Fawlen: Just to make up for the long wait, I finally wrote another chapter. Yay! I hope you like it, and my writing may be confusing, but please bear with me. Also, I'd appreciate it if you give me so feedback.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Wizard101.
Warning: There will be a few cussing in the story.
Not everything has to always depend on magic. You don't always have to learn magic to defeat monsters. People just think it's easier. Honestly, I think they're wrong. Magic seems like a waste of time. It takes time to cast a few spells, and if you don't do it fast in a battle…well, let's just say it won't end up pretty. The Spiral isn't as innocent as it looks in games. The place is like a battlefield.
The monsters here are vicious. They won't hesitate to come after you. It doesn't matter if you walk on the sidewalks, they'll still come after you. They're not generous. They don't give you turns to cast spells, and you definitely don't re-spawn after you lose all your health. I don't know what all of you think, but this place is truly like living in Hell.
Many people have lost their families. We barely have any food and there's barely any space for anyone. The people that are richer are selfish. They don't care about the food shortages because can buy it with their money, and they certainly don't care about other people dying. They live in their safe, comfy home with a few well-trained guards to protect them. I sued to envy the people in the high society when I was younger, but now, I despise them. I truly hope I'll never have to meet one of them.
This isn't a game. This isn't just for fun. People die every single second of the day. It's not like the game 'Wizard101', it's different. And I hope that one day, you'll be able to see just how cruel it really is, because the game isn't a game. It's a trap. Once you play it, you'll get sucked in. And there's no way out. The graphics you see are all just a lie. Nothing more but a mere illusion. Merle Ambrose doesn't exist. None of it does. But the world I currently live in does.
The sound of feet slapping against stone rang through the ears of an eighteen-year-old teen. His lips formed a grin, and his heart pumped with adrenaline. His red, tattered cape flowed behind him, leaving a streak of red. From below, since he was on the rooftops, the sounds of footsteps slowed until they gradually stopped altogether.
This time, the male let out a laugh. It was deep, with a hint of triumph and mockery in it. It always ended like this – he would steal, knights would try to catch him, and in the end, they would give up. It was simply too easy, and it seemed that the knights would just stop bothering with him and move on to more important matters to deal with.
The teen slowed down until he came to a complete halt and surveyed his surroundings. Somehow, he had stumbled near the arena, a place where other players battle each other to see who's stronger. He snorted at the thought. It was simply useless to battle each other when they should put their skills to use and kill monsters instead. But, he is pretty hypocritical himself. He knows that he should be fighting monsters rather than stealing, but he has a family to take care of.
Besides, stealing from the rich is better than stealing from the less fortunate. I like to think of myself as Robin Hood, the teenager thought with a grin.
"Seems like my plan did work." A voice alerted the teen.
He whirled around to find who spoke and discovered it was a girl, around his age, lazily leaning against a chimney. She had long golden blond hair tied into a high ponytail and glowing blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of the standard knights' uniform for the women with a few alterations to the design. A big, slender sword hung around her waist, close enough to be unsheathed in an instant if danger is near. Her arms were crossed, and she had a small, smug smirk set upon her face.
"What?" The thief asked, puzzled by the sudden turn of events.
The girl sighed and pushed herself off the chimney. "Is that all? Man, and I thought I was going to see something interesting! Don't worry, though, I won't hurt you…unless you do something for me, that is." The girl sent a mischievous grin towards him.
"What do you want?" He demanded, his voice harsh with no hint of emotion.
The knight swung her hands up in mock surrender. "No need to be so harsh! Like I told you, I won't hurt you unless you do something for me."
He stared at her. Nothing gave away his next move, but you could clearly tell he wanted this to be over with. The knight sighed and shook her head at him, like she was disappointed at the outcome.
"Fine, I get it. And I thought something entertaining would come out of this." The knight mumbled to herself, her words were loud enough for the thief to hear, and she rolled her eyes at his earlier action.
"What do you want?" He repeated. His tone was firm and still contained the harshness in it.
She sighed but straightened her back to look more presentable, not a glimmer of playfulness from earlier was there. "Dominique Everhart, I need your help."
The teen, dubbed as Dominique Everhart, stared at the knight blankly, the words processing in his mind and repeating over and over again like a broken player. She stared back at him with a hard gaze, her arms crossed, and she looked expectedly at the taller male. Finally, he sighed and shook his head, a light chuckle escaping his lips. She stared quizzically at him, her lips pursed with her eyebrows knitted together to show obvious confusion.
"You want me, a thief, to help a knight like yourself? You've gotta be kidding me! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard." Dominique sputtered out, his laughter growing louder and louder by the second. It was completely incomprehensible why a noble and just knight wanted a lowly, pitiful thief's help. Just the mere thought brings waves of laughter to the male.
"Look, I know the idea is rather laughable, but I really do need your help. I promise to you, after you complete the task I want for you to do, I won't have the other knights chase after you. Please, at least hear me out." She pleaded.
Dominique hummed in response, his shoulders still quaking from hidden laughter. He could humor her and listen to her, besides, he wanted to hear this "brilliant" plan of hers. "Fine, tell me what you've got."
The blonde's lips quirked into a small smirk of satisfaction. "Good. My name's Alessia Mandracchia, captain of the elite squad. It has come to my attention that this wretched game has been going for ten years now, and I want to put a stop to this madness. That's why I'm forming a team full of the best people in here to find out the reason why we've been put in this hellhole to begin with and to escape. And I want you to be a part of that team. You're wit and speed has caught my attention, and I believe you'll be able to be a great asset to the team."
"Whoa, what? This is insane! You know as well as I that we'll never be able to leave this place! It's unbeatable! Besides we haven't even been to the other worlds! You don't know what the other monsters are like! How powerful they are! What were you fucking thinking?" Dominique exclaimed, spitting out multiple insults and profanities at the idea.
Alessia didn't seem fazed. No, she looked as if she expected this kind of outburst from the male. "I know this is an absurd idea, but this is the only chance we've got. Recently, there's been a lot of talented people in the game, and if we take this offer up, we can finally beat this game once and for all. Don't you want to go back to our world? To be able to taste the different foods and to see our friends and family?"
"I do, I really do. But this, all of this, is just too insane. I can't risk my life on such an outrageous idea. I have people here to help, to protect." He replied, hanging his head so his messy dark brown hair shielded his face from view.
"Would you rather risk your life at a chance to escape and help everyone leave this place? Or would you rather suffer in this game more, the chance of losing your love ones increasing by the day? You can help protect the people you love in this place by joining me and finding a way out. Please, just consider my offer." Alessia smiled sadly at Dominique before turning around to leave, but a hand stopped her from doing so.
"I'd rather join you and find a way to escape. The thought of them suffering because of this game is one I cannot have. I'll join you, you have my word." Dominique's voice shook with emotion, his hand quivering with fear and determination.
The blond turned her head to look at the male, a small smile of relief featured on her fair face. "Thank you, I appreciate your bravery. Not many would have agreed to join, but you are one of the very few who can foresee the outcome if we tried."
"I'm not one of the few you described as. I'm only joining because I want to escape and protect the people I care for. I don't know what we're gonna face, but all I know is that if this plan works, my family can leave this damned place. Alessia Mandracchia, lead me to this goal, and I will be forever loyal to you." He whispered, bowing his head in gratitude.
"So, that is your wish, then I will try my best to grant it. Welcome to the team, Dominique Everhart. I thank you for risking your life for the life of others." Alessia nodded her head back at the male.
And so it begins. The quest to leave this hell has begun. We only have two more people left to join us, then our journey shall begin, and we'll be one step closer to escape this madness. Hope, James, Lucas, I hope you're there to see this. Like I promised all of you, I will find a way to escape.
