The Rising of the Attack Helicopter
Chapter 1 – A Strange Summoning
Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be a bit easy on me. If you have any criticism, please don't hesitate to contact me about it. Enjoy!
*DISCLAIMER: Some dialogue directly from the anime will be used for the first 3 chapters for the sake of exposition and world building, and also not that much deviates from the source material until chapter 4.
---Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
David McDonnell was rigorously drawing at his workstation, his sketches strewn about the desk. With the due date almost approaching, he had to finish a prototype of the aircraft as soon as possible.
The war really took a toll on him, yet it gave him valuable experience.
After a full year of flying sorties over the raging skies of Korea, with MIG-15s tailing close behind, unleashing a hail of bullets upon his F-86 Sabre, David returned home and decided to work for his family's aviation company, McDonnell Douglas. The experience from the dogfights with enemy jet fighters led him to design a new fighter, the F-4 Phantom, which dominated the skies across the globe. With his prodigious ability in aeronautical engineering and his unparalleled skills in problem solving, he was considered to be one of the greatest scientific minds in the nation.
However, at the age of 31, he already had a few gray hairs strewn about his head.
As he was beginning to doze off from exhaustion, he suddenly noticed a strange magazine lying next to his crumpled-up papers near the trash bin.
He'd never seen it there before, but it ended up there somehow.
Why would a science fiction magazine be inside an engineer's room without his knowledge, while he was working on a top-secret project for the government?
David put aside his thoughts for a second as he walked to the magazine and flipped open a page. After all, a small bout of relaxation would make him think better.
As he turned a few pages, a strange article caught his eye.
Its title read "The Records of the Four Cardinal Weapons", with a strange, almost medieval crest being printed next to the story. What was this ancient text doing in a contemporary science fiction magazine?
David couldn't help but read a bit. After all, it's not every day you see such an oddity.
The waves of apocalyptic catastrophe.
To save the world from the Waves, four heroes will be summoned from another world.
What a strange story, Dave thought.
Each of the four heroes wield a characteristic weapon: a sword, a spear, a bow, or a shield.
Before David had time to compose his thoughts, a blinding light burst from the pages as the book spiraled downwards into the abyss that he found himself falling into.
"What the hell!"
As the colors began shifting, from yellow to red to blue, David screamed desperately while repeatedly pinching himself to try to wake up. This must be a dream, he muttered to himself. There is no way this is happening. This defies all laws of science and physics!
He landed face first into the hard stone floor and blanked out for a moment before lifting his head.
Ouch. David thought. That hurt. What happened?
He found himself lying on a dark, cold castle floor surrounded by an expansive, glowing turquoise circle radiating light particles illuminating the area around him.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
A group of people dressed like members of a satanic cult stood in front of him. What appeared to be their leader stood forwards.
"We did it! The summoning was a success!"
David immediately bolted upwards and backed up a few steps. Suddenly, he noticed a heavy weight in his left hand. Glancing down, he gasped while staring in awe at what he was holding.
Then he spoke.
More like screamed.
"God dammit, what the hell is on my arm! Also, where the hell am I?"
The leader replied calmly.
"O brave heroes, please save our world."
"What?" Four voices shouted in tandem.
As David looked around him, he saw three other men, also equipped with the strange weapons he read about in that article. They also appeared as confused as he was.
As the four summoned individuals started to regain their composure, David simply could not wait any longer. He was getting restless, and he needed to get home quickly to complete his project. As common sense indicated, being in the dark while stuck in unfamiliar or hostile territory is not a good situation to be in.
David decided he needed to be the one to speak up.
"What do you mean by 'please save our world'?"
The leader elaborated.
"There is a long and complicated story behind this, but we've summoned you Four Cardinal Heroes here using an ancient ritual. "
Four Cardinal Heroes? Such as the four cardinal virtues? David thought.
The leader swiftly continued.
"Our world teeters on the brink of destruction. We beg you, O brave heroes! Please help us!"
The other strangely dressed individuals curtly bowed in unison, clearly signifying their respect towards the group.
The blacked-haired man with the shield spoke.
"I guess I could hear you out, at least."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the blonde man carrying the spear blurted out.
"I refuse."
Hearing enough, David proceeded to voice his thoughts.
"Alright, I've had enough. Cut it with your poorly acted out role playing. Please, could you direct us towards the exit? I have somewhere to be right now and some urgent work to be completed, and I am not particularly interested in your shenanigans. I do not understand what you mean by "save our world" but there is only one threat towards our planet at the moment and four people carrying ancient weapons isn't going to solve it."
The blonde man, obviously not listening to what David said, followed up.
"We can go back to our world, right? We'll talk about your problems after that."
The man with the sword nodded with agreement as he stated.
"Don't you guys feel any guilt at all for bringing us here without our consent?"
While speaking, he drew his sword and pointed it at the leader.
His statement, David completely agreed with. His animosity though, not quite.
The blonde man rambled on, taking on his new circumstances quite comfortably.
"How willing are you to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we might end up being your enemies instead."
The leader hesitated before he spoke again, clearly uncomfortable and afraid.
"F-First, we'd like you to have an audience with the king of our country, Melromarc. You can negotiate your reward after that, so please . . ."
Quite satisfied after hearing those words, the man with the sword lowered his weapon.
"Fine, I guess." He spoke.
David was quite baffled though. Melromarc? What the hell was that country? Was it some European microstate located in the Alps or the Pyrenees?
David just had to voice his concerns. The lack of knowledge about the situation was making him quite uncomfortable.
"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? Did I hear you say this country was called Melromarc? If so, what continent is it in and did it participate in the war?"
The leader was taken aback but responded quite respectfully.
"Melromarc is the country that you were summoned to. It is located on the Main World Continent. If you wish to hear more, please follow us so you can meet with our king."
That statement did not quite answer David's question, but something was better than nothing. Might as well hear this king out after he had us kidnapped here, David thought.
"I suppose we could consider their offer." David spoke politely.
As David stepped towards the doorway illuminated by a radiant light, the other three supposed "heroes" followed him in a single file line.
The two more talkative heroes mumbled to each other as David walked on, not listening to what they had to say, but quite strangely, the black-haired man with the shield lingered behind most of the group, slowly tailing behind the other three.
David slowly climbed the castle steps spiraling upwards from the basement.
As he looked outside the iron bars of the castle, his jaw dropped. He could not believe what he saw with his own two eyes.
What appeared to be a medieval European city, straight from the middle ages or a fairy tale, was sprawled out around for a few miles. This definitely was strange, but at least David could confirm this was Europe. What insane monarch would have three Orientals and an American kidnapped for no apparent reason but to "save the world?"
As David stood still and looked closer, he could not believe his eyes.
People were riding in horse carriages, with no sign of motor vehicles or bicycles anywhere. People were dressed in colorless drab straight out of the dark ages.
David stood there agape as a fresh, pleasant breeze rustled his hair.
Yep, no American city has air this nice. Yet no American city had no cars or bicycles whatsoever. This seemed to be either a film set for Elizabeth Taylor's new movie, or a rural French city, although it seemed way too large to be so. This was at least the size of New York City, if not more. The sword and spear men uttered a few words as David pondered.
"We really are in another world, Huh?"
"We sure are."
"It's like the typical sales pitch in all those tour brochures!" The man with the shield spoke gleefully.
The man with the sword sneered.
"Wait, have you never traveled out of Japan before?"
"Going by the breeze outside, we're probably somewhere around the Mediterranean Sea, or maybe South America." David contributed.
"Yeah, yeah. Excuse me for my lack of knowledge and vocabulary." Said the man with the shield quite embarrassedly.
As David approached the throne room of the king of this country, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the sheer majesty of the place.
The place looked like something straight out of a stereotypical fairy tale. Knights clad in the most ridiculous of medieval armor, and the lavishness of the room would put even the most grandiose of Beverly Hills mansions to shame. Chandeliers with the most gorgeous of crystals hanged above the velvet carpet, reflecting the glimmering candlelight in all directions, and what appeared to be gold adorned the lining of the pillars. Truly an extravagant country. Extravagant indeed.
As David was taking in the scene that lay before me, the king finally spoke, in an authoritative voice.
"Ho. So these men are the Four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend?
Chapter 2 to be released soon. Feel free to comment down below!