Maple or Real Life?
Chapter 12 – The Enemy's Base
Disclaimer: I do no own Maple Story or other people.
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I woke up before dawn somehow refreshed. Spartan, Arc, and Sweetie were nearly done their shift, and everyone else was sound asleep. Angel started to play with me as an early morning exercise. I glanced to the back of the cave and saw Spirit as sleeping standing up, as always. Holding a small conference before everyone else woke up, we agreed that Arc would go back to Seaside and report what we've done so far, but we were stopped by some wind picking up. "It's sand storm!" I urgently told them, "get some processed wood out with some big chunks of sail leather we gotten as a gift from the citizens of Seattle!" And so, we quickly made a cloth and wood wall with a looser doorway to keep out the sand and small rocks. The top of the wall was left open for ventilation.
"No one can travel in this weather." I quietly stated as the wind began stretching the rough hides. We had gotten more wood out to make the stretching smaller for space, so our temporary wall won't open a hole. Hearing the works of construction and sensing that it was time to wake up, the other members of our party woke up. Quickly explaining the situation in hush tones, we had completed our job fast. It was almost lunch time when the strangers woke up. Kin and Sweetie had our party members help with preparing food and drinks and distribution for everyone.
Hearing similar stories from everyone else, we planned together to send any who do not want to accompany us to go back to Seaside where they would stay a while before returning home. Information was passed around. No names were exchanged unless they wanted to come with us, with the exception that everyone knows Arc now. Everyone who was going to go to Seaside Secondary and back home were told to sleep until the storm was over. I took out one of my sets of cards to let them play 'Big 2' while I played some people with my prized 'Omok set'. Even though I ended up winning by far, by luck, or by the skin of my teeth, I remembered back online when a group of people (who I won't mention) on Bera had seemingly beaten me easily.
Hours later, the storm had passed and died down in this region. I looked outside to see the sun ready to set a few hours later to my right. I told the others and started to wake everyone up. They were given rations to carry in packs they had, and they set off leaving the cave looking quite empty. A few had given us some gifts of high leveled equipment. The sandy area became barren as if all the sand was blown away.
Returning back inside, a lone WK was sitting there. He looked up forcing a grin, and said, "I, George, a White Knight, will accompany your party to rescue my friends." His eyes shone with resolve and dead silence covered the cave. The spell was broken when Francis and Hector had completely tackled the new WK into the wall startling the horses. Hector was giving him the usual guy-to-guy long-time-no-see attitudes while Francis was hugging him and kissing him. All 3 were in happy tears of their reunion as soon as George realized who they were. I thought to myself while looking away, "And George was one of the few who had those injuries." The night passed fast.
Next day:
We had double checked our water rations as Derr flew around looking for some oasis-s. We journeyed to many while attending to many towns in the area. Since this time we went in a circular motion around the desert, we ended up in a prospered town right in the middle. Smelling the stench of layered sweat I considered finding a hotel to get a good shower in. After we found one with a stable, we cleaned up ourselves, our horses (Dragon for Derr), and pets.
The rooms were quite nice even though they were the usual small apartment-sized. Everything was clean and in order, the room smelt of clean air and the view out the window was nice. I talked with my friends, and then we decided to go around town gathering information about where the evil could be.
I spotted a local with a high ponytail and native clothing. I walked up to him, and politely asked about any weird disturbances in the area, and how this area became this rich. He answered, "We here in Perion, also known as Mount Rushmore, accept visitors with small fees. Our areas around the oasis became farmland, and other areas for manufacturing. Our leader, Dances with Barlogs, usually reside closest to this town. If you wish to seek him for any warrior advice," he looked at my armor, "he lives in that temple on that mountain." He pointed to a sizable mountain with many steps that reminded me of the Aztec temples I studied before. Mt. Rushmore was opposite of this new mountain.
Out of the market area, Kin and Sweetie charged out clinging to their hats as a monkey chased them. The small monkey was just like the pet type in Maple except this one had a solid wood brown color (lupin) instead of the light orangey one. An image popped up, a picture of a skilled talking monkey from a story appeared. The shock disappeared when the monkey jumped onto Kin's polished 'Green Falcon' helmet making Kin shake desperately like a cowboy on a bucking bull. The monkey managed to hold on during the ride even though it earned a few bruises, while Kin was screaming something along the lines of, "GET IT OFF!" It then started to cling to Kin's arm, after Kin was panting heavily under the burning sun. I walked up to Kin to ask what happened, but Sweetie stepped in, "That monkey had been chasing us for no reason! It won't leave us alone… Chase that chattering thing away please." She pleaded just as desperately, while Kin was trying to shake the clinging form off.
I sighed from this extra obstacle and snuck a carton of pet food into Kin's pocket while asking the Native person what-ever is going on with that monkey. The all-knowing citizen laughed and explained, "That monkey had been abandoned by some travelers. Mean bunch they were." He scowled then continued, "Stupid watch-stealing monkey. His name around here is Thief." Surprised that it was completely the opposite compared to the image that I had randomly seen from schooling, I decided to see how he was named that. Poking the monkey with a branch, he began to get angrier at me, when finally he grabbed my left wrist while I got a good hold on its' tail.
After hearing the story, Kin backed away slowly and took off with Sweetie. Awkwardly, the monkey leapt after her and I began to walk to the new mountain. I was joined by Mango and Spartan as we began our steps up to the weathered temple. After a bit of talking, it seemed that this town was also affected by our enemy.
A few hours later:
"Heah… heah…"my comrades could only make that noise was we reached the top. Having gone on a long hike up then down a mountain before with our school group, my troubles weren't as bad. We retreated into the temple to stay out of the hot sun. The temple was mostly dark for some reason. A pair of glowing eyes appeared, and Angel immediately switched from happy to serious. Angel was emitting a warning growl, I unsheathed my sword. A familiar strong voice called out, "Stop." Surprised at the voice, my guard partially dropped. A blaze started up in a strong metal bowl that held wood. One by one, similar blazes started around the temple.
The area had shelves with stacked equipment to 1 wall, a small area by the opposite, and a stone throne with Dances sitting on a cushion in between. "Ninja, it has been a while now." He said with a happy smirk. "I had caught the rumor that the enemy you are seeking is hidden to the north, closer to the border. The surroundings will be similar to 'Sleepywood's', but it has become more and more dangerous. The surrounding towns were warned to keep night and day guards to keep the darkness contained. So far they have succeeded, but I do not know for how long. All us job leaders now need to stay put and give out many job advancements to try to help this fusion of 2 worlds. We still do not know if we can separate the 2 so we can go back to our original lives, but it seems that going into the enemy base will help get us the information we need."
Surprised at the leader, I said my thanks and we started down. I looked back to see a red dragon coming out of a dark corner. Shocked, I decided to continue downwards with my friends.
Once we gotten down, this time it hurt our ankles instead of our legs and feet, we headed to the hotel to clean up again and stay there until tomorrow morning. We met Derr and Scar on the way, and the Hector, Francis, and George trio were already back in the room. Even though our room was small, there were enough beds, plus sofa beds, to make everyone comfy. Angel and I took a small sofa bed, Mango and Spartan took a king sized bed, Hector and George took another king sized bed, Kin and Sweetie took a queen bed, and lastly, Derr and Francis took their own separate sofa beds. We slept soundly throughout the night.
Next day…
I was wakened by some sizzling bacon someone was cooking. Angel leapt lightly onto my bed at my feet, gnawing on some big chunk of jerky. I sat up and looked around. Diago was chomping on some fish with Derr petting him, the rescued trio were still fast asleep, and Spartan and Mango seemed to sleep so deeply that they were half-way from falling off the bed. Thanking Kin and Sweetie for breakfast, I ate the bacon faster than they were being cooked. I ended up helping with the preserving process. One by one, everyone woke up and also began the preparations of food, fresh water, and other supplies.
Our trek Northward was a bit easier since it was mainly a straight line to the border. Within about a hundred kilometers from the border, we began traveling on grass, but we also saw a dark clump of green and brown close to the border. With the others following behind me in 2s or 3s to talk with their buddies, we slowly traveled to the end of the desert. I led everyone while I kept track of where we are, and any other businesses at hand. There was enough space for Derr to land when her dragon needed to rest her wings. Scar followed behind me on her newly bought part-Arabian horse. I began to go in 'automatic-mode' from the lack of things to do.
An unknown group of figures were headed this way, I sensed while half-asleep. "HALT! Who goes there?" A strong voice demanded as I turned my head slowly from the drowsiness. To continue on our way without the jogging, rusty armored Dragon Knight close to us with a group of scraggly-clothed struggling to keep up, I replied, "A normal group of people." Temper can be felt from the lack of care he has for his armor, his followers, his patience, and his hunger. Without stopping, we continued on our way. "I said HALT!" he demanded with less patience. 'He's no-where near 4th job." I thought to myself while questioning, "Are you a nearby guard?"
Before he could respond, BONK! A barely-rusty axe, that seemed to have a lot of care, whacked the so-called leader to the ground with the smooth side. The axe had a very interesting design, a very rare one. It was red and golden with plenty of scratches on the sides of the large-headed blade; it was recognized as a "Dragon Battle Axe" a very rare weapon which not many could find. In-game legends state that these were found on the giant 3-headed dragon called "Horntail" but the problem was… how did a Maple-Sea member get over here? Maple-Sea players were the only ones strong enough to kill it, AND it was only available there. "We're tired." The warrior stated, but the voice was not deep enough to be a man's of that size. The warrior had worn the usual level 110 set that was also less rusty than others. Catching the eyes for a split second, they were purple, dark purple as if from torment. The strangers disappeared behind us from exhaustion.
Looking to the western horizon, I saw that we had only a few hours left until sunset. Derr landed right when I finished thinking about breaking camp. I told her to scout ahead about a couple hours worth for a good camp spot. Angel looked up at me with her usual happy expression. Bending over and petting her, I also looked back to double check if we lost anyone. Everyone was still here and no others were in sight.
A couple hours later, we arrived at the spot. The landscape of the spot was nice for it was right beside a good hill. Laughing and joking quietly, there was still a tension in the air. When everyone began to sleep, I went back to automatic again as I did my job as sentry while figuring out how to get rid of this strange tension. The only conclusion was… Pressure… If we failed, the world may be doomed. We may not see our home again. Looking at the looming forest a good 25km away, I realized what it felt like to have nearly nothing else to lose. Everyone's back was against the same wall, and gravity seemed to be heavier on my shoulders.
I slid low to the other side of the hill to keep watch there. A barely seeable dark figure was coming this way. Setting invisible traps around, I stayed low while conveying a message to Derr and Scar about the possible danger. A strangely familiar axe was sheathed behind the humanly figure. I stayed close to the hill and the ground while running silently. No twigs snapped… no grasses roughly rustled to the point of too much noise. Angel circled the other way Border collie style.
The armor the possible invader worn clanked softly from nothing in between the plates. "Not an oozed person." I told my self silently. Sliding one of my Dragon's Tails silently out of its' sheath, left sheath with right hand, with the nimbleness of a Chief Bandit, I stalked speedily behind my target. Resting my weaponless left hand on the figure's shoulder, I already had my weapon at the person's throat. The two of us stopped dead still, and Angel was nearby in case I needed help. Derr had spied us from the hill and sent a message onto my device currently attached to the left side of my head, "Her eyes are purple."
"She's another rare warrior woman?" I thought blankly. An imaged of the warrior we saw earlier sparked and disappeared. "Who are you, and why are you approaching our camp?" I asked quietly into her left ear as I leaned on my left hand. The familiar voice coldly answered, "None of your business." I dangerously said, "It is when you are approaching us at this time." as I pressed slid the flat end of the dagger closer to her throat. She growled, "I am Arthel. I wish to know why you have come here." Judging by her personality so far, she seemed like another tom-boy, like me when I first started Maple. Grinning, I left down the dagger and slid backwards to avoid her right elbow swing. She twirled in a 360 before she fell to the ground. Struggling to get up with the heavy armor on, I stood beside her path to our camp.
"Well, if you wish to know more, we're mainly here to seek something in the forest." She winced as she heard, 'forest.' I shrugged and turned to head to camp. A heavy hand grabbed my shoulder for support, and I instantly slid closer to help her walk. "She must have starved quite a bit. I wonder what caused this." I thought. Taking her into camp with Angel guarding our backs for danger, we prepared some rough food to make sure she didn't get sick. Waving her thanks, she gobbled down the food graciously. "I…" was all she got to when Scar showed her an empty area, and stated, "Take out your sleeping bag and go to sleep, explain in the morning." Understanding was shared as she prepared to go sleep until morning. Passing the message on to the next guards so no one would be surprised at the extra person, I slept deeply.
---In Dream---
I felt like I woke up, the strange thing was that I was already in the forest. The area was dark, but my eyes seemed to already have adjusted. A roar was heard deep inside another tunnel. I traveled downwards.
During the time I ran across the rough ground with surprisingly dream-like endurance, I heard roars of pain and success. Running faster to see the fuss, I heard the clangs of battle and I immediately ducked down by the wall to the big doorway. Peeking inside from my laying down position, I saw a Crusader. His rusty armor was cut and jagged in several places with dark red wound and he held a Heaven's Gate. I saw his enemy, a man cloaked in black. "This will be the last blow until you will obey me, the 1st and only supreme ruler of these pathetically weak humans." When he said 'humans,' the word spat as if it was bitter.
Checking for my weapons, I strangely found none. The Sader answered heavily, "Then I will end you to prevent others to from experiencing the same thing I have!" Looking around the room, I saw the familiar blue dragon, Fresiah, injured and unconscious, Derr unconscious on the ground by a wall, and Diago trying to wake up his master. Understanding what I see, I turned my attention back to the Sader. With a last, loud, desperate roar, he charged.
What I saw next was opposite of what I had hoped. Black lighting sprung from the cloaked figure's outstretched hands, zapping wounds, armor, and exposed skin. The impact had sent the possible protector backwards and spinning him. Many jagged armor parts and such were across all his body seemed to shake off bright red blood. "No…" he seemed to say as he quickly fell unconscious faced down without any movement of getting up again.
Evilly cackling, our enemy looked at my direction. I've been spotted! I had no choice now. Filled with rage, I charged at him ready to pummel him to a bloody pulp. Before my 1st punch, I was overwhelmed with something that felt like a Mac truck hitting me. I flew into the wall I was hiding behind. Vulnerable, my mind said, pain, my body said. I got up with shaky hands. "It seems you will be more enjoyable to play around with until I make you obey me. You will be a very useful person to be used in my plans." He said while he took off his hood. The sight was a nightmare; he had skin pulled taut from physical exertion, eyes glittering with madness, black and brown teeth, and ragged ears from no care.
He walked up to me and picked me up by my neck with his left hand. I began choking and gagging as my legs tried to kick him away so I can get air. My hands clutched his to try to get more air in me. He showed me some sort of metal collar with his other hand. The collar was shiny black. "This is my new way of controlling people." He explained, smiling. Easily lifting my chin higher with his left hand, my back was against the wall. He moved his body to the left of mine so I cannot kick him, the put the cold collar into place. The collar opened like a pincer and closed around my neck.
Once he checked to make sure it will stay put, he threw me to the opposite wall. Sliding to the ground upside-down, I struggled to get up. I was left with no other choice. He walked over to the others in the same room with the same collars. Diago tried biting him to force him away, but he was knocked against the wall and collared while unconscious. I finally got up to my feet as he was putting the collar around the unconscious Sader's neck. Before it was fully on, I charged. However, the opening was a fake… The collar electrocuted me before my fist reached its' destination. I spotted the well cared sword the Sader had used. Rolling over and grabbing it, I also ran my last charge. He already finished with the collars, and he stood up seemingly unaware that I had a weapon.
Preparing my stab, he moved fluidly to my left, the opposite of my sword arm. The sharp thrust went right by him as he jerked me painfully by my left shoulder. His left hand came up and an uppercut was dealt after I caught a glimpse under the cowl. The image made me shudder upon recalling it. I saw dark blue skin that looked deader than the dead, eyes that looked like a black hole, lips a shade lighter than the skin, and a rigid nose.
My vision began to blur as I did a semi-conscious charge. The nerves in my limbs were already gone, and I did not feel any impact as I hit the floor, falling through the dark hole in my mind.
---End Dream---
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