Ch.2- Meet the Players
The breeze swept through sandy blonde hair, rousing the previously unconscious Brit. Arthur groaned softly as he was practically forced back into consciousness. It was not a welcoming experience and he did not completely want to get up just then. In the back of his mind, Arthur pondered why he seemed to be outside. From what he could remember he had been passing time with Kiku. That was all he could recall.
"Do you think he'll wake up anytime soon?" A voice was clearly heard, though Arthur still didn't bother opening his green eyes.
"It shouldn't be too long. He has probably been here for a while. It does not take too long for them to wake again." Another voice had added, it sounded deeper than the first with a subtle accent acquainting it as well.
"I haven't seen someone with such large eyebrows before! He looks funny!"
Arthur waited only a minute more before forcing his eyes to open, the comment about his impressive brows irritating him. The scene before him came into focus once he cleared his vision. Three people were looking down at him. Arthur did not recognize any of them but for some reason there was an air of familiarity about the faces. He allowed their images to register within his mind.
One large blonde man with icy blue eyes. He had an expression of indifference on his face, lips spread in a thin line. He was quite intimidating. This contrasted heavily with the slightly shorter man next to him; he had a lazy smile on his face. The auburn haired man had a strange curl coming from his hair and seemed quite carefree. Standing closest to Arthur, nearly in his face, was another blonde with a few strands of hair sticking up from his head in a rather comedic display. A pair of glasses nearly hung off the edge of his nose as he studied Arthur curiously.
"Look, he woke up. Hey there, dude," the blonde said cheerfully.
Arthur blinked once. Then again. He sat up quickly and surveyed his surroundings. "What the...? Where am I?" He did not have any clue where on earth he could be. Nothing here looked remotely familiar to Arthur. He was in a clearing, woods surrounding him on all sides. "Who on earth are you people? I demand to know what is going on. How did I get here?"
"Woah, woah, slow down. One question at a time, dude. I'll start by saying that my name is Alfred. Alfred F. Jones actually. Who might-"
"I have never heard of you." Arthur cut in, standing up and brushing himself off. He eyed them all wearily, lips pursed after that.
The auburn haired man stepped forward beside Alfred, smile still firmly in place. "I'm Feliciano and this is Ludwig!" he chirped, gesturing between himself and the other blonde.
Arthur didn't look like he honestly cared who they were even though he had asked that very question moments before. "Yes well, as nice as it is to know this useless information, I want to know where I am and how I got here."
Alfred stuck out his tongue at Arthur, giving him a pouting look. "Man, you're rude. Not even gonna tell us you're name?"
Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arthur Kirkland. Now would you kindly answer my question?"
Ludwig stepped in before Alfred could say anything more. He cleared his throat and gave Arthur a serious look. "You are at Stage One." He held up a hand when Arthur started to question what that meant. "I have no doubts that you will have a hard time believing me but I assure you that what I am about to say is very true. I am going to get right to the point. You are currently at the very first stage of the game I believe you purchased. An unfortunate circumstance but one that cannot be changed now."
Arthur has listened to the brief explination without interrupting, giving the three of them a weird look. "You are proposing that I am inside a video game? Really?" He nodded once to himself before glaring at them. "Do I look like a bloody idiot to you?"
"There is a strong possibility," Alfred mumbled under his breath with a small smile. He only received a venomous glare from Arthur in response.
Feliciano looked between them before quickly waving his hands. "No, no! We aren't lying, Ludwig wouldn't lie! It's true. I know it sounds strange and scary but it is true!"
Arthur didn't look any closer to believing what he had deduced as complete rubbish. Feliciano didn't sound like he was lying but Arthur simply couldn't believe such a thing. "You lot are crazy. I will not hesitate to phone the police for kidnapping, because I can assume that is what is happening here, unless you tell me where I am."
Ludwig looked exasperated, like he had done this many times before. "I have already told you. It is the truth. You will simply have to come to terms with it. I would suggest you accompany us back to our temporary camp. More will be explained to you along the way."
"We won't take no for an answer! You're coming with us either way," Alfred declared. He didn't wait for Arthur's response either, picking the Brit up as if he weighed nothing and throwing him over his shoulder.
Arthur proceeded to let out a string of different profanities, most of which Alfred didn't even understand. "Release me this instant! I will not stand for this! Put me down you daft fool! This is kidnapping!" He kicked and even tried to punch at Alfred, nothing seeming effective.
Ludwig let out a breath of annoyance and shook his head. He did start leading them back however. This method was effective as any in his opinion. Feliciano skipped on after him, smiling at Alfred's antics but giving Arthur some space.
Arthur didn't cease his struggles until a small cabin caught his sights. He stared at it, not even realizing they had been traveling for a good ten minutes or so. "Bloody wanker, where are you taking me?" he asked wearily.
Alfred chuckled, keeping pace with Ludwig and Feliciano. "This is where we stay when waiting for a new player, duh. Well, we're basically stuck here until a new player comes along anyway. It's okay, almost feels like home by now," he explained to Arthur, voice laced with something akin to bitterness. It was gone before Arthur could really ponder it.
"Going along with your ridiculous claim of this being a game... I'll assume the new player is supposed to be me?"
Feliciano was the one to answer him. "Yep! We're really excited you're here too. We were getting scared that no one would ever play again." Feliciano smiled brightly at Arthur though his next statement was rather sorrowful sounding. "Though we're sorry that you are now here as well." Ludwig grunted in agreement at the statement.
"Speak for yourself. We'll get it right this time and finally get outta here. This guy is a blessing. I'm sick of sticking around this place." Alfred set Arthur down once they reached the cabin. Arthur opting that making a break for it was not his best option. From what he had seen of their trip here there was nothing but woods all around him.
"You're all crazy.." Arthur muttered more to himself than anything.
Ludwig let them into the cabin, stepping aside and holding open the door. "Unfortunately we are quite sane. Well... most of us are anyway." He had made sure to firmly close the door behind them.
Arthur looked around, not impressed. The cabin was nothing special. It seemed like something he would see at some cheap vacationing resort. The only thing that caught his attention was the three other people approaching him curiously. Just what he needed. More crazy people.
"Well, well, well, you guys brought back something interesting. Here I thought you were abandoning us! It is lovely to see that fate is still kind to someone as handsome as myself." Arthur glared at the man that had dared to speak and force him to listen to another accent. An accent from a place that he had dubbed as hell itself.
"It's French.." Arthur grumbled distastefully.
"Oui, I am French. You like?" The other nearly purred.
Arthur narrowed his eyes and growled. "No. I do not have a taste for frogs. Just what I need to go along with this wonderful day."
Alfred snickered and quickly introduced the three newcomers as Francis, Ivan, and Yao. He explained that they were also part of the game and all of them were staying together.
Arthur gave them a wide berth, seeming completely uninterested. "I would like to go home now."
"He seems enthusiastic." Yao sighed, shaking his head. He regarded Arthur like he was an ignorant child. "How can we expect to get anywhere if he is going to act like this?"
They all settled in the small lounge type room, Arthur albeit uncomfortably. He sat alone and waited for one of them to explain the situation in a way that made sense.
Ludwig was feeling up to it again and continued the farfetched tale Arthur was expected to believe. He explained that the game had somehow come into possession of all of individuals in the room. In one way or another. Upon trying to play the game, each experienced a power failure in their home and were suddenly engulfed in a bright light and woke up in the same position as Arthur.
"I have been here the longest," Yao chimed in. He sounded upset, a regretful sigh escaping him. "I was alone and had no guidance the first time through. It is why I failed early on."
Arthur managed to stay quiet and let them attempt to explain even further. He was unwilling to admit that slowly he was buying into the whole thing.
"After waking up and being convinced of our predicament, we would head from the cabin to the official first stage of this twisted game. It is like playing with a virtual reality helmet in a way. Of course the losses are much worse here." Ludwig had continued.
"What do you mean? What losses?" Arthur crossed one leg over the other, regarding him tentatively.
"Ah, you see unlike any normal game... When you lose here you do not get another chance until a new player comes along. The loss at anytime during the stages of the game will result in entrapment here. It is how we have all become stuck in this place. Every one of us has attempted to play through the game and has lost at one point or another. Whatever evil this game possesses, it is able to confine us here. We believe that if the game is somehow destroyed then we too will cease to exist. The only way out is to complete the game, obviously." Ludwig looked troubled, recalling his first time playing through the game. He hadn't gotten very far the first time. "We hope that once the game is beaten then we will all be set free."
"I almost made it myself. The Russki was right behind me too. Damn if we didn't almost have it," Alfred commented from his spot on the nearby couch. He gave a sidelong look at Ivan who simply smiled in return.
"You were the closest to win, Alfred! It was so exciting." Feliciano sounded rather proud of their almost achievement. "Francis, I think you were the one to get the furthest from the ending, right?"
Francis gave a dramatic sigh. "Yes, alas I didn't even get past the first stage. Such a crime to give me something so difficult to do first."
Arthur still wasn't entirely convinced but he wasn't completely against it anymore either. "This sounds too insane to be true. There is absolutely no way.."
"We each thought the same thing when first starting out. You must understand that the only way you can return home is o play the game. You will not be alone. All of us will accompany you for as long as we can, until we are defeated and sent back here." Ludwig sounded quite serious. Looking around, all of them seemed serious at that point. They had a right to be as the last player, Alfred, had been many years beforehand. They wanted to go home quite badly.
Arthur took all of this in, looking at them each individually. "This still sounds like rubbish to me... but I suppose playing along for now will not be too bad. As long as I can get home."
Alfred smiled and leaned over to clap him on the back. "Ya got spunk, Artie. We'll give it our best to get out of here too. There aren't too many stages. I reached eight on my go and I was already close to the end. I reckon there are ten in all. Before you ask, we don't know what to expect. Each time we go through it is different. Different setting. Different goal. Different dangers. You'll be fine though, you got the hero and his sidekicks to watch after ya."
Arthur pushed the spirited American away, grimacing. "Somehow I don't feel reassured by that. If this is the case and the only way home is to play this through this charade.. I shall give it my best effort then."
Feliciano gave a small cheer of excitement, nearly falling over onto Ludwig. The others seemed somewhat relieved that they had gotten him to go along and at least try. The following chatter was enough to give Arthur a headache but he didn't comment on it. If this was a practical joke then these people deserved awards for acting in his opinion.
The group dispersed after a few minutes of excited chatter, Ludwig patting Arthur's shoulder as he passed by. "We will gear up and then proceed to the first gate. You have one life, Arthur. Each stage you get one to start. Do not take it lightly." He warned before leaving Arthur alone with Alfred. The former was rather stressed by this point, a lot of responsibility seeming to have just been placed on his shoulders.
The American lingered for a brief moment more before making his way from the room. He flashed Arthur a charming smile that wasn't returned. "Don't screw up, dude. Your real life kinda depends on it... and so do ours."
A/N: Is this late? Yeah. It really is. I apologize! I will try not to let that happen again. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter! Still kinda slow opening chapters but the next will have some more action in it! I promise. Until next time. R&R