So its been a few months, huh? I've been busy with a lot of stuff, and my writing schedule has reverted back to "Continuously edit the same small section and never get anything done". This has sat in my computer for at least two months now, and I've decided to just screw trying to make it the best writing ever seen by human eyes and just upload it. Also, the surest way to catch my mistakes is to upload a story, then I start seeing all kinds of errors.
About this story. This is pretty much going to be a kind of novelization of the Meridell plot series, which was my favorite in all of Neopets (LDP comes second). It's pretty much the only plot TNT ever made in which there was any kind of moral ambiguity at all. For the other "Pick-a-side" plots, it was always "Good" side and "Evil" side. And then would come the stupid team chants and the stupid "Thieves/whoever/etc. ONLY!!!" boards, and so on. And of course the 12 year olds who thought picking the evil side made them bad asses. But I'm getting off the point. I loved how neither Meridell or Darigan was totally wrong in their actions during the plot. I had thought about a short story from Skarl's point of view, but that eventually got scrapped for this. Let's see how well this works.
While I'm going to stay true to what happened in the plot for the most part, I'm going be using my own ideas for a good deal of the story too. What I'm trying to say in my roundabout way is that this isn't just going to be word for word from the plot comic, although I'm going to be using a lot of the scenes from it. What I love most about the Neopets fandom is that the details of all of the canon are left to the reader to decide, and I'll try to make the details surrounding the solid facts interesting, to say the least.
This story has the added excitement of never knowing when I'm going to suddenly never update again. This is my first actual full story that I'm going to post, and what I've already uploaded is pretty much everything that I've typed. So sorry in advance if I don't finish the story.
If anyone is wondering if I'm going to continue Confessions, the answer is a definite maybe. I sure as hell am going to finish the Maraqua storyline, even if I have to just make it it's own story (which I am still toying around with). I have the next chapter of Confessions halfway typed, and hopefully I'll have time during Winter Break to finish it up.
By now you're probably tired of reading what I have to say. I know I would be.
Lisha hated getting up in the morning. Although she of course had to do it for school, that was mandatory, she had no choice. There were laws that said she had to wake up early in the morning for school. However, there should also be laws that forbid being forced to wake up for mornings during weekends.
Lisha's friends, Boris, Morris, and Kayla, all loved playing Neoquest. Well, Lisha loved it too, but that was beside the point. Even though it was just a board game they still insisted on only being able to play it in a set period of time, just like the original version of Neoquest. Unfortunately that time period was mornings.
She had argued, she had complained, she had whined; it had made no difference. Her friends were monsters for authenticity. As Morris had once said, "If we are going to wear costumes while we play, playing at the right time doesn't seem like too much of a stretch, does it?"
She hated Morris when he broke character to make a smartass point.
"Lisha! I'm running low on life!"
Lisha shook her head and turned her attention back to the game. Lost in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten that they were still playing.
"Flash heal!" Lisha cried, gesturing to Morris with one hand while rolling a D8 with the other. It came up 7; Morris would get a good heal from her "spell". A pure light surrounded Morris (well, not really), and his wounds were completely healed. Morris breathed a sigh of relief from his non-existent pain.
People would ask why the group of four always insisted on treating the game like they were having an actual battle. Lisha had tried explaining it, but eventually gave up. The thrill of immersive table-top gaming is really something that has to be experienced.
"Kayla!" cried Lisha. "How long until that Glacier Strike is ready?"
Kayla was concentrating on her own spell. She didn't have to, really, since she wasn't actually casting anything. But it was just one of the things that made the game more fun.
"Five more Seconds!" she shouted back.
That wouldn't be as fast as it sounded, it would take much longer than five seconds in real time. "Seconds" (note the impressive capital S) actually referred to game time. While the game was very good, it was still just a board game. Lisha and the others had to pull cards, move pieces, and other such nonsense. With all of these actions going on, it was impossible to make moves fast enough to keep pace with the battle if it happened in normal time. Annoying crap like real life made an in-game time system a necessity.
It was Boris's turn now, his job was to try and take the majority of damage from monsters so the rest of the party didn't have to worry about being hurt. He had made a bad roll and let the monster get a quick attack off on Morris, but he was doing a good job overall.
Boris used his primary attack again, which caused the monster to turn its attention back to him, hopefully buying the precious few Seconds Kayla needed to finish her spell.
Lisha reached for the dice; she typically made the moves for enemies since cardboard cutouts obviously couldn't do so themselves. She rolled, and it came up horribly for them. The monster reared back and thrust its sharp claws right into Boris' chest. Boris cried out in mock pain, the attack had almost completely depleted his health.
"Boris!!" cried Lisha, getting into the game.
Morris attacked once more, but it wouldn't be enough to kill the monster, they needed Kayla's Glacier Strike for that.
"Kayla, time!" Lisha shouted again.
"Two Seconds!"
Lisha cursed. Boris would be "dead" by then, and Kayla would be a sitting duck. She would have to try for something risky.
"Casting Lifegift!" Lisha shouted, telling the group of her move. Lifegift would fully restore Boris's health, but at the same time drain her health and magic power to almost nothing. Hopefully, she wouldn't need to have that much health though, the monster should be defeated with the Glacier Strike.
There was a problem though. The spell only had a fifty percent success rate. If it failed, Lisha would be automatically killed. But they had no other options.
Lisha crossed her fingers, and threw her arms outward, casting the spell. There was a pause to see if the spell had worked-
(They rolled the two D20; they totaled up to 34)
-and Boris returned to full life. Lisha collapsed; she would do no more good in this fight. But it didn't matter because…
"Glacier Strike!!"
Glacier Strike took quite a long time to charge, but once it was ready, it was devastating. Ice materialized out of thin air, crushing the monster and killing it instantly. It was a draining spell on the caster, but obviously worth it.
Boris and Morris cheered. "We did it!" cried Morris. "It's about time we beat that guy, we've been trying for a week now!"
Lisha used some potions from her inventory to bring herself back up to full strength. She could have used them during the battle but they really weren't efficient in battle, as they used a turn.
Kayla brought out the large manual that detailed the events that the party faced while playing the game. "Okay, all we have to do is clear one more room with three monsters in it, and then we can fight Xantan!"
As if summoned by her words, three shadows suddenly loomed over them.
Boris gulped. "Um… These aren't the monsters, right?"
Lisha sighed. The shadows weren't monsters, but something much more annoying.
"Are you four losers still playing that stupid game!"
Lisha and her friends looked up. A Korbat, Skieth, and Grarrl, Eric, Arnold, and John respectively, stood there. They all wore scowls, and looked very intimidating. Or rather, they were trying to look intimidating. The trio was quite pathetic really.
Arnold and John weren't athletic enough to be jocks, and Eric wasn't smart enough to be a geek, so they were both ostracized by those communities. And they were also arrogant assholes, which might have had something to do with it as well.
They had gravitated together quickly, and set out to wreak havoc upon the poor fools who had rejected them. Except those "poor fools" didn't really care about their "havoc", so they ended up constantly bothering Lisha and her friends. They didn't care either, but Eric and his dumb muscle didn't seem to take the hint as well as they had before.
When someone says the word "Neoquest", most people tend to think of the typical nerd herd playing in one of their mother's basements. For the most part, this tends to be true. But, contrary to popular belief, they weren't there because of aversion to light, or because there was a toilet and food close by. They did it because about half of the population tend to be utter jackasses about table top gaming.
Lisha preferred playing outside however, and she'd be damned if she was going to let a few idiots ruin her fun. However, she couldn't pretend that the sanctuary of one of their houses wouldn't be just a tad appealing at this point.
She normally just ignored them; hopefully they would go away eventually. But apparently she had failed her karmic save roll.
"Well, you know what," said Eric. "Play times over!"
He nodded to Arnold, and the Skieth reached down and flipped the board over, completely destroying the game.
Lisha winced inwardly. Not because of the game, they could easily recreate it. Lisha was thinking more of how Kayla, Morris, and Boris were going to beat the snot out of the people who had the audacity to interrupt a game of Neoquest. Unlike them, she could deal with it.
"You gonna cry, four-eyes?" asked John. Lisha subconsciously adjusted her glasses, which were admittedly freakishly huge. She could deal with personal insults too. In fact, after a few years of high school, a verbal jab as weak as "four-eyes" barely registered.
"Damn it!" Kayla cried. "We can only play this game a few hours a day, you guys just made us waste a lot of time!"
"Yeah, you're gonna pay for that!" cried Morris, furious.
Arnold sneered. "What are you going to do about it, twerp?" He bent over and with no warning punched Morris square in the face.
Lisha couldn't, and wouldn't, deal with that. Morris wouldn't be hurt, Arnold couldn't break a window, much less actually hurt someone. But no one took a swing at one of her friends without severe consequences.
John noticed that the group was preparing for a fight. "What are you going to do? Cast a thunderbolt on us?"
This was the last straw. A whole party of healers wouldn't be able to save John and his friends.
While Lisha and her friends were pummeling the wannabe bullies, a much more serious battle was about to begin a few miles away and a couple thousand years in the past.
A blue Lupe clad in plate armor spotted three horribly misshapen pets walking down a side path. They weren't as unsightly as Mutants, but were still menacing. They did look suspicious, but the Lupe had never been one to discriminate because of looks or background. He himself had only gone from a young street urchin to Sir Jeran Borodere in only a few short years, all because King Skarl had seen past his lack of status or money. He knew more than anyone that judging someone based on appearance was foolhardy at best.
And so instead of charging in, sword held high, he simply asked them what their business was.
The three pets stopped and looked Jeran over. One of them gasped. "It's him! One of the knights!"
His companions turned to look at him. "Are you sure? Is it really one of them?" one of them asked.
The first's eyes narrowed. "I will never forget any of their faces for all of my life."
Jeran was confused, but realized that the situation was headed in a violent direction. "I am a knight of Meridell, if that's what you wanted to know…"
Apparently it was the wrong thing to say. The already hostile scouts drew their weapons; it was clear a fight was inevitable. Jeran also unsheathed his sword as well as taking his shield from his back. He threw his pack to the side; it would only get in the way.
One of the pets laughed. "Do you really think you can beat all three of us by yourself?"
Jeran barely heard him; he had slid into his battle mindset. All of his brain power was focused on how he could win the skirmish. He quickly sized his enemies up. While none of them were nearly as strong or skilled as he was, their stance made it obvious that they weren't beginners with the sword. An average opponent would be in trouble when dealing with them.
It was lucky that he was far from average.
The leader of the three let out a ferocious battle cry, and they all charged as one. They swiped, but Jeran had already rolled out of the way. With almost impossible speed, he leaped off the ground and lunged directly at the largest of the bunch. With a single swipe of his sword, the behemoth was down.
The remaining two hesitated for a moment, and then attacked Jeran again. He blocked both swings at once, one with his shield and one with his sword. He took advantage of the shock of his adversaries, and quickly struck both of them down.
The short battle over, Jeran examined his attackers. They would all live, but wouldn't be in fighting condition anytime soon. He sighed in relief; his squad would need them alive for questioning. Also, he preferred to withhold from killing blows when they could be avoided.
Retrieving his pack, Jeran cut lengths from a strong piece of rope he carried with him at all times. He used the rope to tie all three assailants up. He knew we would barely be able to carry one of them back to his camp, let alone all three. It would be far quicker to run back to his camp and return with more men.
The Lupe returned his weapons to their places and grabbed his pack. "Don't go anywhere guys," said Jeran with a smirk. He never really participated in battle banter, he preferred to focus on the fight. But now that it was over, and he was the victor, a small verbal jab was almost required.
When he came back to the spot with a small squad of his men in tow, he immediately regretted the joke he had made.
The pets were gone, leaving behind only the rope that had been used to tie them up, along with a marking on the ground. Jeran looked closely at the marking. It was obviously the crest of a kingdom, but he couldn't place it.
"Someone run back for Dolohov!" he called. Dolohov was a rookie in the Army, but was already well-known for his extensive knowledge of all things related to geography. He would certainly be able to identify the marking.
Danner, a young blue Wocky who had risen quickly in the ranks of Meridell's Army, stepped forward. "Jeran," he began. "Should we prepare the men for a possible counterattack from these three?"
Jeran considered for a moment. "No. I think they were only scouts. Right now they are most likely returning to their superiors in order to give a full report."
Danner nodded. "And what do you think this means for us?"
Jeran ran through their brief conversation in his head. They had known he was a knight, but not of what kingdom. They had seemed to become enraged when he had said that he was a knight of …
… Meridell.
He gasped, almost collapsing from shock. He hoped he was just being paranoid, that the scouts had attacked him for some other reason than the one he was beginning to suspect.
"Private Dolohov reporting, SIR!" called a voice from behind him. Jeran turned and saw Dolohov standing at attention. Normally Jeran would remind Dolohov that kind of formality wasn't required in his unit, it felt weird being given too much respect when about half of his men were actually older than him. However, he was far too worried care about Dolohov's formality now.
"Dolohov, can you tell me which kingdom this crest belongs to?" asked Jeran. He wasn't sure why he was so worried, there was no way they were from…that place. They could never have found them, it was impossible…
Dolohov glanced at the marking on the ground that Jeran had indicated. "SIR! That is the crest of the kingdom of Darigan, SIR!"
At the word Darigan, Jeran's heart stopped. 'So,' he thought to himself, oddly calm after the confirmation of his worst fears. 'They've finally found us. What happens now?'
"Darigan?" asked Danner. "I've never heard of that kingdom before. Have you Jeran?"
If the situation hadn't been so serious, Jeran would have laughed. Instead he called to the rest of his men. "Everyone back to base, now! We must return to King Skarl as soon as possible!"
While his men weren't the most well disciplined unit in the Meridell Army they always knew when it was time to shut the hell up and do what the captain said. Without a word, they lined up and began to double-time it back to their base.
Jeran had Danner in the front of the squad along with him, so he could relay orders. "As soon as we get back, I want the entire camp ready for transportation back to Meridell in under an hour. Anything that isn't ready gets left behind."
"Captain, the sun is going down soon. Don't you think we should stop-"
"NO!" shouted Jeran, surprising both Danner and himself. Jeran calmed himself down, and then continued. "We travel on through the night. I have vital information that King Skarl must know at all costs."
"It's worth abandoning our post and working the men far past their normal limits?" Danner was merely pondering how serious the situation was, he wasn't questioning the order. Danner knew Jeran wouldn't do it unless it was absolutely necessary. "What, is Meridell about to be destroyed or something?"
It was obvious that Danner had been hoping to lighten the mood, but he had only made the situation hit home for Jeran.
"If we don't give Skarl a proper warning of the situation, it very well could be."
Constructive criticism would be awesome. Seriously.
I talked way too much at the beginning, so I won't talk much here. Thanks to Ruby for the title of the story, I probably wouldn't have posted this if it weren't for that (as I would still be thinking about a title).
Expect the next chapter whenever. And Merry Christmas. Or Happy Holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas. Or have a nice day if you don't celebrate anything.