Disclaimers: All the characters in this fic is copyright of Karashi, if there are any similarities between my characters and actual characters, it is purely coincidental. The game Ragnarok Online and anything related to it belongs to the Creators of Ragnarok

Chapter Two

            Lilac eyes opened to the sight of a dark room as slender fingers ran through blonde ringlets. She blinked in surprise at the thin gossamer strings wound tightly on her arms, even more so on the odd striations on her elbows and wrists. Goosebumps prickled her olive skin as the faded pink dress she wore barely reached her knees. She untied the thin cords and unsteadily got to her bare feet.
            "Where… am I?" she wondered as she scanned her surroundings. The blonde tried her best to remember the events that passed, but all she could recall was haze. She was exhausted, though she didn't quite know why. She barely took a few steps from her cot when her leg suddenly gave way. With a clatter, she collapsed onto her back on the cold, stone floor.
            The impact caused the haze in her mind to dissipate, and visions to flash before her eyes. Visions of eyes that watched her every move, of running through a dark forest, of figures silhouetted in sickly moonlight, of swords made of flesh that drove into her and tore her apart from within…
            Bile rose in the back of her throat, as she fought to bury the memories. Panic surged through her body, as questions screamed in her mind. Where did they take her? Do they intend to ransom her to her parents? What had she done to deserve this? The acrid taste of these questions forced rage into her system. And in her fury, she rammed her small frame against the metal door. The portal creaked open to reveal a blackened limestone hallway. Wasting no time, she bolted outside to make her escape.
            While the cold floor stung her bare feet, she had the consolation that they were no longer bleeding. Still, she could feel odd textured stones scrape at her soles, and then she heard an ominous crack. She halted, scared at what she might see should she look down at her feet. Did she break her ankle? Was she bleeding again? Why didn't she feel anything? Upon closer inspection, she realized the stones she had been stepping on were in fact human skulls.
            The entire hallway was littered with bones, rusting weapons and other human remnants. They had all been picked clean of flesh, muscle and tissue. Only the dust covered garments and protective armor remained on them. The gravity of the situation suddenly became apparent to the lilac eyed one. Whoever or whatever lived here did not seem to like humans, at least living ones.
            She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget what she just saw. She made her way along the limestone corridor quietly, doing her best not to look down. In uneasy silence she continued, half-dreading, half-expecting a horrendous monster would appear and mow her down.
            Child-like giggles suddenly broke her thoughts, and the blonde stopped in her tracks. She tried to peer through the darkness, maybe there were others like her. Other who were lost and scared, who were kidnapped for some sick unknown purpose. But there was nothing, no movement, no cause for alarm, nothing but deathly stillness and unearthly silence. Maybe in her paranoia, she was imagining things?
            'Yes, that has to be it.' She told herself, swallowing a scream in the process. 'It's all in my mind.' Somehow, she didn't feel quite reassured, especially when she began to hear unintelligible whispers and knowing snickers. There came a rattling of chains, steel ringing against stone, and an  almost inaudible growl of hunger.
            Terror was gradually building up in her chest. Her logic dictated she should remain calm and continue in silence. But her instincts demanded she make a break for it, to Hel with making a noise. The two sides warred with each other as she remained rooted to the spot. In the end, she broke into a blind run.
            The moment she bolted, her imaginary pursuit became real. Shadowy figures of armor and swords glided after the blonde, and the clattering of hooves joined shortly after. Rustling pages and wind whipping against cloth were added to the growing cacophony of inhuman sounds.
            She rounded a sharp corner, her bare feet pounding against the floor to the rhythm of her frantic heartbeat. She had the strangest sensation of flying, but she attributed this hallucination to her unbridled fear. The blonde had been running for quite some time, and fatigue began to wear her down.
            It was then she noticed the sounds chasing her had considerably softened. Maybe they gave up? She risked a quick glance behind her, and in that instant tripped on a furry object. She was flung head-first into an open chest where its lid fell firmly onto her torso.
            In the sour darkness of the container, she could make out a pair of red eyes staring into her own. An ominous gleam shone in those orbs as the top was once again raised. She turned her attention to the lid and found it was lined with rotting human meat. A shriek emerged from the blonde's lips as the cover was brought down onto her.
            A pair of hands roughly pulled her out of the Mimic's mouth just as it was about to clamp shut. She clattered onto the floor, with her posterior cushioning the impact. Whatever remained of her strength decided to flee from her body. She remained motionless while drinking in the furnishings of the large antechamber. Her gaze soon fell upon her savior, and lilac eyes widened at the slivers impaled on his arms, shoulders and legs.
            "What do you think you're doing, Ferro?" the Injustice demanded as he struck the demonic chest. "Didn't the master specifically tell us we are to treat this special guest with respect?"
            "Sorry, sir. Ferro no know thing was guest! Thought it was just stupid human."
            "You are to be punished for this."
            "No, please mercy! Ferro was hungry! No think tha-"
            The Injustice did not care to listen to the Mimic's excuse as he slashed Ferro into splinters. A dark haired woman holding a broom arrived as she adjusted her white apron. She took one look at the remnants of the Mimic and shook her head.
            "Wasn't that a little harsh, Sir Schyll?" asked the demi-human as she began to sweep. "Mimics are usually too preoccupied about their stomachs to be thinking straight. And it isn't as if Ferro could really harm the master's guest. What with his kind having no elemental alignment that is."
            "That's beside the point, Ashley." Schyll answered gravely. "See to it that the other Mimics are aware that the master does not tolerate disobedience."
            "Yes, Sir Schyll." The Alice bowed.
            "And that goes for the rest of you." The Injustice yelled out into the darkness. "Ignorance is not an excuse!" When silence greeted him, Schyll's expression turned ugly. "Do you understand!!" he bellowed.
            "Sir, yes sir!" several Raydrics, Khalitzburgs and Mysteltainns rattled.
            "Very good, and what say the furry ones?"
            "We get the point, Sir Schyll." A Deviruchi chuckled, waving his miniature trident in the air for emphasis.
            "Will it apologize for stepping on my head?" a goat-like creature demanded, in a gruff tone that did not quite match its small size.
            "You shouldn't have been sleeping there in the first place, runt." A Rideword sneered.
            The blonde could not help but stare, while monster after monster emerged from the hallways joining into the antechamber. The Injustice named Schyll approached her, and she instinctively cringed as he brought a hand to her.
            "Don't hurt me." She pleaded.
            "On behalf of my master, allow me to apologize. Your awakening came as a surprise, we didn't expect you to rise for another two human months."
            "Two… months? How… how long have I been asleep?" she blinked.
            "Nearly an equivalent of a human year."
            "What?" she gasped, suddenly rising. "What is going on here?! What happened to me?"
            "The master is currently away, but he will return in two months to explain everything. In the meantime, he has left Glast Heim Castle under my care."
            "G-Glast Heim?!" she shrieked, "No human has ever survived in such a place."
            "Oh my, it doesn't know?" a Joker trilled in sadistic delight. Some of the monsters who heard this declaration began to laugh.
            "Don't know what?" the blonde demanded in a mixture of anger and dread.
            "That you're no longer a human."

                             This old man, he played two

                         He played Knick-Knack on my shoe