and then gave them a probationary pass.

  The kids settled into their dorms. The school was a magical place, a blending of modern, ancient and magical. The freshman kids were bumped and picked on constantly, however. They were misdirected and bullied. Tricks, some of them magical, were played on them. The general hazing from other more advanced students was ignored; those that lashed out tended to get into trouble. The girl had sad eyes when she was hazed. Both of the twins tended to remain aloof and alone when not in the presence of the other.

  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  The twins took classes together since they were ranked the same and were both first-year students. They were shy, always together and mumbled or spoke softly. They ate their meals together. Garnod, the boy, seemed ravenous for meat at meal times; the girl, Nurnico, was dainty with her salads. They didn't fit in with other students but did marginally well for most of the freshman classes.

  A few of the teachers were on the lookout for the outsiders of the community. They always seemed homesick, troubled and unable to fit into the various houses or structure of the school without help. They noted the twins liked to read together in the library or sit out in the sun admiring nature around them.

  The very first class they had to pass was Professor Grundel's introduction to magical programming. The course was dry and tedious but a necessary foundation for later. In the class they learned to make a magical registry and started the steps to learn how to program modules.

  Many students complained quietly about the class and why they didn't get to just download the spells into the modules. The professor would look down on them and assign them additional chores.

  For the freshman chores were mundane, using physical labor to do a chore. Magic was horded by some, but doing labor was frowned upon. Some rich upperclassman had magical creatures to do the work for them, but freshmen were banned from such crutches for their first year. It was a lasting tie to the days of the apprenticeship program.

  The professor's course introduced them to the basics of mundane math and computer coding. Those students that had some experience with both in mundane schools fared better. They learned to compare some of the more basic spell codes to algebra formulas as much as to computer code.

  “I still don't see why we can't just download the knowledge with magic,” a student griped.

  “You must learn to control your magic. Freshman, so eager. Without discipline, control and patience, you will fail,” the professor sniffed. “You have to learn to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run or fly,” he said.

  “Or port,” a student in the back said.

  “Or port,” the professor acknowledged with a grudging nod. “It gets easier after the first year. IF you pass the exam, and to do that…,” he said walking over to a snoozing student. He waved his wand, and a glass of water appeared over the boy's head. “…One has to…PAY ATTENTION!” he said. With a fillip of his wand, the glass disappeared, and the water dropped all over the boy's head.

  He sputtered, falling out of his chair as the class tittered. The professor turned in a whirl of his robes and advanced back to the head of the class. The boy got back in his seat, shivering. “That should teach you not to sleep in my class,” the professor said over his shoulder. “If that doesn't, the 500-line essay should do the trick,” he said.

  The boy grumbled, head down. Though he nodded.

  The professor turned his eyes on the class. “As I was saying, you must pay attention and get past the first exams in order to advance. You have three tries at my class, but honestly, if you can't pass it in the first, your time here is limited at best,” he said, looking down his nose doubtfully at some of the marginal students. “So, I encourage you to do your homework, pay attention and spend what free time you can in the library. You won't be able to read the more advanced work, but the lists of spells should inspire you to keep your nose to the grindstone,” he said. He nodded and then waved the wand like a conductor. “Now, on to chapter three…,” he said as the books in front of the class flipped to the proper page.

  When the bell rang, the class ended and the students rose. The professor nodded, watching his students file out. Some he knew were trying; others had an illicit start and were bored with the class. Some had help he knew, private tutoring in advance or on the side. Those with family connections or connections to the staff always found a way around doing the work. He sniffed in disdain. But some, some did try. He noted the Gray twins and nodded as they left clutching their books to their chests.

  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  “Magic can keep one young and virtually immortal but for a price. As long as one has magic, they will keep their youth, but should they run dry, they will wither and age. Nature must have her day, and the balance must be restored. None can outrun death forever,” Garnod read out loud. He had a slight sneer. Nurnico looked up and cocked her head thoughtfully. She smiled slightly, eyes twinkling.

  “True…for most,” the librarian said from behind her counter. “And do please keep it down children,” she said, projecting her voice to them. “Others are studying,” she said.

  The twins looked up and nodded, then went back to their reading.

  The librarian was surprised at their advanced reading when she came by and snooped over their shoulders. She snorted it off as they were in over their head. The material was encrypted; only those powerful enough could read it. That was until she saw them exploring the advanced college level techniques. That had her confused and wary. Freshman who dabbled in the advanced magic without the proper foundation were usually stymied, or worse, they died when their spells backfired. But before she could confront them, she was swarmed with students coming in to get their textbooks. She pulled them from her sleeves, passing them out. The advanced students were given downloads; a simple touch and the information was transmitted to their special tombs. When the day had ended, she had forgotten the incident.

  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  Each professor exemplified their narrow profession. They stood out against the students, powerful.

  The head horticulturalist was a walking tree. He encouraged a love and understanding of nature.

  The dark arts professors taught how to harness and direct dark emotions, to think beyond the surface and to think strategically. Some were into potions; others were crafters of dark artifices, spells, contracts, and creatures.

  The librarian encouraged the search for knowledge, the animal Magus the inner emotional search and primal combat.

  The befuddled research professor was accidentally/on purpose knocked down carrying a load of books in the main concourse. He was apologetic as he gathered his things, bent over in the way. Other staffers and students were contemptuous. Some of the dark ones maliciously stepped through the papers, kicking them further afield or damaging them. “Oops,” a girl snickered, twisting her foot on one and then moving on.

  “He's always like that. Why he doesn't keep that all stored elsewhere on another plane is beyond me,” the animal Magus murmured. He changed himself into a mouse and scampered through the feet, startling a few students into jumping about with his electric shocks or just his sudden appearance.

  The twins, however, stopped to help the mumbling professor. He thanked them for their kindness, adjusting his glasses to peer at them owlishly. He was surprised when an artifact he had thought broken turned out to be repaired after the twins examined it.

  He had a love of magic, of the wonder of it all. Others were cynical; they took it for granted after years of working with magic. He didn't.

  The bumbling professor encouraged a continued sense of wonder and exploration. When a student failed, he was there with praise unlike other professors who berated them. He was kind, nurturing. “It is through mistakes that one learns. It is from picking oneself up once more that you learn true inner strength.”<
br />
  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  During the introduction to the magic course, the professor led them in a debate. The topic was speculation on the Unicorn and Dragon, how they made magic and their motives on why they distributed it. How they must get rid of it to survive was the leading theory countered by those who thought that the two weren't the makers of the magic at all, just the keepers. Some contended the two were just a myth. Students had to research each subject as homework.

  The teacher was smug during his presentation. He ended it with a statement. “They won't judge us badly because the two needed to get rid of their magic. That is my theory backed by the ministry of magical research. All evidence points in that direction, but for extra credit, I'll entertain you to find evidence of a different opinion.” He held up a warning finger. “Do be aware. I will be quite scathing on cross examination, and you will defend your work, not just submit any drib or drab. Thorough work, properly researched, with attending links in a bibliography. And those who do submit a paper and it is rubbish...” he smiled nastily. “Well, I'll have to find something to show you the errors of your ways,” he said. The two twins looked at each other. Garnod raised an amused eyebrow to his sister. She looked away. Both said nothing however and didn't rise to the challenge.

  >~~~~~****~~~~~<

  Dark students reveled in cruelty, tormenting others, those of their own stripe or whites or innocents. Animals were a fond target. Some were open about it; others hid it. Some put on an act but were cold and calculating, drawing in power for themselves. They all lied to some degree, though some told the truth knowing others would think they were lying, a twist of reverse psychology.