//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Technomonkey76 
// Story: The Random Adventures of Seth 
// by Marioland1 
//------------------------------//


Seth the Magical Human


Seth had never gone to war before.  Yet, he seemed to embrace the idea of suddenly being drafted with little apprehension.  Even with the stakes increased as they were, he stayed in his seat aboard the submarine, and accepted his fate to battle.  This man he had just met, Paul, wished for Seth to be pulled into his army, to battle robots, zombies, pirates, and space ninjas alike.  After what he had seen that day, he decided skepticism was not an optimal path.  And so he looked Paul in the eyes, giving away no nervousness in his glance, and gave his response: “What do I have to do?”

The submarine gave a loud groan as it began to fill its ballast tanks and descend.  As it did so, Paul gave his response.  “I'm glad you're on board with us… that sort of has a double meaning, doesn't it?”  Paul chuckled.  “Well, as you already know, we're caught up in a major war, one which will pretty much decide whether humankind remains or not.  You are the only person we know for sure will be capable of helping us to victory.  You see, I'm aware that you've had issues in the past…”  Seth gives a look of worry at Paul's statement, but Paul fails to notice and continues.  “But I'm also aware of something of which you are not, Seth.”  Tension seems to build in the air as Paul pauses to stare Seth in the eyes.  “You're a wizard, Sethy.”

Seth stares at Paul as if he had just witnessed a miracle.  He blurts out a question: “Wha-how… wand!”  Or, rather, he tried to ask a question, but failed rather miserably in his shock.  Under Seth's wondering stare, Paul erupts into laughter.  It begins to dawn on Seth that this was just a joke.  At first, Seth is mildly annoyed that he was played like that, but he too joins in on the laughter soon enough.  After the men had calmed down, Paul manages to get back to explaining.  “Okay, I'm sorry.  War is a horrible thing, and it helps to bring some humor into the mix.  However, I truly am aware of an ability you may possess, and it isn't something most people would consider natural.  You truly do possess talent in the realm of the arcane.  It's nothing like that bullshit you read about in Harry Potter, but it is far more real.”

Seth had never believed in magic before.  Yet, he seemed to embrace the idea of suddenly being able to perform magic with little apprehension.  As a matter of fact, he couldn't care less about the possibility of destroying the fabric of reality with his powers.  There was nothing to fear.  There were only magically acquired baked goods and wars fought by casting magic missiles.  Paul continued to explain the details of the war and how arcane powers could be trained to Seth, but both were stuck in their own worlds.  Seth remained affixed to his land of cookies and destruction, and Paul, his realm of war strategy.  By the time Paul was done giving his explanation, Seth had just returned from his daydream.

“Okay, Seth, did you get that all?”

“Um… yeah.”

Paul seemed to find Seth's response acceptable, and took control of the submarine, piloting it toward a circular portal to space, with about a ten-meter radius, at the bottom of the ocean.  The submarine creaked under the stress, but it held, and when they were within a couple meters of the portal, Paul stopped its descent.  “Are you ready to go into battle?”

Seth, if he were to be honest and wise, would have replied, “No, because I have no idea how to use my powers or what our strategy is.  I tuned you out after I heard I had magic powers.”  However, he felt much as a person who had never managed to get a friend's name memorized would, and felt it was much too late to ask.  “I'm ready.”  The submarine fell through the portal, and the scenery changed dramatically.

After allowing his eyes time to adjust to the change in lighting, Seth glanced at his surroundings.  He uttered one word: “Fuck.”