After the Breaking

by diamond-dust08

After the Breaking is Ragnarok Online Dark Symphony Episode Four. It is a journal entry of Untrue, the liaison officer of the Gai, about the current world order and of what has become of Midgard after the cataclysm of Ragnarok.

RAGNAROK ONLINE Dark Symphony

a series of ragnarok online short stories by Zanyuki, author of "Virtual-On Sword-Dance Concerto"

Episode Four "AFTER THE BREAKING"
a journal entry of Untrue, the rogue liaison officer of the First Ark, Gai
entry number 96 Sumar, Tysdagr Annar Manoor, day 15(this is Tuesday of the second month, day 15 of the first/summer season) of year 0046 AR (After Ragnarok)
Sograt Desert

Hey... it's me again. But it's been a long time, don't you think?

The Ciela is really getting on my nerves now. They stole a client away from me, and on top of that, they brusquely told me to warn Aoikaze that he will meet his match sometime in the future. It wasn't that Aoikaze is being complacent or arrogant, but the fact that he is leading the most successful Ark in the present... it is enough to stir some people in the other Arks. Aoikaze has his own share of failures, they didn't know that.

How do I know? Man, I'm their liaison officer. I have to look for employers and clients for my Ark. I have to know how they do business and their limits and even their sexual habits... oh hell, what am I saying?

Come to think of it, an Ark is supposed to have at least three liaison officers assigned to them. I'm only one. Either those idiots think they can overwork me, or they trust me completely.

What! Trust a Rogue? You might think. Maybe I should cut your tongue out and let it dry. Heh heh heh...

Anyway, here I am, out in the blasted Sograt, trying to get into Morroc to find a rich client. Well, Morroc is full of them like flies in a flea market. Morroc has always been the center of black operations, underground activities, and other whatnot. Of course I know; I came there, after all. I trained there as a Thief. But heck, the current Thieves' Guild is full o' trash. My master died a few years ago, and since then the Thieves there became lax and dull. They couldn't even steal a darn purse worth a damn. I dunno what the world is coming to...

Or what the world has come to. Umm... maybe? What, you don't know?

Why would I explain? Oh, that? The most recent missions we've undertaken?

Let me see... oh, maybe that's why. Several weeks ago... well, we received a report from the ruling regent of Payon that Ciela is demanding too much of his citizens. Taxes and tributes, you know, the usual corrupt stuff that comes with power. They've been holding the sole rights to the Agits or guild castles of Danau Greenwood, near the town proper of Payon, and when the populace couldn't met their demands on time, they would storm the Central Palace and loot them. Pretty much bullshit, I'd say. They say they at least deserve that since they protect the town... but I dunno from what. But I could be sure it wasn't from themselves. I received the mission, with Aoikaze's concurrence, and we journeyed there to clear the Agits of Ciela's presence.

Heck. I didn't know Zanyuki my best buddy had been a loverboy, once. He met, fought, and subsequently killed a former lady friend, who had become a Champion. It turned out this friend, called Miyu, was a Wizard once. Much like the Gai, who multi-class to several Sovereign Classes, and which was actually a taboo to the other two Arks. Well, eat our shit and die, Ciela and Covenant. Ehem... so where was I. Oh, there. Yuki told me it was apparent that this Miyu was much more powerful than he, but well, you know my boy. laughs When he needs to do it, he can do it. When I asked why Miyu was there, he told me Miyu was an independent Arkai, or a peacemaker mercenary like us, and she was hired to protect the last and the most central of the Cielan Agits.

And he also told me Miyu was the one called the Mistress of Pain. I almost shivered at the thought. The Mistress of Pain was a legendary demon who killed for the sport of it, and Miyu, I believe, rightfully deserved the title. According to Yuki and our resident scholar, Storm, Miyu had been able to annihilate entire bands of armies with a single strike. But when Yuki killed her, he cast away his Zweihander and Muramasa, obtaining the Masamune from Aoshi the Knife-handed himself, and untied his ponytail. He now wore his ribbon on his left arm, Miyu's on the other, and sports a brand-new outfit. On the top, at least. He still wears that black skirt open on the front. sweatdrop But you know, guys, I would've raped that boy if he doesn't have that thing jiggling between his legs. Heh heh heh.

Well, there was also this incident at Geffen. I was strolling around once, in my usual journeys to find clients when I stumbled upon a group of old men discussing the inevitable "Renewal". I sat down with them and got insights into this disastrous prophecy or fatalism. I didn't know there had been a circulating belief in Geffen for thousands of years now. According to the prophecy, there will come a time when Geffen will be destroyed by a reawakened power that had been introduced into the world about... two thousand years ago or something. I couldn't exactly remember the details, but I think this power was what ruined the ancient city of Geffenia that the present-day Geffen had been built right upon. This power would be reawakened, they said, and it will consume the city leaving no one alive.

I consulted with the local library then, confirming the existence of the secret myth. The signal for this Renewal would be when the Orcs come to invade the Mage City, and when the Destroyer arrives. Who the hell that Destroyer was, I didn't know back then. I came to the ruling High Wizard of Geffen and offered our services, and bingo...! One more job to do for us. Another month of prosperity for the Gai.

So we came there, and prepared for the invasion, bringing along the other initiate members to provide cannon fodder. It was a bit inhuman, but it was the only way to fight the hordes of Orcs; they might be brainless, but they sure were many. I also told Dai and Aoshi to stand by at Geffenia to assuage my fears, telling them that it was the wish of the client when it was actually to safeguard Geffenia against this Renewal. There was no time to mull it over. The next thing I knew, Orc Archers were launching a massive hail of arrows on us, and Aoikaze was leading the charge to break the siege, Gai and Gai initiates and Geffen Defense Forces at his wake. Aoshi joined us later. I thought he was going to say something, but because of the intensity of the battle, he was forced to fight first. Everywhere, Aoikaze and Storm was cutting a swath across scores of the green-skinned bastards-and blueskins too, those High Orcs-with the former's Drakenswaffe and the latter with his Storm Gust spell. Yuki and I fought back-to-back, killing off commanders one by one and quickly.

Later when the battle died down Aoshi told us what was on his mind. It turned out Dai told him that there was also an invasion that will happen straight from the bowels of Geffenia itself, and Dai was presently engaged in a battle with the Doppelganger, the infamous destroyer of Geffenia. Right then I knew that the Prophecy of the Renewal was true after all. Aoikaze and the others raced to the dungeon to help Dai, and eventhough I wanted to help them, Yuki told me to speak with the ruler of Geffen for our part of the contract. I reluctantly agreed, though.

Next time I saw them, with me bringing the Geffen High Wizard and a chest full of Geffen marks, the highest form of currency in the world, Dai was wounded and actually propped between Yuki's and Aoshi's shoulders. He was laughing like nothing happened. He was actually able to defeat the demon Doppelganger on a one-on-one battle, which speaks volumes about his strength, by using his Mysteltainn. Geffenia was more ruined now than ever, but at least the Doppelganger was gone now. He wouldn't speak of the details of his fight, though, but I guess he is more cheerful and more self-confident now than ever before. At least, he gropes serving maids in bars more often.

The last time was actually a personal mission. I gave it to Aoshi when I learned the details of the contract of the client, who was none other than the fair maiden that Aoshi tasked to care for his daughter while he was away. The girl actually wanted to talk to Aoshi back then, but he wasn't around, so I was the one who took her request. According to her, Raine-that's the name of the Knife-handed's little girl-had been kidnapped, and she perfectly knew who took her. To make a long story short, she found out that Breannan, a former Gai, was the culprit. Well, I knew Breannan, but not that well, but I always think he's on the weird side. Sorta. But man, you don't know how powerful he is. A former Alchemist turned High Wizard, his forte is commanding legions of golems raised from any kind of material and given life by his magic. I never liked him. Anyway, back to the story. Aoshi and his two members of the Lightning Triad-Yuki and Dilan-set out for the clock tower of Al De Baran to rescue his little girl, but since Breannan would never part with his prize, they were forced to fight. Only Aoshi managed to fight back-Breannan was very powerful that he disabled both Dilan and Yuki-but it was almost impossible if not for Mai. Who's Mai? you might ask. I dunno myself, but it seemed that my ladies' man Zanyuki Tsukino has rescued her in one of his travels as a Gai representative. And it turned out Mai possessed some ancient magic of her own, able to transcend dimensions to penetrate the plane Breannan had erected to ward off intruders to their battle, and gave Aoshi an extremely valuable gift.

The Walgwanggum. What!

Yes, the Walgwanggum, the dagger of the Moon. Aoshi was able to defeat the High Wizard with it, since it drains an enemy's soul, yet the dilemma was just starting. After the battle, Aoshi reported directly to Aoikaze in a closed session, and from the snippets I've heard-pardon a sewer rat-the Breannan he'd battled was in fact just a Homunculus, and that his daughter was still a captive. It also seems that Raine's blood would be used to create the Sorcerer's Stone, the ultimate alchemical device that can create matter out of nothing. It was imperative, then, to destroy Breannan and the Stone, not only for Raine's sake, but for the entire world itself. Once a man controls the Stone, it is said, he will never stop gaining power until all the blood of the world is contained in it...

And it was also reported a few days later that this same Breannan is leading a powerful host of Necromancers. That is a forbidden profession, according to the New Job Decree of the Sovereignty of Prontera, yet Breannan is disregarding all law and still continues to gather as many Necromancers as he could... Hey, why are you looking at me that way? You don't know what a Necromancer is? The New Job Decree? Sheesh, man, have you been living under a rock all this time? Well, I'll explain later. I can't believe you, dude. But well, since Necromancers can raise the dead and have a little bit of homunculus-raising, even just a hundred Necromancers would spell doom for the world. A hundred ones with the ability to raise an undead army of their own. Well, think about that for a moment, and you'd come up with a pretty gloomy figure.

Well, let me tell you a bit of what's happening in the world right now. Because of this revelation that a Necromancer army is mobilizing under the command of a former Arkai, Prontera is busy shouting at its military officers and the other Arks how on earth did they let that happen, and demanding that they stop it immediately. But as Aoikaze put it, it was inevitable. The only thing we have to do now, he told us, is how best to salvage what can be saved, and to make sure that the uprising ends before it devours the entire land. Well, quoting him. He does make sure everything he says is eloquent. More like a rallying speech... sometimes, I just don't understand the guy. He could've said, "Let's kick that sorry ass of Breannan's straight to the shithole he came from!" but nooo... he must go on and stand in front of us and make that awkward speech. I hope he doesn't read this. He'd kill me, for all his talk of grandeur and chivalry.

Right now, because of the frantic activity, more and more Arkais from all three Arks are being recruited by panicking civilians, frightened businessmen and Merchants, and most of all, the Pronteran military, which, as we all know, has been in a beat-up shape ever since the conclusion of Ragnarok. And since Necromancers don't dare to proclaim themselves out in the open and are-thankfully, at least-forced to go in hiding among the populace, ever fearing for their real identities, everyone is on edge real lately. Everybody suspects anybody. Just a few days ago, I was staying at an inn in Morroc when somebody stabbed a patron for giving him a scare, and when he confessed a few moments later, he thought the man was a Necromancer. Everybody's paranoid these days, and the news blackout the Pronteran brass issued only worsened matters. Villagers and civilians are already arming themselves, and there are sporadic news of armed citizens clashing with Pronteran soldiers who were tasked to watch over any man who owns a sword. Of which there are nearly all men alive. Result? Wounded soldiers, dead civilians. And only a paper from the on-high to the people who were affected. It's still too early, but gauging the mood of the people, a full-scale riot is really about to start, which is to the Necromancers' advantage. Where's the riot going to start? Everywhere.

Aoikaze just wanted us to be ready. He has already mobilized all Gai initiates and our own soldiers at the highest level of alert, and ready to deploy whenever and wherever necessary, and most of our Arkais are kept close in case of emergencies. He has already struck a deal with the Pronteran sovereign to have the Gai stand by once the Necromancer invasion starts, in exchange for placing half the Pronteran military under his command. Of course, he beat the Ciela and the Covenant by bare minutes, and it was to be expected that they were gnashing their teeth by now. Why of course. Commanding half the entire reserve force, the half of the Pronteran army, would make the all Gai Arkai officers. And which would mean, that we would receive appropriate paygrades for our rank. Which is not bad, considering Prontera pays its officers handsomely, one reason that discipline in the army has grown dull. Aoikaze swears to correct that and bring the boys of the reserve to form, one way or another, before the invasion. However, there's one thing the Ciela has come up with that is quite useful. They suggested that all the dead from hereon be burned to ashes, and knowing the sense of this, Prontera immediately put it into law. Everybody complied, knowing that it was for their own good. You wouldn't want a husband you were lamenting the other day rise one night and bite you on the ass. Uh-oh. That's bad.

According to our own intelligence, pretty dire news are also coming in. It seems that the Cross that the Assassins Cross are searching for are finally found, but it was in the hands of someone allied with the Necromancers. Apparently only an Assassin of the guild can handle the Cross, so it maybe that this unknown enemy is a former or an Assassin' and considering an Assassin's skills in combat, plus the legendary power of that Cross, we're in deep muck. The Orc tribes are also going into negotiations with the Necromancer legion, according to some of our sources, and if this is true, we're pretty deep muck indeed. I know the enmity of the Orcs and humans can never be diminished, but hell... allying with an undead army just to exterminate the human breed? The sages' predictions are also frightening. "The signs are coming," they say. But what signs? Signs that I finally get a girlfriend? I mean, well, they aren't telling us, saying that we'll find it out in due time. Ooohh weeell... for all I know they don't know what they're talking about too. You know, just playing mysterious and stuff. Bleh.

Anyway it's about time to tell you caveman what kind of world we're in already. Well, let's start about Ragnarok, the event that changed the face of the world forever. Let's see. You already know the basic stuff, about how the Vanir and Giants and stuff would charge at Asgard, and how the alarm will be sounded, and the Serpent would destroy Yggdrasil. But you know, legends are basically legends. They're just that, just books. To make a long story short, none of it came true at all, all those prophecies the Druids were telling us, they're just trash. We weren't ready for what happened, or at least, our parents' parents, or their parents or whatever. In fact, the objective of Ragnarok was to create a new Middle-Earth. A new Midgard.

What? Isn't Ragnarok-

I'm not finished, you idiot. Ehem Forget the legend of the new man and the new woman, Lif and Lifthrasir. They're nothing but letters. Just words. Ragnarok was disguised as a cataclysmic war between the gods and the dark forces residing in the other eight worlds that Yggdrasil binds together, but in fact its motive all along was to destroy the human race which was thought to be able to ascend Asgard and thus overthrow Odin and his henchmen. It was purification, because not only the human race, but all other creatures of intelligence. The gods we all deemed benevolent was actually hell-bent on our destruction because they were envious of us. And because once this intent becomes known to the humans, who had the most promise of ascending heaven, the gods' first target was Yggdrasil, to destroy it and thus leave Midgard defenseless without a barrier... draining the lifeforce supporting them; with this, Midgard was prone, as the nexus between all worlds, to attacks from the other Earths, while keeping the other worlds empty and ripe for destruction.

But to cut to the chase, Freyr and Freya, both from the Vanir yet were included in the Aesir, revolted once the time of plan neared, and alerted their entire world of what was happening. But by then it was too late. Yggdrasil was already beginning to collapse, and Midgard was about to die. In a desperate attempt to save the human race and rally them to destroy Odin and the other Aesir, Freya opted to sacrifice herself to keep Yggdrasil from being burned completely. Yet as this happened, the barbaric races from the other worlds-the ice-demons of Niflheim, the Dark Elves, and all others, poured into Midgard in anticipation of Ragnarok, and had thus caused a destructive war that slaughtered over three-quarters of the human race. The gods, seeing this, descended and destroyed the other Earths, first of which was Vanaheim, home of the Vanir nature-gods. But as it turned out, the Vanir was already in Asgard, and had already destroyed the Sunwell that supported the immortality of the Aesir... and gave them their power in the mortal planes.

And so it happened that Freyr killed Odin, and many more gods and mortals alike were destroyed all in the world of Midgard in a single day, from sunup to sunset. Even the vaunted Valkyries were slain, and only a few survived, taking up residence in Midgard afterwards as mortal women, and the warriors of Valhalla all killed. But the greatest effect of this battle was the utter destruction of seven worlds-Asgard, Vanaheim, Niflheim, Jotunheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir, and Svartalfheim-all of them, except two. It was Midgard, and the unscathed Helheim, the Domain of the Dead. There were no gods anymore, nor demons... only the gravely-scarred ruins of civilization of Midgard, and the forces of Death that are now stirring inside their graves, awaiting to claim the living world as their own.

The system of high civilization before Ragnarok, of which there are relics up to this day, were lost, because of the death of Mimir, the talking head of the god of wisdom and knowledge. The Spring of Knowledge was scorched and the Norns, the weavers of Fate, forced to flee from the raucous raiders from all worlds, yet even before they took flight, a prophecy was given from the Spring itself, but what prophecy it was, it was never known. Anyway, where the Norns are, we don't know, but as Aoikaze always tells us, the Fates will come when it is time. He is as idiotic as those old sages. Well, back to the main point, what we call civilization now is as advanced as a thousand years before Ragnarok. Yup, you read that right. The war was so destructive that human progress was hurled back a thousand years, and since there was no Mimir to guide us, we were lost.

But then, as the survivors of the barren wasteland called Midgard searched for answers, the new leaders took over Prontera-or what remained of it-and tried to establish a new government in a sweeping program called "The Reawakening", or a renaissance. It was about two years after Ragnarok then, but the movement created a storm of approval and instant participation from the human survivors. Within four years, the relentless campaign of the Reawakening had most of the former civilization restored and brought to life, the buildings rebuilt, all order returned, the states all revived yet under the authority of the Pronteran government. And recognizing the only threat left to humankind, the then Protector of the Realm-the equivalent of the King-decided to open the new addition to the Sovereign Classes, the traditional defenders of mankind that were formed before Ragnarok, and the formation of the Arks, the mercenary groups that by law, had the only right to employ the Sovereign Classes. This came to be known as the New Job Decree.

You know the former job classes, right? But when this New Job Decree came out, it recognized the addition of third-generation classes: The Templar, the Lord Advocate, the Sorcerer, the Druid, the Ninja, the Renegade, the Master Armorer, the Summoner, the Minister, the Duelist, the Ranger, the Minstrel, and the Diva. Let me enumerate and describe each of them for you.

The Templar - level with the Lord Knight, from the Knight, specializes in one-handed sword combat, very quick and agile. Most Templars are the personal bodyguards of the Protector, known as the "Regeensia".

The Lord Advocate - level with Paladin. He is more like a Priest in power, specializing in anti-undead combat and presiding as a judge in court-martials or in exorcising evil spirits.

The Sorcerer - level with High Wizard. Mostly all-out offensive elemental attacks, very powerful.

The Druid - level with Professor. manipulates life magic. You know, trees, animals, stuff like that. Most Druids have the premonition ability.

The Ninja - level with Assassin Cross. Mostly used for stealth and espionage, and selective killing, unlike the Assassin Cross which is specialized for all-around agile combat.

The Renegade - level with Stalker, mainly the contacts of the Arks in gauging people's moods, and usually employed as independent mercenaries or bodyguards, and as the Arks' liaison officers.

The Master Armorer - level with Whitesmith, smith specializing in armor-crafting and machine design. Indispensable to Arks and to the military, where they serve as engineers for new siege weapons.

The Summoner - level with Creator. Able to summon wandering spirits called "Overseers" which take on many forms to do their bidding. Overseers are thought to be the souls of those who died at Ragnarok, and possess unearthly power. Among the new Classes, Summoners are one of the most powerful, at par with Sorcerers in terms of raw power.

The Minister - level with High Priest. The Minister tends to illnesses, more like a doctor. Of the new Classes, Ministers are the most common.

The Duelist - level with Champion. Duelists are often hired to represent disputing sides in trial by combat. Duelists also serve as assassins or as government hitmen, otherwise as policing cities and their citizens.

The Ranger - level with Sniper. The scout Class, specializing in tracking and the fieldcraft phase of espionage. Often have pets that help them with their jobs.

The Minstrel - level with Clown. They are Bards in service to high government officials only and can only be hired for special occasions involving the state. Minstrels are very influential and owning one is pride for its master.

The Diva - level with Gypsy. Like the Minstrel, the Divas are only in service to high government officials. There have been unconfirmed rumors of Divas as the personal whores of the top brass, but these are just speculations.

Of all the Sovereign Classes, only one was forbidden after it was proposed, and yes, you guessed right, it was Necromancy. Necromancy involved the study of death and how to revive, or more properly, reanimate the dead to do as its master wishes. Though useful in situations where life is too important to lose, and undead are expendable after all, it was put to the Protector's council that such practice might encourage Helheim to prematurely attack Midgard before their preparations for the imminent conflict is complete. Thus, it was expressly forbidden in the last section of the decree that Necromancy and all its forms are punishable by law, of which the minimum is flogging and the worst is death.

The Arks that were formed immediately took their recruits of the new Classes, and of them, there were three that dominated the others, and finally devoured them. The first was Ciela, the largest was Covenant, and the newest us, the Gai. The Arks were tasked to defend the Pronteran monarchy and the realm, but first and foremost, they were mercenaries, and they sell their services to the highest bidder. Of course, they cannot undertake a mission if it was against the law (like taking down the Protector, for example), which was why there were always Lord Advocates and Duelists checking up on them now and then. Since the Pronteran army isn't as big as it used to be, the Arks and their soldiers are expected to become smiting arm of the state in times of turmoil or war.

Which is about to happen, sooner or later.

Well, it can't be helped. Why is it always us humans who bear the sin of the other races? Why should we be exterminated for their sake? Well, if you ask yourself these questions, you aren't alone. It beats me, too. But we must fight, that's one thing I learned from Aoikaze. Fight, and still fight, even if all the odds are against you. That is one thing I admire about him.

Soooo... this entry's the longest in months! Well, gotta go, I need to sleep already, it's shivering cold oout here in the desert during the nights, y'know what I mean? Just be careful out there, dude. You never know what's gonna come at you. And to you who finds this, please, get me a lover, okay? So, time for the evening prayers!

The Mother of Shadows protect and keep me, for I am Gai.