Hello again! We're back and this time with a new story! (Dear god why...) Second college semester worst then the first and I will die of stress by the end of spring :)! But until then. we are cursed to witness more of my terrible writing habits with this time with a mostly first-person story involving the uncommonly used trope of sending a bitch from one world into another but this time with an original twist! Well hopefully original seeing how this is the internet and everything could have been done before... The point I'm making is that this follows what we visual novel goers and gamers like to call a bad end. Yup, we are dealing with a protagonist that story ends horribly. But instead of something like the "heroes" death or just generally shitty ending, our "hero" is being sent to remnant to live a life of misery and pain! (hold on what?) So, sit back, and let's see if this "hero" would rise up from the darkest of pits or would he forever be doomed to fall. Find out now on Remnants of a Hero!
Prologue Part 1: True End? (False Hero path)
"Hold on! We've got you" I hear Cher̷̮̐r̴̦̅¥̶̰͆ shout down, seeing her pull back on the broken hook shot with all her strength.
"Just let go!" I shout back, feeling my strength leave me all the while. It's cold, I can't tell if it's because of how high we were, it being night in the middle of February or from my body losing strength from all my wounds.
"Like hell you dumb bastard! For once in your life would you please just let us help you!?" I hear Ivå̷̙̈́ñ̸̩͒ scream out. Heh, back when I first met him he was so quiet, peaceful even. Who knew that little guy would grow into such a vulgar man. Though I'd be too if my friend/mentor fucked off and came back ruining things. Hah… honestly, what a mistake I made…
"Heh, who'da thought you'd want me alive huh Ivå̷̙̈́ñ̸̩͒…" I say instead with an amused smile.
"Bastard, how can you pay me back if you're dead?" Ivå̷̙̈́ñ̸̩͒ shouts back giving a fragile chuckle and a short smile.
"Just pull up Daniel! We have you, I promise" Cher̷̮̐r̴̦̅¥̶̰͆ piped up, resuming in her efforts.
"It wouldn't be so bad" I think to myself as I use my broken arm to climb. "Maybe it's not too late…"
Then I hear it, or more accurately, him.
"Ð̴͙̬͎̃͛̒͜͠Ä̵̡͇̙̘́͛̂̕Ä̴̗̣̼̯͒̒͒̚ñ̸̰̫̺͓͆̂̇͂ñ̷͈̲̳̬͛̋͊͝Ì̶̧̛̩̺̣̾̊̚Ì̸̢̛̙͖̝̍͗̇È̷̘̜͓̤̂̈́̿̾È̴͍̦̞͖͋̋̑͠Ḷ̴͎͍̝̌̊̍̾L̶̞̠̞͉̀̇̾͘"
A shout so loud but completely silent. A shout I can feel but not hear. Of course, that bastard is alive. I am after all… I look back to my old friends, no, my family. I see their hopeful eyes. Those eyes are full of sorrow and pain. I cry. Though my tears never show, I cry from the bottom of my heart. My soul. Not too late my ass… I knew it was the moment I changed, after all, there is only one ending for a hero.
"Sorry" I say seeing their smiles hurts me physically, but I continue. "But I'm not done just yet" So with my silent tears I take one last look burning their faces into my memories as I reach for their hands.
Before pulling out my knife and cutting the wire. Their cries are the last thing I hear as I plunge into the darkness below…
"Ð̴̮̞͓̦̈́̆̾̍̑ͅÄ̸̧̖̫̠̳̉͆̄̆̌ñ̸̢̹̣͔̺͒̑̅͌͠Ì̴̗͕̙̤̞͋̓̇͛̽È̸̡̛̯̻͍̾͌̽͝ͅL̵̙͉̘̜̩͋̂̇͛͝"
/
Cold, all I felt was cold wind cutting my tender skin. I thought that death was an empty feeling, though I had only felt it once. Funny that this is actually a better experience. I can't even begin to describe how last time went, although I'd enjoy feeling any warmth at this rate. Regardless, I picture back to how it ended, how I died, but all I could see were their faces. Those eyes, full of sadness and despair, her tears and his cries as I fell off that tower. It hurts. I wish I could see them again, to be with them again, but that is not the fate of heroes. That was not my fate. So, I'm back to the cold. Cold, cold, cold. Even my fingers are cold… Wait. Even my fingers are cold? Yeah. My fingers, my eyes, even my hair. If I was dead, then I wouldn't feel specifics right? I don't know. Yet I do anyway, so with doubts in mind, I open my eyes once more…
Snow. All in front of me is snow. Not even a tree in sight, just snow in front and behind. And I'm pretty sure that I definitely died in the city, not the mountains… Whatever, maybe they dragged my corpse away to be buried, or I was moved by a giant bird, the point is I'm alive. Though I wonder if that's a good thing. Thoughts for later, for now some shelter. Let's just hope I don't die for a third time looking for it.
—-Loading Loading Loading—-
Moving around this frozen hell is a lot harder when you're covered head to toe with wounds and broken bones. Then again, had I been anyone else I would have been dead. Instead, I walk feeling agonizing pain with each step.
Good… I think to myself, means I'm still alive … And as fuck up as it is, I mean it. If I am still feeling pain, then I'm still alive and not a dead man walking. Could still be, but I rather take my chances then give up. Besides, this pain is nothing new to me.
Honestly, I can't remember the last time I traveled across snow like this. Was it with Sigurd when we went to slay that dragon, or when I traveled to Elizabeth's castle all those years ago… Sweet and old memories of a time before this, before my fall. But I guess now that's all they will ever be.. Just old memories…
—-Loading Loading Loading—-
After a while of moving across the snow, I found a cave big enough to hold me for the night. Well, aside from the hermit living in a cave cliche, I have a place to sleep now, if I could with this little fire I had barely managed to make. Heh never was boy scout material. Regardless, I would rather have this small heat source than none. Something to keep in mind would be my resources and gear, which were broken during my fall. My armor, hook shot, and gadgets were completely destroyed. Along with my gauntlets so no super strength I guess, well unless I want to die again seeing how those gauntlets were the only controller to that power. I look over at my partner, a single handle sword that I had laid next to me, or at the length of it now, more like an oversize dagger, having been broken to a point where only the guard and a piece of the blade remain. Sighing to myself, I strip my more salvageable gadgets for later use as I start to ponder my situation. All alone and no body to banter with, so where does that leave me. I could try to find a town or city somewhere but who knows if I'm even close to anyone at this rate. I guess I could search for one when I get off this mountain.
Yeah, I figured I was on a mountain due to the way the air tasted, it always has a sharper, more distinct feeling being at a higher altitude. Plus it's a safe bet as mountains are able to get snow better than being at a normal altitude.
While I was pondering what to do, I felt a familiar warmth build inside of me, already I felt my wounds lightened as my pain fades away. Chuckling, I turned to my broken partner with a sigh.
"Well not completely alone" I state aloud, feeling a soft smile grow on my face.
Xross is no normal sword, as it holds a secret no one knows but me. That secret would have to be the fact it holds the soul of my old partner Xenova inside. While she will never come back, just before her death, she transferred her strength and spirit to Xross, giving the old sword a new life. Despite her never knowing healing magic herself, whenever I need it, Xross helps stabilize my wounds so my own regenerative magic could do its…well, magic…
Laying back, I could only think how Xenova would say the obvious whenever I get into these situations.
"First off, you're a dumbass." She would start, reprimanding me for getting into this situation in the first place, her sharp dark blue eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and resignation. "Honestly, only you could find yourself on a mountain full of snow after a fight to the death…" She would shake her head, her long black hair following along, like a pup following its mother.
"Second, you should look for something edible before you start thinking of finding a way down, even the strongest of warriors could die of starvation. Hunger and thirst are the real killers out in the wild.
I would chuckle at that. And say something along the lines of " Jeez, since when did you become such a wilderness freak… Last I checked, I'm sure bears or any monsters would kill me faster than not eating."
Then she would look at me like I'm stupid, most likely because I was, before sighing, palming her forehead all the while in exasperation, " And if you don't eat or drink, you'll get weaker, so when you fight those bears on an empty stomach, you'll find I'm right."
"Hahaha alright alright! Not gonna promise It'll taste good, I'm a shit cook after all!"
"Never claimed you could" She would finish with one of her small smiles. Rare and downright invisible to anyone else but full of life and common to me…
With Xross next to me, I decided that getting food would be the smarter call, but that would be my future me's problem. Right now, it's time to get some shut eye. I know I just woke up, but it took a bit to get to this small cave, so sue me. Er, yeah, I sleep, laying on my dirty clothes dreaming of a past never forgotten and broken tower.
I stare at Ä̵̗̗̯̩̳̞̥̉̏̋̿̀͘͝l̴̮̮̘̣̱̫͊̃̄̅̍̉̕ͅê̵̟̲̮̬̟͉̏̐̇̃̕͘͠ͅx̵̛̛͉͙͙͇̩̩̥̔́́̎͝, the wounds on my shoulder reopening, leaving my blood dripping down. I breathe slowly, never taking my eyes off his body.
"Ha…Ha… Like I said… you and I… aren't so different…" He coughs out, a mixture of blood and spittle flying as he gives a small laugh to himself.
"Do you… ever… shut up" I said, barely managing to as I could feel my heart slow and my lungs sputter.
"Tell me…Do you believe in destiny…"
Never… Great, what a shitty start to this day. Shaking off my irritation and extra drowsiness, I decide that now must be a good time to start moving. Looking over my gear once more, I head off back into the snowy unknown…
/
Some time passes, how much? I don't know nor care, the point is I found a ravine. While not food, it is a potential way out of here. The problem is that it's big and deep but more importantly, in my way seeing how there doesn't seem to be another way around. Now I could normally get across via hook shot or some magic shit, but as earlier established, they broke. Well my tech did, as for why I can't use my magic is because my reserves are bone dry. Normally, when this happens, I could use either Xross or a technique I learn from my travels to access the world's mana pool, but that leads us to my second problem. It seems to be inconsistent. Full and rich, like some sort of cake or pudding- damn I miss those -but fragile as if trying to tap in would break the whole damn thing and cause a mess. Something weird as I thought the ley lines near home were still healthy. Either way, not looking forward to opening that can of worms… Still if I had time I might be able to, but in this case, with no idea if the weather could or would get worse, I don't have the luxury to try. So, reluctantly, I head back to my small cave of wonders to figure out a new plan of action.
Or I would if these black and white things didn't burst right out of the snow startling me half to death!
—-Engaging enemy…Environment View—-
The fallen hero jumped back as he took the chance to catch his breath with an elegant choice of words.
"Holy fucking shit!"
Of a sailor who stubbed his toe on some steps.
"Alright you wormy fucks whats the big idea!?" He growled, looking at what just popped out of nowhere.
Standing in front of the shocked man were a couple of snake-like creatures except larger, much larger; bigger than most trees; and with masks on the front of their black and white bodies, which seemed to be conjoined by the waist.
"Wow, nice masks, guess even giant worms celebrate the holidays huh?" The cloaked fallen mockingly stated, brushing off the excess snow that found a home on his clothes. "Though I have to say, cheap work on the color scheme… Black and white works better with a simpler pattern. Overall, a five out of ten!"
Whether it took offense to his critics, just plain hungry, or wanted the talkative meat bag to shut up and die, the snake-like creatures sent a roar and rushed its fleshy foe.
"Alright but remember when dealing with sharp objects be careful not to- right foot about that." The fallen hero cut off as he reached behind to grab his sword only to grab the broken grip. "Well then… guess the old fashion way then." He continued while bringing his hands to a combat position.
—(optional theme available-Those who fight:Family jules ver)
The black snake rushed over in an attempt to run over the small flesh bag, only for it, in what looked like an act of suicided, to be charged as well. One looking at the situation from an outside perspective would expect a flatten/dead man but would be surprised to see him jump over impressively, as impressive as jumping over a fifteen-foot snake is normally and jumping on the scaly back before jumping off with a spin kick. While that happened, the white snake wasn't staying idle as it had rushed alongside its companion, hoping to catch the man off guard. Despite this, the " hero " acknowledged the snake's attempt with a click of his tongue before positioning himself in the air. The second the other snake grew close, he threw a kick with all his strength, hitting it in the head as it knocked the beast off its path hitting a patch of snow instead.
Landing back on the ground with a roll, the man continued his assault by rushing the first snake and throwing a haymaker in its mask, cracking it as it too was sent flying back. The two snakes gathered their wits and decided to rush the man together as he seemed stronger than the normal humans they've slaughtered. Taking a breath, the human gave a small glance between the two snakes before jumping to the right, kicking some snow on the ground while he was at it, before pulling out his broken sword.
Seeing how the human didn't look like he was avoiding his death, the slithery pair took this as a chance to end the meatbag and blindly continued their charge. But before they even got close, the sword suddenly appeared on the second snake, straight on the mask, and before the first snake had a chance to think on what happened, the man teleported in front, ripping the sword and stabbing the remaining snake, killing it instantly.
Pulling his sword out and hopping off the overgrown garden snake, the man gave a tired sigh before making his way back to the empty cave. "Even on a snowy mountain, there's always something trying to kill me…"
—-Encounter complete…Changing to Personal View—-
Christ this shit's getting annoying… is a common thought I'm starting to have as I start cooking this bird thing… Yeah, I don't know what it is, but I found it and its food so not complaining really, but the point I'm having is that I still can't get past that stupid ravine. It's been a while after the fight with those danger noodles, and I still have no solution other than to sit and wait till I die again... My gear, as I mention before, is still completely fucked, and having food doesn't mean anything when I'm going to freeze to death…Then there is the fact I am still alone in this stupid cave, while eating a damn pidgeon thing, my legs are hurting from jumping on that damn snake, I'm cold, and this fucking bird isn't tasting as good as I thought! … Fuck I'm going insane…
I lay down, finishing the rest of this crappy bird, as I sigh to myself. Closing my eyes, I try to think of something to do. I can't just sit and wait to die, but with my options so limited I don't even know where to start. As I lay, that warmth spreads once more giving me a small smile as I turn to my partner.
"Heh, at least someone believes in me" I smirk, as the warmth heats up, as if they were amused too.
Gazing back up at the blank and stony ceiling above me, I breathe softly as I calm down. Alright, let's take this one thing at a time shall we…. I say mentally as I make account of the situation. The main point is that I need to get off this stupid mountain and the only way to do that is get past the ravine. Sighing to myself, I toss a pebble, one of many in my cold home, as I try to sleep off this irritation. Only for the pebble to hit me in the head.
"Ugh, what I wouldn't kill to have a shield or a cover right about now."
…
…
...
AHH! "AHH!"
That's it! Haha you tired genius you! I may not be able to use any physical gear to fix my pesky hole problem, but I still could use magic. Now I may have nothing left in the tank, so to speak, in my personal reserves, I still could use the one magic I accel in, creation magic. Now normally people need to have high reserves, or a full tank to use it, seeing how they are fundamentally adding something that doesn't exist in the world which would require a lot of strength to enforce that change, but for people like me, we can get around that.
By using a little thing called imagination. Yes yes, imagination, but when you can create anything, your mind can think of any trick to improve that is game breaking. By using our own images on how the object is created, it sort of tricks the world into thinking that it was always there instead of interfering with the natural order making it take less of the user's mana then the normal method (Which is improved if the user knows how the object was made inside and out.) That's how people like Albert were really strong and almost undefeated. Ignoring this tangent, all I have to do is wait for my reserves to at least be in the red then I could start attempting to make a way out of this frozen hell, you know once a master blacksmith always a master blacksmith or something like that…Plus, if Xross would boost me up, it would make the recovery process a lot easier.
As I say that, the warmth grows as if in response, though knowing them, it probably was. "Well, it's a start," I state happily as I turn to my conversation companion, "Thanks for listening snow noodle, you're a great listener when you don't try to kill me." I chuckle to myself as I get to work, walking past my new snow friend, made after those danger noodles from earlier.
So here we are, was it good? It's hard to introduce a magic system without making most of the original source yet. (Yeah, I hope to make the original work a reality one day) There is a lot to improve on, especially since this is my first time writing in a first-person perspective, but I hope it wasn't too bad to read. As always, tell me if I suck, and how I deserve to repent for my crimes against writing! Now will our "Hero" be able to escape this frozen wasteland? Will he be able create something to improve his chances of survival? It's not like anything is going to happen to make it worse now right? Find out next time on Remnants of a Hero