Jon Andrews is a fun-loving college football player who defies the stereotype by being as well-studied and thoughtful as he is physically intense. He enjoys studying medieval history almost as much as sacking quarterbacks. A trip to a medieval exhibit at a local museum sends a pair of bullets from the gun of a panicked robber his way and brings a stolen broadsword mysteriously into his possession. Before he can return it, the ancient weapon spirits him away to its own world. Gritty pain and true fear soon convince him that he is not simply dreaming when he finds himself in what appears to be medieval Europe. Captured by the kings soldiers, a wizard of the Holy Order reveals that the stranger carries the legendary sword Vandermine and that it is dead iron in the hands of anyone else. Jon is soon pressed into service joining a desperate quest to slay Cravos, the would-be conqueror of the kingdom and violator of all the laws of the Holy Order in unleashing forbidden and wildly destructive magic power that once loosed threatens to bring to pass the prophesied second apocalypse.
Jons companions on the quest are a veritable dream-team the kings champions the best in their respective disciplines. The further the reluctant hero travels the more he sees things that seem to have leapt straight out of books of mythology not history. It is soon painfully obvious that being in great physical shape and wielding a magic sword is not enough. Thrust into a life or death struggle in a world he cant understand, Jon relies on his faithful comrades to give him the skills he needs to command Vandermines full power before the reality of this impossible world catches up with him.
The journey for Jon is not merely physically daunting and dangerous, but mentally and emotionally taxing as well. Before he was torn out of the world he once knew, he was accustomed to being one of the stronger and more competent members of his team. However, the harsh realities of the ancient world that has called for him soon humiliate him making him feel like the weakest-link. Through training, suffering, and conquering with the kings picked men as he strives to fulfill the swords errand, Jon gains the respect due a battle-hardened veteran earning it the hard way.
