The Forgotten Luck Quest (One Shot)
I found that at the end of vol. 4 chapter 22, when Prince woke up laying on his back staring at the sky, then later in chapter 23, when they let us know that he is on a ship headed to the Eastern Continent, I had too many questions about what happened to get him there. So only having the translated manhua to go by, I made up a story to answer those questions. I hope the avid 1/2 Prince fans will not be too disappointed by what I came up with. Please enjoy.
There were three silhouettes artfully thrashing about in a wild dance across Moon City's horizon line. Along with the clashing and banging above the rooftops, there were the sounds of drunken voices.
"Take that. Bet you can't counter this time." Nan Gong Zui lunged forward, his sword extended before him.
Kong Kong who was behind, but just to the left side of Prince swung in rhythm with Zui's timing, making for a potentially lethal combination when mixed with his friend's attack.
Prince, the elf warrior who was in the center of their attentions, swiftly moved to the side of Zui's swing, blocked down to the left with his black dao, moved his center of gravity forward, reset his footing, twisted around and lithely blocked the second blow that came from Kong Kong.
He never misses any of our moves. Kong Kong was amazed. It was his first time sparing with this infamous Blood Elf. Drunk or not, this person is a worthy opponent for anyone. when Prince had first pulled his sword and began to dance wildly with it below the moon, Kong Kong and Zui had both been moved with the exotic gracefulness of Prince's swift movements. If Kong Kong had known it was the elf's first time drinking, he would have been even more amazed.
Prince had a singularly strong sense of being alive. The alcohol in his imaginary blood stream (after all, this was just a game, wasn't it?), had left a curious numbing affect, both to his sense of restraints and to his sense of limitations. He felt like there was nothing impossible.
When he had pulled his blade out, it was because there was such an odd sense in this night's air, and with such a large moon hanging over the city, he had felt the need to perform, as if he were on a stage. He also had wanted to experiment with the alcohol's affects which caused a feeling not unlike looking through watery ripples. When it came to movement, his eye's perception, and his his body's rythm didn't connect quite the same as usual. The affects of drinking had been noticed by him a long time ago, but the people around him apparently couldn't sense it when he moved or spoke. Everyone else had been slurring their speech for a while now.
"I'm sick, I gotta stop." Zui bent over the edge of the rooftop. Uncomfortable sounds came form his direction. "Kong Kong give me a an arm." Zui wobbled as he almost lost his footing.
A mischievous gleam came into Prince's eyes. He silently walked over to his two friends. "Time for you two to land." he said as he shoved them off the roof into a near by pile of hay. He laughed shortly, as he watched them struggle in the hay to right themselves. After they had sat up and gotten the last bits of hay out of their hair Prince spoke again. "Well, I'm going. I need to go to the hotel for a bit before I log off. See you two drunks tomorrow." He turned around and jumped to the neighboring roof.
As Prince walked his way back to the hotel, he pulled his sword out and began swishing it around again. Fighting was the best. Since starting this game, he had found out that being in danger, feeling the adrenaline rush, and having the strength to take out mobs were all truly addictive behaviours. He absentmindedly began to bat at a vent that was sticking out of the roof. It had a cone cover to protect against rain. To his surprise, it not only came off, but opened up as if it were on a hinge. Something was glowing inside. What is that? He asked himself.
System Notice: Prince has found Purple Mushroom. Prince has unlocked hidden quest: Forgotten Luck. Int. + 5
System Notice: Prince is fined 5000 crystals for voyage.
A wind suddenly began to blow. At first it was gentle, like the autumn's whisper, but it began to howl thereafter. Prince wrapped his black jacket up around his ears and neck, thinking to run for cover from a storm. There was no time though. A large, extremely rough wind devil swooped him up into the air, carrying him away in it's gusty clutches.
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"Our quest has been activated." A very regal woman with graceful black wavy hair stood up. The Oracle, as she was simply named, wore a transparent veil over her spring green dress. The veil was attached to her rings so that it would float as she walked and moved about. Peaking out from under the hem of her dress, were two Arabic style shoes in gold, with a rainbow of gems ensconced over the surface. "Tell everyone to ready their posts. Nothing must be out of place. Children of the Lost Isle, today is the day we fulfill our reason for being created. The player character on his way here is named Prince, and I suggest we all treat him accordingly. Please children, be careful of his Black Doa at all times." With that done, she picked up a large ornate hairbrush and prepared to receive their soon arriving guest.
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Meanwhile back in the real world Feng Lan was sitting in her room getting sick.
I'm sick. I'm sick. I'm really getting sick, she thought. When is this spinning going to stop?Even if her character had not been drunk, the motion sickness would have gotten her. Lan took her headset off, thereby freezing her character. Still sitting in her chair, she waited for the room to stop spinning. 99.9% reality has its drawbacks. Why couldn't they have skipped the spinning part? I've pretty much gotten used to cuts, scrapes, even getting gutted. Death really is miserable, but even that I have begun to get used to, however I can do without this motion sickness.
She yawned. It was getting late, but she was on a destination to who knows where, and a quest to do who knows what? Not to mention it was a quest that she had never asked for. Her curiosity wouldn't let her quit now.
After regaining her composure, Lan replaced her headset, instantly returning to the effects of drunkenness and motion sickness. Ugh, not again...
The miniture tornado had carried him for a long time, and it was now just before the dawn. That time when the sun hasn't quite risen, and the dew is still on the flowers. The sense of movement was lessened, and Prince looked down to see land below. It was a small island. What now? Now, was that the wind stopped and Prince plummeted to the earth below, landing on his face in the sand. The landing had hurt, and the feeling of swirling had not left yet. I'll just lay here for a while.
A sweet little voice spoke with a lisping quality, and two tiny hands reached out to shake his shoulder. "Prince, Your Highness, you must wake up. Wake. up." Though Prince was sure the person was shaking his shoulder with all their strength, it barely moved.
Prince lifted his head. His face covered in granules of sand, he asked in a very un-Prince like fashion, "Uh, what is it?"
When he looked up, his eyes met the most endearingly browned face. The chubby little cheeks were framed by flighty whisps of brown curls. It looked like she could only be about one and a half years of age. It woke him up from his slight stupor with a startled look. "Who are you?"
"I am Bramble." The little girl stood to her full height, which might have reached the middle of Prince's thigh, if he had been standing. She had placed her stubby, baby like in fists at her waist while talking. But what caught his attention was the baby feet. He looked closer. No, wrapped in the straps of sandals, those really were baby feet. Looking up at Bramble he saw a pair of the most full, some would say, rose bud lips, he had ever seen in his life. She wore a fluttering short pink dress with panels to the skirt that reminded him of a flower. What a cute girl. I just want to pick her up and cuddle her.
"Yes, please get up Your Highness. It is so unseemly to splay oneself in the sand like that." A smart nosed girl in glasses and straight black hair was looking at him seemingly mifted. This girl, who appeared to be several years older than Bramble, stood on the other side of Prince. "I am This One. Pleased to meet you, Your Highness." She gave a formal bow, reminiscent of the manners of England. Her armour had little decoration, as it was basically a charcoal color, and no accents.
Prince went to sit up, and realised that he hurt all over. It had been a rough landing. His joints didn't want to move, but he managed to roll over to his back and sat from that position with the help from the little girls. At least, he thought they were little girls.
This One began to hit and swipe at Prince's back to get rid of the sand he had picked up. The she moved around to the front and shook out his jacket. "Your Highness, please shake out your hair. You are expected."
"Expected, to do what?" His look was confusion.
"Expected to meet The Oracle." Bramble replied. "This is the Lost Isle, and The Oracle is the leader here. She has been waiting for you since you began your flight."
He stood up now, and straightened out his clothing. Running his fingers through his hair, he looked around. There were palm trees all over the beach, and at the break of the jungle, there were two lanterns at the edge of a path.
Seeing that Prince was ready to go, Bramble took the lead, heading toward the lanterned path.
This One began to inform him of his situation, as she followed behind. It sounded like a memorized speech. "This is the Lost Isle, and true to its name, it will remain lost, even in your memories. Anything and everything The Oracle tells you will be at the hypnotic suggestion level by the time you leave here." She paused. Then started again. "We have been waiting for you to come here since Second-Life was opened. This is a one time quest. There will be no do overs."
From the front, Bramble spoke under her breath. Prince could just hear the lisping voice say, "You better be good to Mommy." Her comment sounded a little too real for an NPC. He just glimpsed a very serious look in in her eyes as they passed through a hook in the path.
They had been walking for a while, and occationally the sun, which had risen, would break through the branches with shafts of brilliance. Causing something that Prince couldn't quite see to glitter in silvery-white movements on Bramble's back. It bothered him that he couldn't make out what he was looking at, but he didn't say anything. He was too tired. They had been walking for quite a while.
The land surface rose up, and vines spread over the surface. They appeared to come from a central location and spread out as if they were spokes of a wheel. They had obviously been laid out deliberately to make the effect. In the center of this odd mound was a wooden door. It was laid into the grass. A wooden knob stuck out for the handle.
"Bramble, quiet your walk. You need to be more respectful of The Oracle." This One broke Prince's mental investigation of the curious scene.
"Mommy won't mind. She says I'm cute the way I am."
"This One does mind. Besides, today we have a guest and The Oracle said you have to be at your best."
"Hmph." Was Brambles response to the last reminder.
This One came out from behind Prince and reached down to swing the door to the side. It creaked, and then fell unceremoniously to the ground, landing in a muted thud.
Prince could not see anything beyond the black hole left by the open door, but both girls confidentially stepped into the darkness while pulling him along by holding his hands. It was the only time they had offered to hold his hands, so he figured it must be necessary.
There was the immediate feeling of floating, and then a light became visible. As the light came closer, Prince could see that there was indeed a floor in front of him. It had a long velvet runner going from his direction straight to where a woman with black hair and a green dress stood. The next thing he recognized was the children standing on both sides of the runner. They stood shoulder to shoulder as he passed by with his companions, and walked off as soon as he had passed. Melting away silently to do other tasks.
Beyond the line of children, everything was a blur. No matter how much he tried to look at a piece of furniture, he couldn't. It waved back and forth, changing colors and patterns. Yet somehow, he knew when a chair was a chair, or a table was a table. Too weird.
Prince turned his eyes back to the woman they were headed toward. He could see that she was an important person. The way she stood waiting for him showed she was accustomed to being in the front of the crowds. Her eyes rested on him, as she watched their advance from the far end. Prince started with surprise as he realised she was standing in front of a tree's trunk. Wait, I thought we were inside a building. The tree was huge, encompassing that whole wall, if indeed there was a wall to encompass. Are we inside, outside, our underground? He looked around him again. This place didn't feel real at all. It felt surreal. Am I really here? What is going on?
"My children, welcome back." She smiled at the little girls on either side of Prince, then she looked up at him. "Prince you had a long, rough flight. I appologize and welcome you to our home. I am The Oracle. She was perhaps just shy of two meters, so he now found himself looking up to meet her gaze. He blushed under her steady look.
"I trust you brought the Purple Mushroom for proof that this is indeed your quest?" She extended a hand in expectation, and Prince pulled it out of his jacket. "Now give me a moment to prepare. She closed her eyes while holding the mushroom in both her hands. It still glowed faintly.
Prince shifted his feet and waited for a while. He was beginning to lose his patience. He looked around the room merely to realize that the runner they had walked on to get there had disappeared, and there was now nothing substantially recognizable except for Bramble, This One, and the The Oracle. Was there even a room here to begin with?
Finally, she opened her eyes. "Why is this quest called the Forgotten Luck Quest?" Prince asked.
The Oracle looked at him with a sad kind of laughter in her eyes. "Because you will forget. You will forget that you found the mushroom. You will forget the great wind that brought you here. You will forget the Lost Isle, the Children of the Lost Isle, and most of all you will forget me."
"Then what is the good of doing it?" He scuffed his boot into the invisible floor, feeling frustrated. He thought, This is a waste of time.
"In exchange you will get unparalleled good luck, some fortune, and guidance, but once again the reason, or means for these things will escape your memory."
"Ok, so what do I need to do?"
She went to stand by Prince's shoulder. "Open your profile."
"Profile." He called. A screen opened before Prince, and The Oracle turned so she could also see it.
"For some reason your Luck is already very high." Prince, surprised, checked what she had said. That section usually didn't say anything about what level Luck was, but it was now unmasked. It read 40%. "That is not a normal level for Luck. Do you have any equipment to boost it?"
"Not anything to mention. A point or two here or there, maybe."
"Then you have someone who made sure your luck was extra high to begin with. This is bad. I can't do what was set by the System. It would ruin the way things would play for you."
Prince stopped, wide eye, he looked at The Oracle. "Are you a GM? I thought you were an NPC."
"GM, NPC, what are those? I am not familiar with those terms."
"So, you aren't a GM. But you talk like a normal person."
"Should I not talk this way?" She had a stunned and confused look.
I am going to try one more time to clarify."Ok, you are aware that you are playing a part in a Massive Mulitplayer Online Roleplaying Game, right?"
"I'm not playing anything. I am just who I seem to be, The Oracle. This player character just wasn't getting it. Couldn't he see what was in front of him? "This is the world of Second-Life. It is my world, and I live here on Lost Isle with my children." She pointed at the invisible ground under her feet, looking very earnest and somewhat offended. It is too bad that he is so muddled. This is the first one that I got to meet. And I was looking forward to his advancement too.
This was where that 0.1% of non-reality got confusing. Was this a person, or an NPC then? A sigh escaped his lips. "Lets just get this quest done. I can tell I won't get anywhere with this conversation."
"Fine. I will have to adjust your Luck stats, but because giving you luck over 100% would be tantamount to making you a god in Second-Life, I can only give you 99% while you visit the Eastern Continent. Afterward when you leave the Eastern Continent it will remain at 65%.
What did she just say? What was that about the Eastern Continent? "A little while ago, when I asked you what I needed to do, you didn't say anything about the Eastern Continent, and now you are saying that I am going there as if it is decided. I'm not from there, and I don't want to go there."
She looked at his worried face. "But you already paid the fair for the voyage, all 5000 crystals."
Prince was stunned. Staggering backwards, he had to stop and think. There was a System Notice about being fined 5000 crystals. "What am I going to do? That was all my money. I can't get back once I am there." His heart began to race. Everyone was waiting for him to return. Would he ever see home again?
Is he always so short sighted? The Oracle sighed. "When you get there, help the people who need it. There are people who are looking for you, they have been heard by the merchants in town. They say you are the reason they came to Second-Life. Secondly, you are strong, don't be afraid to take on the big bosses using your creativity. You aren't the usual player character. You have some very special eyes watching over you." With that The Oracle pulled out the Purple Mushroom and placed it on Prince's forehead. It began to glow, and slowly sink, slowly disappear into his thick skull.
Prince felt a warmth spreading through out his body as the muscles began to relax.
Bramble and This One come here, it is time for the flight. Obediently the two girls came forward and turned their backs to The Oracle. She reached down and touched their backs. "Release Flight," she commanded, and there was an unfurling of ever so delicate wings. They seemed to be like spun glass, so transparent, except for the silver veins that glistened like water in the sun. "This One, have you reviewed the ship's path? Make sure he doesn't wake up before you get him to the ship." This One nodded.
Now a glowing white feather showed in The Oracle's hands. She moved forward and placed it inside Prince's jacket's inner pocket. She whispered, "Feather's Flight," and turned around. "You will have to move quickly. That feather is only good for thirty minutes, after that he will be too heavy for you girls to carry. She walked away without looking back.
Bramble grabbed Prince's feet and This One grabbed his arms. They moved him over to a stretcher that had appeared, and the two little fairies lifted him off the ground.
The Oracle, not turning to look, spoke under her breath, "And with the use of the one and only Purple Mushroom we again sink into oblivion." She sighed and began to walk away...