Just so you know, the name of this chapter is Kenji's Life and the Frozen Knife. I only called it The Frozen Knife in the chapter thingy because it wouldn't fit the whole thing.
CHAPTER 7
KENJI'S LIFE AND THE FROZEN KNIFE
Kite didn't go back to school, play The World, or do anything except lie in bed for nearly two weeks after what had happened on the game. One day he decided to open his email, and saw many messages there.
Sender: Hao
Where have you been lately? I haven't seen you at school, or online? Have you been sick?
Sender: Rumiko
Are you OK? You haven't been around for a while.
Sender: Shikito
Did something bad happen? You haven't been at school and you haven't played The World for a while. I'm getting worried about you.
Sender: Tsukasa
You totally blew me off! I waited by the chaos gate in Delta Server for nearly an hour! What's wrong?
He sent them all the same reply.
Sorry I haven't been around for a while. Something happened to me and I'm still not recovered from it. I'll see you as soon as I can.
That was all he had to say. He wasn't ready to talk about Kenji's falling comatose to anyone but his parents yet. He saw that there was news, so he opened it. The headline was: "Young Boy Falls Comatose in Game!" He couldn't believe what he saw. He opened the message and read it.
"A couple of days ago, in a small neighborhood in Kobe, a young boy by the name of Kenji Mikazawa fell unconscious while playing the popular online game, The World. The people at CC Corp. say that there is nothing wrong with the game, and that he must have fallen unconscious for another reason. But his family thinks differently. In particular his older brother, Yutaka Mikazawa, who was there when the incident happened, believes that the game caused Kenji to lose consciousness. He was found at the hospital by his brother's side late at night, waiting for him to wake up. When questioned about the events in the game, he said this: 'He was playing the game for the first time, and we were going to a dungeon that we'd heard about on the boards. I knew that the area was dangerous, the person even said so, but I didn't listen. We went to the end of the dungeon and opened the treasure chest and we were warped to a strange place. And then that damn creature with the cross-shaped red wand appeared, and then he paralyzed Kenji. Then he used the technique data drain on him and it sent him into a coma. It was all my fault. How could I have been so stupid? Taking him to an area I knew was dangerous.' So we don't really know the cause of his falling into a coma, though he is definitely not the first. Many people have lost consciousness when playing The World, and the CC Corp. continues to deny that it has anything to do with the game. However, what we do know about the coma victims is that they are all in bad shape and the doctors doubt that they are likely to wake up."
At the end of the article was a picture of Kenji lying in the hospital bed unconscious, with his family looking sad by his side.
Reading this only opened old wounds and renewed his sadness, and tears dripped from Kite's face. He heard a knock on his door. He put his computer into sleep mode and asked the person to come in. It was his mother.
"We're going to see Kenji in the hospital," said his mother. "Would you like to come?"
Kite nodded solemnly and went to the hospital. They saw Kenji lying with his eyes closed on the hospital bed with his shirt off, and wires and tubes sticking in and out of his body.
"Is what you said that happened on the news true?" asked the doctor.
"What?" asked Kite, rubbing his eyes that were red, puffy from crying.
"On the news," said the doctor. "You said that something attacked him on The World. Is that the truth?"
"Of course it is!" said Kite angrily. "Why the hell would I lie about something like that? The stupid game caused this mess, and those System Admin. roaches are just denying everything and pretending it didn't happen so they won't lose their precious money! They're supposed to be repairing problems like this, not covering them up! These are people's lives we're talking about here! Why don't they realize that what they're doing is wrong?"
Kite broke down, and began weeping again.
"Well if what you said is true," said the doctor, "and the game really did cause this, then the answer to fixing it must be in The World."
Kite gasped. He'd given up the game because he knew what had happened there. But he needed to do the opposite. If he was going to wake up Kenji, then he'd have to figure out everything in The World. He turned toward the bed where Kenji lay, and kissed him on the forehead.
"Let's go," he said softly. He wanted to get back to The World as soon as possible. And he couldn't really be sure, because the machine that helped Kenji breathe was in the way, but after he'd gotten new hope of saving his brother, he swore that he'd seen Kenji smile.
Kite went up to his computer and hesitated before logging in. He appeared before the chaos gate. Michoru was there.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," said Kite.
"We had some extra money and we bought a house in Carmina Gadelica," said Michoru.
"What?" asked Kite. "Why would you do that?"
"I don't know," said Michoru. "We figured it would be a good idea to have a secret base or something. You know, to discuss our action plan."
"What action plan?" asked Kite.
"I'll tell you when we get there," she said. "Trust me, you'll love it. L Server!"
They warped. A sign on Kite's screen appeared.
Lambda Server
Cultural City Carmina Gadelica
They arrived in what was probably the most beautiful place Kite had ever seen. It was nighttime, and the buildings were all brightly colored and it just had a good feel to it.
"Follow me," said Michoru.
She led Kite to a door in a wall that looked like it was just for decoration. But Michoru opened it and they walked up a flight of stairs to a long hallway with many doors and a window at the end.
"OK," said Michoru. "Our's is the one closest to the window on the left. You can only get in uninvited if you are considered an owner, and we already set you up as one."
She opened the door and they both walked in. They entered a large living room, and it had a large window that had a great view of the city, and there was a large couch and a couple of chairs, a television, a bookcase, a carpet, a radio, and a painting of a grunty on the wall. There was a door leading to another room, but Kite was to preoccupied with this one to leave it yet. Akazu, Suzaku, and Magora were all sitting on the chairs, and Kite sat down on the couch.
"This place is amazing!" said Kite.
"Yeah," said Akazu, "and it cost us a hell of a lot of money to fix up."
"We were adventuring for nine days before we sold enough treasure and useless armor to afford it," said Magora.
"It wasn't as much fun without all of us, though," said Suzaku. "I think that we all have to be here for it to be the most fun it can."
"So, how's your brother?" asked Michoru.
Kite stared at his feet, not saying anything.
"Oh, no," said Magora. "He's not-"
"No, he's not dead," said Kite. "He's in a coma in the hospital."
"That's awful," said Akazu.
"Hey, I just thought of something," said Suzaku.
"What's that?" asked Kite.
"I heard about a player, who, a while ago, fell into a coma while playing the game. But the weird thing was, his character was still in the game. And he was controlling it! And he could smell, and taste, and feel everything in The World. It was like his character's body was his body. What if that happened to your brother? What if he's still in The World somewhere?"
"That's an interesting idea," said Kite. "I'll send him flash mail. I'll tell him to come to D Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground."
Kite sent the flash mail. He then left, alone, to go to the area.
He entered the cathedral and saw that no one was there. He looked at the altar and read from a carving:
Countless will fall to the red wand of Skeith,
But there is hope for them yet,
For he will be defeated by the five great players,
Who hold the power of the Bracelet.
Kite gasped. The bracelet! This thing was a prophecy! Skeith was the name of the creature that data drained Kenji! And it said that the five players who held the Bracelet would destroy Skeith! He was going to be able to reawaken Kenji! He cheered, and then heard footsteps entering the cathedral. He turned around, gripping his staff, and saw Kenji entering.
"Kenji!" Kite ran forward and hugged him tightly.
"Kite..." he said weakly. "I can't logout of the game... I haven't eaten for two weeks. I'm so hungry."
"It's OK," said Kite, letting go of him at last. "We'll get you some food, and you can sleep at our hideout. I'll explain everything that's happened after you've eaten something."
They entered the hideout and bolted the door behind them.
"I'm hungry..." Kenji repeated weakly, lifting his shirt to reveal his ribs.
"I made some food," said Magora, "in case you came here. I figured you'd be hungry."
She led him through the door into a room with a long mahogany table and several chairs. They all sat down and began to eat stir fry and sushi. Kenji was shoving food down his throat so fast Kite thought he'd choke. Kite grabbed a bite of sushi and popped it in his mouth.
"Wow, that's amazing!" he exclaimed. "I can actually taste it in the real world! And I'm less hungry now, too! It's like I'm really eating it!"
"I know," said Magora. "For some reason, and I think it's because of the bracelets, whenever we're logged on to The World, it's like our consciousness is shifted into our game characters."
"I have an idea!" said Akazu.
"What?" they all asked him.
"Why don't we spend the night in the game?" he suggested. "I mean, Kenji's been alone for two weeks. I think he needs to spend time with his brother. Also, we can discuss everything that's going on in The World."
After they'd all eaten dinner they went back into the living room.
"So does this TV really work or is it just for decoration?" asked Kenji.
He pushed the power button and an image appeared. It was on the "Animal Channel".
"Now," said the voice on the TV. "Only a Grunty Miracle. Next, Grunty Ranch, 911. After that, Grunties Say the Darndest Things. Only on Animal Channel."
The image on the screen then changed to an image of a grunty in a coma on a hospital bed, and two adult grunties crying next to it.
Kite quickly switched the channel to anything that had anime on it, and found something. On the screen was an image of the chaos gate. And then someone was standing next to it. But they turned it off soon after, because they had stuff to discuss.
"So, why am I stuck here?" asked Kenji. "What happened after that thing attacked me?"
"Well," said Michoru.
"I think Kite should tell him," said Magora.
"OK, Kenji, well, after the thing attacked you," said Kite. "You went into a coma in the real world. That's why you can't leave the game. Because you don't have a physical body attaching you to the computer. Your soul and mind are here, but your body is in the hospital."
"So, how long am I going to be stuck here?" asked Kenji fearfully.
"Not long, if I have anything to say about it," said Kite.
"Me too!" said Michoru.
"And me!" said Akazu.
"Don't forget me!" said Suzaku.
"I want to help him as well!" said Magora.
"But how?" asked Kenji. "If my body is gone, then this mass of pixels is all I have left! How am I supposed to get back into my real body?"
"Your body isn't gone," said Michoru. "You aren't dead in the real world. You're still alive, but you're in the hospital. Though I must admit that I don't know how to get you back."
"I read a prophecy in Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground," said Kite. "It said that the creature with the red wand is called Skeith, and that people would be hurt because of it. But it said that the five who hold the bracelets will destroy it and bring everything back to the way it was."
"So all we've got to do is destroy Skeith?" asked Suzaku disbelievingly. "Awesome! That's easy compared to what I thought it'd be."
"Hey guys," said Magora.
"What?" they all asked.
"Do you think that we should all get together?" she suggested. "You know, in the real world?"
"That might be interesting," said Akazu.
"What are your names in the real world?" asked Magora.
"I'm Toku Harazumi," said Akazu.
"I'm Beshimi Resun," said Suzaku.
"I'm Yuki Daifuji," said Michoru.
"I'm Yutaka Mikazawa," said Kite.
"I'm Kenji Mikazawa," said Kenji.
"I'm Kauru Nekitoki," said Magora.
"Where do you all live?" asked Suzaku.
"Kobe," said Kite and Kenji together.
"Tokyo," said Michoru.
"Fukuyama," said Magora.
"Kyoto," said Akazu.
"Oh, crap!" said Suzaku. "We can't meet then! I live in America."
"That's OK," said Magora.
"We see each other here, and that's enough," said Michoru.
"I'm tired," said Kenji.
"Me too," said Kite. "We're going to bed. Where's the bedroom?"
"Through that door," said Magora, pointing to a small wooden door.
"Thanks," they said, and walked into the room. They saw a wardrobe and they opened it, and saw that it was full of night clothes. They both took a long nightshirt and Kite pulled his shirt off.
"This doesn't feel right," said Kenji, and Kite looked up to se him staring at his palms.
"What do you mean?" asked Kite.
"Well, it's like, this character," said Kenji. "I don't feel right in it. It doesn't feel like me."
"Well, that's kind of the point," said Kite. "You create a character who's not really like you."
"I know, but..." Kenji trailed off. "It just doesn't feel the same as having my own body."
"I know," said Kite. "It feels strange to me too, to be walking around as my character. But you'll get used to it. And we'll get you out of here and back to your body as soon as we can."
"You're right," said Kenji, taking off the cloth on his forearms and shins.
"Hey, Kenji? After we beat Skeith and return you to your body, are you still going to play The World?" asked Kite, pulling a blue nightshirt over his head.
"I don't know," he said. "Probably."
"Really?" asked Kite, surprised. "Even after everything that's happened to you?"
"Well, yeah," said Kenji. "I mean, this game is fun. And even though I'd rather be at home, being stuck here is kind of like an adventure to me. There are always going to be dangerous things here in The World, but that's just part of the fun of playing."
"I guess you're right," said Kite, getting into one of the beds. "Good night, Kenji."
"Good night, Kite."
The next morning Kite woke up early. He got dressed again and went out into the living room. No one was awake yet.
"It makes sense," he said to himself, staring out the window. "It's still dark out. Then again, it's always dark in Carmina Gadelica."
He decided that while he was awake, he'd make breakfast for everyone. He walked into the kitchen and started pulling out random ingredients, potatoes, bread, butter, jam, eggs, cereal, milk, etc. and started cooking.
Kenji woke to the smell of a hot meal that made his stomach ache. He went to the living room, then to the room with the table in it, where a fabulous breakfast feast had been set up.
"Whoa," said Kenji. "Did you make all this?"
"Yeah," said Kite. "I figured that we should have as much strength as we can get for leveling up today."
"Huh?" asked Kenji.
"Well, if we're going to beat Skeith and set you free, then we need to be powerful. And since I want to get you out of here as quickly as can be, we should try to gain as many levels as we can as quickly as we can."
Then, Akazu walked in, his eyes slightly puffy. Magora quickly followed.
"Did you make this?" they both asked.
"Yeah," said Kite. "We've got to keep our strength up today. We're going to be doing a lot of questing."
Michoru then walked in.
"I can not believe I just spent the night in The World," she said.
"Yeah, I know the feeling," said Suzaku, who was just walking in.
"Well, our bodies are probably still unconscious in front of our computer terminals," said Akazu.
"Except mine," Kenji reminded them.
"Yeah, it's only a matter of time before my parents walk into my room because I haven't gotten up for school... OH CRAP I FORGOT I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL!"
"Oh, damn!" said Michoru. "My parents are going to rip me to shreds! Bye guys!"
She quickly logged out, as did the rest of them.
"Kite, wait," said Kenji.
"What is it?" asked Kite.
"Just, tell me what's going on in the real world."
"OK," said Kite, logging out afterwards.
Kite quickly threw off his helmet and grabbed his bag, running into the building just as the school bell rang.
"Oh, Mikazawa-san, you decided to show up today."
"Yes, Wataragi-sensei, I did," he said rather coldly. The way he saw it, she was being incredibly rude. His brother was in a coma!
"Well, take your seat, class is about to begin," she said. Kite sat down next to Hao, where he usually sat during "Wataragi's Wicked Wanderings". The evil devil teacher turned to the board and started writing equations while mumbling to herself. Hao leaned over to Kite's desk.
"Yutaka," said Hao. "Where have you been?"
"I can't talk about it now, let's discuss it at lunch."
When lunch finally came, Kite sat down with Rumiko, Hao and Shikito.
"OK, Yutaka, you promised you'd tell us what's wrong," said Hao. "So spill it."
"Well, when my brother was playing for the first time we went to an area where we were attacked by a virus called Skeith who looks scary and carries a red wand. He used a technique called data drain on my brother and now he's comatose in the hospital."
"WHAT?" they all said at once.
"Calm down, he's all right," said Kite.
"You seem awfully calm about this," said Rumiko.
"Yeah!" said Shikito. "Especially considering it's your own brother."
"Well, he's still alive inside The World," said Kite.
"WHAT?" they repeated.
"Yeah, his consciousness shifted into the game, so he moves about The World as he would our world, only in his character's body. He's there right now, in fact, probably watching TV in our hideout in Carmina Gadelica."
Meanwhile, with Kenji...
"Aah! Get away get away get away!"
Kenji is being chased by a mad Tetra Armor in some high level area.
"Help! Someone help me! I don't want to die!"
Suddenly, someone warps into the area.
"Just gate out," says the person. Suddenly Kenji realizes that the Tetra Armoris preoccupied with something else.
"Oh," says Kenji, gating out.
Back with Kite...
The school day had finally ended, and Kite rushed home to his computer. He logged on to The World and made his way to the hideout, where he saw Kenji lying asleep on the couch with the TV still on and a tub of ice cream slowly melting on the floor.
"Same old Kenji," said Kite to himself, picking up the ice cream tub and walking it into the kitchen, where Suzaku was waiting.
"Did you get out of school early?" asked Kite, putting the ice cream in the freezer.
"Yeah," said Suzaku. "I've been waiting here for an hour. Kenji was already asleep when I got here."
"And you didn't put away his ice cream?" asked Kite.
"Who said it was his?" Suzaku asked.
Kite laughed.
"So what have you done while you were waiting?" asked Kite.
"I watched TV and ate ice cream," said Suzaku.
They suddenly heard the ruffling of cloth as Kenji woke up and entered the room.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," said Kite and Suzaku.
"Michoru woke me up," said Kenji.
Michoru then walked into the room, followed by Magora and Akazu.
"Hi," said Magora. "Are you guys ready to go questing?"
"Yeah," said Suzaku.
They all walked towards the door.
"I'll see you later, Kenji," said Kite.
"What?" he asked. "What are you talking about? I'm coming, too!"
"No way, you'll get hurt!" said Kite.
"So will you!" countered Kenji. "Skeith's the one who put me in a coma, I want revenge!"
"OK, fine," said Kite, though he was smiling.
They warped to Delta server and then chose a random keyword, giving them a level five area. Two levels hire then Kite's, three than Magora, Akazu, Michoru and Suzaku, and four than Kenji's. But they decided to take a risk. So they warped.
"So anyway, we've got three kids in comas," said a boy with dark hair shading his eyes, "and we got that stupid Aura girl out of the way."
"Excellent work, Senbou," said a woman leaning against a wall.
"But Inyoku," said a young boy lying on a couch, "what if she's already given the bracelet to someone?"
"Not to worry, Bushou," said the woman. "If Aura has presented the bracelet to anyone, it'll only make it easier to track them down."
"Hey," said the dark haired boy, "where's Kyougou?"
"I think she's out with Akogi," said the boy on the couch. "I think she said that they were screwing around withTheta Dying Bloody Fallen Angel."
"What about Kentan?" asked the woman.
"In Sigma server root town," said the dark haired boy.
"And Doki?" asked the one on the couch.
"Asleep," said the woman. She yawned. "And I think I'm about to join him."
"Be careful, Inyoku," said the boy on the couch. "You're starting to sound like me."
"Ha, ha, very funny," she said sarcastically, opening a door and walking in. She shut the door behind her and locked it, leaving the two boys alone.
"So, what do you plan to do if we find that Aura's already given someone the bracelet?" asked the boy with the dark hair.
"Hmmm..." said the other boy, thinking. "Nothing. I'll just let you guys deal with it. There's no reason a kid like me should get involved."
"You're true to your name, Bushou," said the other boy.
"I know," said the one on the couch. "That's why I picked it."
The group returned an hour later, now all steadied at level six.
"That was fun!" said Kenji.
"Yeah!" said Suzaku. "I haven't had so much fun playing this game ever before!"
"Hey," said Akazu. "What's that?"
He pointed to a small sign floating in the air that had a long message on it.
"Feel you need to get a lot stronger faster? Well you're in luck! Come to the areaTheta Entwined Elusive Twins for the Frozen Knife event, and you'll find the perfect match for your skill level with bonuses that are our secret... that is, until you find them!"
"Ooh, an event!" said Magora.
"Let's go check it out!" said Michoru.
They warped to Theta server.
When they got there, the wind ruffled their clothes and hair.
"The breeze feels great," said Kite.
But they didn't have time to dawdle, and they quickly teleported to the area.
They arrived in a snowy field with a huge blizzard. The snow blew into their faces and ripped their hair and clothes violently. Kenji grabbed his body and shivered.
"It's times like this I wish I hadn't chosen such a not-covering outfit," said Kenji.
"Well, it's too late to change it," said Kite.
"I envy you, Kite," said Kenji. "Your clothing is all snug and warm."
Kite rolled his eyes and walked into the maelstrom. His friends followed, and they slowly staggered their way through the storm. Akazu, who was walking at the front, had his eyes closed to keep the snow out. He suddenly bumped into a hard object and stepped back. As they looked at the thing, it was a huge tower completely made of ice.
"Do you think this is where the event takes place?" asked Michoru.
"I guess it must be," said Magora.
"Let's head in," said Suzaku. "I doubt that they'd have put it here if it was meaningless. It's like when someone puts a new character into their story. They don't do it, or at least they don't give the person a name, if they don't have some special purpose."
They nodded and entered the frozen structure.
As soon as they entered, the door shut and they heard an evil-sounding, female voice.
"Welcome, Adventurers, to the Tower of the Frozen Heartbeat. I am the ruler of this place, Korihimegimi. I won't allow you to leave this place. But I'll give you a
slight chance. If you can make it here, to the tenth floor of the tower, and defeat me, you may leave here."
The voice laughed and faded into the distance. A little freaked out by the voice, Kenji moved closer to Kite.
"This place is beautiful," said Magora, snapping everyone out of their daydreams.
"What do you mean?" asked Suzaku.
"Well, just look at it," said Magora. "These ice walls, they're like crystal. You can see right through them. And the snow outside is so horrible, but if you can look at its beauty without having to touch it, then it's just, well...beautiful."
They all nodded and walked through the doorway to the first chamber. Inside was a magic portal. When it disappeared, a strange creature appeared. It was a small, pale blue one-eyed demon wielding a scythe that was as big as its body. It laughed maniacally at them.
They all drew their weapons and prepared for battle.
"Says it's Darkness element," said Suzaku. "Use Thunder!"
"Lightning Bolt!" cried Akazu, holding a scroll in the air while a lightning bolt dropped from the sky and
struck the creature. It caused an elemental hit which took about a quarter of its health out.
Angered, the creature ran forward and drove its scythe right into Magora's arm. She shrieked, and then
the monster pulled it out, and attacked her in the shoulder. This time, she managed to block the assault. She flung her spear into its eye, blinding it.
"Triple Doom!" she said, and jumped up into the air, finishing by stabbing her spear down into the top of its head.
But the demon wasn't quite dead yet, and then, because he was blinded, spun around with his scythe outstretched to cut any who tried to get close to it.
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Michoru. "We can't get near it!"
"Then we won't!" said Kite, raising his hand in the air. "Juk Rom!"
A green tornado surrounded the demon, finishing off the last of its HP. They all gained a heaping amount of EXP, and they climbed up the steps to the next room.
"I'm impressed," said the evil voice. "You have proven your battle skills well, now let's test your thinking skills."
Two doorways appeared at the back wall.
"You may choose only one doorway. One will lead you back to Root Town, but the other will lead you deeper into the tower. Now, here's a hint:
The path to the moon,
The Dragon's Jewel,
The Jewel Tree's Branch,
The Shell that the Swallows Hide in their Nests,
The Cloak of the Fire Rat,
The Buddha's Stone Bowl,
The path to bliss lies to the left,
With my parent's gone,
I've no one to protect,
I walk the path to the moon,
But to the right lie the representations of love,
That I asked them to bring me,
But none succeeded,
As I had planned,
So your decision awaits.
Everyone just stared blankly into space. But Kenji seemed to have an idea.
"Guys, I think I got it," he said. "The hint talks about the story of Kaguyahime, the bamboo princess. The Dragon's Jewel, the Jewel Tree's Branch, the Shell that the Swallows Hide in their Nests, the Cloak of the Fire Rat, and the Buddha's Stone Bowl are the objects that she asked the five princes who fell in love with her to bring to her to prove their love. She speaks about 'paths' both talking about the moon and the left door, so I think that the left door leads to escape to the moon, or Root Town in our case. When she says 'the representations of love' she means the objects that she asked the princes to bring to her. So I think that what she actually means is treasures that lie to the right that will be hard to get."
"What?" asked Suzaku, not understanding any of it.
Kenji sighed. "It's that way," he said simply, pointing to the right door. They walked through the right door, arriving on the next floor.
"You chose well," said the voice. "Now, your next challenge. Before you are two passageways, one that lead to a hellish place of demons and lies, one that leads to a beautiful place of truth. Also, you see a man. He is from one of the passages. You may ask him one question, then you must choose a path."
"This one's easy," said Suzaku. "I've heard this riddle a million times."
He walked up to the man.
"Take us to the place you are from," said Suzaku, and the man led them down the left passage.
"Can you be sure about this?" asked Michoru.
"Yes," said Suzaku. "See, if one place tells only lies, and one tells only truths, then you just ask him to take you to where he's from. If he's from the truth telling place, he has to tell the truth and take you to where he's from. But if he's from the lie telling place, he can't take you to his homeland because that would be telling the truth, so either way he leads down to the good place."
At the end of the corridor, they found themselves at a staircase.
"Wow," said Kite. "Great job, Suzaku!"
They all climbed the staircase, and when they got to the top, they found a completely empty room.
"What's going on?" asked Kenji.
"Your next challenge, travelers," said the voice. "Is to use the correct element to destroy the block shielding the door. Its element is Water. That's all I can tell you. Good luck."
"That's easy!" said Magora. "We just score an elemental hit, using its opposing element: Fire! Vak Kr-"
"Wait!" said Michoru.
"What?" asked Magora.
"This place is entirely made of ice!" said Michoru. "Use Fire and we might melt the ceiling and cause a cave in! We have to use another element!"
"Well, have you got any ideas?" asked Magora.
"Yes!" said Michoru. "Water conducts electricity, so use Thunder element!"
"Lightning Bolt!" cried Akazu, raising the scroll above his head. The lightning struck the block, and it melted away, revealing the passageway.
Inside the passage was a chest, containing a stone bowl, which they gave to Michoru.
They walked forward, up the steps, and they stood to see a large, red ball of flesh with eyes all over its body.
"This is the guardian of the path," said the voice. "It cannot be killed, but if you try to walk past it, it will kill you. You must use the arcane major to advance."
"What the hell is the 'arcane major'?" asked Akazu.
"I get it!" said Kite. "When it talks about the 'arcane major' it means the Major Arcana in a tarot deck! Cards like The Moon, The Wheel of Fortune, and the Tower are all Major Arcana cards. We have to use one of the weakening scrolls, like The Hanged Man, to incapacitate it while we walk by. I've got one. The Hanged Man!"
The monster was paralyzed, and they walked into the passage, but not before Magora had taken the golden branch with emeralds for leaves from the treasure chest under the monster.
In the next room, there were two doors, each with an image of a ship on it.
"You are doing quite well, better than I had expected at least," said the voice. "Next, you must pick a door.
The rose that I present to Mary,
Holds within its petals the key to the light.
The titanic behemoth whose halves,
Lay scattered at the bottom of the sea
Do not hold the path to me."
"Not this again," said Suzaku.
"OK, I know this," said Magora. "'The rose that I present to Mary' means the Mary Rose, which was an old English ship that sunk and was recovered 437 years later. 'The titanic behmoth' I think represents the Titanic, another shipwreck. Because the Mary Rose was raised and the Titanic wasn't, let's go for the Mary Rose door."
They walked through the door on the left, and arrived in a room with a treasure box and a staircase. Kenji opened it and found a thick, silvery robe which he put on, and it warmed him up considerably. They walked up the stairs.
In the next room, they simply saw a portal. Out of it came six humanoid creatures with swords in their hands.
"Finally, some action!" said Suzaku, rushing forward and slashing one of the creatures with his blades.
"You may not use skills," said the voice.
Akazu rushed forth to attack one of the creatures, and sliced through its leg. It fell to the ground, but then stabbed him in the stomach.
"Akazu!" cried Suzaku as Akazu fell unconscious to the ground.
"I'm OK..." Akazu ensured them. "It doesn't hurt that bad..."
He coughed up blood, but stood up anyway, and crushed his axe onto the monster's skull, killing it instantly.
Suzaku was having slightly better luck. With his speed, he managed to dodge most of the monster's blows, and the ones that did hit only grazed him. All of his attacks landed, and the creature slowly but surely lost its health.
When Michoru ran into battle, she and the monster were evenly matched for speed and strength. Whenever one attacked, the other blocked. She managed to get in a few lucky strikes, though, and sooner than she thought the monster's body toppled to the ground and vanished.
Kite, not particularly good at physical combat, was hit more often than he struck. He soon realized he could dodge, and when the monster stabbed at him, he turned to the side and grabbed the creature's wrist. He then drove his staff into the monster's nose. It fell to the ground, and Kite clubbed it a few more times in the stomach and head until it finally died.
Kenji moved surprisingly quickly for a heavy blade, and slashed swiftly and devastatingly. His fast attacks did lots of damage, and the creature soon perished under Kenji's blade.
Magora's spear attacks moved so fast that they could barely be seen. The creature didn't even seem to notice the attacks, and when Magora stopped to take a short break, the creature ran forth to attack, when suddenly, he died.
When the dust cleared, there was a treasure chest, containing a small blue shell which Akazu took. Entering the next level of the dungeon, they saw a large, dragon-like creature.
"Your final challenge before you face me," said the face. "You must get to door this creature guards without using skills or items."
Akazu ran forward and sliced the creature's head off with his axe in one blow.
"Great job, Akazu!" said Kite. But their victory was short-lived, as two heads grew in place of the old one.
"It's a Hydra!" said Michoru.
"Then we can't kill it!" said Suzaku.
"Wait! I have an idea!" said Akazu, and his character suddenly froze.
"He left his terminal," said Magora.
But as quickly as he had left, Akazu came back, and a flute materialized in his hand. He began to play it, and the Hydra calmed down, and soon lay on the ground, not moving.
"How did you do that?" asked Kenji.
"'Music soothes the savage beast,'" Akazu quoted, and they opened the chest that appeared in front of the doorway. Inside was a yellow jewel with a pattern encrusted into its surface. Kite put it in his bag, and they went up the stairs to face Korihimegimi.
When they got to the top of the stairs, they saw a woman with silver hair and pale blue skin sitting on a throne. She had ice blue eyes and a golden crown on, and her hair was bunched up on top of her head. She wore a long, flowing light blue robe with a dark purple armored vest on top of it.
"Well, I hadn't expected this," she said. "I can't believe someone actually managed to make it up here."
"Shut up and die, wretch!" said Magora.
"Oh my, you are so unkind," said Korihimegimi. "I do believe it's time to teach you some manners!"
She pulled out a dagger.
"Daggers of Ice!" she threw it and it split into a huge storm of daggers, which they all just barely blocked.
"So that's how it's going to be, is it?" asked Korihimegimi. "Well, have it your way. Fuyu Circle of Winter!"
She held out her hand and a complex circular design shot forth and hit Michoru. But that only made her more determined. She ran forward and drew her sword.
"Icicle Blade!" said Korihimegimi. A sword of ice formed around her hand and she and Michoru began in sword combat. The others tried to advance on her, but she simply threw more daggers at them. Occasionally, one would manage to strike, but it never did any damage.
"Frozen Knife!" she said, and she threw a knife right at Kenji.
"Run!" screamed Kite, and that's what Kenji did. But it was too late, the knife struck him in the back. There was no scream, but he fell to the ground. Kite ran towards him, but found that Kenji was quite alive. The cloak he was wearing had protected him!
"I get it now!" said Kenji. "It's the objects that we found! They all have power over her! We have to use the treasure we found!"
"Right," they all said.
Michoru used her item first. A handle came out of the bottom of the bowl, and a blade came out of the basin. The bowl itself became a hand guard for a new sword: the Holy Sword of Buddha!
Then Magora used her treasure. The branch elongated and became the golden shaft of a spear, and then the emerald leaves became the blades. She now wielded a never before seen spear: the Golden Glaive of the Jewel Tree!
Kenji had no new weapon, as he had the special armor: the Cloak of the Fire Rat!
Akazu used his next, and the shell expanded and grew much larger and the edge became sharper. A long pole extended from the shell, and it miraculously transformed into the Axe of the Swallow's Shell!
Kite used his last, and a crescent-shaped piece of grey stone grew around the gem, and a silvery metal shaft extended from the crescent. This marked the birth of a new weapon: the Wand of the Dragon's Neck!
Armed with their new equipment, the group charged. And Michoru sliced a pendant off of Korihimegimi's neck. She tossed it to Suzaku, urging him to use it.
The gem turned into two smaller pale blue gems, and long, silver blades extended around them, connecting to handles that began to appear. Soon, he had acquired his new pair of blades, the Frozen Knives!
They attacked relentlessly. Korihimegimi didn't have much time to recuperate between each onslaught.
"Sacred Slash of Buddha!" cried Michoru, her sword glowing with beautiful colors. She slashed horizontally and a long blade of colored energy was released from the tip of the sword. It drove through Korihimegimi's stomach.
"Jeweled Tornado!" said Magora, holding out her spear and spinning around while a bright energy surrounded her and her spear, leaving a trail of energy, cutting through Korihimegimi.
"Frozen Knives!" said Suzaku, slashing once up, down, left, and right, and then flipping over Korihimegimi's head and stabbing into her back, then dragging the knife down as he landed.
"Flaming Arrow!" yelled Kenji, a red bow appearing in his hand. He grabbed the string, and an arrow made of fire appeared on the bow. He pulled the string and released it, sending the arrow flying into Korihimegimi's heart.
"Song of the Swallows!" said Akazu, his axe glowing blue. A birdsong was heard as he ran forward and slashed wildly, the directions indiscernible. But he finished with a long, hard slash down onto her head.
"Dragon with the Jewel in its Neck!" cried Kite, raising his staff in the air. A complex pattern within a circle appeared underneath his feet, and glowed brightly. Light poured up from beneath him and formed into a crystalline dragon, and as Kite moved his staff forward, the dragon flew forth, right through Korihimegimi.
A loud scream was heard, and everything around them had been engulfed in a bright light. When it cleared, there was no one but themselves. Korihimegimi was dead. They had cleared the event.
They jumped and cheered over their victory, and a man suddenly appeared before them.
"Congratulations," he said, "you have cleared the Frozen Knife event. We will now calculate your reward. Your level, combined with your time bonus and your winning the event, five hundred bonus points for defeating Korihimegimi, and a hundred for every level you made it to comes to... 3,564 EXP."
They all leveled up four times, bringing their levels to ten.
"Congratulations again, and make sure to keep playing The World. Thank you for taking part in our event."
They were automatically warped out.
"That was so muchfun!" said Kite when they got back to Root Town.
"I know," said Michoru. "And we got some super-ultra-mega-double rare weapons out of it as well!"
"Plus four levels!" Akazu reminded them.
Kite looked at the clock on his computer.
"Crap," he said. "It's gotten really late really fast. I've got to log out. I'll see you. Bye Kenji, see you tomorrow."
He logged out.
Is it awful? I hope not. This chapter took forever to write. It's my longest one yet. Oh, I'm going to need a character for my upcoming chapters, so please, if you have any, then just review and put the ideas in it.I recommend you don't use the main character in your own fanfic. The one I like best will appear in my story! Here's the format:
Character Name:
Character Class:
Appearance: (Hair, eyes, clothes, random markings, skin tone, etc.)
Personality:
Just copy and paste in your review.