Title: Addictive Food
Author: Giampi
Genre: Very serious drama
Game: Phantasy Star Online Episode. 1 and 2
Tagline: The things we hire other people to do for the things we love…
Ethan, a ranger from the spaceship Pioneer 2, steps into the dim light of an abandoned, secluded cave on the hostile planet Ragol, in a distant solar system. He checks his body armor, a construct of synthetic materials made to withstand even the strongest blow, and his gloved hand tightens its grip on the high-tech rifle he brought with him for protection. Hovering over his shoulder is a blue, teardrop-shaped machine no bigger than a mouse. This machine, a MAG, is scanning the area for any possible dangers, wary to warn its master should anything occur. Ethan takes a deep breath and opens a large metal door in front of him, ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.
The monsters come in swarms, unrelenting and unforgivingly cruel. Ethan fires precise, calculated shots, killing one after the other, but they're too strong, too many. He is forced to run around like a toy that exists only for the amusement of the beasts, which are clawing at him mercilessly. Eventually they are too much, even for someone as well armed as he; his wounds begin to bleed and his vision blurs. Having exhausted all other options, Ethan calls upon a technique taught to him by a Newman, a geneticaly engineered human, onboard Pioneer 2.
"Resta!"
Slowly his wounds close as they are bathed in the blueish light of the technique; inhabitants of lesser civilizations would call it magic, or sorcery, but Ethan knows better. Once he is healed he is ready to join the fight once again, and he does with twice the fervor from before.
After trudging through the hot, dry cave and its molten waterfalls, Ethan comes upon a second, hidden portion of the cave filled with green plants, crystalline waters, and, regretfully, more monsters. They are aggressive; three dragons tried to gang up on him at once in one room, while in another he had to take out over fifteen poisonous, carnivorous plants. Of course, the anthropomorphic sharks who were always hot on his trail did nothing to better the situation.
In one room in particular is a large waterfall that has fed the flora of the otherwise hostile environment, creating a miniature, underground jungle that looks quiet, almost serene to the battle-hardened gaze of the ranger. He takes a moment to look at the waterfall, not knowing or wanting to know where the water comes from in the first place, and admiring the light rainbow formed by the prismatic effect of the watery curtain.
Suddenly, Kalki beeps and whizzes around Ethan's head in a panic. He barely turns before he senses something behind him.
"It's a mine!"
The floating explosive explodes, throwing Ethan down to the ground forcefully. Still in shock, Ethan almost gets caught by the blast of another mine, and he dives into the pond created by the waterfall for protection. Kalki hovers above the surface patiently, now satisfied that it's master has detected the danger.
Ethan emerges from the pond wearing a pair of thick goggles. The two darks lenses rotate to focus on what Ethan is looking at, and when he presses a button on the side the device coats his field of vision in blue. The thermal-optic mode allows Ethan to see the multitude of mines strewn about the area; quickly and efficiently he shoots them from afar to detonate them before they do any more harm. He breathes a sigh of relief, but his joy is not long lasting, as the sound of the explosion has attracted more monsters. Upset that he cannot rest for long, Ethan runs out of the room.
Ethan rounds another corner and is confronted by a monstrous freak of a machine, the Pal Arms: two robots mashed together into one ridiculously powerful being who had not only the intent to kill but the technology to surpass even the most experienced ranger onboard Pioneer 2. The machine is armed with a laser cannon and a close range photon weapon, and it stalks towards its human prey slowly, confident that it can kill and, besides, too big to be able to move any faster. Soon Ethan is backed into a corner, his puny photon bullets ineffective against the tough, metallic hide of the Pal Arms.
Ethan raises his hand and points it at the Pal Arms as energy gathers in his body. He calls upon another technique, this one learned from a human Force, or technique specialist, onboard the Pioneer 2 years ago:
"Foie!"
A giant ball of flame bursts forth from his hand and strikes the Pal Arms, making it reel. When the smoke clears its left side is charred, but still functional; soon the Pal Arms begins lumbering towards Ethan again, and this time he doesn't have any more tricks up his sleeve.
However, all hope is not lost; his MAG, Kalki, begins to beep furiously, for it has accumulated enough energy from previous battles to discharge a deadly photon blast. Silently it asks Ethan for permission to act.
The moment Ethan acknowledges Kalki the ground around him is decorated with a holographic circle bearing strange, archaic symbols, remnants of ancient technology that are programmed into Kalki's memory. He raises his hand and the MAG, faithful to its master, changes shape before his very eyes, becoming an alien-looking dolphin that flails about before slamming into the Pal Arms in front of him.
"Photon Blast! Estlla!"
Ethan's battle cry serves only to increase the dramatic tension as Kalki plows through the Pal Arms, tearing it into pieces, and returns to its owner, its energy spent. Ethan takes a small food item from his pack and feeds it to the MAG in thanks, then presses on.
After three more hours of spelunking and monster-hunting Ethan smiles, for he has arrived at his destination. He opens the final steel door and reaches his quarry...a cake vending stand manned by three teenage girls in uniform.
"Isn't this just perfect?" The first of the three girls wrings her hands behind her back, seemingly unsurprised by the circumstances surrounding her, the stand, and the ranger. "The heat and the humidity are perfect! We can make the best cakes here!"
Ethan shrugs her off and continues to the other two sisters. She too isn't surprised at the arrival of their first, and probably only, customer.
"Hi! What can I get you?" She asks the question with a flirtatious tone and she leans forward, crossing her arms coquetteish over the counter. She taps her toes on the stone floor and licks her lips invitingly. Ethan is almost tempted to act, but he quickly reminds himself of his status as a ranger and ignores the girl's advances.
Ethan shoulders his rifle and stoops down to peruse the many pastries in the stand's glass display. Kalki buzzes around him hungrily and stares longingly at the treats. After a moment or two of silence Ethan straitens up and looks at the three cake sisters:
"I'll take one of those," he says gruffly while jabbing his finger at the glass, "and two of those small ones for the road."
One of the three identical cake sisters grabs some tongs and delicately plucks Ethan's order from the stand, then packs it in a small white box and closes it with a ribbon. She also hands Ethan his second order on a napkin; the ranger happily eats one of the small cakes while he feeds Kalki the other.
"Will that be all?"
Ethan waves the cake sister off. "Yeah, I'm good," he replies.
"Okay! Thank you, come again!" The three cake sisters bow respectfully at the ranger, who makes his way to the door while grumbling to himself. He still has to get out of the cave, after all.
The moment he leaves the room he comes face to face with another dragon. Feeling somewhat revitalized, Ethan takes his rifle once more and aims at the beast.
"This reward had better be worth it," he mumbles to himself before charging once more into battle.