.HACKLife of Death, Death of Life
Disclaimer: Though I wish I owned the characters etc. of the .hack
conglomeration, I must say that I do not. The plot is my own, though I
received inspiration from a .hack role-play that I was in.
Chapter 2: The Graveyard
The wavemaster logged in again the next day and sent a message to her friends who, again, were not on. Sighing, she wandered around the root town for a little while before warping to another server. There, as the rings, which accompanied teleportation, disappeared, the wavemaster sniffed in the mountain air of Dun Loireag. She grinned and looked about, smiling as her gray eyes rested upon a few stray grunties milling about. Wandering over to one standing next to the path towards the Chaos Gate, she greeted it.
"Who are you?" it asked, with a deep southern American accent, as it sniffed her. "I'm Milford the Stray Grunty."
"My name's Tsukasa," she replied, scratching its nose. It was warm and soft and made Tsukasa think of pleasant things, so rare in her life.
The Grunty verily purred. Then it twitched, said goodbye and, with a wiggle of the tail, took off running. Tsukasa actually giggled but only a little. She stood, watching it for a few moments before her gazing was disrupted by another player's avatar tripping and falling into her. The action brought both of them to the ground in a heap.
"Oh! I am so sorry," moaned the other, a twin blade, hopping up and helping Tsukasa to her feet. "I honestly didn't think you could trip in the World, but it seems I'm wrong. Even in video games I am clumsy."
Tsukasa refrained from reaching a hand back to rub the small of her back where a sharp stone had jabbed her. You weren't supposed to be able to fell in the World and she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she could.
"It's OK," she murmured. "I don't really mind."
Seeming relieved, the twin blade laughed nervously and replied, "That's good, I suppose. I was just headed to a strange field that a friend of mine told me about. Wanna come? He said it is rather spooky and I'd feel better if someone was with me."
The twin blade looked at Tsukasa with pleading blue eyes that matched her blue tank top and leggings. She had white boots, white gloves and a white, knee-length skirt slit up the sides for mobility. Her hair was blond and plaited it came down just beyond her shoulder blades.
"Please?" she begged in earnest.
Tsukasa sighed. Then she nodded, though a strange sense of foreboding descended upon her, and asked, "If I'm to go with you, then I need to know your name..."
"Oh! How stupid of me to forget," exclaimed the twin blade. "My name is Keika. Here's my member address!"
"I'm Tsukasa," replied the wavemaster, giving the other her own member address. "What are the keywords for the field?"
"Sacred Forbidden Death," was the reply.
The wavemaster suppressed a shudder, as the foreboding grew stronger. Tsukasa managed a nod and the twin blade grinned. Then, she turned and ran towards the Chaos Gate, calling for Tsukasa to hurry. With a weary sigh, the wavemaster followed, but at a walk. Once both were at the Gate, the keywords were said and they were teleported by golden rings to a distant field.
Both gasped audibly as they materialized within the new field. The sky was that of the night, black with a scattering of cold stars. A crescent moon provided just enough light to see by and wispy clouds drifted in an eerie, ghostlike dance across the heavens. That skyscape alone sent shivers down both the wavemaster's and the twin blade's spines.
The field itself was terrifying. Stretched before them was a field covered in brown grass with a few small shrubs or the occasional thin, twisted and leafless tree growing along the edge. Tombstones and gravemarkers formed seventeen long lines of what they perceived to be a graveyard. A cobblestone wall of ill repair made a border with a single, rusty iron gate at which the two players had appeared. The gate lay next to the corner of the field and in the opposite corner, there was a small stone shed with a wooden door and no windows. The door hung upon a single hinge and squeaked as it was moved in a light breeze blowing through the area. A pale mist, glowing in the moonlight twined along the ground, coating it in a miasmic haze and snaking about the feet of the two players as they stood, staring and shivering.
Keika shivered because the place scared her. Tsukasa shuddered nor because the field frightened her, but because of the clinging chill, and because of the dread of what lay within the stone hut. She knew not why or how, but Tsukasa could feel a malevolent presence within the hut and she knew that it could sense her. Even as it repulsed her, it drew her towards the building
Keika was the first to break the utter silence. "Shall we go forward?" she asked; the quaver in her voice betraying her unease, though the words were spoken boldly.
"If you wish," replied Tsukasa, her voice, too, trembling. "Lead on."
The twin blade nodded, gulped and took a step forward. Then she took another. Tsukasa followed, her knuckles white as she gripped her staff with the same vice grip with which she held her controller. Keika had her blades drawn and jumped at the slightest imagined noise. When the reached the first tombstone, Tsukasa bent down to read it. However, the writing was illegible.
The pair kept to the edge of the graveyard, as they made slow progress towards the hut. The field was much larger than it had looked and they did not walk quickly. Tsukasa continued to glance at the gravestones in an effort to read them, but most were unreadable save for the occasional message such as R.I.P.
When at last they reached the hut, Tsukasa halted, her eyes wide with terror as she again felt the thing within. "Please don't go in there," she whispered, unable to bring herself to speak any louder lest she disturb the thing.
Keika, terrified but determined to prove that she was brave, turned to her companion and said, "Look, this is a game. The worst that could happen is that a ghost or something kills our avatars in there. Let's face our fears and go in!"
Tsukasa shook her head. "There is something in there that isn't supposed to be there," she murmured.
The twin blade sighed, having convinced herself of what she had just said, and came over to the wavemaster. "I'll repeat myself. This is just a game. Come on!"
She grabbed Tsukasa's arm and dragged the reluctant wavemaster along behind her, though Tsukasa tried to break free.
"No, please no!" she moaned, wanting to run away from this field and never return.
Keika continued to pull Tsukasa forward until they reached the door. "I'm going in and you /will/ follow!" she commanded, pushing the door.
At her touch, the hinge broke and the door fell to the wooden floor of the hut with a loud thud. Both the wavemaster and twin blade jumped and screamed. However, when nothing further happened for several tense moments, Keika grinned sheepishly at Tsukasa and went in. As she did so, two, rather drippy black candles flared to life and light at the far wall. They were in tall candleholders upon either side of a small stone altar. Upon the surface of the altar was an inscription in a strange language and a spiral indentation at the exact center. In front of the alter was a small black chest with a piece of paper laying atop it.
Keika stepped forward and examined the carving upon the altar. Frowning for she could not understand what it said, she turned to the piece of paper and picked it up as Tsukasa stepped inside though all her instinct screamed against it.
"I can't read what's on the altar," said Keika, oblivious to whatever evil presence Tsukasa felt. "But there is this paper. It says, 'In this chest layeth the key to unleash Death. Unless thou art prepared for unspeakable evil, place not the stone upon the altar.' Perhaps it's a special event? If we open the chest and put the key upon the altar, maybe a monster will appear. It must be a really difficult monster, but if we defeat it, the reward is bound to be great! Let's do it!"
While the twin blade had been reading the scroll, Tsukasa had stumbled over to the altar. She looked upon the carved words and gasped as she heard, or rather felt, a voice within her head. It told her the meaning of the words.
'Death lies here upon this bloodstained altar. Release him not, for, if free, he shall bring about unparalleled destruction greater than even the cursed Wave for with this Death, there is no new life... No new beginning.'
Then, even as Tsukasa comprehended the meaning of this, Keika opened the chest and brought out a spiral shaped stone, the color of blood. The wavemaster turned to her and Keika stepped forward reaching out to place the spiral in its place upon the altar.
"No! Keika!" she screamed grabbing at the stone and pushing it away from the altar. "Don't put the stone there! Whatever you do, don't release it!"
The twin blade suddenly looked angry, her face twisting into a horrid snarl. "Don't tell me what to do," she hissed in a voice not her own.
In Tsukasa's head, the voice cackled and told her, "You are too late to stop me, child of the twilight!"
Author stuff:
Well... What do you think? I do hope you enjoyed the second chapter...
A preview of Chapter 3!!
Chapter 3: The Birth of Death
Keika shoved the wavemaster aside with a force greater than the actual strength of the player. Tsukasa thudded into the wall and sat there a moment, dazed, before crying the first thing that came to mind.
"Rai Don!"
A bolt of lightening shot from her staff, striking the spiral just before Keika placed it upon the altar. The shock sent the blood stone flying through the air, cracking against the far wall, leaving a small crater in the gray stone.
Please R & R!!!
Disclaimer: Though I wish I owned the characters etc. of the .hack
conglomeration, I must say that I do not. The plot is my own, though I
received inspiration from a .hack role-play that I was in.
Chapter 2: The Graveyard
The wavemaster logged in again the next day and sent a message to her friends who, again, were not on. Sighing, she wandered around the root town for a little while before warping to another server. There, as the rings, which accompanied teleportation, disappeared, the wavemaster sniffed in the mountain air of Dun Loireag. She grinned and looked about, smiling as her gray eyes rested upon a few stray grunties milling about. Wandering over to one standing next to the path towards the Chaos Gate, she greeted it.
"Who are you?" it asked, with a deep southern American accent, as it sniffed her. "I'm Milford the Stray Grunty."
"My name's Tsukasa," she replied, scratching its nose. It was warm and soft and made Tsukasa think of pleasant things, so rare in her life.
The Grunty verily purred. Then it twitched, said goodbye and, with a wiggle of the tail, took off running. Tsukasa actually giggled but only a little. She stood, watching it for a few moments before her gazing was disrupted by another player's avatar tripping and falling into her. The action brought both of them to the ground in a heap.
"Oh! I am so sorry," moaned the other, a twin blade, hopping up and helping Tsukasa to her feet. "I honestly didn't think you could trip in the World, but it seems I'm wrong. Even in video games I am clumsy."
Tsukasa refrained from reaching a hand back to rub the small of her back where a sharp stone had jabbed her. You weren't supposed to be able to fell in the World and she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she could.
"It's OK," she murmured. "I don't really mind."
Seeming relieved, the twin blade laughed nervously and replied, "That's good, I suppose. I was just headed to a strange field that a friend of mine told me about. Wanna come? He said it is rather spooky and I'd feel better if someone was with me."
The twin blade looked at Tsukasa with pleading blue eyes that matched her blue tank top and leggings. She had white boots, white gloves and a white, knee-length skirt slit up the sides for mobility. Her hair was blond and plaited it came down just beyond her shoulder blades.
"Please?" she begged in earnest.
Tsukasa sighed. Then she nodded, though a strange sense of foreboding descended upon her, and asked, "If I'm to go with you, then I need to know your name..."
"Oh! How stupid of me to forget," exclaimed the twin blade. "My name is Keika. Here's my member address!"
"I'm Tsukasa," replied the wavemaster, giving the other her own member address. "What are the keywords for the field?"
"Sacred Forbidden Death," was the reply.
The wavemaster suppressed a shudder, as the foreboding grew stronger. Tsukasa managed a nod and the twin blade grinned. Then, she turned and ran towards the Chaos Gate, calling for Tsukasa to hurry. With a weary sigh, the wavemaster followed, but at a walk. Once both were at the Gate, the keywords were said and they were teleported by golden rings to a distant field.
Both gasped audibly as they materialized within the new field. The sky was that of the night, black with a scattering of cold stars. A crescent moon provided just enough light to see by and wispy clouds drifted in an eerie, ghostlike dance across the heavens. That skyscape alone sent shivers down both the wavemaster's and the twin blade's spines.
The field itself was terrifying. Stretched before them was a field covered in brown grass with a few small shrubs or the occasional thin, twisted and leafless tree growing along the edge. Tombstones and gravemarkers formed seventeen long lines of what they perceived to be a graveyard. A cobblestone wall of ill repair made a border with a single, rusty iron gate at which the two players had appeared. The gate lay next to the corner of the field and in the opposite corner, there was a small stone shed with a wooden door and no windows. The door hung upon a single hinge and squeaked as it was moved in a light breeze blowing through the area. A pale mist, glowing in the moonlight twined along the ground, coating it in a miasmic haze and snaking about the feet of the two players as they stood, staring and shivering.
Keika shivered because the place scared her. Tsukasa shuddered nor because the field frightened her, but because of the clinging chill, and because of the dread of what lay within the stone hut. She knew not why or how, but Tsukasa could feel a malevolent presence within the hut and she knew that it could sense her. Even as it repulsed her, it drew her towards the building
Keika was the first to break the utter silence. "Shall we go forward?" she asked; the quaver in her voice betraying her unease, though the words were spoken boldly.
"If you wish," replied Tsukasa, her voice, too, trembling. "Lead on."
The twin blade nodded, gulped and took a step forward. Then she took another. Tsukasa followed, her knuckles white as she gripped her staff with the same vice grip with which she held her controller. Keika had her blades drawn and jumped at the slightest imagined noise. When the reached the first tombstone, Tsukasa bent down to read it. However, the writing was illegible.
The pair kept to the edge of the graveyard, as they made slow progress towards the hut. The field was much larger than it had looked and they did not walk quickly. Tsukasa continued to glance at the gravestones in an effort to read them, but most were unreadable save for the occasional message such as R.I.P.
When at last they reached the hut, Tsukasa halted, her eyes wide with terror as she again felt the thing within. "Please don't go in there," she whispered, unable to bring herself to speak any louder lest she disturb the thing.
Keika, terrified but determined to prove that she was brave, turned to her companion and said, "Look, this is a game. The worst that could happen is that a ghost or something kills our avatars in there. Let's face our fears and go in!"
Tsukasa shook her head. "There is something in there that isn't supposed to be there," she murmured.
The twin blade sighed, having convinced herself of what she had just said, and came over to the wavemaster. "I'll repeat myself. This is just a game. Come on!"
She grabbed Tsukasa's arm and dragged the reluctant wavemaster along behind her, though Tsukasa tried to break free.
"No, please no!" she moaned, wanting to run away from this field and never return.
Keika continued to pull Tsukasa forward until they reached the door. "I'm going in and you /will/ follow!" she commanded, pushing the door.
At her touch, the hinge broke and the door fell to the wooden floor of the hut with a loud thud. Both the wavemaster and twin blade jumped and screamed. However, when nothing further happened for several tense moments, Keika grinned sheepishly at Tsukasa and went in. As she did so, two, rather drippy black candles flared to life and light at the far wall. They were in tall candleholders upon either side of a small stone altar. Upon the surface of the altar was an inscription in a strange language and a spiral indentation at the exact center. In front of the alter was a small black chest with a piece of paper laying atop it.
Keika stepped forward and examined the carving upon the altar. Frowning for she could not understand what it said, she turned to the piece of paper and picked it up as Tsukasa stepped inside though all her instinct screamed against it.
"I can't read what's on the altar," said Keika, oblivious to whatever evil presence Tsukasa felt. "But there is this paper. It says, 'In this chest layeth the key to unleash Death. Unless thou art prepared for unspeakable evil, place not the stone upon the altar.' Perhaps it's a special event? If we open the chest and put the key upon the altar, maybe a monster will appear. It must be a really difficult monster, but if we defeat it, the reward is bound to be great! Let's do it!"
While the twin blade had been reading the scroll, Tsukasa had stumbled over to the altar. She looked upon the carved words and gasped as she heard, or rather felt, a voice within her head. It told her the meaning of the words.
'Death lies here upon this bloodstained altar. Release him not, for, if free, he shall bring about unparalleled destruction greater than even the cursed Wave for with this Death, there is no new life... No new beginning.'
Then, even as Tsukasa comprehended the meaning of this, Keika opened the chest and brought out a spiral shaped stone, the color of blood. The wavemaster turned to her and Keika stepped forward reaching out to place the spiral in its place upon the altar.
"No! Keika!" she screamed grabbing at the stone and pushing it away from the altar. "Don't put the stone there! Whatever you do, don't release it!"
The twin blade suddenly looked angry, her face twisting into a horrid snarl. "Don't tell me what to do," she hissed in a voice not her own.
In Tsukasa's head, the voice cackled and told her, "You are too late to stop me, child of the twilight!"
Author stuff:
Well... What do you think? I do hope you enjoyed the second chapter...
A preview of Chapter 3!!
Chapter 3: The Birth of Death
Keika shoved the wavemaster aside with a force greater than the actual strength of the player. Tsukasa thudded into the wall and sat there a moment, dazed, before crying the first thing that came to mind.
"Rai Don!"
A bolt of lightening shot from her staff, striking the spiral just before Keika placed it upon the altar. The shock sent the blood stone flying through the air, cracking against the far wall, leaving a small crater in the gray stone.
Please R & R!!!
