Ore Drop
Disclaimer: Nexon owns all rights affiliated to Maplestory.
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"Paige, come check this out!" A young dragon knight beckoned the pale robed priestess over. Lying in the path of icy fire was what
they had been searching for in the quest assigned in Ellinia.
A golden cog from the boss in ludibrium lay in the dungeon bottom.
"coming!" Paige quickly teleported below the toy level. Suddenly, a shadow materialized from the depth. " Tithe..." The dragonknight
scanned her frozen face. Paiges expression blanched . " Run!"
A lady with chopsticks thrust through her hair loomed closer and closer.
"Hello." The doll-like stranger greeted as her countenance twisted into malice. She lunged towards the pair with sharp nails.
"Telepor-" the priestess never got to finish her incantation before the agile monster struck true with needle-like acuity.
she let out a sharp gasp of pain as it's projectiles punctured through her chest. Her gaia cape splattered with crimson blood.
Dim flashes of light conjugated by Tithe were only thing seen out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't know this could happen. Her
instructor warned that the boss would only be seen in the parlour.
Not here.Not in toyland.
She focused her dull amethyst eyes on the evil creature with a pretty face. Cruel yet pretty with eyes flashing with intelligence.
Paige didn't want to think if it was human.
Now she heard Tithe's crys of pain as he tried shielding himself from the doll's blows.
"Paige? Please hang on..." The fuzzy figures spun around her eyes. her eyelids felt heavy as if her eyelashes weighed were down
by boulders.
She stopped breathing before she hit the ground.
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Did I die? Paige felt pain rack her body as she freed herself from the bind of mossy vines. For some reason she was lying on the floor
of a tree dungeon.
Had Tithe brought me here? She was tangled up in roots and mushroom spores.
A beginner mage entered the room and gasped. He jumped up to the grassy ledge across from her.
"Magic Bolt!" He screamed at Paige and swung a wooden staff in an arc.
It burnt across her skin and and Paige screamed, clutching her wrist in pain.
" help!" She grabbed around wildly trying to retrieve her wand but clawed air. The young magician turned pale and ran as she
blindly drew near.
A bright flash of light resembling teleport rained down to her tree platform. That was the last thing she remembered before blacking
out from the pain.
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Paige blinked her eyes. Her body felt stiff frrom lying on a cot.
A cloth was offered to her by a boy her age with striking green eyes and and disheveled hair. Judging from his clothes, he was
probably a newly-turned fire mage. He wasn't the same magician who had ran away from her earlier.
He seemed reluctant to touch her.
Paige wanted to say she was fine. but no words came. The wizard seemed to understand. he motioned towards the gilt mirror
framed on the wall.
The former priestess flinched. Instead of flowing scarlet hair past her waist and violet iris eyes, she had a poison cap and beady
dark eyes.
She was a green mushroom.
Paige felt a flaring warmth threaten to spill over from her eyes.
But instead of tears, she dropped ores. Emerald ones, Aquamarines and garnets clinked to the ground. The pyro wizard blinked
lightly before helping her up. Flinching when her poison skin grazed his fingertips.
"How did you talk?" The wizard asked while sliding on his gloves.
"p..ai..g.e" It was a struggle for her to get the words out." p-reiss"
"Paige, is that your name?"The magic user enquired in confusion." I'm Song."
"come with me." he led her out of the tree haven.
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Their destination ended in Ellinia.The blonde widened his pupils in surprise as she navigated herself up to Grendal's residence
quickly. He beamed a smile of reassurance at her before pausing on the viney porch.
Striking blue eyes met Paige as he hesitantly knocked on the doors.
" Song, I didn't expect you back so soon." Familiar white robes trailed after his musty, bleach beard as grendal opened the door.
Paige remembered how much she had trusted this mage master. Until she had found out the truth about monsters. They were all
human and don't reincarnate back to the towns. That was the reason no one returned from Zakum temples, Pianus caves and
Ludibrium clock towers.
This deciever was once her master.
"You." grendal stated simply as he recognized the slightest flash of violet in the black eyes of the mushroom." So you know the
truth."
Song looked around wildly. Anger bubbled in her heart. The job masters were keeping all this a secret from the rest of the
world.
Tithe didn't know the truth.
song didn't know the truth.
They could have been killing their own family for all they knew.
Unknowingly, Windia has been killing off its own people for decades.
"Liar." Paige spoked the word with clenched teeth. This time she had no difficulties.
"What's going on?" song demanded. Both ignored him as they locked vision.
Grendal's icy gaze narrowed into slits and ice burst from the wooden planks like supernovas.
Paige squealed as she felt herself being closed in by pillars of ice.
" Tithe! Tithe!" She was calling out to her protector. She screamed as she twisted her body around, almost to the point of
hysteria.The monster side of her didn't want it to end without revenge.
" Flame arrow!" Song cried out as he waved his wizard wand onto the ice. he was knocked back into the wall with a sickening crack
to his skull.
" Why?" Song managed to choke out from his wounded position on the ground.
Grendal stepped over his damaged body carelessly. " I killed my best friend once." The eldest mage wheezed. " I restored her to life
by practicing the forbidden arts. I used my love and regret as an excuse for her immobile form. But, her heart changed out of hate
for my betrayal."
Grendal laughed inhumanly.
" She became a true monster... you could say."
The Ellinian instructor touched the pendant at his neck befor continueing."The other instructors agreed because of the shortage of
training to create power for each class... Or they agreed out of fear." He downcast his tone.
" Delia...I'm-" Gredal never got to finish his sentence.
He didn't notice until it was too late.
" MAGIC BOLT!" The blast of pure mana toppled the entire shelf, sending it crashing down on the master mage. Song was back on
his feet, barely glancing at the Grendal's fitting grave.
" I'm sorry." Paige felt someone squeeze her hand gently." let's go now, okay?"
She nodded and smiled sincerely, still haunted by thoughts of the past.
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8 years later...
Dear Tithe,
I know its taken me too long to write down this letter. I'm still alive and well... even though I'm a little different from when you last saw me. Remember when mother told you to not follow me around back on Maple Island? But, you came with me anyways. Everyday, we collected snail shells and mushroom spores. we dreamt of being a mage and a warrior. I left the Island at eight years old and you at ten years old.I met a mage ... he was a wizard when I met him though. I bet song and you would have gotten along really well.He has the same shy demeanor you have, Tithe. His hands have been healing from poison emitted by green mushrooms. like me. Unlike the axe stumps and wild boars, I haven't lost to the despair of the monsters. We call it Delia's curse.
Have you heard there are no true monsters? the word has been spreading around.Now, I can walk across towns without being attacked.I've learned to speak and form more words now. Song said I was close to regaining my status as a arch mage.
I remember a boy.
Even if it was just a little memory.
There was a boy who trained with me, advanced jobs with me, did everything with me starting from the beginning.
Are you that boy, Tithe? I'm remembering less and less. I think the abyss of mind is getting to me.
Happy Birthday!
I'm going to burn this now.
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We arrived at our final stop for the night. Song and I sat down on a rocky ledge on the outskirts of Perion.
There was laughter coming from the top of the moutain. A little girl about five years old waved around a familiar Doombringer.
The same weapon Tithe used.
She had raven black pigtails tied with white ribbons and garnet orbs for eyes. Only,she was dressed up in a cute skirt with a white
top.
" Daddy, can I be a warrior?" she yelled. A young father with black hair and aqua eyes emerged from behind the portal.
" No, Paige. You know the reason behind your name sake." He lectured with the same sheepish smile from years before." Go be a
magician."
"Besides, just last week you wanted to become a bowman." He responsibly concluded to the little beginner.
The little girl stuck out her tongue. " Yes, father. You said my name came from someone special, someone you couldn't save. Right?"
The dragon knight ruffled her locks playfully disguising his emotions. His daughter didn't notice a flash of painful regret pass his face.
" I'm telling mommy!" the little girl laughed and skid on the boulders with The warrior trailing after her.
I watched from afar. I felt a morrican on my shoulder and looked back to Song's face.
" Are you okay?" He asked with concern.
" Yes... let's go." I started running towards the town. Feeling warm liquid rush around my eyes, I picked up speed.
With the little girl's voice growing farther and farther away, I let my past life go.
For the first time, tears cascaded down my cheeks instead of ores.
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Please review! Correct any mistakes if I'm wrong. I'm not good with technicalities.
Characters:
Paige- Preist lvl 70
Tithe- Dragonknight lvl 70
Song- fire wizard/ mage lvl 33/70
Grendal the really old- ice mage? lvl 100
female Boss/ doll lady- lvl 130