Summary: This is the story of how Rune-Midgard's strongest youngsters met and began. "Get it right you doofus!" "You're a doofus!" "Ha! I bet you can't even spell 'doofus'!" "Can so! D-e-w-" ...but of course, not all legends are legends to begin with.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ragnarok Online. :P But the characters in this story belong to my friends and I.
Author's Note: This is the prequel to my other story, The Ragnarok. You don't have to read it, but it would be nice if you did. (n.n) Takes place about four years before it, so there aren't any spoilers or such.
...I should be working on my main story, but I've hit a stump and felt like writing a prequel instead, haha.
T for future swearing.
Enjoy!
-x-
The Ownage Crew
Chapter One: When I Grow Up...
-x-
"Right!"
"Left!"
"Ahead!"
Three different voices yelled out into a chattering crowd at the same time. Ten-year-old Payon glared at Paroid and Blades, who both glared back at him and then at each other.
"No, the Swordsman Guild is to the right!" Blades protested.
"You're wrong!" Paroid disagreed, pointing a finger to the left. "It's that way!"
"I still say it's ahead," Payon crossed his arms.
Payon, Paroid and Blades glared at each other again. They were in the middle of Prontera, right beside the large fountain looking for the Swordsman Guild. It was true that they weren't of age yet to apply for becoming Swordsmen, but being the curious kids they were, they were determined to find it.
"And what might you kiddies be looking for?" A voice chuckled. The trio turned to face a Knight in his early twenties. They stood in awe of his appearance; the shining chain mail and armor, worn out by numerous battles; his aura of glory and bravery, accounted for by his victories; his long, wind-battered blue hair; the menacing scar near his eye that made him look ten times as manly; and even though he was clean-shaven, he still looked ruggedly stylish.
"We're looking for the Swordsman Guild!" Paroid said proudly, tapping his thumb to his chest.
"Why, that'll be in Izlude. It's not in Prontera."
"Oh," Payon sighed dejectedly. "Which way is it though?"
"Out the south gate, then to the east," The man pointed past the boys and out the city gates. "But don't go wandering there by yourselves, it can get pretty dangerous."
Any previous signs of disappointment were wiped off by a wide grin on Payon's face. Adventure and danger, just what he was looking forward to. "Thanks!"
"Glad to be of help," The man smiled and walked off into the weapons shop.
"HA, you're ALL wrong!" Paroid exclaimed with a grin. "You guys suck!"
"Says the guy who said 'go left'," Blades snorted. "C'mon, let's go to Izlude!"
"Are you crazy? There are those monsters out in Izlude!" Paroid protested. The excitement he had shown before vanished in an instant. "Didn't you hear that guy say to not wander?"
"Suddenly changing your mind? Don't tell me you're a chicken, huh, Paroid? Bawk, bawk?" Blades teased, while Paroid flushed red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Keep up being a party pooper! Payon, ya with me?"
"Yeah, I'm with you," Payon nodded vigorously. It was only an hour's walk to Izlude; it wouldn't pass the curfew his mother had set him. Besides, going on an adventure was much more thrilling than staying home to do chores.
"I go with too!" Paroid exclaimed. His resistance disappeared as quickly as it came like his earlier eagerness. Clearly, he did not want to be left behind.
"'I go with'?" Blades laughed. "Now ya copying that Assassin, Loki!"
"Ah, who cares? Let's just go," Payon said.
The trio began to trek amongst the crowd to find the Swordsman Guild in Izlude.
-x-
Rya sat quietly on the doorstep of her house. It was just a few days ago that she had moved from Payon to Prontera, where her father had gotten relocated from his weapon shop at Payon. It was only her first time getting out of the house after moving furniture and luggage. Though it was the capital city, there seemed to be nothing for a kid to do. With a bored expression dancing across her face, Rya placed her head on her hands, staring at the busy streets of Prontera.
A trio of boys walked past her, all three of them arguing loudly.
"Home!"
"Izlude!"
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry, Payon. Someday, you'll be as wide as Prontera!"
"And you'll never exceed the height of 5 feet!"
"TEN ZENY!"
"You don't have that much!"
"I do so!" One of the boys reached into his pocket and took out 10 coins, clumsily dropping all of them. "Damn! Help me pick them up!"
One of the coins happened to roll and stop right in front of Rya. While the two taller boys were busy chasing after the ones that were still running for freedom, she picked it up and handed it over to the boy.
"Oh, hey, thanks! Never seen you around before; you new here?"
"I'm Rya. I moved here from Payon."
"From Payon?" The boy couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, but that sounds really funny! This fat guy over here is named Payon! By the way, the name's Paroid!"
The two other boys had brought back Paroid's loose change just in time to hear his comment. "I'm not fat! Just 'cause you have chicken bones you think everyone is fat!"
Indeed, the boy named Payon was not overweight. He was of the average build of a 10-year-old and was the tallest of them all. Paroid on the other hand was just as scrawny as Rya and was the shortest of the four.
"Hey, let's bring her with us!" The other boy suddenly said; an eager look shone brightly upon his face like a beacon of light.
"Are you crazy Blades? Why bring a girl to Izlude?" Payon exclaimed.
"Well, we're all gonna be Knights right? Knights protect damsels in distress," Blades closed one eye, squatted down a little, and began punching the air dramatically. Rya gave Blades a strange look.
"You'd be using a sword, not your fists," Paroid pointed out. "Get it right you doofus!"
"You're a doofus!"
"Ha! I bet you can't even spell 'doofus'!"
"Can so! D-e-w-"
An undignified laugh let loose from Rya's mouth, but she quickly stifled it while the other two boys roared with laughter. Blades grinned sheepishly, realizing his mistake, but brushed it off. "Well, can ya come? The more the better!"
Rya nodded. She always was home alone for the most part, even back at Payon, and there was never anything better to do.
"C'mon! To Izlude we go!"
-x-
"Don't tell me you got us lost again!"
Evol glared at Skoo, who was pacing around frantically.
"Who's the one who suggested taking the ship to Izlude?" Skoo glared back.
"Who's the one who can't remember where the boat is?" Evol retorted.
"Both of us, stupid!"
Skoo sighed as he slowed down his pacing. "Mom's gonna kill me."
The young blue-haired boy named Evol was visiting from Geffen, and his childhood friend Skoo was to show him around Alberta, the quiet town he lived in. However, they had decided to ride on the ship and had gotten lost. It seemed absurd to forget where the ship was, but it was because the ship was not docked; thus, the two young boys did not recognize the empty docks after they had returned from their exploration in the city.
"Mine too," Evol groaned as he watched a pink blob bounce by them. "What are those pink things called again?"
"Uh, Porings?" Skoo scratched his head, unsure. "It was somewhere in that book your mom gave me for my birthday."
"Yeah, those things, I keep forgetting." Evol mumbled. "Evil looting Porings. But I thought they aren't supposed to be in cities?"
"I heard there are these twigs that can summon monsters," Skoo said proudly, pleased that he knew more than Evol did. Evol 'ohh'ed at Skoo's knowledge and then the two looked around once more for the signs of a ship.
Skoo sighed again, and kicked the air, his shoe flying off of his foot. "Ah, crud, that happens all the time..."
Hopping over to the spot his shoe landed at, he reached out to pick it up, but instead, a Poring got in his way. "What the...?"
The Poring absorbed his shoe, looked gingerly at Skoo, and then bounced away.
"..."
"..."
Both Evol and Skoo exchanged glances.
"After it!"
-x-
"Are we there yet?"
Payon inwardly groaned at Paroid's impatience. "Shut up, we just need to get through the east gates...we should be there soon."
"You said that HOURS ago!" Paroid exaggerated, rubbing his head.
"I said that eight minutes ago," Payon corrected with a sigh. "C'mon, I see the gate already. Race you!"
Both bursting with an adrenaline rush, they sprinted towards the gate at full speed. The guards stationed at the gate opened the doors that led to Izlude to allow a handful of travelers to pass. The two boys disappeared past the open gates, leaving Blades with Rya, both taking their time.
"So Rya – oops," Blades train of thought was interrupted as he accidentally kicked a large brown bug that was in his way. "Hey...isn't that one of those robber things?"
Rya stared at the fallen bug with curiosity; it looked familiar. A large, gathering mob of the same creature then began to close in on them. Her eyes widened. "Yes, NOW RUN!"
Blades didn't need a second warning; both he and Rya sprinted towards the gates with horde of angry Thief Bugs hot on their trail.
"AHHH!"
Blades yelled at the top of his lungs while he burst through the gates, Rya close behind him, as they ran past the waiting Payon and Paroid.
"Whoa, what the – HOLY!" A train of Thief Bugs trampled Paroid as they escaped through the east gates. Payon was lucky and managed to side step the mob.
"Heh, too slow Roidy."
"Don't call me that," Paroid groaned, flattened to the ground.
Blades and Rya continued running while a few older men and women intervened to attack the pursuing Thief Bugs.
"I think we're safe," Blades panted, skidding to a stop and crouching down, tired. The sea of brown bugs was already thinning out. However, Rya didn't notice Blades stopping and toppled right over him into another running boy, who in turn, collided into his friend.
"Ow! Man down, man down!" The shorter boy rubbed his head. "Watch where you're going Evol!"
"Ow, watch where you–" Evol stopped in mid-sentence once a Thief Bug flew into his face. After emitting a high-pitched scream, he chucked the bug off his face and into the blade of a surprised Swordsman behind him.
"Sorry," Rya immediately apologized while she helped the two boys up, and then turned to her other friend. "Sorry about that too, Blades."
"S'alright," Blades waved it off.
"Hey, there's that stupid Poring!" Skoo pounced on top of a pink blob. "Give me back my shoe!"
The Poring squealed, frightened, and then wriggled out of Skoo's grasp. It began to quickly bounce away, until a sword neatly sliced it in half.
"My shoe!" Skoo cried out in delight, spotting it in a mass of pink Poring guts.
"Go home. Little runts shouldn't be wandering about outside the city or near the gates," A gruff-looking Swordsman looked down at Skoo. "Even a weak Poring could hurt the likes of you."
"Erm...okay, sir," Skoo gulped, as the man walked away.
"Ewww, your shoe is covered in Poring guts," Evol remarked, poking at the slimy remains.
"Well you have some bug guts on your face!" Skoo picked off a leg of a Thief Bug from Evol's cheek. "That's even worse!"
"Those are legs, not guts," Blades interjected, picking off another bug leg from Evol's cheek. The blue-haired boy was quickly losing all colour in his face.
"THAT'S NOT ANY BETTER!" Evol emitted another scream and began rolling in circles on the grass in hopes of removing all bug parts from his body. Blades, Rya, and Skoo all watched him in silence until he finally came to a stop.
"Are they all gone now?" He asked, his voice barely audible.
"Ah, I see a head," Rya bent down and picked off a decapitated Thief Bug head from Evol's hair. He promptly returned to a fetal position.
"Hey Blades, Rya!" A familiar voice called out to the two. Payon jogged over to the duo, a dirt covered Paroid in tow. "Whoa, what's up with him?"
"Bug parts got all over him," Blades said. "What about Roidy?"
"Don't call me that!" Paroid hissed. He brushed some dirt from his bare arms before continuing. "The Thief Bugs made me their welcoming mat."
"I see you finally know what you're good for," Blades laughed.
"I wanted to be a welcoming mat when I was little," Skoo spoke up out of the blue. The other four children stared at him ludicrously.
"I think you mean a store greeter," Payon objected. "Hey, what are you guys doing here, anyways? Kids usually don't go to Izlude."
"Well you're a kid yourself, why are you here?" Skoo asked.
"Payon asked first!" Paroid cut in.
"But you should answer me first!"
"No, you answer first!"
"Why not you first?"
"Answer the fattest guy! He'll sit on you if you don't!"
"PAROID!"
CRACK!
All eyes turned to face Rya, who looked as if she had been caught in mid-crime. She had picked up a stick and started to gently poke at Evol. Seeing as neither side was about to give in, the stick ended up being snapped in two by Rya's small hands in annoyance.
"We're here to see the Swordsman Guild," Rya answered, after nonchalantly chucking aside the broken stick. A shy smile took over her face, sending the message as if she couldn't possibly be someone who could snap the thick stick in two.
"And we got lost," Skoo replied with a sheepish grin. "Do you know how to get back to the ship?"
"Haven't a clue," Payon shook his head. "It's my first time in Izlude."
"It's just down the path, you can't miss it," Rya pointed straight behind them. She had been to Izlude a few times before when traveling with her father.
"How...how could we miss that?" Skoo demanded to no one in particular. He slapped his forehead in sudden realization. "Evol! Why are you stupid?"
The boy paid no attention and had begun to rock back and forth, muttering something like "burn them all" under his breath.
"I guess that's solved; let's head for the guild!" Paroid directed.
"Wait, can we come with you?" Skoo piped up. "Since we know where the dock is now, we have nothing to do. We were in the city a few hours ago but we didn't go to the Swordsman Guild."
"You guys wanna be Swordsmen too?" Blades asked.
"I dunno yet. But I'll be number one for sure!" Skoo declared with a finger pointed high in the air. He turned to Evol. "Hey Evol, what about you?"
"Bugsss..." Evol buried his head in his arms.
"I guess he wants to be a bug."
"Hey, you know there are more bugs on the ground..." Payon began. Evol, with a yelp, jumped onto Skoo's back.
"Get off, you're heavy!" Skoo thrashed around in protest. "No way am I piggy-backing you!"
"Stop fighting, we won't be able to see the guild at this rate!" Blades threw his arms up in the air to catch the attention of those around him.
"Fine," Skoo pried Evol off of him and then sent him a glare. "We'll settle this at home."
"Does anyone know where to go?" Payon asked.
"It's near the weapon shop," Rya spoke up.
"Wow, you know Izlude like the back of your head!" Skoo remarked.
"You mean 'hand'," Payon corrected.
"I've been here with my dad a few times...he's a weapon salesman," Rya explained.
"Then lead the way girl!"
The sextet keenly made their way towards their long-awaited destination. After being distracted by the lure of fresh fruits from the marketplace vendors, the group had successfully reached the Swordsman Guild. It was just as they imagined: majestic. Blue flags marked the entrance to the guild, and not far from them stood the large building of the Swordsman Guild in all its glory. The weathered stone walls stood strong through all the years that it had existed. Several men and women were bustling in and out of the building, and there was even a lineup of young teenagers applying to become Swordsmen.
"Hey, I thought I told you little kiddies to not stray out here alone!" A familiar voice exclaimed. The blue-haired Knight that Blades, Paroid, and Payon had encountered previously in the day was walking towards them, a surprised look on his face. "And you brought more squirts!"
"We're big kids!" Paroid griped.
"And we got here in one piece, too," Payon added as a side note.
"Well that you did. I'm impressed you didn't run into trouble," He commented. The kids cast furtive looks at each other, holding back their snickers.
"Smooth sailing," Blades grinned.
"So you all want to be Swordsmen this badly?" The man asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"Of course!" Blades, Paroid, and Payon chorused together. "Well, at least we do."
"I just want to be number one," Skoo said. "And he wants to be a bug for some reason."
"Do not!" Evol complained. "I'll be number two, after Skoo!"
"Why not compete for number one?"
"He'll kick my ass if I try..."
The Knight laughed aloud. "And what about the little lady?"
"...someone who can protect others," Rya shuffled her feet nervously under his gaze.
"What a good girl," He smiled, giving Rya a light pat on the head. "You'll all turn out just fine. Raid the kitchens and eat up; you'll grow up big and strong...like me!"
He knelt down a flexed his biceps while the six applauded at his display of muscles. He laughed again and ushered children on their way. "It'll be dark soon, so get going! I'd baby-sit you all but I've got grown-up stuff to do. There'll be plenty of adults around if you get lost so don't worry too much."
"When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like him," Paroid said pensively.
"No, you can't," Blades said after a pause.
"Why not?"
"You can't pull off the long haired look; you'd look like a girl."
"..."
Skoo and Evol had both departed on the ship to Alberta not long after, and the four Prontera residents went their own separate ways once they reached the landmark fountain in the middle of their own city square. Except for Blades, who stayed awhile longer, for Paroid pushed him into the fountain to compensate for Blades' earlier comment.
"YOU'RE GONNA PAY, ROIDY!" A soaking wet Blades screamed after a satisfied Paroid.
Payon looked to Rya, who had momentarily trekked back to see what Blades was screaming about. "If anyone asks, I don't know them."
Rya laughed.
Prontera didn't seem so boring anymore.