Disclaimer: Don't own nothing, 'cept for the cast I created for the fic.
A/N: While the events in this fic may be fictional, they are based on real characters, or in the main character's case, future characters, within Maple. My ID in MapleSEA is Bahamut3173 in the world Aquila, so if you want to get in touch with me just type in that search function. As of this moment I'm a level 40 spearman.
Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day
Meet Ryden, a not-so-ordinary beginner with great dreams of becoming a crusader one day. His aspiration and determination were further fuelled by the fact that his father had been a Crusader once, before he died honorably in battle against a group of Crimson Balrogs. They had lived in Victoria Island close to Ellinia when Ryden had been born, but ever since his father's death his mother had migrated to Maple Island, to raise her only child alone.
Ryden's father was a powerful Crusader, no doubt, but the infusion of his mother's genes, which came from an extremely intelligent Priestess, gave Ryden a unique combination of a warrior's brute strength and a wizard's intellect. It was this that made Ryden stand out from the other beginners in Maple Island, and his mother was extremely proud of him for this.
Of course, this had also made him widely feared and respected, almost worshipped by the Beginner population of Maple Island, though Ryden had inherited his father's kind and noble spirit. Rather, it was his ancestry, skills and exploits that made him the talk of the town, and whenever he entered Amherst or Southperry, traffic would typically stop and eyes would turn in his direction.
The fame made Ryden terribly insecure and self-conscious, and it was rather unbecoming of a warrior. Or even a magician! Whenever Ryden would come home to Mushroom Town after a long day of training, he would collapse on his bed with an exasperated look on his face.
His mother would ask him what was wrong, and he would answer that he was sick and tired of stopping traffic everywhere he went and having to endure stares of awe wherever he goes.
Ryden's mother would then sigh and tell him that it's just natural for natives of Maple Island to worship outsiders like gods; the environment in Victoria Island is much harsher than that of Maple Island, leading to much stronger adaptations for survival, and apparently to the native population of Maple Island, powerful individuals like herself who migrated here always gave birth to powerful progenies like Ryden.
Ryden would then turn over on the bed and lie on his stomach, mumbling into his pillow that he just wants to be able to fade into the background for once…
His mother would then jokingly remark that with all his fame he would make a terrible thief before affectionately patting him on the head and leaving the room.
But that was when Ryden was just level 3.
After several months of hard training Ryden was now level 9, and by now he had gotten used to the near-worship that he received on Maple Island. His mother knew that he would soon be leaving for Victoria Island. She knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him, but at the very least he could continue the legacy of his father.
Ryden, like his father, had a certain fondness for dark-colored clothing, and so he was typically clad in a grey t-shirt, blue jean shorts and dark leather sandals. Underneath the fringe of his disheveled hair he wore a black headband, a gift from Maria after he delivered her letter to Lucas. He also carried a sword, which in hands like his became less of a weapon and more of an extension of his arm. A deadly extension.
Right now Ryden was at Southperry, on one of his regular potion restocks. He had recently talked with Biggs and was currently on the hunt for some monster remains. He had already amassed quite an amount of blue snail shells, one that would certainly impress Biggs, and all he had left to collect were a couple of Orange Mushroom caps.
He passed by Mai at the split-road, and he nodded in greeting. Mai inclined her head in return, and Ryden asked her if she had seen any of the elusive orange mushrooms.
"I think I saw one darting into the forest over there." Mai pointed out to one of the many signs that said 'Danger', indicating that the zone beyond was not to be trifled with. Generally, only the bravest of warriors-to-be and the quickest of bowmen-to-be went in, and Ryden was definitely one of them.
He thanked his trainer for the information and quickly entered the forest, intent on hunting down the elusive mushrooms and getting that razor from Biggs. He had taken only a dozen steps when the bushes to his right rustled suddenly.
Ryden knew what this meant and he immediately halted in his tracks. The orange mushroom that had been in hiding burst out from behind its cover, charging straight forward and flinging itself at Ryden…
… Or rather, where Ryden would have been if he had kept on walking. Instead, the mushroom's target was several yards behind where it had thought it would be, and it barely had time to process its error before Ryden swiftly stepped forward and drove the blade of his sword between the mushroom's eyes.
The brain-dead mushroom flopped a bit like a dead chicken on his blade for a few seconds before it finally shuddered and lay still. Ryden pulled his sword out of the mushroom's body and flicked the blood off onto the ground before sheathing it smoothly. He reached down to the mushroom's corpse and pried the cap off the body, stuffing it in his pack.
Just two more to go… Ryden thought to himself as he dusted off his hands and got back onto his feet. He was about to depart from the forest in search of more mushrooms to hunt down when a shill scream of terror made him freeze on the spot.
As mentioned earlier, only budding warriors and bowmen came in here and they usually knew what they were getting into so they came out more or less intact, albeit a bit battered. But the high-pitched scream suggested that whoever the screamer was, he or she definitely didn't know what they were getting themselves into, and most definitely was getting his or her ass kicked right now.
The scream repeated itself again, a desperate cry for help. Ryden was instantly moving, running in the direction of the scream.
Definitely a she… Ryden thought to himself as another yell permeated the forest. After several seconds of running Ryden finally came to a clearing, where three orange mushrooms had cornered a shaking girl against a tree trunk. The girl was clad in a bright yellow t-shirt, a red mini-skirt and red rubber boots, and a brown skullcap held down her unruly brown hair. She clutched a one-handed axe in a quivering grip with scrawny arms, and her eyes were wide with fear, darting from one mushroom to another. Her entire body was shaking with fright, and she was biting into her bottom lip with such force that it had already started to bleed.
The mushrooms started to advance, slowly, but the girl screamed and swung her axe wildly, slashing at the air in front of her and hitting none of the mushrooms. The mushrooms backed away slightly before they resumed their advance, and Ryden knew it was only a matter of time before the girl crumbled.
He quickly stepped forward and slashed one of the mushrooms across its back. The girl's assailants whirled around, stunned at this new threat, as the slashed mushroom reeled and attempted to recover from Ryden's attack.
The girl's eyes grew even wider, but this time with awe, as she finally caught sight of her rescuer. Ryden was oblivious to her stare as he concentrated on killing the mushrooms. As one attempted to bulldoze him with its broad body, Ryden leapt over the clumsy attack and retaliated the moment he touched the ground. The mushroom's body landed on the ground in two neatly severed halves, but unfortunately Ryden had split it down the middle, rendering its cap unsalvageable. The other two did the only thing mushrooms knew how to do; they both rushed him, attempting to body slam him into oblivion.
The one that he had slashed across the back was already weak from his attack, and it only took a quick thrust into its body to end its pitiful life. The last mushroom paused as it witnessed the death of its kin, and it stared at Ryden for a couple of seconds, filled with fear.
Ryden glared at the mushroom before uttering a small "Boo."
The mushroom practically squeaked in fright before taking off into the forest. Ryden eyed its retreating figure before hefting a handful of snail shells and tossing it at the fleeing mushroom.
The shells struck dead on, and the mushroom fell over dead before it had gotten further than ten meters. Ryden smirked and placed the remaining shells back in his pack. He bent down over the corpse of the nearest mushroom to pry off its cap when a hesitant mumble made him suddenly remember the girl he had saved.
He turned towards her and was able to get a clearer look at her face. Her looks weren't exactly the most beautiful he had ever seen, but she definitely had striking features. She had a perfectly oval face, porcelain complexion, and a cute little upturned nose, though she appeared to be a little bit skinny.
"Huh?" Ryden asked. He was certain the girl was trying to say something but apparently her voice was too soft for him to hear her.
"Thank you! For saving my life." The girl gasped out, then was seemingly taken aback that she had even spoken.
Ryden calmly turned back to the mushroom's dead body and pried the cap off, stuffing it in his pack. "Not a problem."
He walked over to where the second mushroom's body lay and pried its cap off as well. Finally I can get that razor… Ryden thought to himself. He passed by the clearing and noticed the girl staring at him in awe again.
"Can I help you?" Ryden said in a bored tone. Probably just another fangirl…
"I'm sorry for staring, but you're Ryden, aren't you? Son of the priestess Ceil?" The girl asked. Ryden nodded, mildly surprised; it sounded like she was trying to be his friend instead of just another worshipper.
"My name's Astella. Thank you again for saving me." The girl smiled sweetly at him, and Ryden felt obliged to smile back. Ever the gentleman, he offered to escort her out of the forest.
Astella thanked him profusely for the favor, and she scurried behind him as they left the forest together. As they re-entered the split road, Astella thanked him again.
"No problem, really. I was hunting for mushrooms anyway. So, what were you doing in there in the first place? I can tell from your build that you're definitely not aiming to be a warrior or a bowman." Ryden cocked his head quizzically at her.
Astella's face turned beet red, obviously embarrassed, and she mumbled that her brother had remarked that forests like these were easy training. Ryden nearly fell over from shock; those forests were filled with dangerous creatures!
"Either your brother's a level 9 warrior-to-be, or he was just bullshitting you. Those forests are dangerous!" Ryden sighed. "What's your level?"
"Four." Astella said meekly. She had started playing with the hem of her skirt, obviously nervous about talking face-to-face with the most famous beginner on Maple Island.
"Magician?" Surprised at Ryden's seemingly mind reading, she could only nod.
It was obvious enough to Ryden's keen eye. She definitely didn't have the build to be a warrior or a bowman, and she didn't maneuver lithely or gracefully enough to be a thief, so the only thing she could be was a budding magician.
"You'd better stick with the snails, Astella. Whatever you do, don't listen to your brother's advice unless it involves snails. Those orange mushrooms could kill you." Ryden told her sternly. Astella nodded timidly. Ryden was about to leave for Southperry when Astella called out to him again.
"Umm… what's your level?" She asked him. Ryden told her that his level was high enough that he'd be out of Maple Island within a week. He left for Southperry without noticing the determined look on Astella's face. She promised herself that she would be strong like him one day, and she would find him on Victoria Island and prove herself to him.
Over the next several days Ryden had been training intensively, the end of his days in Maple Island his incentive to train even harder than usual. Ever since his meeting with Astella, Ryden had been seeing more and more of the budding magician as the days passed. Eventually the budding warrior had warmed up to the pleasant if somewhat timid mage-to-be, and they became fast friends. Ryden was Astella's guide to survival in the dangerous forests, and Astella was Ryden's pillar of friendly support that he clung on to for sanity in the sea of insanity that was Maple Island's Beginners' near mindless worship of him. (Although he had gotten slightly used to it, too much of it was unnerving and bad for his brain.)
At last, it was Ryden's final day on Maple Island. He double-checked his pack to make sure everything was there; yes, his stock of potions was full and his new shiny razor was sitting comfortably in a side compartment.
He hefted his pack onto his shoulder and left his bedroom. His mother was waiting for him at the door.
Ryden stepped over and allowed his mother to kiss him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, son." She said, her voice breaking.
Ryden smiled to his mother and gave her a quick hug. "I'll be all right, mom. Don't worry about me. If I ever have any kids I'll send them back here for you to raise." He jokingly remarked.
Ceil laughed and said that would be great. Ryden bade his mother farewell and left his house, heading for Southperry.
Several minutes later he was purchasing his ticket onto the boat from Shanks when he heard a female voice calling his name.
"Ryden! RYDEN!" Ryden turned around to see Astella running towards him, holding a package in her hands.
Astella came to a halt in front of him, panting and gasping for breath.
"Astella? What is it?" Ryden asked, noticing that she was holding onto the brown package in her hands very tightly.
The magician-to-be finally caught her breath, and she looked up at Ryden before handing him the package. Ryden looked at her, puzzled, before she explained everything to him.
"It's a thank-you gift. For saving me the other day." She told him.
"I'm sorry Astella, but I can't accept this. Warriors don't…" Ryden started to protest, but Astella was not to be denied.
"Just take it, please! I'll feel bad if you don't." She pouted, and Ryden just couldn't resist the power of those puppy-dog eyes of hers.
"Oh all right, I'll take it." Ryden relieved her of the package and placed it in his pack.
"So… I guess this is good-bye?" Astella asked.
"It isn't really good-bye… with any luck, you'll run into me on Victoria Island. But for now… yeah, it's good-bye." Ryden was taken aback as Astella's lip started quivering for a split-second before she threw herself onto him with a bone-crushing hug.
Ryden let out a loud "Oof!" but he made no move to dislodge her, as she held on to him even tighter.
After several seconds she released him and murmured, "I'm gonna miss you, Ryden. I won't forget you. Once I get to Victoria Island, I'll find you."
Ryden grinned and replied, "You do just that. Right now I've got a ship to board."
The female mage-to-be nodded and reluctantly stepped back. Unfortunately Ryden didn't realize the effect he was having on the poor girl; he saw her as just a close friend whom he had saved from orange mushrooms, but to Astella, he was the love of her life.
As Ryden boarded the ship, he turned back and waved goodbye to his friend. Astella held back tears as she waved back and forced a smile, watching the ship depart from the dock and taking her love with it.
After several hours of staring at the empty patch of sky where the ship used to be, Astella picked up her hand axe and headed off to the split-road, intent on asking Mai to start further intensive training for her.
A/N: Jus to let you guys know, naming the main character of this story after a level 30 bow was not intentional; I was just scrolling through a list of the weapons in and suddenly I was like "What the, Ryden is a bow!?" Anyway, here are the credits that go to the characters that appeared in this chapter.
Ryden - Based on the Fighter that my Spearman should have become, and basing his name on the name of my 'mule' thief HellRyder.
Astella - Based on a level 48 Cleric whose ID is Aquila is 'Astera'. I don't recommend you try adding her to your buddy list; she's very inactive.
Ceil - Completely original character; I don't have any magician friends who have reached 3rd job yet.