Twin Tide-Chapter One

[Musekaze]

Ok so this is the beginnings of a fan novel that i've based off of the book series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. So i hope you guys like what i've got so far.

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Chapter One

Most people freak out when you tell them that you’re a spellsword. In fact, most probably are right now. Those in the ‘nerd circles’—for lack of a better term— usually think about Dungeons and Dragons or something, but it’s really not like that at all. Sure, there’s the minor spell slinging and the swordsmanship—the most logical comprehension of the term—but there’s much more to it than that, but I can explain that later.
Travis Parker would be my name, Travis Dylon Parker to be more specific, but in the magical community your name is not something you go around telling. Someone could kill you just by knowing your name, or even worse, and as a professional hitman for the White Council its something I’d much rather keep to myself.
Not having an actual occupation can really blow, especially when doing something like applying for the loan on my condo. Put someone claiming to have supernatural powers and “Parker� together and most people think of a superhero swinging from webs in red tights, but hey, that’s just my opinion.
There’s also the upside to being a spellsword. My levels of magic are so ridiculously low, technology doesn’t freak out around me. TVs don’t blow up, cell phones don’t spark, so I can pretty much live a more luxurious life than wizards and such. Only the really complex things tend to go haywire; for instance you wouldn’t want to put me on a space shuttle or anything. The only other inconvenience is the cable frequently going out.
You think Seattle wouldn’t be a hotspot for any supernatural activities and beings crossing over from the Nevernever. The Nevernever was the spirit world; all your varieties of fae, ogres, goblins, ghouls, and ghosts exist there and just about every explanation for the afterlife as well. Lest not forgot the demons. Don’t matter how goddamn friendly some of them might be, they just give me the creeps knowing what they could do if one of them managed to get my name.
Anyways, Seattle is probably one of the more intense places for supernatural activity in the country. The frequent thunderstorms make it easy for beings from the Nevernever to cross over, as well as power intense magic from novice wizards to take out an old foe. That kind of magic took a lot of power, power that most people didn’t have. I’ve ran into a few beings over the years who could pull something like that off with the flick of a wrist, but its not like they were easy to take down or anything.
Magic is the source of life. Mana, juju, chi, whatever you want to call it, it all originates through human emotions. For magic to work you can’t just want it to work, you need to believe that it will work. The people who believe that their magic will kill someone; well it’s pretty much my job to take them out. I get the information from the White Council then I track them down and take them out; then I get paid.
Occasionally I’ll get a private case, which ironically enough is what happened this brisk August morning. I woke up to my alarm clock screeching its usual morning screech showing me big red numbers reading: 5:30. I slammed my fist down on my nightstand, missing it a few times until I finally managed to slap the OFF button.
My white beater was covered in sweat and it was making me freeze. A cold front must have swept in overnight and the temperature had dropped nearly twenty degrees overnight, even so I had pulled on an excess of blankets through the night.
I pulled the blankets down to my ankles revealing my Buggs Bunny boxers to the pooch lying at the foot of the bed. Rosco was one of those little yippy dogs that I usually hate, but he was primarily quiet so it didn’t bother me. I couldn’t remember what he was but I know it was a mix. A tongue appeared from a shaggy mass of grey fur to greet my feet (as well as my face) happily. I ordered him off the bed and he rushed out of the room.
My condo consisted of a narrow row of five rooms. Behind the bedroom was a bathroom consisting of white tile, a tub, standing shower, toilet in sink; the basics.
Directly after the bedroom was the kitchen slash dining area. A stainless steel fridge sat in the corner followed by granite countertops leading to a sink and a nearby built-in gas stove.
Through an archway led to a fully beige carpeted living room with beige furniture. Directly across form the largest couch was a poor excuse for a television (the Council doesn’t pay that well after all) at a mere twenty-eight inches.
Through a door led to a small tiled entryway where the collection of boots, galoshes, and coats congregated.
I waltzed sleepily into the kitchen to find my fiancé Juliet frying bacon and stirring pancake batter. Her curled dark hair dropped down over a crimson silk nightgown creating vast contrast with her pale skin. Juliet was a succubus, a vampire of the White Court. Or more or less had been a succubus. The vampires of the White Court fed off human emotions rather than blood, which were usually obtained through the intimacy of sex. They are fueled by a Hunger which drives them to feed and entice mortals into their snare. They emitted a kind of radiance that would drive you crazy unless you submitted or if you fought really damn hard.
So why wasn’t I affected? Simple question, actually. The Hunger came as a kind of puberty for the White Court, usually joining the picture between eighteen and twenty. But the Hunger would fade if their first time was love and they could continue their lives as if they were a normal person. Juliet and I had been high school sweethearts so after our first time, the hunger was gone. The other upside was that since I was technically in love, other Whites couldn’t entrance me, make me adjust my pants, or much less touch me. If they gave into their Hunger love would burn them and give them blisters, which for once was much more painful than it looked.
With explanation on that aside…I have no goddamn idea what possesses her to wake up earlier than me every morning, especially since most other women in their mid-twenties preferred to sleep till noon. Maybe it’s because she’s the only one willing to make breakfast. You can get really sick of Cheerios every morning, trust me, I was a wreck the year she was in the Peace Corp.
Rosco rushed over from Juliet’s ankles and brushed against my leg as I let out a yawn. She turned to me while flipping a piece of bacon onto a plate. “You got a private case this morning,� she said. “Came in a few minutes before you woke up.�
I let out a grumble of dissatisfaction on my way over to the door to pick up a large black envelope from the floor. (I don’t get manila envelopes like normal people, and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s just because I’m special.) I glanced at the front to large white calligraphic letters. T. Parker and Services. There was a scrawled signature that I couldn’t read.
I plopped lazily onto one end of the couch and I sank down comfortably. Rosco hustled over to my feet and rolled onto his stomach. His leg began to jerk as I scratched his stomach for a brief second.
Before I could untwine the tiny red string on the envelope, I felt a finger began to move in circles on my chest. Juliet came from around the corner of the couch and laid a kiss on my check on her way. She slid down onto the couch putting her head face up on my lap. Damn. She didn’t need vampire sexiness to get to me. She could just use her regular sexiness.
“Before you run off slaying demons and whatnot,� she said slightly provocative. “I hope you didn’t forget.�
“Forget what? Is it my birthday or something?� I grunted sarcastically. She elbowed my gut playfully forcing me to skip a breath or two.
“You did. Dinner at my parents tonight?�
poop. I had managed to avoid meeting her parents for nearly ten years, using a variety of creative excuses. The trip to Aruba wasn’t a cheap one. Some people are scared as hell by their in-laws. Mine being vampires of the White Court, I should be really scared of my in-laws. Granted they were pretty low on the White food chain, the Lorn household wasn’t the sunniest place you wanted to be.
“Oh. That. No more excuses huh?�
She sat up and nodded. “C’mon Travis, they can’t just wait forever to meet you. Father won’t pay for the wedding if he thinks you’re afraid of him.�
I planted my face into my right and shaking my head. “That’s the thing. I am afraid of him. Not that his vampire charm can work any magic on me or anything, but the fact that he’s a coldhearted businessman that scares me. He’s go scandals on his name out to east bejesus.�
That was only part of the problem though. I knew what Juliet was actually trying to do. She was testing to see if I actually loved her, which I do. But if her mother or five sisters broke me down I doubt I’d make it out alive. Of course if I worked my way out of it, through love or will alone, I’d be in the clear and it would be all smooth sailing. All I had to do was ignore six succubi and an incubus for a night. How hard could it be?
“I know. You think I’m proud of being a Lorn? Why do you think I chose to be what I am? It’s because I love you Travis. Just spend this one night with my family and it will all work out okay?� She stroked my shoulder and put on a puppy face. Women her age should not be able to pull off a puppy face. Especially this early in the morning.
I let out a groan.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Just that it’ll be one helluvah pain in the donkey,� I grumbled. Her puppy face faded and she gave another peck on the cheek. It sent a shock of warmth down my spine and she walked over to the table in the kitchen.
I shook the smell of bacon and pancakes from my head and went back to the back envelope.
There was only a small index card with an address written in the same hand as that on the envelope. I assumed it was a meeting place or something so I tossed it back onto the table.
I took a shower (the heat was more than soothing than the cold I had just came from) and put on grey cotton shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I slipped on a pair of black Chuck Taylor Converse and headed for the door. I grabbed Tataruken, my Japanese katana, and slung it along with its sheathe over my shoulder with the hilt sticking out just to the right of my head, for easy access. My straight brown hair was pulled into a tail and I let two clumps in the front hang down each side of my face.
My black Matrix-style trenchcoat from the entryway along with a pair of black winter gloves completed the attire and I stepped out the door.
I know the wonnabee badass look was extremely cliché, but hey, I pulled it off. I really pulled it off.

[Terpeh]

I liked how you combined real life with fantasy and games.


And you has a typo..........

....
“You did. Dinner at my parents tonight?�
poop. I had managed.......

You need to make 'p' of 'poop' capital ^^

[Musekaze]

that's not a typo. thats the forums censoring.

[T3hRedMage]

I liked it all until the end. His sense of style is terrible. You shouldn't introduce things like Chuck Taylors or " Matrix-style. " You should leave it to be more imaginative, since it's a pretty imaginative story. Sometimes just saying dingy old school sneakers, can strike a better picture. Or, that dragging sable coat, slightly torn at the bottom from the asphalt.

[Musekaze]

thanks red. but mind you all this is still a fan novel. so the characters and plot are all original but the concepts and lore are not. so if you guys are interested pick up the series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I thinks there's ten books out currently

Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Small Favor

I'm currently on book 8, Proven Guilty.