For easier visualization, Marus' new weapon resembles an infiltrator. Only, this one is WAY bigger, has a buckler, an extra two blades, and gearwork that would probably remind some of you of a mecha-base animé. And oh, this isn't a pair, just one weapon.
By the way, what's the difference between the stag and scarab beetle again? I forgot . . . Which one has the long horn and which one has the pincers? Please tell me.
Also, which is correct? "Maturer" or "More mature"?
Thanks for the reviews you guys! Enjoy the fic!
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RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC
Version 2
TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATEBy: RAGNAR (that really is my name)
Chapter 28: Old Friends Old MemoriesIt was about a month after Marus left the group in that caravan that night. A month trying to remember things from a youth long forgotten.
He was five miles southwest of Glast Heim. It wasn't easy, considering the increased demon activity in the area. And since he has only one weapon – one that had probably gathered a century's worth of dust in his Kafra box – it definitely wasn't easy.
Standing at the edge of a cliff, Marus surveyed the dense forest beneath him. Or rather, the tree growing right at the middle of the forest. It was the largest tree in the area, dwarfing every great oak around it, as big as a mountain, as imposing as a fortress. Where every green thing that can possibly grow beneath it long dead from lack of sunlight, a carpet of mushroom and creepers flourished.
His old tree house. Somewhere within those millions of leaves, would be the rotted remains of a wooden house where he and an old friend used to play. Marus let a wave of nostalgia roll over him from those memories with Nila.
But she was a friend long dead. There was only Kieria now.
His sword-breaker katar hung at his back like some massive round beetle covering most of his back. It was composed of a steel-plated gauntlet, four Oridecon blades, and a medium-sized Elunium buckler. Since, it isn't in use, the katar, in its compact form, would be mistaken for a shield. When snapped out, it would resemble a monstrous stag beetle with two blades jutting out at the side.
The "pincers" were composed of two blades starting from the same point where the side-blades started as well. They then curve inward, making a large hole in between the "shield" and the point where the pincers meet. From that point, the two blades fanned out and aggressively curve back inward in a way that resembles an ant's open jaws. Notches within and without that circle made sure to hold his opponent's weapon the same way Pain does with its barbs.
The pincer was designed to trap any weapon small enough to fit. The notches outside the circle were for blocking a slash, the notches inside were for blocking a thrust. The ant jaw was used for stabbing – although it would still technically be called a slash because the stabbed object would still split open from the pincer's wide circle – and for trapping. If the opportunity arises, Marus can block a slash with the ant jaw, and then, the pincer will open slightly to make the sword slide in between the twin curved blades, courtesy of the gears hidden beneath the shield.
The secret to his weapon however, is not the blades, but the gears protected by the Elunium-wrought buckler. With a short flick of his wrist, small levers connected to the gauntlet would release a high-pressure piston that would then turn the gears that would in turn cause the side-blades to move in a scissors-like motion. When that happens, anything trapped in the pincer's notches, or anything else in range, for that matter, would be cut in half. The enemy's weapon usually comes to mind.
He was carrying a formidable weapon. But then, against Kieria's Executioner, Priega's indestructible katars, and Seva's magic, it is basically useless. Not to mention the fact that he had only a week's worth of refresher's practice with the thing.
How long has he last used this?
Marus couldn't remember. More than a lifetime ago, maybe.
Strapping on the sword-breaker katar to his right arm, Marus checked if his recent abuse hasn't loosed the gears. They haven't . . . at least the thing still works.
He snapped the blades back in.
Again, for the fifth time today, Marus wondered why he had such a cumbersome thing made. But then, it was the only serviceable weapon he had left in storage. Truth be told, it would seem he depended on the Twins for too long.
The rattle of armor from behind made him turn quickly. It took a small effort to keep the katar from swinging all the way to his back.
He then found himself confronted by five Raydrics. The two up front were already . . . injured – although Marus didn't think it would be a correct word to apply. Raydrics were basically animated armor, after all.
At the sight of him, the Raydrics charged. His sword-breaker katar snapping out menacingly, all four blades ready to slice anything.
But before he took his first step, it felt as if time stopped. The Raydrics before him ceased to move while color faded from every object.
"You shouldn't take unnecessary risks, Raidi." Kieria's voice rang in his head like a thousand bells.
"Go away!" he replied harshly.
Kieria laughed at his response. "I knew you would come, Raidi, please come to me quickly, I miss you so."
"I said go away!" Marus shouted while clutching his head to shut off the voice.
Kieria laughed again. "Oh, very well, Raidi. I'll leave you to your fun. But please, come to me quickly, so we can play again."
Color returned and the Raydric continued their charge. Marus staggered forward from the shock of having his mind phase out and suddenly come back to the real world.
His stagger, however, gave him room to duck the first sword swing. Also, lucky for him, they were on a ledge with only enough room for three Raydrics at a time. The down side is, he is close to the edge.
The Raydric to Marus' left swung its sword for his head. He blocked it with the rounded edge of the pincers, trapping it with its notches. With a flick of his wrist, the side-blades closed, shattering the sword like glass. While the split upper half was still on the air, Marus grabbed it with his left hand and stabbed the middle Raydric on the head. Light shot out from where there was supposed to be eyes before the floating pieces of armor crashed to the ground.
He then turned clockwise to slice the left Raydric's helmet with the katar. Before the monster started to fall down, Marus hit the right Raydric with his left elbow. The Raydric fell off the cliff with the sound of crashing steel on rock.
The last two were easily disposed of by squeezing in between them while dodging their swords then pushing them off the side.
He was lucky today. He just fought on a cliff, and usually, an easy win is no better than becoming a hero out of the stories. Retracting his blades, Marus started to move towards the one place he doesn't want to go.
To the old treehouse.
His memories came crashing back to the time when he just turned fourteen.
-
Raidi stood on the flower fields outside El'nalla watching the birds fly in the mid-morning sky. His wooden sword and practice knives lay a few feet away from him next to a rock. Today, his training with the Adventurers was cancelled because they had to go on a mission, something about monsters coming from Mjölnir invading some small, newly built river town in the mountains. What was that town's name again? Al . . . Alde-something.
Anyway, though he was quite glad that he has some free time today, he couldn't help worrying for the people he considered his family.
"Raidi!" Nila's voice shouted for him as the girl with deep blue eyes ran into Raidi's view. Her bright blue dress going behind her with the wind.
He fell backwards when Nila jumped on him. Dozens of colorful wildflowers flew away with the wind when they both hit the ground.
The flower fields were beautiful today, the good mood was amplified by Nila's mere presence. Raidi hoped the girl didn't notice his blush when he though that. Although . . . her eyes were focused on his own so she probably didn't see. He tried to turn away, but she placed a hand on his left cheek and traced the markings and symbols that covered it. She just traced the ones on his cheek, but he still felt like she traced every symbol that dominated his entire left body. Again, the thought turned his face beet red all the way to his scalp.
"Raidi?" Nila was lying on his chest now, although he didn't notice her movement until she spoke. He felt his heartbeat against her cheeks as they both lay there on the ground. She was only two years younger than he is yet he felt as if he was being with a woman more mature than her age can allow. Again, he blushed.
"Yes?" he replied.
"It's your birthday today, isn't it?"
"It is."
"I haven't given you a present." Her hand was gripping his shirt tightly as she spoke this. Maybe she was embarrassed that she didn't give him his present. But then, Nila never struck him as someone who gets embarrassed so easily, not by something like this.
He tried to soothe her. "Nila, it's OK if you didn't bring me anything, I have you for a friend, don't I?"
That was an understatement. Actually, she was the only friend he has. His extremely rare blood-red eyes were considered bad luck here in El'nalla. Even though it's not true, nobody came near him, even those with eyes the same color as his. And the ones who did usually came close to beat him up. Nila and the Adventurers were the only ones who never saw him as bad luck or a live punching bag ever since his mother died.
She was sitting on top of him now. Muscles long tight and strengthened from battle training with the Adventurers were the only thing that let him tolerate her weight on his gut. She wasn't really that heavy . . . neither could Raidi refer to Nila as light.
Then, she kissed him.
Raidi's eyes widened with surprise. Her lips were soft and sweet, like cherries – much as he regretted the thought, for one thing but she was never this forward – never.
It was disappointingly short, which in turn surprised him because he was disappointed in the first place. Nila sat up and smiled. "Happy birthday, Raidi."
Raidi just gaped at the furiously blushing girl sitting on top of him. This day is going to be filled with blushes, it would seem.
Then again, after a rather long moment, she was the old Nila again. She grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently while ranting.
He didn't know what she was talking about, but it sounded like something about embarrassing herself just so he could have a birthday present. It didn't matter, he was getting dizzy.
"Ummm, Nila?"
She was still ranting . . . something about ingratitude – his ingratitude, maybe. Maybe she hasn't heard him because of the shaking.
"Nila?" he called out desperately.
It was now something about honor – where that should fit into the situation, Raidi didn't know.
"Nila!" he wasn't really that desperate to raise his voice like this. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue.
She was now babbling something that she didn't matter much to him but a pretty face.
Alright, she was way out of line. Grabbing her hands, Raidi stopped her. "Nila!" he drew her closer. Their eyes met. "Thank you." he said with a smile. "It was a wonderful gift. Surprising, but great nonetheless." It probably wouldn't hurt if he told the truth, but he was wondering if he said the right thing.
Her eyes were brimming with tears when he said this. This time, he wasn't surprised when she pulled in for another kiss.
Raidi didn't know how long they kissed, lying on the ground. He didn't really care at the moment. As their lips touched each other, as their tongue darted in and out of each other's mouth, he smiled inwardly as they kept on for the rest of the morning.
It was probably going to be a good day.
-
Marus ran his hand across the well-aged bark of the enormous tree. Only a few beams of light shot through its roof of leaves.
"Do you remember that promise you gave me, Raidi?" Kieria appeared from around the opposite side of the tree.
Despite himself, Marus smiled . . . if not bitterly. "That the two of us will always be together? . . . Yes."
"We still can, Raidi, you know that."
Marus turned around violently to face the demon, the sword-breaker's jaws snapping out. "Nila is dead! You're just a poor imitation of her! You can never be her!"
"Really, Raidi? Do you think that?" Kieria turned to mist and reappeared to his right, bathing in one of the rays of light, her eyes were filled with pain – if that was even possible with a demon. The light danced on her skin and her hair, "Look at me, Raidi, you know you are wrong."
Against his will, Marus changed his vision to look at her soul. He already knew what he would see. He wouldn't see the soulless shadow of the undead, or the menacing black aura that came with it when he faced demons; instead, he saw a bright red glow as with every human being.
Marus tore his eyes away from the sight. Kieria was the first that Sei'Gash summoned to his side. The demons his father conjured weren't the kind this world was used to. His father's minions were real souls taken from the grave and . . . "reformed" to his liking. That Sei'Gash would choose Nila to become this . . . thing in front of him made Marus hate him all the more.
Kieria touched his arm, and before he knew it, they were both on one of the tree's branches, right in front of a dilapidated house. The wood was rotted with age and Marus had no doubt that his first touch would send the small structure crumbling to dust. Only the cover of tree's leaves and branches kept the house from doing so.
At the sight of the treehouse, another memory forced its way into Marus' mind. The one when he was sixteen and when he just finished building the house.
-
Raidi drove the last nail into the board and the treehouse was done. Well, partly done, they still have to paint it.
Nila's head appeared from the ladder behind him and gasped at their new hang out. Raidi grinned proudly at her reaction. She scrambled up to what Raidi decided would be a porch – actually, it was just some excess wood that he decided would be the porch.
Nila then looked quizzically at what Raidi built. She pursed her lips and tapped them with one finger. "Are you sure this won't fall on our heads?"
Raidi sighed loudly before hitting his head to the doorpost. "You could be a bit more sensitive, Nila, I did build this thing on my own, you know."
Nila laughed and threw her arms around him.
"Hey! Could you two young lovebirds stop the act for a moment and help me up?" a familiar voice called out from the ladder. Raidi went over to take a look and saw Shigun shee-goon struggling up the nailed boards that served as their ladder. Then, he saw why the man was struggling and grinned.
Shigun was carrying five gallons worth of paint on his back. After a little effort, Nila and Raidi finally pulled the veteran Asassin Cross refer to as AC in the future up the last few steps.
"Ah! I'm getting too old for this!" Shigun complained while flopping on the floorboards.
Sitting down and unscrewing his water bottle to taking a sip, Raidi replied, "You've just turned thirty-two last month, if anyone should be saying that phrase, it should be Carlos."
At the mention of the Adventurers' oldest member, Shigun barked a laugh. "Carlos? Ha! He may be close to eighty, but the man thinks he can still handle stuff like he was your age!"
Well, the old Sniper did go about like that, Raidi supposed. He wondered how the old man still managed to be one of the Adventurers' more active members.
"Anyway," Shigun cut in as he tossed both Nila and Raidi, "I've just come by to check on you two. Especially you." he said while pointing to Nila with a knife that came out of nowhere. With that same knife, Shigun started to peel his apple. While peeling the apple, Shigun continued. "You know how Shadow Eyes here is very fond of you and I don't like to see that fondness turn into something the both of you are going to regret."
Nila bristled at what Shigun said. Not at what the AC insinuated, but at what the man called him. He was called Shadow Eyes as a taunt among the other kids when he was younger. They said that blood-red eyes were what bring the Shadow to the world. It was just superstition, but Raidi knew that Nila didn't like it if other people demean others, especially those close to her.
Raidi didn't mind, though, and put a hand on Nila's shoulder. Shigun was the one who taught him that he should never take an insult from words unless it was meant to be an insult. "Words are nothing", so the AC once said, and Raidi will take that advice. Besides, the man kept calling him that because he thought it fitting on Raidi. Especially since Raidi was being trained to be an AC himself.
"Well, I just brought you two your paint." Shigun stood up and prepared to leave. "And oh, by the way," the AC added as Raidi took a long drink from his water bottle.
Raidi raised his eyebrows to tell Shigun that he heard him.
That was when Shigun recited a . . . phrase or poem? He didn't really know. It wasn't well composed, but the point went through anyway, much to Raidi's distress. "Should the flower fall this fine morn', let the maiden feel the bliss of her first touch." And after a long pause, the man added before jumping off the tree, "And oh, be gentle."
The point of the poem was enough to make Raidi spray out whatever water was in his mouth. Shigun's humor might be normal from where the man came from, but not to Raidi's ears.
Raidi wouldn't do that to Nila if she didn't let him. And he doubted that she would. Besides, she was just a friend, that's all. A friend.
Luckily, Nila didn't understand. "What did he mean by that?" she asked. Raidi was afraid that his reaction alone might tell her, but he was relieved that she didn't.
"Nothing you would like." Raidi replied while hiding his red cheeks with the motion of taking another sip.
"Raidi?" she asked while she sat next to him. The morning sunlight made her skin glow.
"Yes?"
Nila wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head on his lap. "It's a good day, isn't it?"
Raidi stroked Nila's hair and smiled. "Yes, it is, Nila. It is."
"Please promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"We will always be together?"
Raidi kissed her forehead. "We will, I promise."
-
"Those days are gone, Kieria, and you can never take her place." Marus said flatly, his weapon's jaws glowing menacingly from the little sunlight that came through.
"But I am her! You still can't see that?" Kieria . . . pleaded from the crumbling doorway of the treehouse. Her hands spread out to the side as if begging for him to come closer.
"SHE IS DEAD!" Marus roared.
"I AM NOT!" she shouted back while coming closer to him with one hand extended.
With one smooth motion, Marus slashed with his katar. He expected blood to spray out, but he only hit mist.
She was behind him again. "You will be with me, Raidi. I waited too long for this day to come." Her voice was cold now. Threatening.
Pain surged all over his body. Marus tried to scream but the only thing that came out were incoherent gurgling.
He remembered this kind of pain all too well.
This was when he first realised his power . . . and the curse in his blood.
-
Raidi was looking at the fountain at the center of town. That was when, as expected and to his dismay, someone shouted.
"Hey Shadow Eyes!" one of the bullies called out. But really now, they were mostly seventeen – his age, the proper term to be used was punks.
Raidi turned around to see he was face by a dozen kids his age. They wielded some blunt weapons, mainly two-by-two planks of wood and a few knives here and there.
Great, not again. Raidi pulled out his wooden sword from his back and casually leaned on it. "All right, how long do you guys want to stay unconscious this time?" he said in the cockiest tone of voice he could summon.
That taunt was enough to whip them into a frenzy. When will these guys ever learn?
This has become quite the weekly ritual for him, really. Most of the young men in El'nalla thought it as an affront to their pride when they were constantly beaten up by a "red-eyed freak".
The first fool to come near him was too sloppy with a club. It missed him by a few inches when the guy tried to crack Raidi's skull. Raidi just sidestepped it and pounded the guy's head with his wooden sword. In Raidi's opinion, it probably was more worth calling a club. It can't be a sword since it can't slice or stab, after all. Oh well, club it is, then.
He wondered how Nila is. It's been a while since they last met. Maybe he should come visit her this time. After all, she always visited him in the flower fields when he was alone.
The next four were easily dispatched. Since they surrounded him, they thought he was dead meat. But then, all four of them had the stupidity to thrust with their metal bats – how that could harm him, he didn't know. All Raidi did was duck low and the four of them hit each other on the gut.
Nila liked sampaguita necklaces. Maybe he should make one, although, he should ask Kaira, the only female Gypsy in the Adventurers, to help him with that. Maybe he should put in a few flowers of his own into the necklace. Some rose petals maybe. Probably a few blue Maiden's Pride blossoms at some parts, maybe even some yellow. It might turn into a good piece.
The next three were different, they carried knives, not that it mattered much against someone with a long sword – wooden or otherwise – if they're not fast enough. Raidi swept his sword sideways in a dismissing gesture, cracking the first one's arm. The knife fell as he cried out in pain. Raidi then ducked low to avoid a swipe from a butcher's knife. He then thrust his sword – club? maybe – under the guy's chin. He turned clockwise and delivered a full-bodied swing to the last one's shoulder.
Really though, cracked bones and broken egos were part of this ritual. Raidi was getting disturbingly used to that.
Anyway, what's for dinner? Maybe Cindy, the Bishop, would cook one of her legendarily delicious meat pies. Or most likely pull another Marine Sphere prank on them . . . Raidi still had to recover from that last one – scattered pieces of pie were probably still being scraped off the wall while he was participating in this little . . . fiasco. But then, her cooking was worth the risk of being blown to bits by her strange sense of humor.
A moment's pause on that last thought . . . maybe not.
It was now down to the last four. Raidi saw that they were his – oh Light preserve him, not again – "regulars" in terms of the beatings. "Guys," Raidi half-pleaded half-whined, "how many times do I have to lay the smack down on you? Or are you masochists in the guise of rage-blinded citizens?"
The four of them were close together and in a line. Perfect conditions to try the move the Adventurer's Lord Knights taught him.
The four imbeciles lunged forward. Raidi simply stepped all the way to the side and readied his sword; muscles tense and focused, sword poised as if it was sheathed at his left hip. "You guys are idiots."
"BOWLING . . .!" OK, Raidi already knew he didn't need to declare the move's name. But would anyone blame him if he couldn't help it?
The four idiots stared at him with utter astonishment when he suddenly appeared to their immediate left, the two that were now in front of him actually gasped.
"BASH!"
Raidi's wooden sword – it has got to be a club! – slammed unto the front idiot's gut with enough force that it actually broke. Great, he has to find a new piece. The man flew backwards so hard that the three behind him went along with his flight. The four of them rolled unconscious on the stone paved street.
Raidi sighed. It was just another normal Tuesday.
That was when pain threatened to shatter his head. It felt like thousand needlepoints pricking and scraping away on his scalp, and that was just on the outside. Inside, it felt like his skull was full of boiling acid, ready to burst out at any moment.
"Magnificent!"
"Who's there!" Raidi cried out in surprise. Or tried to, the pain was immense.
"I haven't been disappointed in choosing."
"Choosing what?" the pain went into unimaginable heights.
"My son, let us begin."
"What . . . do . . . you mean! . . . AHHH!" the pain spread all across the left side of his body.
"Behind you, Marus!"
Marus? What? Raidi turned around. And he saw a monstrosity coming near him. It was a dark man-shape made of rock and blood. The blood oozed out between where the rock split when the thing moved, leaving dark droplets on the street. Heat radiated from the monster making the air haze around it.
"Stop." Raidi tried to back away. To run.
The monster lifted its arm towards him.
"Stop!" he tried but his feet were rooted to the ground.
It walked closer to him. Raidi never felt so afraid.
"STOP!"
Raidi raised his hand. His left hand.
Bright red light flashed for only an instant. In that instant, time slowed. The pain left him and he fell to his knees with exhaustion.
His hand. He felt around it, trying to find if there was anything about it that caused that light. Then, he saw that a symbol was missing. He rubbed his eyes thinking that maybe he was just dazed from the flash. Only, the symbol really was missing. In its place, there was a scar, small and seemingly white from age.
Strange . . .
Raidi looked up and saw the body. When he did, his blood froze. What he saw wasn't a monster.
It was a man.
When he came closer, he saw there was a small, smoking hole in the middle of the man's forehead. Shock and terror lay fixed on the man's dead eyes.
"You there!" it was a unit of the city guard.
And Raidi ran.
He killed a man.
Light above help him! What has he done?
-
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
OMG! The Italics abuse! I can't believe I just did it again!
OMG! A GC Crusader friend of mine just got hacked!
OMG! I got hooked to Tantra and Rose Online!
OMG! Wala na kong load sa Ragna!
OMG! Wala na kong pera!
OMG! . . . . wala lang . . .