Disclaimer (of course)- I do not own .Hack or Ranma 1/2, obviously. They are owned by someone else.
Online Personalities
By Phantom Dragn
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Chapter 5- Chaos and Complications
Stepping outside of the portal, Shizuka looked around. She was obviously a wavemaster, with a long reddish staff topped with a ring, looking disturbingly like the kinjakan without the winglike decorations on the side. Sadly, this one couldn't melt rock and detach the top as a razor sharp projectile.
Shizuka herself could be described in one word. Blue. She had light blue, cyan hair and azure eyes. Like most wavemasters she wore robes, blue of course. Her getup always got looks, since she had all blue, with her red staff showing quite obviously.
Walking toward one of the stores scattered around the area to replenish her supplies, she smiled, seeing a group make it's way through the people relaxing or waiting for friends.
There were two strong looking players, a heavy blade and twin blade, along with some new players. They were probably helping out the new players with an area they couldn't do themselves. A lot of higher level players did that these days.
Stopping in front of the store, Shizuka purchased some potions, elixers, and some other materials. She thought, once more, about partners. Unlike most magic users, she didn't have a team or any partners, being rather shy in the world. Besides, she was really high level, at 73, and could handle a lot by herself.
Still lost in her thoughts, she wandered back to the portal and teleported to a random area.
Looking around she smiled, this was one of her favorite areas. It was a mixed field, with a large field along with a forest and cave. The whole area was infested with random level monsters, so you could face anything from lv1 monsters to insanely powerful monsters.
As a portal started to appear to her right, she turned toward it and held her staff ready. A level 30 golem popped out, and Shizuka shrugged. 'hmm, was hoping for something harder, oh well' she thought as she smote the monster with a firebolt before jumping to the side and slashing it with her staff. The monster dissolved into grayness, and Shizuka was off, looking for more training.
An hour later, she finished up yet another battle with a lv 60 Young Dragon, destroying it with a large blast of energy. Drinking an elixer to replenish her magic, she suddenly lurched as the area shook.
'What in the world was that!' she thought wildly as she looked around the area. Suddenly, monster portals started to appear everywhere.
'Kuso...' she thought as she was slapped aside from another Dragon that materialized behind her.
Landing beside a wall, she watched as another player was slammed into the ground by a lv 115(!) Asteroid Golem, made of large rocks with red veins in them, and eaten by the dragon. (guess who that was...)
Wincing at the sight, Shizuka leapt backwards even further as a berserker sliced the ground she had occupied a second before. Twirling her staff she sent a scythe of golden energy through the monster, and looked around wildly.
The group she had seen before was in a corner, with the two high level players trying to ward off a group of high level knights and another Asteroid Golem. Running toward them to try to help, she sent another scythe of energy at the Golem, without much effect.
"Hey, could you help guard these guys" the heavy blade yelled.
"Sure, who're you guys anyways" Shizuka said as she parried a sword with her staff.
"I'm Katsu, and my partner there is Uk..Umeko" he said, slamming a sword into a knight, slaying it instantly.
Umeko got punched in the gut by the golem as Katsu said that, flying past her and landing in front of the freaked out group.
Wincing, again, she said to Katsu "Uh, yeah, I'm Shizuka, but let's fight, not talk"
Nodding, and bisecting a baby dragon that had come, he focused on the fight again.
Turning around in time to block a shade, she fired a ball of white hot fire into it's face.
Feeling rather good, she tried to see how Umeko was in time for both of them to be hit by the Asteroid Golem again.
"Ite!" she yelled 'dang, that thing is too powerful for me or her'.
Another punch was deflected by Katsu, as he appeared in front of them. However, he was forced back and the ring of monsters pressed forward.
The golem gathered a ball of dark red flame in it's arms, and fired it at Shizuka and Umeko, who leaped out of the way, twin blades flashing through a nearby shade. Unnoticed by Shizuka, Katsu was having trouble with a knot of knights, and suddenly stabbed the ground with his finger, which exploded, killing the knights.
She leaped to the side as another blast hit the ground. As another one approached them, she groaned inwardly 'can't dodge that one...'
A blur appeared in front of her, and the blast split, frying the rock to the side of Shizuka.
The girl in front of her had red hair in a ponytail, and wearing a green tunic and pants. She was holding a long glaivelike weapon, and was obviously really strong, having split the golem's attack.
'If I didn't know better, I would think that was R..'
Then the girl turned around and spoke "I guess you need some help, ne?"
Akane nodded gratefully "Arigato.."
"Ranko, and you are?"
"Shizuka" she replied, thinking about how similar she was to Ranma. But this girl was...a girl, and using feminine speech, so it couldn't be. Besides, he was at the library, and he wasn't exactly into video games, right? Especially not as a female character.
It never occured to Shizuka that she wasn't really like this in real life, either, and she dismissed it in favor of the fight going on.
Leaping toward Katsu, Ranko yelled "Get everyone ready to run"
Katsu and Umeko, who were near the group looked up, "What?" they said in unison.
Ranko dashed forward and with a yell swung a now glowing glaive through the Asteroid Golem, landed, and slashed again as she ran past some more monsters, each turning gray as she passed. "Run, I can hold back any monsters that try to attack!"
They watched in amazement, even Katsu, at level 94 couldn't do that, at least not in this situation. Then they recovered and yelled "Move it, you heard her".
The group rushed out, followed by Shizuka, Katsu, and Umeko. As they ran along, fending off attacks from some of the monsters, they saw other strong players trying to make their way to the portals. Most of the weaker players had died or were being protected like Katsu's group.
Looking behind, Shizuka saw Ranko take down another group of golems approaching the party down with a blurring offensive, polearm spinning and slashing rapidly. Smiling wryly, she reflected on how she knew only someone who could do that, but in real life.
As they reached the portal and teleported out, she saw Ranko start toward the portal as well. Then the area was gone, replaced with the peace of the root town (is that right?).
Shizuka logged out, that incident had rattled her, and she needed to think. She knew that shouldn't have happened and wondered why it had.
Akane went to the window and looked out, breathing heavily, as if she really had done it.
Looking back at the computer, she realized that there was mail, from the game. Sighing, she sat down again and checked the mail.
From: Katsu
To: Shizuka
-You logged off, but if you log in again soon, could you come to the square? Me and Umeko want to discuss what happened.
'Hmm, I might as well' Akane/Shizuka thought as she read the other mail, this one from Umeko. Finally! She said something...
From: Umeko
To: Shizuka.
-Me and Katsu will be in the square for a while, we have some stuff we want to talk about with you.
As she logged in she thought about all that had happened, so much had been happening, so fast, her mind was still reeling.
000000000000
After seeing the group get through the portal, Ranko also started for the portal. However, more monsters appeared, all lv 90+. Gritting her teeth she prepared to fight.
The next few minutes past in a blur. Using all her speed and skill she had acquired in the real world as well as training here, she became a whirlwind of weapons and limbs. She swept past dragons, golems, and spirits at inhuman speeds, even for the game, glowing like a mini star with ki.
'Kami-sama, I'm lucky that I can access my real life skills here' she thought as she launched some ki blasts into a group of golems, shattering them with an explosion.
Leaping into the air, she cursed as some of the creatures that could fly attacked her. Twisting around in midair, she unleashed a flurry of vacuum blades, not bothering to announce the attack. 'It's not the real world, so they are not really sealed, right?'
All of a sudden, a new surge of monsters met her as she landed. She tried to dodge, but some of the claws, fists, and weapons landed, and she flew into a rock wall. 'That's it, this stinks' she thought wryly as a rock spirit flowed out from the wall to try to grab her 'This really, really sucks'.
Forcing her way out, it got even worse. An enormous portal blocked her way as a large behemoth wielding two swords appeared. 'Oh, kami-sama, it's over level 200' she thought as one sword rebounded off her glaive, only to have the other slash her.
'Whoops' was her last thought as she slumped down.
All over Japan, a repeat of years past happened as many players of the World who were in the dungeon lost consciousness.
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Yes, you can yell and scream and flame. I don't have much of an idea for after this, since I don't want this to last very long, I'm actually having this be a temporary problem...
This will not be a long drawn out problem, at least not for Ranko/Ranma...Hmm, maybe I could just use my original plan for how to revive him/her and keep the normal people under for a story. But then, I don't want a clone of the sign/dusk storylines, so no Aura in this, and probably no bracelet. Hmmm, I sense delays soon...
Anyways, hope you like how this went, just don't think about how I backed myself into a corner with this, and it'll be fine.
OK, last but not least, info about the characters:
AkaneShizuka - Difference is that she is well, shy and without a temper problem. If you can change her more than that, pray tell.
UkyoUmeko - Difference is even MORE antisocial than Shizuka, completely different than Ukyo.
RyogaKatsu - Difference is has direction sense, and is happy and helpful.
RanmaRanko - Difference is she acts like, well, a she. More on this later. Next chapter will focus on her problem now, and how to get her normal again.
Email addresses. I have no idea how they do it in the World, so I made it up :P. Basically took their online name and it's translation and ended it with theworld. Whatever...
Guess who I based the poor guy who got hit by an Asteroid Golem and eaten by a Dragon on? lol...
Next chapter unless I have one of those sidestories I mentioned will have:
-Discussion between Shizuka, Umeko, Katsu, they figure out their identities. They think about "Ranko" and go searching. Explanation of what happened. Maybe more, we'll see.
Nothing is set in stone, especially not now. Don't trust anything I say here 100 percent, it might change. Seriously.
UPDATE: Next chapter is a sidestory. Why? Because it's hard trying to incorporate every idea and suggestion I get or think of. My original idea is so far away I might make another version of the story just to fit that idea onto the net, and no one could complain. THAT's how different it is now. Not kidding when I say to disregard most of my author's notes, especially earlier chapters. Like I said, my original idea is too far away to salvage or find again. Someone mentioned changing weapons. I thought of that already, have a (nother) cool idea for that, but the past ones keep getting scrapped. Sorry to dear reviewers, I don't think I can quite put in ALL of the suggestions I get from you...