Is it me, or am I coming close to a prospective 40 chapters? Hmmmmm . . . wouldn't complain if I would.
To those who read this fic before and were waiting for the next chapters before the looooong wait, I'm really sorry for the big delay. It's just; I've been caught up with school and all. Not to mention, I got hooked on drawing my own characters.
Hehe, talking about fawning over your own fic.
Also, when I'm finally finished with this one, I'll probably write a few spinoffs to flesh out the characters. Tom Valor was right, the characters are too many and too deep in this one and I guess that those spinoffs would suffice to be the "introduction chapters" he was asking for.
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RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC
Version 2
TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATEBy: RAGNAR (that really is my name)
Chapter 26: PriegaThe Holy Light spell Meshido and a fellow Priest cast on Jarade slammed into both men grappling on the ground. The scar running down the other man's cheek folded when he grimaced at the excess power the two of them let out.
Sodos was still coming closer into being sucked into the Rift, with Freya glowering at the Assassin with all the hate in the world.
Meshido can do nothing for that now. He had to act quickly so that he can save both the Blacksmith and Sodos. His staff was still smoking at the end when he ran towards Jarade to stop the Assassin while he shouted to the other Priest to heal Elonis.
The corner of his eyes gave him a brief glimpse of Kevin trying to stop Freya, he thought he heard the Crusader shouting something at Michelle, but Meshido's concerns were now placed elsewhere.
As Jarade stood up, there was a grim expression on the man's face. Like he didn't want to do this, like he didn't want any of this to happen. Meshido also detected great strain on the way the Assassin moved.
What was wrong with him?
"Stop me . . . please!" the Assassin murmured as if to no one in particular.
Then, Meshido understood. The man was being controlled by something.
Then, Jarade cried out in an all too familiar tone of voice, "The Keeper's head is mine!"
Without any hesitation, Meshido cast spells on himself that would enhance his fighting abilities and readied the Holy Barrage that he almost forgot how to cast . . . almost.
Sparks flew when the katar's darting steel blades met his glowing wood staff as Meshido tried with all his skill to deflect every blow. The wrist blades only flashing through his eyesight with every move the Assassin made.
He thrust his staff towards the right side of Jarade's face in an attempt to stun him, but the blow was put aside by a dismissing gesture of the Assassin's right arm.
The block was then followed immediately by a slice from the man's other blade. Meshido jumped back as soon as he noticed the glint of steel coming for his chest.
As soon as he landed, Meshido went down on one knee and with one powerful stride, thrust his staff again towards Jarade's chest in the way he has seen some men thrust with their swords. Most disturbingly though, it felt all too natural.
Jarade then used both blades to divert the blow towards the ground. More sparks flew when the steel slammed on his staff. As soon as the end of the butt of his staff ground to the dirt, Meshido used his weapon to vault over the Assassin's and kick the back of his head.
The move was too complex for Meshido to perform, however – it was something he only thought Monks were crazy enough to execute – that he landed on the back of his other foot and fell to the ground.
Luckily, Jarade was also stunned from the kick and was also lying on the ground, face down.
It took an effort to stand up. Especially when he found blood on a tear on his gi. The tear was about the length of his forearm.
Jarade slowly rose from the ground. Eyes bloodshot and fevered with rage and . . . desperation?
Meshido cast a Heal spell on himself and readied the Barrage on his staff. If Jarade is going to cause any more trouble, Meshido will have no other choice than to use the spell.
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Michelle stared in shock and terror as she watched her friend drive himself into a frenzied rage. Blood still trickled down her arm where she held Jarade . . . where his wrist blades slashed her.
As far as she was concerned, Kevin's shouts that she should get away didn't exist.
"Jarade . . ." she took a step forward.
She caught a glimpse of Kevin torn between stopping Freya and running towards her. Michelle saw Jarade's wrist blades glow ominously from the moonlight and the raging flames that came from Freya's fit of rage.
Michelle witnessed Jarade stealthily produce a red gem from his pocket. Her friend's – her friend! – smile grew more sadistic as he crushed it with one hand and threw the pieces on the ground in front of the man that was battling him.
Purple dust surrounded the Japanese clothed man. The man's eyes widened in surprise. It was only that moment before the man clawed at his throat while gasping for air. It didn't take long for the Priest – judging from the glow of his staff – to drop to his knees and fall unconscious on the ground.
"JARADE!!!" Michelle screamed with all her strength towards her friend, the man who led her out of Morroc. The one who saved her life one too many times.
Jarade didn't seem to listen to her. He seemed to be listening to the air.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon her. There was only hate in those crimson red eyes.
Then, his grin was sadistic one more. "I am the harbinger of Power. The father of death."
His words shocked Michelle. The way he spoke them made her rigid with fear. His voice drove nails into her heart. "Jarade . . . what are you talking about?" Tears were forming at the edge of her eyes again. Never mind the pain from her arm, she was losing Jarade!
"Your presence annoys me, Acolyte! Seva has told me several things about you." His laughter boomed into her head, threatening to shake her skull loose. "Your head will be a wonderful present for her when we finally find each other once more." The wrist blades snapped out. A dark aura surrounded Jarade as he took a step forward.
Michelle's breath caught when she realized that it was her Jarade meant to kill. She ran forward in an attempt to stop him . . . somehow, she had to stop him . . . how?
It was all she could think of before those blades came closer to her neck.
Jarade . . .
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Kevin had only enough time to punch Freya – however much he regretted it – on the gut and place her unconscious form on the ground. Only enough time to see Sodos floating down to earth with that black portal slowly fading away. Only enough time to run to save his cousin.
Pulling his shield from his back, he charged.
Steel rang like a gong on his arm when his shield made full impact on the Assassin. The shockwaves from his blow even left Michelle sprawled on the ground, apparently unconscious.
Jarade flew all the way back until he hit a tree. Whatever leaves weren't burned from Freya's tantrum fell to the ground when the Assassin's body shook them loose.
Dust and dirt kicked up when the tree fell over. The Assassin's wrist blades seemed to vibrate in the night air. Blood red eyes regarded him with hate. "You dare think to challenge me!? YOU? A mere half-breed dredged up from the scum of existence?" Dark clouds clouds began to form at the sky above, covering the light of the moon. "Enough of this nonsense!" Jarade spat, "Prepare to die!"
"Hear me, half-breed! My name is Priega, First Prince to Sei'Gash's kingdom in this world! Hear it and tremble!"
Kevin didn't care if he was facing the First Guardian escorted by the High Guardians of the Heavens, Earth, and Seas. He didn't care if Priega was one of the gods themselves! Michelle was the last living family he had aside from the orcs – and they didn't even seem to think he existed anymore – HE WAS NOT GOING TO LET HER DIE!
Drawing his sword and readying his shield, Kevin drew himself defensively between Priega and Michelle's fallen figure.
Every step the demon took as he ran towards Kevin melted the sand and dirt into liquid glass. Priega's wrist blades glowed a menacing yellow when the cards embedded into the steel were finally activated. A cry of rage went out of the demon's throat as he charged.
"Time to die, half-breed!"
"Your ass is mine!!!"
Kevin slammed his shield onto the demon's face only to have Priega sidestep to the right with a stab for his side. Kevin whirled counter-clockwise using his sword to turn the thrust aside.
Another turn blocked the other wrist blade with his shield. Kevin then slashed downwards in an attempt to sever the demon's arm. When his weapon was but a few inches closer to Priega's arm, however, the demon snatched back his arm and thrust with the other for Kevin's head.
Kevin half anticipated the move and went down on one knee to avoid the lethal blow all the while slashing with the sharpened edge of his shield. Priega jumped back to avoid his move. The sheer weight of his shield and the force of his slash forced Kevin to turn on his heel. As soon as he saw Priega come forward again, Kevin used his forced turn to slash with his sword. The demon stopped for an instant to allow Kevin's blade to go past his face then thrust forward with his right katar.
Kevin hastily brought up his shield to block the katar while using the demon's move to force his turn to a stop. He then channeled the shock of having stopped too suddenly to his right arm and used along with all his strength to stab with his sword.
The sword only grazed the demon's left arm as the force was too much for him to control. He felt the large dent the demon is making on his shield from pushing on it too hard. Kevin saw Priega's victorious grin.
Kevin's shield shattered.
Priega's wrist blade went through Kevin's gauntleted arm like it was butter. Steel and blood flew in all directions as both shield, gauntlet, and arm exploded. But before he could even notice any pain, a stab to his chest ripped through his armor. Although his chest didn't explode like his arm, there was only a bloody carved up hollow where his three-inch thick breastplate had been.
He tried to summon up all of what was left of his strength for one last slash with his sword. Just one last slash, but his strength has failed him.
Forgive me, Michelle.
Kevin thought that when he wakes up, if ever, he was afraid that the demon would have already killed her.
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The pain on his throat subsided in the instant the scarred Priest laid hands on him. Meshido slowly stood up while leaning on his staff. The Barrage was still primed and charged within the wood.
The venom that coated his body no longer burned his skin. In any given time, he would have shivered at whatever fate would have awaited him should no help come to him in time. He didn't take the blood pact for Resurrection, after all.
The first thing he really noticed was the final blow delivered by Jarade to Kevin. The spray of blood momentarily covered the moon and glittered from the surrounding flames as Kevin flew back from the power of Jarade's attack.
Meshido didn't need to look twice to know that the Crusader got himself killed again.
Gathering all his will and strength, he released the Barrage spell.
The first shaft of light hit the ground between the Assassin and Crusader. Jarade was thrown back only to have been hit by another Holy Light on the back. The Assassin was then thrown to the side from the explosion of yet another Holy Light.
It didn't take long for the man to be thrown about like a rag doll in a stormy sea when the spell finally took its full course.
When the Barrage was finally over, Jarade's unconscious form lay not far from where he first stood. The ground was unrecognizable with all the holes that riddled it.
Meshido was about to ask the Priest to Resurrect Kevin when he heard a woman's laughter coming from everywhere.
A pool of blood formed on one of those holes, although, Meshido had no idea where it came from or how it could form in the first place. The ground may not be too dry, but even blood can't last long enough to form a pool on this dirt.
Then, the pool . . . rose. There was no other way to describe it. The blood just increased in height in one solid mass until it was at approximately Meshido's height. Then, a face slowly formed on the top of that mass – along with the rest of a woman's body. Finally, some parts of the thick liquid changed color into that of flesh.
Meshido stared wide-eyed as a woman covered in what seemed to be a blood-red cloak walked towards Jarade. He tried to come forward to restrain her from but there was something about her that didn't seem right. Something Meshido thought he should recognize but was not able to put a finger as to what.
Jarade's unconscious body floated to the air as the woman stood over him. The woman's smile was directed at Meshido.
"You are a very inventive spell-caster, Priest. I doubt that even my Priega here –" she stroked Jarade's cheek with the back of her hand without taking her gaze from Meshido " – expected such an attack."
Then he saw her eyes. Her irises weren't just black, there was really nothing there. Looking into her eyes, Meshido began to think he was looking down a bottomless pit. Before he even knew it, there was another Barrage charging in his staff.
Unconsciously, he heard the other people gathered in camp stretch bows and hoist weapons when they finally realized what was the source of all the chaos in their camp.
The Acolyte's body floated opposite Jarade's. The woman looked the girl's body up and down as if appraising something. Then, a smile spread upon her lips.
She then stroked Jarade's – Priega's – cheeks again and said, "Be thankful that you have my heart in your hand, Priega. Very well, I shall oblige to your . . . taste."
With those words, she vanished, along with Priega and Michelle.
No time to think yet.
Meshido nodded to the scarred Priest and the man hurried to the injured. Fishing a blue gem from his gi, he wondered how he was going to tell Kevin his cousin is gone.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hmmmm . . . is it me, or is there something different about this chapter? If you know what it is, please tell me, it's been nagging at the back of my brain for the past few days.