[ This is based on an event that I had at an old server that died. Good work Gravity! Anyhow, my character is Reize, and the characters belong to my friends. With that in mind, enjoy.]
[Beginning: Regular Payon Theme song - Ragnarok Online]
[Arrival at Prontera: Bloodbath - Doom 2 Overlocked Remix]
[Separation: Barrels O' Fun - Doom 2 Overclocked Remix]
[Fight vs Zombie Prisoner: Reptile Theme song - Mortal Kombat]
~------------------------------------------------------------------------~
Danky water drips within a dark landscape, stalagmites and stalagtites are scattered in various areas, echoed by the sound of screeching beasts. Heavy flaps echo as the sound of a sword sung through the air like a whistle. Appearantly, a battle occured within Payon Cave.
A former human being, bearing green hair and pale purple skin, stood dumbfoundedly while grunting. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, before he slumped back, but not before the upper half of the body fell off, revealing a sickening green meat exposed from the lower portion that still stood on its two feet. After a moment, that portion collapsed as well.
A blade sunk to the ground, the edges stained with green moss and another odd green liquid. "Meh." Muttered the wielder, who was a blond haired young man, with a few strands sticking out to the right side, right past his eye. A chrome helmet covered the head, the visor lifted past the forehead He wore the traditional clothing of a swordsman; a tan tunic with leather fingerless gloves, a belt wrapped around the hip unevenly over a pair of green pants. He also wore a pair of leather brown boots. His sea blue eyes gazed over at his ally, who was right behind him. "They leave so much crap on my sword."
"Don't worry about it, Degarren," chuckled the closed eyed archer, who approached closer to his friend, "Just wipe it on the corpse, they clean well." The youth had shoulder-length hair where most of the strands completely covered the left eye with a tan bandana over his head. He wore an opened leather vest, exposing his shirt-covered chest. Yet, the shirt itself was non-sleeved, exposing the pale complexion of his arms. He wore a pair of thick brown gloves with black edges. He wore blue jeans and a pair of leather brown boots with a reddish front to the feet. His exposed green eye opened slightly, grinning. "We are the Undead Killers, after all."
"Wrong, Reize. I am the Undead Killer, it seems." Degarren narrowed his eyes as he withdrew the sword from the ground, sliding the edges on the tattered clothing of the vanquished zombie. "I seem to be the only one killing the zombies while a certain /someone/ was singing a humming a song."
Smirking, Reize rebuked, "I did my share of slaying. While you were in the front lines charging, someone had to watch your back." He walked in front of his friend, throwing both arms in a shrug, "Why do you think there have been no back attacks, huh?" He pondered for a moment, "We better head to Prontera. We need to restock on some items. Payon is nice, but I know as well as you do that my home doesn't have as many resources that would fit us both as Prontera would."
"I suppose. Do you have a butterfly wing?" asked Degarren, "I don't have one on me."
From that question, Reize gaped his mouth open, then he brought his right hand to the back of his head. Rubbing it, he replied, "Uhhh, well..." A sheepish laugh is given by the archer."
"I was afraid of that. We will have to go back on foot then." With that said, Degarren walked down the path of the Payon Cave, keeping his sword at hand in case any danger arised.
"Meh." stated Reize, following in suit of his friend.
The two arrived to the town of Payon, an Asian-style area. The castle up ahead had a flight of stairs, where it lead to the castle that had red wood, tiled roofs with brackets for support. The houses were built the same way, if smaller. Many of the walls had Asian symbols out of the door, the path continued for the two til they arrived at a woman dressed in a black dress. She had long blue hair and violet eyes. A tranquil smile curled on her lips, then she asked the two, "Where do you two want to be transported?"
"Prontera," replied Degarren.
"Alright, don't get yourselves hurt." She winked, then blinked as Reize gave her a well-knowing smile.
"Reize, don't tell me that you and her... you know what? Nevermind." He shook his head. He doesn't want to know anything involving Reize's lovelife. "Let's just try to keep things professional, and no hitting on any of the Kafra workers."
"Alright, alright, sheesh." Reize chuckled, "I can't help it if I like the ladies. Beside, I like singing to..." At that moment, both Degarren and Reize glew for a brief moment, before their bodies vanished. The Warper gave a smile, waving her hand. She idly thought for Reize to pay her a visit when he comes back home.
The two warped back to a city that would usually be flourishing. Its marble structure would usually be purified in whiteness as the sun beamed its light down at the city. Prontera was famous for having the Church, as well as having guards protecting Culvert. However, it was not the case when the two arrived. A gloomy black cloud casted over the city, the shadows covered the pure white marble that made the town a holy symbol. Dead silence filled the area, and the stores were locked. Boards were plastered against the windows, as if a pervading warning was being given.
Reize looked over at a sign that was knocked over at the Town Square's lake. "....Welcome to Prontera." He blinked, then gazed at Degarren, "That post was at the entrance of the town, wasn't it?"
"...Yeah. Reize, arm your bow." Degarren withdrew his sword from the sheath, drawing it forward to face the air. "I don't like the looks of this." As Reize drew his composite bow from over his shoulders, he placed an arrow upon the string, ready to load. The two took steps around the city, until gritting and the sound of dragging trudged into their ears. Moans escaped the mouths from the southern and western path, as various skeletons and zombies emerged from the darkness.
"Well, We are Undead Killers, let's make our name worth it!" Reize launched a silver arrow from the quiver, striking the one of the zombies against the head. The zombie trudged on, until he took a few more shots. As for Degarren, he rushed forward at one of the zombies, slamming the hilt of the sword against the temple, then he turned around to step up with a side kick to knock a skeleton back.
Floods of the undead charged forward, dragging forward to face the two adventurers, until a light tan form appeared from the north, launching into the air. A foot drove against one of the skeletons that were surrounding Degarren. The form stood up, his crimson hair remained ruffled and standing in wavey lines, and his eyes were covered with a masquerade. He wore a white shirt over a light orange sleeved shirt. His pants were cut down a bit past his knees, with pads to the knee area. He had on a pair of white socks and white shoes. He withdrew two curved daggers, twirling them both in his hand as he slide his right leg out, bending the left knee while straightening the right in a curved. "Need help you two?" He grinned.
Degarren gazed over his new ally, smiling, before his body became encompassed with flames. His eyes rolled back as his teeth bore. "Out of my way, cursed beasts! MAGNUM BREAK!" He slammed both hands against the waist, expanding the flames to lick the air, engulfing the zombies and skeletons in flames. Engulfed by the blaze, fire escapes the skull's eyeholes, while the zombies roasted into ash, soon followed by the skeletons.
While not surrounded by the monsters as the others were, Reize was on his own to deal with the zombies and skeletons. He withdrew his arrows, launching them at the monsters in front. He saw a young man in tattered clothes, his long green hair covered with a braid at the tail. He was stabbed by a skeleton at the further south. Reize sprinted forward, leaving the two to handle the fight.
"The name name is Vince, just don't wear it out. Alright?" He grinned, then he dashed forward to swing his daggers with ease at the incoming skeletons. When he saw three skeletons behind him, he leaped back, somersaulting to be behind the three undead. As he landed, he opened both of his legs and quickly snapped them shut, slamming the two skulls against the third skeleton. All three heads smashed, clattering into dust.
Degarren looked back at Reize, watching him run to the south, "Reize! Where are you going!? We shouldn't separate!" He tried to go after his companion, but he was halted by various skeleton stepping in front of him, "Out of my way, damned beasts!" He swung both of his hands arms downward at one of the skeletons, which brought the hilt to smash through the head. He dashed forward, performing a hard swing at the skeletons in front. Groans from zombies came from the west and the north, relentless in large packs.
Reize separated from his party to deal with the danger ahead. He saw the skeleton surrounding the unconscious body. Reize withdrew a silver arrow, then launched it at the Skeleton, "Away from the novice!" The arrow slammed against the skeleton, forcing it to clatter to brittle dust. He rushed forward, checking the body. He lifted up the young man over his shoulder, then began to run south towards one of the houses. However, he saw another distressful situation.
Various zombies were surrounding two people. One blue haired girl was kneeling down, wearing a black dress and a white apron. She was holding a blond haired young man, who was knocked unconscious. He was wearing a beige robe with a cross necklace. Blood protruded from his forehead as his hand grasped with his employer's hand. As the zombies began to trudge towards the two, a flurry of arrows strucked each one dead. Reize ran towards the two, putting the novice down next to the two, "Keep him here. See that he wakes up."
"Okay." said the lady, looking down at her assistant and the novice. Reize left the two, throwing a wink at the Kafra employer as he ran towards the north. When he reached the town square, he saw that his allies were gone, leaving him alone to fight the undead. "Damn!" He gazed forward, seeing a band of zombies dragging themselves to the town square. Reize jumped over to the fountain, climbing up on the monument. His eyes gazed forward, pinpointing his targets before he released a flurry of arrows to strike the zombies and skeletons that sought to make him another corpse. "Feh, let's see these guys now." However, there were more along the way.
Deciding to take more action to the matter, Reize stood up on the horse's rear end. He lept from the monument, cannonballing his way through the horde of zombies. After knocking the ones in the front line over, he rolled himself into position, launching the arrows at the zombies from getting close. And those that did were met with a boot to the chest.
"Ugh.." He coughs a bit as the odor of the dead clung to his lungs. He grumbles, "Damnit... No matter, I'll find the others." Reize walked forward, heading to the wall at the northern end of the town square. Dead silence filled the air as Reize continued to walk along the wall. Reize turned over to face the other side of the gates.
~ The Church... ~ cried a voice.
"What the?" asked Reize, then he ran towards the church. He froze cold as he heard a crackle in the atmosphere. "...Odd." He gathered his courage, walking towards the church gates. However, Reize was greeted with a blade slicing against his chest, searing against his armor. His body slammed against the ground, blood soaking against his clothing. "What the...?" In front of him was a skeleton with two curved daggers. Its bones were blue colored, and it seemed to be glowing. Rolling back, Reize leapt away from the next blade sliced against the air. The archer pointed the silver arrow at the skeleton, releasing a double shot towards the skeleton. He withdrew two more arrows to perform a Double Strafe. The multitudes of arrows strucked the skeleton, but it didn't stop it. The inhuman being drew both daggers out, left leg stepping out.
"Damn!" Reize was preparing to draw another arrow until the skeleton pushed off of the left leg to sprint at Reize. The skeleton somersaulted to the air, landing behind Reize. Then, it swung both blades at the archer's back relentlessly, then its rightleg snapped against Reize's leg, slamming him against the ground. Reize coughed as he was bleeding profusely. The skeleton lifted a leg, then slammed it against Reize's stomach, knocking him against a lamppost.
Within the Prontera Castle, the lights were dimming at each second. The lights at the ceiling swung around, flickering until they shut completely off. There was a call at the casstle, in need of some warriors to deal with a situation at hand. Tables were turned over, and the luxurious carpet of the castle was tattered and torn. Heavy property damage was done to the place. A few footsteps clattering against the floor. Degarren and Vince were walking after the path, not too happy of losing Reize.
"Now what happened to Reize?" Degarren asked irritibly.
"Beats me. But let's just get rid of whatever is in here and get our zeny from the king." Vince smiled happily, had relaxed a bit by having both hands behind the head. "As for Reize, he'll be okay. The archer has skills."
A snarl echoed in the abandoned castle, leaving the two warriors startled. Their eyes shifted rapidly, trying to spot the sound. With their weapons drawn, they started to walk around in a circle.
"Damnit! It looks like it's coming." said Vince.
"Get ready then. We'll just do this without Reize." Given that the whole town was filled with zombies, all that Degarren could do was pray that Reize was still alive. But that thought faded as the snarl grew louder. The sound of metal being drag followed the snarl, the pitch carrying higher as it approached. The snarl turned to a vicious growl as the figure erupted from the shadows at the entrance of the northern room of the castle. The dead skin had a violet color, and the hair was messed up, green with tattered marks. Its eyes were bulging with a yellow hue, and the hair was non existant. The zombie had an iron cain around its face, as well as a manacle wrapped along the ankle, dragging the large ball with it.
"A zombie prisoner! Where did it come from!?" asked Vince as he had a horrified look, eyes widen and with a shakey hand.
"I don't know, let's dispatch it." Degarren drew his broadsword back, then he charged forward, swinging the sword towards the zombie. However, both hands clapped up against the sword, with brought the swordsman to a surprise. How could an undead block against a large sword like that without its arms being hacked off? Unfortunately, Degarren's thought was interrupted as the zombie sweeped its foot over, having the large chain wrap around Degarren's ankle, before it lept to the air and stomped the free foot against his chest. Degarren's foot loosened from the chain with a spin, as his body spinned towards the ground.
"Shit!" said Vince, who started to sprint over towards the zombie. As he made his way at the zombie, he drew the dagger forward, then thrusted his other hand out. The zombie reached out to grab the dagger, then it shifted its weight over with its arm to twist Vince's arm. "Agh!" He hollered in pain, then the zombie prisoner slid back while launching its back up. Vince was tossed to the air, then his back landed against the ground, nearby the ball. The zombie used his free foot to kick the ball, using the impact of the ball against the head to deliver a violent ring inside the thief's head.
After holding his head for a while, he muttered, "You're kidding me..." He stood back to his feet, then he started to sprint over towards the zombie, somersaulting over its head. He slammed his foot against the back of the zombie's head, then twisted his body over to slam the other foot against the back of the head again. He rolled to the ground to reposition himself while the zombie stumbled back.
Degarren got back onto his feet, grumbling at the quick reflex that the zombie had. He started to sprint towards the zombie, drawing his fist back to slam against the zombie's head while dragging his sword. After the punch to the head, he lifted his blade up to slice down at the prisoner, until it kicked both legs up and used the metal ball to clash with the sword. Then it used its free foot to slam at the swordsmans chest, sending him crashing against one of the broken tables. Splinter and wooden shards fell everywhere, leaving the swordsman disoriented. The swordsman placed his hand over to his forehead, then he looked at the glove, muttering at the blood wound given to him by the shard. "You're... kidding me." He was baffled by the skills of the zombie prisoner.
Thirst for blood, hungry for flesh, those words best describe most zombies. But this one was more focused, pushing both arms out as it spreaded its feet apart. "Ugh...!" It charged forward, dragging the chain with it, until it swung the chained leg out, sending the chain over towards Degarren's direction. However, Vince saw the chain heading Degarren's way, so he sprinted to the side of Degarren, then he lept over to the swordsman's shoulder and delivered both of his feet at the zombie's face, giving it a taste of its own medicine in disorientation. Degarren grabbed the ball coming at him, dropping the sword at the process with a clatter. He swung the ball around, then he tossed it to the other side, taking the zombie out as well.
The creature flew towards one of the pedestals of the castle, cracking it on landing, before it had a harsh fall. Soon, the zombie ran after the thief, managing to heft the ball with it. The zombie released a flurry of punches at many directions, which the thief blocked with ease. Vince ended the last block by lifting his knee up high, then he lunged his hand under the leg to grab the zombie's hand, then he used the free foot to leap into the air while slamming the lifted leg at the zombie's face.
Picking up his sword again, Degarren ran towards the zombie, then he began to spin around in circles, before swinging the sword out at the creature's head. As soon as the zombie got up, the blade flew through the neck, slicing the head clean off. The body itself collapsed to the ground lifelessly. The head itself made no response. "Bastard." Degarren snarled, then he looked up to see the lights relit, "..Whoa."
"Ooh... Lah...!" It sounded like it came outside. Vince blinked a few times at the scream.
"...Did you hear that?" asked the thief.
"Yeah, let's check it out." said Degarren, "We eliminated the threat. Let's go." The thief and the swordsman left the messy castle, leaving the sliced zombie where it was.
The void eyes gazed at Reize, then it opened its mouth to shout in a deafening cry, "Ooh... Lah...!" It sprinted forward, preparing to finish off the archer as it leapt into the air. As it was coming down with both blades aiming for the wounded Reize's heart, a blaze rose from the ground, scorching the skeleton soldier into ashes.
"...What... the.." coughed Reize. His eyes shut, then he re-opened them, catching sight of a woman ,standing before him. She was a short woman, but she had a petite figure. She had long green hair, a lock on each side with a band on the top. She had golden eyes and a pair of elven ears. She wore a beige cloak around her, with a blue dress suit with a golden line to the middle. Her legs had a perfect thickness to it and she wore a pair of leather boots. Her body glew with a white light, shooting out sparkles on occassion. She approached Reize's fallen form, kneeling down next to him. She leaned forward, kissing his cheek softly. "Heal..."
Reize's body glew with a white aura, the wounds sealing itself shut. As he reached his hand to touch her hand, it was close in grasp until she faded from sight and touch. "...No." His eyes gazed longingly, "...Damnit..." He sighed, then he stood to his feet again.
"Reize! Are you okay?" Degarren and Vince ran over towards Reize from the castle. "Finally, we found you," said Degarren as he pat Reize on the shoulder, "We will have to go to the Church."
"Right.." Reize followed the two into the Church.
Upon entering the Prontera Church, the stained glasses emitted a bright light as the red carpet directed them to the northwest. They walked along the straight path, greeted by the young boy and the old priest. "The guardian is on that path, children." said the old priest. Reize was wondering about the woman, not sure who she was and why did she save him.
Three pews are set up at each side. The nun gazed over at Reize, her cheeks flushing red as she backed away. Reize did his flirting around quite often with the ladies, which flustered her very much. However, Reize wasn't paying attention this time. What snapped him back into attention was seeing a blond haired man approaching the three from the alter. He wore a white robe with green padding to the side.
"Thank you for saving us. They could not enter the Church, but I am afraid that he fled." said the young man.
"Who is this man?" asked Degarren, folding both of his arms together.
"The Necromancer..."
"Well, we can stop him! Let's take him!" said Vince, twirling his daggers with a grin. "So where is he?
"Glaist Heim." said the man.
At the words of Glaist Heim, the three heroes were stunned. The utter words of such a place strucked fear in any warrior's heart. A dead land, where death was more appearant than anything. And those that are dead became the undead. Silence was filled within the altar, then Vince started to back away slowly as his jaw gaped.
"Uhh.. You know... I think I hear my mother calling me..." He took a few more steps back.
"Ahem!" stated Reize, who grew irritated. He lifted his head up, then he said, "Well, we are clearly powerless against the place. However, that doesn't mean that we cannot defeat the threat now." He blinked for a moment, then gazes at the man, "Who are you, you never introduced youself. I'm Reize."
Vince said, "I'm Vince."
"Degarren," said the swordsman.
"I am Karzar. But you are right, time is of the essence. Let us deal with the threat." Karzar walked from the pillar, moving to the south.
Reize ran to the frontline, then he busted through the door. He leaped outside of the church, withdrawing silver arrows and opening fire at the zombies standing at the gate. "Let's go guys!" Then, various zombies surrounded Reize, vomitting acidic substance at him. It seared the archer's skin with boils, until he fired more arrows at the monsters. "...Damnit.."
A Skeleton Soldier descended from the top of the roof, slamming both daggers at Reize's back. The boiled archer dropped his bow, blood poured from his lips before he dropped to the ground. The skeleton soldier twirled the dagger, ready to multilate the body, until a beam of light engulfed it, causing it to disappear from sight.
Karzar ran towards Reize, murmuring a few words. "I can save him... it's not too late."
Degarren withdrew his sword as he charged forward, "Damnit Reize, couldn't you wait for the rest of us!" He sighed, "We are the Undead Killers, we can't die now."
Vince blinked as he walked towards the three, then sighed at Reize, "You die too much..."
Karzar shutted both of his eyes as he murmured a few words, "Rudra, I call upon your power. Heal the deceased from his wounds.. Return his spirits from the Underworld." His hands glew as he brought both arms to the air. His body became encompassed with a white light. "Life for the warrior! Resurrection!" A beam of light opened from the dark clouds, shining upon Reize. A white flame descended from the sky, landing onto the chest.
Reize opened his eyes, groaning. "...Thank you." He smiled, standing onto his feet.
"Welcome back to the world of living, kiddo. Hope you had a nice nap, because we still have bit of clearing and investigation to do." said Vince.
Reize said, "We'll have to clear the rest first. Let's go to the west." The heroes traveled to the west of Prontera, surveying the area. The sound of trudging echoed within the air, revealing to be three zombies charging forward. Degarren sprinted towards the two, cleaving the two in half. He snarled, "Let's go forward! Listen to the sound that they make!" Vince followed him, and Reize tried to follow the two, but he was left behind.
"Meh, I guess I will be on my own..." Reize grabbed a fly wing, "I can perhaps transport to them with this." He crumbled the fly wing, then his body phased from the western part of Prontera to the front of the church, "....Crap. Oh well, I will have to...." The moans echoed the air, "What the!?" The zombies dragged forward in a horde straight towards Reize. He withdrew his arrows, then opened fired with the double strife technique at the zombies. Each of them slammed against the ground lifelessly. Reize ran forward, "I better hurry up! I hope I find them!"
Unfortunately for Reize, he was greeted with another horde of zombies. Each of them puked their acidic vomit at him, causing him to withdraw with pain. He bled from the assault, but continued to fight them. After the fight, Reize leaned against the wall, coughing while bleeding. Karzar, Degarren, and Vince caught up with the archer, running towards him.
"Reize, you get in alot of trouble, it seems." Vince muttered.
"Are you in good health?" asked Degarren.
"Health is one way to put it," muttered Reize.
The ever patient Karzar handed Reize a bag filled with white potions, "Here, use this." He smiled, allowing Reize to take the potions. To assist Reize, he withdrew a cap from the flash, then he poured the liquid in Reize's mouth. The wounds from Reize began to shut, putting the archer in good health again.
"Thanks." said Reize.
"Let's go to the graveyard of the Church, it might be the source of the problem."
The heroes, lead by the priest Karzar, made it to the back of the church. Karzar walked around the church, examining the soil. "...The earth isn't broken."
Vince said, "Then it must be coming from somewhere else."
Degarren pondered, "Well, it's not here, then it must be at..." His eyes widen as he stayed silent.
Karzar said, "Yes, Glaist Heim. We must warn everyone and gather many more people. You all are strong, but you can't do this alone." Karzar didn't notice that a skeleton was sprinting towards him, until it lept to the air withboth daggers drawn. However, Reize prevented Karzar from getting harmed by launching a silver arrow at it, turning it into dust.
"Don't mention it." Reize shut both of his eyes, then he walked ahead of the three.
"I have a gift for you guys helping me. Is there anything that you want?"
The three shook their head, but Karzar held a bag filled with something. Each of the three accepted the gift.
Karzar smiled, "It is Yggdrassil seeds. They will restore you to good health."
Reize nodded, "Thank you." He shifted his eyes over, "..Shh.. Listen." Silence filled the air, until the sound of trudging came. Then, a zombie snarled, leaping out towards the group, until it was strucked down with an arrow. "Well, we are the Undead Killers for a reason." He grinned, forming a V sign with his right index and middle finger. "Leader, shall we be off?"
"Me? Leader?" asked Degarren, blinking in surprise.
"Of course, you are the man in armor," said Vince.
"Eh, let's wipe out the rest monsters." commanded Degarren, "Let's split up." Then, Reize and Vince nodded, then followed until they reached the north of town. Both Vince and Degarren went to the town square while Reize went west.
The undead were beginning to fade, but there were still a few left. He heard a sound of trudging and groaning. He turned around, turning to face the monster, then performed a multiple arrow assault against the zombie. The holy energy engulfed the zombie, then it collapsed. The clouds faded from view, leaving Reize to lean against the wall. He leaned his head against the wall, frowning, "Who was she? Will I see her again?" He removed his glove, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the glove. He grabbed his glove, using his index finger to touch his cheek, "She kissed me..." He smiled.
The clouds began to clear, the light shining brightly upon Prontera once again. The marble flooring was as white as snow, and the citizens unlocked their homes and began to unseal their windows. All was well for Prontera, for now.
[Beginning: Regular Payon Theme song - Ragnarok Online]
[Arrival at Prontera: Bloodbath - Doom 2 Overlocked Remix]
[Separation: Barrels O' Fun - Doom 2 Overclocked Remix]
[Fight vs Zombie Prisoner: Reptile Theme song - Mortal Kombat]
~------------------------------------------------------------------------~
Danky water drips within a dark landscape, stalagmites and stalagtites are scattered in various areas, echoed by the sound of screeching beasts. Heavy flaps echo as the sound of a sword sung through the air like a whistle. Appearantly, a battle occured within Payon Cave.
A former human being, bearing green hair and pale purple skin, stood dumbfoundedly while grunting. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, before he slumped back, but not before the upper half of the body fell off, revealing a sickening green meat exposed from the lower portion that still stood on its two feet. After a moment, that portion collapsed as well.
A blade sunk to the ground, the edges stained with green moss and another odd green liquid. "Meh." Muttered the wielder, who was a blond haired young man, with a few strands sticking out to the right side, right past his eye. A chrome helmet covered the head, the visor lifted past the forehead He wore the traditional clothing of a swordsman; a tan tunic with leather fingerless gloves, a belt wrapped around the hip unevenly over a pair of green pants. He also wore a pair of leather brown boots. His sea blue eyes gazed over at his ally, who was right behind him. "They leave so much crap on my sword."
"Don't worry about it, Degarren," chuckled the closed eyed archer, who approached closer to his friend, "Just wipe it on the corpse, they clean well." The youth had shoulder-length hair where most of the strands completely covered the left eye with a tan bandana over his head. He wore an opened leather vest, exposing his shirt-covered chest. Yet, the shirt itself was non-sleeved, exposing the pale complexion of his arms. He wore a pair of thick brown gloves with black edges. He wore blue jeans and a pair of leather brown boots with a reddish front to the feet. His exposed green eye opened slightly, grinning. "We are the Undead Killers, after all."
"Wrong, Reize. I am the Undead Killer, it seems." Degarren narrowed his eyes as he withdrew the sword from the ground, sliding the edges on the tattered clothing of the vanquished zombie. "I seem to be the only one killing the zombies while a certain /someone/ was singing a humming a song."
Smirking, Reize rebuked, "I did my share of slaying. While you were in the front lines charging, someone had to watch your back." He walked in front of his friend, throwing both arms in a shrug, "Why do you think there have been no back attacks, huh?" He pondered for a moment, "We better head to Prontera. We need to restock on some items. Payon is nice, but I know as well as you do that my home doesn't have as many resources that would fit us both as Prontera would."
"I suppose. Do you have a butterfly wing?" asked Degarren, "I don't have one on me."
From that question, Reize gaped his mouth open, then he brought his right hand to the back of his head. Rubbing it, he replied, "Uhhh, well..." A sheepish laugh is given by the archer."
"I was afraid of that. We will have to go back on foot then." With that said, Degarren walked down the path of the Payon Cave, keeping his sword at hand in case any danger arised.
"Meh." stated Reize, following in suit of his friend.
The two arrived to the town of Payon, an Asian-style area. The castle up ahead had a flight of stairs, where it lead to the castle that had red wood, tiled roofs with brackets for support. The houses were built the same way, if smaller. Many of the walls had Asian symbols out of the door, the path continued for the two til they arrived at a woman dressed in a black dress. She had long blue hair and violet eyes. A tranquil smile curled on her lips, then she asked the two, "Where do you two want to be transported?"
"Prontera," replied Degarren.
"Alright, don't get yourselves hurt." She winked, then blinked as Reize gave her a well-knowing smile.
"Reize, don't tell me that you and her... you know what? Nevermind." He shook his head. He doesn't want to know anything involving Reize's lovelife. "Let's just try to keep things professional, and no hitting on any of the Kafra workers."
"Alright, alright, sheesh." Reize chuckled, "I can't help it if I like the ladies. Beside, I like singing to..." At that moment, both Degarren and Reize glew for a brief moment, before their bodies vanished. The Warper gave a smile, waving her hand. She idly thought for Reize to pay her a visit when he comes back home.
The two warped back to a city that would usually be flourishing. Its marble structure would usually be purified in whiteness as the sun beamed its light down at the city. Prontera was famous for having the Church, as well as having guards protecting Culvert. However, it was not the case when the two arrived. A gloomy black cloud casted over the city, the shadows covered the pure white marble that made the town a holy symbol. Dead silence filled the area, and the stores were locked. Boards were plastered against the windows, as if a pervading warning was being given.
Reize looked over at a sign that was knocked over at the Town Square's lake. "....Welcome to Prontera." He blinked, then gazed at Degarren, "That post was at the entrance of the town, wasn't it?"
"...Yeah. Reize, arm your bow." Degarren withdrew his sword from the sheath, drawing it forward to face the air. "I don't like the looks of this." As Reize drew his composite bow from over his shoulders, he placed an arrow upon the string, ready to load. The two took steps around the city, until gritting and the sound of dragging trudged into their ears. Moans escaped the mouths from the southern and western path, as various skeletons and zombies emerged from the darkness.
"Well, We are Undead Killers, let's make our name worth it!" Reize launched a silver arrow from the quiver, striking the one of the zombies against the head. The zombie trudged on, until he took a few more shots. As for Degarren, he rushed forward at one of the zombies, slamming the hilt of the sword against the temple, then he turned around to step up with a side kick to knock a skeleton back.
Floods of the undead charged forward, dragging forward to face the two adventurers, until a light tan form appeared from the north, launching into the air. A foot drove against one of the skeletons that were surrounding Degarren. The form stood up, his crimson hair remained ruffled and standing in wavey lines, and his eyes were covered with a masquerade. He wore a white shirt over a light orange sleeved shirt. His pants were cut down a bit past his knees, with pads to the knee area. He had on a pair of white socks and white shoes. He withdrew two curved daggers, twirling them both in his hand as he slide his right leg out, bending the left knee while straightening the right in a curved. "Need help you two?" He grinned.
Degarren gazed over his new ally, smiling, before his body became encompassed with flames. His eyes rolled back as his teeth bore. "Out of my way, cursed beasts! MAGNUM BREAK!" He slammed both hands against the waist, expanding the flames to lick the air, engulfing the zombies and skeletons in flames. Engulfed by the blaze, fire escapes the skull's eyeholes, while the zombies roasted into ash, soon followed by the skeletons.
While not surrounded by the monsters as the others were, Reize was on his own to deal with the zombies and skeletons. He withdrew his arrows, launching them at the monsters in front. He saw a young man in tattered clothes, his long green hair covered with a braid at the tail. He was stabbed by a skeleton at the further south. Reize sprinted forward, leaving the two to handle the fight.
"The name name is Vince, just don't wear it out. Alright?" He grinned, then he dashed forward to swing his daggers with ease at the incoming skeletons. When he saw three skeletons behind him, he leaped back, somersaulting to be behind the three undead. As he landed, he opened both of his legs and quickly snapped them shut, slamming the two skulls against the third skeleton. All three heads smashed, clattering into dust.
Degarren looked back at Reize, watching him run to the south, "Reize! Where are you going!? We shouldn't separate!" He tried to go after his companion, but he was halted by various skeleton stepping in front of him, "Out of my way, damned beasts!" He swung both of his hands arms downward at one of the skeletons, which brought the hilt to smash through the head. He dashed forward, performing a hard swing at the skeletons in front. Groans from zombies came from the west and the north, relentless in large packs.
Reize separated from his party to deal with the danger ahead. He saw the skeleton surrounding the unconscious body. Reize withdrew a silver arrow, then launched it at the Skeleton, "Away from the novice!" The arrow slammed against the skeleton, forcing it to clatter to brittle dust. He rushed forward, checking the body. He lifted up the young man over his shoulder, then began to run south towards one of the houses. However, he saw another distressful situation.
Various zombies were surrounding two people. One blue haired girl was kneeling down, wearing a black dress and a white apron. She was holding a blond haired young man, who was knocked unconscious. He was wearing a beige robe with a cross necklace. Blood protruded from his forehead as his hand grasped with his employer's hand. As the zombies began to trudge towards the two, a flurry of arrows strucked each one dead. Reize ran towards the two, putting the novice down next to the two, "Keep him here. See that he wakes up."
"Okay." said the lady, looking down at her assistant and the novice. Reize left the two, throwing a wink at the Kafra employer as he ran towards the north. When he reached the town square, he saw that his allies were gone, leaving him alone to fight the undead. "Damn!" He gazed forward, seeing a band of zombies dragging themselves to the town square. Reize jumped over to the fountain, climbing up on the monument. His eyes gazed forward, pinpointing his targets before he released a flurry of arrows to strike the zombies and skeletons that sought to make him another corpse. "Feh, let's see these guys now." However, there were more along the way.
Deciding to take more action to the matter, Reize stood up on the horse's rear end. He lept from the monument, cannonballing his way through the horde of zombies. After knocking the ones in the front line over, he rolled himself into position, launching the arrows at the zombies from getting close. And those that did were met with a boot to the chest.
"Ugh.." He coughs a bit as the odor of the dead clung to his lungs. He grumbles, "Damnit... No matter, I'll find the others." Reize walked forward, heading to the wall at the northern end of the town square. Dead silence filled the air as Reize continued to walk along the wall. Reize turned over to face the other side of the gates.
~ The Church... ~ cried a voice.
"What the?" asked Reize, then he ran towards the church. He froze cold as he heard a crackle in the atmosphere. "...Odd." He gathered his courage, walking towards the church gates. However, Reize was greeted with a blade slicing against his chest, searing against his armor. His body slammed against the ground, blood soaking against his clothing. "What the...?" In front of him was a skeleton with two curved daggers. Its bones were blue colored, and it seemed to be glowing. Rolling back, Reize leapt away from the next blade sliced against the air. The archer pointed the silver arrow at the skeleton, releasing a double shot towards the skeleton. He withdrew two more arrows to perform a Double Strafe. The multitudes of arrows strucked the skeleton, but it didn't stop it. The inhuman being drew both daggers out, left leg stepping out.
"Damn!" Reize was preparing to draw another arrow until the skeleton pushed off of the left leg to sprint at Reize. The skeleton somersaulted to the air, landing behind Reize. Then, it swung both blades at the archer's back relentlessly, then its rightleg snapped against Reize's leg, slamming him against the ground. Reize coughed as he was bleeding profusely. The skeleton lifted a leg, then slammed it against Reize's stomach, knocking him against a lamppost.
Within the Prontera Castle, the lights were dimming at each second. The lights at the ceiling swung around, flickering until they shut completely off. There was a call at the casstle, in need of some warriors to deal with a situation at hand. Tables were turned over, and the luxurious carpet of the castle was tattered and torn. Heavy property damage was done to the place. A few footsteps clattering against the floor. Degarren and Vince were walking after the path, not too happy of losing Reize.
"Now what happened to Reize?" Degarren asked irritibly.
"Beats me. But let's just get rid of whatever is in here and get our zeny from the king." Vince smiled happily, had relaxed a bit by having both hands behind the head. "As for Reize, he'll be okay. The archer has skills."
A snarl echoed in the abandoned castle, leaving the two warriors startled. Their eyes shifted rapidly, trying to spot the sound. With their weapons drawn, they started to walk around in a circle.
"Damnit! It looks like it's coming." said Vince.
"Get ready then. We'll just do this without Reize." Given that the whole town was filled with zombies, all that Degarren could do was pray that Reize was still alive. But that thought faded as the snarl grew louder. The sound of metal being drag followed the snarl, the pitch carrying higher as it approached. The snarl turned to a vicious growl as the figure erupted from the shadows at the entrance of the northern room of the castle. The dead skin had a violet color, and the hair was messed up, green with tattered marks. Its eyes were bulging with a yellow hue, and the hair was non existant. The zombie had an iron cain around its face, as well as a manacle wrapped along the ankle, dragging the large ball with it.
"A zombie prisoner! Where did it come from!?" asked Vince as he had a horrified look, eyes widen and with a shakey hand.
"I don't know, let's dispatch it." Degarren drew his broadsword back, then he charged forward, swinging the sword towards the zombie. However, both hands clapped up against the sword, with brought the swordsman to a surprise. How could an undead block against a large sword like that without its arms being hacked off? Unfortunately, Degarren's thought was interrupted as the zombie sweeped its foot over, having the large chain wrap around Degarren's ankle, before it lept to the air and stomped the free foot against his chest. Degarren's foot loosened from the chain with a spin, as his body spinned towards the ground.
"Shit!" said Vince, who started to sprint over towards the zombie. As he made his way at the zombie, he drew the dagger forward, then thrusted his other hand out. The zombie reached out to grab the dagger, then it shifted its weight over with its arm to twist Vince's arm. "Agh!" He hollered in pain, then the zombie prisoner slid back while launching its back up. Vince was tossed to the air, then his back landed against the ground, nearby the ball. The zombie used his free foot to kick the ball, using the impact of the ball against the head to deliver a violent ring inside the thief's head.
After holding his head for a while, he muttered, "You're kidding me..." He stood back to his feet, then he started to sprint over towards the zombie, somersaulting over its head. He slammed his foot against the back of the zombie's head, then twisted his body over to slam the other foot against the back of the head again. He rolled to the ground to reposition himself while the zombie stumbled back.
Degarren got back onto his feet, grumbling at the quick reflex that the zombie had. He started to sprint towards the zombie, drawing his fist back to slam against the zombie's head while dragging his sword. After the punch to the head, he lifted his blade up to slice down at the prisoner, until it kicked both legs up and used the metal ball to clash with the sword. Then it used its free foot to slam at the swordsmans chest, sending him crashing against one of the broken tables. Splinter and wooden shards fell everywhere, leaving the swordsman disoriented. The swordsman placed his hand over to his forehead, then he looked at the glove, muttering at the blood wound given to him by the shard. "You're... kidding me." He was baffled by the skills of the zombie prisoner.
Thirst for blood, hungry for flesh, those words best describe most zombies. But this one was more focused, pushing both arms out as it spreaded its feet apart. "Ugh...!" It charged forward, dragging the chain with it, until it swung the chained leg out, sending the chain over towards Degarren's direction. However, Vince saw the chain heading Degarren's way, so he sprinted to the side of Degarren, then he lept over to the swordsman's shoulder and delivered both of his feet at the zombie's face, giving it a taste of its own medicine in disorientation. Degarren grabbed the ball coming at him, dropping the sword at the process with a clatter. He swung the ball around, then he tossed it to the other side, taking the zombie out as well.
The creature flew towards one of the pedestals of the castle, cracking it on landing, before it had a harsh fall. Soon, the zombie ran after the thief, managing to heft the ball with it. The zombie released a flurry of punches at many directions, which the thief blocked with ease. Vince ended the last block by lifting his knee up high, then he lunged his hand under the leg to grab the zombie's hand, then he used the free foot to leap into the air while slamming the lifted leg at the zombie's face.
Picking up his sword again, Degarren ran towards the zombie, then he began to spin around in circles, before swinging the sword out at the creature's head. As soon as the zombie got up, the blade flew through the neck, slicing the head clean off. The body itself collapsed to the ground lifelessly. The head itself made no response. "Bastard." Degarren snarled, then he looked up to see the lights relit, "..Whoa."
"Ooh... Lah...!" It sounded like it came outside. Vince blinked a few times at the scream.
"...Did you hear that?" asked the thief.
"Yeah, let's check it out." said Degarren, "We eliminated the threat. Let's go." The thief and the swordsman left the messy castle, leaving the sliced zombie where it was.
The void eyes gazed at Reize, then it opened its mouth to shout in a deafening cry, "Ooh... Lah...!" It sprinted forward, preparing to finish off the archer as it leapt into the air. As it was coming down with both blades aiming for the wounded Reize's heart, a blaze rose from the ground, scorching the skeleton soldier into ashes.
"...What... the.." coughed Reize. His eyes shut, then he re-opened them, catching sight of a woman ,standing before him. She was a short woman, but she had a petite figure. She had long green hair, a lock on each side with a band on the top. She had golden eyes and a pair of elven ears. She wore a beige cloak around her, with a blue dress suit with a golden line to the middle. Her legs had a perfect thickness to it and she wore a pair of leather boots. Her body glew with a white light, shooting out sparkles on occassion. She approached Reize's fallen form, kneeling down next to him. She leaned forward, kissing his cheek softly. "Heal..."
Reize's body glew with a white aura, the wounds sealing itself shut. As he reached his hand to touch her hand, it was close in grasp until she faded from sight and touch. "...No." His eyes gazed longingly, "...Damnit..." He sighed, then he stood to his feet again.
"Reize! Are you okay?" Degarren and Vince ran over towards Reize from the castle. "Finally, we found you," said Degarren as he pat Reize on the shoulder, "We will have to go to the Church."
"Right.." Reize followed the two into the Church.
Upon entering the Prontera Church, the stained glasses emitted a bright light as the red carpet directed them to the northwest. They walked along the straight path, greeted by the young boy and the old priest. "The guardian is on that path, children." said the old priest. Reize was wondering about the woman, not sure who she was and why did she save him.
Three pews are set up at each side. The nun gazed over at Reize, her cheeks flushing red as she backed away. Reize did his flirting around quite often with the ladies, which flustered her very much. However, Reize wasn't paying attention this time. What snapped him back into attention was seeing a blond haired man approaching the three from the alter. He wore a white robe with green padding to the side.
"Thank you for saving us. They could not enter the Church, but I am afraid that he fled." said the young man.
"Who is this man?" asked Degarren, folding both of his arms together.
"The Necromancer..."
"Well, we can stop him! Let's take him!" said Vince, twirling his daggers with a grin. "So where is he?
"Glaist Heim." said the man.
At the words of Glaist Heim, the three heroes were stunned. The utter words of such a place strucked fear in any warrior's heart. A dead land, where death was more appearant than anything. And those that are dead became the undead. Silence was filled within the altar, then Vince started to back away slowly as his jaw gaped.
"Uhh.. You know... I think I hear my mother calling me..." He took a few more steps back.
"Ahem!" stated Reize, who grew irritated. He lifted his head up, then he said, "Well, we are clearly powerless against the place. However, that doesn't mean that we cannot defeat the threat now." He blinked for a moment, then gazes at the man, "Who are you, you never introduced youself. I'm Reize."
Vince said, "I'm Vince."
"Degarren," said the swordsman.
"I am Karzar. But you are right, time is of the essence. Let us deal with the threat." Karzar walked from the pillar, moving to the south.
Reize ran to the frontline, then he busted through the door. He leaped outside of the church, withdrawing silver arrows and opening fire at the zombies standing at the gate. "Let's go guys!" Then, various zombies surrounded Reize, vomitting acidic substance at him. It seared the archer's skin with boils, until he fired more arrows at the monsters. "...Damnit.."
A Skeleton Soldier descended from the top of the roof, slamming both daggers at Reize's back. The boiled archer dropped his bow, blood poured from his lips before he dropped to the ground. The skeleton soldier twirled the dagger, ready to multilate the body, until a beam of light engulfed it, causing it to disappear from sight.
Karzar ran towards Reize, murmuring a few words. "I can save him... it's not too late."
Degarren withdrew his sword as he charged forward, "Damnit Reize, couldn't you wait for the rest of us!" He sighed, "We are the Undead Killers, we can't die now."
Vince blinked as he walked towards the three, then sighed at Reize, "You die too much..."
Karzar shutted both of his eyes as he murmured a few words, "Rudra, I call upon your power. Heal the deceased from his wounds.. Return his spirits from the Underworld." His hands glew as he brought both arms to the air. His body became encompassed with a white light. "Life for the warrior! Resurrection!" A beam of light opened from the dark clouds, shining upon Reize. A white flame descended from the sky, landing onto the chest.
Reize opened his eyes, groaning. "...Thank you." He smiled, standing onto his feet.
"Welcome back to the world of living, kiddo. Hope you had a nice nap, because we still have bit of clearing and investigation to do." said Vince.
Reize said, "We'll have to clear the rest first. Let's go to the west." The heroes traveled to the west of Prontera, surveying the area. The sound of trudging echoed within the air, revealing to be three zombies charging forward. Degarren sprinted towards the two, cleaving the two in half. He snarled, "Let's go forward! Listen to the sound that they make!" Vince followed him, and Reize tried to follow the two, but he was left behind.
"Meh, I guess I will be on my own..." Reize grabbed a fly wing, "I can perhaps transport to them with this." He crumbled the fly wing, then his body phased from the western part of Prontera to the front of the church, "....Crap. Oh well, I will have to...." The moans echoed the air, "What the!?" The zombies dragged forward in a horde straight towards Reize. He withdrew his arrows, then opened fired with the double strife technique at the zombies. Each of them slammed against the ground lifelessly. Reize ran forward, "I better hurry up! I hope I find them!"
Unfortunately for Reize, he was greeted with another horde of zombies. Each of them puked their acidic vomit at him, causing him to withdraw with pain. He bled from the assault, but continued to fight them. After the fight, Reize leaned against the wall, coughing while bleeding. Karzar, Degarren, and Vince caught up with the archer, running towards him.
"Reize, you get in alot of trouble, it seems." Vince muttered.
"Are you in good health?" asked Degarren.
"Health is one way to put it," muttered Reize.
The ever patient Karzar handed Reize a bag filled with white potions, "Here, use this." He smiled, allowing Reize to take the potions. To assist Reize, he withdrew a cap from the flash, then he poured the liquid in Reize's mouth. The wounds from Reize began to shut, putting the archer in good health again.
"Thanks." said Reize.
"Let's go to the graveyard of the Church, it might be the source of the problem."
The heroes, lead by the priest Karzar, made it to the back of the church. Karzar walked around the church, examining the soil. "...The earth isn't broken."
Vince said, "Then it must be coming from somewhere else."
Degarren pondered, "Well, it's not here, then it must be at..." His eyes widen as he stayed silent.
Karzar said, "Yes, Glaist Heim. We must warn everyone and gather many more people. You all are strong, but you can't do this alone." Karzar didn't notice that a skeleton was sprinting towards him, until it lept to the air withboth daggers drawn. However, Reize prevented Karzar from getting harmed by launching a silver arrow at it, turning it into dust.
"Don't mention it." Reize shut both of his eyes, then he walked ahead of the three.
"I have a gift for you guys helping me. Is there anything that you want?"
The three shook their head, but Karzar held a bag filled with something. Each of the three accepted the gift.
Karzar smiled, "It is Yggdrassil seeds. They will restore you to good health."
Reize nodded, "Thank you." He shifted his eyes over, "..Shh.. Listen." Silence filled the air, until the sound of trudging came. Then, a zombie snarled, leaping out towards the group, until it was strucked down with an arrow. "Well, we are the Undead Killers for a reason." He grinned, forming a V sign with his right index and middle finger. "Leader, shall we be off?"
"Me? Leader?" asked Degarren, blinking in surprise.
"Of course, you are the man in armor," said Vince.
"Eh, let's wipe out the rest monsters." commanded Degarren, "Let's split up." Then, Reize and Vince nodded, then followed until they reached the north of town. Both Vince and Degarren went to the town square while Reize went west.
The undead were beginning to fade, but there were still a few left. He heard a sound of trudging and groaning. He turned around, turning to face the monster, then performed a multiple arrow assault against the zombie. The holy energy engulfed the zombie, then it collapsed. The clouds faded from view, leaving Reize to lean against the wall. He leaned his head against the wall, frowning, "Who was she? Will I see her again?" He removed his glove, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the glove. He grabbed his glove, using his index finger to touch his cheek, "She kissed me..." He smiled.
The clouds began to clear, the light shining brightly upon Prontera once again. The marble flooring was as white as snow, and the citizens unlocked their homes and began to unseal their windows. All was well for Prontera, for now.
