Phew Finally chapter I is done! But I don't seem to have any replies yet… 'hangs his head' But I'll still keep going!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ragnarok Online, period.

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Unwilling Heroes

Chapter I: A Revelation

The priest opened his eyes; everything was blurred. His head throbbed painfully as his vision swam. His whole body ached as he sat up, wincing slightly from the pain. Cupping his head in his hands he gave himself a few minutes to clear his mind and relax.

He looked around him, his gaze sweeping the area. Apparently he was still in the forest, and was right next to a gushing river. There were the remains of a fire next to him, and his garments were hung up on a line above it, dry and clean.

He shook his head and inspected himself. Someone had dressed his wounds and cleaned him up. But who? His eyes widened at the sudden realization that whoever had helped him must have looked through his things. He immediately looked for the pouch, and was relieved to see it still hanging on his belt.

A twig snapped behind him. He whipped his head around, dreading the worst. If it was the assassin, he wouldn't have a chance against him like this. He would have to grab the pouch and teleport as soon as he could. Words formed on his lips, his muscles tensed, ready to dash for the pouch.

He blinked, surprised at what he saw. It was a boy, a bard by the look of his clothes. By the look of him he couldn't have been more than fourteen. He was slim and very lithe, and rather tall for his age. He wore a small case at his back, probably for a violin. He had a long belt strung with bolts draped across his torso, and had a long dagger strapped to his side. He was also carrying a rather large amount of wood as he approached him. The bard looked at him, a greeted him with a broad grin.

"You're awake! That's good!"

He deposited the wood on the ground, arranging it slightly, and produced a small tinderbox. Arranging the wood into a pile, he struck the tinder, and restarted the fire. He sat down with a light sigh, rummaging through his pack. He brought out a hunk of bread and a piece of cheese, offering it to the priest. He looked at the food suspiciously for a few moments, but hunger got the better of him and he gladly took the meager food, tearing into it. It was surprisingly good for a simple meal.

The bard smiled as he watched the priest eat. Taking out his violin he began to play a peaceful song, one that soothed the heart from troubles. The priest looked at him sideways for a moment, then resumed eating.

When he finished the priest sat back with a sigh, his stomach full. He looked at the bard, who had stopped singing and was now patiently watching him. The priest gave a faint smile and thanked him. "It was good, thank you very much kind sir."

The bard shook his head and hands, an embarrassed expression on his face.

"There's no need! I'm sure you would have done the same for me if I was washed down the river"

"I still thank you for your help" he continued. The bard made a face, then broke into a huge grin.

"My name is Sel'an" He offered his hand to him. "What is yours?"

"Julian" replied the priest, shaking it. "You have a rather unusual name"

Sel'an chuckled.

"It actually isn't very strange where I come from"

He pulled back his hair. Julian gasped as he saw his ears. They were long and swept back, ending in thin sharp points. Surprised, he looked at the bard and whispered breathlessly, "You're an elf?"

Sel'an nodded, smiling. He let his hair fall back and gave a light laugh. It was like little bells tinkling in the wind.

Julian looked curiously at him, then came forward and tugged on his ears. The elf gave a cry and leapt back, eyes wide, holding his ears reflexively.

"What did you do that for?"

"Well, you see," he replied, scratching the back of his head, "Where I come from, fake elven ears are common, though they are quite expensive. So, you know…" he trailed off.

Sel'an raised an eyebrow and sat down once again, offering his ears to the priest.

"Here" he said, "Examine them to your heart's delight, I assure you they are real"

He looked at him, then looked closely at them. They were real all right. He sat back with a look of immense shock on his face. Elves were supposedly gone from the world already. To actually see one in person was an incredible experience.

"If you don't mind me asking," began the elf, "why were you going down the river anyway?"

The priest got up and walked over to where his clothes hung. He unhooked the pouch from it and went back.

"I was protecting this"

He held up the bag. Sel'an studied it for a moment, then held out his hand and gestured if he could examine it. Julian hesitated, then handed it over. He looked it over, turning it around.

"REVELATIO!"

Instantly, silver lines began appearing all over its surface, spreading all around it and forming strange symbols and runes. He turned it around quickly, studying the words, if they were words, on its face. Then, as swiftly as they appeared, the runes vanished. He put it down, his brow knitted in deep thought. Nodding to himself, he put the bag down and took a deep breath. Julian got up on all fours, his mouth open as he watched him expectantly. The bard nodded once more, muttering to himself, and looked up at him.

"I can't read it" said the bard.

The priest collapsed.

Sel'an grinned, embarrassed, then laughed weakly.

"This language is Elvish, but of a different and far older dialect than mine. I can recognize a few things, but they don't make any sense to me right now."

Julian looked up, his eyebrow raised, his expression unreadable. "Great" he muttered. He sat up and asked him, "Well, what do the parts you can understand say?"

The bard looked at the pouch thoughtfully

"I cannot say for sure, since they don't really make any sense because I can't under stand the rest, but," he turned it over, "this area says something about a puzzle, or a challenge of sorts, and this part talks about some kind of 'heart' , and…"

He trailed off, his expression darkening,

"This last one worries me, since I can clearly read the phrase 'All's End' . I don't really know, but whatever this pouch contains must have something to do–"

"With Ragnarok" finished the priest breathlessly.

His mind instantly returned to the night before…

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"Wake up Julian! You must wake up!"

He turned over in his bed. He wanted to ignore the voice; he was incredibly tired from the day's chores. A sudden slap to the side of his head got him up.

He put a hand to his stinging cheek and looked up, annoyed. He was shocked to see the head priest standing beside him, his cheeks flushed. "Wha-"he began, but was silenced.

"We have no time!" whispered the priest, "Do you have the Shard with you?"

He looked up at his master with confusion.

"Shard?"

"The pouch! The pouch that I entrusted to you before! Where is it?"

He got up in recognition and turned to the wall. He gestured and whispered a few hurried words. The stone melted away to reveal a small niche with a pouch suspended in midair above a magic circle in front of a cross. He reached in and removed the spells protecting it, then carefully lifted it out.

He turned around and suddenly met a bundle of clothes. The priest put them on his bed and pulled out a wide but flat bag and began filling it with various items.

"Put your clothes on; you must leave immediately!"

"Why?"

"Because, as of this moment the contents of that pouch are being sought by a small army of soldiers standing right outside the cathedral doors! Sister Marithe is there with the rest of the acolytes trying to stall them!"

"But if the army is wants it, doesn't that mean the king requested it?"

The priest finished packing the bag and turned to him.

"Look, they are not in control of themselves anymore. They have some powerful force behind them and I can very well assure you that it isn't the king! I know this because that pouch was entrusted to us by the crown and was decreed that under no circumstances should it be given away! Even to the king!"

He tucked the bag into his robes and clipped his mace to his belt.

"I still don't understand what is wrong"

A sudden shout followed an explosion. "Oh no" said the priest. "You must leave immediately! They must have more than just knights out there! Hurry, go before they find you!"

He opened a secret door and waved him down.

"This leads to the underground canals. Find a way out of here but by all means stay away from the cities. Go to Mount Mjolnir, and look for my friend Ahrian the Paladin. I have already sent him a message of your arrival. Don't worry about getting lost, sooner of later you will find one of his friends"

"But—"

"There isn't any more time! Go!"

He hesitated before the entrance, and turned to his master once more, nodding. Looking into the darkness ahead, he took a deep breath and entered the maze of tunnels far beneath the city…

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"Julian! Hey, are you alright?"

He started, shaking his head. Sel'an was looking at him, a slightly worried expression on his face.

"You've been staring at nothing for nearly ten minutes now"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just remembered what caused me to come here into the mountains…"

He had a sudden thought. Is Sel'an a friend of Ahrian's? He turned to the bard.

"Do you by any chance know a Paladin known as Ahrian?"

"Why do you ask?"

He recounted the previous night's events to Sel'an.

"Hmmm…" He sat silently as he digested this piece of information. He looked at Julian.

"Er, what exactly does this bag contain anyways?"

"I don't know"

"Oh, I see"

Both gave a collective sigh and relaxed.

"Alright then, I'll take you to him. It doesn't seem like you are lying to me. Get your things ready. If this bag has anything to do with what I think it does, we need to leave now"

Julian nodded and got up. By the look on his companion's face he could tell it was going to be a long journey…

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High up in the mountains, a pair of dark eyes watched the two pack up and depart.

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There! I hope you enjoy that! Please review thanks!