It is said in any world, to care for the big things you had to start caring for the small things.
But what if you wanted to care for the world, and it wasn't big enough?
Somehow big things always started with small things. Revolutions were sparked off with little ideas, mountains were built from sand and people were created by small living things called cells. Almost every time this process happened, over and over again. Big things from small things.
But what if you had to protect the world...to protect people?
That was why I wrote almost.
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WARRIORS OF THE WORLD
a ragnarok online fanfic
Chapter 1
It was a nice day in Prontera. Of course, it was late spring - just the right time for hanging around in the city doing business or just general wandering around. There appeared to be plenty of travellers from afar as well, winding long yarns about what they'd seen and experienced. Many of these travellers were powerful and battle-scarred, so it wasn't hard to imagine what they'd been through.
Today, another one entered Prontera through the Western Gate. He walked through the masses of people sitting or standing by the streets. Merchants called out their wares as he passed, while blacksmiths and alchemists rested happily. Children ran in the streets, laughing joyfully, almost upsetting a guard. Delicious smells passed him, of fruits and potions and the odd flower or dish or so.
Somehow, however, all these became somewhat muted around this particular traveller. Sounds became muffled, smells indistinguishable, light slightly blurred. It was only for a second or so - after all, he was walking quite fast - but it didn't mean that no one noticed. A blacksmith did.
He watched the traveller, a knight, lead his peco in. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with this particular fellow, although he could have sworn all his senses were nullified when the knight had passed. He shrugged vaguely and resumed his sharpening a bastard sword.
The knight didn't really look particularly threatening, in any way. He didn't look like the kind of person who would be a hero. He had white hair that was slightly bushy and green eyes that looked straight onward as he walked. There was a visor just above his eyes, and an iron fin-like accessory with transparent green webbing behind each ear. He didn't walk like he owned the place, or as if he was trying to hide something. He just walked. The sword at his side was neither gleaming nor new.
It was just that compared to the other knights he acted quite different. Other knights milled around, talking, laughing, discussing and looking through wares. Even a knight sitting at a table in an outdoor restaurant was looking interestedly at what was going around him. This one didn't even look. And, well...he appeared to have no friends, or no [i visible [i friends, at any rate.
He stopped in the plaza and looked around. Behind him his peco snorted quietly and scratched at the cobbles as an attempt to find something to eat. The knight looked back over his shoulder, and then went over to the bird and opened a bag hanging on its side. He dug around in it for a bit before pulling out some monster feed and threw it in the direction of the peco's head. The bird snapped its large beak on the food and munched happily as he returned to his normal position in front of his steed.
He seemed to be looking for something. At length he started moving towards South Prontera, weaving his way through the thick crowd. South Prontera was a favourite with merchants, blacksmiths and alchemists as an area of trade. He appeared to consider the idea of mounting his peco, but then he apparently decided against it and finally got to the young girl bowing and smiling happily next to the gate.
'May I help you, sir?' she said, smiling at him, while a thief and an acolyte argued over who was going to ask for services first behind them.
'Storage system,' said the knight quietly. He held out a packet. It was about one foot high.
'Please fill in your password, sir,' said the girl, holding out a tag. The knight took it and wordlessly wrote it down, before giving it back to her. She attached it onto the packet and blew on it. It disappeared.
After a few minutes she opened her eyes and said, 'Your packet has been duly stored, sir. Thank you for using the Kafra storage.' She bowed to the knight, but when she straightened up he was already gone.
The knight sat on a tussock and closed his eyes. It was peaceful in the forest, and there was a cool wind blowing through it. The sound of the leaves rustling were music to his ears.
On his right the peco sat down and yawned widely. He looked at it.
'Tired, hm?' he said, reaching out to stroke the bird's feathers. 'I couldn't agree with you more. Prontera really is too busy these days.'
Suddenly his head snapped around to his left. He listened intently, his hand grasping his scabbard. Then in one swift movement he stood up and drew his sword, pointing it in the direction of some bushes.
'Stop hiding,' he said. 'I'm not deaf and I'm certainly not blind.'
Two men rose from the bushes. 'It's us, Valkron,' said one, hesitantly raising his hands into the air. 'You don't have to do that, you know. We were just seeing if the coast was clear.'
Valkron lowered his sword. 'Oh, really?' he said coldly. 'What would a couple of the King's men be doing sneaking around like some low-class thieves? And what would they fear? Porings?'
In the embarrassed silence a small group of pink blobs bounced past happily.
'Well, err...you see, the King wants all the mercenaries registered with him to form parties,' said the man. 'There's some sort of threat in Rune-Midgard again, and he wants it dealt with.'
Valkron sheathed his sword. 'So he's coming after me?' he said, raising an eyebrow. 'Just because I performed a small service means that I am eternally sworn with him? I did mention that I wasn't bound to anyone.'
'That wasn't small,' said the man indignantly. 'You rescued the King from getting attacked!'
'By a bloody lot of, what, creamies? You've got to be mad, calling that a service.' Valkron sat down on his tussock. His peco watched uninterestedly from where it sat. 'No. I want some peace. Leave me alone.'
'Unfortunately the King cannot allow that,' said a well-oiled voice. It was the second man. 'Mercenaries are meant to be hired after all and they can't decide if they want to fight or not, hm?'
Valkron hated this. Other mercenaries got idiots to hire the, but the King knew his behaviour too well. He dealt with dumbness with his sword, but since this man was cunning and a court noble it wasn't such a good idea. The King always sent one of these along when he was dealing with Valkron.
He sighed. 'What's the deal?' he said.
'Since the "deal" is quite a matter to be dealt with,' said the second man, letting Valkron hear the inverted commas click into place, 'the reward is a hundred million zeny, and an Emperium to form your own guild, plus other much-desired services. I trust that you would accept it?'
The knight stared at the grass in thought, while the two men waited. The second man was grinning smugly, as if he knew what Valkron was in for.
'No,' he said at last. 'Not attractive.'
'WHAT?' said the second man, so suddenly that his companion took a few steps back. 'The reward's got to be more than anyone has ever dreamed for! You're just going to turn it down like that?'
'Yes,' said Valkron. 'I don't give a damn about the money, to be frank. As I've always said...I'll fight for the world, and only for the world.' His eyes glazed over when he said this.
There was a pause, where the two men gazed at the knight. Then the second man said haughtily, 'Very well. I will inform the King of your...disobedience, and we shall see what happens!' He turned around stiffly and headed for the Southern Gate, his companion stumbling behind him.
The knight blinked, and then looked up between the gaps of the leaves above him, at the blue sky with its radiant sun. 'I only fight for the world,' he said, more to himself than to anyone else. 'Like the people I never truly knew.'
It was evening as he made his way towards Izlude. His peco followed behind him happily, occasionally snapping at insects that fluttered up from the grass before Valkron could step on them. He himself looked straight forward, his eyes expressionless, emotionless, but watching his surroundings with an alertness that surpassed an assassin's.
As he walked up a slope that would eventually lead to the satellite town he noticed a swordsman and a thief laughing over something that looked very much like a dead twig. He stopped and watched them, as they looked over it.
'Are you sure it's genuine?' said the swordsman, as they examined the stick carefully.
''Course it is, I didn't waste my effort to steal this from a priest!' said the thief. 'And one of the mercenaries, too! They're always rich and powerful to get these!'
'How would you know?' said his friend. 'We should test it.'
The thief looked around, completely failing to spot Valkron standing behind them. 'Not here! Do you want to get us killed? We'll get to the Southern Gate and break it then!'
'Hey, you two.'
The kids looked at Valkron.
'Put that down,' he said. 'Slowly, please. We don't need a mob of monsters here right this very minute.'
The swordsman looked at his friend, who stuck out his tongue at the knight. 'Nyeh, like I'd listen to you, mister! I got it with my hard work and I'm not going to put it down!'
'You might regret for not doing it.'
'That's what they always say, but I don't care!' The thief looked back at the swordsman. 'Hey, let's test it on him, how's that?'
'What?' said the swordsman and Valkron, at the same time.
The thief grinned mischievously, and then put it on the ground and stamped hard on it. There was a snap, and purple smoke billowed out of the broken ends of the twig. The swordsman said, 'Oh, shit, we're really going to get into trouble again. My mam's going to kill me when she finds out--'
'Like she ever would!' said the thief. 'We're just taking a little risk. Might be an easy monster - we don't know, heh?' He laughed, but the laughter died away. The smoke had formed a tall pillar - much taller than them or Valkron. It was taking shape. A wing here, a claw there...
There was a moment of suspense before the kids screamed in unison, 'AHHHH!! MUTANT DRAGON!!'
The creature grinned nastily at them. It crouched for a second before it reached for them, snarling with hunger. Saliva flew from its open mouth lined with gleaming teeth. The two of them ran for it, but the edge of the ridge they were on was just behind them and they had nowhere to run. They turned to face the monster, clutching at each other in fear, their knees shaking and their teeth chattering. The animal loomed on them and raised its bloodstained claws--
There was the sound of metal hitting flesh, and the creature screamed in pain. It turned around and faced Valkron. The tip of his sword was dripping in black blood. The mutant dragon looked at it, hissed and threw itself on the knight. Sparks flew as the blade scraped across the toughened scales of its arms, but Valkron was not taking chances. He flung the thing off him and held the sword upright in front of him.
'Come on, you brute,' he said under his breath, as the creature watched him warily.
The thing hovered uncertainly, looking at the kids and back at Valkron. It seemed to be deciding which would be a better target. Then it made up its mind and leapt, wing outstretched, at the knight.
It took just a second, but a second was all he needed. Yellow light flared at his hilt, and then he blocked the creature's claws. There was a gleam of light, a swipe, a sound, and the animal's hand flew into the air. The thief and the swordsman covered their ears as the dragon howled, but it was wide open. The knight dashed forward, ducked as another claw-laden hand swiped at him and then drove the blade upwards and home.
There was a silence only broken by the sound of the dripping blood from the hilt of Valkron's sword hitting the ground. He withdrew the sword in one movement, his magic still working away, and let the creature fall. He turned around to look at the kids, who were still shivering.
'Don't ever get one of those again,' he said. 'Go home. And stop playing around.'
The two of them seemed mesmerized by the black blood all over the blade, but they managed to tear their eyes away from it and run back into Izlude. Valkron sighed in exasperation and went to clean his sword.
It was always this way, he thought, wiping the blade clean. Everyone didn't know what they were getting into. Kids these days.
He'd hardly remembered doing this as a kid. Oh well, time for him to move on. He looked at the blackened cloth, and then clenched it tight in one fist. Fire burst out from between his fingers and licked away at the cloth. He watched it begin to burn, after which he turned his fist around and dropped it. The cloth was ashes by the time it reached the ground.
He turned to the peco. 'Looks like I'll be going to Payon after all,' he said to it. 'Come on, let's go. I don't want to be here now. This place is so pointless, like everything else.'
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Before I continue, it will be of much note that people will only get knocked out throughout the story. I must apologise. Besides, there is no Resurrection skill in this fanfic, so people who are dead will stay dead. This is an important point to take note of. And I won't godmode either - that's downright cheating and it spoils the story anyway.