Back to Reality
Chapter One (written by FanFanGirl): The Awakening
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One real world is enough. George Santayana
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So this is what death feels like, Kalas reflected, watching the blood gush from his chest.
He felt sad. He reluctantly fell to his knees, gasping and toppling over onto the ground. His vision began to fade and his heartbeat slowed. It passed into stillness.
He was dead.
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The words GAME OVER flashed in his mind. An obnoxious beeping sound kept feeding into his ears; when he opened his eyes he was met with the sight of an empty metal room, tinted yellow through his pair of plastic goggles.
"What the...?"
As he began to sit up a voice crackled in the earpiece. "Welcome back. You have been playing the virtual reality game Baten Kaitos for the past two years. You explored a highly realistic digital world filled with fun and fantasy. Unfortunately your journey has come to an end. Within the next few minutes your real life memories should return to you, but until then please remove your helmets and proceed through the exit. Follow the red lights to the storage area where your team's baggage is located. Thank you for playing. And welcome back to reality."
When the voice faded out of the earpiece, Kalas placed his hands on either side of the helmet and pulled it off. He clambered out of the chair he was in, finding that the plush seat was attached to a pillar as massive and thick as a tree. He looked around and saw that the pillar sported a whole ring of chairs, rising from the floor to the ceiling and swamped with wires. Around the corner, the outline of another person's body could be seen. Throwing down his helmet, Kalas began to jog around the side of the pillar.
It was Xelha, looking as though she had melted into her chair. Her chin rested on her chest and she was breathing shallowly; she almost looked like she was in pain. Kalas winced and grabbed her shoulders, trying to wake her. "Hey, can you hear me? Xelha!" Somewhere in the back of his mind he noticed that in place of her normal clothes she wore a crisp, pearl-colored uniform; he wore one as well.
She groaned and sank lower into her seat, a little color coming into her cheeks. He figured that she wouldn't be moving any time soon, but it looked like she was alive. She was alive. Sighing in relief, he caught a glimpse of Gibari just around the bend. "Hold on a minute, Xelha," he said letting go of her shoulders. "I'll be back." He moved on to the next chair angled against the pillar.
"Gibari! You okay? Wake up!" Kalas jostled Gibari as well. He was beginning to realize that there was no headband on his friend's head, and that Gibari's ballooning pants had been replaced with the same snug uniform that Xelha wore. Would everyone be wearing these? After a few violent shakes, Gibari let out a low rumble and squinted open his eyes.
"Argh... Kalas... that you?" He brought a large trembling hand to his head, only to have it bump against the white helmet. After a moment of confusion, Gibari removed the offending headgear from himself. He pulled the goggles down and stared around in confusion, finally locating Kalas. "Oh, there you are."
Kalas took hold of Gibari's arm and pulled him out of the chair. "Glad to see you're still alright, man. Would you give me a hand with the others? Do me a favor and go wake Xelha up."
Gibari nodded as though in a daze, taking a few staggering steps forward. "Kalas, wait a minute... Where is this place? What are we doing here?"
He shrugged. "Don't ask me. Let's just make sure everyone else is alive."
"Yeah... You're right," Gibari muttered. He saluted, and turned toward Xelha's seat.
Kalas began to feel some relief. So far both Gibari and Xelha were alive, even after... even after he had seen them...
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about it.
As he made his way around the pillar he came across Savyna's chair. As the second tallest person in their group, Lady Death's head was situated well above the top of the chair and her legs stretched down way past the footrests. She, too, was dressed in the pearly uniform, with the same globe-like helmet and yellow goggles.
Unlike Gibari and Xelha, though, she seemed to be already half-conscious; behind the goggles her eyes were glazed but partly open. Kalas climbed up on the chair and leaned over her to lift up the edges of the helmet, calling into her ear, "Everything alright in there?"
She stiffened. Her eyes flying open, Savyna planted her hands on his chest and with a sharp push sent him sprawling onto the floor.
When she looked down and saw that it was him on the floor, she said, "Oh, it's you. I'm... fine."
Kalas eased himself up and scrubbed the back of his head, pouting. "That's good to know... I guess."
She inclined her head silently, her gaze sweeping the room to take note of its clean, white features. As she lifted off her helmet, she said, "It seems that we are in a laboratory of some kind."
"Yeah, I know. But it doesn't look like the work of the Empire..."
"I have not seen such models before." Pausing for a moment, she focused her gaze on Kalas. "...In our last battle...the casualties?"
"So far it looks like everyone's fine," he breathed. "Gibari's trying to wake Xelha right now, but I haven't gotten to the Great Mizuti or Lyude yet. Wanna help me get them out?"
She jumped down from her seat and slid behind him. "Yes."
"Good. I think I see Lyude over there, so you want to take care of the Great Mizuti?"
When she nodded, he gave her a thumbs-up and took off.
It was comforting to know that Savyna was still in one piece, he thought as he went. If someone like her had been missing, who knows what they would have done. Even so, this place was strange and he didn't know that he liked it much. It was always awkward waking up in strange places, like in Cebalrai and Moonguile Forest. Nothing good comes from not knowing where you are.
As he made it around the last stretch of the pillar's border, he met Lyude. The redhead looked even more coherent than Savyna had; he'd already taken his helmet off and was now looking around through his goggles. When he spotted Kalas he let out a small "Oh!" and descended from the chair.
"Lyude, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, but how are the others? Are they hurt? Would you... by any chance... happen to know where we are?"
"No, I don't... But the good news is that everyone's okay. C'mon, we can't sit around here and chat, so I'll show you." Kalas turned to lead the way to the others. Lyude, still strapped into his goggles and still a bit confused, followed obediently.
When the two came across the rest of the group, they found everyone up and about, looking well. Xelha was a bit weak on her legs, but she had one hand on Gibari's arm, and was smiling at least. Savyna looked slightly shorter without her high heels, yet was still a giant next to the Great Mizuti. With surprise Kalas saw that Mizuti's face was bare. She blinked around at the others with clear brown eyes.
Laughing with relief to see all of them, Kalas ran up to his friends. They were alive, they were all alive! The group regarded him with similar expressions as he came up next to them — uncertainty, comfort, happiness. No one knew what was going on... but they were together.
"So, everyone's alright," Kalas called loudly, looking around at everyone and briefly catching Xelha's eye.
"It seems that way," Savyna said, her arms folded. "But as for our mission, Malpercio..."
The group suddenly fell dead silent. At last, Kalas spoke up.
"...We failed. I thought everyone was dead... I guess we survived. Somehow..."
Xelha looked at the floor. "I saw... We..." She stopped, unable to go on.
"Hey now, we're okay now, and that's all that matters. Don't worry about it. Right now, we have other things to think about."
Lyude nodded. "We must find our way out of here quickly, otherwise there will be no one to stop Malpercio's rampage. And Melodia... we must save her."
"Melodia..."
"If we be saving Melodia, first we be escaping, this is true?"
Mizuti's voice sound bright without her mask to stifle it. And she seemed strangely solid with both of her feet planted on the ground, her body not dangling in the air but trapped in a small white suit.
She seemed like a different person, Kalas mused. He didn't linger on the thought long, though.
"Yeah. Let's get out of here, guys."
"I believe there's an exit on the opposite side of the room," Lyude provided helpfully.
"Then let's go."
At the end of the room was a door lined by twinkling red lights. Kalas looked at the faces of his friends before going through. They were ready. Somber, confused, and disappointed, but ready.
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FFG: Hey guys! Look, I'm Katana! I like Geldoblame! ...Yeah!
Okay, not really. She and I are co-authoring this fic and that's why I'm here. We'll be switching off writing every other chapter, so make sure to review mine and not hers. Haha.
Okay, again, I'm kidding, but I really do hope you guys like this story. Things will pick up from here on out, and since Katana's writing I'm sure there'll be some crazy, crazy happenings. Hope you enjoy!
CK: Awwwwww yeah. So, for you people who don't know what the shit we just said: Fan wrote this chapter, I write the next; we alternate and frolic off into the sunset. 8D
And that, my good people, is when you review. (And again, please make sure you know who you're reviewing, because we have different writing styles and I'm sure you don't want one of my crazyass replies when you want to talk to Fan.)
Or I sware to McPercio himself I will give Geldoblame here instructions to throw his considerable weight around and do some rapin. D: -snuggels His Fatass and is sucked momentarily into a pocket of fat-
Oh ew.
Um...kidding about that last part, because I wish that upon not even my worst foe. -shudders-
ANYWAY. Next chapter in the works, see you all REAL SOON.
-cackles-