RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC

TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE

By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)

Chapter 04: The Soul of Geffen

Freya went up the stairs of the Wizard's Tower not feeling how tired her legs are. She can only feel the pulsating force that is beating within her veins. She doesn't know what it was, it wasn't magic, she was sure of that, but it gave her power, and with that power, she can take on anything.

The walls surrounding her started feeling as if they were about to melt as she kept on climbing the narrow staircase to Geffen's source of Magic, it's heart. If she can channel the energies that flow through it, her power can reach beyond the city's borders. With it, she can even destroy Glast Heim itself from where she stands. Smiling at the prospect, she continued on to her destination.

Facing the huge blocked door that stands between her and the Soul of Geffen, wondering who would have crafted such an intricate thing of art. She traced the golden leaf-patterned gilt that decorates the door while looking at the sunburst pattern that symbolizes Geffen's power and duty to the world.

Inside lies the greatest power granted to man by the gods. Enter with a pure heart and pure intentions. Enter with neither, and suffer your fate.

And below that...

To guard and to guide. Geffen will stand as a bastion against the Shadow
and the Grave... the Watcher of the Fates.

She always did wonder what that last line meant. It was once said that Geffen was the focus point of man's destiny. At the moment, she didn't care.

Placing her palm on the door, she blasted it apart.

Now, she probably would never know what those lines meant as she walked inside a long hall, amidst the falling debris.

Striding inside, her footsteps echoing across the hall, Freya could hear voices as she went onward, coming from the chamber that housed the Soul itself.

"I won't allow you to take the Soul, you monster! I would rather die!"

Laughter echoed after as a second voice spoke.

"Do you absolutely think you can stop me, little wizard? You have no idea what I can do to you. I can make scream for an eternity before I finally end your life. You would even thank me with your last breath for finally releasing you from the bondage of your flesh."

She can hear the air whistle announcing the casting of a spell and she can feel the ground shake moments after that. That didn't slow her pace, whether or not the Soul falls into someone else's hands, she will have it for herself.

She could hear the second voice say something with a hint of amusement in it.

"Fool! I have taken worse! Your measly spells and incantations can't faze me, wizard. You can never stop me."

A weapon was drawn.

Sounds of a fight echoes throughout the hall, joining the sound of her footsteps.

"Guaaahh!"

She could hear a scream from the first voice as a sword found its mark.

"You were a fool to think that you are better than I am, Wizard. You should have stuck to your parlor tricks instead of trying to best me with a sword."

It appeared that if she doesn't hurry, she would have difficulty trying to take the Soul. She started running forward as she ripped apart the doors, walls, and other obstacles that went in her way. The Soul of Geffen is hers and hers alone; no one deserves its power but her!

She readied herself as she ran up one last flight of stairs.

As she finally reached the considerably small chamber, she saw a man standing next to the Soul of Geffen. She also saw Kareel sprawled on the floor with a pool of his own blood flowing from where he fell – he was barely breathing.

Kareel lifted his head towards her, "Freya, what are you... doing here? You must... leave... now."

Ignoring Kareel and his order to flee, Freya set her eyes on the crystal, the Soul, itself. Even though she stood a good distance away from it, she can still feel it's immense energy flowing through her. The only one that stands in her way was the man with an insolent grin on his face; his eyes carried no soul in them.

"Ah! You must be Freya Storm-Crow" again with the grin, "the Master has told me all about you... So, the Undead outside wasn't able to do their job," his face twisted in disgust, "oh well, they never were... manageable." The way his eyes looked at her made her want to retch.

Kareel stretched his arm in desperation, "Freya, run! He's too powerful!"

The air crackled around her... Focusing the power she gathered around herself, Freya cast it forward towards the man. As she did so, the stone beneath her gave way to an unseen force that screamed towards him. She knew that when it hits him, there wouldn't be much of anything left of him to bury.

The tower shook at the impact; a deafening boom resounded across its halls as a result of the spell hitting its target. It is over; the Soul is as good as hers.

Then, the impossible happened; her spell hit him, but he just stood there as if nothing happened. The injuries that he sustained were obviously severe; his neck was twisted all the way back, his left arm was dislocated and broken at several places, and the whole right portion of his body was just not there.

What startled her more was that when he started to move, his injuries just disappeared. There was no obvious healing, just one moment he was broken, the next, he was complete, like he wasn't even touched.

His grin only widened as he started to walk towards her, his sword drawn.

She couldn't move, his eyes were sapping her strength. Freya tried as hard as she could to move, but she just couldn't find the will to do so. She wanted to run as Kareel had told her to do so, but her legs refuse to move. The confidence and strength that she had found in her new powers has disappeared just as quickly as they have emerged.

His hand found her neck. His grip was terrifying.

She couldn't breath as she felt her feet leave the ground.

Her eyes were focussed on the tip of his sword as it danced in front of her, taunting her about her faith.

She could already feel the blade sliding through her skull as it moved excruciatingly slow under her throat with just moments before it would finally go through her head. Tears welled up her eyes as the thoughts of dying once again visited her mind.

"This is for denying us everything, Keeper!", the man – the monster's grin disappeared as his faced transformed from insolence to rage, his grip tightening around her neck as he said this. "You're going to die for giving us a punishment far more than our crime!"

Suddenly, the air was filled with heat, light, and blood as someone blew off the monster's arm.

Freya flew back several feet before she finally hit the ground gasping for air. She knew she wouldn't last, though. She could feel her body going limp as darkness crept around her; she hoped that death would come quickly, for all the fool that she had been.

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Meshido's staff was smoldering on the end just after he has cast the most powerful Holy Light spell in his life. His heart racing as he gripped it until his knuckles hurt.

Until this hour, he never knew that beings like this red-haired girl and this man ever existed. But still, he cannot deny the things that he has just seen.

Keeper, somehow, the word tugged at his memory, as if he was supposed to know what it meant.

This was not the time to banter, however, as the creature in man's flesh started to move towards him, amazingly, the thing's injuries ceased to exist before his eyes. Whatever it was, death was reluctant to take this thing.

Summoning all his power, Meshido gathered as much spiritual power as he could onto the end of his staff. If he was going to die today, he'll go down with a fight.

"And who are you, little Priest? Another deluded fool who thinks he can stop the Fateless?" the man took another step, "you should have stayed out of this. This is between us and the Guardians, but since you have just interfered, your life is forfeit."

A cold sweat started to bead on Meshido's forehead, "Tough, I have no intention of dying today, neither will I let you live another sunrise."

The man directed a glare towards the girl's limp form, his eyes filled with hate and his jaws were clenched "I have never seen a sunrise because of the likes of her.

"We just wanted to exist. She and scum like her denied us that right! We have served them for AGES! And what do they repay us with? They throw us into the abyss like useless garbage!"

His sword trembled in his grip, knuckles turning white around the hilt, he turned towards Meshido screaming, "THE GUARDIANS DESERVE OUR BANISHMENT A THOUSAND TIMES A THOUSAND TIMES OVER! AND WHEN THAT TIME IS DONE, THEY WILL SUFFER IT A THOUSAND TIMES MORE!"

Then, his face changed again into that insolent grin, "but enough talk, you will understand soon enough when I send you to the other side," his grin transformed into a smirk, "when I kill you."

Meshido then released all the gathered energy in his staff. The energy flew straight towards the man, knocking him back against the wall, leaving an impression before it crumbled on him. He then took out a blue gem from his coat and clasping it between his hands in prayer, he created a portal that will send the monster to the crater of the farthest volcano.

A bright white pillar enveloped the man as he started to rise from the rubble that was a wall; his face was a bloody mess that quickly became clean as soon as he saw it again. The look in his eyes showed extreme hate and rage. And then, the portal closed and he was gone.

Meshido ran quickly to the girl and pressed his fingers on her neck arteries and found that she was still alive, greatly weakened, but alive. She must have hit her head on the floor when he cast the spell. Moving next to the injured Wizard on the floor, he knew that he had to act quickly before this man breathes his last.

The Wizard was healed halfway when he heard the familiar sound of a portal opening.

He turned around to see the mysterious man coming out with sword raised to cut him. He brought up his staff hoping that it might stop the blow even though he knew that it wouldn't. Meshido offered a quick prayer wishing that he would finally rest in peace.

Suddenly, there was a blur of motion as Kevin's shield flew straight towards the man's head, splitting it in half across the face. The shield finally stopped as it stuck to the wall on the other side of the room. Apparently, Kevin arrived just in time to throw the thing as he was trudging up the stairs, panting and out of breath. That usually happens when you climb fifty floors with a hundred pounds worth of body armor and weapons. Unfortunately for him, the recoil of the throw made him stumble back down the flight of stairs. The corridor echoed with crashing metal and a rather colorful collection of the finest language on this side of the continent. Well, there really was a good use for the thing.

Without a brain, the body slumped towards the ground. However, before it even hit the floor, the man was standing again, with that grin on his face.

Is there anything that can kill this thing!?

"Apparently, it is getting too crowded in here." He turned to the Soul of Geffen, "I'll just take this and leave." He stretched his arms towards the crystal, ignoring the Soul's protective barriers.

Then, without Meshido knowing it, the Wizard pulled the man back, his injuries apparently not hindering him while he held the creature in an ill- attempted bear hug.

"Like I said, monster, you're not leaving here with anything!" with that, the Wizard cast his hands forward, reinforcing the crystal's barriers.

The man's mouth twisted in distaste as he broke the Wizard's arm. "You shouldn't have done that, Kareel. Now, I will make you regret everything you ever did in life."

"You really do love to make dramatics, do you, Degedos?" A voice suddenly rang across the room. "That would probably be the reason why you never get the job done."

"Who are you to judge me?" the man, Degedos, replied.

"Just get the Soul of Geffen and get this business over with."

Sneering, Degedos threw Kareel across the floor as he tried to take the crystal. With the barriers doubled, Degedos found it rather difficult to reach the crystal.

"You're not going anywhere, monster!" Meshido cried out as he cast another Holy Light spell with all the remaining energy in him. After that, Meshido found out that he was exhausted. A few lengthy battles, a flight of stairs, healing, and other desperately cast spells usually does that to you.

Degedos was hardly affected however, as he diverted his attention, once again to Meshido around the same time Kevin came running towards Degedos with sword and hammer in hand, his armor apparently taken off for practical reasons.

Blade caught blade as the two battled it out, neither seemed to have an advantage. The only thought in Meshido's mind was how to get rid of the monster that Kevin was fighting. The only thing he could do now was rest and try to regain his strength as he collapsed to the floor.

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Kareel can hardly move, his injury to his side, although partly healed by the Priest, was still enough to cause pain.

He struggled to get up, though, as he saw another man materialize from the wall. He was probably there the whole time, watching. The way the man dressed made it obvious that he was a Morroc trained Assassin, or made him look like one, something about him just didn't seem to make the cut.

The newcomer apparently used fight between Degedos and the Crusader – judging by the weapons he carried – as a distraction so he can take the Soul of Geffen. It wouldn't take a full Wizard to know that this one was powerful enough to breach the crystal's barriers.

He had to act fast, taking out a red gem from one of his pouches, he used the spell that only members of the Council can use. It was a "for emergency use only" spell. If cast by a ranking Wizard, all the barriers surrounding the Soul of Geffen will dissipate, allowing it to escape back to where it came from... where exactly, nobody knows.

True enough, the wall surrounding them blew apart into a thousand pieces as the protective shields collapsed upon themselves, leaving behind just enough pillars to keep the whole floor from falling on them. Luckily, this was the top floor, the only thing that's going to fall on them would be the roof.

Then, the crystal flew off across the sky at an incredible speed.

The Crusader and Degedos, however, still kept on fighting. The Assassin, on the other hand, didn't seem pleased with the current turn of events. Before he knew it, Kareel's back was on a pillar as he was pinned next to it by a powerful hand.

The Assassin's eyes met his as he struggled to get away from his monstrous grip. Unlike Degedos, this man's eyes showed something in him that he didn't expect from the enemy, especially from a man like this one... envy.

"You should have known by now, Wizard, that there are acts that everyone regrets. I sincerely hope that in the next life, you will have no such experience. Unfortunately, I don't believe in the Afterlife, we Fateless Ones never had the chance to go through such things." With a smile filled with bitterness and... sadness, he reached behind his back.

A short sword appeared in the Assassin's hand.

Kareel's only regret in life was he never had the chance to live it to the fullest, as Freya always wished it to have been.

He can only wish Freya a good life as the sword was driven through his skull and into the stone behind him.

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"Degedos! Enough! There is nothing here for us now!" Sodos called out to the other.

Fishing out a blue gem from his pouches, he crushed it into dust in his palm. Saying the incantations that will send them home to the Rift, he made the portal open while waiting for Degedos to finally finish his fight.

After a few minutes of fighting with the Crusader, he bacame rather impatient.

"Degedos, I don't wish to leave you behind, but if you want, I can always close the portal behind me. You're of no use to us if you're... dead", now that was a strange concept to be applied to a Fateless One, they never die. But then, they never were outside the Rift before. Death probably learns to recognize them as soon as they exit the abyss for too long.

Sodos was never against the notion of dying. In fact, he wanted to die. But not until the Guardians have been dealt with for what they have done to them.

Degedos, his face in a rage because he wasn't able to finish the fight with the Crusader, jumped into the portal with Sodos walking calmly behind, his cloak billowing in the wind, as the portal closed.

SO HOW DO YOU GUYS LIKED IT? FORGIVE ME IF I PUT ON CAPS LOCK ON THIS BUT IT'S JUST SO YOU MIGHT KNOW THIS IS AN AUTHOR'S NOTE...

By the way, Meshido will not be able to resurrect Kareel. This is so because I have put some restrictions on the Resurrection spell (sweat drop). First restriction is that you cannot be resurrected unless you have a blood pact with the church of Prontera. The second is, a Priest cannot bring you back if you have been dead for too long. Third, the Priest also has to know you in order to identify your spirit and he also has to be at good condition to do so.

My thanks to Byakko, Nightraven Rue, and Tom Valor for giving me their support. Please accept my apologies for not updating this sooner because all my diskettes have been ruined and I was only able to upload this because Byakko Recon lent me his... (puts on /sob /wah expressions).

Also, please help me out on how to give my fic a genre and rating... I'm not exactly keen with the art of self-evaluation, hehe.

So, again, thank you for reading this, I hope that I will not have writer's block and will be able to continue on with the story. Please send me your reviews and comments... (gets down on his knees, begging)

Please also check out Byakko's fanfic/s. He's on Zoids and pRO right now and the RO fic is very good – thanks for including Shadow Eyes in your fic, but could you please not make him so... wimpy? As for his Zoids fic... I don't know... I'm not exactly a yaoi fan... shiver's uncontrolably

So until next time... paalam!