DISCLAIMER : MapleStory does not belong to me, and is under full copyright of Nexon, Wizet, and Asiasoft. And any other company that owns it. I hold no right to the use of the related names and in-game characters. I do, however, hold full rights to the personality and construction of the story, and the OC's that may and will appear throughout the story.

From this chapter on, the story will be told in first person by our main character, 17 year old Trane Koroshio.

"So. Do I pass?"

Dark Lord straightened, and looked me in the eye.

"Yes. You pass. You may continue your journey, this time as an adventurer, and this time, as a bandit."

Sweet. Wait, bandit?

"Don't I get a choice? And I thought I had to become a thief first."

"You must have realized by now, that you have the skill and potential far greater than any ordinary thief. You've already proved you can take on an Assaulter, and can perform Savage Blow. There is no need for you to undergo basic training. However, if you would prefer to do so, you could retake the test with claws."

"It's quite alright." I couldn't hit a barn with a basketball, much less throw a shuriken.

He closed his eyes and pointed a gloved finger at me.

"Then it is done. From this moment on, you are hereby promoted as a bandit. Feel the energy and knowledge of the bandit flow into your soul."

As he spoke, the tip of his finger began to glow. A point on my chest began to glow as well, and it started spreading to the rest of my body. As each limb got coated in light, I felt them get stronger, faster. I felt my stamina and vitality grow tremendously. As the light left my body, it erupted in a brilliant golden explosion, and as quickly as it came, disappeared.

When I looked back up, Dark Lord had his back to me. Guessing that our conversation was over, I turned to leave. Just as I did, however, he spoke again.

"Would you care to go on a mission?"

Seeing as I had nothing better to do at the moment, I decided, "Sure."

"Let us go up first, then. It will be a long discussion."

Nodding, I turned to the ladder and reached for the first rung, stopping on instinct.

Shit stained ladder. Do not touch.

Hesitating, I waited for Dark Lord to go up first. He eyed me suspiciously, then scoffed and jumped up the whole ladder.

Attempting to follow his lead, I tried to focus Haste on myself. I suddenly felt myself faster, and lighter. Taking a jump, I just managed to get out of the toilet bowl. Waiting at the top was Dark Lord, and a drunk looking man. He was staring at us, shocked. I didn't really blame him; drunk or not, he just saw two men pop out of a toilet bowl like daisies, and one of them was dressed as a ninja. He continued staring at us, and decided it was best if he just passed out, which he did. Dark Lord stepped over him and walked back into the bar and I followed suit.

"Paul, close the fusion bar. There is something I need to discuss with him."

Acknowledging Dark Lord with almost a salute, he yelled, "All right, bar's closed, everyone get out, or I'll throw you out!"

He was apparently telling the truth, as all of the patrons quickly downed the last of their drinks and hurried out of the bar. Dark Lord gestured me to take a seat, and took one himself.

"Have you ever heard of the Black Magician?"

The Black Magician? I had heard of it before, many years before I was born. He was a mage, Grendel's greatest pupil. He had helped save many people and created many things with his vast control of magic. However, Grendel refused to teach him how to perform certain sacred spells, which could grant him immortality. Turning impatient, he began to dabble in dark magic, trying to discover for himself the secret of immortality. When Grendel realized this, he disowned him as his pupil, and dubbed him a traitor and an outcast. The mage turned insane, and vowed to take his revenge on the entire Maple World. Using his now evil magic, he created many of the monsters that threaten our world, even today. Gathering them all to make one gigantic army, he marched on the Maple World, destroying everything in his path. Many great adventurers made an alliance to stop this evil, and a great battle took place. There were was one man who became a legend during this battle, a warrior named Aran. Using his great polearm, Maha, he single-handedly carved a path directly through the army to the Black Magician himself. He and the revered Knights Of Cygnus then battled the Black Magician, buying time for a young Athena Pierce to evacuate most of the injured and innocent. Enraged that his victims had escaped, the Black Magician flew into a rage, and began fighting the six protectors of the Maple World. The Cygnus Knights managed to seal the Black Magician and his power. However, before the seal was completed, he cast his own spell, sealing Aran in a tomb of ice and removing his memories. Peace had then come back to the world, and the Black Magician was never heard of since.

"Yes. But why are you mentioning him?"

"As you know, Henesys was recently attacked, and Athena was badly injured. Her unconscious form was carried to Grendel's tree by an eagle she had summoned. She is still in intensive healing now, but judging by her reports, we have reason to believe that the Black Magician is the cause of this attack."

I held back a gulp. "Then this means..."

"Yes. The great seal is broken."

Lovely.

"So what do I have to do?"

"First of all, travel to Henesys. Inspect the situation, and report back to me. Then we will see what can be done."

"If you say so."

"Before you leave", he said, giving me a once-over, "It would be best if you purchased some new equipment. I can't have you breaking a good fruit knife every battle you get into."

Ha, funny.

But realizing that I did need some equipment, I nodded, and left the bar.

He entered the weapon store, greeted simultaneously by two very different voices. One was a gruff voice, while the other was a squeaky voice with a chinese slang.

"I'm here for some bandit equipment."

Both their eyes lit up, and the gruff man spoke.

"Alright! Pick and choose!"

I went through the various shelves of daggers, finally deciding on a long field dagger.

While quite pricey, he assured me it was defiantly sturdy and sharp. After a few test swings and stabs, I agreed with him, and gave him the money.

Next was clothing. I personally didn't care for what I wore, since if you die, you have no one to look pretty for. I did buy some fingerless gloves, to help me with my grip.

Now I was prepared, and comparatively poorer than before. Hailing a taxi, I asked him to drop me off as close to Henesys as he dared. He dropped me off at the 3-way-road split, and I walked the rest of the way. Upon reaching the top of the hill overlooking Henesys, my eyes widened in shock.

Henesys was completely destroyed. All the houses were in ruins, some of them still on fire. I could smell the stench of death from all the way here. As I moved closer, I saw many people gathered at a specific area outside the town. It seemed none of them were able to enter the town cause of the barrier, like the taxi driver had said. However, the people seemed anxious, and kept looking back towards the town. I wondered, Is there someone inside there?

"Hey! Trane!"

I looked behind me, to see who had called my named. Puzzled, I also thought, I haven't given my name to anyone yet, except...

"It's me, Roy! Remember, from the ship?"

Mhm. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt with pauldrons, and baggy jeans. On his back was a massive sword, almost as big as he was. He still had on that cocky grin from the first time we met. Oh well, might as well see what he knows.

"Anything you mind telling me?"

"Oh, it seems that Queen Cygnus heard about this situation, and sent her knights to try and resolve it. Apparently, they're immune to this barrier thingy."

The Knights Of Cygnus are here?

Just as he thought that, someone yelled.

"Look! The knights are back!"

Looking back to the town, I saw five figures walking out of the town. Two of them were carrying what looked like survivors. As they got closer, I could make out their appearances. They were indeed the fabled Knights Of Cygnus. There was Mihail, the Soul Master. Clad in white and gold armor and a large blade sheathed behind his back, he seemed to radiate light and holy energy. Next was Hawkeye, the Striker. He had on a pirate garb, complete with feathered hat and a blue coat. His face gave a sense of laxness despite the situation. Thirdly was Oz, the cute Flame Wizard. With her shockingly red hair and robe to match, the staff she wielded clearly held much power. Beside her was Irene, the beautiful Wind Breaker. She had long, green hair that flowed gently behind her. On her back was a long bow, made of whitewood and entwined with vines. Behind them all was Ickart, the Night Walker. Walking slowly, his large black cloak billowed behind him. His face was covered by a masquerade-like mask.

Strange...they look exactly like how the history books depict. It's like they haven't aged a day.

Mihail and Hawkeye layed the survivors they were carrying down, and clerics immediately rushed to begin healing.

Some people began applauding, and soon everyone else was joining them to congratulate the heroes.

I noted the situation, and turned to return to Kerning City to report to Dark Lord.

Author's Notes : Well, here you have it, readers. Chapter 4! The next chapter will have a fight scene, and I'll try my best to be as action-ny as possible. As usual, read and review! :D Now, some answers to the reviewers.

The 21 blue dudes : As to Athena's skill, I was actually going for Silver Hawk, but i'm going to assume that the job instructors can use both paths' skills cause eagles are pretty. I thought about the phoenix bit, but it's not very pleasant to be carried by a flaming bird, right? In any case, she summoned something and flew away. As to maintaining the spell, that's just one of the magical secrets of fanfictions. Next, the story was indeed meant to be told from a third perspective, but typing conversations between "he" and "he" is getting to me. I'll be changing that from this chapter. Cmon, C-rogs aren't THAT big. Besides, the only thing he could do is dodge, and he was lucky all the crog did was swing at him. The battle on the ship is less described cause our hero was busy looking at his harbinger of death. Fight scenes will be more described in the coming chapters, don't worry. His personality...it's hard to describe, but if you've played Persona 3, you should get a general idea on it. Third review, it's not a "fight to the death", per se. More of a "survive, you little maggot!" kind of thing. He could hold his own cause Dark Lord was fighting at the level of a second job, such as when instructors fight at a level low enough for a level 70 to beat them. His knife broke cause that's what it was; a used fruit knife, against whatever high-end designer dagger Dark Lord had on him. He sensed a smirk cause Dark Lord did indeed smirk. Hope you'll stay with my story for the chapters to come =)

Tucson79 : Uh. What do i say? Thanks, hope you keep reading :D

Next time : A training session, a legend returns?