Author's Note: Originally, I was going to do one chapter per world, but since that would make each chapter ridiculously long, I'm breaking it up. For example, World 1.1 means world 1, level 1. Next chapter will be World 1.2, and so forth until I start a new world, which will then bring us to World 2.1. Not sure how many levels and worlds there will be, it depends on how long it takes me to run out of ideas.
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Brown eyes fluttered open as Scarlet came back into consciousness. She sat up, glancing around at her surroundings. The others all lay scattered about on the grass. Scarlet crawled over to Alone, shaking her shoulder.
"Hey, Alone! Wake up!"
Alone groaned and sat up. "Uhnnn...what happened? Is everyone alright?"
One by one, Near, Matt and Mello all woke up. The blonde looked around. "Where are we?"
The group was sitting in a large, grassy field. The sun shone high in the cloudless blue sky. A town lay just ahead, a drawbridge providing a way across the river and entrance into the town. Spotting a sign, Alone got to her feet, dusted herself off, and read the wooden sign, which was pointing in the direction of the town.
"Harial Market Town."
"Harial?" Scarlet repeated. "Sound like a cheap rip-off of Hyrule. I hope this isn't one of those lame wannabe games."
"Well, let's head to the town and talk to the people. It's always good to talk to every NPC, some have useful information." Matt said, leading the way to the town.
Beyond the gate to the town, various people hustled and bustled about, going about their daily business. A beautiful fountain stood in the center of the large town. In the middle of the fountain, a marble woman stood, holding out a large jar. Water poured down from the jar, puddling at the woman's feet, then spilling over the side into the base of the fountain. The only article of clothing on the stone figure was a sash that lightly wrapped around, just covering the woman's chest and lower area.
A plump woman walking by with a child clinging to her hand saw the five looking at the statue. "She's lovely, eh? That's a tribute our Goddess Asha, who watches over and protects us. She's the one who brought life to this land, ya know."
The child began tugging on her mothers dress. "Mommy! Hurry up!"
"Yes, yes dear." With that, the woman hurried off.
"Well, where should we start?" Alone asked, looking around the town.
Matt pointed to a building on their right. "Let's try that armory and see what they have. If this is really a game, there will be monsters, and we'll need a way to fight."
The inside of the armory was crowded. The men inside were noisy, elbowing each other and pushing through the crowd to get what they wanted. Various weapons hung on the wall, from axes to bows, daggers and shields. Unfortunately, Mello could not spot any guns. What kind of weapons shop didn't have guns? "Damn medieval games."
"Hey, sir, how much for the weapons?" Matt asked a burly man behind the counter.
"Read the pricing chart!" The man's gruff voice responded, pointing to a scroll on the wall.
Near managed to squeeze his way through the crowd to take a look at it. "The cheapest weapons are bows, which start at 150 gold." He turned to the rest of the group "We don't have any money."
Matt dug in his pockets, only pull out lint. "This game doesn't even start us off with some money? How lame."
Walking back out of the armory, Mello spotted a man standing idly near the entrance. "Hey, do you know where we can go to make some quick cash?"
The man gave a large smile that was more creepy than it was friendly. "If you have any questions, ask Mortimer the Wise. He can help you with anything."
"Uh...okay. So where is this guy?"
'If you have any questions, ask Mortimer the Wise. He can help you with anything."
Mello just stood there for a moment. "Are you trying to mess with me? I asked where the guy is!" The man didn't seem to notice Mello's growing aggravation and simply repeated himself again. The blonde was ready to punch the guy when Matt laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Mel, it's an NPC. They only say what they are programmed to say."
"What the hell is an NPC?"
"A Non-playable character." Scarlet chimed in. "Some are helpful, some are annoying, and some give you quests to go on. Usually you'll get bits and pieces of information from different people. Now that we know a Mortimer the Wise exists, we should ask around and see if any of them have information on his location."
Splitting up, the group spent the next fifteen minutes questioning every person in town. They were now armed with more useless facts than they would remember, a few items and gold, and enough information to find Mortimer the Wise. After putting all the facts together, they came to the conclusion that the elusive wiseman lived alone in a cottage, was half-deaf as well as blind in one eye, had a pet toad he called Norbert, and was located about 10 minutes away west of the market town they were currently in. In the time it had taken them to gather the information, they could have already been in and out of ol' Mortimer's cottage.
"Hey, how are we supposed to store all this stuff?" Alone asked on the way to the cottage, referring to the items they had gathered during their questioning.
Scarlet held up the potion she had been given by a rather rich looking individual. "Good question. We don't have endless pockets like the characters in games do."
"Maybe we do." Matt said, trying to stuff an ether into his pocket, only to be unsuccessful. "Or not."
"Guess that's something else we can ask Mortimer the Wise." Mello said, rolling his eyes. "Who names their kid Mortimer anyway? These video game people sure have weird names."
After ten minutes of walking, the five reached the cottage. Approaching the door, Near knocked loud enough so the half-deaf man could hear. Shuffling could be heard from inside. A thud sounded with every other footstep, signifying that the man probably used a walking cane. With a creak, the door opened, revealing an elderly man with a long, white beard. Small glasses sat at the tip of his long nose. He looked to be at least 80 years old. The man was garbed in flowing white robes that would make anybody wonder how he didn't trip and break his hip. He looked the group over for a moment, then stepped aside. "Please, come in. Take a seat."
The cottage was small, but had a warm feel to it. Matt spotted a fish tank sitting on a table against a wall, with who he assumed to be Norbert the Toad sitting on a rock in the water, croaking away. "Is it okay if I pick him up?"
The old man nodded. "Just be gentle with him."
Reaching in the tank, Matt pulled the toad out. It didn't struggle or try to hop away like he thought it would have. Scarlet reached out and pet it, giggling when it croaked happily.
"Hey, Scarlet, why don't you give it a kiss? Maybe it'll turn into a handsome prince." Matt said, raising the amphibian to eye level with Scarlet, who immediately stepped back.
"Ew. We are in a video game, Matt, not a fairy tale!"
"So, old man, whe-" Mello's sentence was cut short as he received a jab in the ribs from Alone.
"Be more respectful" She hissed.
"Mortimer, do you know how we can make some easy cash? We asked people in town but all they said was go come see you."
"I sense a great energy from you children." Mortimer said, totally ignoring Mello's question.
"But that's not what I asked-"
"What do you mean, sir?" Near cut in. Mello glared at the white-haired boy.
Mortimer looked over each of them, finally resting his eyes on Near. "I think you might just be the ones we have been waiting for. The ones who will bring an end to the fear plaguing this land." Turning around before anybody could say anything else, he walked towards the back of the cottage. He rummaged through a closet, mumbling to himself before dragging a chest out. The man pulled a key out from a pocket hidden somewhere in his robe, inserted it in the keyhole in the chest, and lifted the cover. He signaled the group to walk over.
Laying in the chest were several weapons, each of which were too fancy to be ordinary weapons. "These are special weapons that have been passed down for generations. Five legendary heros once wielded them. They brought peace to this land ages ago. After passing away, the weapons were locked up until the right people would rise once again to claim them. I believe that you are those people." Mortimer lifted the weapons out and lay them across the table. "Now, choose your weapon."
The moment his eyes landed on a pistol, the weapon was in Mello's hands. "Sweet! 'Bout time this game has something good!" It was already loaded, and there was enough extra ammo to last him for a while, provided he aimed his shots well.
"Oooh, I claim the sword!" Scarlet said, picking up the katana. A dragon design ran along the blade of the sword, the hilt black and gold with a matching sheath.
Matt considered each of the remaining weapons, finally picking up a pair of long daggers. The sheaths were attached to a leather belt which Matt clipped around his waist. "Heh heh. I look like an assassin."
With only two weapons left, Alone picked the bow. A full quiver of arrows was also provided. The quiver strapped comfortably to her back along with the bow. The weapons were lightweight, assuring Alone that they wouldn't be a burden to carry.
A staff was all that remained for Near. It looked to be made out of gold. A white stone of some sort sat on the top, two small, gold wings sprouting from the tip of the staff and surrounding the stone. It appeared to be made for magic.
Mello couldn't resist laughing. "Near has a girly weapon!"
"Not necessarily." Scarlet pointed out. "Though you usually see females as the healers, there are male healers as well. Take the priests from Fire Emblem games, for example. Weapons aren't really for particular genders."
"Sure, ruin the moment." Mello mumbled, not happy with Scarlet coming to Near's defense.
"Now that you are equipped, why don't we step outside so that you may learn to properly wield your new weapons?" Mortimer said, walking out the door. The five followed, forming a semi-circle outside while the old man stood before them all, leaning on his cane in front of his cottage.
"First, the gun. Press and hold the R button to aim, and the B button to fire."
Mello blinked and turned to Matt, eyebrow raised.
"Er...I guess they forgot this was virtual reality and we weren't playing with controllers." The redhead responded.
"Press and hold the R button to aim, and the B button to fire." Moritmer repeated when Mello didn't take action.
"Just aim your gun and shoot somewhere." Matt said.
"Can I shoot the old man?"
"No, Mel, you can't shoot the old man. Why don't you aim for...hey, shoot down that bird!" Matt pointed to a raven sitting in a tree, cawing like there was no tomorrow.
"Watch me, I'll take it down in one shot." Mello held up the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The bird let out it's final caw as it plummeted to the ground, black feathers floating down after it. Scarlet looked horror-struck.
"You shot the bird?!"
Mello shrugged. "It's just a video game, not like I killed a real life bird. Hey, what's that shining?" He pointed to something that glinted in the sunlight, laying where the bird's body had been only seconds before. Mello ran over, bent down to pick it up, and ran back. Three small gold coins lay in his hand. "It's money! But what was a bird doing with money?"
"It's a game. You get stuff from breaking and killing things." Matt answered.
"Sweet! See, Scarlet? I should shoot birds more often!"
"Good." Mortimer's voice interrupted, oblivious to what was going on. "The bow works the same way. For the sword, you can lock on to an enemy with the R button. Use the B button to swing. If you press the B button while simultaneously tilting the analog stick in a certain direction, you can perform various attacks. Try different combinations."
With Mortimer watching, Scarlet guessed he wanted her to try different attacks. Having nothing to fight against, she simply began swinging her sword in the air, doing a horizontal slash, a vertical slash, then a forward thrust.
"Wonderful! The daggers work in a similar way, except since they are shorter, you will need to be closer to your opponent to strike. The battle style will also differ since you are using two daggers rather than one sword." Mortimer nodded to Matt before finally facing Near.
"Now, that staff is endowed with powerful white magic. With it, you can heal party members, cast support spells, as well as use certain holy magic. Be cautious though, it takes energy to use magic. If an enemy gets too close for comfort, you could always knock them back with a good whack."
"Oh, and just one last thing." Mortimer said, garnering death glares from Mello. "The L button can be used to defend, and when used in combination with the analog stick, to dodge. Of course, the small weapons don't offer much for defense, and could destroy the bow. It's best to keep your long range weapons in the rear while your melee fighters take up the front lines."
"Well, that concludes the tutorial. With a bit of practice, you will become masters with your weapons in no time!"
"Can I shoot him now?" Mello growled. Matt just ignored him.
"Oh, before we go, do you have anything that can help us carry our items?" Scarlet asked.
"Ah, yes, of course. Wait just one moment." Mortimer shuffled back into his house, re-entered his closet, and, after more searching, returned grasping 5 leather pouches by their strings. "Here you are." He offered, holding them out.
Near took one, examining it. "Excuse me, but how are pouches as small as these going to help us carry any more than a single object at a time?"
"Those pouches hold up to 10 items each. I'm sure there are larger ones out there, but alas, that is all I have."
Alone raised an eyebrow. "These things are supposed to hold 10 items each?" She put a potion she had received from one of the people she had questioned before coming to Mortimer's into the pouch. Oddly enough, once it was in there, the pouch didn't appear to get any bigger Alone thought it had vanished, until she looked in it, saw the potion, pulled it back out, and put it back in, an incredulous look on her face.
"Neat!" Scarlet said, placing her own potion into her pouch. "Alone, it'd probably be best not to bother questioning anything. Video games aren't supposed to make sense."
"I suppose you are right..." Though she would have to accept the fact that strange things like this would happen, she still didn't seem completely content with that answer.
Screams suddenly pierced the air, tearing the group's attention away from their new equipment. The yells were a short distance away, and sounded to be coming from the town they had just departed from.
"Oh dear. Oh, no, this is not good." Mortimer said, shaking his head.
"What is it?" Alone asked, a worried look on her face.
"It's finally happening. The dragons have awoken."
Near turned to Mortimer with an unreadable expression. "Dragon? As in the monstrous lizards of fairy tails?"
"I'm afraid this is no fairy tale. Those weapons you now hold in your hands once defeated the mighty wyverns that plagued the land. They were too powerful to be killed, but were instead sealed away with the most powerful magic. To make sure they would never return, a great mountain was raised around them, trapping them in a stone prison that, should they somehow awaken, their strength would not be able to break through. That mountain, known as Dragon Mountain, is the largest in all of Harial."
"If they were so well sealed off, then how did they break free again?" Mello asked, clearly mocking the man's story, though he didn't seem to take notice.
"Not too long ago, an oracle foresaw the awakening of the great beasts of legend. Despite the high accuracy of her prophecies, many didn't believe her, most likely out of fear of it coming true. She saw a person shrouded in darkness splitting through the mountain and awakening the wyverns. It seems that she was correct after all. This is indeed a dark day."
Mortimer looked to the sky before brining his small dark eyes back to the group. "However, I believe we are blessed with your arrivals. Surely it is no coincidence that you have come before me on this dreaded day. Please, you must save Harial!"
"Look, old man, we are just here to play the game, not go on some grand adventure and save your world in a heroic quest of danger and sacrifice." Mello said, twirling his gun on his index finger.
Matt shook his head. "Uh, Mello? That is the game."
"Oh." Mello looked disappointed. "Man, how lame. I wanted to shoot zombies or something, not run around saving people."
"Don't worry, we might still get to do that. Who knows, maybe an entire graveyard of undead will rise up to try and stop us or something. Let's just keep going."
Mello seemed to perk up a little. If anybody knew video games, it was Matt, so if he said there was still a chance he'd get to go all out and blow off some zombie heads, there probably was. "Right. So, what now? Head to that mountain and take care of things?"
"I think we should head back to the town first and see exactly what is going on." Scarlet suggested. "Besides, if this is a typical game, which it seems to be, we'll need to fight and power up some before taking down those wyverns."
"I will get you to the town. I was rather skilled in magic back in my youthful days, so I can warp you all there in an instant. The fate of our land is in your hands. Good luck, young heros!" Mortimer's staff began to glow with a faint blue light, a circle of similar light forming underneath the group's feet. In a flash, the five vanished from sight, reappearing before the ruins of the market town.