The Last Bandit
The Usual Disclaimers
I do not own Maplestory. In fact I'm rather noob and this is my first fanfic! I just like Maple and recently created this bandit-bound rogue. Sorry if the chapters are too long or short, as I have said I'm really a fanfic newbie and please advise me!
Sorry for this very late installment! Thanks for those people who reviewed and mailed me.
Chapter 2: Competition
The Dark Lord was slightly displeased when Jon mentioned his desire for change of class. "You have to start small, even though I know you want to train with Gordon and the others in the advanced class." Jon nodded his head. He was aware, and prepared for facing and training with the little kids. Sooner or later he would get to join his friends… and Kim.
Meanwhile, the advanced class will take part in a hunting competition, the winner getting a brand new set of Wolbi. Even though everyone in the big class of 30 students would take part, it was obvious that either Gordon or Kim would end up with the Wolbi. They were so advanced, yet compared to each other, neither was comprehensively better.
For one thing, they were already wearing different equipment from the others. While the others were content with steel titans, a change from garniers, the duo had been given bronze igors to train with from the Dark Lord. As Jon noted, even some adults still used igors. Just as a judoka changes his belt to indicate rank, the two of them were already starting to wear slightly more mature paos and qipaos.
The day came. Jon resigned himself to sitting on the grass outside Ellinia as the competition started. "I repeat myself!" shouted the Dark Lord. "The rules are simple: hunt the Green Mushrooms until you find a special gem I have hidden inside one!"
Jon wished Gordon luck, but he had already dashed into the forest. Gordon was just too driven, too wanting to win. Jon knew that Gordon was poor and came from a family of failed weapon shop-owners, and he couldn't afford Wolbi or any other kind of stars. That's why he wanted to win it that much.
Half an hour had passed. Two-thirds of the competitors, smiling as though they took the competition lightly, walked out of the forest to join the others from the lower classes on the grass, some of them with injuries. They had quit. Of course, they were from rich families and could easily afford Kumbis or even Steelies, who cared about a dumb Wolbi over their own life?
Suddenly, Jon heard a shrill shriek. Kim! The authorized clerics of the competition immediately teleported into the forest to find her. Jon found himself profusely worried. What had happened? He ran off into the forest, despite the Dark Lord's warnings that he was 'too weak to handle the strong green mushrooms that had given even the advanced students some problems'.
The Dark Lord sighed, exasperated. Jon had left his garnier behind.
"Goddamnit!" Jon thought how what his parents would say at his language, but he was beyond caring. Kim let off another shriek and Jon heard a sound of something getting torn, and he felt his heart sinking horribly. God, no –
The sound was suddenly compounded a million times. Kim was right in front of him, her clothes tattered. A dark axe stump. It looked exactly like an axe stump, which Jon had briefly encountered once, except that the bark around it was rotting away and had turned a malevolent black. Its axe drove into Kim, who for some reason could not run properly, as she was petrified even by the slimes and trees that surrounded here, and she was muttering gibberish.
Jon took out his claw from his pocket – but felt only the prick of a knife he had wanted to throw away long ago but did not have the heart to. Oh well, the fruit knife would do just fine, Kim was already in deep crap as it was. The edge of the fruit knife gleamed in the sunlight, and Jon saw the dark axe stump – and wanted to kill it.
Kim found her senses and ran away from the scene at last, but Jon did not care – you did this to my girl, dead tree, you pay for this. He plunged the dagger with speed, grinding at the wood slowly but surely, until the animate deadwood growled and sank to the ground.
Jon did not know how he found his way back to the grass, but he eventually did, and saw Gordon alongside the clerics in bandaging Kim's wounds – and caressing her, the bastard, noticed Jon, his face burning hot.
The Dark Lord approached Jon, as if disappointed. "Good thing you didn't lose the way and your life. Where were you and what were you doing? If you wanted to save Kim… by the way, it was a good thing Gordon found her and brought her back."
"WHA? Gordon?" blurted Jon.
"Yep. Gordon said he found Kim fighting off some Axe Stumps and he singlehandedly fought them off before carrying Kim back. Well, this time no one managed to retrieve the gem, but for his courage and valour I shall give the prize to Gordon!"
Gordon beamed. Kim kissed him tenderly on the cheek. Jon slumped down, all the energy in his brain and body had been wasted for nothing, the scoundrel Gordon…
It was finally time to go. It was Jon's duty to pack up the picnic mats. Kim lingered behind for a moment with him.
"Hi Kim," said Jon grudgingly.
"I… just want to say 'thanks'," muttered Kim, and shuffled off. Jon's face heated up, but he smirked as he deduced that the same thing was happening to Kim's face.
Behind a tree, hanging comfortably upside-down on a tree, the Dark Lord nodded his head silently. He had heard what had been said in that area for the last minute. It was time to do some persuasion, even if someone didn't want to be persuaded.