Disclaimer: Ok, I don't own .hack or anything from it save the characters
I have created. Bandai owns the rest.
PG-13: I could probably get away with PG, but not sure just how violent it might get later, so better to be safe.
Author's Comment: So you know, all areas mentioned can be reached in the game and are to a great degree accurate.
I'd just like to say yes, I've been a bad boy in not updating sooner. Sadly, previously mentioned papers followed by exams and moving back home for the summer causes delays. If it's any consolation, I did get straight A's. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, sometimes that's what I need to give me a kick to write more. There was also a question for me on how I was going to finish the talk with Wiseman and add in a two-week delay to it after, but I solved that problem (obviously).
For those wondering about the title, I have decided to dedicate this chapter to those two words, so it will be in this chapter a lot. For those of you who cannot handle it, you have been warned. Why do I do this you ask? I don't know, but it seemed fun at the time. Enjoy.
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"Oh Hell, what have I gotten myself into here?" Nightstar thought to herself as she sat back against the grassy ground in Dun Loreag. Everything just kept getting more and more complicated the deeper she delved, and to be honest, it was beginning to scare her some. While it was true that this wasn't entirely her fault in getting caught up, in fact it was mostly SM Slayer's fault for getting her pulled into this, but she hadn't exactly put her foot down against it either.
Of course SM Slayer hadn't been saying much as of late either, mainly due to the total ass kicking he'd received at the hands of Kite. Not only was the man's pride great, and the fall from the humiliation hard enough, but Nightstar had a hunch that he also was beginning to feel as if he was getting in too deep. And he hadn't even heard yet what Wiseman had to say to her on everything. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought back to the conversation that, even two weeks old, stuck quite clearly in her mind.
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"I see." Wiseman replied calmly, "Very well then, let's get down to business."
Nightstar nodded. "Yes lets. "Now who or what is Kite really, and just what is that bracelet of his? Is it the Key of the Twilight?"
"My," Wiseman replied, almost taken aback, "you certainly do have a lot of questions for me, but before we get into that, let us talk about form of payment."
"PAYMENT!?" It took all of Nightstar's willpower not to fry Wiseman where he stood. "You OWE me after last time, and besides a boy is in a coma now because of that player!"
"Let's clarify a few things there first. One, I owe you nothing since I did not charge you anything last time due to my unwillingness to divulge the information. Two, your friend is not the only one currently in a coma from this game, and three I can assure you that Kite did not cause it."
"Then what exactly did?"
"Payment."
Nightstar sighed. While PKing him seemed like a fairly enjoyable thing to do just now, it was not a very effective means of getting the information out of him. "Fine, what do you want?"
"What do you have?"
"How should I know what you're interested in?"
"By telling me what you have."
Oh Hell, he was going to drive her insane at this rate. The next few minutes passed slowly as she named off every item in her inventory to quite an uninterested Wiseman. He had even turned down the Golden Grunty she was carrying. Finally Wiseman said, "Why don't you tell me the real reason you want to know about Kite."
"But I already-"
"Not that reason, the real reason that "YOU'RE doing this."
Nightstar thought a moment, then replied, "I'm doing this for StarMan Slayer... because he asked me to. He trusts in me, maybe depends on me more than he should."
"And why does that make you help him? Seems quite a nuisance for you."
"True, I guess it sort of is, but I just... I want to help him. He may be an idiot and self-righteous a lot, and puts his opinions and desires before others, not to mention he's always late and thinks it's ok knowing that it drives me crazy, but..."
"But what?"
Nightstar opened her mouth to respond then stopped. The answer that had come to her couldn't be right, not after everything he'd said and done. Yet there it was, plain as day on the tip of her tongue ready to be said like it was so obvious and simple. Still, it just couldn't be, even though it was and she knew it as much as she wished she didn't.
Taking a deep breath she finally said, "but despite that, I... still ...love... him. I love him, and I never really thought about it since back then. It doesn't make any sense but I do, I love him."
A grin slid across Wiseman's cheeks, and then he replied, "I'll tell you what, you give me this StarMan Slayer's Member Address, and I'll tell you what you want to know."
"That's all you want?"
"Are you rejecting my offer?"
Panic hit Nightstar, and she shook her head wildly, answering, "No no, of course I don't. It's a deal."
Wiseman nodded. "Very well, it all starts with the Epitaph of Twilight."
"The Epitaph of Twilight, but how does a poem-?"
"The creator of 'The World' Harold Hoerwick used the Epitaph as a basis for the creation of Fragment, this game's immediate ancestor. In it, there is something known as 'The Cursed Wave' and it is at the center of everything."
"But how?"
"The 'virus' within 'The World' is not really a virus, but a manifestation from within the game of the Wave, and Kite is trying to stop it. There is a portion of the Epitaph that focuses on the Wave:
Unknown where the Cursed Wave was born...
After the stars doth cross the heavens,
The sky in the East doth darken and air doth fill with mourning,
From the chosen land beyond the forest, a sign of the Wave comes.
Riding the wake is Skeith,
The Shadow of Death,
To drown all that stands.
Mirage of deceit, Innis,
Betray all with the flawed image,
And did aid the Wave.
By the power of Magus, a srop from the Wave doth reach the heavens,
And creates a new Wave.
With the Wave, Fidchell, the power to tell the dark furutre;
Hope darkens, sadness and despair rules.
Gorre schemes when swallowed by the Cursed Wave.
Macha seduces with the sweet trap.
Wave reaches the pinnacle,
And escape none can.
Tarvos still remains with more cruelty to punish and destroy.
And with the turbulent destruction,
After the wave, only a void remains
And from the deep within the void arrives Corbenik.
Perhaps then the Wave is just a beginning as well.
"This Wave has manifested several of these monsters, four of which Kite and his friends have fought and defeated with the help of the Twilight Bracelet. It is also responsible for the Data Bugs that have arose, the so- called invincible monsters that leave people in comas. It takes the power of the Bracelet to stop such creatures."
Over the next half hour Wiseman went on to explain more and more of what was known to an ever increasingly bewildered and somewhat frightened Nightstar. By the time he had finished, she had been so dumbfounded by it all, not to mention still in the process of absorbing it all, that she have nearly forgotten to give him SM Slayer's member address until he had courteously reminded her. Before she warped out, she had only barely heard Wiseman say, "May the grace of the Twilight Dragon be with you."
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In fact it had taken her almost a week to fully absorb what she had been told. Still though she had hesitated on telling SM Slayer, partially because she wasn't exactly sure how he would take it, or what exactly they could do with this new information, and partly because she didn't know how he'd take the knowledge that she had paid for it with his Member Address. The latter was the more concerning.
Even still, she had to tell him, and there was no time like the present for it. She just hoped he would be able to accept what she now understood about the player named Kite, and the Wave was stopped before anyone else fell victim to its rage.
"Oh Hell, what do I have to lose, other than my head that is." With that her flashmail was off.
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"Come on My, you said you were all right now, so why are you still obsessing over him?"
KenRyu waited anxiously for an answer from her friend that seemed to not be coming anytime soon. Right behind them trotted Wakizashi, whose head was lowered and shaking back and forth slowly in defeat. KenRyu had been asking questions like this to Mycinity all day long, despite his protests. It had been so nice the last week or so too, with KenRyu being nothing but quiet and supportive to Mycinity whenever she was on. Oh quiet; how grand it truly had been. Then Mycinity had smiled at them both earlier today and had said she was fine, but was wondering where Kite now was. KenRyu had not thought it a good idea for Mycinity to be having.
"Myyyyyyyyyy! This is boring just walking around, if you want to work off any lingering sadness or anger, lets go clear out a dungeon or two. I know a nice one over in Dun Loreag. Plenty of cool items and scaaaary monsters to trash."
Mycinity still refused to reply, simply continuing on her walk down the streets of Mac Anu. KenRyu was beginning to tire of this, and it was quite obvious to Wakizashi. An hour or so of this with no progress would frustrate just about anyone, and while he hated to admit it, Wakizashi sort of agreed with KenRyu that finding Kite might not necessarily be the best idea. They'd all heard about SM Slayer's confrontation with Lord Kite, and while details themselves were sketchy, the results were clear enough. Not only had SM Slayer been crushed utterly, but it seemed as if the experience had changed him, almost like one of those religious awakenings that they talk about on cable TV. The stuff on those kind of shows that kids begged their parents to let them stay up later to watch only to find out when they became old enough that the shows weren't as interesting as they had originally thought.
"Oh Hell," KenRyu finally said, throwing her arms up in the air, "I give up. Hey Waki-baby, you try to get through to her."
Wakizashi's face shot up and blanched in dread of the idea. He was just there to support them, not to get in the middle of this. KenRyu thought would have nothing of that though, and leaping back she shoved Wakizashi up next to Mycinity who continued to just walk aimlessly. "Oh Hell," Wakizashi muttered to himself, "how do I get involved in these kind of messes?" Turning his head to look over at Mycinity now, he cleared his throat and began, "Um, Mycinity? If I may, I'd like to-"
"Let's go to Carmina Gadelica."
The suddenness of Mycinity's statement had thrown both Wakizashi and KenRyu into a state of momentary shock, but when it passed KenRyu was cheering and jumping up and down while Wakizashi was just glad he had gotten out of having to talk to her. Needless to say, all agreed on the proposal readily.
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Despite the amount of traffic that cities like Mac Anu had from newbies and vets trying to take an easy day, it was nothing compared to the lights and glamour of Carmina Gadelica. It wasn't called the Cultural City for nothing after all. Moving through the streets of the lively city, it would be easy to walk right passed a friend and never know it. The alternatives of course were to go to an area, hang around the countless shops, or find a seat somewhere within the marketplace.
The last of which was the hardest, as everyone seemed to fight for the limited supply. Certain players could of course gain an open seat on reputation alone, such as the Descendents of Fianna among others, but for the newbies like Mycinity, KenRyu and Wakizashi, it was open warfare the likes of which even Toyotomi and Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara had never known.
Mycinity walked just ahead of KenRyu and Wakizashi, but close enough where the pair wouldn't lose her to the crowd. KenRyu smiled as she followed along, not too happy about more walking about, but then she didn't come to ï Server very often, and the environment itself was exciting. All she had to do was act cool and no one would suspect that she couldn't handle the areas that this server generated.
Turning to look at Wakizashi, KenRyu frowned. The boy was glancing this way and that, almost like he was worried that some big bad monster would leap out to devour him, just like a newbie would. "Hey!" KenRyu snapped at him, smacking him upside the head, "Stop looking so childish, it's making my cool veteran act look like a sham."
Rubbing the back of his head, Wakizashi responded, "But it is a sham isn't it?"
Wakizashi then gulped as KenRyu shot him a glare that made him feel as if she would set him ablaze with her eyes right then and there. Then in a low voice she shot back at him, "Yes, but no one else her knows that! My goodness, don't you know ANYTHING about perceptions?"
Taking a breath, Wakizashi replied back, "You shouldn't try to be anything but yourself you know KR, after all:
We all imitate,
But the mirror shows the truth,
We are-
"DON'T YOU PULL THAT HAIKU CRAP WITH ME!" KenRyu interrupted, lunging at Wakizashi who backed up into a big Blademaster all in black armor, knocking him over in the process. Wakizashi hit the ground moments after with KenRyu landing on top of him, her arms reaching for his throat. Then she froze, looking passed him towards the man they'd knocked over, and her face went pale. Wakizashi was certain that had the game allowed it she would have crapped her pants, and as he looked back at the blademaster, he understood why. Despite his best attempts at thought or speech, all Wakizashi could say just then was, "Oh Hell."
The man's face looked more like that of a black demon, eyes crimson and just now he didn't appear all that pleased. "You stupid kids," the man quipped, "thinking you can just play around in the streets! Take your damn foreplay elsewhere, or I'll just have to cleave you both in two!"
With that he rose back up to his full, menacing height and strode off, brandishing what looked like a very big and powerful sword in his right hand. Both players took a large sigh of relief, then KenRyu said, "Oh Hell that was close. But what was he talking about, foreplay! I mean..." Her voice trailed off as the sudden realization of her straddled position on top of Wakizashi became apparent to her.
Moments later she was up and off him, while Wakizashi nursed a sore cheek from her sudden smack. "And don't you ever try to take advantage of a innocent girl like me again, you pig!"
Wakizashi just moaned inwardly. There were many words he'd use to describe KenRyu, innocent wasn't among them. He had little time to ponder this though as just as quickly KenRyu was looking around saying, "Oh Hell, we lost My. Come on Waki-baby, get the lead out of those samurai pants of yours and lets go!"
Five minutes and several mistaken identities later, KenRyu finally caught a glimpse of Mycinity, who was making her way towards one of the sitting tables off to the side. Taking a deep sigh of relief, KenRyu turned back to Wakizashi, who had been hard-pressed keeping up with her despite her pulling him by the arm and said, "Found her."
Wakizashi nodded with a smile, then looked passed KenRyu towards where Mycinity was and froze. He then muttered, "Oh Hell."
"What?" KenRyu replied, turning to look back at Mycinity. Then her jaw dropped as she too froze. "Oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh HELL NOOOO!" Sitting at the table that Mycinity was moving towards, only just now noticing the young Heavy Blade, was Kite.
Turning back to Wakizashi now, KenRyu screamed, "Wakizashi! Do something, ANYTHING!"
Gulping, Wakizashi glanced off at Mycinity, then back at KenRyu, his mind racing, and coming up empty just said, "Um... oro?"
Immediately Fingers wrapped around his throat as KenRyu began to throttle him, screaming, "Don't you 'Oro' me you Kenshin wannabe!" They then fell back into the crowd again, having totally forgotten for the moment about Mycinity and the problem at hand.
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So much seemed to be happening recently on so many different fronts that Kite just seemed to find it all... overwhelming. Well, perhaps that was too strong a word, especially since he had been handling it as best he could, but no other word came to mind. All the events with BlackRose, Balmung, Lios, and Helba going on, theories as to why all this was happening, and then there were the more personal problems like Mycinity's brother, or being called out by that Long Arm two weeks ago. Yes, things were definitely... hectic, yes that was the word.
That had been why he had sat down here with Balmung, to discuss everything on a sort of casual, off the record way, especially his own recent...fandom. Sadly it had been time short-lived as with a short curse Balmung had announced that he needed to depart, and then logged out leaving Kite to his own thoughts. It was funny though, he had never heard Balmung say, "Oh Hell" before.
"Hello Kite."
Turning in the direction he had heard his name, Kite blanched as his eyes focused in on the young Heavy Blade. "Mycinity... hi." A sudden ruckus occurred in the crowd behind her, but Kite paid it no heed, his full attention focused on the girl whose brother he had been unable to save in time. This was definitely a first for him, and quite frankly, he had no real idea what to say to her, but he needed to say something.
"May I?" Mycinity asked, motioning towards the seat opposite him. Kite nodded, mind still racing on what he should say as she moved and took the seat. As her eyes came to focus on him, Kite took a deep breath, and decided to just say what first came to his mind.
"Mycinity, I'm sorry."
Mycinity's eyebrow cocked at his apology. "For what?"
"For not being able to save Barricade. I... I wish I could have arrived sooner."
Mycinity nodded in understanding, then looked down and away, searching her own thoughts for the correct sequence of words. Finally, still not looking at him, she replied, "I've been giving the whole incident a lot of thought myself as of late. Just yesterday my parents and I went to visit Kenji just yesterday, and I just stood there watching him for the longest time. Then, it occurred to me; this had been Kenji's choice. He had chosen to push me out of harm's way and face that... thing... alone. He knew the rumors, and the stakes, and he chose to protect me."
Lifting her head up and giving a weak smile, Mycinity continued, "I don't blame you for this... I can't really. I have every confidence that if you had been able to get there any sooner, you would have. My brother knew that too, and I don't think he'd want me to be mad at you if he was here now. There's nothing for you to apologize for Kite."
Silence reigned between the two after that, even the noise of the crowd around them was world's away. Kite had at one point to remember to close his mouth, as it had begun to hang open. This was not how he had expected things to go. In fact Mycinity was being quite... mature. At last Kite simply replied, "Thank you My. It's good to know."
"So," Mycinity began now that the intense, seemingly awkward part was past, "Just what exactly are you? I mean, I want to believe that you're a good guy, but that... thing, it's not legal, is it?"
Kite nodded. "Well, not exactly. You see-"
Suddenly Kite was cut short as he heard a voice that sent an inward moan coursing through the part of him that knew what was coming next. "Oh my lucky stars, there you are ye of fair eyes!"
Cringing at the sound, Kite reluctantly turned his head only to see the large green armored Heavy Axe pushing his way through the crowd towards him. Under his breath, Kite muttered, "Oh Hell, not Piros."
As Piros finally made it over to Kite, he did a short leap into the air, which seemed quite awkward given the size and bulk of his armor, and then said, "Thank goodness I found you ye of fair eyes, I have need of your assistance."
Putting on his best smile, Kite nodded and said, "What do you need my help for Piros?"
"Oh ye of fair eyes, a most vile of villains has crossed my path, and now has called me out to the list at ï Chosen Confused Judgement. I would like you, ye of fair eyes, to stand with me as my second as I teach this brutish cur the error in offending my knightly honor."
Suppressing a laugh at what he was quite sure was a misunderstanding on Piros's part, Kite stood and nodded to his good-intentioned friend. "Sure Piros, I'll go with you." He left out, "if only from yourself."
Letting out a great cheer, Piros lifted his axe high and said, "Such wonderful news, come now ye of fair eyes, let us show that evil knave the power of our heavenly teamwork."
Glancing back at Mycinity, Kite called out, "Piros, I'll meet you at the Chaos Gate in a minute, I just need to finish my conversation with My here."
"Certainly ye of fair eyes, it would not be chivalrous for you to leave without saying farewell to your fair lady." With that Piros turned and began to stumble through the crowd on his way to the Chaos Gate and his vengeance.
Turning back to Mycinity, who had blushed slightly when Piros had referred to her as Kite's fair lady, Kite smiled and said, "I'm sorry My, but this shouldn't take very long. Piros always gets himself in over his head like this." Mycinity smiled and nodded. "Tell you what though, after I finish with that, we'll finish this conversation in private, say at ï Quiet Eternal Grasslands, say at the entrance to the third floor of the dungeon?"
"Um, ok, but why so far into the dungeon?"
"Well less likely to run into people, besides it's a good way for you to get a little practice in. Don't worry I won't be long." Then with a last smile Kite turned and took off into the crowd, his short stature making him vanish quickly enough amongst them.
Mycinity just sat there for a moment, processing the quick chain of events, then rising with new vigor, headed off as well towards the Chaos Gate. As she did so, another figure watched from another table a few tables down. Though she had been careful not to be noticed by Kite, now that he had left with Piros she would have a chance to talk to that girl about what she had just seen, and the rumors she'd heard circulating. Standing, the tanned, lightly pink-haired Heavy Blade grabbed her Executor sword and moved off on her own towards the Chaos Gate. ï Quiet Eternal Grasslands, sounded like a nice place to visit, especially the entrance to the dungeon's third floor.
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Author's Notes:
Yes, another long one. I had not intended on it to be this long, but every time I tried to finish the chapter new ideas would come to me. Eventually I just had to stop and cut it short, leaving the rest for the next chapter. Anyway, sorry it took so long, but for awhile the Muse was not being kind. Rest assured I am reading the reviews, and I thank you all for sending them.
Note that I can now say that there will only be three more chapters left, with a possible epilogue. I also have a special surprise in mind for all of you at the end of the story, although how much you'll like it will vary per person. Let's just say it's a peek into my head.
A few things:
The end of Wakizashi's haiku would have been, "We are who we are."
2. History lesson time: The Battle of Sekigahara was basically the largest, greatest battle in Japanese history, which took place in 1600 AD and was won by Ieyasu Tokugawa, ending the Sengoku Era and beginning the Edo Era and the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate based out of the city of Edo, now present day Tokyo. The men mentioned were the leaders on each side. The battle ended the civil war and unified Japan. Also note, a member of the Sanada Clan fought on each side of the war, Yukimora Sanada fought for the Toyotomi, and his brother Nobuyuki Sanada fought for Tokugawa. Upon victory, Nobuyuki was made the founding father of a new clan of his own. For those of you who are interested in all at that time in history, I suggest reading the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, but not the anime, that got corrupted bad from the manga.
3. The word 'Oro' is basically an archaic form of 'Ara', which has several meanings including, 'Huh'. The reference though is to the Manga and Anime Rurouni Kenshin, as the main character Kenshin Himura often says it in a variety of ways. As Kenshin was a samurai, and Wakizashi plays as a Samurai variant of the Heavy Blade, I thought it would be cute. Please don't take this as a sign to fill reviews about Kenshin comments though.
4. The area Kite suggested in this chapter is on Theta Server.
As to next chapter, I'll let you all in if you haven't figured it out, things come to a head and BlackRose and Mycinity confront one another over Kite. Expect Liet to show up as well, and a surprise appearance at the end that ought to leave you begging me for more.
R&R people, I promise you the next one will be out sooner. I have everything in order at home now, and once my surgery is over next week I ought to have plenty of time off my feet to write. Enjoy.
PG-13: I could probably get away with PG, but not sure just how violent it might get later, so better to be safe.
Author's Comment: So you know, all areas mentioned can be reached in the game and are to a great degree accurate.
I'd just like to say yes, I've been a bad boy in not updating sooner. Sadly, previously mentioned papers followed by exams and moving back home for the summer causes delays. If it's any consolation, I did get straight A's. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, sometimes that's what I need to give me a kick to write more. There was also a question for me on how I was going to finish the talk with Wiseman and add in a two-week delay to it after, but I solved that problem (obviously).
For those wondering about the title, I have decided to dedicate this chapter to those two words, so it will be in this chapter a lot. For those of you who cannot handle it, you have been warned. Why do I do this you ask? I don't know, but it seemed fun at the time. Enjoy.
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"Oh Hell, what have I gotten myself into here?" Nightstar thought to herself as she sat back against the grassy ground in Dun Loreag. Everything just kept getting more and more complicated the deeper she delved, and to be honest, it was beginning to scare her some. While it was true that this wasn't entirely her fault in getting caught up, in fact it was mostly SM Slayer's fault for getting her pulled into this, but she hadn't exactly put her foot down against it either.
Of course SM Slayer hadn't been saying much as of late either, mainly due to the total ass kicking he'd received at the hands of Kite. Not only was the man's pride great, and the fall from the humiliation hard enough, but Nightstar had a hunch that he also was beginning to feel as if he was getting in too deep. And he hadn't even heard yet what Wiseman had to say to her on everything. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought back to the conversation that, even two weeks old, stuck quite clearly in her mind.
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"I see." Wiseman replied calmly, "Very well then, let's get down to business."
Nightstar nodded. "Yes lets. "Now who or what is Kite really, and just what is that bracelet of his? Is it the Key of the Twilight?"
"My," Wiseman replied, almost taken aback, "you certainly do have a lot of questions for me, but before we get into that, let us talk about form of payment."
"PAYMENT!?" It took all of Nightstar's willpower not to fry Wiseman where he stood. "You OWE me after last time, and besides a boy is in a coma now because of that player!"
"Let's clarify a few things there first. One, I owe you nothing since I did not charge you anything last time due to my unwillingness to divulge the information. Two, your friend is not the only one currently in a coma from this game, and three I can assure you that Kite did not cause it."
"Then what exactly did?"
"Payment."
Nightstar sighed. While PKing him seemed like a fairly enjoyable thing to do just now, it was not a very effective means of getting the information out of him. "Fine, what do you want?"
"What do you have?"
"How should I know what you're interested in?"
"By telling me what you have."
Oh Hell, he was going to drive her insane at this rate. The next few minutes passed slowly as she named off every item in her inventory to quite an uninterested Wiseman. He had even turned down the Golden Grunty she was carrying. Finally Wiseman said, "Why don't you tell me the real reason you want to know about Kite."
"But I already-"
"Not that reason, the real reason that "YOU'RE doing this."
Nightstar thought a moment, then replied, "I'm doing this for StarMan Slayer... because he asked me to. He trusts in me, maybe depends on me more than he should."
"And why does that make you help him? Seems quite a nuisance for you."
"True, I guess it sort of is, but I just... I want to help him. He may be an idiot and self-righteous a lot, and puts his opinions and desires before others, not to mention he's always late and thinks it's ok knowing that it drives me crazy, but..."
"But what?"
Nightstar opened her mouth to respond then stopped. The answer that had come to her couldn't be right, not after everything he'd said and done. Yet there it was, plain as day on the tip of her tongue ready to be said like it was so obvious and simple. Still, it just couldn't be, even though it was and she knew it as much as she wished she didn't.
Taking a deep breath she finally said, "but despite that, I... still ...love... him. I love him, and I never really thought about it since back then. It doesn't make any sense but I do, I love him."
A grin slid across Wiseman's cheeks, and then he replied, "I'll tell you what, you give me this StarMan Slayer's Member Address, and I'll tell you what you want to know."
"That's all you want?"
"Are you rejecting my offer?"
Panic hit Nightstar, and she shook her head wildly, answering, "No no, of course I don't. It's a deal."
Wiseman nodded. "Very well, it all starts with the Epitaph of Twilight."
"The Epitaph of Twilight, but how does a poem-?"
"The creator of 'The World' Harold Hoerwick used the Epitaph as a basis for the creation of Fragment, this game's immediate ancestor. In it, there is something known as 'The Cursed Wave' and it is at the center of everything."
"But how?"
"The 'virus' within 'The World' is not really a virus, but a manifestation from within the game of the Wave, and Kite is trying to stop it. There is a portion of the Epitaph that focuses on the Wave:
Unknown where the Cursed Wave was born...
After the stars doth cross the heavens,
The sky in the East doth darken and air doth fill with mourning,
From the chosen land beyond the forest, a sign of the Wave comes.
Riding the wake is Skeith,
The Shadow of Death,
To drown all that stands.
Mirage of deceit, Innis,
Betray all with the flawed image,
And did aid the Wave.
By the power of Magus, a srop from the Wave doth reach the heavens,
And creates a new Wave.
With the Wave, Fidchell, the power to tell the dark furutre;
Hope darkens, sadness and despair rules.
Gorre schemes when swallowed by the Cursed Wave.
Macha seduces with the sweet trap.
Wave reaches the pinnacle,
And escape none can.
Tarvos still remains with more cruelty to punish and destroy.
And with the turbulent destruction,
After the wave, only a void remains
And from the deep within the void arrives Corbenik.
Perhaps then the Wave is just a beginning as well.
"This Wave has manifested several of these monsters, four of which Kite and his friends have fought and defeated with the help of the Twilight Bracelet. It is also responsible for the Data Bugs that have arose, the so- called invincible monsters that leave people in comas. It takes the power of the Bracelet to stop such creatures."
Over the next half hour Wiseman went on to explain more and more of what was known to an ever increasingly bewildered and somewhat frightened Nightstar. By the time he had finished, she had been so dumbfounded by it all, not to mention still in the process of absorbing it all, that she have nearly forgotten to give him SM Slayer's member address until he had courteously reminded her. Before she warped out, she had only barely heard Wiseman say, "May the grace of the Twilight Dragon be with you."
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In fact it had taken her almost a week to fully absorb what she had been told. Still though she had hesitated on telling SM Slayer, partially because she wasn't exactly sure how he would take it, or what exactly they could do with this new information, and partly because she didn't know how he'd take the knowledge that she had paid for it with his Member Address. The latter was the more concerning.
Even still, she had to tell him, and there was no time like the present for it. She just hoped he would be able to accept what she now understood about the player named Kite, and the Wave was stopped before anyone else fell victim to its rage.
"Oh Hell, what do I have to lose, other than my head that is." With that her flashmail was off.
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"Come on My, you said you were all right now, so why are you still obsessing over him?"
KenRyu waited anxiously for an answer from her friend that seemed to not be coming anytime soon. Right behind them trotted Wakizashi, whose head was lowered and shaking back and forth slowly in defeat. KenRyu had been asking questions like this to Mycinity all day long, despite his protests. It had been so nice the last week or so too, with KenRyu being nothing but quiet and supportive to Mycinity whenever she was on. Oh quiet; how grand it truly had been. Then Mycinity had smiled at them both earlier today and had said she was fine, but was wondering where Kite now was. KenRyu had not thought it a good idea for Mycinity to be having.
"Myyyyyyyyyy! This is boring just walking around, if you want to work off any lingering sadness or anger, lets go clear out a dungeon or two. I know a nice one over in Dun Loreag. Plenty of cool items and scaaaary monsters to trash."
Mycinity still refused to reply, simply continuing on her walk down the streets of Mac Anu. KenRyu was beginning to tire of this, and it was quite obvious to Wakizashi. An hour or so of this with no progress would frustrate just about anyone, and while he hated to admit it, Wakizashi sort of agreed with KenRyu that finding Kite might not necessarily be the best idea. They'd all heard about SM Slayer's confrontation with Lord Kite, and while details themselves were sketchy, the results were clear enough. Not only had SM Slayer been crushed utterly, but it seemed as if the experience had changed him, almost like one of those religious awakenings that they talk about on cable TV. The stuff on those kind of shows that kids begged their parents to let them stay up later to watch only to find out when they became old enough that the shows weren't as interesting as they had originally thought.
"Oh Hell," KenRyu finally said, throwing her arms up in the air, "I give up. Hey Waki-baby, you try to get through to her."
Wakizashi's face shot up and blanched in dread of the idea. He was just there to support them, not to get in the middle of this. KenRyu thought would have nothing of that though, and leaping back she shoved Wakizashi up next to Mycinity who continued to just walk aimlessly. "Oh Hell," Wakizashi muttered to himself, "how do I get involved in these kind of messes?" Turning his head to look over at Mycinity now, he cleared his throat and began, "Um, Mycinity? If I may, I'd like to-"
"Let's go to Carmina Gadelica."
The suddenness of Mycinity's statement had thrown both Wakizashi and KenRyu into a state of momentary shock, but when it passed KenRyu was cheering and jumping up and down while Wakizashi was just glad he had gotten out of having to talk to her. Needless to say, all agreed on the proposal readily.
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Despite the amount of traffic that cities like Mac Anu had from newbies and vets trying to take an easy day, it was nothing compared to the lights and glamour of Carmina Gadelica. It wasn't called the Cultural City for nothing after all. Moving through the streets of the lively city, it would be easy to walk right passed a friend and never know it. The alternatives of course were to go to an area, hang around the countless shops, or find a seat somewhere within the marketplace.
The last of which was the hardest, as everyone seemed to fight for the limited supply. Certain players could of course gain an open seat on reputation alone, such as the Descendents of Fianna among others, but for the newbies like Mycinity, KenRyu and Wakizashi, it was open warfare the likes of which even Toyotomi and Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara had never known.
Mycinity walked just ahead of KenRyu and Wakizashi, but close enough where the pair wouldn't lose her to the crowd. KenRyu smiled as she followed along, not too happy about more walking about, but then she didn't come to ï Server very often, and the environment itself was exciting. All she had to do was act cool and no one would suspect that she couldn't handle the areas that this server generated.
Turning to look at Wakizashi, KenRyu frowned. The boy was glancing this way and that, almost like he was worried that some big bad monster would leap out to devour him, just like a newbie would. "Hey!" KenRyu snapped at him, smacking him upside the head, "Stop looking so childish, it's making my cool veteran act look like a sham."
Rubbing the back of his head, Wakizashi responded, "But it is a sham isn't it?"
Wakizashi then gulped as KenRyu shot him a glare that made him feel as if she would set him ablaze with her eyes right then and there. Then in a low voice she shot back at him, "Yes, but no one else her knows that! My goodness, don't you know ANYTHING about perceptions?"
Taking a breath, Wakizashi replied back, "You shouldn't try to be anything but yourself you know KR, after all:
We all imitate,
But the mirror shows the truth,
We are-
"DON'T YOU PULL THAT HAIKU CRAP WITH ME!" KenRyu interrupted, lunging at Wakizashi who backed up into a big Blademaster all in black armor, knocking him over in the process. Wakizashi hit the ground moments after with KenRyu landing on top of him, her arms reaching for his throat. Then she froze, looking passed him towards the man they'd knocked over, and her face went pale. Wakizashi was certain that had the game allowed it she would have crapped her pants, and as he looked back at the blademaster, he understood why. Despite his best attempts at thought or speech, all Wakizashi could say just then was, "Oh Hell."
The man's face looked more like that of a black demon, eyes crimson and just now he didn't appear all that pleased. "You stupid kids," the man quipped, "thinking you can just play around in the streets! Take your damn foreplay elsewhere, or I'll just have to cleave you both in two!"
With that he rose back up to his full, menacing height and strode off, brandishing what looked like a very big and powerful sword in his right hand. Both players took a large sigh of relief, then KenRyu said, "Oh Hell that was close. But what was he talking about, foreplay! I mean..." Her voice trailed off as the sudden realization of her straddled position on top of Wakizashi became apparent to her.
Moments later she was up and off him, while Wakizashi nursed a sore cheek from her sudden smack. "And don't you ever try to take advantage of a innocent girl like me again, you pig!"
Wakizashi just moaned inwardly. There were many words he'd use to describe KenRyu, innocent wasn't among them. He had little time to ponder this though as just as quickly KenRyu was looking around saying, "Oh Hell, we lost My. Come on Waki-baby, get the lead out of those samurai pants of yours and lets go!"
Five minutes and several mistaken identities later, KenRyu finally caught a glimpse of Mycinity, who was making her way towards one of the sitting tables off to the side. Taking a deep sigh of relief, KenRyu turned back to Wakizashi, who had been hard-pressed keeping up with her despite her pulling him by the arm and said, "Found her."
Wakizashi nodded with a smile, then looked passed KenRyu towards where Mycinity was and froze. He then muttered, "Oh Hell."
"What?" KenRyu replied, turning to look back at Mycinity. Then her jaw dropped as she too froze. "Oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh Hell oh HELL NOOOO!" Sitting at the table that Mycinity was moving towards, only just now noticing the young Heavy Blade, was Kite.
Turning back to Wakizashi now, KenRyu screamed, "Wakizashi! Do something, ANYTHING!"
Gulping, Wakizashi glanced off at Mycinity, then back at KenRyu, his mind racing, and coming up empty just said, "Um... oro?"
Immediately Fingers wrapped around his throat as KenRyu began to throttle him, screaming, "Don't you 'Oro' me you Kenshin wannabe!" They then fell back into the crowd again, having totally forgotten for the moment about Mycinity and the problem at hand.
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So much seemed to be happening recently on so many different fronts that Kite just seemed to find it all... overwhelming. Well, perhaps that was too strong a word, especially since he had been handling it as best he could, but no other word came to mind. All the events with BlackRose, Balmung, Lios, and Helba going on, theories as to why all this was happening, and then there were the more personal problems like Mycinity's brother, or being called out by that Long Arm two weeks ago. Yes, things were definitely... hectic, yes that was the word.
That had been why he had sat down here with Balmung, to discuss everything on a sort of casual, off the record way, especially his own recent...fandom. Sadly it had been time short-lived as with a short curse Balmung had announced that he needed to depart, and then logged out leaving Kite to his own thoughts. It was funny though, he had never heard Balmung say, "Oh Hell" before.
"Hello Kite."
Turning in the direction he had heard his name, Kite blanched as his eyes focused in on the young Heavy Blade. "Mycinity... hi." A sudden ruckus occurred in the crowd behind her, but Kite paid it no heed, his full attention focused on the girl whose brother he had been unable to save in time. This was definitely a first for him, and quite frankly, he had no real idea what to say to her, but he needed to say something.
"May I?" Mycinity asked, motioning towards the seat opposite him. Kite nodded, mind still racing on what he should say as she moved and took the seat. As her eyes came to focus on him, Kite took a deep breath, and decided to just say what first came to his mind.
"Mycinity, I'm sorry."
Mycinity's eyebrow cocked at his apology. "For what?"
"For not being able to save Barricade. I... I wish I could have arrived sooner."
Mycinity nodded in understanding, then looked down and away, searching her own thoughts for the correct sequence of words. Finally, still not looking at him, she replied, "I've been giving the whole incident a lot of thought myself as of late. Just yesterday my parents and I went to visit Kenji just yesterday, and I just stood there watching him for the longest time. Then, it occurred to me; this had been Kenji's choice. He had chosen to push me out of harm's way and face that... thing... alone. He knew the rumors, and the stakes, and he chose to protect me."
Lifting her head up and giving a weak smile, Mycinity continued, "I don't blame you for this... I can't really. I have every confidence that if you had been able to get there any sooner, you would have. My brother knew that too, and I don't think he'd want me to be mad at you if he was here now. There's nothing for you to apologize for Kite."
Silence reigned between the two after that, even the noise of the crowd around them was world's away. Kite had at one point to remember to close his mouth, as it had begun to hang open. This was not how he had expected things to go. In fact Mycinity was being quite... mature. At last Kite simply replied, "Thank you My. It's good to know."
"So," Mycinity began now that the intense, seemingly awkward part was past, "Just what exactly are you? I mean, I want to believe that you're a good guy, but that... thing, it's not legal, is it?"
Kite nodded. "Well, not exactly. You see-"
Suddenly Kite was cut short as he heard a voice that sent an inward moan coursing through the part of him that knew what was coming next. "Oh my lucky stars, there you are ye of fair eyes!"
Cringing at the sound, Kite reluctantly turned his head only to see the large green armored Heavy Axe pushing his way through the crowd towards him. Under his breath, Kite muttered, "Oh Hell, not Piros."
As Piros finally made it over to Kite, he did a short leap into the air, which seemed quite awkward given the size and bulk of his armor, and then said, "Thank goodness I found you ye of fair eyes, I have need of your assistance."
Putting on his best smile, Kite nodded and said, "What do you need my help for Piros?"
"Oh ye of fair eyes, a most vile of villains has crossed my path, and now has called me out to the list at ï Chosen Confused Judgement. I would like you, ye of fair eyes, to stand with me as my second as I teach this brutish cur the error in offending my knightly honor."
Suppressing a laugh at what he was quite sure was a misunderstanding on Piros's part, Kite stood and nodded to his good-intentioned friend. "Sure Piros, I'll go with you." He left out, "if only from yourself."
Letting out a great cheer, Piros lifted his axe high and said, "Such wonderful news, come now ye of fair eyes, let us show that evil knave the power of our heavenly teamwork."
Glancing back at Mycinity, Kite called out, "Piros, I'll meet you at the Chaos Gate in a minute, I just need to finish my conversation with My here."
"Certainly ye of fair eyes, it would not be chivalrous for you to leave without saying farewell to your fair lady." With that Piros turned and began to stumble through the crowd on his way to the Chaos Gate and his vengeance.
Turning back to Mycinity, who had blushed slightly when Piros had referred to her as Kite's fair lady, Kite smiled and said, "I'm sorry My, but this shouldn't take very long. Piros always gets himself in over his head like this." Mycinity smiled and nodded. "Tell you what though, after I finish with that, we'll finish this conversation in private, say at ï Quiet Eternal Grasslands, say at the entrance to the third floor of the dungeon?"
"Um, ok, but why so far into the dungeon?"
"Well less likely to run into people, besides it's a good way for you to get a little practice in. Don't worry I won't be long." Then with a last smile Kite turned and took off into the crowd, his short stature making him vanish quickly enough amongst them.
Mycinity just sat there for a moment, processing the quick chain of events, then rising with new vigor, headed off as well towards the Chaos Gate. As she did so, another figure watched from another table a few tables down. Though she had been careful not to be noticed by Kite, now that he had left with Piros she would have a chance to talk to that girl about what she had just seen, and the rumors she'd heard circulating. Standing, the tanned, lightly pink-haired Heavy Blade grabbed her Executor sword and moved off on her own towards the Chaos Gate. ï Quiet Eternal Grasslands, sounded like a nice place to visit, especially the entrance to the dungeon's third floor.
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Author's Notes:
Yes, another long one. I had not intended on it to be this long, but every time I tried to finish the chapter new ideas would come to me. Eventually I just had to stop and cut it short, leaving the rest for the next chapter. Anyway, sorry it took so long, but for awhile the Muse was not being kind. Rest assured I am reading the reviews, and I thank you all for sending them.
Note that I can now say that there will only be three more chapters left, with a possible epilogue. I also have a special surprise in mind for all of you at the end of the story, although how much you'll like it will vary per person. Let's just say it's a peek into my head.
A few things:
The end of Wakizashi's haiku would have been, "We are who we are."
2. History lesson time: The Battle of Sekigahara was basically the largest, greatest battle in Japanese history, which took place in 1600 AD and was won by Ieyasu Tokugawa, ending the Sengoku Era and beginning the Edo Era and the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate based out of the city of Edo, now present day Tokyo. The men mentioned were the leaders on each side. The battle ended the civil war and unified Japan. Also note, a member of the Sanada Clan fought on each side of the war, Yukimora Sanada fought for the Toyotomi, and his brother Nobuyuki Sanada fought for Tokugawa. Upon victory, Nobuyuki was made the founding father of a new clan of his own. For those of you who are interested in all at that time in history, I suggest reading the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, but not the anime, that got corrupted bad from the manga.
3. The word 'Oro' is basically an archaic form of 'Ara', which has several meanings including, 'Huh'. The reference though is to the Manga and Anime Rurouni Kenshin, as the main character Kenshin Himura often says it in a variety of ways. As Kenshin was a samurai, and Wakizashi plays as a Samurai variant of the Heavy Blade, I thought it would be cute. Please don't take this as a sign to fill reviews about Kenshin comments though.
4. The area Kite suggested in this chapter is on Theta Server.
As to next chapter, I'll let you all in if you haven't figured it out, things come to a head and BlackRose and Mycinity confront one another over Kite. Expect Liet to show up as well, and a surprise appearance at the end that ought to leave you begging me for more.
R&R people, I promise you the next one will be out sooner. I have everything in order at home now, and once my surgery is over next week I ought to have plenty of time off my feet to write. Enjoy.