The Pagemasters: Volume 1 Chapter 1
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Author: Literataku
Volume 1:
Rewrite!
Chapter 1:
The Reason I Want
It was a calm Summer’s Day in the Kingdom of Fanta- Fantabl- Fintobl- Fingo- Feefifoe… Screw it, I’ll figure it out later. It was summer in the Kingdom of wherever the hell I am. I was never good with geography anyways, not that anything I would know about geography applies to this world anymore.
The atmosphere was calm, peaceful, birds and woodland creatures singing over-sickeningly cute songs from the forest that surrounded a small little cottage. It was wooden with a straw roof and a quaint pair of large windows that opened out to the front of the house. The cute little porch with the rocking chairs you always expected your grandparents to be sitting on in the evening. It looked like something out of a popular American animated studio. The singing inside the cottage wasn’t helping detract this ideal at all.
“The forest is singing~ The world is aglow~ Voices are ringing through the valley below~”
I was feeling a bit sick with all niceness overflowing from this cottage, even as I lay quietly underneath the sill of the rather large open window I was about ready to gag over the woman singing her own little cartoon ditty inside. The only thing that was actually stopping me was my sense of duty, yep, duty, not the small tropical bird sitting on my shoulder and giving a death glare daring me to give myself away.
I looked like I was a thief about to steal a steaming hot pie. Though it wasn’t exactly the case, I’m quite glad no onlookers were walking around today, this would have probably placed me on a list somewhere.
I was a little too preoccupied with this to notice the small trio of colored dancing lights that fluttered overhead, not having any clue that this small overlooked detail was about to ruin my day, and possibly my life.
This quaint little cottage of wood was the home of a quiet, but happy, elderly couple. They had no children of their own but were quite popular bakers among the village children who would often come to visit them on their way home from the school. But outside of these small visits, these two were often quite lonely even when they had each other. I don’t see the issue with no children but that’s just me.
On any other day, I wouldn’t be here hiding underneath the window. In fact, I would give almost anything to be as far away from this sweet sounds of musical fantasy playing all around me. I was half hoping something or someone would come catch me and end this madness despite forfeiting this necessary venture.
Finally, we heard the noise we had been waiting for. The soft thud of a baking pan settling on the windowsill above me, the baking was out to cool and settle in.
I’m not a thief, let me say that again. I have a job, and I have to do it right or I’ll never get to return to my precious writings ever again.
Thud!
The bird smacked my forehead with his beak looking at me with his beady little eyes. It took a lot of restraint to not reflexively hit him back, but I’m not suicidal. “Get ready” He hissed quietly to me. I nodded and reached out my hand slightly, starting to make a grasping motion summoning my staff and wrapping my hands tightly around it, ready to go as soon as it was time.
Today was a special day for this Elderly couple. This was the day they decided to make a child for themselves. But being as old as they were, it wasn’t possible by regular means and I guess this world doesn’t know about adoption or something. So they resorted to Magic and their skill at baking to create a child of their own. This child of their making was currently above my head laying out on the sill as he cooled off as the magic began to settle around him. Made of dough, candy and icing, the child of infamous legends and fairy tales.
The Gingerbread Man.
My job was to catch him, seal him away and return him and his story to the books from whence he came. My first big attempt at setting the world right once again. I could feel some excitement welling inside me as I glanced upwards, waiting for the final pieces of the story magic to unfold the last bits before I could win my first major victory and prove myself worthy.
I am the Pagemaster. Keeper of Literature and The Word, Guardian of the Realms between fact and fiction and all they encompass. To tread between all the endless bounds of imagination… And to clean up the mess I made of everything a few short weeks ago. Starting right here and now as the Gingerbread Man animates to life.
Any second now….
Any second…
“Umm Master?” I looked to the bird, whispering. “Shouldn’t something be happening now?”
“Patience, Blue. the bread needs to cool enough for the magic to activate fully. This should be rather easy anyways. Even ye can do it. It’s just a fast piece of cookie afte-”
BOOOOOOOM!
Sound lost all meaning from the shockwave that shattered everything around us. The two of us were thrown forward into a tumble, rolling away from the cottage as pieces of glass, straw, and wood flew off the house and followed us down toward the little path in front of the house.
“Holy shi-”
BOOOOOOOM!
Another shockwave sent me flying a dozen meters away as the blur of cookie, gumdrops and icing shot past me. Tumbling and getting wrapped up in my wizard robes, screaming and cursing my way along as I rolled for who knows how long and crashed into a tree at the edge of the forest a hundred meters away from the cottage.
“Ooof!” I was getting a very intimate viewpoint of pain and the trunk of the tree I had wrapped myself around, trying to push away the stars blurring my vision as Master flew toward me. “Are ye okay?”
I took a gasp of air trying to catch my breath and nodded slightly. Being a very clumsy guy had somehow proved beneficial in this world giving me good protection from truly harmful damage from falls and tumbles. “I-” cough, “thought he was” cough cough “supposed to be made of Gingerbread. Not freakin steroids…”
What the hell kind of story is this fairy tale?
“Someone has interfered with the Story Magic. HIs power of speed isn’t supposed to reach this level on his own. It’s reserved only for the Pagemasters to unlock.” Master perched himself on the tree watching carefully over me as I struggled to stand up, catching my breath and trying to look for the Mach speed monster that had been unleashed.
I took a glance over toward the cottage. Wrecked. it looked like a tornado had blown through and shattered everything. The roof collapsed and pieces of wall fallen over or scattered about, broken glass and window frames sprinkled all over the front porch.
I couldn’t see the elderly couple at all from here. For all that I knew the shockwave probably killed them both or they were laying dying underneath rubble and debris. I could feel my heartstrings tugging with regret as I looked past. They didn’t deserve what had just happened to them.
Master noticed where I was looking and fluttered to perch on my shoulder. “If we can capture him, they will return to the pages of the Story and live out their lives as they are supposed to. With that much power, he’s likely to destroy even more than we could accomplish trying to help them.”
I nodded my head slightly and turned away, reaching a hand to call out my staff from wherever it had landed, gripping tightly as I pulled out my only magic spell from my pocket. “Welp, Master. Let’s catch a Gingerbread Man!”
Tossing the spell out in front of me, I swung my staff forward to unlock the power within the sliver of cardboard and paper. Out of everything that has happened to me, thank you manga for teaching me the awesomeness of wielding magic cards! “|{CAT}|! Unlock your power and release! Enhance Charm!”
Poof!
I blinked a few moments, looking up as Master hovered above me, looking down at me and being slightly annoyed, he was seeming a lot higher up than when he was on my shoulder just a second ago. Looking down myself, I saw the ground was a lot closer to me, too. And even further down…
“NYAAAAN!” I rubbed my black paw across the top of my head, feeling the pointed ears now placed there. Glancing behind and watching my newly sprung tail wagging back and forth agitatedly. “Graaaa… Nya-ot again!”
Looking down the path watching the dust cloud speeding away from us toward the village on the horizon, I could almost feel that my troubles had just barely started to pile on.
“Why does this keep happening to me-ow!”
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