Chapter 1: New Beginnings To Old Stories

"We really shouldn't be doing this, Jinx."

"Oh come on, that goon at the church doesn't give us enough and you know it."

Prontera was brightly lit with a warm summer's glow, and the usual Merchants were attempting to sell their wares, crowding the streets, leaving little space to walk about. The sounds of talking, whether it is yelling, or the murmurs of face-to-face conversation, flooded the streets in the southern end of the city like the gentle passing breeze. The cheerful little chirping of the birds overhead could only be heard if one listened very closely over the talking, and the songs played by wandering Bards. Adventurers were, time and time again, making the Capital of Rune-Midgarts their number one stop for supplies and equipment. The stores were crowded, and the sellers were making their usual high wages. It was certainly rewarding to have a successful business in Prontera. But for the less fortunate, life in Prontera was far from great. Just like in any town, it would be a struggle to survive. Even with the help they had, two particular children were forced to the level of petty thievery in order to acquire the food and supplies necessary for survival. They didn't even get to live in their own home, not any place like the grand buildings, pure white with stone, which stood proudly along the streets.

No, these two children had no such luck. A teenaged boy, an orphan for as long as he could remember, was stealing. Even though he trained as an Acolyte, and respected the bible and Odin's commandments and regulations, he somehow knew that the "man upstairs" would understand. Although he was hunched over, his form did not seem that bad. He was decently fit, having not been subjected to any amount of food that would obscure such fitness. The only way to recognize this fitness, though, was by his broad shoulders, as his robe covered nearly his whole frame, save his feet. It was a tan-coloured robe, with a muffler of a creamy colour. The cuffs were of a darker colour, and he wore a belt with metal plating across the front. His hands were covered in fitting leather gloves; his feet dawned in socks and leather sandals. His decent, chestnut brown hair was worn in such a way that it would hang over his left eye, and a pair of white glasses with red lenses were perched on his forehead. The teenaged boy smiled back to his accomplice, who didn't seem as ecstatic.

His friend had been with him for ages. She was the same age at the boy, having lived into her teenaged years, perhaps walking the earth for sixteen summers, born in the spring. Her from was about three inches shorter than the young male's, standing at over five feet five inches, give or take. Her skin was pale, flawless in most every way, only slightly tainted by the nervous expression shown in her fair blue eyes. Long crimson hair flowed beautifully down her back, ending at the lower point of her back, bangs not nearly obscuring any view of her eyes. A lunatic skin muffler rested about her shoulders, warming her shoulders and neck with its upturned collar, coming to a clasp at her neck where a broach was fastened. Her slender form ran from the leather top that covered just what was needed to retain decency, curving delicately inwards to her midriff, and flaring out slightly at the hips. A sort of loincloth, again, kept her decency, the elegant, though simple fabric flowing down the front and back of her lower boy to end at about her shins. The outfit being completed by beautiful leather boots and long, elbow-length gloves, she certainly held the image of a magician well. The small decorations on her muffler and littered about her outfit hinted at a nature that she may not have even understood fully.

"Yes, I know, but..." The young lady began to rebuttal.

"Mystic, come on." The young man turned to his kneeling friend, both hiding suspiciously within an alleyway. "There's nothing you can say to make that jerk look any better. He's an ass, and that's all there is to it."

"Well... yes... but..." Mystic, as she was called, continued to try and talk sense into the boy.

The food merchant was busying herself, trying to sell her merchandise to anyone who would buy it. Occasionally, a hungry adventurer or villager would pass by and purchase something, but other than that, very few bought anything from her. Jinx, the young Acolyte, saw her as a perfect person to steal from. Of course, he knew what was right and wrong. But the man that had taken him and Mystic into their care did anything but provide for their needs. He starved the poor orphans, and made them work for nothing. Jinx had wanted to escape from this man's clutches for ages, and even Mystic, who normally counts her blessings, could find no good side to being with such an abusive "father." It was that man's fault that Jinx had resorted to stealing in the first place. The young Acolyte knew, though, that Odin would forgive him. He was doing what he needed to avoid an unjustified demise, and even provided for Mystic. Of course, the consequences of being caught by either his "father" or the town guards would have been fairly severe, but it was of no consequence to Jinx. He wanted him and his friend to live, and that's all there was to it. With this critical need in mind, Jinx turned his attentions to the merchant again, completely brushing Mystic off. The poor lady had only turned her back for one moments before Jinx was at her stall, looting her of any fresh fruits she carried. He was a little slow though, and as he ran away, she spotted him and called for the guards.

Jinx's blood ran cold, and his heart began to race. He looked around frantically until he saw a guard running at him, calling for him to stop. This wasn't anything new; the young man had run away from the guards several times. This time would be no different. He ran to his friend, who tried to tell him she was right, but he had grabbed her hand and dragged her away from her hiding spot before she could say a word. It was all a matter of out-maneuvering the guard that was in pursuit of them from there on out. He ran with his friend, who eventually gave in and followed willingly, pushing through the crowds while one of the guards followed them throughout. Being bigger then the two teenagers, the guard ha a difficult time following the two of them. Adventurers, Merchants, and citizens were both surprised to see Jinx and Mystic running about and pushing past, but at the same time they weren't surprised at all. The young Acolyte made it such a "habit" to steal from people that when it happened, people expected it. He ran towards the north east side of the town, where the church was. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. Jinx had to lose the guards before he could get back to the church, but at the same time, he was heading right towards the castle, where more guards were stationed. But, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Uh oh." He slid to a stop. It seemed that bridge came sooner than he thought.

"Stop those kids!" The guard shouted, making the two guards stationed at the gates of the castle look right at Jinx and Mystic, who where the only people who seemed separated from the crowds. They left their posts to catch the two of them.

"Um..." Jinx reached over and stole and empty bag from someone, stuffing the armful of fruit into it and taking Mystic's hand and running towards an alleyway. "This way!"

"W-Where are we going!" Mystic asked in worry as she followed, three guards now in pursuit.

"Away from trouble!" Jinx responded as they came into the alley.

Looking around, Jinx saw his ticket. He looked up, seeing a two-sectioned rooftop. One part, closest to the alley, was lower than the rest of it. Mystic caught on to this, and when Jinx offered her a boost, she could only accept. Getting on one knee, Jinx waited until Mystic's foot was in his hands, and then thrust her into the air. She leapt, landing on the rooftop gracefully. Jinx then threw the bag of fruit up to her and began looking for his own way up. He spotted a can of garbage and hastily leapt onto it. The guards had shown up then, and Jinx had a little trouble, the can being off balance and wobbly. They ran at him, and in desperation, he leapt up, grabbing hold of the roof. His gloved digits couldn't get a firm grip and he slid back a bit, guards grabbing at his feet. Fortunately, one was close enough for the Acolyte to use their head as a step, and he climbed up, barely escaping their grasp. He let out a sigh of relief and took the fruit bag back. He grinned down at the guards, who yelled out for him to stop. He just brushed them off and walked along the rooftop with a nervous Mystic close beside him. He smiled, the church being in sight.

He walked along quickly, but more calm than before. He brushed his hair neatly back into place as he walked along the rooftops. He gracefully was able to leap alley gaps, and he held Mystic's hand as they both carefully made their way along thin planks of wood and clothes lines that connected wider gaps. Slowly they made their way across the town again, the guards having given up their search, and went to tell the food seller that they couldn't retrieve her stolen food. With the church only a few moments away, Jinx leapt down from the rooftop and landed on the ground, making sure he didn't hurt himself. He then turned and looked up to Mystic, who was hesitant. She blushed, tugging insecurely at her loincloth-like bottoms, trying to remain decent. Jinx raised an eyebrow, putting the bag down and raising his arms to catch her if she decided to jump. She refused. With a sigh, Jinx ran to the church, took a ladder from the back, and ran over to her again, setting up the ladder. He then turned away, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently as she climbed down.

"Come on Mystic, I'm hungry." He hurried her, or at least tried to rush her a bit.

"I'm sorry." She apologized as she got to the ground.

"Ah, it's not your fault." Jinx handed her the bag then, and took the ladder.

With a little relief, Jinx and Mystic headed around to the back of the church, setting the ladder up again. Sitting down, they sighed, leaning against a wall. After a short rest, Jinx anxiously opened up the bag to see what exactly he had stolen. A few apples were all, but it was enough. They each took an apple, brushed them off, and began to eat them. It was very refreshing, to get something as sweet as an apple for a meal. After all, the slop they were fed at the church barely qualified as food. It seemed like Odin himself was blessing them as they ate. Soon, being relaxed, they settled, eating their fruit and listening to the sounds of the afternoon from the shadowy place, behind the church, the city wall naught five feet before them. Jinx grinned, looking to Mystic with a slight smile, brushing his hair away from his eye. She returned his smile, and with the knowing that his friend was happy, Jinx went to take a bite of another apple. Though, he bit at his own fingers as the apple was taken from his hand quickly. Jinx blinked, letting his hair fall before his left eye again as he looked up, a shadowed figure blocking what little light there was.

"What are you two doing back here?" The person, a large, mean-looking man asked… Or more, demanded.

Jinx didn't speak back.

"Where'd these come from?" The man asked in that same tone, snatching the bag of apples away from Mystic, who didn't put up much of a fight. "Apples?"

"We…bought them." Mystic said.

"Ha! I don't pay you a bloody cent!" The man boasted. "Don't pull that crap with me. You stole these!"

"… So?" Jinx back-talked the man, sending him into a fury.

"Listen you little punk!" The man shouted as he lifted Jinx off the ground. "I've had to deal with enough crap because of you!"

"Then give us away." Jinx continued to show his attitude.

"Shut up!" The man shoved him roughly to the ground, Mystic watching in fright. "You little brats are more trouble than you're worth. Now I have to go and return what apples are left in here, and make it look like I care. You stupid…! Gah never mind. Go inside, clean the whole back room, both of you, and when you're done, go deliver something to the castle for me."

"No." Jinx shot at him.

"No food for you tonight then." The man grinned, turning and heading away. "Get to it!"

"Stupid jerk." Jinx mumbled, standing up and brushing himself off.

"I'm sorry Jinx." Mystic said.

"Forget it." Jinx sighed. "He'll get his own, don't you worry. Let's just go before he comes back."

Feeling down, the orphan looped around and entered the church. The church was where the Acolytes and Priests of Rune-Midgarts were trained, and showed their faith to Odin… If only they knew such a sinner was amongst them. It was a grand building, decorated rays of sunlight splashing beautiful shadows from the window frames onto the marble floor tiles. The walls were made of fine gray stone, and the ceiling, reinforced by pillars, held a pure white look. The whole place had an air of faith and belief amongst it. Even a non-believer would feel a sort of other-bodily presence within the place. Even the back storeroom, with wine bottles and books laying about, thick layers of dust resting on each age-old object, had a sort of holy feeling. Cleaning it up wasn't all too bad of a task, but it was time-consuming, leading well into the evening. Once the two were finished, they didn't expect a meal. They still had a job to do, and they would get no rest or food until it was done.

Leaving the storeroom, the two orphans moved to their "father's" room. Within the room, that same mean-looking man put them down further before telling them to transport an object to the castle. It was a large crate, full of Rosemary, and each holy necklace wasintended for each and every inhabitant within the castle. With a sigh, the two orphans took either side of the crate and lifted, the god-forsaken wooden crate being the weighted embodiment of the devil, one could say. The two of them picked upthat crate, barely off the floor, and began to lug it out of the church. With grunts and groans, they moved the crate out of the church, and slowly made their way to the castle. Even though the castle was a place of greatness, the two felt little more than average, walking past the guards and into the main lobby. They dropped the box with a loud, echoing boom, needing to take a break and rest their weary arms.

The main lobby, massive as any house in Prontera, was very admirable. Regal in appearance, red carpet lined a sort of walkway for people to move on. The room was tiled black and white in diamond designs, the floor having been so clean that one could see their reflection in the polished white ceramic. The walls were of fine ebony wood, polished to shine, and the ceiling was made out of the usual paint and whatever it would have been at the time, which was more than likely a kind of stone. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting a strong, eloquent light. Portraits and paintings decorated the walls, and a few late-night servants were roaming about. It was a very comforting place. But the two teens were even happier to see a familiar, smiling face coming their way.

The servant didn't make any sort of noise. She moved so gracefully that she couldn't be heard. But, if one looked, she would have certainly been a sight that was difficult to miss. Dressed in naught but a yellow tee shirt and an apron, this femme fatal went naked from the waist down. Or, was that really the case? Her over-buxom body was dawned in beautifully tanned skin, as if she had held this tan for all her life. Her purple hair ran straight to frame her eyes, which were similar lavender in colour. Though, she was certainly different. Her hips flared a slight bit, exposed due to her shirt not being able to come down fully over her large, well-endowed chest, and what was exposed separated her from most living beings on the planet. Her lower body was a three-foot long, violet scaled, snake-like appendage. She was a Naga, and well known throughout the castle. She had also made her mark in a book, that had passed down for a few years. Everyone knew her as one of the most… well, exotic, beauties in all of Rune-Midgarts.

"Myssstuc! Jincsss!" The demon smiled, greeting them cheerfully, holding out her arms in a warm welcome. "Hello again! Isis welcomes you!"

"Hey Isis." Jinx waved.

"Hello." Mystic nodded. "How are you doing?"

"Isis is alright." The Naga responded. "Are you here for work?"

"Yeah, that jerk at the church asked us to bring this heavy crate." Jinx responded bluntly.

"Jincsss has no need to sssay more." Isis waved him off. "Isis will take care of the sssilly little crate."

With that, the two orphans stepped aside to let her go to work. It was a simple task for the snake-like beauty. Even though her form was fairly thin, aside from her womanly curves, she held untold power that was difficult to rival. With almost no effort at all, the Naga wedged her hand beneath the crate, pushing it over with her free hand so she could get under it better. Then, when she was in place, she simply lifted. The crate of wood was lifted like a cardboard shoebox, and with a cheery smile, Isis nodded to them and slithered away, carrying the heavy box easily towards its destination. The two orphans followed behind the Naga, watching in a stupor as she carried the box. The halls were fairly quiet as they moved, until a conversation in another room caught Jinx's attention. The voices were muffled, due to a thick wooden door and the walls separating the Acolyte from the people within the room. To solve this, Jinx quietly opened the door, listening in.

Inside, there was a Prontera Official. The young Acolyte could only guess this, judging his clothes. There were only two other people in the room. There was a young man, maybe just into his teenaged years. He had dark brown hair, and was dressed in a pair of brown over-alls, a thick breastplate covering the sight of the straps over his chest. He had a pair of gloves, a pair of plated boots, gray kneepads and maroon elbow pads to finish the look. Jinx assumed he was a Novice of some profession, since he had a traveler's dagger belted to his waist. The young man's hazel eyes showed deep interest in the conversation between the Prontera Official and another man within the room. This man was much more intriguing than the younger one.

The other man looked much older. He had green hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail, which was tied by one elastic piece of cloth near the end of the green tail. His voice sounded pure, and he was dressed in a scruffy-looking outfit. He had on a thick, large muffler that covered most of his upper arms, and a thick long shirt beneath that, both being cornsilk in colour. A pair of thick cornsilk shorts covered his blue, thin jeans, leading to his simple shoes. With a tight pair of leather gloves on his hands and a white flowing kind of cape, he seemed to be a poor traveler of sorts. But the most interesting thing about him that caught Jinx's eye was the blinker he wore over his eyes. Those who had trouble sleeping at night generally wore a blinker, and this cloth wrapped over the eyes would make their unconscious self keep their eyes closed. So why was the man wearing it while he was awake? It wasn't until after that thought that the young Acolyte clued into their conversation.

"… He's already departed from the castle." The Official said.

"That won't do…" The green-haired man said. "We needed him to take it.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." The Official said. "He never gave any word to anyone as to where he was headed. He just disappeared one morning."

"I think I know what he aims to do in his absence." The green-haired man said. "But I couldn't even begin to tell you where he could be."

"Well, this is a dire matter!" The Official exclaimed. "Isn't there any substitute?"

"All the others have disembarked." The green-haired man responded.

"So there's nothing we can do."

"Well, since I can't go, we will have to send a new person. But this person has to be young, and eager. I fear that any elder folk would assess the situation too clearly, and discover that the odds are against them. We need someone who is over-confident, and naïve. We need a teenager for this, it's the only kind of human being that would be daring enough to leave."

"Jinx! What are you doing?"

Jinx was startled, bumping the door as he turned his head to see Mystic coming towards him with a bright smile. In the meantime, the people in the room were made aware of his presence. Jinx stood up quickly and backed away from the door. Mystic just watched him in misunderstanding. But before an escape could be made, the young Novice burst through the door and lunged at Jinx. Jinx tried to react quickly, but found him back against a railing, leading back down to the entrance foyer. The young Novice tackled him to get him down, and both were sent over the railing. They both let out a little cry of panic, accompanied by Mystic's cry of fright as they both fell several feet towards the tiled floor. Luckily for Jinx, the young Novice landed beneath him, crashing through a table. Instantly thinking that he was in trouble, Jinx stood up and fled. Though the Novice, despite having the wind knocked out of him, stood up and chased after the young Acolyte.

Jinx ran into the nearest room as he zipped through the corridors. The door was open, so he let himself in. The Novice was right behind him though, and ran in after him. This gave neither of the teenaged boys any time to stop, and soon found themselves in a storeroom, sliding frictionless across a heavily waxed floor. Both attempted to keep their balance, and ended up skiing towards a stack of boxes at the end of the room. With a final cry of impending danger, they struck the boxes like bowling balls, sending the boxes crashing down on them, many various cooking supplies, such as flower and eggs, showering them. They both laid still for a moment, blinking, head to toe in white powder, broken yolk and egg white slopped into their hair and onto their clothes. Jinx moved to sit up first, but the young Novice rolled on top of him and tried to sustain him, attempting to pin his wrists to the floor. They both struggled for several seconds before the Novice was hauled off the Acolyte by an impressive arm, the other reaching out and grabbing Jinx, hauling him off the floor as well. They both found themselves held by the scruff of their collars by an angry Naga, who held them up like dolls.

"Jincsss! Cloud!" Isis shouted at the two of them, being the only Naga to ever grace the inner walls of the castle as a resident. "Isis just spent many hoursss cleaning thisss room!"

"Heh… um…" The Novice, Cloud, responded nervously. "Isis, this guy was peeping in on Nale's meeting. I had to catch him."

"Nale?" This thought flew through the Acolyte's head before anything else.

"Did you get him?" A voice rang out from the door, and Jinx looked to see the blind man, lead by the Official.

"Well…" Cloud chuckled nervously.

"These two messed it all up!" Isis shouted. "Isis and Alisss ssspent sso much time on thisss room!"

"Jinx! What happened?" Mystic pushed past the blind man and the Official, running to Jinx. Though, she slipped on the waxed floor and fell. Soon after, she sat up and brought her legs together shyly, to remain decent and for the fact she was embarrassed. "You're all white!"

"Yeah, I'm a ghost!" Jinx teased.

"Are not!" Mystic giggled. "You're all covered in flour!"

"… Sir, can you describe those two children to me?" The blind man asked.

"Well, Nale…" The Official spoke. "They both look to be very fit. We've seen them many times inside the castle… They're orphans, and they live at the church. One is a male Acolyte, and the other is attempting to profess herself in some sort of magician career. The girl has long red hair, the boy has short dark brown hair, with it covering his left eye, and a pair of fashionable glasses on his head."

"Wait, you're really Nale?" Jinx asked in surprise, squirming out of Isis's grasp. "You're Nale Frugen!"

"Nale Frugen?" Mystic stood up and looked at the blind man. "You mean that Bard in that story?"

"That's me, amigos." Nale chuckled. "Blind as a bat now… well, more-so. But I'm flattered you know me."

"Mister Frugen, what are you doing here? What were you talking about?" Jinx asked.

"Now boy, that was a private conversation!" The Official scolded.

"Hold up." Nale said, raising a hand to silence the Official. "He's ambitious… I'll tell him. Young amigo, I was talking about the hand in that story… Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Linkin's hand." Jinx responded.

"Yes." Nale spoke. "That hand was preserved for future use… But nobody would take it and go on the journey to close the remaining portals… Those god-forsaken portals that lead to a place more horrible than anything you had ever imagined. I paid close attention to this, and after several years, when I found that still, no one would take the task, I took Cloud with me to Juno and retrieved it myself. Knowing that I could not even think about going on such a journey without my sight, I sought another to take it. But the person I had in mind has left on an adventure of his own, and I'm stuck."

"I see." Jinx responded, brushing his hair back. The information was a little much to absorb.

"I need a young man, or woman, to go in his stead. Someone who's not afraid of a little trouble." Nale grinned. "You seem like a confident guy."

"What?" Jinx stared blankly at the would-be Bard as if he were crazy. "What are you saying?"

"HA, naïve as any." Nale laughed. "I hear that man at the church is a mean one… Is that true?"

"Very…" Mystic sighed.

"Well, all the more reason to take this task!" Nale smirked. "You can get written permission from the Prontera capital, allowing you to take an extended leave… There won't be a thing he can do about it. You'll take Linkin's hand, and use it to close the remaining portals… You could be writing your very own chapter in that story."

"Nale, I strongly advise against this." The Official said.

"Shh." Nale responded.

"Nale, you can't be serious!" Cloud complained. "What about me?"

"I need you Cloud, you know that." Nale responded sternly. "What do you say? Jinx was it? Want to leave this place and head out?"

"I… I… Um…"

"We… um… I just…"

Both of the orphans were tripping over their tongues. It was entirely true about what had been said regarding Nale. He was a real surprising person! The two teens could barely absorb what had just transpired. The young Novice and the Official could barely believe their ears as well. The Naga just waited patiently, letting go of Cloud to allow him to leave. Nale crossed his arms with a hearty chuckle, understanding what was going through the orphans' minds. He continued to stare forwards at nothing, not being able to see what lied ahead, and when he spoke, it was hard to tell who he was directing it to, unless he said names. Though, he clearly stated that the orphans could have time to think it over. But the very latest they could come with an answer would have been the afternoon of the next day. The awe-stricken teens agreed, and with that said, Nale took his leave, aided by Cloud. The Official also left, grumbling to himself. Lastly, Jinx and Mystic left, talking with each other about what just happened. Isis was left alone in the room, and she called out for a girl named Alice. Soon after, a girl with beautiful blue hair that framed her pale white face appeared at the door, dressed in a short-skirted Maid's outfit, carrying a broom with a steel handle.

"Okay Alisss! Let's clean thisss room!" Isis said in a confident manner.

"YES, ISIS." The Maid spoke in a very monotone voice, her head nodding slowly, her lifeless eyes almost gleaming like very well done glass.