~~~ Introduction and Notes ~~~
A new story - on a new world - with a new protagonist - with a new set of magical skills. As per my usual, all chapters in this tale have been completed. They are uploaded to Literotica en-mass. Depending on the benevolence of the gracious admins (may they forever be praised) each new chapter in the series should appear every day or so. Thanks for reading!
~~~ Prologue ~~~
It was Friday night - my night to go out - to go out and get my groceries. I loved grocery shopping on Friday night. Nobody else was in the store. Anybody with a love life - or a home life - or even just a life - they were going out to eat - or taking in a movie - or... doing anything other than shopping for groceries.
I was standing in the freezer section - surrounded by glass doors showcasing the best in fine-dining for those on a budget. The store circular advertised that my favorite microwave TV dinner was on sale - 10 for $10 - with no limit!
I had ten of the spaghetti dinners already loaded into my cart. These were followed by ten boxes of the Salisbury steak ones. After that, ten of the chicken nugget ones joined the growing collection.
I was busy grabbing the boxes of sweet and sour chicken when some doctor-looking dude stopped next to my cart. He appeared to be looking over my selections.
I glanced up at him - worried that he was some psycho homeless person - or a panhandler - or... just about anything... but he looked normal - other than the fact that he was standing by my cart - which was not normal in any form or fashion as far as I was concerned.
"Found a deal?" he asked, pleasantly enough.
"Uh... yeah," I answered hesitantly.
"Look," he said. "I could try to engage you in a lively conversation to make you feel more comfortable about me but - quite honestly - I'm a busy guy so I'd prefer to just cut to the chase."
"Right...," I replied, trying not to be obvious as I looked around for the quickest means of escape.
"Listen, I'm about to blow your mind so just hang with me for a sec, okay?"
"Uh... yeah..."
"Your name is Luke Timmons. You live just over two blocks away from here - at 421 South Division - in a two-bedroom apartment that you found out about from a friend of your cousin's. You only took the place because it was cheap. The first thing you thought when you actually walked into the apartment was that you were never going to get past the smell that constantly seems to waft from the bathroom. You've tried everything to find (or mask) the problem but nothing works. You leave the door closed and have a towel wedged against the crack at the bottom."
The longer this guy talked, the wider and wider I felt my mouth hanging open. The first part was creepy; the last part was nothing that anybody knew - not even my mother. This guy was still going though... and I had to focus back on his words.
"Your last date was six months ago. She didn't look anything like her profile picture. You actually got laid - but got fucked trying to be a nice guy. You worked hard to make sure she climaxed and got her off twice before she fell asleep while you were still waiting to orgasm. You felt bad continuing to fuck her and ended up jerking off in the shower. You slept on the couch because you were pissed. You haven't dated since. I think your exact words were that you were 'over it'."
I was shocked beyond words.
"Dude..."
"You like your job but hate your boss and despise most of your coworkers. Despite enjoying what you do, your assignments of late have been limited to maintaining or updating other people's applications and this leaves you longing to create something of your own."
"No one knows that shit...," I stammered.
"You read the back of the same cereal box every night while you eat your microwave TV dinner. You thought about getting a cat but you went to visit a coworker who said she had kittens that needed 'forever homes'. You took one look at her apartment and ran away."
I just shook my head in disbelief. Every word he said was 100% unerringly true.
"Personally, I think your life is boring and meaningless because you haven't discovered selfless service," the middle-aged gentleman said.
"Okay...," I replied, not sure where he was heading with this.
"Rather than suggest that you spend your evenings helping out at the homeless shelter," he continued, "I would like to offer you the chance to make a real difference - and to discover a life you never believed was possible."
"How?" I asked.
"I represent a deity," he said.
"A god?"
"Yes," he answered, nodding. "This deity has a world without a champion and I think you are perfect for the job."
"Not this world?" I inquired.
He shook his head, no.
"You're trying to tell me that you can just pick me up and move me to a different world?" I asked.
"You'll cease to exist here," he explained. "I will escort your spirit-self to the new world and hand you off to my employer. They will craft you a new body - one that provides what you need and that fits the world he will send you to - and then he'll... uh... well... kind of push you out of the nest and let you live your new life."
"I'll have free will?"
The stranger nodded and said, "You could tell me 'no' right now and I will simply walk away - but I approached you because I think I know you well enough to anticipate a positive response."
"My parents?" I asked.
"They will slowly forget that you ever existed - just like your boss, coworkers, and the woman who is pregnant with your child."
"What?!"
"Just shitting you, dude...," he said, grinning.
I couldn't help it, I laughed. I laughed harder than I had in a long time.
"How soon does this happen?" I asked.
"Just say the word," he said. "I can give you a day or two - or I can wave my hand and all of those microwave dinners will disappear from your cart and go back to their places on the shelves."
"Prove it...," I told him, looking into his eyes.
As promised, he waved his hand over my shopping cart and... it was like all of the boxes started fading.
I turned back to the freezer shelves to find all of the TV dinners appearing where they'd been before I had opened those frosty glass doors to retrieve them from the cases.
"You can do magic?" I asked.
"You'll be able to as well," he promised.
"One request?" I asked.
He laughed.
"No. I will not kill your boss, have him get into a car accident, or get his wife to leave him. The best I can offer you is to give him a flat tire the next time it's pouring rain."
"Done!" I said, extending my hand to the man.
He took it and shook it. He didn't let go.
"Ready?" he asked, looking into my eyes.
"Make it happen, Jackson," I replied, grinning in spite of myself.
"You're gonna feel a little pinch...," he warned.
Pinch, my ass. It felt like someone stabbed me straight in the heart with an icepick. It was like my heart just stopped.
"Fuck, dude,...," I complained.
"Doesn't work quite like putting items back on the shelf...," he said - not unkindly. "I am sorry about this. If I had warned you what it was really going to be like, you would have freaked out. You're almost through."
I felt my knees buckle. The next moment, I was like a ghost. The escort guy was still holding my hand. The pain was gone. My body was lying on the supermarket floor. As I watched, it began to fade into nothingness.
"Here we go...," the man said.
I realized, then, that his body was no longer a physical one either. Suddenly, I felt really light - lighter than air - and then I kind of just turned into luminous dust motes and - I faded once more.
~~~ Heaven? ~~~
It felt like it was just a few minutes later but I really didn't know how long it had been. I slowly faded back into existence once more.
I was in the biggest room that I had ever seen. A few steps away, there was a throne on a raised dais. The throne looked like it was made of solid gold. There was a supermodel-looking guy sitting on it. He was tall, fit, and (though I don't swing that way) the most handsome man that I had ever seen. His eyes were kind and his smile genuine. I felt at ease - but a little nervous - like I should ask for his autograph or something.
"My Lord," said the man that I'd been talking with.
"Dexter," the god - which was what he had to be - responded.
I almost laughed at my escort's name.
"What have you found for me, my friend?" the god asked the man.
"My Lord, I've found your champion," Dexter replied, letting go of my hand and bowing to the god - before rising and lifting his hands - palms up - and presenting me to his 'employer'.
The god rose from his seat, descended the few stairs, and - in steps that seemed to race without hurrying - arrived in front of us.
The dude was like ten feet tall. Somehow, though, I knew this was just how he appeared at this moment. I got the feeling that he was really much taller - and stronger - and...
The god took my hand and shook it.
"What would you like to be called?" he asked me.
"Won't I need a name that fits whatever world you'll place me in?" I inquired.
He waved away my concerns.
"They'll either marvel at your name's uniqueness or gnash their teeth at your arrogance for not taking one that fits their preconceptions. They'll love you or hate you. Unfortunately, that's just one of the downsides of having a deity for a sponsor."
"You pick...," I told him.
"Not that fond of your old name?" he asked, with an infectious smile.
I felt like I'd known him - actually both of them - forever. I knew they were both powerful - and this god was powerful beyond anything I'd ever imagined. It seemed weird to me that nothing felt awkward or weird about these guys, this place, or the situation that I suddenly found myself in.
"This is Luke Timmons, my Lord," the man offered.
"Luke Timmons... locum tenens... I love it!" the god said, clasping his hands together. "Well done, Dexter."
