I'd like to thank everyone who faved/reviewed this story for me! I know this is a little different then most CG fics and I'm glad that most of you seem pretty excited instead of outraged. I'll let you get to the next chapter now...
"Talking with the occasional itallics for Emphasis."
'Abilities'
"Whispering between characters"
{Party Chat}
-System Message- type stuff.
Still don't own Code Geass or any other series/game you might find a resemblance in my story to said series/game.
Chapter II.
"You know this is just a fancy, right?" a girl's voice whispered in the ear of a hooded figure.
"Maybe, but she might be one of the first and most important piece to succeeding. I won't begin a reckless up-hill war again without first preparing." the figure replied, shrugging inside his cloak. "We both know what lies at the end of that path."
"Still haven't given up on your revenge yet I see... Maybe that's why your my favorite." both voices chuckled for a moment before the sound of battle drew the cloaked figures eyes towards the road that lay just out of sight behind tall grass.
"Not yet. Now lets start gathering my pieces." the figure stated as slim fingers began to dance and unintelligible words and phrases fell from hidden lips. There would be blood and conflict soon, and he had to prepare. A potential queen was waiting after all.
"RAAAAHHGH!" Kallen screamed as she slammed her sword down on the skull of one of her persistent entourage. The two-hundred pound wolf's cranium cracked under the pressure and its body collapsed into a twitching mound as the girl pried her weapon from its brain.
"Where the FUCK are you, Rivalz!" she snarled in a very un-Stadtfelt like manner while warily backing up to keep the remaining beasts from circling behind her.
"I'm almost to the monastery! I just need to take... this road? Ummm... I swear I'll be right there, just hold on Kallen!" the boy's rambling only increased Kallen's irritation.
"Never mind! I'll handle it myself." following up on her statement Kallen lowered her stance and focused. Running through the steps in her head the girl took a deep breath and 'Charged' as she exhaled. Her prey jumped in surprise as Kallen's left hand rammed into it's nose, the force of Kallens avatar blasting the creature off its feet. Holding her sword parallel to the ground Kallen spun quickly to the side and felt a satisfying crunch vibrate through the metal as she knocked the third wolf out of the air.
Grabbing the handle with both hands Kallen raised her sword then brought it down with all the considerable physical power now available to her. Sharp metal easily decapitated the stunned wolf and sunk a few inches into the soil under it. Grunting Kallen tore the sword from the dirt and turned to look for her final victim. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the cowardly beast trying to slink away from her.
"Coward!" she taunted, the wolf however, foolishly ignored the fighter.
"You can't run from me." her legs blurred as the girl 'Charged', once again closing the distance between herself and the escapee in an instant. Fingers that coursed with more power then she had ever dreamed of locked firmly into place around the wolf's nape, arms that had trembled from carrying three text-books now were completely still while holding the two-hundred pound creature despite it's frantic struggles. Kallen closed her eyes and sighed as she simply enjoyed the illusion.
A heavy impact on her back quickly brought her back to the game as yet another monster-sized wolf barreled into her, letting it's comrade shake free and leap away as Kallen stumbled. Snarling the interloper backed away slowly while never taking its eyes off Kallen. She recovered quickly, regaining her balance and turning to see her recent captive already running for the hills while it's rescuer carefully slunk in the same direction.
"I'm not gonna let you get away." Kallen promised as she stalked after the retreating pair. The persistent burn in her legs warning the girl that she wouldn't be able to keep using her abilities recklessly without taking some time to rest and recover.
The wolves led her through a merry chase for the next several minutes through the sparse trees and long grass. After several attempts to double-back or lose her through denser undergrowth the beasts had given up stealth and were out-right fleeing from their red-headed pursuer. Kallen was able to keep pace with them with only minor difficulties, and rounding a corner caught sight of a bushy tail disappearing into a large cave that loomed out the side of a hill.
"Got you!" she snickered, still feeling almost bubbly at how well her body withstood the stress of the fight and subsequent chase, so fearlessly the fighter entered the cave after her targets. She frowned as the world shifted for a second as she passed under the overhang but when nothing happened Kallen shrugged and continued.
The tunnel behind the entrance was fairly wide and high, a lucky break for Kallen with her only weapon being a unwieldy two-handed sword, and seemed to be made mostly of simple soil. Large roots criss-crossed the ceiling or broke free from the dirt to hang, tendrils grasping like claws just over her head. Striding deeper into the dark Kallen felt her eyes shift as her Half-elven heritage allowed her to see heat in the rapidly darkening tunnel. She could pick out some of the lingering heat from the wolves foot-prints and doggedly followed them ever further into the dark.
Several twists and turns later the ceiling and walls arched further away from her and she saw a multitude of red wolf-figures dotting the cavern before her. One of them lifted its head as she entered and immediately loosed a piercing howl that drew the attention off the rest. Cursing Kallen turned to flee the horde but saw her exit already cut off as the sneaky pair she had been chasing emerged from a smaller side-tunnel. Grimly the girl turned and raised her sword at the incoming throng. She was fairly sure she could at least put a large dent in the forces charging her, but overcoming them would be almost impossible. Kallen hadn't wanted to experience a 'death' quite so early into her first time playing, but right now it seemed unavoidable.
"I suppose it's not like I've got much to lose right now anyway." she muttered before crouching to wait for the first of the wolves to reach her.
Lashing out as the leading beast leaped towards her Kallen batted it out of the air like a soft-ball and let her swords weight spin her around, building force and speed she used to slam the metal into the second ones head. Rushing forward Kallen lifted her left hand from the hilt and punched with brutal force into the open maw of her closest opponent. Grimacing at the feeling of the creature gag and shudder around her arm as she threw it back into the mass that began to spread out to circle her.
Sharp teeth sunk into her calf and another pair latched onto her extended fore-arm and Kallen roared as the game gave her a slight burning sensation where the teeth ripped into her. Spurred by the unexpected discomfort Kallen shook free from her attackers and whipped her sword in a large arc, the circling creatures backing away slightly to avoid her swing. Diving for a wall Kallen tucked her legs and rolled between a pair of wolves that snapped at her eagerly but in vain. Quickly rising to her feet Kallen set her back firmly to the wall and took up her stance again as the horde reformed in a half-circle just out of reach. Bright blue eyes glared at the red-figures, daring them to try and avoid the wickedly sharp sword and reach her.
The next several minutes passed in a blur of dodging razor teeth and lashing out with her own over-sized fang. Several new bodies decorated the floor near her, but there were still too many of the beasts for her to count snarling mere feet away. Despite heroic efforts her avatar had weathered several more bites and she could feel it's exhaustion trying to drag her down. Leaning back against the wall she continued to fix the pack with her unwavering gaze. The pack was a swirling mass of gleaming eyes and laughing tongues as they taunted her, but from just out of reach.
"And the conditions are met." a voice rang out as a pair of black palm-sized objects rolled into the throng. A second later Kallen felt a massive fist of air push against her as twin explosions sent the majority of her opponents flying away in broken pieces, the few remaining racing away with terrified howls.
"Easy enough." the tone oozed confidence and arrogance, and Kallen saw a human figure made of warm-reds and orange broken occasionally by the fluttering of their cloak waltz into the cavern. Wiping away some of the dust that covered her Kallen pushed herself back up off the wall as her rescuer approached.
"Not a bad job holding them off... for a newbie." the off-hand comment made her see red and she grabbed a fist-full of the front of the speakers shirt.
"Who asked for your help? I had everything under control!" her anger made it difficult to not lift the figure off it's feet.
"Look here newbie, I know you feel invincible and on top of the world right now, but I can tell your almost out of HP and can't even use your abilities anymore. Your lucky I happened to see you charge headlong into this death-trap." some of the arrogance had sloughed off to reveal what sounded almost like concern.
"So what. I would have been fine." she muttered, letting go of the rough leather vest.
"Maybe, it's not every day a fresh player can roll into a wolfs den and survive for more then a few seconds. Get yourself a few more levels and abilities and you'll be more then capable of clearing it yourself." the voice, male now that Kallen had calmed down a bit and payed a little more attention, reassured her.
"Now we better gather up some of the loot and get out of here before-"
"Puny fleshlings! What have you done to my children!"Kallen jumped at the sudden booming voice that resounded through the cavern.
"Fucking kidding me!" her helper growled. "You even got the rare spawn."
"Rare spawn?" Kallen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Rare spawns are exactly what their called. A rare monster that spawns only in certain situations or times, the problem right now though-" the boy grabbed her hand and started for the exit while continuing his explanation. "Is that they are far more powerful then a normal spawn, not quite as strong as a dungeon boss, but I'm not sure I can take this particular one by myself at the moment."
"What do we do?" Kallen replied as she digested the information.
"I would have said run... but..." he stated as Kallen noticed the massive form filling the exit to the cave. "It looks like we're in trouble."
Looking closely Kallen realized with horror what exactly was blocking their path. Roughly human in shape but towering at almost seven feet tall the monster grinned through its muzzle in feral joy. Massive claws flexed and the were-wolf threw back its head and howled, the coarse hair covering its body shifting as over-sized muscles rippled.
"Fresh meat for the rest of my children tonight! We will enjoy devouring your remains, foolish intruders." the warm dampness of the monsters breath blew Kallens hair back slightly and ruffled the cloak of her companion.
"Right, change of plans." Kallen's hand was suddenly released as her companion darted forward and slammed a slender dagger into the meat of the beasts right leg. He was already flipping backwards as the were-wolf swiped at him and Kallen saw another pair of black orbs drifting towards it's chest. Shutting her eyes Kallen dropped the tip of her sword to the ground and hid as well as she could behind it's mass.
The explosion went off a moment later, accompanied by a roar of pain. A few chunks of the dirt that made up the ceiling shook loose and glanced off Kallens head and shoulders. Glancing around her make-shift barrier Kallen gasped as the smoking monster raced forward with incredible speed and slammed and hand into her companions chest. There was a grunt of pain followed by a choking sound as the boy's slim body flew through the air and bounced of the far wall that stopped his flight short. Kallen felt a moment of indecision as she noticed the exit was now unguarded while the monster stalked towards the downed grenadier.
As the boy pushed his cloaked form up from the ground Kallen berated herself for even considering leaving him to deal with the monster alone. Dragging her sword along the ground Kallen raced towards the beasts back and swung towards its knees, hoping to incapacitate it enough for them to escape. Her hopes were crushed as one massive foot lifted and then pinned her weapon to the ground in the blink of an eye. Baleful eyes rotated to glare at her and the beast sniffed in disgust.
"Wait your turn, meat, I'll deal with you shortly." with that the were-wolf backhanded her, the power in its strike separating Kallen from her sword that remained firmly lodged under its foot. She landed in a heap of bruises and pain several feet away and couldn't bite back a cry of pain.
"Well this situation is certainly critical." the boy coughed weakly as he swayed back to his feet before the monster. "I might have to play seriously." the wolf, unamused at his bravado, slammed another brutal blow into his ribs with enough force to lift him almost to the ceiling before slapping him back to the ground with the other hand.
"My children thank you for your gift of flesh." the were-wolf grinned as it lifted the limp body to eye level.
"Perfect."
A sudden flash illuminated the whole cavern and Kallens ears practically bled from the sound produced. Trying to blink the spots from her vision she dazedly noticed the were-wolf stumbling about, muted howling breaking the monotonous ringing in her ears. Woozily dragging herself up slightly Kallen jerked in surprise as a hand landed on her shoulder.
"-eak th-" she couldn't make out his features back Kallen was able to recognize her companion's lean form, but she didn't recall the smooth rock like object he forced into her hand. Studying it for a moment Kallen realized it was a glass orb with something softly glowing green shifting under the surface. Turning a quizzical look to her companion she saw his shoulders drop in exasperation for a moment before he placed his hands over hers and squeezed.
With the sound of shattering glass heard from across the street the rock cracked in her hands and sudden vitality roared through Kallens battered avatar. Her vision cleared and the ringing in her ears quickly faded.
"Good, I need you to try and hold her for a moment, just a moment will do." the boy instructed as he began to draw symbols on the ground and mumble in a language Kallen couldn't understand.
"Her?" she queried, but he payed her no mind, completely focused on his ritual. Turning away with a slight huff Kallen fixed her eyes on the still stumbling monster across the room. The were-wolf already seemed to be getting itself under control and before Kallen could capitalize on its confusion it had turned to face them.
"Just a moment." she said to herself. Just a moment, what could he hope to accomplish in just one moment? Glancing back Kallen frowned, hoping he wasn't trying to escape and leave her to die alone. Dark shadows, even in her elvish vision, were gathering around the boy and traces of intense heat began to flash along his arms.
"I'm not going anywhere." he mentioned quickly after noticing her troubled stare. Reassured once again Kallen turned to see the wolf start lumbering towards them.
"I won't let him past me." she promised. He didn't reply, his lips already spilling forth more arcane or demonic words.
Running forward Kallen intercepted the were-wolf with a thundering boom. Her own unnatural strength, bolstered by the unholy vitality her companion granted her, proved the beasts match as she managed to completely stop its forward momentum. Ducking her head quickly Kallen felt a sharp breeze ruffle her hair as the monsters head-sized hand clawed through the air she had just vacated. Retaliating Kallen slammed her knee as high as she could, barely reaching the wolfs hip. The blow did bring forth a startled yelp of pain but before Kallen could recover her balance she felt a set of razor-like claws shred her chain-mail from left shoulder to right hip, deep lines of muted pain indicating the thin links had barely saved her characters life.
Her brief cry of pain was cut short as the wolfs other hand blasted into her jaw, throwing her like a rag-doll across the smooth floor. Kallen could feel the vitality she had gained pouring out of her, replaced once again by bone-deep weariness. Trying to drag herself up Kallen realized there was light filling the cavern and she gasped when she found the source of it. The boy she had been protecting was surrounded by swirling shadows and fire, they formed a sinister spiral between his hands as his chanting finally came to an end.
"Almost..." he grunted, forcing his hands and the swirling energy between them into a tight ball. His head rose to face the now frantically charging were-wolf and Kallen could barely make out a smirk in the shifting shadows under his hood.
"Soul Fire." with amplified and distorted words echoing in the room the revealed magic user thrust his hands into the monsters chest a half-second before he was over-run by its greater mass. The beast immediately exploded in bright orange and red flames. As the now cooking monster howled shadows poured from its mouth, ears, and eyes, running like ink down the burning carcass they emerged from to gather in a small puddle around the wolf-man's feet. Kallen could feel waves of agony and despair that exuded from the oily substance beginning to permeate the very air around them.
"Well that was more trouble then I was hoping for." the boy joked as he walked past the still standing bonfire towards Kallen. "Now lets get out of here before you attract anything worse." numbly nodding Kallen let him help her up as they hobbled towards the exit.
A few moments later the pair emerged into the afternoon heat from the cool of the cave. The boy lead her over to a rock and made her sit. As soon as she was settled his hands began diving into several different pockets. Finally able to inspect her companion Kallen took a moment to look him over.
A smooth, hooded black cloak shaded his face from her gaze, but she could see a tiny stretch of pale skin at the base of his throat before it was covered by a light leather vest. Several small pouches hung to a set of criss-crossed faded-brown belts along his slight chest and flat stomach. A thick belt held several more pouches and small black orbs as well as keeping his dark leather pants around narrow hips. Well-worn dark brown boots decorated with symbols completed what she could see of his outfit.
"Lift your shirt." he ordered as Kallen finished her inspection.
"What!" she choked, one hand instantly covering herself when she realized the tattered remains of her shirt and mail coat were barely hiding anything. Her other raised itself threateningly before the void that filled the hood the words had originated from.
"Oh for... Look we need to patch those cuts up or you could die from the blood-loss. When a were-wolf cuts you with their claws there is a possibility for a 'Bleed' effect. The only way to treat a 'Bleed' is by healing magic, or bandages." he lifted a roll of pale gauze pointedly in front of the fiery girls face, ignoring the threatening appendage still hovering before his own.
"The 'Health-stone' I gave you will be wearing off soon as well, we need to restore as much of your HP as possible or your gonna end up dying and losing all the XP you got in there." snorting he finished in an irritated tone, "So stop freaking out and let me fix you up."
"I'll do it myself, thank you." Kallen replied, equally irritated, snatching the roll from his hands and turning away from him. She almost turned back to deck him when she heard a chuckle, but her mail shirt promised to fall completely to pieces if she did.
"I'll go pick through the bodies and see if your luck managed to extend to loot as well. Try not to run headlong into another fight." he said after realizing Kallen wasn't going to pull up her shirt till he was gone. The girls eyes followed his cloaked form as it retreated out of sight into the cave.
Snorting Kallen quickly shed her tattered mail coat and shirt before wrapping the gauze tightly around the deep cuts that crossed her chest from shoulder to hip. When the wrappings didn't change color Kallen raised an eyebrow in confusion. Thinking back she realized there hadn't seen any blood, neither her own or that of her victims.
"Jees, you did get hit pretty bad." a familiar voice softly whispered in her ear.
"HEY! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelped, punching into the shadows of the hood that had suddenly appeared at her shoulder. Smoothly her tormentor slipped backwards away from the blow, dropping her sword at Kallen's feet, and chuckled.
"You patched yourself up pretty well, missed a few spots but I'll show you the way to the healer so you can get those soaked bandages off soon." he mused.
"Missed spots?" Kallen replied, checking over her body for any indication of damage. Several small black streaks decorated her skin, but she couldn't see any real hurts. "I don't see any blood."
"You still got the PG filter on?" he inquired.
"Whats a PG filter?"
"Hah. Ok, pull up your settings and go to the rating tab." he began to instruct, "Once there you can re-set a couple things, like turning on blood/gore or how the game translates pain to you."
Concentrating Kallen brought up a menu before her and did as her companion directed, there was a brief warning message that her new settings were unsuitable for children under the age of 12 but Kallen ignored it. The world went black for a second before lighting back up. Looking down Kallen gaped at the sudden change in her perceptions.
Clotted blood soaked the bandages that wrapped her chest and she now saw that what use to be small black lines were actually deep punctures and cuts from the teeth of her opponents. Bright red blood oozed slowly from several of the now revealed injuries. Snatching a second roll of gauze from her hooded companions hand she immediately set about binding the new wounds. After finishing the last one she looked up and noted several deep red spots on her companions previously immaculate clothing.
"Nothing really worth mentioning for loot except a ring, though Were-wolf fangs are going for a decent price to craftsmen." a small pouch landed in her lap as the boy stretched, "I took the liberty of extracting some components I could use from the bodies, my grenades and flash-bangs don't make themselves."
"Why didn't you just incinerate them all with magic then?" Kallen retorted, peeking into the pouch she had been given. A random assortment of teeth and patches of fur met her gaze, a simple brass ring glittering on top of the pile. Placing the pouch on her belt Kallen hefted her sword back into the scabbard along her back.
"The ring might have a minor enchantment on it, I don't know for sure so you should visit a vendor or mage who can find out." the boy mentioned as she pulled the ring free. "And to answer your question. What fun would that be? Besides, I didn't really have time to cast a spell big enough to take out all the wolves before they finished you off."
"What do you mean find a mage, aren't you one?" Kallen inquired, blushing slightly as he burst into laughter.
"No, I'm a warlock. I can only use variations of fire, shadow and summoning magics. A mage can't use shadow, nature, or healing magic, but everything else is possible for them to learn, including identification spells." he explained after recovering his breath.
"Oh." she responded, thinking that perhaps reading some more about the other classes might not have been a bad idea. "But that still doesn't really explain why your using bombs, aren't those more of a thief's tool?"
"Your character can learn some things that aren't in the usual set of abilities for your class, it's not easy though." rising to his feet the boy motioned for her to follow him. "We've been sitting here for too long. You need to see a healer, and I need to stop by the bank to pick up some more equipment. After those are done I'll show you to one of the 'Fighter' trainers and then your on your own."
"Why are you helping me so much?" Kallen finally asked after they had been walking for a few moments.
"I've been playing for a while now, and it's always good show newbies some of the ropes when possible. You've got excellent reflexes and seem to know your way around that sword already, so you'll probably be hell-on-wheels a couple levels from now." his hood rotated to face her and Kallen could feel his smile even if it was hidden, "Besides, I like to have big-bad warriors owing me favors. Next time I need a meat shield for a dungeon I'll be looking for ya." snickering the slender boy quickly ducked as Kallen lobbed a fist at his head.
"Kallen! Who's your friend?" Rivalz voice suddenly sounded off to their right. Looking up in surprise Kallen saw her classmate's avatar seated on a small pony. His blue-hair was covered somewhat by a small triangular cap set at a jaunty angle with a feather proudly displaying itself. His clothing was a mix of light and dark green cotton's with a rough vest of leather guarding his chest. A thick bow peeked out over his shoulder and under his hip as he waved towards them.
"Right, your friends here so I'll take off." the cloaked boy stated, quickly starting to stride off into the tall grass as Rivalz spurred his horse lightly towards them.
"Wait!" Kallen called, but he just turned slightly, waved, and then disappeared.
"Damn you got pretty tore up Kallen, who was that?" Rivalz asked as he hopped off the pony beside Kallen. Looking over Kallen noted Rivalz was a full-blooded elf and his facial features and been slightly changed to make him look the part. Long pointed ears were quivering lightly, maybe from worry, or embarassment.
"I don't know, he just showed up and helped me deal with a bunch of wolves." Kallen replied, not feeling like retelling her adventure in detail.
"Oh... I could have swore I've seen him before." Rivalz replied, one hand cupping his slightly thinner then normal chin in thought. "What class was he?"
"A warlock, though he used explosives more then spells." Kallen stated, seeing a sudden narrowing of her friends eyes.
"Uses bombs? Man I hope it's who I think it is Kallen. The only warlock I've met or heard of using explosives regularly is this incredible guy who goes by the name 'Zero'. Some of the rumors mention that he use to be a GM." Rivalz was still stuck in his pondering pose, even as his pony started to wander away.
"Whats a GM?" Kallen felt foolish asking about the meaning of yet another acronym, she was definitely going to read the manual word-for-word after logging off.
"A 'Game-Manager' or 'Game-Master', they are people who have been given basically free-reign in the game. They can create new items, new monsters, new spells, and even new dungeons or quests. They also act as something like a police force, stopping people from breaking the rules and stuff like that." the blue-haired boy explained.
"Why isn't he a GM anymore then? Did he get fired or something?" the red-head pondered out loud. Rivalz suddenly hunched slightly and glanced around before motioning for Kallen to come closer.
"They say a big group of players got together and stole his powers a couple months ago." he whispered conspiratorially in her ear.
"How is that even possible? Aren't GM's basically like a god here?" Kallen demanded.
"Quiet!" Rivalz hissed before dragging her head down next to his own again. "Supposedly the game designers actually did incorporate a way for players to fight back at GM's, in case one of them went rogue and started messing things up instead of helping. Through a series of complex spells players can basically steal portions of a GM's powers and use them. The rumors say that it took almost a hundred players to subdue Zero long enough to take even a fraction of his powers though."
"This is crazy, why are we whispering anyway?" Kallen finally snorted, finding his tale hard to believe.
"Shhhhh! Cause sometimes people don't log back in again after talking about this." Rivalz continued to whisper.
"Whatever, that guy couldn't be a former GM anyway, he almost got killed by a single Were-wolf." she reasoned.
"Oh... Well I suppose that a real former GM wouldn't really have a problem with one or two critters." the blue-haired boy seemed deflated somewhat after hearing Kallen's statement.
"Right, so can you show me the way to the healer? Since you scared off my former guide I think it's only fair." smiling sweetly Kallen snickered as Rivalz immediately hopped back on his pony and offered her his hand. Gripping Rivalz waist Kallen rested her avatars head against his back and tried to digest the monstrous amount of information she had gathered in her first hour and a half playing 'Fantasy's Call'.
"I'll be around, Q-1." a smooth voice echoed lightly in her head as Rivalz mount carried them down the dirt path towards Halshore.
Blood splattered the ground as the hooded figure collapsed out of sight from the pair standing by the road. Ragged breathing continued for a few moments until a slim hand rose to wipe hidden lips. Throwing off the pain like a blanket the figure rose, once again steady, sure-footed, and dripping with confidence.
"She almost got you killed." a voice chidded.
"Hah, like I'd die from these little scratches." he scoffed, hands moving out and beginning to form signs.
"Why didn't you let me out? I would have been far more useful then she was in there." shaking his head the hooded figure ignored the whining and started to mumble his spell.
"You promised me, didn't you?" frowning the cloaked boy finished his spell, a pentagram formed of fire flickering to life under his feet.
"I haven't forgotten. But you know I can't full-fill your wish as I am now. I need allies, I need people who can watch my back and hold back the swarm as I cut out that bastards living heart. It is too early for me to reveal the secret you hide from them for me. I'm no longer strong enough to protect you alone, and they aren't ready to be thrown into this war just yet. So, just bear with it for just a while longer." explanation concluded the boy leaped into the air, the dancing lines underneath his feet suddenly cracking the earth apart and revealing a molten abyss.
As he fell a black horse, mane and tail made of red and orange fire, rose from the jagged scar in the earth. Landing in the dark saddle the boy leaned forward, whispering into the steeds ear. Flicking the ear in irritation the demon horse pranced on its molten hooves for a moment then set off, small patches of fire lighting a path behind it.
"Soon, I'll be able to fight back again. They thought I was broken, they left me to curl up and fade away after taking almost everything from me. What they failed to realize was that they only stoked the fires of my hate. Forged my wrath into a sword that will claim their lives, real or not I will see them dead for what they did. And when the deed is done, then I will keep my promise." a single point of light flared to life under the hood as the boy pushed his steed for more speed, sickly magenta and pink with a red bird that danced and flew in the small circle of his left eye.
"Just don't forget. Zero."
Halshore was a small town, built at the edge of a small lake it boasted a small fishing fleet as well as fairly fertile soil. The population was small, but made of hardy people who had weathered many storms and faced down countless wild beasts. The town was set up in a rough half-circle extending from the waters edge, the buildings were mostly rough wood but of sturdy construction. A six foot wall of stone surrounded and protected the town from the various critters that roamed the forests and plains beyond.
Riding down the main road Kallen saw several different shops, two taverns, and a blacksmith before Rivalz slowed their mount to a halt before a small chapel. Brilliantly colored glass shone from a few of the windows in the peaked structure. Swinging a leg over Kallen let herself drop off the horse to the packed dirt and gave it a few pat's in thanks.
"Right, this is the chapel, we can get up patched up here in a hurry." her blue-haired escort stated, also dropping to the dirt and striding towards the door. Following the boy Kallen entered through the small set of double doors and glanced about the small center for worship for a moment before chasing after the still moving council member. A short row of pews lined each side of the building, leading up to a slightly raised platform with a wooden podium planted in the center. Small pots of flowers were set at recurring intervals down the walls and a ten-pronged candle stick stood proudly off to each side of the podium.
"Hello, Grace." Rivalz said to a short, middle-aged woman covered in thick grey robes.
"Good afternoon to you, good sir. Have you come to offer praise or a donation? Or to seek our aid in binding your wounds?" Grace replied, her tone slightly hoarse but still warm.
"My friend here got jumped by wolf's just outside the city, I thought I'd let you patch her up." the green-clad boy replied cheerfully.
"Of course." the woman replied, "Will you be making a donation today sir?"
"Oh, right!" slapping his forehead Rivalz quickly dove into a pouch on his hip and brought forth a few glittering silver coins that disappeared into a small box set at the end of one of the benches. "That should do."
"The church thanks you, good sir." bowing slightly the priest then motioned Kallen forward.
"My poor child, it is truly a shame that one so beautiful as yourself was assaulted so callously. Within sight of the city no less." shaking her greying hair, Grace began to chant a quiet prayer while gliding her hands over Kallens wounds.
Watching quietly Kallen felt a rush as the woman's hands began to glow with a pale radiance, the light seeming to pull the pain from her body. In a few moments Grace stopped her chanting and let her hands droop back to her sides.
"I have done what I could, child. Go with god, and may he always watch over your path." the priest stated, turning to return to the back of the building.
"Thank you, Grace." Kallen replied, flexing her body slightly to feel the extent of the healing. Most of the pain and weariness was gone, though the cut across her chest still stung slightly.
"Yes!" Rivalz suddenly cheered, grabbing Kallen and dancing about. Caught off guard Kallen almost fell on her face as the boy swung her around, giggling the whole time.
"He's back on! I wasn't sure if he was ever gonna be back!" he yelled, freezing just as fast as he had burst into motion. The sudden lack of movement made Kallen trip and tumble into a bench.
"Rivalz!" Kallen squawked as she fell off the bench to the floor between two of the pews.
"Just a sec." he replied, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes. "There." As Kallen dragged herself up, using the back of the pew for support, a small icon blinked to life over her vision.
-Join 'Rivalz' party?-
Seriously contemplating rejecting his offer Kallen sighed and accepted the request, a new awareness coming to life as she realized there was more then just herself and Rivalz in the party.
{There we go! Say Hi Kallen.} Rivalz voice, dual layered as she heard his character speak and Whisper in her ear at the same time, rang out. Thankfully another pop-up hint blinked in the corner of her sight that explained how to speak to the group she was now a part of.
{Hi?} she said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
{Welcome to Fantasy's Call, Kallen. I trust Rivalz got you to town without incident. I told him to be there to pick you up.} a voice Kallen instantly recognized as Lelouch's smooth baritone called out.
{Kallen's already racing headlong into wolf-packs and getting hit on by random guys.} Rivalz stated as Kallen glared and stalked towards him with her fist raised.
{Glad to see such enthusiasm! But, Rivalz, how did she get caught up in a wolf-pack if you were there?} Lelouch inquired, and Kallen laughed as Rivalz avatar broke into a blush.
{Um... I got lost?} he stated in return.
{For the love of... You know you have a map right? The one I gave you back when you were just starting?} Kallen had to break into a grin at Lelouch's disbelieving tone.
{But Lelouch, that thing is hard to read!} Rivalz whined back.
{Just because it doesn't shout "Turn left at next exit." does not make it difficult to use. Give the map to Kallen.} Lelouch's snickering was easily heard throughout the statement. Head hanging Rivalz presented Kallen with a small scroll of yellowed paper. Unrolling it Kallen blinked, lowered the map, shook her head, then raised it again.
{What the hell is this chicken scratch? Did you drool after falling asleep on top a page of squiggles, wake up and call it a map?} Kallen exploded, throwing the blotched page filled with spidery lines onto the ground.
{HEY! That took me a grueling couple of minutes to make that work of art!} the revealed artist replied.
{It definitely displays how much time you invested in it.} she retorted hotly. {I don't think any sane person could look at that and think it was more then a three-year-olds doodle.}
{Yet another one who cannot understand.} Lelouch sighed, {Where are you two at? I'll come get you.}
{Chapel in Halshore.} Rivalz quickly replied.
{Roger, I'll be there momentarily. Try not to get lost or burn the town down before I get there.} the vice-president stated.
"Well we best wait out front." Rivalz stated, heading for the door.
Shaking her head at Lelouch's 'map' one more time Kallen followed Rivalz out the door and joined him on the steps. The sun poured down on them and both soon leaned back to bask in the simulated warmth. They watched several other players running to and fro, buying items or limping up into the chapel only to exit a few moments after once again whole and ready to fight.
"So what class does Lelouch play?" Kallen asked when Lelouch failed to make an appearance after a few minutes.
"He's a rogue. Though he doesn't go out of cities much." Rivalz replied. "He's a genius at making money though so I can't complain."
"How does he make money if he's always hiding out in the city?" Kallen inquired.
"I buy items from vendors or players, then sell them for profit to either other players or NPC's. I also invested in several businesses and frequent gambling dens." Lelouch's voice stated from beside Kallen. Whipping around the girl almost fell over as she noticed the figure beside her.
Lelouch's avatar was a half-elf as well, decked out in simple set of pants with a collared long sleeved shirt. Both were black but he had several of the top buttons of his shirt undone. A thick leather belt with an assortment of different sized pouches circled his hips and dark shoes covered his feet and a silver chain decorated his throat. She also noted with a slight grimace that his already aristocratic features were only enhanced by the slight changes the game had made because of his racial choice.
"Boo." he said with a smirk.
"God why do you people keep sneaking up on me!" Kallen shouted, waving her arms around.
"It's just so easy to do to a new character." Lelouch, smirk still firmly in place, teased. "I wasn't even trying to hide and you missed me."
"It's ok Kallen, Lelouch is just creepy like that." the blue-haired boy stated, trying to calm her down.
"I'm not creepy! Your just unobservant." Lelouch retorted smuggly.
"Creepy." Rivalz whispered to Kallen, though loud enough for Lelouch to hear.
Glaring at his fellow council member for a moment Lelouch sniffed then turned to Kallen. "So, what class did you end up picking?"
"I'm a Fighter. Didn't you notice?" she replied, pointing to the massive sword strapped to her back.
"You could have been a Paladin or Barbarian as well." Lelouch pointed out, his hand slipping under his chin. "A Fighter huh? Not what I would have first thought you'd go for."
"Why not? You didn't think I'd be some kind of cleric or mage did you?" Kallen shot back, noticing a slight twitch in the corner of Lelouch's mouth.
"Maybe. Though this works out perfectly." he stated. "I saw some decent items on my way here, lets take a quick stroll through the market."
"I don't have any money." Kallen warned the boy as he rose easily to his feet.
"I'll loan you some, don't worry, my repayment plan is fantastic! I'll give you a no-down payment, no payment for ten-days discounted offer. Free gold now, and plenty of time to get some before interest kicks in!" Lelouch's tone took on a sudden used-car salesman's aura as his hands waved to and fro, his smirk firmly in place.
"No." Kallen stated, planting her heels and glaring daggers at the swindler. "I'll go earn my own, thank you very little."
"But I've got a great rate to top it off, only 23% interest after the grace period!" he continued to joke, smirking over his shoulder at Kallen.
"Jeez Lelouch, I thought you gave up that 'Gold Lending' scheme already." Rivalz commented, swinging by to look through a row of rings laid out on a stalls counter.
"I never stop a scheme, only wait for the opportune moment." the rogue replied, heading to the other side of the street to inspect the black-smiths wares. Wavering Kallen decided to join Lelouch, the glittering steel drawing her eye far more then the gaudy rings.
Weapons of many varieties hung on the wall behind the counter, axes, daggers, short, long, and two-handed swords waited patiently to be put to use while several displays held sets of armor to be inspected. Lelouch was knee-deep in a conversation with the stalls female attendant by the time Kallen arrived, pointing from several items to others.
"15 gold for the set is too much, the leather is cracked and fraying, the steel is lackluster and I think your bluffing calling this toy a dagger." the boys argument breaking through Kallens daze.
"Fine, 13 and done." suddenly spitting on his hand Lelouch shook the attendants before dumping a small pile of gold onto the counter. "Now, what do you want Kallen?" he asked, sweeping his arms out to encompass the stall.
"I can't afford anything yet." she huffed, crossing her arms.
"And I can't stand my party not having at least something better then starter gear." Lelouch retorted, looking pointedly at her shredded chain-mail. "It makes me and Rivalz look bad, like we stole all your loot or something."
"But-" Kallen started to argue, only to be cut off by Lelouch's voice.
"On the other side, it makes you look bad too, like your just using your good looks to snare some guys who can do all the work for you." there was an immediate crash as Kallen's great-sword impacted the ground where Lelouch had been standing half a breath ago. A few individuals stopped nearby to stare at the confrontation.
"I make my own kills, and I would never make others to do my work for me." Kallen snarled, eyes blazing as she pinned the slender rogue back against the stall with her gaze. Even when Lelouch lifted his hands in a submissive gesture Kallen felt a small urge to split him in half when she noticed his smirk never faded.
"Tell you what." the boy stated after a small pause. "I've got some old gear still stashed in the bank, we go grab that and you can return it when you get your own equipment." still seeing resistance Lelouch continued, "Seriously, I was gonna get rid of it anyway so even if it ends up like what your wearing right now it's not a loss in any way for me." grudgingly Kallen nodded, returning her sword to its scabbard and falling into step behind the black-haired boy.
"Rivalz! We're heading for the bank." Lelouch called to the green-clad elf. Rivalz waved them off as he continued to haggle over a silver band.
"Looks like it's just you and me then." the black-clad boy remarked, his long, relaxed strides eating up the road before them as he ignored the glare Kallen leveled at him again.
Near the end of the main road Lelouch turned off into a squat, sturdy building made of stone with a small sign hanging over the door. The interior was well-lit by several lamps, the wooden floor leading up to a counter where a reed-like man scribbled away on some papers. A few other players were chatting near four doors along the far wall and Kallen noticed them send a few glances her way.
"Good afternoon." Kallen's escort called, leaning against the counter. "I was hoping to withdraw some equipment from my vault."
"Hnnn." the banker replied, reaching under the counter and tossing a small key to Lelouch.
Thanking the man Lelouch walked over to the wall and slotted the key into one of the heavy doors decorating it. With a sharp click the door swung open, revealing a medium sized room. Several small piles of different materials lay in a seemingly unorganized pattern across the floor and Kallen noted several shelves that held a multitude of weapons and armor along each wall. Her companion however, didn't even look up until he reached the far right corner and proceeded to rummage through one of the shelves.
"Not classy enough, wrong bonuses, requirements are too high..." a stream of constant chatter fell from his lips as the boy tossed item after item over his shoulder.
"Aha! I knew I kept them." turning Lelouch presented Kallen with the fruit of his labor. A set of thin scale-mail and a belt with several pouches, similar to the one Lelouch was wearing himself.
"The armor is just straight steel, no flashy enchantments and it's a little too heavy for me. The belt has a couple bigger-then-they appear pouches, but those are easy enough to get made." he explained, placing the items in her hands. "I don't have any weapons you want, at least not right now, but I'm sure you'll do just fine with that monster on your back." nodding Kallen turned the weighty armor in her hands for a few moments while Lelouch poked around a different shelf before handing her a few vials filled with red liquid.
"Those are small healing potions, they should be enough to get you about half your hp back for right now. A few levels from now you'll need to drain a whole box to even feel it though." he remarked as Kallen eyed the vials with suspicion.
"I'll step out so you can get dressed, then I better show you where to find a Fighter trainer." slipping out Lelouch lightly shut the door behind him and Kallen quickly shed her destroyed chain-mail and worked her way into the glittering scale armor. It hung a little tighter then she would have preferred but its added protection was worth the slight discomfort.
Exiting the room Kallen found Lelouch lounging against the wall waiting for her. Shutting the door and returning the key took only a moment and Kallen then had to chase after the boy as he once again began to devour the distance between them and their undisclosed location. They ended up near the main gate in the shadow of the low wall that surrounded the town soon enough and Lelouch hailed one of the guards.
"Is Captain Tohdoh around?" his voice rang out.
"Should be making his rounds in a few moments." the heavy-set man in boiled leather with a steel cap on called back.
"Well that works out alright for us." Lelouch stated, leaning back against the stone wall, after a moment Kallen joined him her scale-mail scrapping lightly on the rock.
"So how is your first day going?" he inquired as they waited.
"Ok." Kallen replied with a shrug.
"Fantasy's Call' not meeting your expectations?" Lelouch inquired.
"No, honestly the game-play and graphics are amazing. I don't think I could really get into another game as much, there is just so much more... Control here then I'm use too." she stated. "I'm just overwhelmed at the moment I guess."
"I understand the feeling." the boy remarked, leaning back again. "The best way to handle it is to treat this game like a whole new life, or separate reality at least. There are so many things that can happen, hundreds of thousands of NPC's that are just human enough to keep you from ignoring them as part of the background, just as many monsters and critters that you will meet and either destroy or flee from, and of course you'll run into all kinds of different players. Throw it all together and it's a pill that takes some time to swallow." Nodding at the truth in his words Kallen sighed and slid down to sit against the wall.
"There he is." Lelouch muttered a while later. Looking up Kallen saw a tall, sharp-featured man of Japanese decent in a set of plate and mail carrying a long katana walking purposefully along the wall. Taking Lelouch's offered hand to get to her feet Kallen followed him up a nearby flight of stairs and towards the man.
"Good afternoon, Captain." bowing slightly as he addressed the man Lelouch then waved towards Kallen. "My companion was wondering if you could spare a moment to give her a lesson in self-defense." hard, grey eyes appraised Kallen for a moment before the man nodded and lead them off the wall.
"You are somewhat skilled, as such I will gift you with some of the teachings I received from my own master years ago." Tohdoh stated when they had reached level ground. "Draw your sword."
As bidden Kallen unsheathed the gleaming sword from her back and held it lightly before her. Tohdoh proceeded to pace around her, inspecting her grip on the sword and placement of her feet. Finishing his inspection the man moved to stand beside her, picking up a wooden sword that lay against the wall nearby on his way.
"If you could kindly set up those training posts I can complete this session shortly." Tohdoh directed Lelouch, who quickly dragged over several of the six-foot posts and set them up under Tohdoh's instruction.
"What I shall teach you at this time, Kallen, is how to 'Cleave' through multiple foes, to let them each taste the bite of your blade and drag them to deaths door as a group." he stated, assuming a stance somewhat similar to Kallen's.
"Swing with all your strength, Kallen. To fail is to die, so do not die with regrets." he said, before swinging his sword so fast Kallen could only just see it smash through two of the posts before he easily brought it back into his flawless stance.
Once again, just like when she had learned 'Charge' from the old man, a pop-up explaining the method to using the new ability scrolled over her vision. Smiling Kallen focused on the instructions, repeating them to herself to ingrain them in her memory. Then she flexed, muscles tightening in a display of raw power, the long length of her blade cleaving easily through several of the posts, before whipping back to shatter the rest. Still grinning Kallen looked over to her teacher and saw a small twitch of his lips, almost a smile.
"Well done, Kallen." was all he said, before returning the wooden sword to its resting place, and himself to his duties.
"You can come see him every now and then." Lelouch said, coming to stand next to her. "He'll occasionally teach you new abilities or spar with you."
"Shouldn't I have to come back every level or something like that to learn new skills?" Kallen inquired, frowning as Lelouch laughed.
"No, 'Fantasy's Call' isn't something as simple as that. There are hundreds, no thousands of abilities, and they all are taught by different instructors. For example, Tohdoh there can probably teach you at least three or four abilities that you could use, but he could also show me maybe one or two. Some of them might even be possible for both of us to learn."
"So... We actually have to search for the NPC's who can teach us different skills?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Pretty much, or try to figure some out on your own, it also adds a neat dynamic. Almost every player has a slightly different set of abilities because of what NPC's they interact with or search out. I personally enjoy tracking down elusive 'Trainers', and they can usually show you something that makes the effort worth it." Lelouch confirmed for her.
"Is there a limit to what your character can learn then?" the red-head inquired.
"Not really, though you will probably end up using a couple of abilities more then the rest just because you'll be able to use them more effectively if you commit them to memory then having to double check the description every time. We better go grab Rivalz, if I don't check on him he'll probably end up paying twice what that ring was worth." Lelouch stated as he started back towards the market, Kallen falling in step beside him.
Before they had gotten to the first line of stalls a sudden blaring of a horn could be heard echoing throughout the town. Kallen glanced about in confusion as the market-goers and stall owners suddenly began to lock up and head home.
"What's going on?" she asked, watching as an human woman dragged her child into a squat house and slammed the door.
"Looks like your pretty popular with the beasties, Kallen." Lelouch said with a smirk.
{Hey, Rivalz!} he proceeded to shout into their party chat.
{I know, I know. Are we fighting or running} came the hurried reply.
Lelouch turned to focus on Kallen, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Something is attacking the town. Now you, Kallen, as a hero of this realm are given a choice. Do you throw yourself into the efforts to defend this small town, to save it's hard-working people from the monsters that would love to devour them whole and leave nothing but fire and death in their wake? Do you flee, racing to avoid the horde that may or may not overwhelm this town and spread their destruction throughout the land? Or do you perhaps side with the monsters themselves, laying waste to this land and hoping to rise in favor of whatever horror is leading this charge?" his hands were dancing throughout the whole speech, even his body seemed unable to hold still as Lelouch's violet eyes bored into Kallen's own blue orbs.
For a moment Kallen simply looked at Lelouch, still grinning and waiting for her answer, before she couldn't hold back a wide smile of her own.
{I always wanted to be a hero.} she said simply, her massive sword coming easily into her avatars grasp. She couldn't help but notice the flash of approval that lit up Lelouch's face for a moment before it returned to its usual calm.
"Made it!" Rivalz shouted, panting as his thin elvish frame slid to a halt next to the pair. "We ready to start?"
"The path is set, the die tossed. Now for this day we shall go forth to do battle, not for king and country, but for those that cannot defend themselves. For the weak and defenseless shall we unsheath our blades and cast our mighty spells. May god have mercy on those who come to pillage and murder this day, for we shall not." roaring their unofficial leader turned, a deadly sharp dagger and short-sword appearing in his hands as Lelouch began to charge for the wall. Heart pounding suddenly Kallen let herself be dragged into his enthusiasm, racing towards the sound of metal on metal.
And the screams of the dying.
Chapter II. End
Wheew, that was fun, though most of it was explanations and stuff. Those will weed themselves out eventually after a while. The royal family will be in the story, though I'm not sure if they will be directly related to Lelouch by blood (couple of ways I could go that would all fit inside the basic plot.).
Don't worry if one of your favorite characters ends up an NPC, I intend the NPC's to play many big parts in the series and they aren't quite as confined as the NPC's of the games of our age are.
The way characters learn abilities is one of the biggest changes I've made to the standard MMO strategy. My method makes the player actually search for a 'master' to teach them a skill, not just learn all their abilities from any one of a bunch of trainers. It also encourages players to delve deeper into the world, to search for clues and secrets that can lead them to NPC's that can teach them unusual, or more powerful abilities. Also, while I don't intend to directly copy all the abilities and spells in this fic from other sources (I may use say Blizzards warrior ability 'Charge' without any real change, but something like 'Summoning' could be completely different), I will end up using a large amount of them (I think of it as giving them a nod for creating abilities that cover exactly what I was thinking of.) but I'll try to include a brief description of where I got them from and what changes I made at the end each chapter.
For my Anonymus reviewer:
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I'm very glad your also interested in the basic concept of the story. I have something that could be an ending in mind, but honestly this is one of those stories that could easily go on forever with how open I'm trying to leave the world.
Don't worry, I'm planning to cover real life chapters as well. There are plenty of adventures to be had in the real world as well (though most of my plot is centered inside 'Fantasy's Call' for right now.) and it will be nice for me to have those two worlds to switch between if things ever start to get stale in one or the other.
I went with Half-elf, mostly because Lelouch and Kallen are both half-bloods (Kallen is Jap/Brit while Lelouch is Royalty/commoner, but both share an intense dislike for half of their heritage.) so i hope that doesn't bug you too much.
Thank you for having so much positivity and encouragement for me, and I'll do my best to keep things exciting!
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Was feeling some serious 'Drifters' influence while writing in Tohdo, it's a comedy/action manga that I rather enjoyed.
Abilities/items mentioned this chapter:
Bleed- A debuff, caused by various abilities that does exactly what it sounds like, makes you bleed. Used in both Blizzard's work and DnD, but in 'Fantasy's Call' Bleeding doesn't stop after time, it must be healed by magic or mundane means (bandage of some sort, healing potions, ect.)
Charge- Basic ability, if you've ever played a warrior in wow you'll be intricatly familiar with it as I used Blizzards as my basis. For those who havent, basically the character preforming charge will quite literally charge towards their target, albeit much faster then normally possible.
Cleave- Allows the character to hit multiple targets at once, usual limit is 2, though that isn't set in stone. Also based around Blizzards spell of the same name.
Flashbangs- Character created item, using different variaties of chemicals and reagents the player can create flashbangs with varying degrees of light or volume. The can also be created specifically for use against opponents who can use heat vision. Basic recipies are taught from trainers, players must learn to create more powerful ones on their own (Usually through trial and error, or learning from other players.).
Grenades- Explosives created from varying reagents, they can have a large variaty of effects. Anything from standard explosions or fire, to frost or even life-leeching gas is possible, but the player must invest the time (similar to Flashbangs) to create the advanced formulas. The grenade casing can vary from the size of a marble to that of a boulder, though it's power is usually preportional to its size (Larger, heavier, more difficult to use bombs are more deadly then a handful of marble like grenades.)
Health Stone- Creates a stone either from the casters life-force, or another sutiable source, that can then be used as a healing item. It takes more health to create a stone then the stone restores and they lose effectiveness the longer they are un-used. Once again based off of Blizzards work.
Soul Fire- A warlock only ability, burns the target with intense flames that boil the very soul of the target creating a black, oily residue. Named the same as another Blizzard spell, but besides the name and fire nature they are different. The oily remains of the soul can be used as an indredient in various potions, spells, and items.
Your reviews and pm's help shape the story, as well as give me very helpful boosts of motivation or things to think about. Please keep them coming and I'll be sure to let you all know that your thoughts are heard.
~SimplyWaters~