Okay my friend is wrting a book for his school work, and I am helping him out so here it is tell me if you like it. I only have the first 2 chapters
“Don’t do that!” I yelled, but it was too late. FWOOM! The entire building suddenly filled with a dense yellow cloud of foul smelling smoke.
“Everybody go outside!” I said gasping for any of the fresh air that remained in the room. We all headed for the front door. You’d think people would be curious about this kind of thing and come to help, but by now the town has gotten used to it, so when my alchemy students and I made it outside, nobody seemed to notice. By now the cloud had mostly dispersed and after a quick headcount, I walked over to Jeremy my youngest student and said: “I’m sorry about that. I guess I forgot to tell you that you should never heat elemental sulpher in a zinc pot, they react.” Suddenly the quizzical expression on his face faded away and the expression of understanding took its place. “Class dismissed and we will resume next week,” I said as I entered the school to check for any damage. After a quick examination I locked up the doors and headed home. I decided to take the long way home through the market to pick up some food. I bought some meat and a handful of potatoes and started for home when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
“Hey! Kelvin! Come here.” It was my old friend Arthur, a slightly overweight shop owner in charge of my alchemy supplies. “That shipment of potash came in this morning, would you like it now?”
“No,” I replied. “I spent all my money on some food.”
“Ok, but don’t forget I have it”, he told me.
“Sure thing” I said assuringly as I began to leave.
“Oh, Kelvin!” I turned my head to face Arthur.
“I almost forgot to tell you. Some guy has been asking people about you.”
“About me? What did he want?” I asked curiously. Arthur probed his memory for a second.
“Just if anyone knew you,” he answered. I thanked Arthur for all his help and headed home, wandering who could possibly be asking about me. When I finally got home, I set the food on the counter.
“Are you Kelvin of Sherwood, the alchemist?” I practically jumped three feet in the air and turned around to see who had startled me. It was a tall and slender man in a hooded robe. Trying to be polite I answered his question.
”The one and only. What can I do for you?” He removed his hood and suddenly I realized he wasn’t any ordinary man. “You’re an elf!” I said in amazement.
“I certainly don’t see what’s so surprising about it.” The elf said inquisitively.
“It’s just you don’t see many elves around here.” I answered him.
“Getting to the point, my master Elrohir, the Elvin king requires your help. You have been asked to come to the council of the elves. Transportation will be provided and all the information will be given you upon arrival.”
“Elrohir needs MY help?” I asked in disbelief. “But I have a school to teach. And why does he need me?”
“We will make it worth your while. You will be told everything when you get there. Your transportation will arrive tomorrow.” He told me as he left. What a day this has become I thought to myself. The next morning after eating a quick snack, I packed up some stuff for the trip. I was just about to leave when there was a loud knock at the door. I opened the door and there was Jeremy with the potash I had ordered from Arthur.
“I came to apologize for the accident yesterday, and wish you good luck on your trip.” He handed me the potash and explained that he had followed me yesterday to apologize and overheard both what Arthur and the elf had said. I thanked Jeremy and sent him home just as my ‘transportation’ arrived.
“Horses!? The Elvin king needs me and the best he can send are horses!?” I said in amazement.
“These aren’t just any horses; they are one of the finest breeds of horses infused with Pegasus blood. They are faster, stronger, and all together better than any horse today.” Said the horseman.
“Whatever.” I said with a sigh as I mounted the horse. Off we went to the great city of Albreda. Had I known what I was getting myself into, I probably wouldn’t have done it. The trip took three long days, each filling my head with different reasons why I should never have come. We stopped only for food at the few inns on the trail and to rest the horses. “Are we there yet?” I goaded the horseman.
“Albreda is just over these hills,” he responded tersely. Just as we came to the top of the hill the valley came into view. The elegant city of Albreda in the distance glistening in the evening sun. I had only heard stories about this magnificent city, but words cannot describe its beauty. A river ran from the city to the horizon looking like a serpent of Mercury. As we trotted on I could see the king’s palace. It seemed different, as though it was made before the rest of the city. My heart pounded with anticipation as we neared the outskirts. Once in the city we were greeted with stares, as if the Elves hadn’t seen men before. I remembered how I had reacted to Elrohir’s servant and realized they probably hadn’t seen many men in Albreda. The horseman turned towards me and said:
“This is it, the council of the Elves.” I looked where he was motioning. It was a large gate guarded by two Elves in armor. He told the guards something in Elven who then opened the gate. I quickly dismounted my horse and stepped inside where I was greeted by the Elf who came to my house.
“This way,” he told me as he walked up a spiral staircase made of stone. He led me through a seemingly endless set of doors and hallways and to a reception room where eight other people stood.
“Wait here while I send for King Elrohir,” said the Elf just before walking through yet another set of doors on the other end of the room.
“Are there any more besides you?” said a young man with a chuckle.
“Not that I know of,” I told him with a serious tone of voice.
“Hi, my name’s Rivith of Salem,” he told me as he held out his hand. I shook it and answered him,”I’m Kelvin of Sherwood.”
“I too am from Salem,” said a long haired blonde who hadn’t so much as moved since I came in. “My name is Elbereth.”
“Elbereth? It sounds Elvish, but you aren’t an Elf? Are you?”
“My grandmother was an Elf and her name was Elbereth, my mother named me after her. I have inherited some of her keen elf senses though. ”
“It’s nice to meet you Elbereth,” I said to her in a hushed voice.
“So…what are you?” came a voice from behind the group. A woman about the same height as Elbereth appeared. “I mean, Rivith is a swordsman, Elbereth is an archer and I’m a mage.”
“I’m an alchemist,” I said just as the servant returned.
“The king will see you now.”
CHAPTER 2
Rivith
We all walked into the next room. A large solid oak table sat in the middle and on the cold stone walls hung Elven tapestries.
“I am Elrohir, king of the Elves. First off I will tell you why you are here. You were chosen because of your unique talents and the fact that none of you have any family.
“What is this, some kind of entertainment?!” asked one of the men who had been summoned.
“If you can hold your tongue long enough I’ll tell you why you’re here!” he snapped back. “Recently a very rare and important orb has been stolen from us. It makes us immortal if we are in range of it. It is for this reason that we would like you to keep quiet about it. Also we don’t want to cause a panic. Witnesses say it was stolen by Dwarves and our spies have reported that they seem to be preparing for war. We need you to sneak into the Dwarf city of Var Naeborn and take back our orb. If the Dwarves succeed in destroying us, the destruction of your powerless cities will seem effortless, no offense.
“None taken,” said Kelvin in disbelief.
“You will also be paid handsomely for your trouble. We would send our own, but it is futile without protection. It will be very dangerous and some of you may not return alive. If you wish to return home and forget you ever came here you may leave now. Without hesitation three men and a woman turned around and left the room.
“Will anyone else leave?” the king questioned. We all looked at each other wondering if anyone would change their mind. A few seconds later Elrohir’s voice broke the silence.
“Then the rest of you will set off tomorrow after a good nights sleep and gathering anything you may need, which of course will be given you. Any questions? No? Then you will be escorted to your rooms. Good night.” We were led down a hall to a row of doors on the right.
“You may choose any room you like,” said the servant with a sigh. I chose my room and crashed on the warm fluffy bed. The next morning I woke to an unfriendly yell.
”Wake up sleepy head!” I looked up to see Kelvin sitting in the chair next to my bed. “Oh, good. You’re awake. Hurry up and eat something so we can pack up and go.”
“What’s the rush? Is the place on fire?” I asked him hoping he wouldn’t notice me going back to sleep. He did.
“No silly, this place is made out of stone,” he whispered in my ear.
“Rise and shine!” yelled Nara. She had introduced herself to me just before Kelvin had walked into the reception room, but she didn’t tell me she was a mage.
“You guys can’t wait to go, can you?” I asked them.
“Nope!” they replied simultaneously as they slammed the door behind them. With some reluctance I got out of bed and packed up. I walked down the hall to what I hoped was Kelvin’s room. Luckily it was.
“What’re you guys doing?” I asked, but nobody paid any attention to me, so I repeated the question. This time Nara replied.
“Checking a map to find the best route to Var Naeborn.” Elbereth pointed to a spot on the map and said:
“We can follow the river most of the way. At least until we get to the lake.” Nara looked from the map to me and then behind me. All of a sudden she jumped to her feet, looked at me and said:
“Oh, Rivith. You fell asleep so early last night you forgot to meet Soren” She pointed to the opposite corner of the room. There stood a short man eating an apple. I was so sleepy and hadn’t even noticed him when I came in.
“I’m sorry, my name is Rivith.” I extended my hand; he stared at me for a moment. He seemed confused at first, but he snapped out of it and shook my hand.
“I’m Soren.”
“What do you do for a living?” I asked him.
“I study mythical creatures. And you?”
“I’m a blacksmith and a swordsman.”
“Well it’s nice to see you two getting acquainted, but we have to leave if we want to get to Van Naeborn before the end of this century!” Kelvin butted in.
“Well, what are we waiting for?!” Elbereth exclaimed. Soon we were on our way to retrieving the Elves’ orb. It was noon by the time we had reached that lovely river we had seen on the trail here, but it wasn’t as nice as it seemed earlier. It had a light green tint to it; probably from the Dwarves’ copper mines. The Dwarves were widely known for their knowledge of all things metal. As a matter of fact, I once used one of their inventions; a metal known as adamantium on my long sword. Adamantium is stronger than diamond and as light as steel. It is also impervious to anything you throw at it. Metallurgy isn’t the only thing Dwarves are known for. They are also known for being master brewers. That’s one of the things that influenced me to go. The view was glorious. Directly in front of us were breathtaking snow topped mountains. To the right were endless acres of hills and green meadows. The great Elven city Albreda stood tall and proud behind us and to our left, well… most of the view was glorious.
“So Nara,” Elbereth inquired, “What exactly does a mage do?”
“Well, lots of things. I have mastered the art of containing all of the four elements; fire, water, earth and air, whereas most mages can only master one. It is contained in limitless supplies in these special jars.” She took four jars out of her pack, each glowing with its own brilliant color. She explained that each of the jars contained its own element in a liquid form called essence.
“What would happen if you were to break one of them?” asked Soren.
“I’m not sure. I was told not to and I never have,” she replied. The whole idea of elemental essence seemed to have sparked Kelvin’s attention. Of course what didn’t; he seemed to be a naturally curious person. Before long it was sunset and we’d decided to set camp before dark. Nara and Elbereth decided to set up the beds. Soren and I felt we hadn’t been properly introduced, so we began to talk while scavenging firewood. We returned to camp with some oak logs and branches and laid them in a pile.
“We found some wood, but it’s still green and may be hard to light,” Soren declared.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nara said as she picked out a jar of essence from among some other things and walked over to the pile of wood. She pulled out the stopper and poured a drop onto the logs. Suddenly the entire pile went up in flames.
“Aw. A limitless supply of the stuff and you only use a drop?” I moaned.
“Yeah!” Kelvin and Soren said simultaneously.
“Why are boys so destructive?” Elbereth mocked.
“I really don’t know,” Nara played along, trying to keep from laughing.
It wasn’t long before we were all sleeping. Except for the occasional bug bight, I slept better than usual and the next morning I was up before everyone else. The fire had died and all that remained were ashes and an occasional ember. I went to my saddle bag and grabbed an apple. For a split second a shadow came over me. My heart raced as I looked in the sky; not a single cloud. Whatever it was, it was big and it’s gone. I decided it was time to go, so I walked over to Kelvin and ‘whispered’ in his ear.
“Wake up sleepy head!” He jumped and so did the others.
“What’s your problem Rivith?! You’re so childish!” Nara groaned. Kelvin laughed silently
“Don’t do that!” I yelled, but it was too late. FWOOM! The entire building suddenly filled with a dense yellow cloud of foul smelling smoke.
“Everybody go outside!” I said gasping for any of the fresh air that remained in the room. We all headed for the front door. You’d think people would be curious about this kind of thing and come to help, but by now the town has gotten used to it, so when my alchemy students and I made it outside, nobody seemed to notice. By now the cloud had mostly dispersed and after a quick headcount, I walked over to Jeremy my youngest student and said: “I’m sorry about that. I guess I forgot to tell you that you should never heat elemental sulpher in a zinc pot, they react.” Suddenly the quizzical expression on his face faded away and the expression of understanding took its place. “Class dismissed and we will resume next week,” I said as I entered the school to check for any damage. After a quick examination I locked up the doors and headed home. I decided to take the long way home through the market to pick up some food. I bought some meat and a handful of potatoes and started for home when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
“Hey! Kelvin! Come here.” It was my old friend Arthur, a slightly overweight shop owner in charge of my alchemy supplies. “That shipment of potash came in this morning, would you like it now?”
“No,” I replied. “I spent all my money on some food.”
“Ok, but don’t forget I have it”, he told me.
“Sure thing” I said assuringly as I began to leave.
“Oh, Kelvin!” I turned my head to face Arthur.
“I almost forgot to tell you. Some guy has been asking people about you.”
“About me? What did he want?” I asked curiously. Arthur probed his memory for a second.
“Just if anyone knew you,” he answered. I thanked Arthur for all his help and headed home, wandering who could possibly be asking about me. When I finally got home, I set the food on the counter.
“Are you Kelvin of Sherwood, the alchemist?” I practically jumped three feet in the air and turned around to see who had startled me. It was a tall and slender man in a hooded robe. Trying to be polite I answered his question.
”The one and only. What can I do for you?” He removed his hood and suddenly I realized he wasn’t any ordinary man. “You’re an elf!” I said in amazement.
“I certainly don’t see what’s so surprising about it.” The elf said inquisitively.
“It’s just you don’t see many elves around here.” I answered him.
“Getting to the point, my master Elrohir, the Elvin king requires your help. You have been asked to come to the council of the elves. Transportation will be provided and all the information will be given you upon arrival.”
“Elrohir needs MY help?” I asked in disbelief. “But I have a school to teach. And why does he need me?”
“We will make it worth your while. You will be told everything when you get there. Your transportation will arrive tomorrow.” He told me as he left. What a day this has become I thought to myself. The next morning after eating a quick snack, I packed up some stuff for the trip. I was just about to leave when there was a loud knock at the door. I opened the door and there was Jeremy with the potash I had ordered from Arthur.
“I came to apologize for the accident yesterday, and wish you good luck on your trip.” He handed me the potash and explained that he had followed me yesterday to apologize and overheard both what Arthur and the elf had said. I thanked Jeremy and sent him home just as my ‘transportation’ arrived.
“Horses!? The Elvin king needs me and the best he can send are horses!?” I said in amazement.
“These aren’t just any horses; they are one of the finest breeds of horses infused with Pegasus blood. They are faster, stronger, and all together better than any horse today.” Said the horseman.
“Whatever.” I said with a sigh as I mounted the horse. Off we went to the great city of Albreda. Had I known what I was getting myself into, I probably wouldn’t have done it. The trip took three long days, each filling my head with different reasons why I should never have come. We stopped only for food at the few inns on the trail and to rest the horses. “Are we there yet?” I goaded the horseman.
“Albreda is just over these hills,” he responded tersely. Just as we came to the top of the hill the valley came into view. The elegant city of Albreda in the distance glistening in the evening sun. I had only heard stories about this magnificent city, but words cannot describe its beauty. A river ran from the city to the horizon looking like a serpent of Mercury. As we trotted on I could see the king’s palace. It seemed different, as though it was made before the rest of the city. My heart pounded with anticipation as we neared the outskirts. Once in the city we were greeted with stares, as if the Elves hadn’t seen men before. I remembered how I had reacted to Elrohir’s servant and realized they probably hadn’t seen many men in Albreda. The horseman turned towards me and said:
“This is it, the council of the Elves.” I looked where he was motioning. It was a large gate guarded by two Elves in armor. He told the guards something in Elven who then opened the gate. I quickly dismounted my horse and stepped inside where I was greeted by the Elf who came to my house.
“This way,” he told me as he walked up a spiral staircase made of stone. He led me through a seemingly endless set of doors and hallways and to a reception room where eight other people stood.
“Wait here while I send for King Elrohir,” said the Elf just before walking through yet another set of doors on the other end of the room.
“Are there any more besides you?” said a young man with a chuckle.
“Not that I know of,” I told him with a serious tone of voice.
“Hi, my name’s Rivith of Salem,” he told me as he held out his hand. I shook it and answered him,”I’m Kelvin of Sherwood.”
“I too am from Salem,” said a long haired blonde who hadn’t so much as moved since I came in. “My name is Elbereth.”
“Elbereth? It sounds Elvish, but you aren’t an Elf? Are you?”
“My grandmother was an Elf and her name was Elbereth, my mother named me after her. I have inherited some of her keen elf senses though. ”
“It’s nice to meet you Elbereth,” I said to her in a hushed voice.
“So…what are you?” came a voice from behind the group. A woman about the same height as Elbereth appeared. “I mean, Rivith is a swordsman, Elbereth is an archer and I’m a mage.”
“I’m an alchemist,” I said just as the servant returned.
“The king will see you now.”
CHAPTER 2
Rivith
We all walked into the next room. A large solid oak table sat in the middle and on the cold stone walls hung Elven tapestries.
“I am Elrohir, king of the Elves. First off I will tell you why you are here. You were chosen because of your unique talents and the fact that none of you have any family.
“What is this, some kind of entertainment?!” asked one of the men who had been summoned.
“If you can hold your tongue long enough I’ll tell you why you’re here!” he snapped back. “Recently a very rare and important orb has been stolen from us. It makes us immortal if we are in range of it. It is for this reason that we would like you to keep quiet about it. Also we don’t want to cause a panic. Witnesses say it was stolen by Dwarves and our spies have reported that they seem to be preparing for war. We need you to sneak into the Dwarf city of Var Naeborn and take back our orb. If the Dwarves succeed in destroying us, the destruction of your powerless cities will seem effortless, no offense.
“None taken,” said Kelvin in disbelief.
“You will also be paid handsomely for your trouble. We would send our own, but it is futile without protection. It will be very dangerous and some of you may not return alive. If you wish to return home and forget you ever came here you may leave now. Without hesitation three men and a woman turned around and left the room.
“Will anyone else leave?” the king questioned. We all looked at each other wondering if anyone would change their mind. A few seconds later Elrohir’s voice broke the silence.
“Then the rest of you will set off tomorrow after a good nights sleep and gathering anything you may need, which of course will be given you. Any questions? No? Then you will be escorted to your rooms. Good night.” We were led down a hall to a row of doors on the right.
“You may choose any room you like,” said the servant with a sigh. I chose my room and crashed on the warm fluffy bed. The next morning I woke to an unfriendly yell.
”Wake up sleepy head!” I looked up to see Kelvin sitting in the chair next to my bed. “Oh, good. You’re awake. Hurry up and eat something so we can pack up and go.”
“What’s the rush? Is the place on fire?” I asked him hoping he wouldn’t notice me going back to sleep. He did.
“No silly, this place is made out of stone,” he whispered in my ear.
“Rise and shine!” yelled Nara. She had introduced herself to me just before Kelvin had walked into the reception room, but she didn’t tell me she was a mage.
“You guys can’t wait to go, can you?” I asked them.
“Nope!” they replied simultaneously as they slammed the door behind them. With some reluctance I got out of bed and packed up. I walked down the hall to what I hoped was Kelvin’s room. Luckily it was.
“What’re you guys doing?” I asked, but nobody paid any attention to me, so I repeated the question. This time Nara replied.
“Checking a map to find the best route to Var Naeborn.” Elbereth pointed to a spot on the map and said:
“We can follow the river most of the way. At least until we get to the lake.” Nara looked from the map to me and then behind me. All of a sudden she jumped to her feet, looked at me and said:
“Oh, Rivith. You fell asleep so early last night you forgot to meet Soren” She pointed to the opposite corner of the room. There stood a short man eating an apple. I was so sleepy and hadn’t even noticed him when I came in.
“I’m sorry, my name is Rivith.” I extended my hand; he stared at me for a moment. He seemed confused at first, but he snapped out of it and shook my hand.
“I’m Soren.”
“What do you do for a living?” I asked him.
“I study mythical creatures. And you?”
“I’m a blacksmith and a swordsman.”
“Well it’s nice to see you two getting acquainted, but we have to leave if we want to get to Van Naeborn before the end of this century!” Kelvin butted in.
“Well, what are we waiting for?!” Elbereth exclaimed. Soon we were on our way to retrieving the Elves’ orb. It was noon by the time we had reached that lovely river we had seen on the trail here, but it wasn’t as nice as it seemed earlier. It had a light green tint to it; probably from the Dwarves’ copper mines. The Dwarves were widely known for their knowledge of all things metal. As a matter of fact, I once used one of their inventions; a metal known as adamantium on my long sword. Adamantium is stronger than diamond and as light as steel. It is also impervious to anything you throw at it. Metallurgy isn’t the only thing Dwarves are known for. They are also known for being master brewers. That’s one of the things that influenced me to go. The view was glorious. Directly in front of us were breathtaking snow topped mountains. To the right were endless acres of hills and green meadows. The great Elven city Albreda stood tall and proud behind us and to our left, well… most of the view was glorious.
“So Nara,” Elbereth inquired, “What exactly does a mage do?”
“Well, lots of things. I have mastered the art of containing all of the four elements; fire, water, earth and air, whereas most mages can only master one. It is contained in limitless supplies in these special jars.” She took four jars out of her pack, each glowing with its own brilliant color. She explained that each of the jars contained its own element in a liquid form called essence.
“What would happen if you were to break one of them?” asked Soren.
“I’m not sure. I was told not to and I never have,” she replied. The whole idea of elemental essence seemed to have sparked Kelvin’s attention. Of course what didn’t; he seemed to be a naturally curious person. Before long it was sunset and we’d decided to set camp before dark. Nara and Elbereth decided to set up the beds. Soren and I felt we hadn’t been properly introduced, so we began to talk while scavenging firewood. We returned to camp with some oak logs and branches and laid them in a pile.
“We found some wood, but it’s still green and may be hard to light,” Soren declared.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nara said as she picked out a jar of essence from among some other things and walked over to the pile of wood. She pulled out the stopper and poured a drop onto the logs. Suddenly the entire pile went up in flames.
“Aw. A limitless supply of the stuff and you only use a drop?” I moaned.
“Yeah!” Kelvin and Soren said simultaneously.
“Why are boys so destructive?” Elbereth mocked.
“I really don’t know,” Nara played along, trying to keep from laughing.
It wasn’t long before we were all sleeping. Except for the occasional bug bight, I slept better than usual and the next morning I was up before everyone else. The fire had died and all that remained were ashes and an occasional ember. I went to my saddle bag and grabbed an apple. For a split second a shadow came over me. My heart raced as I looked in the sky; not a single cloud. Whatever it was, it was big and it’s gone. I decided it was time to go, so I walked over to Kelvin and ‘whispered’ in his ear.
“Wake up sleepy head!” He jumped and so did the others.
“What’s your problem Rivith?! You’re so childish!” Nara groaned. Kelvin laughed silently