Hey there! I don't really like doing these note-before-chapter things but I thought I needed to get some informationacross.
I believe I stated it in an earlier chapter but just to confirm it, yes I am still taking character submissions for the story. All you gotta do is send me a PM with your characters name, class (Strength, Skill or Will), a description on personality/appearance and the role you think they should have in the world. After that I'll do my best to give them the largest part I can in the story. :)
If you want me to know more then that feel free to send it on, as anything you leave out I'll fill with own spin on it. There are still several factors of Fable Online that haven't been revealed yet (or that I forgot in my year break haha) so don't worry too much about having to mold them to the rules of world, I'll handle all that.
Other than that there isn't much else to say. I'll try to get an update out every week or so (at least until we finish this arc), so no more massive breaks lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Its target was powerful, as was it elusive. The White Balverine could move at high speeds along the tree line but not as fast as the player it tracked. It was the first of its kind, the balverine, the first created in an infinite loop of quests that would generate the creatures as long as the game still ran. There were two of them in the world at the moment, the other was attached to several different players, all weak. But he was attached to one, only one. His player was much higher leveled than the other players, and as such he was much higher leveled than the other Balverine.
The virtual sun was low in the sky, its light beginning to have a sparkling effect on the lake. The light from which reflected on the Balverine as he jumped from branch to branch along the shore, its AI always careful to avoid the player infested roads. Though to reach his target he would have to cross one soon, his speed intensified as he closed in on it, on his player.
Forest or town, day or night, the balverine would attack its target. If it wins, its purpose will have been fulfilled and it will die alongside the player, if it loses it shall escape to fight another day. Until either he or the player is dead, it will never stop. As is its quest part, its role in the world.
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"Ellie…?" Ryuu asked, though his cousin still seemed unresponsive. "Ellie!" He said again, louder. Ryuu snapped his fingers several times in front of her, but still not movement.
"Why don't you just leave your girl here while we-" Herman shrieked as a hand hit his head. "Ow! What's that for?"
"You crazy Herman? He's not gonna leave her alone and knocked out next some cliff."
"Well you ain't gotta hit me for it." Herman said, rubbing his head.
Ryuu ignored the two as he continued snapping in front of Ellie, even jostling her shoulders a bit. The four stood in front of the wooden bridge to the gypsy camp of Gallinero. Seated on a Cliffside it overlooked the entirety of Bower Lake and trees beyond. All casted in an orange tint as the sun began to touch the horizon. "Come on Ellie, I've carried you for the last two hours but I don't I can do it while fighting." Ryuu sighed.
"Look, I'm not saying you leave her here, but maybe you could leave her here with Herman." FistOmen looked down at his nephew and then back up at Ryuu. "Alright not that'd probably be worse than leaving her alone."
"Aye what's that supposed to mean?"
"Boy you can't even hold your rifle the right way how the hell are you gonna go guard Ellie?"
"No, no I think that might work." Ryuu turned around. "We shouldn't be gone long we're right next to the camp, no enemies should get this close."
FistOmen held his tongue, he looked down the smaller player. "Well I guess you are then Herman." Herman smiled ear to ear.
"I got this, just wait." In his hands was a rifle a third the size of his own body carrying a barrel wider than the boys own head. A blunderbuss. Ryuu wondered if the boy would catch flight if he pulled the trigger.
Ryuu turned back around, towards the camp. "Alright, let's just get this over with then."
"Right behind you." FistOmen said with a hearty deep voice, Ryuu could hear the man whispering to his nephew before he started walking, but quickly caught up by the end of the wooden bridge.
"Gallinero." Fist read slowly, squinting at the wooden sign above the entrance.
"He should be set up by market stalls over there." Ryuu placed one of his hands on his pistols as they neared closer. He could already begin to make out the overweight form of Aladdin, the perpetual smile seemingly glued to the NPCs face while his large purple vest did little to hide his belly. He began to pick up his pace.
"Aladdin!" Ryuu called. At that moment the fat mans face turned sour, his smile find disappeared and to Ryuus surprise, he started to run.
"Oh shit!" FistOmen yelled out as the fat man dashed across the camp like an Olympic sprinter. Ryuu couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at FistOmen, the taller man having the same look. They both started running.
Ryuu took the lead. "He's going up the hill!" Aladdins stamina was staggering, but his speed was still lacking. He darted around several different caravans as he gradually went towards the bridge above the gate. "Go around!" Ryuu hollered back at FistOmen. "The only way out is down the other hill. Let's corner him!"
Ryuu heard Fists footsteps momentarily stop before changing directions. Less than a minute later Aladdin touched foot on the bridge just Ryuu neared arms reach. He lunged at the fat man, catching him in a hard tackle to the wooden bridge.
"Gotcha!"
"Off of me you fool!" Aladdin shouted, rolling over after throwing Ryuu to the side with a hard shove. FistOmen came up running from the other direction.
"Hit him!" Ryuu shouted at the mage while pulling out at his own pistol.
Aladdin stood in the middle of the bridge, looking over the railing facing the outside of the camp and lake. He gave Ryuu one last look and jumped the full height of it down the the pathway below. Ryuu heard a loud thud sound when he landed.
"Shit! They can do that?" FistOmen ran to the edge and looked out. Ryuu quickly rose to see the fat man sloppily running across the pathway and out of the camp.
"He's going towards the others." Ryuu lunged to his feet and leaped over the railing. Hoping physics were gentler in game the hero landed in a roll and a small dent in his health. He took off sprinting.
"Ellie!" He called. Aladdin had already made his way down the hill and out of sight. Ryuus eyes widened. "Ellie!" He yelled again as he realized both Herman and Ellie were missing from the spot. Small pebbles trickled down the lakeside cliff as he pulled his feet to a stop just inches away from the edge. He scanned the area. "Ellie!"
FistOmen was came running from the entrance. "What's going on?"
Ryuu looked to his left, to his right. To every direction. "They're gone!" He said frantically. "Ellie and Herman, I can't see them or Aladdin anywhere."
"Herman?" Fist stopped at the cliff beside Ryuu, mouth agape. "Herman!" He turned around looked at the sight. "No, no, no I can't let this kid leave my sight I'm supposed to take care of him! He doesn't know even knopw what he's doing."
Ryuu turned around as well. "What about Ellie. She's not even conscious!" He continued to try to scan the area, but every direction he looked was either a tree line, the lake, or open fields. No Aladdin, no players.
Suddenly a bright 2D screen appeared in front of Ryuus view of FistOmen. Its lettering was clear. The Bowerfront 4/6 completed. Aladdin has escaped, and taken some of your own with him. What will you do? Ryuu stared at the screen for several seconds before clicking the continue button.
"Is that the quest….?" FistOmen asked from behind the screen. Ryuu continued reading. The Bowerfront 5/6, Go to Docktown and locate Aladdin and your missing companions. He closed the screen and turned to look towards the lake, the virtual sun setting on the distant blue horizon to cast a pink upon all of the clouds.
"What, what is it?" FistOmen asked.
Ryuu sighed. "Apparently you guys got roped into our quest when you joined our party." He turned to look at Fist. "Aladdin kidnapped Herman and Ellie and took them to some place called Docktown."
"Docktown?" FistOmens waved his hand and opened his 2D menu. "Isn't that the place on the Global Quest?"
Ryuu looked at the man, bewildered. "Global Quest?"
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"A Global Quest huh?"
"Yeah that's what it says here." Rosan squinted his eyes at the screen. "At midnight too." Around them the brightly vivid colors of the sunset had begun to settle and dull. Maia knew darkness was only minutes away.
"So someone's going to fight the second to last boss of this region in five hours?" Quill asked, eyes widened.
"Seems that way." Rosan closes the screen.
"Then what are we doing sitting here? History is about to be made." The three of them sat around a small fire in front of the NPC fishermens house. The water of the lake pressed gently against the shore beside them.
Rosan shrugged. "Yeah but the monsters probably pretty highly leveled you know. Might be a bit dangerous"
Quill shook his head, his long blonde hair dancing behind his head. "But you just know that anyone who saw this in the area is going to want to check it out? That could mean a lot of players."
Maia budded in "So you're saying safety in numbers?"
"That I am my girl." Quill looked down at the rusty blade beside her. "Though I don't think that weapon will do you much good regardless."
Maia watched both of the men smile. "I told you I had a better weapon but that it was taken from me by the bandits." This always seemed to be make Quillian laugh even more she had found out, Maia sighed.
"Maybe that group of yours came and got it." Quill half-heartedly suggested.
Maia rested her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands. "Maybe. Or maybe they're one of the ones going to Docktown." Maia thoughts briefly returned to her group, and the man in charge, TJ Luther. He definitely would've jumped at an opportunity like that.
"Really?" Quill asked, batting an eye at Rosan. "That could be an interesting little reunion aye Rosan?"
The ranged hero shook his head. "If we we're filming a reality show, then yes." He looked at Maia, his face taking on a more serious tone. "You don't ever plan on going back to these people, do you?"
Maia thought for a moment, recalling all of the arguments she had gotten into with Raiden and the lectures she had gotten by Luther and Skittles over the last two months. Of the other members of the group, of Barry. She stared into the flames longingly. "I don't know…" She managed to get out. "I've been with that group since the start of the game. But now it looks like they've gone on without me…." Maia tilted her head down, not really sure of her own answer.
Quill and Rosan didn't either. She looked up.
Rosan had put a finger up to his lips, urging them to be quiet. Quills already had his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Maia listened. They're were steps, loud steps. Hooves? She thought to herself. Is that a horse? She looked at Rosan and then at Quill, all three stood up.
Even with the sun past the horizon Maia could still see the surrounding environment fairly decently when she moved away from the fire. They were on the side of a long path going along the lake, the fisherman's house a small rest stop along the way. In the distance she could see a figure moving towards them, quickly. Quillian withdrew his blade.
"What is it?" She asked the other two, but Rosan and Quill only stared. She looked again.
Her eyes widened. It was a man, on a horse. He was dressed from head to toe in a dark, pitch black armor. On his back was a great sword bigger than any Maia had seen in-game. Though only when he slowed and got closer did her jaw truly drop. Above his head was the name tag, Defil3d.
"A….player…?" Maia said as she stared.
"No way…" Quillian said wide eyed as he sheathed his sword. Maia couldn't believe it either, yet as the player stopped twenty or so feet in front of them. "Hey!" He called out to the man as he dismounted. "How did you manage to get a horse?"
Defil3d, stopped as he hit the ground, taking a moment to stretch his arms and legs underneath the heavy armor. Even his head was hidden by a strong, blackened steel plate. Only bolstering his already large appearance.
"Seriously, is that plate armor too? How did you get that so early?" Rosan said, taking it a step further than Quill by walking towards the man. His hand outstretched for a shake. Maia couldn't believe it, even the mans name tag was different. Why is a bright red? Isn't that only for…?
The Black Knight spoke no words as he withdrew his great blade, at a speed faster than Maia thought possible. Both her and Quill screamed as Defil3d drove it upwards into Rosans chest, lifting the ranger off of the ground and sunk Rosans whole body sunk into the sword. Just as quickly as pierced it the knight withdrew the blade and dropped the brown haired ranger to the dirt. Rosan landed in a bewildered, frantic state, his health plunging rapidly. He met eyes with Maia.
Maia tried to move, to scream, to do anything. But she was frozen. Quill ran forward, but it was already too late. Defil3d mumbled something under his breath, pulling the blade above the full height of his head. It turned a bright red before he brought it down in one, swift motion, to Rosans head. Instantly shattering the players avatar into thousands of crystal-like shards upon impact. Rosans body was gone.
"Rosan!" Quill screamed. He lunged at the Black Knight with his own steel blade, but Defil3d had already pulled his up for a parry. Sparks flew in their collision as the knight quickly overpowered Quill, launching the blonde haired player several feet away into the dirt.
Maia looked at her rusted blade and then back at Defil3d. He quickly went to one knee and put a hand over where Rosan had just been, looting Maia realized. She couldn't move, or speak, she was frozen. Maia could only watch as the knight stood back up after taking Rosans items. He walked towards her, his heavy blade resting on his shoulders. He….killed another player? Defil3d reared his blade back as he neared striking distance. How…..why…?
Suddenly a white blur collided with the knight, and he was thrown back. Defil3ds horse shifted nervously and the knight cursed under his breath. He shoved the creature off of him, but it quickly regained its footing and launched another assault with its claws outstretched. Maia couldn't believe it. A balverine?
She shook her head and snapped back into attention. Turning around she saw Quillian still laying in the dirt, his health having taking a small hit from the clash. Maia ran to him.
"Quill, we need to get out of here! Now!"
Quill pushed Maia away, reaching for his blade. "He killed Rosan!"
Maia grabbed Quills shoulders and yelled. "In two hits." She could see the realization begin to form on the other heroes face. "We have to go while we have the chance or he'll kill us just as fast!"
Quill looked at her and back at Defil3d. Several sparks flew as the knight clashed with the White Balverine. "But..bu-"
"Quill! Now!"
Maia dragged Quill towards her by the arm and ran with through the tree line. We have to get off the road. She thought, having to practically drag Quill with her through the woods. He was incoherent, mumbling. Darkness had already overtaken the world under the trees, drastically limiting Maias vision. She kept running.
Several minutes later there was the sound of a loud balverine howl cut abruptly short, echoing through forest. Maia swallowed a lump in her throat and kept moving.