Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.
Schwarz: Gee, thanks! Good luck on your hybrid aco too! Nightraven Rue: Ehm, actually I'm from Bacolod. But our fate is the same anyway ; Saw Naruto on different websites anyway. He's cool, I think... psycho-kawaii: Same case, same case. But I heard your Dexterity and Luck somehow affects the drop rate, which means hunters still get the upper hand! Waa! Merchants also have an innate ability of finding rare items! Here's the update you asked!
Thanks for all the review guys!
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Chapter 4: Questions to the Fallen
It seemed that everyday has become a journey...one that will never end...
Byakko ran distraught in the streets of Prontera, unsure of what had just happened back there. Why had these changes appear all of a sudden? Sure, there where times when it was just a few minutes that he had grown extra long claws or fangs (he can attribute that to his being...not normal) and that was just when he was angry or desperate. There were others when it never even happened at all. But these past few days, he seemingly went out of control.
Now he's done it. He had harmed an NPC of all persons, and it was the Flower Lady to be exact. She was the perfect example of a good sister to him, and was the only NPC that had spoke with civility and kindness to him. But even if he knew it was never intentional for him to have nicked her face, the deed was done. He was sure that the GM's will come swooping down from the sky and carry him off to the prison tower where banned people where kept until the end of their sentence.
Midway between tears and fear, he was more afraid his emotions might show his true feral nature and expose himself to the public. Men would find themselves running after HIM, a rare hunt. There was only one place that he knew would offer protection...
He had finally reached Sanctuary, the large cathedral located north west of Prontera Capital. Running inside the hallway, he went behind the altar towards a hidden backdoor, which he knew too well. It was connected to the cemetery outside. It was the place that had provided comfort for him when he was sad or lost. He had wished to seek solace in it once again.
There was something special about that place that made Byakko calm when he was troubled. Other than it was peaceful there compared to the raucous church organ that kept howling inside, there was something in there that asked him to keep coming back.
A tombstone... No doubt made of granite and marble. It was crudely carved and very primitive-looking compared to the others that stood regally beside it. Kings and Queens were buried in the cemetery of Prontera's Sanctuary, and acolytes and priests were reserved a special place in St. Capitolina Abbey (it's kinda grim, I know). Byakko kept coming again and again just to stick by the tombstone.
It was because he was the one who had made it.
[Flashback]
Years ago, the priest that took care of him had brought Byakko special presents from Morroc. They were four Desert pet eggs. He was lucky enough that he revived a Blacksmith in the desert wolf area. The blacksmith, being courteous and all, decided to reward him by presenting 4 eggs he had caught in the desert. The priest, finding no use of it for him, decided to give it to Byakko, hoping it will teach him something about responsibility.
It was the only time Byakko was ecstatic over something. He had received a Picky, Drops, Pecopeco and Desert Wolf Pup egg. During his novice years, Byakko had already managed the former three pets to loyalty. But the latter was proving more of a challenge to him. The desert wolf pup kept disobeying orders, made messes that led Byakko into serious trouble with church superiors and kept howling one night, waking half the Prontera residents from sleep.
Byakko slapped the pup.
It stayed quiet.
That very morning, the pup began acting strangely. It was now more submissive, and was treating Byakko like a master. It never disobeyed another order again, and Byakko even managed to have it toilet-trained. It never howled at night again.
He only knew a little while; when he was seen browsing over the books in the Library of Prontera, that Desert Wolves REALLY hurt their pups at an early age. It was to stimulate their aggressive nature. It was the natural explanation why Desert Wolves were aggressive.
A year before he became an acolyte, the pup had grown to its adolescence. People feared that it would grow aggressive and rabid. But Byakko never worried about that. He hadn't done anything to make it aggressive.
But humans will destroy anything they fear or do not understand.
It was at dusk when some of the residents tried chasing the lone wolf out. They had hired passing Hunters to take the wolf to its death. Byakko tried explaining to them that Wolf (his pet's name) would never grow up to what people would expect.
Hunters have the natural instinct to hunt. It was very much the same as talking to a brick wall when a hunter has sighted his eyes on his hunt.
All nine hunters lodged a crystal arrow on to their bows, confident of taking the beast down with one shot. Byakko tried leading Wolf out but they were cornered in the wall. He could here the tethers of the bowstrings stretching to their limits, as each hunter prepared to take aim and shoot.
Byakko hugged the wolf.
The hunters shot.
The wolf thrashed itself from Byakko's death grip...
...And placed himself between Byakko and the arrows.
All the arrows lodged neatly into the wolf's lithe body. The hunters were dismayed and walked away, seeing no loot has dropped. Byakko could only blame himself on his pet's death.
It was his responsibility.
He was, then, responsible for it.
Byakko gently slapped the wolf on its cheek, prodding it to wake up. The wolf opened a weak eye...and spoke his first and last words...
"And I thought you would see me graduate from Desert Wolf Academy..."The wolf kidded weakly, laying its head onto the novice's arms.
Byakko spoke in between tears, grabbing something from his pockets.
"Wake up...look..."He began waving an eye patch in front of Wolf." I bought you an eye patch. Please wake up...isn't this what you always asked me for everytime we passed by the Armor shop?" Byakko spoke in between sobs.
"Master...please. "Wolf grinned weakly at the young acolyte. "Please...place the eye patch on me."
Byakko weakly followed his friend's request, hoping it would bring some life back to him.
"You were the best master I ever had. I thank you for it. It was just a pity I never got to serve...y...o...u..."
"Wolf?" Byakko gazed at his eyes.
There was no response.
And the sky released the rain that Byakko had hoped for. It was always a coincidence that it rained when he was really sad. He slowly carried his pet back to Sanctuary and laid him on the ground.
And he began clawing on the ground, digging up a grave for his pet. His hands had bled, and he was getting all filthy from the dirt and mud, but he had never stopped until he was satisfied of the depth.
Byakko laid his pet into the pit. Brushing its wet fur for the last time, he slowly filled the hole. Sitting beside the grave, Byakko fashioned a wooden cross, sticking it into the fresh mound of earth. He went back to his dormitory, intent on crying the whole night out.
The other dormant eggs stood by the shelf in Byakko's quarters, yet he had never felt more alone...
More guilty...
More responsible...
And it was the only time of the night, the cathedral's halls echoed with the sobs of the poor novice...
Next morning, Byakko went to the desert and found a large slab of a granite- marble fused rock. He had borrowed a Blacksmith's hammer and chiseled away at the rock, until a rectangular shape formed from it. Towing it back to the city, Byakko was intent on going back to the grave to finish his work.
What he saw shocked him and brought him to his knees.
The cemetery was filled with holes of varying degrees, and he would have cared less about the others until he saw the grave he just dug last night.
It was empty.
Seeing a cleric who was investigating the scene, Byakko asked the older one.
"Father, wh...what had just happened here? Where are the contents of these graves?" Byakko stuttered at the sight of the empty graves. "It seemed that early this morning, the Sanctuary's cemetery has been raided by the Morroc undead. They had left a conspicuous note..."The cleric handed Byakko a worn-out scroll. In it were the contents:
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By order of the unknown Pharaoh;
We claim these bodies for the service of the King of the Desert Sands,
Your Kings we will make into fierce Mummies;
Your Queens we will make into vain Isis;
Your peasants in to Zeroms and Requiems;
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Byakko's eyes caught a line in the scroll that made his eyes berserk and his fangs let a snarl escape...
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This lone wolf however, we shall employ for a special service...
As the seed for the breed of fierce guardians of the Pyramids.
Matyr we shall call them, for the seed had died a martyr's cause
and a saint's death.
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Byakko would have torn the scroll if the cleric hadn't taken it from him. He wept for himself again, kneeling on the ground, punching it with his clawed hands. Even in death he wasn't able to take care of Wolf...
He erected the tombstone in place of the mound of earth that had been dug up, propping it up in place. Using his claw, he scratched the rock and engraved the sole words to let him remember by...
Forgive me...
[End Flashback]
Byakko was kneeling in front of the tomb, asking himself if it was still worth living the life he is in right now.
"What is the use of living? Practically my family is dead, if I ever had one...my pet is also dead...my only "sister" has probably forsaken me by now..." Byakko droned endlessly.
He laid on his back, letting the sun play on his face. The wind blew gently as he lazily fell asleep by the tomb. He was very tired, and very confused. All he wanted was to rest...
When all of a sudden, the ground disappeared in his back. Byakko would have never noticed until he felt a grazing cold scuff his neck. Waking up to the familiar sensation, he would have flailed endlessly against the darkness had not a familiar set of hands held it secure.
A familiar set of cold, rotting hands...
"You..." Byakko looked at the dark shadow that had loomed over him. It was Dark Illusion, who had returned from Glastheim. It was unclear if he would be happy or horrified to see someone so familiar, yet so powerful.
Dark Illusion scoffed a deadly eye at Byakko. The acolyte remembered about the undead's last request before leaving him months ago. Fishing a torn piece of paper from his pockets, the set of berserk eyes suddenly lost their intensity and it turned into favorable ones.
"Young...master...it is you..." Dark Illusion forced a set of words from his mouth again. "I have been looking all over for you...the Soldiers of the Pyramid informed you were there days ago..."He rasped, taking the card from Byakko's outstretched hands.
Byakko gaped at him, unable to form words that would have expressed what he felt and wanted to say.
Finally, he mustered enough strength to say something.
"Listen..." Byakko looked up to see if the other was listening." I wanted to ask you. These past few days, my morphing sequences have grown more prevalent and uncontrollable, can you sense anything wrong in me?"
Dark Illusion passed his rotting hand onto the boy, Byakko felt the undead's energy passing through him, a dark indigo wisp that seemed to have formed from the undead's movement. It almost knocked the wind off the boy.
"I sense..." Dark Illusion completed his observations."...A growing hunger deep inside you. You had consumed quite the number of undead spirits, am I right?"
"I don't understand..."
Dark Illusion explained. "What the cleric has been teaching about your skills is a fallacy. Everytime you dispose of an undead...the energies and misery of the fallen transfers to the person. You have consumed enough spirits, Byakko, to cause your soul to fall to damnation."
Byakko was stupefied at what he heard, unbelieving of everything that he had said. Dark Illusion, in turn, grasped the boy's neck and held it up. His hand passed through the acolyte, but what shocked Byakko was what Dark Illusion had taken from him.
Souls of different undead were screaming, like mandrakes dug up from the earth. He could identify Zombies, Skeleton Soldiers and Archers, Munaks and Bonguns and a few Ghouls and Whispers. A spiritual chain connected to Byakko bunched all of the spirits up, and these were in turn, wailing in complete wretchedness. Their screams sent Byakko kneeling to the ground; their screeches were incomprehensible.
The chain tightened and Dark Illusion lost his grip of the spirits. The chain reeled the creatures back to the boy, bouncing him to the ground and pinning him into mid-air, encased in a dark cocoon. He writhed in pain and agony, gritting his teeth and clutching his chest.
His fangs grew back to their feral length, his claws then followed suit. The tiger markings burned in his face, the ebony tint darkening even more. He was shouting, no, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Lost in the darkness...
Dark Illusion tried grabbing the boy, but even he wasn't able to penetrate the cocoon of Byakko's misery.
Even evil cannot conquer the sadness and misery of a person. To be fueled by self-pity and worry creates a perfect barrier that can keep even the most determined to his feet.
Dark Illusion could only watch as the acolyte screamed as he felt he was being torn apart. Slashes appeared from out of nowhere and marred his suit. Tears and sweat mixed in the constant trashing the acolyte made, it was what appeared to many as "unforgiving pain".
Finally, after a few minutes of eternal pain, the cocoon ruptured and Byakko fell lightly onto the grass of the cemetery. Dark Illusion caressed his tiger markings before disappearing from the city again, vanishing into a dark rift that had formed at his feet.
Byakko fell asleep, out of fatigue and pain. Yet there was something that had changed in him. His tiger markings had grown deeper in color, his hair more of platinum now, rather than silver. His ears had grown more pointier, and his skin a translucent milky white. Yet there was one thing that had evidently changed in him.
His features. The pallor of his skin was less opaque, his face had lost its childish features, and his boyish countenance was replaced with the aspect of feral beauty. His eyebrows, from its normal thick, silver façade had now grown to sharp fae brows. His cheeks had developed from pale into strong. His destroyed uniform revealed his strong body and taut muscles.
He has changed.
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"Byakko has passed the second test, masters." Dark Illusion reported to the Evil Council.
"Excellent." Baphomet boomed, sharpening his Crescent Scythe with a junior's evil horn. "He has been quite promising, just as his mother had expected him to."
"I heard he has grown more...sexier." Moonlight licked his lips. "I certainly would like to meet him sometime." She giggled, much to the dismay of her Nine Tails.
"However," Dark Lord rose." He has but to pass the last test, that would determine if his fate is with us...or against us..."
The Evil Council looked at him and gave their affirmation at what Dark Lord had said.
The last test...
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No comment in here, except to say: READ AND RANT everyone. Hey, and while you're at it, try reading Transgressions of Fate by Ragnar(or Shadow Eyes whatever that rolls around). He has a good plot being carried on. Credits to the guilds Gungnir and Black Lotus for using their names in my ficcy. (Please don't sue me!) and to some other people I forgot to mention...
Ja minna san!