.Hack//Welcome to a new World!
A/N:This story takes place about half a year after the events of GU, so Haseo and the others will be showing up later! This is my first ever fanfic, so go easy on me, okay? This story is going to be cheerful like Dawn and Legend of the Twilight Bracelet, but it's also serious, too, so please don't hate me... Okay, disclaimer time! I do not own .Hack in any way, but I do own my OCs and the 'Job Upgrade Contest', and Azure-Link has partial ownership of Shin. I use .Hack//Wiki as reference often, as well.
key
[...] = 3rd person POV stuff
"(...) ..." = talking, with the name of who's talking in the parentheses
*...* = sound effects when by itself, emotions, etc. when inside quotes
'...' = thoughts
spells and special skills will be in bold and italics, like this
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prologue: Log in!
"(Little girl) Nya-ha-haaan~! I finally get to play it! The game Mama and Big Sis love so much!"
[A little girl is cheerfully installing software onto her computer. A big box rests on the floor beside her with a huge birthday-style pink ribbon on it, already opened.]
'This is so exciting! I hope it doesn't take too long to set up, though!'
[A woman's voice echoes down the hall and into the girl's bedroom.]
"(Woman) Mimi, Mirei, come downstairs! It's time for dinner!"
[Another girl's voice calls out from a different room than the one the little girl is in. From the sound of it, the other girl's room is probably next door to the little girl's.]
"(Other girl) Coming, mom!"
"(Little girl) Awww... J-just a sec, Mama! Lemme finish setting it up!"
[The little girl frantically calls back to her mother, obviously right in the middle of something. The woman replies to her daughter in a warm and quite amused tone.]
"(Mama) Alright, Mimi, it is your birthday, after all! Just hurry up, so it doesn't get cold, 'kay?"
"(Mimi) 'Kay~!"
'I better hurry! Hey, it looks like it's almost done with the part I have to do! Just a little more, and I can just let the computer do the rest! All I have to do is configure the M2D installation settings, then just let both things install!'
[She continues what she was doing on the computer: installing a game. But not just any game... A smaller box peeks out from the wrapping inside the big present box. Written on the front of it is the name of the game Mimi is installing: "The World."]
'Okay, done! Dinner time!'
[Mimi clicks okay to start the installation of The World R:2 and the M2D headset, then leaves the room, off to eat dinner with her family.]
~~An hour or two later...~~
"(Mimi) Okay, time to make my character~! ....Wow, there are so many types! Hey, Mirei! What kind of character did you used to play as?"
[The other girl, her older sister, Mirei, comes into the room, walking over to the computer where Mimi has switched the view so that what she's seeing through her brand new M2D shows up on the monitor.]
"(Mirei) Well, I was a Wave Master! They're magic users! They don't have that character class now, though... Oh, the Shadow Warlock class seems just like it! And... Harvest Cleric... Those are like Wave Masters, too, but they seem best suited for healing, so that means they probably always play in parties with other players!"
"(Mimi) Hmmm.... Ooh! You pick a race, too!"
[Mirei is looking over Mimi's shoulder at the computer screen.]
"(Mirei) That's new... Heheh, why not pick that one?"
[Mirei points at a a pair of human-looking, but slightly furry characters, a boy and girl.]
"(Mimi) 'Lei Tribe...' It looks so cute! Okay, I'll be that~! Now for Class... Ooh, Shadow Warlock is sooo cool~! But... Oh, look, there's Twin Blade, like Kite! And... Edge Punisher... It looks like Heavy Blade, like BlackRose! Ohhh, which one should I pick? Sister's, Kite's, BlackRose's... Waaah, I can't choose!"
[Mirei laughs affectionately at her younger sibling's antics.]
"(Mirei) Actually, you might not have to choose! Look at that one!"
She points at the character class on the bottom. The name reads "Adept Rogue."
Adept Rogue:Unlike other classes, its users do not specialize in a single weapon, or form of combat. Instead of practicing in the use of a particular type of weapon, an Adept Rogue acquires several forms through Job Extend, each of which allows him or her to use a different weapon type. At the time of creation, the user picks 2 to 3 classes using a point-buy system, which restricts certain "unbalanced" combinations, such as Shadow Warlock andHarvest Cleric. They also pick freely from one of the 3 armor types. The Adept Rogue starts out in the game with their first chosen class, andmust unlock the remainder through Job Extend.
An Adept Rogue is given 4 points to use to choose from the following job options: Blade Brandier(1 pt), Edge Punisher(1 pt), Twin Blade(1 pt), Flick Reaper(2 pts),
Lord Partizan(2 pts), Tribal Grappler(2 pts), Macabre Dancer(3 pts), Harvest Cleric(3 pts), Shadow Warlock(3 pts), and Steam Gunner(3 pts).
Although fully-extended Adept Rogues are allotted three jobs, their job levels raise much more slowly than any other class. Thus, a level 20 Shadow Warlock will have access to more skills than a level 20 Adept Rogue with Shadow Warlock as his or her only unlocked job. However, although progression is slower, a fully leveled Adept Rogue has access to more skills than any single class, and is very useful as a "jack of all trades". When an Adept Rogue obtains their final Job Extension, they obtain the ability to use Multi-Trigger. This allows the user to mix and match Skill Triggers from different jobs, automatically switching weapons to accommodate a chosen skill. An Adept Rogue's stats are very balanced and independent of their chosen Jobs. Because of this, an Adept Rogue is generally "mediocre at everything", instead of being highly specialized like the other classes.
Job Extend: The "true power" of the Adept Rogue, Job Extend quests are limited-time quests in which an Adept Rogue may acquire his or her next form. One form the quests have taken is as a challenging solo dungeon where the Adept Rogue must not only fend for his or her self, but also solve a puzzle hidden in the dungeon itself. Another is one that can only be completed with the help of friends; if the Rogue opens the chest at the Beast Statue by him/herself, the item is vaporized. It must be opened by the full party.
"(Mimi) Eh...? ....Oh~! But, with the points, I can still only pick two..."
"(Mirei) Hey, that's odd... Mimi, wait. Before you make your character, shouldn't you check your mail? Yourmail icon has the 'new' icon flashing next to it..."
"(Mimi) Oh, whoopsie!"
[Mimi opens her inbox. She has two new emails, the confirmation email from CcCorp., andanother one. Mimi quickly skims the first email, then clicks on the second email she has and reads it out loud.]
Congratulations, [insert name here]! You are one of the lucky winners of the PC Upgrade Contest! By buying and installing this copy of The World, you were automatically registered in the contest, and have won a special limited edition character type! Unlike ordinary PCs of this class, this special and unique PC is not only fully customizable when it comes to character design, though with added design options, it also grants the lucky winner with special qualities depending on the job type and race they choose!
"(Mimi) W-wow..."
'Yay! I got really lucky!'
[Mimi scrolls down to the section that describes the Lei Tribe, then the Adept Rogue class and the special traits given to it.]
Lei Tribe: The Lei Tribe race for this special PC is given added design options, such as more customizable tails, fur, height, etc..
Adept Rogue: The Adept Rogue class for this special PC comes with five job points instead of four, giving the user more options for class types.
"(Mirei) Wow! Lucky~! *Rare Hunter style eye sparkles*"
'...She's doing it again... That creepy eye-sparkling thingy... B-better not act nervous, though... Wait, why am I nervous?! This is great!!'
"(Mimi) Mmhmm! Yippee!"
[Mimi scrolls down to the end of the e-mail.]
If you are unsure as to why you received this e-mail, please contact our customer service department.-CCcorp System Administration.
"(Mimi) This is perfect! But, Mirei, what type of armor should I choose?"
"(Mirei) Good question. Let's see, you want to be a Shadow Warlock, a Twin Blade, and an Edge Punisher, right? Oh no, each class uses a different type of armor, Mimi! Shadow Warlock uses Robes, Twin Blade uses Light Armor, and Edge Punisher uses Heavy Armor!"
"(Mimi) Awww, now I'm all confused! Which one, which one? Nnnnn... *= nervous sound/concentrating* ...Wait, wha?"
[Mimi notices that there is another sentence of the email pertaining to Adept Rogues that she didn't notice before.]
'Was that there before...? ...! Hey, I guess I don't have to choose after all! Yippee~!'
Also, a player using an Adept Rogue class of this special PC can equip any type of armor, regardless of whether it is Robes, Light Armor, or Heavy Armor.
"(Mimi) Oh, I don't have to choose after all! Here we go! Character creation time!"
[She returns to the Character Creation screen and selects Lei Tribe as her race, then clicks on Adept Rogue as her character class. She then selects first Shadow Warlock(3 pt(s)), then Twin Blade(1 pt(s)), and finally Edge Punisher(1 pt(s)).]
"(Mirei) Alright, now pick your gender and how you wanna look, okay?"
"(Mimi) Right! I'm a girl, of course!"
[Mimi begins to make her character, with Mireihelping her when she gets confused by something. Slowly but surely, the PC takes form. A short little child withpink hair cut in a cute little bob withtwo long strands coming down on either side of her face witha spherical blue bead on each one, she has a tail like a squirrel's, with blue fur in a swirly design (like Pachirisu (the pokemon)). Her skin is very pale, like porcelain, and she has exceptionally pretty pale purple eyes. Her ears are pointed and stick out and have small silver hoop earrings dangling from them, just barely peeking out from her pink hair. There are Wave markings on her face. They are right below each eye: a pair of small pink hearts witha spiral in a shade of slightly darker pink in the middle of each. She is wearing a cute little two-piece white outfit covered in swirling light blue designs. The shirt is short, showing her stomach, which has a spiral-shaped Wave marking in the same shade of blue as the designs on her clothing. The shirt is open at the shoulder, with long sleeves that flare out at the end. Her pants are leggings, smoothly following the shape of her legs until just above the ankle, where they too flare out cutely. The girl's shoes are a pair of white boots, with swirling blue designs on them just like her clothes. The two sisters stop, examining the girl. Mimi seems unsure about something.]
"(Mimi) Something's missing, but what...?"
"(Mirei) Oh, I know! Why don't you give her a hat, Mimi?"
"(Mimi) Yeah! A hat! That's what she needs!"
[The Adept Rogue girl is now wearing a pink witch hat that matches her hair.]
"(Mimi) Ummm, Mirei...?"
"(Mirei) What's the matter?"
"(Mimi) Can I please see the pictures of you and mom's old characters for a sec?"
"(Mirei) Sure, Mimi, I'll go get them."
[Mirei leaves the room andreturns with the photos: two screenshotsfrom The World R:1. The photos are of two extremely similar girl characters, both of them Wave Masters. One is slightly shorter than the other andhas a bell on her chest, like a cloak fastening of some kind.]
"(Mirei) Hey, you got the idea for the color of your hair and clothes from me and Mom's characters, didn't you?"
"(Mimi) Mmhmm~! Done with character design~!"
[Mimi clicks "next."]
"(Mirei) Alright, what're you gonna name her?"
"(Mimi) Nya-ha-haaan~! It's a secret! Anyway, weren't you gonna set yours up?"
"(Mirei) Maybe tomorrow... I'm actually kinda sleepy. G'night, sis. Don't play too long, okay?"
"(Mimi) Don't worry, I won't!"
[Once her sister leaves, Mimi types in her character's name. She hits enter, anda character finalization screen pops up, with the Adept Rogue girl standing to the right of a panel displaying her stats and information. She's holding an open book in her hands, which is the weapon of a Shadow Warlock. The book she has is the starter weapon for that class, a Grimoire type weapon called Magic Amber. The option for a voice synthesiser, a fake voice, has been set to "no."]
NAME: Mirai
GENDER: Female
RACE: Lei Tribe
CLASS: Adept Rogue (Shadow Warlock, Twin Blade, Edge Punisher)
BEGINNING SKILL(s): Rue Kruz (Target: Unit, MP: 20, Element: Water, Job Lv. 1)
[Mimi slips on her M2D and the monitor goes blank. She clicks OKAY. She is about to log in when a *ping!* sounds and her mail icon starts flashing again.]
"(Mirai) Huhwhaa??? Email??? I'd better check it!"
[Mirai checks her mail.]
Sender: Aura
Subject: Y0ur p0w3r
He!r 0f M!$tral and M!r3!ll3'$ l3gacy... Y0u ar3 0n3 0f th0$3 ch0$3n t0 b3c0m3 th3 n3xt g3n3rat!0n 0f th3 D0T Hck3r$... Pl3a$3 c0m3 t0 DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azur3 K!t3 w!ll h3lp gu!d3 y0u...
"(Mimi) Huh???! Mama! Mama! You said that Kite would get scrambled emails from Aura-san, right? Come here, please! You need to see this!!"
[Mimi's mother comes into the room.]
"(Mama) What's the matter, Mimi?"
[Mimi turns on the monitor display and shows her mother the e-mail.]
"(Mama) ...?!! She's gotten better at emails, huh? Not letting them get scrambled as badly, I see... Sender: Aura... Subject: Your power... 'Heir of Mistral and Mireille's legacy... You are one of those chosen to become the next generation of the DOT Hackers... Please come to DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azure Kite will help guide you...' Wow... You sure this isn't fake, honey?"
"(Mimi) I-I'm sure! See, Mama? She remembers you! And everyone else, too!"
"(Mama) Mirei told me about that so-called event you won. Aura's up to her old tricks again, I see. This is how Shugo and Reina were given the chibi .Hacker PCs, remember?"
[Mimi nods enthusiastically at her mother, looking extremely happy.]
"(Mimi) I remember, Mama! Mirei told me all about it! Her eyes got all sparkly and weird during parts of it, though... ^_^;;;"
[Mimi's mother laughs and ruffles her youngest daughter's hair.]
"(Mama) Don't get so worried about it, Mimi. That's just Mirei in Rare Hunter Mode. I heard Reina got mad at her for it, though! Nya-ha-ha!"
"(Mimi) 'Cause she kept cuddling Shugo's arm, right?"
[Mirei, who'd been hiding behind the door, comes into the room.]
"(Mirei) Hey! I was NOT cuddling his arm, I was looking at the bracelet!"
"(Mama) Yes, and drooling over it, too!"
[Mirei's face turns bright red, then they all start laughing.]
"(Mimi) ....*yawn...* I'm sleepy...."
"(Mama) Well, it is pretty late... You two should go to sleep. You can play more tomorrow. Who knows, I might even decide to log in again!"
"(Mirei) Really? Then I better make a new character first thing in the morning! Mimi, if you get up first, don't wait for us. You should probably go to that field alone anyway. You should check out the newbie field afterwards, though~!"
"(Mimi) Okay.... *yawn....*"
"(Mama) Goodnight, girls! Sweet dreams!"
"(Mimi & Mirei) 'Night..."
[The sisters go to sleep, and their mother, Mayumi Kurokawa, AKA Mistral, goes to her computer andsends an email to an old friend.]
Sender: Mistral
Subject: Answers
Hello, Wiseman. I hope you don't mind me calling you by that name, since I don't know if you've changed it since R:2 came about. I know being serious doesn't seem like me, but I have two daughters now, and I'm a little worried about my youngest girl. She received a so-called job upgrade from a contest that was supposedly run by CcCorp.. I heard you work for them now; do you know anything about this? Also, she received an email from you-know-who after she created her character. In it, the name "Azure Kite" was mentioned. Please tell me, what has been going on in The World since I left? I get the feeling I need to be caught up on many things... And, you had better answer me! If not, I'll just have to log in again myself andcome find you! Nya-ha-ha!
-Mistral
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
~~Earlier that same day, elsewhere in Japan~~
[A teenage boy sits in front of his computer screen, installing a new game. He's wearing a brand new M2D. A box laying on the floor behind him reads "The World." He sighs and rubs his neck, frustrated at how long the installation process seems to be taking.]
"(Boy) Ugh, of COURSE I don't want to use a stupid fake voice... My own is just fine! Grrr, this is taking forever..."
"(Woman's voice) Oy, Shin! It's time for lunch! Come downstairs!"
"(Shin) Hang on a sec, Mom! I'll be down in a min-!"
"(Shin's mom) Shin Sawada! If you don't get your lazy butt down here right this instant, that new game of yours is going straight into the garbage, you hear me?!"
'Hmph, fine... Maybe by the time I come back it'll finally be done...'
"(Boy) *yelling* Alright, I'm coming! You don't have to yell so loud! I'm not deaf, you know!"
[The boy leaves the room and goes downstairs to have lunch. The instant he's out of sight, the loading screen swiftly and silently finishes and disappears. The Menu desktop for the online MMORPGThe World R:2 shows up on the screen. The "new" indicator is flashing next to the boy's Mail Center icon...]
~~After lunch~~
"(Shin) Huh? Why do I have mail? Oh, I bet it's probably just CcCorp. confirming my account.... Oh, well, I guess I'd better check it anyway..."
[Shin opens his inbox. Oddly enough, he has three new emails. The first is the account confirmation from CcCorp., but the other two are completely unexpected. He opens the first, and reads it.]
Sender: Cc Corp. System Administration
Subject: PC Upgrade Contest Winner
Congratulations, [insert name here], you have been chosen as one of the winners of a limited edition PC type! Along with slightly enhanced design options and customizablity, this special PC comes with special abilities based on the user's chosen job class and race.
[It then goes on to list the job types and races, which Shin mostly skims through. Two passages, however, catch his eye, first a Job Class, then, at the very bottom, as if someone had hoped it would go unnoticed, a certain Race...]
'Flick Reaper, huh? Interesting...'
Flick Reaper: The Flick Reaper specializes in attacks meant to keep multiple enemies away. However, they are ineffective at long range. Flick Reapers use large weapons such as Axes andScythes to attack with. Flick Reapers are very weak to long range attacks. They're the medium range, "area attack" class. They "flick" multiple enemies and push them away before they can get close enough for melee attacks, but a good Steam Gunner or Lord Partizan could overpower them by attacking from afar. The special Job Upgrade for Flick Reaper helps to make up for their weaknesses in long range battle by boosting certain stats such as defense as well as considerably enhancing their speed.
[Next to the passage is a picture of a man and woman, the woman holding a wicked-looking scythe and the man a large battleaxe.]
"(Shin) Huh? That race wasn't in the manual. Odd..."
Elf: Long thought to have disappeared from The World due to their defiance of the Old Gods and subsequent transformation into beasts and other creatures, humans are said to be a direct descendant of this mythical race. Possessing unearthly beauty and sharp hearing as well as a very keen sixth sense, they are mostly known for their pointed ears and slim yet graceful build. Masters of magic no matter what trade they choose to learn, it seems that some elves did indeed survive...
(A/N:Yeah, I made this race up, though credit also goes to the roleplay website .Hack//NEO. People who choose the Elf race get some of the same skills as a Shadow Warlock and/or Harvest Cleric when they gain job levels, andstart out with those classes' beginning skills, Rue Kruz (SW) and Repth (HC), as well as their chosen class' beginning skill.)
[Next to the passage is a picture of tall, pale-skinned male and female characters with pointed ears and a slightly eerie, unreal beauty.]
'Maybe it's because of winning this weird contest? It seems very cool, though. If I choose that, I'll be pretty unique... Plus, combining this with a good fighter class would mean I'd be extremely strong in both magic and physical attacks... Oh well, on to the next email...'
[Shin tries to click on the third email, but an error message pops up.]
Until your PC character design is completed, the only emails that will be accessible are those from CcCorp. System Administration. Please make your character before opening this email.
"(Shin) Hmph, annoying... Fine, I want to get this started before I get too into it, anyway..."
[Shin begins to design his character. He selects Elf as his Race and Flick Reaper as his job class. He of course selects Male as his gender.]
"(Shin) *Stretches a bit.* All right, let's get started."
[Shin's PC quickly takes form as he focuses on creating his character. He is a mysterious-looking teen with pointed ears andpale skin. He possesses an eerie, somewhat unearthly beauty, as befitting an Elf. His hair is black with a bluish tint like a raven's, and spiky (like Sora'sfrom Kingdom Hearts, but a bit flatter), as well as being slightly messy. The very tips of his hair are red. Wearing black pants with spiky markings on them in a flaming red color that almost seems to glow, they are close fitting at the top and baggy from the knee down, creating a flaring effect. Wearing a short shirt; pale gray in color, sleeveless, andshowing his stomach. Wears an open black blazer-type jacket with short sleeves over the shirt that sports the same spiky burning red design as his pants. Has a spiky red-orange sun flare Wave marking on his stomach, and a pair of spiky red markings on his cheeks; mirror-image Ss, with the tips of the Sspointing in toward his nose. His eyes are almond-shaped and colored a slightly orange-tinted red, making them slightly amber in color when seen up close.]
'Now for a name... Hmm, what should I call myself in the game? Definitely not Shin, that's for sure... ...Oh, I know. This should be the perfect name. It'll suit me perfectly.'
[Shin finishes designing his character's appearance and types in his PC username. He clicks enter, and proceeds to the finalization screen. The Flick Reaper boy stands to the right of a panel displaying his stats andcharacter information. He's holding a scythe at a slight angle from the ground, and the blade arcs across his shoulder and above his head. This is the starter weapon for the Fick Reaper class, a Scythe-type weapon, though Flick Reapers can use axes as well as scythes. The option for a voice synthesiser, a fake voice, has been set to "no."]
NAME: Soul
GENDER: Male
RACE: Elf
CLASS: Flick Reaper
BEGINNING SKILL(s): Wicked Strike (Target: Area, Normal, MP required: 15, Job Lv. 1), Rue Kruz (Target: Unit, SP: 20, Element: Water, Job Lv. 1), Repth (Target: Unit, HP Restored: 100, Job Lv. 1)
[Shin adjusts his M2D, seemingly excited. He clicks OKAY. he is about to log in, but then he remembers the email... He opens his inbox and clicks on his third email. This time, it opens.]
Sender: Aura
Subject: Y0ur p0w3r
H3!r 0f $0ra and 0rca'$ l3gacy... Y0u ar3 0n3 0f th0$3 ch0$3n t0 b3c0m3 th3 n3xt g3n3rat!0n 0f th3 D0T Hck3r$... Pl3a$3 c0m3 t0 DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azur3 K!t3 w!ll h3lp gu!d3 y0u...
"(Shin) Huh? What the heck is this?! The email's all scrambled, except for an area keyword, of all things! But, it's such an easy andobvious code, too! Is this some kind of prank? Zeros are probably Os, threes Es, dollar signs Ss, and exclamation points Is... So simple! I guess I'll just copy-paste and re-type it so it makes a bit more sense..."
'Man, this is weird... First I win some event I've never even heard of, then I get a scrambled email with area keywords in it... What the hell is going on here?'
[Shin opens a new wordpad-type file and pastes the email in it. He then decodes the email based on his guess.]
Sender: Aura
Subject: Your power
Heir of Sora and Orca's legacy... You are one of those chosen to become the next generation of the DOT Hackers... Please come to DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azure Kite will help guide you...
'Sora? Orca? Why do those names sound familiar? ...! Oh yeah, they were famous players in The World R:1! Yeah, now I remember... I really wanted to log on and meet them... But Mom said I wouldn't be allowed to get this game until I was able to use my own money to get it.. Orca of the Azure Sea, one of the Descendants of Fianna who cleared the legendary One Sin event... Sora, the crazy andever-cheerful PK who was always asking people for their member addresses... They're both so cool... Andthey're the reason behind my choice of Flick Reaper, too, I guess. I can wield an axe like Orca did, and even though I'm not a Twin Blade like Sorawas, I've got a scythe, which is a symbol of a death-bringer, like him, the PK... ...Hey, wait. DOT Hackers? Aren't they those legendary heros from that rumor that just wouldn't die no matter how hard CcCorp. tried to squash it...? AndAura... She's at the center of that rumor, along with the players known as Kite and BlackRose... I guess I'd better check this out, huh?'
"(Shin) Okay, then, I'll log in now...! *very excited*"
[Shin notices what time it is.]
"(Shin) Oh no, the time! If I don't hurry, I'll be late for work! Ugh, I guess I'll leave it for tomorrow, then."
'Ugh, if I don't work part-time, I can't play the game... I need to be able to pay for my account on my own, or Mom really will toss it in the garbage... Oh well, tomorrow is Sunday, and I don't have work. It's a good thing it's summer break, too. No school! Alright, I can wait until tomorrow to start playing and go to that area, I guess.'
[Shin shuts down his computer, then gets ready to go work at his part time job. He then leaves the room, off to earn his right to play the game he's wanted to be a part of for years, but never could until now.]
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
~~The night before Mimi Kurokawa and Shin Sawada log into The World for the first time, somewhere in Japan close by the Kurokawa residence~~
"(Teenage girl) All right! She's gonna be SO freaked to find out I'm gonna be playing in The World, too!"
[A teenage girl carries two boxes into her bedroom. One is for an M2D, and the other The World R:2 software. Anime and manga posters cover the walls, and a middle school uniform for a well-known private school known for its acceptance of child prodigies as well as more normal students is draped over her computer chair. She begins to install what she brought into the room onto her computer.]
'Mwahahahaha! She'll be so surprised! I bet she'll know it's me right away, though! Heheh, she'll probably have pink hair, so I'll look out for that... After all, even she can be pretty predictable sometimes! Now, what should I do first? Oh, duh. I'll set things up and let everything install overnight, then set up my character tomorrow. My best bet for running into her would be to start playing Sunday, the day after.'
"(Teenage girl) Heheh, that girl's always up ridiculously early on Sundays! I guess I can't sleep in! ...Whoops, speaking of which, I'd better get to sleep! I have a birthday party to go to tomorrow afternoon!"
[The girl starts off the installation process for the M2D and game on her computer, then turns off her light and monitor and goes to sleep.]
~~Saturday, a couple hours before Mimi Kurokawa's sixth birthday party~~
[The teenage girl stands up and stretches in front of her computer. She's wearing pajamas, and looks like she's only just gotten up a little while ago. Everything seems to have installed properly.]
"(Teenage girl) Alright, time to get to it! Heheh, should I choose a pervyname...? Nah, if I did that, she'd catch on even more quickly! Plus, it'll be better if I keep a low profile with that, so I don't get PKed! Alright, character creation time! ...Wait, what? How come I have two new emails?"
[The teenage girl's computer is a little bit more advanced than those of Mimi and Shin; displaying not only the new mail symbol but also how much mail there is. She opens her inbox andskims through the account confirmation letter, then opens the second email. Of course, it's the same "PC Upgrade Contest Winner!" email the other two new players received. (A/N: I know it's getting a bit repetitive, but please bear with me! There's only one more person to go after this one!) She looks through it a while, until her a job class catches her eye.]
Macabre Dancer: Macabre Dancers are experts at status and ability magic. Since they are allied with both the light and dark spirits, they are proficient in both healing and attack magic. They hold large fans in both hands during battle. Their dancing form is said to enchant those who watch. A strange class, they wield fan-like weapons. They cut their enemies with the bladed tips of their fans in a battle form that resembles a dance. The inhabitants of The World consider them the "Flowers of the Battlefield". Macabre Dancers are the expert class for status effects and parameter changes, and are very balanced casters, learning both healing and attack spells. Like Harvest Clerics and Shadow Warlocks, Macabre Dancers gain spells incredibly quickly, at a rate of almost one per job level, but learn no arts. As a player raises his or her job level, he or she will gain access to new abilities. Some spells can be learned by all classes via special, expensive books, but a fair portion of the Macabre Dancer repertoire can only be learned by caster classes. In addition, since items are unusable in Arena battles, casters have an advantage. The Macabre Dancer class for this special PC has higher base stats for physical attack and defense than the normal form of the class, as well as higher base MP.
'Macabre Dancer... Wow, this one's perfect! Beautiful, too!'
"(Pervy teenage girl) Well, I definitely want to be human, of course! This class'll be perfect for me! *checks the time.* Alright, I should have more than enough time to make my character before I have to get ready for the party. Time to get started!"
[She gets right to work on making her character, choosing female as her gender, Human as her race, and Macabre Dancer as her character class. She then begins to design her character's appearance, which soon takes shape as a tall, beautiful teen with olive skin and dark aqua-colored, tribal-looking wave markings running along her arms and legs and on her face. She has long sea-green hair with braids on either side of her scalp. She wears a crystal seashell hair accessory, as well as having a small blue jewel on her forehead. She's wearing green eyeshadow and blue mascara, and her eyes are gray in color. She wears a long green and blue dress, and it is very beautiful, elegant and flowing, obviously influenced by water themes. Her shoes are the same colors as her dress, and are high heels.]
"(Pervy teenage girl) Okay, what should I name her...? Hmmm... Oh, I know! A beautiful but deadly temptress with magic and fighting abilities, too... I'll name her Medusa! I don't need a fake voice, my own is fine... All right, now to click 'okay!'"
NAME: Medusa
GENDER: Female
RACE: Human
CLASS: Macabre Dancer
BEGINNING SKILL(s): (A/N: ...I'm not quite sure, actually... ^_^;;; If anyone could please help me with this part, I'd be very grateful!)
[The girl's alarm goes off the instant she clicks okay and finishes creating her character...]
"(Pervy teenage girl) Whoops! Gotta get ready! Mimi's party will start soon!"
[The girl begins to get ready for her friend's birthday party. She is completely ready by the time her dad's voice echoes through the house.]
"(Dad) Melissa! Come on, let's GO! You don't want to be late, do you?!"
"(Melissa) Yeah, Dad! I'm coming! Just let me get in the car before you pull out of the driveway this time!!"
[She rushes out of her room, off to the party. Unnoticed by Melissa, the new mail icon is flashing on her computer, showing that she has one new email...]
Sender: Aura
Subject: Y0ur p0w3r
H3!r 0f BlackR0$3 and H3lba'$ l3gacy... Y0u ar3 0n3 0f th0$3 ch0$3n t0 b3c0m3 th3 n3xt g3n3rat!0n 0f th3 D0T Hck3r$... Pl3a$3 c0m3 t0 DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azur3 K!t3 w!ll h3lp gu!d3 y0u... Translation:"Heir of BlackRose and Helba's legacy... You are one of those chosen to become the next generation of the DOT Hackers... Please come to DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azure Kite will help guide you..."
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~Early Sunday morning, in America...~
[A teenaged boy with black hair and glasses has just finished installing The World R:2 onto his computer. He stretches andputs his arms behind his head, looking pretty happy.]
'It's a good thing they finally came out with translation software... Now I'll be able to play on the Japanese server, where all the cool rumors and legends are, with no problem!'
[The walls of his bedroom are covered with mostly military posters and a few anime ones, and a large American flag adorns the wall above his bed.]
"(boy) All right! Time to get started! Hmm? Email?"
[He opens his inbox, and sees two emails. The first is his account confirmation, andthe second is, of course, the Job Upgrade Contest Winner email.]
'Cool! Hmm... I'm fine with being human... That just gives me extra design options, but that's okay... What class should I pick? ...Oh, awesome!'
[The boy skims through the character classes until he sees one that catches his interest, then stops scrolling and looks excited. The jcharacter type that he is so interested in is the Twin Blade class...]
"(boy) Yesss! Definitely this one! This is the same class that legendary player from R:1 had, and it's really cool!"
[The boy chooses Human as his race and Twin Blade as his job class, then gets to work on creating his character. A young teen with slightly tanned skin and of an average height soon takes form. He has somewhat messy hair in a pale, pale white, with hints of lightning yellow and electric green flickering through the unruly locks... His hair is quite spiky, and he has wing-type bangs hanging over either side of his face, with lightning yellow and electric green going through them, and a pale gray zigzag hair fastening keeping each of them in check. A shock of equally spiky smaller bangs covers his forehead, with electric green and lightning yellow tinted tips. He has mirror image pale yellow spiky lightning bolt-shaped wave markings on his cheeks, and his eyes are a surprising deep emerald color, with a circle of cat-like, glowing yellow around the pupils that can only be seen up close (A/N:or when he's angry, though they also get bigger in dark areas, which is a cool effect that makes things more realistic, too (...It's probably also an unintentional Azure Flame Kite reference...)). He's wearing an open smoke-gray blazer-type jacket with sleeves that go halfway to his elbow, anda darker gray stitching pattern. He wears a plain white shirt underneath that covers his stomach, andbaggy smoke-gray pants with more darker gray stitching. Wears dark, garkgray boots with a set of three small buckles on the sides that face outward from his body (meaning: left leg, left side; right leg, right side...), anda belt withan intricate pattern of little silver lightning bolts on the buckle that can only be seen up close. On his hands he wears fingerless gauntlet-type smoke gray gloves with bright silver markings on the back of each handshaped like a crescent moon with five spikes coming out of it that point down his handtoward his fingers. The points of the crescent moon point towards his wrists, with the spikes pointing out from the outer curve of the crescent. The middle spike is slightly longer than the others, and all five are evenly spaced.]
"(boy) Heheh, this is so cool! Here we go, time to pick a name... Oh, I know the perfect name! This'llbe perfect with my character's theme, too!"
NAME: Ikazuchi (A/N: It means Thunder in Japanese... Thanks again, Azure-Link!)
GENDER: Male
RACE: Human
CLASS: Twin Blade
BEGINNING SKILL(s): Gale Blade (Target: Unit, Normal, SP Required: 10, Job Lv. 1)
[The boy finishes creating his character's appearance and enters a name, then goes on to the finalization screen. His character has two daggers, the Spin Gai Gu, which are the starting weapon for the Twin Blade class, andhe's doing a little pose with them. The option for a voice synthesiser has been set to "no." The boy excitedly clicks OKAY, then notices that he has a new email... He opens his inbox an clicks on it, but then...]
"(woman) Vince, did you eat breakfast?"
"(Vince) Yeah Mom, I did, don't worry!"
"(Vince's mom) All right, just checking!"
[Vince looks at his email...]
"(Vince) Eh? What is this? The email's mostly in LEET speak! Andit has an area keyword in it... Is this some kind of special event for contest winners?"
Sender: Aura
Subject: Y0ur p0w3r
H3!r 0f $hug0 and K!t3'$ l3gacy... Y0u ar3 0n3 0f th0$3 ch0$3n t0 b3c0m3 th3 n3xt g3n3rat!0n 0f th3 D0T Hck3r$... Pl3a$3 c0m3 t0 DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azur3 K!t3 w!ll h3lp gu!d3 y0u... Translation:"Heir of Shugo and Kite's legacy... You are one of those chosen to become the next generation of the DOT Hackers... Please come to DELTA Hidden Forbidden Guardian. Azure Kite will help guide you..."
"(Vince) Eh, whatever! Might as well go to it! Should be fun!"
[Vince logs into The World R:2 for the first time... At the same exact moment in their various locations in Japan, Shin, Mimi, and Melissa are all logging in...]
Welcome to The World!
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A/N: Okay, here it is! The ridiculously long prologue of my story! Many thanks to all who bore with me and read the whole thing, and to Azure-Link, without whom this story probably never would've gotten started! Please review, and please don't flame me! I would very much like constructive criticism, though! And any ideas and/or suggestions are also welcome!