Chapter 1: Hall of the Ditties

I was in a large throne room, and siting in the largest throne was the strongest old man I had ever seen. There was a Greek style golden laurel crown that was sparking with lightning upon his head, I knew this being to be Zeus. Even though I cannot recall ever seeing him before, though I knew who he was. He had a grim and distant expression on his face, and I knew he had killed hundreds of people that were once close to him for his own gain. Family, friend or, lover it didn't mater if he would gain even a little from their death, he would slay them without a second glance.

Before me and off to the right there were people fighting in the center of the room in a circular arena. The arena was inlay into the floor about a foot, while to the left there was a slowly bleeding woman. The woman was beautiful, I knew at a glance she was more beautiful than any mortal woman, but somehow, I was unfazed by her beauty as though I had seen hundreds that made her beauty look common though I could not remember when. The pain the woman was in made me feel an anger that rose from deep within my soul. For I knew that the being that sat on the large throne, at any time, could heal the woman, but he sat and stared indifferently as his once ally suffered.

The people fighting in the arena, I knew, were fighting for the right to go on a quest that would take years so that they could be the one to heal the woman and gain a boon. Though the people fighting saw this as an extreme honor, I saw it as a sick game. I knew that the woman could survive another ten years with the wound, yet existence would be pain for her, but the men could fail, and she would die if none accomplished this quest. Zeus would not help her, even if not one of theas men ever completed the quest.

I took several deep breaths looking at my hands trying to calm my rage. My hands they looked strange, as though they were in front of a television screen, when I waved them in front of me and they left afterimages. I suddenly felt power rushing threw me, with every breath I could feel my body, as I realized on a basic level that I was dreaming. This was a dream that took place in the astral worlds, yet when I looked for the famous silver cord I could not see it, although I could sense my body. I was in a red plane shirt with a pocket on the left breast, dark blue jeans, there was a sword on my belt, and seven rings on my fingers. I took a few breaths and processing the injustices of the situation, preparing myself to act. After I took a few breaths it looked like the winner of the fight was decided.

The man that had won was wearing amour inlay with silver and gold patterns. He wielded a large two-handed great sword that looked like it was glowing. He seemed like a pompous rich kid that was doing this for the political influence it would gain for his family. He went and knelt before the large golden throne. "Do you accept this grave responsibility to find the Potion/magical artifact/ingredient, that will heal this Woman/minor/goodes?" Zeus said. When he spoke sometimes, I would hear several words at once, proving I was using my astral senses. This was something that I sometimes came across in lucid dreams before and knew that the more powerful the entity the fewer words would be spoken at once, and the easier I could understand them.

The man in the richly decorated amour then turned to the injured woman, "I/me accept/take this glorious/honorable quest/task I/me will/could do this task/quest/chance at/for wealth/glory." The woman then spoke up in an exceedingly weak voice, as though every syllable was harder and harder to speak. "Nobble hero. I pray that you be quick and accomplish your quest. For many have tried yet none have yet succeeded." anger flashed across his face when he heard her words, at the mere suggestion that he would fail in this quest. I had enough of their snide, arrogance, and ignoble remarks. I moved from my spot, suddenly appearing before the rich fop. I then looked at the throne and said, "This is foolish. Enough of this farce." And I flicked my wrist, the pompous man flew across the room. Although He was held immobile, he was unhurt because of his magic armor.

I turned to the surfing woman and placed my hand on her shoulder and focused on the energy of my breath flowing to my hand. "UP" I spoke with all my will and power using my personal dou, the dou of up. A golden energy flowed from my hand pouring into the woman causing her to glow with an unearthly radiance. There was a stronger glow from the wound in her stomach as it closed up. She seemed to grow stronger as she healed but she also fell into a sleep like trance. Zeus stood up from his throne. He seemed to radiate anger. "You/I have defied/had me/enough for/of the/your last/arrogance time/woman." When people became clouded with emotion they lost coherence, but if they were able to control that emotion, channeling it, they were able to strengthen their words with their will drawing yet more power from it as I had done with my word to heal.

I saw Zeus raised his hand, and a blue lightning bolt appeared, the lightning radiated power as it sparked and crackled. I focused my will and teleported the woman to my personal space, it was my mind palace, just as the lightning left his hand she disappeared. She appeared in my mind palace, in stasis locked in a crystal above a crystal alter. As the lightning passed the center of the room I turned and stretched out my hand catching the lightning. It felt as tough my hand was asleep and I was touching a shock pen. I could feel the lightning in my physical body, and snapped back to my body. My eyes were still closed as I relished the fact that I was back in my physical body. I could still feel the lightning energy in my astral body, and focused on it, I could feel it dissipating as my body was strengthened. When all the lightning dissipated a blue screen appeared before my closed eyes, with the words "Congratulations on unlocking the explorer system!!!"