AN: A thanks, and heads up, to Greghero who is now helping to beta-read this story! His help has been incredible and well needed in improving this story ^^ Now please read and enjoy this chapter. Sorry I have been posting a little slower.
Chapter 14 - Secrets of History
"Aggression, better known as 'agro', is generated from damage dealt to a target. When a target is struck from various sources the source that has dealt the highest amount of damage overall will have 'agro' drawn to it. This will decay over time if that said source stops attacking. Therefore it is not advisable for anyone to unleash their strongest skills immediately, unless they wish to draw 'agro' unto themselves immediately." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Aggression
Arashi bounded off the snout of the beast with two hops, his wings flaring as he somersaulted backwards, lifting him off and causing the wyvern to unleash a roar of fury that emanated like a shockwave, knocking them back as though giant hands had punched them. Out of the corner of his eye Arashi saw Ko being blown back, only to bounce off the wall like a pinball and slash repeatedly into the legs of the monster, trying to inflict as many hits to draw substantial agro. However the impact, the Storm General, caused had taken more than enough agro. Because of this [Savraera] only had eyes for him.
For now anyway!
It crouched low like a lion before it pounced on its prey, gathering its strength and readying itself. In a flash it was off the ground, leaving cracked stones that softly cratered into the ground behind as a telltale of what had once been there mere seconds ago. He flew high, making sure to keep the boss away from his teammates, but at the same time within easy range for them to attack. A slight tilt to his left caused him to rush up in a spiral around the temple, every detail blurring into one mass as he flew past. As he reached the same height as that of the tallest tower amongst the many in the temple he spun around. With a quick flick of his wrist he swapped his right hand grip from a forehand to an icepick grip, flipping it so that now both blades pointed backwards at either side of his hip as he crouched slightly in mid air, making him look like he was sitting on an invisible chair. He saw the large black form rushing at him, wings beating powerfully like the drumbeats of an incoming cavalry, but it was at that moment whilst staring down his opponent, whilst feeling the air whip around him and glazing across his skin, it was then that he realized he was again alone.
There was no one else to be seen!
The other Generals had probably gotten themselves into position and were nowhere to be seen, Ko was probably still trying to catch up with the boss and he was here, sitting on an invisible chair by himself. Nothing but the howling wind to keep him company.
He shook his head and refocused on what was happening now.
The wyvern had approached a lot closer; its large bus sized face was quickly on a collision course towards him, its maw open whilst violet wisp swirled into the cavern like water rushing through a hole. He brushed all those thoughts aside, he had friends now, those that would stand by him no matter what, those that were experiencing the same pain and struggles of fighting to survive in this death game of a world.
He glared at the approaching monster, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his lips set into a determined line. He would not fail those who he could now call family. Those who for the first time cared for him, actually provided meals for him unlike some other people who tended more to their gardens than they did to their children. The twin blades in his hands glowed blue, trembling in his hands like lightning bolts in the hand of the heavens. He closed his eyes, letting his other senses stretch out, feeling the shifting winds that changed their movements to accommodate for the approaching boss. When he could feel the air changing, becoming more violent than their normal currents, when he could almost say he felt the killing intent of a beast so large and so vicious it seemed like darkness swallowed the sun, then he reacted.
He surged upwards and opened his eyes, dodging by a hair the onrushing head of the boss which suddenly unleashed a powerful blast from its maw. A swirling mass of violet hued power rushed forth into the sky as it missed the target. Arashi, on the other hand, did not!
He first swung down with his right blade, the blue light arcing like a flash of lightning as it easily sliced in the tip of the wyvern's elongated mouth. The action ballistically shot him forward as he spun, gaining kinetic force as he went along, the blade in his left hand coming down in another arc whilst the previous blade cleared its slice through the outer flesh of the monster. Arashi became a pinwheel of action and movement, spinning like a disc up along the monster's head and nape.
However towards the end of the neck Arashi stabbed both swords into its body, right between the twin stumps of where the wings met the giant body leaving what looked like toothpicks against the giant mass of the wyvern. His momentum brought him over the edge of the neck with his hands barely holding on to the embedded twin blades, he carried his momentum around as he used the contact point as a pivoting centre, slamming back feet first into the back of the beast. He ripped the blades out and immediately sliced the blade, one after the other; right then left then right then left. A repeating machine with one goal.
Do as much damage as possible!
He did not need to kill the boss, or even damage it significantly, he just had to draw its aggression; and draw its attention he did!
A sudden buck of its body flung Arashi off, sending him twirling in midair like a sitting duck for a few seconds from shock. The wyvern swerved, banking a hard right as it circled back to its prey, only to find the Storm General grinning. Pixelated light trails from the other players filtered into view, circling around him with each weapon glowing a different colour. Arashi had to admit that if anyone from the outside were to look at them it was like a rainbow had appeared. No doubt they looked like something out of a children's cartoon when the characters would scream about the power of friendship and suddenly everything would be a dazzling whirlpool of colours before they would softly beat their enemy and turn them into a friend.
That was definitely not happening here!
This time when the boss rushed at him he dropped down instead of jumping up, sliding just enough so that when the wyverns agape maw rushed above him he spun like just before, except this time rushing in a line along the underbelly of the beast. He was like a saw that refused to stop its motion, slicing through the first layer of scales that covered its body as he flashed across its underbelly. The world was a mere blur for him as he travelled in a motion, at such speeds, that his eyes simply could not keep up with the movement. He flashed across with speeds that turned his blades into an ever continuing circle of blue light that whirled around him like an impenetrable shield made out of blades. The sudden loss of meat to engage with caused him to back flip in the air, twisting his body a circle around to stare at the retreating figure of the beast.
He saw the arcing sky blue lights of Ko that swerved, slashing and carving through the beast's skin like a butcher's knife through meat. He moved with the speed of a demon. Nothing but blur slashes of dissipating blue light that echoed where he once had been, the inner colourings of the boss visible, as his fellow air fighting buddy ripped apart the boss piece by piece.
Arashi grinned!
It was fun having someone else who loved taking to the air as he did. As a child he had always been interested in the dog fights of World War II and how planes worked, how they fought and how they manoeuvred. When he was trapped within this world and learnt that he could access wings that varied in shape and size, just like the wings of an aircraft, he had incorporated dogfight techniques into his style, especially whilst he was in the air.
The grin grew even wider as he dove back in, spiralling quickly to the left and then using his Sword Skills to drag to the right again with incredible kinetic force, slashing into the neck of the beast; dark stormy blue slashing through the scales of the wyvern, shattering them and then cleaving through them by force, speed and accuracy.
A sudden jarring impact that actually caused the giant wyvern to be shoved over to the right rippled throughout the boss' lithe body. A splash of crimson light colouring against the blue skies and peach coloured stones behind them like paint from an artist hand.
Arashi had no doubt that on the other side of the monsters body was Kyojin with his giant broadsword slammed into the side of the body. He could see the giant of a man's thick hand gripping the edge of the body, fingertips easily seen as he pulled himself up. Arashi nearly laughed at the sight. The man looked as if he was possessed! Filled with the rage and anger of humankind as they, as the players, were stuck within this death game for the entertainment of one man. He unleashed an ear piercing roar that was quickly swept away and silenced by the rushing wind from the wyvern's quick movements. Kyojin unleashed a devastating double handed forearm attack that he first whirled over his head like helicopter blades, before bringing it down against the base of the wyvern's wings like the vengeance of mankind.
The Storm General back flipped off the wyvern, pushing himself so that he would fly parallel to the head for even a few seconds, and flung out both his blades, twisting his body in a full circle before doing so as to gain maximum kinetic force. Both blades punctured the outer flesh of the beast like hot knife through butter, stabbing into the side of its head whilst he tumbled backwards as the wyvern rushed ahead, twirling and tumbling down to the forest tops below. Arashi allowed himself to close his eyes briefly, feeling the weightlessness of being in mid air; the rushing winds that surrounded him with their wailings capturing his ears and letting him hear nothing else.
He was content for the few seconds, before his black eyes snapped open once more, and he raised both hands towards the form of the wyvern.
Immediately he activated [Blades Beckoning], a white glow surrounding his blades as he suddenly jerked to a stop, before flying up towards the circling wyvern like as if a chain had suddenly caught him. It was reeling in, the world a mere blur around him as he sped towards the boss like a madman, twirling in midair to avoid one of its wings before it could knock him away and undoubtedly destroy his [Health].
He jerkily met the body of the wyvern running, his feet trying to keep speed with how fast the invisible chains were pulling at him, and it seemed like nothing more than sheer dumb luck that he managed to stay upright the whole way.
Seeing his blades sticking out like toothpicks, Arashi jumped, hands outstretched as they slowly covered the blades before his momentum ripped them free and once again they were free spiralling away from the body. With the most agro still on him the wyvern was circling around, taking a hard banking turn that made its body look almost vertical, flat against the endless expanse of blue above them like a 2D drawing. Black standing out like night against the bright day.
A sudden hand grabbed one of his arms, spinning him a full 360 degrees whilst using both of their momentums to build further kinetic power. Shizu was there in her golden and grey armour, a calculative stare at the beast as she gripped his arm tightly. Her fingertips were digging into his arm.
It was rare that he ever got touched from anyone. Most people strayed away from physical affection with him and over time he had learn to grow with that, scorning the need that others had for loving hugs or kisses that had never been evident in his life before anyway. But regardless of that he let himself become loose, feeling his virtual muscles relaxing as the world whizzed around him, before the suddenly the hand was gone and he was flying. He could still feel the indents along his right arm though, no doubt leaving white marks where they had been pressed in that were slowly turning back to red as blood rushed to fill in the spots. He streamlined his body, allowing the air to curve around him as he approached the expanding figure of [Savraera].
Flashes of storm blue arcs slashed deeply into the wyvern's side, or at least what seemed deeply for Arashi. His blades parallel to one another as he sliced through the skin like a spinning tornado of blades. As he continued on his path of speeding along he could see the appearing red blade of Kyojin's broadsword, the flat side, flying towards him in speeds that were unstoppable and with force capable of destroying trees.
It was a move that the group had come up with, Arashi twisted his body; bringing his feet to bear as he aimed for them to actually touch down onto the blade. He bent his knees slightly, feet together so that they would both land on the flat side of that giant hunk of metal. The thunderous clap of Kyojins swing and Arashi's feet meeting was like a baseball player hitting the ball into a home run. Just before the blade reached his feet Arashi had actually straightened his feet out, the connecting force sending him flying back towards the wyvern with speeds that topped even the last spin.
He slashed again as he passed by the confused wyvern, its giant head snapping as it tried to locate the current player with all of its agro. Purple wisp gathering in its mouth as it prepared for another shot, only to be once more interrupted by Kyojin ramming into the beast like a wrecking ball slamming into a building in attempts to demolish it.
Arashi watched with blurred vision as other trailing pixels of light signalled the attacking forces of the other Generals that was slowly eroding away at the wyvern's [Health]. As his momentum carried him by Arashi reached out with his left hand, grasping on to the extended blue handle of Mizumi's scythe. The other General spun in circles as he gained momentum before his fingers released the spinning scythe. Arashi still holding on to the blade desperately as he spun alongside with it. In all honesty this move defied physics as it made no sense to how it could be working. Regardless Arashi let go of the flashing scythe and leapt off. His own blades flashing in an intricate pattern, almost like as if they were writing in the air in cursive.
As he zoomed by with neck breaking speeds, the air around him was filled with the lights of Sword Skills as he utilized them to their maximum potential, flowery patterns carved into the skin of the wyvern underneath him.
If anyone was to look from the outside all they would see would be flashes of greyish blue, the stormy colours of a storm filled sky thrashing around a singular figure as he flashed by the beast in straight linear lines, gaining speed with each passing as he sundered the flesh beneath his flying form. It was like as if he had invisible chains linked to his waist that pulled him as he flew through the air like the very essence of wind.
Suddenly the wyvern unleashed a screech that sounded like thousands of nails scratching across a blackboard by a hideous excuse of a human. It plummeted from the sky like a plane that had just lost its wings, spiralling downwards in epic twirls that seemed like they were controlled, but in fact weren't. Arashi dove down, spinning himself to gain even more momentum as out of the corner of his eyes he could see the pixel trails of the other Generals following. But he was faster and soon they disappeared as he pulled ahead of the others, he calmly placed both of his blades upon his right shoulder, tensing his body before relaxing every muscle. Just as he was about to start his twirling motion that would cut through the body of [Savraera] in a wheel of stormy blue light, the beast turned around. Its maw was wide open; strands of saliva connecting from its bottom jaw to its upper jaw, the lips were drawn back as a snarl rippled across its features. Purple wisp gathered quickly in its mouth, like water draining out from a cup, before it unleashed a breath blast in the form of a purple streaking bolt.
Arashi barrel rolled to the left, his body barely missing the blast that would have no doubt killed him in an instant, feeling the heat travel past him as it shot by in a blur of purple. But he only missed one attack to fly into the path of another. He saw the thick black tail that had come flying towards him, it seemed like the wyvern was intent of taking at least one of its problems out.
He could not dodge this, not even slide around it, it was too close, too sudden and too quick for him to do anything else but take it. He brought both of his blades down, barely sliding into an 'x' formation with his dual blades, each flat side facing the approaching tail. He could see the individual scales that made up its body armour, that gave its flesh the slimy and wet feeling, a sense of gliding and jelly underneath their touches. They sparkled underneath the sunlight like thousands of little breastplates sewn together by nature for the sole purpose of protection, they rippled like water as the muscles underneath the tail bunched and released to crush at least one of its attackers.
The force that connected with his blades jarred through his body like a shockwave. It blew him back with power like that of a freight train slamming into his body. He flew back in a blur, his blades shattering into blue lights as he flew through the air, his wings were firmly pressed against his back and no matter how hard he tried to unfurl them they would not come out; the wind pressure was simply too much. He could not make sense of the world around him, it had all merged into a single blur of blue and green with the wind whistling beside him as though it were a man taking a stroll down a street, and not a body flying through the air to its imminent death. Now in this position he should be afraid, and that thought did cross his mind. That attack would've taken down his life by a lot, barely not killing him due to the fact that he had blocked it with his blades and not with his body.
But then he shrugged and silently celebrated the fact that he was, in fact, still alive.
Now Arashi watched out of the corner of his eye as golden molten light surrounded him in what looked like a shield. The substance was liquid like as it wrapped itself in an orb around him as if there was an invisible skeletal structure to keep it off his skin. Warmth radiated forth from the golden substance, swirling around his cooled skin from all the action with the wind. It shut him off from the blue skies and green treetops, turning the world into a single mass of swirling golden light that protected him, shining and pulsing like as if he were in a star. He could not tell if they were moving or not, the golden sphere that surrounded him completely confused him as he wondered about movement. He could not feel, nor see, any wind rushing around him like greedy hands of a spoilt child. But as the shield dissipated, after he had quickly drunk a [Health Tonic], he was greeted with a strange world. He was no doubt within one of the Temples.
But as he erupted forth, he stumbled back with various steps, his arms pinwheeling in an attempt to halt his ungracious fall. But fall he did with a soft thump that sounded like thunder in the empty eerie silence of where he had landed. His back was against the smooth cold stone behind him, whilst his behind was snuggled perfectly against the location of where floor met wall.
It was a dark place, little light filtering in as a single strong beam came forth from a newly formed hole in the wall. Blocks of stone littered the ground like dirt and dust that had collected along the pathways to great mysteries. Arashi looked around, eyes wide as he took in the long hallway that he was in, pillars perfectly aligned and parallel to one another in the dark, a high ceiling nearly invisible in the darkness. The Storm General looked around, taking stock of the situation around him and slowly began to draw conclusions to what had happened. Kirito had surrounded him with the golden shield, protecting him as he flew; no doubt the Executor allowed him to land here before returning to the fight to keep an eye on the Generals. But he couldn't have followed him as there was a need for the strongest player to remain, to protect the remaining Generals who fought on. With a sigh Arashi began to gather himself, readying to leave and take flight into the air once more, to rejoin the battle that waged like the very forces of nature themselves. But as he laid there his mind began to suddenly wander, packing up bags and wandering away on a journey to God knows where.
The first memory that his mind raised out from the locked gates of his psyche was when he first met Kirito. He chuckled sadly a little at that memory and what had happened, feelings of incredible sadness ticking away through his body like that of soreness. The rising constriction in his throat grabbing his attention.
The first time he and Kirito had met was actually during the battle against the [Seiyari]. He had been one of the Generals picked out in the original battle group. However during the first battle a [Seaware] soldier had overwhelmed Arashi, not due to their skill, but because he had tried to protect a comrade, a friend. It had turned out pointless anyway considering the fact that a spear had been driven through the friends head, instantly killing him past the [Final Stand] and shattering his body into a thousand pieces of light. The General had then slipped on a wet patch of the ground, mud torn up from the various feet that had penetrated the surface of the earth as human wage a battle against computers. But just before the spear descended like death from above, the warrior had frozen. It's eyes wide, the body frozen stiff like a statue before its upper body above its waist slid off like soap off a wet surface.
The shattering white light shocking him into action as he saw Kirito dance away with his blade flashing in a thirst for battle. Later on when the Army of Seido had finally be finalized and created Kirito had given a speech to his Generals and simply stated that whilst together, they would protect and keep one another safe. That when anyone of them was in danger, Kirito would do his best to save them. He had promised life that went beyond this death game.
Immediately after that meeting Arashi had gritted down his teeth, trying to tamper down his emotions with an iron fist, trying to stay strong. He visualized a giant iron hammer that descended upon a personification of his pain, smashing it against a solid anvil, but it was of no use!
He let out a soft laugh at that memory, remembering very vividly at how he had tried so hard to pull himself away from the pit of depression. How hard he had tried to find strength and resolution as to not be a bother upon the shoulders of anyone, least of all Kirito. But then his mind whited out and memories began to surge through like a tidal wave as he sat there, relaxing slightly in the circle of light that pooled in from the hole in the Temple wall. It kept the darkness at bay and thus would probably keep whatever was hidden in it for bay for a little while longer.
It had been like a corruption that surged through his mind, refusing to be stopped; and so for a split second he had indeed remembered! He remembered what it felt like to be alone, the feeling of coldness that traced the outline of his heart, teasing it with its pain. The sense of weight that suddenly forced one's shoulder down and that crushed one's chest, a sense of desperation for even the slightest warmth of a human's touch that would counteract the chill spreading throughout his body.
As a child he never had many friends.
He had always been the oddball that no one wanted to talk to or get to know. He had always found the presence of virtual reality much more comforting and understanding than any friend. Spending time around humans was ... tiring, to say the least and frustrating at most. From where pain once stood, he found relief in the shelter of games, and so game he did.
But the more he retreated from the physical world, the more the physical society shunned him, and thus began a vicious cycle that down spiralled far past normality. He hated social gatherings, hated the mask that people placed up in front of their faces, hated how they always seemed to say one thing but in reality mean another. How their words were hollow, empty and meaningless, how they might ask 'how is your day' but in truth couldn't care less if your loved ones had all died in the most painful and terrifying way possible. It was a world where the young could not really talk to the old, unless of course you were a special, popular one that everyone doted on. Then it was okay!
He hated it!
Whilst gliding through the endless expanse of the internet Arashi had met a variety of people, not all good or nice; but it was more refreshing to spend time around a society that could care less about how you looked, but rather judged you off how you acted. It was your skill with your game, your fingers and your eyes. The slight nudges and continuation of the smallest motions that allowed a player to check the various blinking, and otherwise disconcerting, User Interfaces. Here was a world where one was judged by their own merits, their knowledge and wisdom and where people of all ages grouped together and forgot about their mask, simply playing and living. Of course you had the few who were idiots, raging and flaming and scolding everyone, but then again you met some of the nicest people who could understand you, know you, care for you, in more ways than one. Having someone run a [Dungeon] just to help him get something had been one of the most touching moments in Arashi's life.
His mind reeled back into reality as easily as a fishing rod reeled in its catch within the hands of a professional fisher. But as it did so, as he began to realize where he was and the cool sensation that crept through his clothing of stone pressing up against him, as his senses began to analyze the situation that he was in, he remembered simply that one line which Kirito had spoken to the Generals alongside his promise to protect them with his own life.
"Never back down. Never give up. We are gamers and we will clear this Death Game! Clear it for those who were murdered! Clear it for those who have yet to receive hope! BE THAT HOPE!"
He had roared that in their faces, his voice seemingly young and naive. But yet it carried such resolution that shot warmth and fire through Arashi's gut.
He was right! Damnit. If anyone could clear this game it was them.
With that Arashi glared, his resolution to fight and win. To set free those who could not do it themselves. To rise above the circumstances, stand tall and firm, and be a pillar of strength for others. He would rise like the morning sun and descend with the power and vengeance of a comet from space. He would crush all that opposed their victory and return to their homes. He would reunite families, strengthen friendships and raise a group that would crush this pained existence.
They would win!
With that he stood up, muscles protesting from the time they had already cooled down, his wings blazed to life as he readied himself to shoot out of the Temple walls. However a glimmer in the distance of the hallway caught his attention, it flickered with a strange green and white pulsing light that slowly drew him to it. His curious little mind forgetting about the battle, even though he felt a tug to go to it; they could survive for a little while whilst he satisfied his curiosity.
He hoped.
After all they had Kirito and Argo who could step in if needed. The two over levelled and over powered players had been waiting for the agro to build up against Arashi first before entering, after all one hit from them would most likely out damage all the accumulated hits from Kirito or Argo, meaning they had to carefully dish out damage to not draw agro in order for them to do the most damage.
LINE BREAK
Strange symbols decorated the walls of the long forgotten and abandoned halls, leaving them to the wisp of time and the will of none. They told a story, one that spanned the swirling columns and the walls, even underneath him with deep carvings into the stone under him. It was like as if someone had taken this entire historical temple and turned it into a book.
It started like this.
It was a war that happened long ago in the past. One which were lost in the annals of time, swept away by the neglect of beings who lived in the after generations of the savage brutality. A race as old as the very primal forces of nature, stronger than any other civilization that rose, gods to other beings and the watchmen of creation.
They were a race that was satisfied to hide within the confines of the forest, satisfied with living simplistic lives with powers that outstripped even the immortal divine beings. They did not oppose the enlarging of any nation, only ever defending themselves within their forest and turning away any that might come near it. Many tried to enter in, breaking through the powers they wielded to make alliances or to enslave or to learn from; but all were turned away. Perhaps it was this strong hold to tradition that was their downfall for when their time of reckoning finally came, they had no one to turn to for support.
They called themselves the Esin. They stood over five meters in height, built from lean muscle that was perfectly defined like as if they were sculptures out of marble and carved from The Author's hand. With smooth and flawless skin they had none of the defining features that other creatures knew, and had, to distinguish between male and female. This silk like skin looked as green as the forest, often changing colour to match their emotions as well as the wellbeing and state of the world around them. Their eyes glowed like the sun, filled with power to call strength down that could rival even the strongest of the immortals with nothing but a flick of their hand. Their fingertips ended in sharp claws, each harder and sharper than any metal weapon forged by the hands of other sentient beings. Sharp angled ears hung off from the side of their heads, reaching to the back of their skulls, heads elongated with an extended cranium that curved behind. They had no mouths and spoke only through the connections of their minds, the slight sharper and more angular features upon their face signalling a female, not a speck of hair upon their head, whilst the sturdier and bulkier like features defined a male Esin. When they walked the plane of the world many thought of them as emotionless watchers, where in truth they had so much emotion that could only be shared through a telepathic bond that it resulted in them simply turning away from others and folding in upon themselves.
It was long before the rise of any of the old four nations; it was the first time that what hid in the Nothingness breached through the thin walls of realities and reached out its hand into it. Millenias before any other touch and corruption of the void was a time where older versions of Divine Immortals walked the plane of existence. They transversed various dimensions, having easy access and walking through the walls like they were made of wisp, desecrating what the Esin believed sacred and something to not be touched, something The Author had spoken to them never to do. But the foolish divine beings would not listen and over time, they corroded the walls. It had happened one day without warning, one day that went from peace into bloodshed. One where what was once thought as invincible was then rendered as mortal.
Forth from a tear in the walls of realities came beast from the void. The Divine Immortals nearly fell within a day, the twisted creatures of flesh, scale, teeth, fur and bone rushed through the golden roads of the gods, sundering them to pieces. Their worshippers wiped off existence in a tide of death that personified itself as black eyes with grotesque bodies. After a day the gods finally retaliated with the help of the surviving followers. Within a day a quarter of the world had been swallowed in death with nothing but blood, body parts and the whispering screams of the damned. The earth turned corrupted underneath their heel, black veins spreading across the surface like an infection that would plague their world for eternity. The surviving nations rallied under the authority of the divine immortals, their shining figures burning bright against the world as they rushed forward. An army named 'The Army of Light', such a stereotypical and clichéd name.
The Esin, however, did not participate until it was too late. The self acclaimed 'Army of Light' fell before the advancing horde of flesh, teeth, blood and bone, their lithe figures darting between army lines and sundering their prey. It was not a battle. It was a massacre! It was feeding time for the warped creatures of the void. When the battle was over nothing was left but pools of blood, half torn bodies with their ribs splayed open like that of cattle after slaughter, the golden ichor of the old gods splayed across the land in a stark contrast to the reddish brown colour of mortal blood; but then again were now not both mortal?
The ancient race of the Esin watched on from their forest as the last two self proclaimed gods were surrounded, the trembling bodies of their followers hunched down underneath them as tears ran down their faces like streams that cleared the dirt and grime off. They were surrounded by a black sea of shrilling screams and snarls that echoed forth like the voices of the damned that screamed at them to join in death. It was the snarling which revealed teeth upon teeth that dripped and slobbered with saliva. Long whipping tongues lashing the air in front of them.
A sudden lunge forward by a single corrupted creature resulted in everything rushing forward. The mortal followers were overwhelmed in seconds, their screams dying off as blood spewed into the air like fountains, separating before falling back down in a fine rain. The Esin finally intervened before the last two surviving divine beings could be slaughtered like livestock. With a whole group of the powered ancient beings, mere thoughts were enough to send blazing walls of fire as tall as the sky was high as it swirled against the black horde like light from the sun searing through the darkness of night. But this intervention initiated their downfall, accelerating it to speeds that even they could hardly keep up with.
Within days the corrupted creatures turned upon the last surviving race of the Esin. Their numbers telling tale as they begun to overwhelm the godlike creatures. In a last ditch attempt to stop their ever advancing horde that spewed black vileness across their trees, that stalked their forest and land as if they owned it; to prevent the world from falling into complete darkness; they raised an army for the first time since creation. They marched out of the safety of their forest, driving wave after wave of creatures back with powerful sweeps of their outstretched hands and even mere thoughts that echoed with the words of creation. Before their midst the twisted and sickening sight of hordes from the void simply vanished like snow in the summer time.
The thundering sound of their footsteps echoed throughout creation, the surviving animals and nature trembling like fearful children as the wrath of the primordial ones. They searched through the lowest valleys, climbed the highest mountains, laid low the natural earthen fortresses and slaughtered all who came in their path. Their glowing eyes shining like stars in the night as they searched without sleep, travelling far and wide in an attempt to find the giant rip in the realities. Their five meter tall bodies made them stick out like giants amongst the lower trees, long limbs grasping at the wooden giants like they were mere twigs. They found the source of corruption deep within the mountains, sensing it far beneath the earth. Rage filtered across their normally calmed features as they gestured with their hands, ripping up the very ground underneath them as they dug for the corruption.
It had looked like a black orb, completely surrounded by oily darkness that seemed to suck out the very light from the surrounding atmosphere. Strands of stretched black substance caused it to simply hang in midair, suspended as evil hangs in the air. A single yellow slash crept in the middle of it, making it almost look more like a demonic eye that judged every movement; the way it swerved to look at them was definitely eye like. They destroyed it, in the process losing more than half their invading forces as the Nothingness surged forward in a wave that consumed everything it touched, leaving desolated bodies that rotted slowly with spreading black veins visible like ink tattoos. Upon their return to their home the Esin took the remaining people and burrowed deep into the earth, deciding to slumber and rest until The Author awoke them once more.
At least that is what Arashi learned as he walked slowly towards a soft green pulse that beat like a heart against the dark shadows that loomed around it like a blanket. Inscriptions along the walls, the floors and the pillars, each swirl carved deeply into the stone as picture after picture, symbol after symbol, spoke of the great tales of the Esin. Many of the words were written in an ancient text, one that Arashi had seen in passing and could relatively understand what they meant as his hands traced the deep wide grooves upon the stone walls.
Alternatively they could very well mean that the original owners of this place liked to walk dogs for all he knew. It was after all just an educated guess and his imagination running off some steam that burned through his mind at the use of excess brain power.
The Storm General looked around with an open mouth, slowly taking in the detail of every image and written word, soaking them in despite the fact that he could not really read them at all. He stopped walking, last step, as he entered a small cubed room. It was softly filled with light touches of green hue as it reached out into the darkness, swirling and writhing against the ever present lack of light as it fluttered against an invisible barrier. However what really drew his attention was not the further telling of legend and history carved upon the walls, the floors and the ceiling. It was not the intricately woven words of an ancient language into solid stone that caught him, but rather the glowing and pulsating large green crystal that softly glowed like a dimmed heart that went through too much pain. A battered looking katana laid on the ground before it as if this was a ceremonially sacred place.
Arashi slowly walked forward, padded footsteps echoing like thunder in the confined space as the room roared its rage back in the echo for the intrusion of history. He glanced wildly at the crystal structure before him, various sharp points angled out from a hidden source, green light swimming inside like a creature within water, playfully; almost as if it was a child hidden in joy. With each step that he took Arashi noticed how the resulting pulse afterwards would get stronger, by the time he was only two meters away from it, halfway, the pulses emanating forth from the crystal were strong enough to be felt as a physical wind that tried to push him back. Each step was like as if he was pushing through air made out of jello, each step becoming smaller and smaller as he approached the huge crystalline structure.
When he stopped he was standing right before a smooth flat surface of the crystal, it loomed high into the air, towering over him like Kyojin did with the slightest warmth emanating forth from the green like gems. He slowly reached out with his right hand, artificial muscles and tendons working together in perfect harmony as he pushed his arm outward, slowly and carefully resting his palm upon the crystal. The surface was smooth like silk, but yet harder than steel and pulsed warmly underneath his hand. It was strange, feeling the slight rise and fall of the crystal, as if it were a live being when in normalcy it should have been cold, dull, lifeless and definitely not moving like waves of the sea. Then in an act of curiosity Arashi pressed his hand in, wanting to see if it was really solid and firm, only to find that as he exerted pressure the crystals parted before his hands like water parted before the hand of God. The green crystals retracted upon themselves, quickly forming an open road to whatever laid within, the General's eyes had now widened with shock and awe, whilst euphoria surged through his body and excitement consumed his mind; what was within?
Then before his eyes a translucent square box appeared, a [Quest] box, it confused him, and reading it did no good as it revealed absolutely no information whatsoever.
[Quest: The Wind Princess]
[Do you accept?]
[YES] [NO]
Dismissing it as unimportant within his mind, Arashi merely pressed yes with his left hand before focusing on the crystal before him once more. He pressed harder and with more force as a strange resistance started to push back against his arm. Gathering energy within his right palm, the Storm General visualized what he wanted to happen. A single lunge skill. Immediately his palm started to shine blue, swirling colours clashing as blue met green before his hand jerked forward with such force and power that it completely broke through whatever was pushing back. However instead of simply feeling the cold grasp of a weapon, which was what he had expected for a legendary weapon to be hidden within, he felt something soft like velvet, smooth like silk and warm like the burning ember coals of life. He cocked his head to the right, eyebrows furrowed as confusion permutated his mind as to what in the world was he feeling.
Then something strange occurred, it happened slowly at first as individual pieces of the outer layer of the crystalline structure detached and began to float away.
Then more and more, each piece that broke off simply hovered in mid air, slowly starting to spin in an orbit around the crystal, each piece that broke sending jarring waves of energy that vibrated throughout the structure.
Arashi jumped back, quickly equipping two new blades that appeared in a swirl of white and stormy blue lights, twisting like leaves that had been caught in the winds of a tornado. He shifted lower slightly, bringing his centre of gravity to lower as he readied himself, weight upon the balls of his feet that were pressed tightly against the floor in a readying stance to suddenly change direction if he needed to.
The air was filled with tense anticipation as more and more pieces started to break off. Soon all that could actually be seen was the spinning flashes of green that circled the crystal structure like a wall of wind currents that refused entry for anything else, even sight. Each individual piece glowed with the light of what seemed like Sword Skills, pulsating ribbons of green arching colour thrashing out behind each piece like tails of some great flying beast. But almost as quickly as it begun, it ended. The sound of thousand of crashing pieces of crystal as they shattered against the carved stone floor was deafening, like the sound of a jet taking off right next to your ear. Arashi crouched low, with his eyes screwed shut and hands covering his ears; that sound reminded him of teachers in his childhood. Having grown up within an Asian country it was no surprise to anyone that the teachers were vicious beings.
Many times when caught even doing the slightest thing wrong he remembered the screeches of their voice, the resounding pain that would follow as they used whatever they could get their hands on for a punishment. Berating and demeaning who and what he was with both words and actions.
He remembered the pain that would follow. Cold. Hollow. Piercing.
It would strike at the centre of his chest like a cold icy blade, tearing through skin, flesh, bone, and blood right to the core of his being that would make him cry out when it was night. He remembered the haunt looks of students around him; their eyes empty of anything but delight and glee at the anger and wrath of a teacher being directed away from them, smirks curving along their lips at the humiliation of someone else, and not them. Yet as quickly as those memories and thoughts surfaced within his mind, just as quickly Arashi squashed them with an imaginary hammer, refusing to allow them to come back up and suppressing them deep within himself as he looked up once more. His eyes scanning the fallen light green shards of crystal debris all around him, that is until he laid eyes on what had been within the crystal.
Lying in the middle of a pile of broken crystals, which seemed to somehow not be ripping into the soft unblemished skin of the sudden beings appearance, was a small cute looking young girl. Long luscious silky black hair pooled out around her, spreading out like the branches of a tall healthy tree as it covered the sky. Her thin body lay curled in a fetus position, knees tucked against her chest with thin arms circling around it like as if she were hugging a pillow. A long white one-piece dress hugged her frame and ended right at her ankles, her baby like face absolutely adorable as she slept on top of a pile of crystals.
Arashi blinked, his head cocking to the left as he saw her hair softly part around her ears and his eyes widened even further. They were angular and pointed with each tip sharp like the end of a knife. He looked at the info box that had appeared above her head and felt his breath hitch, catching at the base of his throat as he suddenly dared not even move closer.
[Yui, Princess of the Davuchuo Esin]
He watched as the air suddenly stilled, it wasn't a physical difference considering that they were within a temple that had stale air of dead ancient history, but it was like nature itself held bated breath at the awakening of an Esin. There was no sudden power surge, no force that threw him around like a rag doll, nor any bright flash of light that signalled to the world that an Esin had finally awoken when her eyes fluttered open. They were the darkest of black, it seemed like nothing could escape those eyes if they wished to draw you in, the girl; the NPC, Yui, yawned as she slowly sat up. Hands bunched into fist as she rubbed her eyes, stretching her back in an arch like a sleepy cat as she turned and looked at Arashi with her head cocked to one side, innocence screaming out at every action that she took.
"Who are you?"
The question was simple really, a generic question that anyone would ask anyone upon first contact. His eyes took in the details of the little girl who was now standing, or rather more, hovering above the crystals like as if it was merely nothing. As if hovering was the norm and not standing after one awakes from slumber. The way her hair softly floated as she hovered, the way her fingers were splayed against her dress as well as how she softly leaned forward in a querying look that sparkled in her eyes. It shined forth, dancing across her iris, as she looked in with questions flourishing like stars.
"My name is Arashi, General of the Army of Seido." he stated, sheathing his weapons in a single smooth motion over both his shoulders of many hours practicing that single smooth motion.
The NPC grinned, showing off her cute smile that beamed with joy and laughter, it seemed to visibly lighten up the room as she blinked at him.
"Ooh." she replied as if she knew what was going on, her voice was smooth like honey, washing over him and warming him in the depths of his bones like the soft smoking coals of embers that had just gone out, "Where am I?"
"You're inside an ancient temple." Arashi said slowly and calmly, hoping to keep the situation calm and collected, "I found you trapped in that crystal." his open right hand gestured towards the strewn crystals across the floor, discarded and forgotten like the toys of children, "What were you doing there?"
She glanced to the floor, head cocked to one side, entirely ignoring the question that the General had ended on, as she gestured with her right hand as if she was inviting someone into the room. Immediately the shards floated up till they were in front of her, a mass of humming and glowing green crystals that levitated in their place held only by Yui's willpower. Her eyes glanced down to the broken katana at her feet, one that was now broken in half, before she glanced back at the mass of crystals around her. With another gesture of her hand the crystals began to start linking together. Fitting together like pieces of a puzzle as they were built towards something which Arashi had no idea about. Her eyes glinted in concentration as those black orbs flickered along the current combination of different shaped crystals. Suddenly Arashi noted that she nodded her head before leaning back and waving her hand, and within seconds she held a katana in her hands.
"Here you go." she said with a pleasant innocent smile, handing over the weapon to him with a mere gesture, sending it floating towards the stunned General.
It was a beautiful piece of work. The hilt was crafted from thin smooth sheets of the green crystal in an interwoven pattern that seemed to have bent the crystal from something harder than steel to something as malleable as string. There was a slight bulge in the middle of the hilt whilst a single line of neon green could be seen trapped within. It swirled, clashing against the crystals like the very force of nature as it tried to be released. From the hilt, without any guard, came a blade forged from the same green crystals that had once made up Yui's prison and now his handle. It was at least sixty-five centimetres in length and as his hand met the grip he felt a rush of power surge through him, which was also notably followed by a surge of crystals that suddenly rushed at him. He let out a yelp, jumping back with eyes wide before shutting them as the warm crystals suddenly bombarded him and clung to him like the hands of an adulterous women. Like previously when the Guards had gifted them with the single colour, another flurry of colours entirely covered his world. He could feel the warm crystals moulding themselves against his cheeks, settling around his head like a crown whilst flowing up and down his body like set pieces of an armour set.
When the glaring green lights subsided Arashi felt different, heavier, as he could now feel additional clothing upon his body, the warm feeling of embedded crystals rested against his cheeks. He glanced over to Yui who simply gestured with her hand, turning the air in front of her into water and letting him see his own reflection, which caused him to stiffen in awe.
Arashi was now dressed like a real warrior. Around his shoulders was an armoured jacket that ended around his knees with sleeves that ended in the middle of his upper arm. There were streaks sliced parallel on either side across his shoulders, beautifully complementing the jacket which was adorned around him. A thin layer of shards had melded together, forming a protection that covered his arms whilst around his forearm and hands were additional layers of crystals that created gauntlets which undoubtedly could stop blows from weapons.
In the middle of the back of either forearm was a single larger green crystal that stood out from the otherwise sleek armour like the bulge of a mountain. From the centre parted jacket he could see a skin tight layer of crystals that hugged his body perfectly, parallel patterns adorned on either side of his body in perfect symmetry as if she had crafted one side first, copied it and then simply flipped it around. The long jacket hid his legs and with a slight shift he revealed them. Once more they were covered in a perfectly thin layer of crystals that ended within the protection of crystallized boots that flowed all the way up to his knees. Larger crystals adorned at every joint of his body. Once more in front of him hovered another weapon was there, this was not a katana, it was a xiphos. The curved leaf-shaped blade was crafted forth from multitudes of smaller crystals connecting together through a bond beyond understanding of real life physics and laws.
"[Fujin, Katana of the Great Typhoon] and [Asocorpio, Lightning Xiphos of The Author]." she said calmly as he turned them over in his hands. In a flash as quick as lightning everything went from a tree grass green into a stormy grey blue colour, one that resembled the way the clouds and the sky would tell tale of an incoming storm just before it struck, "Weapons that have a direction connection to the affiliation of wind and lightning. Perfect for one whose names means storm wouldn't you agree?"
Once more she was leaning forward, all the previous pieces of crystals gone as the water in front of her then dissipated, simply vanishing into thin air; although he did notice that the humidity levels suddenly rose. She had a cute little innocent grin spreading across her face like a lovely blossoming of a flower that swayed gently in the wind. It reminded him of those beautiful falling flowers in the spring.
"Thank you." Arashi said, bowing at his waist as he sheathed both weapons in quick smooth motions over his shoulders, "But what are they for?"
"You rescued me from that stasis." Yui said simply with a calm and warm cheeky grin on her face, "And you seem relatively interesting ... from what I saw from your memories anyway. So these are a token of my gratitude. Although I have also placed my essence into [Fujin] meaning I'll be following you from now on. Please take care of me Onii-chan." the cute floating girl replied with a bow at the waist before simply fading into a green stream that swirled like a snake's body, before suddenly vanishing in a blur past Arashi's right shoulder.
The General could then suddenly feel the presence of another mind within his own, it hovered at the edge but never really touched his, shrugging it off Arashi turned and walked out of the room. But as he walked Arashi realized that his footsteps were not making any sound, looking down he jumped in shock as his eyes widened.
"Woah." was all he could say. He was standing on what seemed like thin air, yet when he applied pressure upon his feet he could feel a substance that pushed back against him. It was like walking on normal ground. Arashi grinned, a wide toothy one, as he let out a 'whooop!' into the air, excitement rushing through him as he suddenly ran forward, not once did he touch the ground. He sprinted through the darkened hallways as the carved stones around him turned off into nothing but a blur that surrounded his world. But when he saw the great big shaft of light that pierced through the building and into the darkness he paused for a little while, savouring the feeling of having new power flooding through his system. He crouched down and for the first time since he gained his new outfit, touched the ground. He could feel his artificial muscles in his thighs bunching up, the tendons strengthening in his calves, before he then jumped up and allowed his new wings to blaze into beautiful reality.
However they were no longer really wings. Instead from out of his back six large crystals, each about the size of his head appeared. They hovered in a very specific pattern that was symmetrically parallel to one another on either side of him, like as if an OCD perfectionist had arranged them. Two about 45 degrees behind his head, almost acting like twin sentries that stood on alert for their king, on either side of his head. The next two were a little more further out on the horizontal axis, each hovering at his rib area. The last two were seen keeping their place beside his hips, besides the sheathed blades that he held at his waist. Immediately, as soon as they appeared, he disappeared in nothing but the slightest of breeze, flashing across the sky in a blur as he returned to join his comrades in the battle.
The wyvern had lost a lot of its life whilst he was gone, the team easily taking them down. Around the fallen temple Arashi could see the flashes of gold that dictated the movements of the Guards. Their life force being used in battle as they pushed back horde after horde of flying snake worm things.
He couldn't be bothered to adequately view them as he flew forward. However the first thing he noticed was that [Savraera] grounded, both of its wings had been lobbed off by no doubt Kyojin and his vicious brute strength. The Storm General, who now actually personified the storms, grinned in anticipation for the battle. He could feel the cool winds rushing against him, flowing around him and leaving him in a bubble that seemed to travel faster due to this strange effect. The feeling of weightlessness that left his stomach somewhere behind when he had first lifted off, he quickly unsheathed his blades and suddenly, out of some random instinct, lashed out with [Fujin] before he was even anywhere close to the wyvern.
His eyes widened, and he actually stopped, with his mouth agape as with that single slash a distortion had carried through the air before slamming into [Savraera] with enough force that it blew the wyvern backwards, slamming it against the wall. The other Generals turned to look at him with wide eyes, the sparkling glint in the depths of their corneas promising an interrogation later on.
Ignoring them as they turned back to fight, Arashi started to slice in mid air, sending out wave after wave of distorted wind that slammed into the beast again and again, crushing it deeper into the stone without even a chance of it rising up once more. He watched his blade as he delivered another horizontal backhand slash, emerald light shining brightly as he spun a full circle before flicking his wrist at the end. His eyes followed the surge of piercing green as it flew forth from the blade, being released from the tip like as if the blade was some sort of conductor, before it distorted the air with the slightest tinge of green hue.
Then as if a giant hand was controlling his actions instead of himself, Arashi did a stabbing motion forward with [Asocorpia] and once more his eyes widened and jaw dropped in awe, the muscles at the corner of his eyes pulling back slightly, his mind struggling to understand what was going on. The xiphos glowed bright green, a pure jade colour before arcs of what looked like lightning danced along its edge, slowly making its way to the tip. It gathered there, pooling into a singular small orb of purple, white and blue. It was strange, his entire outfit consisted of the stormy blue grey colours of, well a storm, but his blades operated on an entirely different spectrum. Regardless he watched as purple bolts of lightning suddenly struck out forth from the small orb that had gathered, it ripped across the air like the vengeful anger of a god as thunder boomed out in its wake. It was jagged, creating a split flashing image of reality rips in the air, before the dancing edges crashed into [Savraera]. It crackled against the hardened scales of the wyvern, as it screeched out in pain with a voice that carried far and wide, disturbing, and warning, many of the denizens of the [Silent Forest].
A snarl followed the screech before a blast of purple lights flew towards Arashi, the wyvern's anger kindled and raising its head like an awoken lion. It released a roar that split the sky, shaking the very temple that it was on as it appeared to the group once more. Those few attacks had dropped the beast [Health] down into its last two circles, making it activate the strange last buff bosses have before they died. Its entire body had easily doubled in size with streaked lines of purple energy circling and swirling around its body. The scales that had previously laid flat against its skin now were raised like thousands of spikes ready to impale whatever it was that had wounded it so. The wings were still stumped however, making it snap its neck skywards but not actually being able raise itself off the ground. It released a hot circle of purple fire around itself, forcing everyone else to jump backwards, before releasing another blast into the sky against where Arashi stood, then another and another and another. All of this happened within a split second as purple orbs that blazed like fire flew towards the standing General.
Kirito was off to the side with crossed arms, an interested look developing under his mask as he wondered what would happen to Arashi at the face of such danger. The answer revealed itself in the form of a wind wall. The General had slashed [Fujin] with the tip facing downwards in a horizontal line, from it came a roaring wall of air that, upon contact with the flaming purple swirling fireballs, seemed to completely shred any projectile that came in contact with it. The air from the wall seemed to completely crush the incoming attacks, taking them and then dissipating them within the matter of seconds.
A grin split Arashi's face as he could feel the artificial muscles pulling at his cheeks as he grinned at the sight of what had just happened. It was beautiful. He laughed before twirling down, both blades flashing as he went into his signature move against larger creatures. The pinwheel arch of motion descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning as the fighting resumed again.
"Never back down. Never give up. We are gamers and we will clear this Death Game! Clear it for those who were murdered! Clear it for those who have yet to receive hope! BE THAT HOPE!"