The Ritualist
A Guild Wars fanfic by Copper Thrice
The first thing Jason Linear saw when he opened his eyes was darkness. Complete and total darkness.
And he was floating.
It felt to Jason as if he was floating in warm water. The atmosphere was strange yet so…familiar.
"RELEASE US"
Jason turned to where the voice came from, but he could see nothing but black.
"THEY ARE COMING"
Jason whirled about again. That was a different voice. He thought. How many are there?
"YOU NEED US"
Again, another voice.
How many are there? Jason thought. He turned and saw a transparent green, lizard-like face staring at him. Jason opened his mouth to scream.
Then he woke up.
Jason breathed heavily and looked around his room, making sure he was back at his parent's one-story house.
Slowly, he calmed down, moving his hand through his sweat-matted brown hair and trying to focus.
That was weird, he thought, what were those things? Where was I?
Jason stood up and put on his school uniform, it was Thursday after all. Dream or no dream, he had to get ready.
As soon as he was dressed, he walked to the kitchen where his mother was reading the paper and his two-year old sister was bouncing up and down in her stroller.
"Mornin," said Jason grabbing a couple of Pop-Tarts and beginning to enjoy them.
"Mornin, Jason," said Mrs. Linear, "Your father had to leave early, so you'll have to take the bus."
"'kay," said Jason between bites of breakfast. He stood up and grabbed his backpack. As soon as he got to the door, he wondered if he should tell his mother about his dream…Nah…
She'd probably think he was going Scitzo.
Jason walked down to the end of his driveway and down to the bus stop. There he sat down and waited. A few minutes later, his friends arrived.
Mitch, his best friend came first. Friends since Jr. High, the two had stuck together through school up to there present year as sophomores and a small group of friends built up around them.
Lewis and his girlfriend Jenny came and later (late as usual) Dan came too.
On the bus, the friends sat together, planning out what they would do over the long weekend they had coming up. Dan suggested coming over to his place and playing Rock Band on his X-Box 360.
When they arrived at school, the friends each gave their sighs and headed in.
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Jason's group left school and began their long trek home. They figured that the bus that came to their school would show up so late, that walking home was faster.
"Hey, let's check out the junkyard," said Lewis.
"Ew, why?" remarked Jenny.
"Hey, I found some cool stuff there last week," Lewis continued, "Sold it on ebay for a bundle!"
"Why not?" said Mitch and before Jason knew it, they entered the city junkyard. Jenny was the only one who didn't follow, she left the group and headed straight home.
It was immense. There were so many piles of scrap metal, boxes, and parts that they didn't know where to begin.
Unfortunately, the choice as to how the day would go wasn't up to them anymore.
"Well, well," said a college-age man coming out from behind a pile of junk. "What do we have here?" He wore your stereotypical punk-bad guy outfit and so did his two buddies who followed him.
Jason, Mitch, Dan, and Lewis began to back away, but three more appeared behind them.
"This is your first offence stepping on Junkies territory, so I'll give ya a warning," announced the group with a grin, "AFTER… we have some fun."
With a yell, one Junkie pulled out a baseball bat and hit Mitch's legs with a swift blow to the kneecaps. Jason could hear the splitting of bone over his friend's scream. As he turned to face him, it was like his life was going in slow motion.
Then he was hit next.
The Junkies leader hit Jason in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He then picked him up by his shoulder and flung him at a broken-down car. His impact busted the windshield and he felt pain explode along his back as he tumbled off the car.
Momentarily forgotten, he watched as his friends were beaten badly by the Junkies.
He wanted to help, but…
What can I do? He thought.
He felt his heart start racing.
Dan began to be whipped by metal chains.
What could I do?
Mitch was picked up and punched repeatedly in the stomach and face.
I can't do anything.
Lewis was thrown to the ground and kicked heavily.
The pain…
Jason could almost feel it himself. It was massive, horrible, unbearable.
"YOU CAN HELP THEM"
Jason blinked in surprise. It was the voice from his dream.
"WE ARE YOUR POWER"
Jason felt strength flood into his body, willing him to stand, even though it would bring pain.
"WE WILL HELP YOU"
"Hey," said the Junkie's leader, "We almost forgot about you!" The entire group of Junkies was walking towards Jason snickering madly.
Jason's body slouched forward. The only things he could hear were his breathing and his heartbeat. The only thing he could feel was his friend's pain…
The Junkies leader lifted a borrowed baseball bat over Jason's head.
Jason could feel and unnatural power building inside of him, like a caged animal in his soul.
"RELEASE ME!"
said one solitary voice above the others.
Jason's body pitched backward and he screamed as the chains that bound the voice to his mind snapped. The Junkies were startled by the apparent insanity of Jason but they took a step back in fright as they saw hat happened next.
A transparent green, ghostly substance flowed out of Jason's chest and materialized not a foot away from him. Its physical appearance was startling.
It had a human-like torso with clawed hands and spikes on its shoulders. Its lizard-like head was attached to a long neck that slumped forward and snarled. The rest of its body was like a ling robe which had ghostly chains attached to it. The chains then flung out, anchoring the spirit to the earth.
The Junkies didn't know what to make of the spirit until one member tried to hit it with a metal baseball bat.
The spirit pulled back his arm and swatted the Junkie away like he was a fly. He landed on a pile of junk not twenty feet away.
Two more tried to attack it, but they were given the same treatment. Their unconscious bodies lay near their ally.
The leader and his remaining group turned to run yelling, "Demon! Monster! Ahhh!"
The spirit crossed his arms over his head and three balls of cackling energy formed above him. He plucked them like ripe fruit and sent them hurling towards the Junkies.
Each one was hit in the back and sent sailing forward where they collapsed unconscious.
Jason fell onto his backside and looked up in awe of the spirit, who turned to look at him.
Jason looked into the spirit's pure black eye and Jason could see that his reflection had green eyes, just as green as the essence of the spirit.
After a few minutes he looked around at his friends.
"Are they…"he asked the spirit.
"THEY ARE INJURED BUT FINE," said the spirit in a deep, familiar voice.
"What… Who are you?" asked Jason.
"PAIN," the spirit said, "ONE OF MANY." Pain then faded back into green essence and flowed back into Jason's chest.
Jason barely had time to think before he fell, exhausted, to the ground. The last thing he saw was the junkyard before he fell into unconsciousness.
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Atop one mound of junk, two figures watched Jason's ordeal finish.
The one wearing a Dark blue robe and carrying a scythe said, "He is powerful…"
The second, wearing a suit of white armor and carrying a spear said, "He will make an excellent addition to our Guild."
The first turned his hooded head to his associate, "What if this Ritualist chooses not to join us?"
"Kill him," the second said without hesitation.
--- To Be Continued