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Asgard Solo Project - Part 1 of 2 (The Prologue to Ragnarok)

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:57 am
by Asgard
Prologue Chapter: The Catalyst Is But A Pierce Away

<Forbidden Talisman Secret Tower> The Fortress of the Well

Within the halls of the Fortress, fight four vagrant souls.
One who battles for the fallen, and one who thought them drole.
An Axe, A Pole, A Spear, A Staff, four weapons in the fray.
But all knew and realized, that one would win this day.


==============================================================================

"Rue Crossfire!"
"Lanceor Pha Plus!"
"GiRue Doom Plus!"

"Reaper's Rampage!"

Three figures were instantly thwarted.

In less than a heartbeat, their aces quickly became their jokers, as the three players were thrown from their feet by a massive, night-imbued slash, sending them to the floor in three different directions. The callous power from the Heavy Axe wielder seeped into their slash wounds, instantly filling their virtual veins with nothing but pure, uncensored pain.

The Wavemaster, broken and torn, lay unmoving at the feet of the man who delivered the blow. He struggled with any and all strength he had left to turn his body, his teeth clenched and bones shaken. The Axeman knew of his action and decided to help him the best he could, as he slammed his green obsidian greave into the lower section of the Wavemaster's stomach cavity. The Heavy Axeman laughed as his victim let out a violent cough, complete with blood spatter.

The female Long Arm, who seemed to be a ghost of her former self, screamed in muffled agony, as she recoiled far too late. Her insides cooked at a slow burn, the vile darkness doing its toll on her physical and psychological stamina. She struggled an arm free to try and reach for her Sun-headed Spear, the Eternium Lance. With poison in her soul, she managed to rise to her two feet and wobbled slightly. Her desire to kill was evident in her eyes as she saw the man slowly destroying her comrade. In a complete state of berserk, she charged, her lance in the lead.

The elongated weapon thrust through the Axeman like a bullet through paper, resistant at first, but still a fatal strike. She looked at her kill with pride as she let out a mocking chuckle.

But the joke was on her.

The chuckle turned into a gargle, and that gargle produced graphic artificial blood. A sudden pang of intense pain struck the Long Arm as she could feel the sharpened point at the end of a Crystal Axe shaft. She blinked, unknown of what had just happened. But then, she had to open her eyes...

To her Eternium Lance, impaled on the now lifeless body of her Wavemaster friend.

She cried out in insane horror, her hands shaking uncontrollably. The bloodied hole of the Wavemaster produced a thick stream of virtual crimson, soaking his violet, shamanistic garb completely red from the waist down. The Long Arm could not force her hands to move from the spear's shaft, no matter how hard her blood-sullied mind had become.

The Axeman, with the devil's grin, thrusted the axe further in, gaping the already sizeable would in his female victim, and quickly pulled the pointed axe shaft out. The Long Arm recoiled for half a second, as her head jostled back from the intense pain from the removal of the impaler.

It was too bad for her, as one half of a second, was all the Axeman needed to heft his battle axe with both hands low on the shaft and swing in a great arc from right to left.

The last victim who still lived, a white haired Fist Fighter, sat in horror as he struggled to his feet, as his Long Arm ally was instantly relieved of her head, as it lopped to the floor, cause being the last, frightening attack. His body froze as his brain compiled the current event, and screamed bloody horror as his last two true friends were relieved of their mortal coil in such a brutish manner.

Their lives brutally taken away from them, the deadened Long Arm and Wavemaster crumpled to the floor in a heap, devoid of any and all movement. The Axeman took the time to streak one armored finger across the axe blade. He slowly brought his finger to his mouth and licked it, seeming satisfied with their sacrifice. Then he turned to the last of the three, a virile, wicked smile on his face...

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Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:52 am
by Asgard
CHAPTER 1 (Information Can Be Deadly)

Admin Headquarters, Zeta Server
Meeting Room Zeta 2
Chronological Time: Seven Months Before Epilogue

"Report."

"I've managed to rout the last remnant base of the Kirarato Iluve in Carmina Gadelica. Their base was concealed as a hidden off-ramp of sorts on the Grunty Racetrack, on one of the massive winged ships that occassionally flies over certain fields. I counted roughly 50 members encircling the compound, and upon infiltration, found there to be roughly thrice that many. I did not want to cause suspicion, so I made sure to stay unnoticed and in the shadows."

"I see. Was the target present, as it was predicted by Mortuus?"

"Yes....But about that, Lios. I am told that the Necro Wavemaster's true intentions are far from what you and the other administrators see as your main goal in the ALTIMIT program."

"And who told you this? Your fairy tale guardians?" The white haired soldier stood, stern faced at the audacious comment the lead admin had just spouted, "I thought so. Mortuus may be a rookie administrator, but his judgment and his rationalization of Kirarato Iluve and the Hacker Elite have been nothing but spot on. That goes far from what you have ever offered me in intel."

"Alright. I won't bring him up again." The Fist Fighter clenched his Brass Knuckles with disgust. "Aside from that, yes, Dominus was aboard the craft. But he was far from reachable."

"Explain."

"The only moments I was able to even see him was when he amassed his fellow guildmates. He liked to be kept separate from the 'common folk'. Dominus did make daily rallies for the glory of the guild, but even then, he had some sort of separate image skin, as he appeared as a various, full grown Grunty. Every new day, another Grunty skin. Before I left, I almost considered the fact that a grunty actually controlled one of the greatest thorns in the admin's backside. From what I could read in their vaults, and yes, they had libraries onboard that ship for some reason. Most of the tomes seem to have a recollection of the One Sin event, from years past. But most were actually documented by players, as they had a giant collection of in-game monster information. In another section of their fortress, I found a large quantity of bounties for guildies to hunt. Some were monster, some were players, and some were even administrators."

"What? They have the gall to try?"

"They do. Most of them scoffed jokingly at the bounty set up for Orca, Tritoch, even Balmung's player death by the hands of a Kirarato Iluve has a net worth of a few thousand gold pieces."

"Then," Lios said sternly, as he sat behind his desk, "Who was the grandest prize for the guild?"

"..."

"Well?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's you. What would be better than taking down the lead administrator of 'The World'?"

"That's an easy answer," Lios said in a proud tone, "Taking out the former #1 HeavyBlade, the legendary Thor."

"..."

"That is all, Asgard. You are dismissed."

============================================================================

Asgard closed the door behind him and sighed heavily. Asgard was correct in a sense about the top mark. But, as he discovered in Kirarato Iluve, there was only one mark above #1: It was the 'K.O.S.' board, which had Asgard's name, portrait and general game information. Victory and PK over the Fist Fighter would mean immediate promotion to "Admiralus", or Dominus' right hand man.

Asgard let go of the door handles and walked down the windowed hallway. Two of the junior administrators walked by, conversing amongst themselves about what to do about the rash outbreak of high leveled player killers, preying on low level newbies. Asgard waved slightly in their direction. They smiled and waved back, happy to see his return without injury. Asgard turned and leaned on the carved wooden base with his eyes beginning to wander, to look outside upon the five worlds that lay below.

Wait a minute, Asgard thought to himself. I don't remember Mac Anu being that.....charred.

"LIOS SIR!"

Asgard wheeled to his left, his eyes caught a Blademaster, his armor scrapped to hell and his weapon completely shattered. His face was that of pure horror, his skin the purest white. He smashed his fist against Lios' door, like the end of the world was about to occur.

"ADMINISTRATOR! SIR! MAC ANU IS UNDER ATTACK!"

=============================================================================

Asgard wasted no time in arriving on the scene. Mac Anu always held a place of grace within his mind; a place where flora and fauna fused together to coexist and be the starting point for all new adventurers. Now, the scene was one of pure, uncensored catastrophe. The admin cleanup crew was still far away, most likely still mobilizing within Administrator HQ. There were blast marks everywhere, scarred earth from rampant claw swipes, weaponry shattered on the pavement, holes in the wall made evidently by high powered Rai attacks; the list was endless. In short, Asgard was appaled at what lay before his eyes.

Mac Anu was shattered, its body gutted and torn.

This is impossible. The Yoroi General 'event' was nothing compared to this. The hackers now have the balls to set foot in Root Towns? Is anyone safe anymore??

Am I safe from them anymore?

Asgard recoiled at the thought. Yamiyo wasn't the place that he wanted to end up in. He had just thought of Nighthand and the rest of the outcasts, that if their fates had ended them up in Yamiyo. The Fist Fighter had been disconnected from them for so long that he had no idea on what had happened since Raikiri showed them all a 'good time'. The thought of the buzz blades searing the very soul of Asgard made him shiver.

"This is indeed madness, isn't it..."

Asgard turned around, the chaos portal milling out a group of ten personnel clad in white uniforms, with red crosses upon their combat helmets. The cleanup crew had finally arrived. Behind them, a team of Administrators were exiting the chaos gate, surveying the scene. In the lead was Mortuus, the 'BaneMaster' as he had come to call himself. Clad in black, ornate robes, along with decorative demonic skulls eloquently placed around the ensemble, he spotted the Fist Fighter, who was surveying the remains of what probably was an Admin Knight under Balmung. The rookie admin decided to stay at the chaos gate portal, directing personnel where to go and try to clean up the sector. The cleanup crew started close, at the gate, and began to work outward. Asgard stepped closer to the Wavemaster in the dark clothes.

"Mortuus, what..."

"That's what I would like to know as well, Asgard." The Wavemaster was very upfront, unlike most times when they conversed. "I was sent out here without any knowledge of what happened here. From what I could pick up from the masses at the gate, was that there were four High Admins struck down." Mortuus paused to let Asgard comprehend what had happened.

Four High Admins? That impossible.

"It isn't impossible," Mortuus said, clearly predicting his facial expressions, "The Hacker Elite must have been in here, and they must have been here in numbers."

That single word struck pain into Asgard's heart. Numbers. Meaning more than one Elite. It was hard enough to take down one with his allies, let alone half of the collective at once.

"This is madness. There is no safety from these bastards is there?" Mortuus was questioning the Fist Fighter, who was still awestruck.

"No...No there isn't. The admins don't control the world anymore. Hell, from my standpoint, they are just as vulnerable as regular players. These fiends are ruthless, take it from my experience." Asgard turned around to see the color being restored, pixel by pixel, into the wall behing the Chaos Gate. "My advice, for you, and for anyone else, is when you see even one of their lowliest servants, don't try and prove yourself a hero. Cut and-"

"Run."

"Exactly," Asgard confirmed.

"No....RUN!"

Mortuus clipped Asgard on the right shoulder, as the rest of the cleanup crew followed suit, fleeing into the Chaos Gate. Asgard turned around, to see a vision of death looking down upon him. Two actually, as a giant sized Dragon Puppy type monster was looking down upon the Fist Fighter, eyeing out his lunch.

"Shit."

Asgard, without second thought, accessed the Chaos Gate portal as quietly as he could, the dual dragon still looking down at him, their mouths baring teeth as sharp as a Blademaster's sword. Only one set of coordinates came to mind.


Forbidden
Talisman


The creature snapped its jaws close to Asgard, disrupting his concentration. He entered the last keyword into the portal and hastily jumped through. The creature snapped again, missing Asgard's tabi by inches. Reeling back for a second, the creature, with a great display of intelligence, entered in the same keywords and disappeared into the Chaos Gate into a stream of data.

Forbidden Talisman Holy Ground

From the shadows, a large man, clad in emerald green armor, eyed the draconid amalgamation's disappearance, and laughed hard and laughed long. The overzealous chuckle bounced through the hollows of Mac Anu, the reverberations echoing across those departed, and those waiting in the shadows. "Let the slaying of the comrades begin!"

============================================================================

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 7:29 am
by Asgard
Chapter 2 (Tiamat's Bloodhound)

We join our broken hero on the grounds of Forbidden Talisman Holy Ground, beginning to finish off the dual dragon.

=========================================================================

With a left jab, a right hook, a flurry of straights, and a backflip kick, the Dragon Puppy mutant reeled for a moment, the two heads high in the air. Asgard knew that this was the time to finish the beast off. It had been a solid twenty minutes of fighting, and from using Rig Gaem, his Rue Cross twice, and his Gan Weapon once already, he was going to be short on tactics if the battle didn't end now. He latched the Hydra Tail, his tri-nunchaku around his arm, bending his right knee up across his chest for an attack.

"Storm of Sand! Right Foot!" His left leg propelled him forward like a gazelle jump, catching the monster offguard and with his body exposed. Crak, crak, crak, crak, crak, CRAK The Storm of Sand sent a quick series of kick strikes to the dragon's torso. Asgard knew that this wasn't enough still. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed an Emperor's Soul item, a small jar containing an ethereal ball of phantom energy. He cracked the bottle open, the energy seeping into his body, restoring his SP to maximum capacity. He had no time to waste, the monster still stunned by the sudden onslaught over the past minute. "Storm of Sand! Left Foot!" He brought his left leg upwards and began a multitude of strong high kicks, striking the target around its lower neck. The beast still remained, slowly regaining its grasp on reality from the blows. This thing has to be dead by now.

Yet the Dragon Puppy stood tall still, after thousands of damage dealt. Both heads leered over Asgard, as forked tongues hissed their dissent of their opponent. Like Lightning, the two heads converged on the Fist Fighter, their shared idea seeking to crush the player underneath two draconic skulls. Asgard could only brace himself from the attack, with no time or area big enough to dodge to. He knelt down on his left knee, brought his hands up in an cross pattern.

CRACK

That was all Asgard could hear when the two heads slammed down on him. He screamed bloody outrage, as the feeling of immediate and intense pain washed over his left leg, the base of the impact. He could feel the excruciating moment when the bones in his leg began to pop, then began to break, then to close with a shattering. Agony was all that he could feel at that moment, desperation setting into his mind.

END. END. END. END. "END. END. DIE!"

With any and all strength that he had left, he grabbed both dragons' jaws and with a pull up, then a sharp pull down, nailed the creature down with a thunderous slam. The Fist Fighter, still holding onto their lower mouths, took a sharp pain to his hands, now skewered by the bladed teeth the monster wielded. He retorted with a quick head-to-head bonk, stunning the two yet again. With a broken leg still at hand, the goal beforehand came first: Stopping the dragon. Peeling his hands off the enamel pikes, he readied what hoped to be the final barrage of this encounter.

"SAN HE CHIEN!" His fists went out of control, running on fury and pure adrenaline, tenderizing the heads fifty times each. With his body almost spent, he could only make certain that the beast was on its last legs, wheezing and letting out a sullen cry for help. "This is the END for you, mutant! Deliver my regards to your masters!" The fists of fury slowed to a halt, their earthen attacks fading from the skin, replaced by a solid blue hue.

"Now DIE! RUE CROSS TIMES TWO!" Asgard's armguards began glowing a brilliant Cyan, crystals forming over the skin. This was the attack, he knew, that would slay this monster. Still bearing the unbearable, he slammed the Rue Crosses firmly into the middle of the monsters' skulls. A macabre of colors flooded Asgard's eyes, as the pain seeped deeper and deeper into his being. His only concern was the beast's death, not his well being. He could worry about that when he was dead. Like magic, the ice crystals flew from his hand and began to spread, encompassing the two headed dragon in a giant shell of ice. A multitude of brilliant, icy shards stuck out from the second skin granted to the monster. Yet the spikes turned, and impaled the dragon in hundreds of different places, letting out its death cry. The monster began decomposing into the single strings of data that made its being. They floated skyward, in a place that Asgard could not even begin to describe. Not due to the fact that he couldn't describe it. More or less due to the sudden loss of bodily function and blood loss.

Asgard fell forward, not wanting to move any part of his body. He could only hope that, somehow, someone will find him. He tried to compile the Flashmail server, but couldn't move, his arms numbed from the cold channel. So many times have I waited on death's doorstep. I wonder if.....if the cloaked skeleton will come for me today.

"RGH." Asgard let out a grunt, trying to get his arms to move. All he needed was to trust the only feeling he had left in his body.

To: Sandri
From: Asgard

SOS. Forbidden Talisman Holy Ground.
- Love, Thor


I can't believe I jumped at that, Asgard thought, berating himself about the slip of the hand at the Chaos Gate. If he had correctly pressed the three field names correctly, this wouldn't have happened. The Fortress of the Well was a place he knew well, most likely better than the Dragon. But then again, the draconid could have been a hacker in disguise. Giving information like that away could be perilous. He turned upon his right side, trying not to apply any pressure onto the broken leg. He could breathe easy again, the adrenaline long since gone, and the pain nulling into acceptable levels. The Fist Fighter rolled again, onto his back. A wicked crack filled his ears, the pain surging once more. He bit down on his lip, a guttural scream filling the back of his throat.

Now that....that wasn't....a good....ideeea...

The colors of unconsciousness seeped over him once more like many times past.

==========================================================================

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:53 pm
by Asgard
Chapter 3 - The Path Forward

<Forbidden Talisman Secret Tower>
Chronological Time: Ten Minutes after Epilogue

Bloodstained and brutalized, Asgard fell upon his hands and knees, clutching his stomach cavity. Loki's assault was far too powerful and completely undefendable. Even though he had gained more and more power to help nighthand and the rogues, and find the way home, he was now stonewalled, possibly for the last time. With his overlevel powers and his administratively modified statistics, Loki, Asgard friend turned foe, was showing him what the score really was. The Fist Fighter's allies, the poltergeists of his past, were down and unmoving. Loki's last attack the Reaper's Rampage, was obviously far too much for them to handle. Asgard didn't know how he survived the attack, but Loki made that painfully clear while giving him a front foot boot to the face. Asgard fell backwards, grabbing at his face and curling his legs towards his body in a vain attempt to protect himself.

"I bet you are wondering how you survived."
Asgard didn't answer, he knew why.

"You survived because you were stronger than them before." Loki sat down on the gray marble floor about twenty yards away, uninterested in Asgard's pain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black, rough stone. The stone radiated a weird, alien energy, which shone darkly in the gray room as the Axeman ground it against his axe. The blue, ornate reaver's blade began to emanate a blackened aura. "But, the strong always get replaced. You should know that better than anyone."

With a narrow trickle of blood fall from Asgard's nose, the Fist Fighter wiped it away and got back to his feet. "Shut your mouth, you bastard. Rai Wings!" He sprang quickly at Loki, his Iron Step drawn. Brilliant, bronzed, electric wings sprouted from Asgard's back as he propelled his right leg forward in a high speed jump kick.

A thud was heard throughout the chamber. Loki sat uninterested. Asgard hung in the air, on the pole end of axe, which Loki had turned in less than a fraction of a second, the one fraction that Asgard needed to start a counter offensive. But it would not be, for his foe this time, was far too powerful.

And his foe's axe would spell his doom, as Loki raised it over Asgard's slumped body.

"You survived...because I wanted you to."

============================================================================

============================================================================

Admin Alpha Server
Alpha Medical Ward
Chronological Time: One week before Epilogue

Asgard's eyes opened. He felt his arm in massive pain, and remembered that a two headed beast had broken it. The sever itself was completely healed, to his surprise, but the pain he bore was unbearable. It was like the arm was still broken completely, but upon inspection, it was not. A new oddity for the odd world that he occupied.

The room he occupied was not that of the one that he had fought the beast in. It was a stone room, ornate nature, and VERY familiar. He rubbed his eyes in the effort to regain his sight after what seemed to be a long repose.

"Ow."

"You might want to sit down. Even though you have had plenty of rest, your pain seems to last through healing abilities and items."

The voice surprised him at first, but something, like everything this past little while, seemed familiar to him. It was really starting to get to him, but then, having something familiar in this nightmare was better than having something alien.

"It's ok, friend. You're on the Admin server Alpha." At that last word, a man stepped out from the doorway. He was a slender man, a bow strung across his back almost as tall as he was. Two giant quivers were strapped to his hips, like two guns holstered at his sides. His armor was leather in material, but seemed far more durable than what it looked like, giving off a colorless aura. "You have been out for quite the long time. It has been about 5 months since we found you in that modified field."

"I'm sorry, but even though you sound familiar to me, I do not know you."

"I get that a lot, for some reason. My name is Abacus."

"You mean like the counting tool?" Asgard asked. Abacus nodded slightly, readjusting his bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Abacus bowed with a smile on his face.

"Come." Abacus motioned him to follow him. Asgard grunted as he got out of his sitting position, groaning as his body stung like a punctured voodoo doll. "Don't be so hasty. You've been through a lot."

"Have you ever read my case file?" Asgard asked the bowman in an inquisitive manner.

"Extensively. You're a soldier. Everything, I would think, a person should be. You have survived through untold hardship in a game which, for some reason, interacts against the humans, much to the dismay of-"

"If the two names I think you're going to say leave your lips, I'll hang you up from the door with your bowstring." Asgard walked through the archway door, much to the blank face of the well read Abacus. Such touchy feely subjects like the one the Bowman was about to bring up was the last thing Asgard wanted to reminisce over.

Even though he was doing so as he walked the path to the Administrator Central portion of Server Alpha. He didn't need Abacus tagging along, because he knew the way.

The majestic stone floors did not change. Nor did the scenery at all. As expected, as cleanliness and order were what admins strived for. The things they strived for, were possibly the things that doomed Asgard completely. He opened a massive metallic gate in front of him, and closed it quickly herafter. The door was meant to send him to the head admin office, straight to those he had to report like the good dog that he was.

As the doors closed behind him, three pairs of eyes saw him enter. One pair belonged to Abacus, the Sniper Bowman. Another pair belonged to a forgotten friend, one who had gotten his message as to where he was and the first to see his broken body 5 months ago.

And the last saw through a demon skull mask, with a skull scribed robe and a wicked grin.

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Destiny Sky
Flagship of Kirarato Iluve
Core Quarters

"He lives then..."

"Yes he does. He has awoken. The attack has failed."

"That is to be expected, necro master. I doubted that the Dual Skull would be enough to kill him. However, the fact that the monster roughed him up quite well makes me feel..."

"Sadness?"

"Pity. Pity towards him. He had so much to achieve in his former existance. Yet, he is now weak. After all the years trapped, all of the blood shed, the tears wept, THE LIVES ENDED. He is still WEAK! Unworthy of my time!"

"Master Dominus, fear not. He will grow stronger, he has to, or he will not survive the battle that is yet to come."

"Do NOT instigate the fact that he will triumph over ME when the time comes, Mortuus. He will die! DIE! By MY axe. His fate is mine to decide! His fate and the fate of the two that have already fallen, but choose to rise against me!"

"If it pleases the master, I will throw myself at him to see if he is worthy of your audience at the sacred well."

"You self sacrifice will be in vain, Mortuus. But I will allow it. But do NOT assume that he is the mere player I can see in your mind. He is far more of a warrior than your underhanded tricks."

Mortuus composure fades downward by the remark, but tries to cover it as a kneel to his master. "By your leave. I will make the necessary preparations."

"Tell the others that the raid upon the keep is still on schedule. One week from today, what was mine to begin with will be mine once again."

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:55 am
by Asgard
Chapter 4 - Necromancer Dost Rule

Admin Server Alpha
AIT Wing - 2nd Floor
Asgard's Quarters
Chronological Time: Less than a day before Epilogue

Almost a week has passed since I woke up in the Admin Alpha server. I dont know if you're still out there, along with the rest of the lost ones, but rest assured, I will be back. Once I clear my name, and end the demon of my past, I will come and find you Nighthand. Hopefully, you were not caught in between whatever happened to Mac Anu and Dun Loireag. Give my regards to the rest.

Sincerely, Asgard
Administrator in Training


Asgard ended the lengthy flashmail and sealed it within a plastic tubing. Looking at the plain as day parchment, he handed it to his trusty lionbird, Terro. The brown feathered, bronze furred gryphon nipped the sealed letter with his strong beak, gave a whistle to Terro to show his understanding of what he must do, and turned towards the door leading out of the Fist Fighter's quarters.

"Make sure you are not seen leaving the premises, Terro. You and the note should be able to hide amongst the stone floors of Carmina Gadelica. If you should be caught by one of the hackers, the admins, even a regular player, destroy the note and hide. I will know if you are compromised at any distance within this game, but I cannot guarantee that I will be swift in coming to your aid."

Asgard's pet nodded, understanding what was at stake in delivering this letter, and what should happen if he is exposed as working with illegal players.

I understand, my good friend. I will guard this message with my life. Asgard smiled and turned away for a moment. Without notice, the door swung open, almost clipping Terro in his left wing. The lionbird had heard the footsteps near the door beforehand, and began molding into the marble floor with the note. Asgard sighed relief for the briefest pause, before noticing that both Mortuus and Abacus were standing within the doorway threshold of the Fist Fighter's quarters.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" Asgard asked quizzically. Abacus was sleepy in expression, but Mortuus was looking a little bit more inquisitive.

"Who else was in here? I heard you talking from outside the corridor. We do not tolerate visitors within Admin Server Alpha not authorized by the-"

Asgard cut him off abruptly, with a childish tone. "Trying to scry into the private matters of another Mortuus? That seems very unlikely and quite immature of you, a man of your stature among the community of law enforcement for The World." Mortuus face flushed red with anger, whilst Abacus' face tried to stifle off a laugh. He he had, Mortuus would probably have him assigned to the newbie zones for months. Feeling a little bit inflated with the comeback, Asgard tried to change the subject, as he saw the earth move slighty, as Terro moved beneath the two admins towards the chaos gate. "I'm sorry, that was a little uncalled for. Is there something you two wanted?"

"Your apology is accepted, and yes, there is something that I need both of you for. Please rendezvous with me in Meeting Room Alpha 5 in a half an hour. I am having a meeting on some new findings about Kirarato Iluve and Dominus with all the other admins on alhpa server. Plese be on time."

Abacus nodded at the subject, "I just came by to ask something of Asgard, but yes, I will be there in a half hour, Mortuus." Mortuus nodded, looking impatiently at Asgard.

"As will I. Half an hour. I'll make sure to bring cookies." Abacus laughed. Mortuus didn't. Something seemed to be putting off his strong demeanor.

"Very well. I will be off now." With that, Mortuus wheeled on his heel and stepped out into the black marble corridor. Abacus approached Asgard's bed, sitting himself down on a stone chair jutting out of the ground like a natural structure. Seeing as Mortuus, who, in his 'haste', didn't bother to shut the door behind him, reacted to Asgard as he called upon the power of his Gan Weapon, the staff. In a quick thrust, the pole reached across the single room, behind the door, and shut it with a quick change of hand position.

"Sometimes I think those powers are going to be the end of you," Abacus stated.

"Shut up. I'm lazy. Don't you start judging me too."

Abacus chuckled and twisted 90 degrees in his seat, his legs extending over one armrest and his back to the other. Somewhat uncomfortable for a stone easychair, but it didn't seem to bother the Sniper.

"Sooooo...what did you want anyway?" Asgard asked, releasing the marble Gan Weapon, as it was struck to the ground.

"You do realize that this whole meeting-"

"Is a trap? Yes, I do."

"So why did you agree instead of getting out of here? I and many others know that your recon on Mortuus suggested his alliance with Dominus. Many of us side with you on that, yet Lios seems to feign ignorance on the issue."

"That's because Lios IS ignorant to the issue." Abacus looked a little surprised, but his unnerving twitch in the easy chair and his new facial expresion to a dire look told Asgard that Abacus was trying to feign ignorance on that issue as well. "Lios is in dire need of people who want to uphold the game. With the comatose players all over the media, and all the other obvious problems, not many people believe that taking the job to tell players to play nice is a good career move. But Mortuus, at his admin acceptable, said that he wanted to do exactly that."

"So Lios believes him to be still true to his word."

"Well, for a while, but he knows better now." Abacus looked puzzled as Asgard continued. "My recon of Mortuus and Dominus' dealings was too crucial to ignore, and from what I can defer from Lios actions, when he was here giving me the third degree on acting completely irrationally against the dragon hound, is that Lios has confirmed his actions as far from what the admin rules and guidelines stated."

"However..." Asgard pointed at Abacus. "You ask yourself why Mortuus has not been evicted from his post." Abacus nodded. "The reason being is that Lios is starting to falter on his virtuous crusade to keep the game in check."

"It has led me to believe that Lios wants to overthrow Dominus' as leader of Kirarato Iluve and use them to police The World."

At that point, Abacus fell out of the chair in disbelief. "What? You can't be serious!" The Fist Fighter shrugged.

"Well, that's the only rational explanation that I can think of."

"Anyways," Abacus forced a new subject of discussion, seeming a little uneasy of Lios falling from grace. "What are we going to do about Mortuus?"

"Well...That's a good question. I really don't know the extent of his power. If he was really setting this up to execute us, then I'm just going to have to hope I can either overpower him, or outnumber him."

"No one has really seen him fight, from what I can tell. I have not, and I assume that the same goes for you as well." Asgard nods in a sad display of approval.

"We should probably send for reinforcements from Admin Server Beta, or rally the other admins against him."

"I've already tried to amass a force, but I believe that all the high ranking admin are already at Alpha 5, and lower rank admin and AIT are all off the server." Abacus paused for a minute. Asgard knew that this was a flashmail in progress to the leader of beta server. "....And it seems that the admin intralink flashmail system is down for repair. The Chaos Gate...cannot be found?"

"...Shit." Asgard sighed heavily for a moment, standing up from his bedside squat against the parallel wall. "So Mortuus is cutting off reinforcements at base and locked down the flashmail system on alpha..." Asgard paused as he hastily equipped his Iron Step. "I guess we're winging it. But first, I need a couple things from the stockroom."

=====================================

Admin Server Alpha
Core Wing Alpha 1
Meeting Room Alpha 5

The massive, metallic shaded, marble doors swung open, as Asgard, the hacked Fist Fighter, and Abacus, the Sniper Bowman, entered the impossibly huge meeting room. With Asgard's Iron Step visible, and Abacus' Virtue Greatbow drawn and nocked with a arrow pulsing with variating energy, the other admins in the Meeting Room looked at them quizzically. Mortuus, the NecroMaster, stood up to welcome them, but he did not move. He just began to clap in applause.

"Ah, so I see that you two have figured out the stage already. Just what I expected from Asgard. But Abacus, the bowyer, I did not expect you to figure this out so quickly."

"Mortuus! What is the meaning of this?" one of the admins asked furiously. Asgard knew who the admin was. It was Viking, his old comrade from Maneki Library and further back. Along side the Heavy Axeman were Siege, the Bowman, Layla the Whipmaster, and Genaba the Twin Blade.

"Shut your mouth, you piece of necrotic shit. FLIGHT OF THE MURDER!" Abacus drew back the arrow in Virtue, which began to glow a deadly black. Abacus aimed upward and the arrow flew out of the bow, and began to double almost endlessly, until it seemed that the entire upper part of the room was pitch black. The arrows froze in midair, as they slowly began to sprout wings and morph, into a massive murder of tiny crows. "Attack Mortuus, my minions!" The crows all cawed in harmonious unison, emitting a shrill sound of hate as the birds descended upon their foe. In less than a second afterwards, Mortuus was encompassed in a mass of squacking and feathers as the Flight of the Murder attempted to deal a monumental amount of small damage hits.

"Everyone! It has been proven to me from what he just said that Mortuus is a key member of Kirarato Iluve. I have known that this whole meeting was a trap to try and ferret the scout out and end him or her. We must get out of here before-"

The Fist Fighter was interrupted, as the flight gave off a shrill death cry. Mortuus was encompassed in a dome made completely out of bone. The bone bore deadly spikes, as well as ventricles that emit a foul green smoke, clearly some sort of poison. A chilling laughter emitted from the bone shield. At that, the admins tried to get out of their seats positioned around the meeting table, but found themselves unable to move. In truth, a pair of skeletal arms were secretly thrust from the ground underneath, holding them in place.

"Good! Good! Your skill speaks volumes Abacus! Well done!" Mortuus laughed again as the bone shield receded into the ground. "Even so, with that little outburst of yours slightly interrupting the timeflow of which I was ordered to proceed, it is now time to get back on track!"

Mortuus, the NecroMaster Wavemaster. A frail sight at first, but the sickly invisible aura around him made this weak little boy into a behemoth. His Wavemaster robes were adorned with all sorts of skulls, those human, some impish, mostly demonic. His floating, bony grimoire, the Textbook of the Baron, hung to his side, glowing a soft, evil pulse in the room. Even Asgard could feel the malice and hate seeping off of this particular character.

The Wavemaster rose his hands, the grimoire followed into position over the meeting table, ten feet in the air. "MASTER OF PUPPETS!" All at once, the grimoire shone a dark black, and the three seated administrators fell limp. Asgard cursed under his breath, as it sounded like he would be fighting his own kin against their will. And so it came to be, as one by one, Viking, Layla, and Genaba all rose to their feet, their eyes a hollow black color. Asgard put his hand on the metallic door in which they came from, cursing silently.

"GAN WEAPON! Come! Hydra Tail!" Little by little, the door wrenched and churned in place. All at once, a ring chainlinked to three lengths of deadly looking stone erupted from the door, and was thrust straight into the open palm of our hero, Asgard. Ready for battle, he lets loose a cry of battle and charges forwards towards his allies controlled by their puppet master.

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:29 am
by Asgard
Chapter 5 - Nether's Blessing

Song to play to: Stricken - Disturbed

Location - Unknown

A dark room, existing in nothing, exists. Here, something stirs in the restless pitch black, something powerful. It awaits the time in which he can act, which, is right about...now.

"Corvus, I have need of you."

A spec of white power appears in the black background. With alarming speed, it grows into an oval of power. A figure of a man, covered in a tattered kimono, a gnarled staff hovering around him, appeared in the place of the oval. He, was Corvus, servant to a higher power.

"Yes, servitor. What may I ask is the reason you request of me?"

"You are the guide for the chosen Fist Fighter correct?" the voice permeated the darkness with an acute sharpness. Corvus knelt to one knee in obedience, and nodded to nothing in particular. "I see, his progress has halted and now he is far behind schedule."

"I am aware of this lapse, for he was struck into a lapse that has lasted far longer than anticipated. I have been trying to contact him in his subconscious, but an unknown force blocked my attempts. I can only believe it to be Loki as the cause."

"A pawn as himself has such power?" the voice crackled this time, showing disbelief and confusion.

"I don't believe him to be a pawn on the chessboard anymore. His knowledge of his powers and the followers he gains are showing him to be of the Knight."

"Evasive and tactful..." Corvus nodded at the voice's statement. "Regardless, I have news for you and for your pupil." The servant waited in baited breath for the news, as information from this source was most likely life changing.

"After Light and Wind withdrew from the cause, Neutral power was reluctant to join our cause. However, their chief representative, Nether, has agreed to cooperate with us, and is acting on his own. As a power of augmentation, I find that it could be best suited for your quarry, one who relies upon the game's augmentations to overpower." A sphere made of unidentifiable gray matter appeared in the darkness next to Corvus.

"I understand. I will give it to Asgard right away."

"See that you do, and godspeed."

===============================

Admin Alpha Server
Meeting Room Alpha 5

Asgard made another fist fly at his target, Viking, which landed with a satisfying thud right in the Heavy Axeman's midsection. The force would have been enough to wind and probably subdue a normal person, but Mortuus' puppets were much more resilient, as Viking hefted his axe into the air and brought it down on Asgard's head. Without much time to react, the Fist Fighter stepped forward, crouched, and caught the falling axeshaft in his hands, a sharp end of the axeblade poking the back of the Fist Fighter's head.

"You had better hurry, Asgard. I don't think your friend is faring so well."

He could not react to the taunt, as if he were to shift even slightly, he would have been cut down by his former ally.

Asgard.

He remembered that voice, and that realization brought down the axe another quarter inch closer to piercing his skull. Holding tight to the axeshaft, Asgard tucked his head forward and let his legs slack. The axe fell, missing his backside, and the downward motion propelled him downward and between Viking's legs. He slid a few feet, then friction caught up to him and stopped him cold. He rolled to the side instinctively, Viking's axe making another impression on the ground of where Asgard used to be.

"Vak Knight!" Asgard's hands began to glow a fiery red, as he plunged them onto the marble floor. A red, runed circle appeared before him, and a heavily armored being of fire appeared before him. "Take Viking down!" The being of fire nodded, understanding his orders, just as another axe strike fell short before Asgard. The soldier took advantage of Viking's ignorance to him, and let loose a vicious horizontal slash, disarming his opponent and causing massive damage. "Non lethal trooper!" The Vak Knight understood, following up with an open palm thrust to Viking's chin.

With one busy, now was the time to find Abacus and Mortuus, so he could finish it. That was about the time that Asgard realized that the room had darkened. The only light that shone upon him was roughly 30 feet each way. "Abacus! Where are you?"

"Hold on a second!" Asgard was thankful to hear Abacus' voice over the darkness, quite strong as well, which meant he was still alive in the battle. "Flying Flare!" All at once, a bright arrow appeared in the darkness, which flew into the air and exploded in a mass of fireworks and explosions. These destructive reactions, however, caused no sound, but produced a massive light reaction, streaking across the pitch blackness.

In the distance, Asgard saw the Bowman taking on both Layla and Genaba. It was quite surprising to see that he was completely capable of taking down two people at once, especially since Genaba is of a class that is deadly at close range. However, Abacus' agility seems to surpass the green haired twin blade, as he effortlessly weaved around the twin blade, almost as if he was skating on the air.

"You alright?" Asgard yelled, as Layla's whip end cracked inches from his forehead. Scuffing at her miss, she would up again, not paying attention to Abacus. Asgard motioned the Whipmistress to bring the hurt, as he preemptively charged forward, readying his Hydra Tail.

A lash of diamond imbed leather flew forward and struck Asgard in his left leg. The wound burned like a flashfire, and drew him downward to bended knee. He knew he would have to get in close, but this whipmaster excelled in keeping distance between herself and her foe, not to mention the Ap Do she just cast upon herself as he recovered from the sting.

"Obsidian Darts!" Asgard motioned to the hydra tail. The metallic, stone weapon dissolved back into the ground, returning to its habitat, but only for a moment, as two satchels crossed over Asgard's waist, full of black metal throwing knives. A new set of gloves appeared on the Fist Fighter's Fist, serving as the wait point for the satchel's knives. Reaching back into his pocked, Asgard pulls out a thin rectangular parchment of power. "Ap Do!" The parchment turned to ash, as the Fist Fighter was surrounded by the familiar high of speed increase. He pointed his hand at Layla, before chanting her demise.

"Dek Do!" Asgard's Goblin Mail S shimmered for a moment, as a curse befell the Whipmistress, destroying the Ap Do and slowing her down. She began the ritual again for Ap Do, but did not finish, as Asgard was already upon her. Closing the distance at maximum speed, he let loose a volley of eight daggers, seven of those hitting their mark and one black streak flying into the perpetual darkness.

Layla reeled, finishing the Ap Do after the onslaught, but the physical power of the daggers were far too overwhelming and should have been avoided instead of taken head on. But, as she contemplated her last move, Asgard closed within five feet, daggers drawn to stab. Layla acted accordingly, retreating backwards into the darkness. She disappeared from Asgard's sight, but her whip lashed out once more from the black. The sideways lashed missed Asgard, as he lept forward and over the bullwhip.

==============================

Sacred Forbidden Talisman

The gates to the Fortress of the Well lay open, their pearl shined gates discarded to each side in a wreck of metal and corrupted data. The battlements upon each side lay in ruin, the tower points wrecked and the wall sized banners charred beyond recognition. Beyond the gate, statues of kings, honored knights, queens, and other royalty were nothing more than pieces, massacred beyond recognition. Everything here was destroyed, everything was touched. A glowing azure axe swung sideways and blasted the entry doors inwards, warping the steel gates beyond repair. With those out of the way, the wielder appeared, and yes, it was indeed Loki, the Heavy Axeman.

Ah....I can feel the well's power now, bursting with the arcane unknown. The axeman stepped forward, heading towards yet another massive metallic door. He pushed hard on the door, an odd act as to his recent endeavours with doors. But, as the door opened for him, the door suddenly began to lose structural integrity, as acid spread from Loki's handprint and spread all over the surface, dissolving the door. Maybe once I assume command of the well, I should make this my new stronghold.

The next room was plain...white and very plain. However, at the middle of this football field sized room was something that made Loki wide eyed. It was his sought after prize, the Well. As he motioned to go forward, a new set of doors shut closed behind him. He looked behind himself with confusion, as he did not see that pair of gates, and something about the blockade seemed wrong, like they were a lot more durable than the previous doors.

YOU...

Loki turned around again to see that two figures appeared between him and the well. Both's apparel were hard to distinguish, as their bodies were emitting dark, evil smoke. One figure was male, holding a six pronged staff, with six dark colored jewels at the end. The other was a female, wielding a double sided trident, a menacing sight with a pillar of the same black smoke erupting from it.

You will not pass this point, murderer.

"That's what you think, friends."

===============================

"Crystal Spire!" Asgard's knives coalesced together in his hands to create the bo staff of Gan Weapon, his weapon of choice. The end of the bo staff plunged into Layla's midsection. She convulsed, winded, but Asgard wasn't done. Holding the staff like he was to stab someone, he thrusted his staff forward, sending Layla thirty feet backwards, partially into the darkness. The Whipmistress stayed down, most likely unconscious. But, Asgard didn't want to take the risk. Slamming back a Mage Soul, he motioned to the still life, and said "Rue Cross!" Asgard slammed his hand down into the ground, as a trail of spiked ice rushed towards Layla, and imprisoned her in a casing of ice.

"Abacus! Where are-" At that moment, Genaba flew past him and landed right next to the Whipmistress. Six arrows pinned down the unconscious Twin Blade, and Abacus appeared behind Asgard. "Alright, lets go. SOLDIER! FALL IN!" At that moment, a flash of searing fire dispersed

The Vak Soldier appeared from the shadows, hoisting the Heavy Axeman over his armored shoulder. He dropped the corpse near the rest, but did not bother to bind the admin, for he thought he had done more than enough to subdue the player. The soldier bowed to his master, in which the Fist Fighter returned the gesture. The Vak Soldier, as per his custom, removed his helmet and tipped it as to signify departure. There was no head where the soldier was, only a glow inside the armor. With that, the summon circle from which he was summoned, returned anew, and dispersed the red clad armored ghost in an instant.

"Such loyalty!" Mortuus was yet again, taunting, from his safety in the black abyss around Asgard and Abacus. "I am fully impressed in both of your capabilities! Completely! It is such a shame you cannot share the view of my master. Such a shame."

"I've had about enough of your talking! Show yourself!" Abacus demanded with a roar. He nocked five arrows into his bow "Flying Flare!" With a bang and a flash, the entire room illuminated in glorious artificial light.

But it was a sight to behold, as the room, save the circle they previously occupied, was covered in a gigantic boneyard. The walls did not register in their minds, neither did the floor, as they were replaced with skeleton bodies.

"How do you like my closet, gentlemen?" Mortuus taunted. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, making a location pinpoint impossible. "Now, lets get the second act started!" A black mist began to seep lowly onto the floor, never passing the Fist Fighter's ankles. "Dance of the Living Dead!"

One by one, the skeletons began to wake from their dead repose. "Ah crap," the Fist Fighter said under his breath. A multitude of minions rose from the afterlife, surrounding the two admins in the meeting room.

"Napalm Strike!" Before Asgard could even ready his staff for a pre-emptive strike, Abacus already acted, releasing a white hot arrow into the sky. At its arced peak, the arrow burst, raining down fire upon a large area, eliminating a platoon's worth of reanimated in an instant. "That's odd." Abacus commented, "It seems that they have two buffs that keeps them alive. That is very odd."

Asgard perked at the comment. "You have a protect area skill?" he asked the archer quickly, taking three heads off with his Crystal Spire. Abacus looked at Asgard puzzlingly. "Just trust me, I have a plan to get rid of all of them at once."

"Alright." Abacus downed an Emperor Soul. "Just a second...Stormbringer!" A gray arrow shot straight up into the sky, crackling as it went. Once at its peak, the gray projectile shattered into countless pieces, spreaking their shrapnel with the sky. The air above turned cloudy, and then violent, as numoerous lightning bolts incinerated any skeleton that got within mere yards of the two.

"Protector!" Abacus nocked another arrow, silver in color and heavily armored. Pointing it down inbetween the two admins, he released the arrow. It made a deafening *THUMP*, as the ground shifted over around Asgard and Abacus, and began to rotate, blocking the skeleton's move forward towards the two, and pushing them back into others, busting groups into several pieces.

With the protective area in place, Asgard began to work.

ASGARD!

The Fist Fighter almost jumped, as he motioned towards his satchel. Then, everything faded to black, again. He saw Abacus fade from view, the earthen protector field, even the skeletons. But he did not fear, for he knew of who called out to him.

==============================

This had better be worth the split second Corvus. I'm in quite the situation.

I apologize, but I come bringing gifts, if that is of any consolation. Asgard relaxed. He knew that Corvus was to be trusted...no, to be revered. Over the time, you have went head to head with the representatives of the elements to gain their trust and wield their power in one shape. Asgard nodded, as the white oval began coalesceing in the darkness. The tattered hermit stepped through once again, like always, his gnarled staff orbiting his presence. However, I must inform you of something that has happened.

First, the forces of Ken, the mighty wind, and Ji, the luminous Light, have withdrawn from the elements. It is unknown to me why, but their presence simply halted during your nap.

That is truly a shame. But, I am to gather that this meeting inside my conscious mind wasn't just to inform me of this. In my world, this seems to be hardly noteworthy while I am in the immediate threat of reanimated dead and the "NecroMaster".

This is true. I do bring news, and that gift in while I said earlier. There was also another element asides from the six that exist within the game parameters. This power entity is called Kou, the endless nothing.

There is an element for...no elemental value?

Yes, regular physical attacks, physical defense, and physical accuracy, are governed by Kou. And now, after Wind and Light disappeared, Kou was undecided to join the cause. However, one representative of Kou, Nether, has agreed to help, acting without the consent of the highest figures of Kou. I have been assigned to give you Nether's power, for you will find it to be most beneficial.

I understand, what does Nether's power give me?

Corvus grinned.

===============================

Asgard snapped back to reality, one second after being summoned into his inner mind. He grinned mischeviously at what transpired in his mind, as he knew right away that Nether's power would be indeed useful to him.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his satchel's strap and dumped out all of its contents. It was a very fine powder, and after the small satchel was empty, the pile of powder was as big as a raked leaf pile in the fall. Taking his Crystal Spire in hand, he began twirling it in front of him, ordering his powder to become alive. The pile began to diminish, as a large swirling ring of pollen and seeds began to rotate quickly in front of the bo staff, like a dog obeying its master. Asgard brought the staff over his head and the ring followed. The Fist Fighter knew that he had to make this attack hit as many foes as he could, and all he was able to do that this would finish the job. And that his attack would only revent one of the buffs. He picked up speed, quicker, and quicker, and quicker than the last. Until...

"Juk Powder!"

Asgard made a full circle sweep with his Gan Weapon, and the attack followed suit, bursting outwards from its ringed shape design in every direction. The powder began to thrust forward, their image like waves crashing forward, their numbers multiplying as the ring attack got bigger. The wave of pollen washed over the skeletons, their bodies reacting for a moment, and then falling stiffly to the floor. The wave of pollen dispersed, as a vast amount of skeletons fell to the floor, their numbers quickly dimished.

"Nice shot! Those powers are something else, I tell ya." Abacus was quick to congradulate Asgard, with a complementary back pat as an added bonus. The Fist Fighter breathed heavily, as the Juk Powder required a vast amount of power and concentration to stretch that far and eliminate the buff. "Now there's just..."

"Me, correct?"

From the ceiling, a massive skeleton construct landed on the floor, yards away. The ground shook violently, and both Asgard and Abacus lost their balance. The construct, towering at roughly 40 feet, with a skull clad person on its shoulder, was quick to the attack, landing a rushing blow with its tree trunk sized arms on Abacus. There was only a moment for the bowman to feel the pain, as he flew back from the impact. Not even the Defender skill was enough to block the strike, as the rocks were pushed away, or even added to the fist's mass at impact.

"Such a bother, in my opinion," Mortuus stated. "Even you, verily fatigued from the battle, could have dodged that..." At that moment, the construct's right fist flew forward again, but Asgard was wise to the attack, as he rolled under the straight, and kicked upwards with full force, using his hands to boost his power upwards. But the attack was stopped, with no sound of bone cracking. These bones that created the construct's arms were extremely dense, like steel, and that was something to be feared.

Asgard reacted quickly again, as the other arm was set to sweep under the other arm. He grabbed one of the long bones that made the armor on the left side of the right arm, he swung himself forward and on the swing back, made his feet fly back under the arm again. The left fist connected on Asgard's feet on the way back to the front swing, and the momentum of the fist, coupled with the direction Asgard was planning to go, swung him upwards in a curled backflip. High upwards.

Seventy feet in the air he peaked, a blue glow encompassing his right arm. His descent was aimed straight for the passenger, Mortuus. "Rue Cross!" The arm was encased in ice spikes and reached out to fatally touch Mortuus. The strike hit full tilt on the Wavemaster's head, for a moment he caved, as the body was completely iced over, and shattered accordingly.

As soon as Asgard relaxed, as he hung there, on the shoulder of the construct, he saw the arms go limp, frail almost. From his handstand on the shoulder, he grabbed the backside of the immobile construct in a motion similar to a rock climber rappelling down a cliff face.

But that is when the body became alive again. It was alive again, and aware of Asgard's awkward position. Asgard froze for a split second...and knew it was a feign.

The golem thrust its body backward and caught Asgard halfway down the back, before the Fist Fighter was viciously slammed to the skeletal filled ground.

All the while, Mortuus' laugh filled the meeting hall...

...and echoed according to plan.

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:11 pm
by Asgard
Chapter Six – Game of the Dead

There is just too far at stake in this. I cannot…I MUST NOT…lose…

But this…an unholy amalgamation of flesh ripped corpses…that seems unstoppable in death…Can I really overcome the dead?


Of course you can, my newfound friend. For I believe that a situation this dire calls for my ability to turn the tides.

Who??...Who is there?

I believe that Corvus introduced me earlier. My name is Nether.

Nether! I am glad to make your acquaintance, as well as to give you my thanks, as I don’t have to confront you before giving me your blessing.

No thanks is necessary. I believe myself to be far less ‘pig-headed’ than the other elements. This is so, because I see that giving you my ability is justified during this situation, as well as the confrontation that the elements are apart of.

However, it is no time for chat. The golem is just about to end your life.

And with that, Asgard found himself on the bottom of the crater in which the bone golem made him forcefully occupy. With the solid ground against his back, as well as the general lack of ability to move, Asgard lay there, face up, staring down the immense raised pillar that was the golem’s leg.

It is good to see that you recover from unconsciousness quick, dead Asgard. I wanted you aware as I made my pet paste you into the ground.” Mortuus was full of his boastful demeanour, as he stood yet again on the beast’s shoulder, much like before. “The skulls of Grakkarond are quite the formidable foe, don’t you agree?

All Asgard could do was stare at the abomination, his body refusing to move defensively. The golem raised its right leg, to begin the fatal move which would end Asgard.

Nether…Help me…

Concussion Blast!

An arrow from the front struck the golem square in the chest. The beast reeled for a moment, as the kinetic energy from the displaced wind gathered at the entry and struck the golem with a fierce concussive explosion. Pieces of skeletal corpses flew everywhere, as the burst took a rather large chunk out of the golem, and sent him backwards into the graveyard ground.

Abacus…thank god…

Mid fall, a piece of the body detached. It was the monster’s foot, and even though it wasn’t the full pillar leg, it was still heavy enough to crush Asgard underfoot. But there was enough time for a flash of speed to save the poor Fist Fighter’s life. The foot slammed the ground, as Asgard was propped up against a bony hill.

His saviour was the one known as Genaba, the Admin Twinblade.

Genaba! Are you-

I’m feeling better than you, which I can assure.” Asgard chuckled at the remark and saw that her wounds from fighting were all healed. “Viking, Layla, and I all just awoke a few minutes ago. It looked like the graveyard, coupled with a mix of spring pollen.

Juk Powder cured their Mind Control? Odd. I did not know that it was that powerful...

Is Abacus alright?” The Twin Blade nodded approval.

His concussion shot just saved your life.” Asgard sighed relief, as he tried to get back on his feet. Genaba forced the Fist Fighter down back to the ground with hands on his shoulders. “Hold on. Let me just get you patched up.” Genaba’s leather bound hands began to glow, as a rush of blue energy enveloped the Fist Fighter. In instants, the cuts and bruises over the battered body disappeared.

Can you stand?” Asgard replied by effortlessly rolling forward into a sprinting kneel. His right hand reached into his inventory and pulled out a Speed Charm, one of his many weapons of choice.

Let’s roll! Rig Gaem! Rig Saem!” In unison, the Twin Blade and the Fist Fighter both exclaimed “Ap Do!”, and took off towards the bony goliath, still recovering from the concussion shot.

=========

Meanwhile, back in the Fortress of the Well…

The smoky bodies now lay on the floor. Their weapons discarded far from where they lay. Loki, fairly bruised and battered, shouted bloody triumph over the two who dared to face him. He picked up the male ghost by the collar of his robe. The ethereal one was limp, unconscious, as the Heavy Axeman grinned at his victory.

Even in death, you cannot beat me. When will all of you learn that I simply cannot be stopped….when…

Loki discarded the body towards the female ethereal. He then looked upon his won prize, the Well of Eternity. For far too long he has sacrificed to obtain this moment. He sacrificed countless hours, countless people, his own life, just for this moment. The Heavy Axeman stared down into the small five by five well, seeing what to be a never ending source of brightness. He knew that this lamination he saw was indeed the power that would give him the ability to rule over all.

With baited breath, he slowly brought his unarmed hand down towards to the well…

I believe that will be far enough, Knight.

Loki turned his body slightly, his hand almost at the energy. A man in tattered kimono robes, a straw triangle hat, and a floating grimoire stand, stood before him. Loki knew who it was, and began to reach, ignoring his warning.

You don’t believe that when I say that’s far enough, do you.” The old man sighed, stroking his beard. “Then go ahead…

Try.

Loki submerged his hand into the energy. He felt a rush of accomplishment wash over him, as he waited for the power to be transferred to him.

But true to his word, Loki tried. The energy, did not come.

What??? NO!!!! HOW?” He turned to the hermit, and exclaimed “HOW!

You didn’t expect us to prepare for this did you? You have much to learn, you greedy child. As soon as you entered the room, you entered a game made lag loop. What that means, is that you and everyone that does not belong in the game, were severed from the actual game itself.” He motioned to the two ghostly bodies. “Including them.

I…WILL…DESTROY….YOU!!

I do not believe that you will.” Before the man could make another sentence, Loki rushed him in a berserker rage. The man’s form did not falter in the slightest.

Reaper’s Rampage!” The Heavy Axeman’s weapon shone with an evil black aura, as he swung a decapitating hit on the hermit. The axe went in clean, but no blood spilled upon the attack, as the man distorted for a moment, and then returned to normal. “A fake?" He looked towards the door he entered, and beyond it, stood Corvus, waving. The doors began to slowly close, and Loki, as fast as he could possibly be, could not exit the room before the large marble doors slammed shut.

Corvus waved his hand over the wall separating him and the crazed one. Little by little, the room itself began to turn an awful shade of gray, and then convulsed upon itself. The only thing left of the folding room was a small crystal ankh, with a gigantic black space encompassing where the room formerly was located.

==========

The bone golem stood strong, reconstructed time and time again, from the graveyard’s corpses. For half an hour, Asgard and the other four admins delivered blow after shattering blow to the beast, but as soon as the beast would seem defeated, it would assemble pieces from skeletons past and reconstruct appendages, mend gaping wounds, and fortify its boned armor. The third Rig Gaem and Rig Saem that he had cast upon himself was wearing off. He was quickly running out of Emperor Souls and Health Potions and the beast was as strong as ever.

Viking took another swing at the monster with his axe, the Pillager King, and dug a deep wound into the left ankle of the beast. Its tree trunk leg stumbled for a moment, and then caved, forcing the monster down. “I can’t keep doing this, lad! There’s only so much I can do!

I know! I know!” Asgard replied, “Just a few more minutes!

Asgard looked at the beast, as Nether’s voice continued in his mind. He was just into the explanation of how to use his power.

Asgard!

In an instant, it was ten minutes later. He was so focused on instruction, that time snuck by him.

All right, lets see if this works.” The Fist Fighter thrust his right hand into his inventory, and rifled through the various items he carried from the armory. In a low voice, unheard by anyone, he began the offering.

Valiant Nether, I offer you this. Three vials of legendary warriors in exchange for the power to move the very oceans.” With that, he withdrew his hand and three vials of Warrior’s Blood were in between four of his fingers.

There was a long silence; a long silence that made Asgard uneasy. He was almost about to call out for advice from the baseless deity, but from the uncertainty of his mind, a familiar voice rang out.

Granted!

The vials of Warrior’s Blood vanished in his hands, and a small tattoo on his left hand appeared. It was a black tattoo of a spiked fist. At first, he did not feel the rush that he was promised, but as soon as he touched the tattoo, a rush of adrenaline and strength poured over him; more eye opening than anything he had ever experienced.

MeAp Corv!

Nether’s Blessing was complete.

Ap Do!” A quick shot into his inventory procured another speed charm, and the Fist Fighter was off like a shot in the dark. In less than five seconds, he passed the resting Viking, downed by a vicious blow.

His focus turned to the armoured arm that shot straight towards him. Asgard hopped up as the pillar slammed into the ground where he was going to be, and began running up the arm. The Fist Fighter could feel the power wanting to be released, the anticipation washing over him to see what Nether could do.

Asgard jumped again, divining the other arm crossing over to swat him down. But with Ap Do on as well, he was far too fast for the lumbering bone gigant to keep up. He dove over the left side of the arm he walked, heading straight for the chest cavity, his fist clenched and ready to deliver.

The beast shuddered for a moment as Asgard’s fist hit the bone armor. The bones around where the creature’s lungs shattered under immense pressure, chaining to all the surroundings. Bone shards flew away from the giant, raining down upon the admins around.

What’s this?” the Fist Fighter questioned, as a navy blue orb shone through the insides of the beast. “It seems that I have found your cliché weak spot, Mr. Giant.” The beast roared and leapt into a belly flop, with Asgard still hanging onto the exoskeleton connected to the orb. Asgard was wise to this repetition of an attack and let go of the interior skeleton.

He fell back to the ground, slightly shocked from jutting bones from the ground. The monster’s flop still came at him, but the Fist Fighter was through evading the golem’s onslaught. Asgard brought himself back to two feet before the golem could land, and launched a bone breaking right, straight into the oncoming body. He caught it straight in the chest, dead center on the navy orb. The beast let loose a guttural cry, as it thrashed violently for half a second, and then went lifeless on Asgard’s fist. The jointed pieces of the golem slowly cracked, as the undead monstrosity fell lifeless, and sank into the solid earth around the triumphant Fist Fighter. The other admins quickly converged on Asgard to regroup for whatever may come next.

Woo! That was downright SURREAL!” Asgard could feel the Nether rush continue, pouring forceful power into the two strikes that would have saved him a multitude of attacks. “Alright, Mort, I remember you saying ‘skulls’ and that was only one monster…

SO BRING THE NOISE OR GO HOME!

Hmph! Arrogant fool! You will be hard pressed to destroy this one!

From the darkness of the ceiling, a ball of energy appeared from the blackness of Mortuus’ ability. Asgard had no time to move before the strike hit, so the Fist Fighter crossed his arms in attempt to block.

Olaf’s Shield!” Viking stepped forward and pushed Asgard out of the way, knocking him ten yards from the blast’s destination. The Heavy Axeman thrust his axe up high, catching the energy blast, and feeding it straight into the weapon. With a twirl of the axe in a three quarter moon strike, the blast fired from the weapon again, crashing against the ceiling. The caster monster, as well as another skeletal being, fell from the ceiling along with the ceiling itself, crashing down upon the floor with a bang. One was a fairly large skeleton, with six multicoloured arms. The other, was a tall skeleton, smaller than the caster, and bore a cloak and a ballista launcher made from bones.

From within the rainbowed skeleton, the figure of Mortuus was seen, strapped to the inside of the skeleton like a robotic exoskeleton. It seemed that the skeleton he piloted was useless without a warm body.

Wryneck Pha!
Lanceor Pha!

Genaba let loose the Avatar of Lightning in a split second compliance with Mortuus’ attack. The Avatar of Darkness appeared from the black hand of the skeleton and rushed the Twin Blade’s creating, scythe drawn. The two clashed head on, but with a stroke of its massive arm, Lanceor struck Wryneck aside and charged at the monster. With a furious lightning bolt coalesced, Wryneck hurled the bolt at the black arm, still drawn forward.

The lightning cracked as it dug into the hand, sending a vertical shockwave at the point of impact. The bolt crackled in the hand, but the hand closed, crushing the attack outright.

You will have to try better than that, Twin Blade. Crest of Hex!

The arms drew forward, the hands drawing six differently colored circles in the air. With the arms drawn toward the group of five, the circles evolved into spherical essences, floating around the body. The blue sphere lashed out of the party, an azure laser erupting down into the ground at the feet of the skeleton and towards the group. All dodged at once as the laser streaked by, leaving a trail of large, black ice shards in its wake.

Within a few seconds, the group was split up, essentially boxing in the caster skeleton. The ranger skeleton, however, could not be found. Asgard dodged a beam of pure black, it crossing inches by his toes. He hit the floor, more agile than the attacks, as the yellow beam that left black, fist sized sparks in its wake, crossed over horizontally to decapitate the Fist Fighter.

Asgard knew that he was the source of Mortuus’ wrath, so all of his attacks were centered on him. But that wouldn’t be wise with four enemies out of his fixated line of sight. The question was, why wasn’t the rest capitalizing of such an oversight?

A volley of arrows flew from behind the monster, along with a tower high axe, straight for Mortuus’ second creation. The demon received the hit, full force, from both the axe and the volley, but the attacks did not faze him in the slightest. All that produced was a maniacal laugh from the pilot of the skeleton, and all six beams in a vertical downward rake onto Asgard.

Asgard grabbed the skeletal ground to push himself to the left, and out of the way of the rake, but a half-buried ribcage of a fallen enemy caught Asgard’s ankle wrapping. “SHIT.” The Nether Blessing dissipating from his system, he had to capitalize on the last of the MeAp Corv. He slapped the ground, the flame’s portal circle appearing before his eyes. “Soldier! Front and center, defensive stance!” The circle rushed a Vak Soldier up onto the field, his two handed sword at the ready, one hand at the hilt and one hand on the end of the blade. The six beams crashed against the greatsword with elemental ferocity, but the force did not break, much to Asgard’s and Mortuus’ surprise.

Even though your elemental power will eventually get stronger with repeated use, Asgard heard Nether say within the confines of his mind, each element is governed by a certain attribute. For example, as the avatar of flames I have already conversed with, physical strength is his guide, even though he stands now in your defense.

If you ever use a stat augment spell or item, or the Nether’s Blessing, combined with the correct governing stat, that element will become vibrant, and its effects more potent.


I see,” Asgard said silently to himself, “ but there is still the matter of Mortuus to attend to.

The Vak Knight buckled under the strain of the combined attack. Asgard had to move quickly before he was grilled, but the skeletal corpse was snagged hard on his wrapping
Anyone! Help!

Just a sec!” The Fist Fighter heard his Archer ally echo in the giant room. “Prismatic Volley!

A cascade of multicoloured arrows shot forward over Asgard, how Abacus managed to get behind him, he didn’t know. The volley hurled forward and struck the exoskeleton with reckless abandon. The attack seemed completely ineffective at first, but at the end of the volley, the monster emitted a shriek, as five of the hands clutched one arm: the red arm. A slender black bolt had pierced its palm, and completely shattered most of the bony structure it once had.

Dark on Fire.

If the campfire is too small, the darkness will make it seem to be a flicker.” Asgard heard Abacus.

If that were the case, then if the fires were ablaze with power, the darkness wouldn’t have anywhere to hide.” SNAP! The Fist Fighter’s foot broke free of confinement. He quickly gathered himself to his feet. “Soldier!” The Vak Knight struggled to attention in front of him, but did so nonetheless. “At this point in time, I would say something commending your defense of my being, but there is a pest that needs extermination! Are you with me?!” The mute trooper didn’t hesitate to second guess his summoner, and he cried the war cry synonymous with his battalion, and hurled himself forward to the five armed menace, driven by retaliation. The monster responded to this offense with a quick five point piercing laser.

You luck is running out, Asgard. Do the right thing and lay down your weaponry so I can kill you!

STOP!

The exclamation shocked all present company, for it did not come from any of the fighters. However, they knew exactly who it was.

Standing in the doorway, along with a few dozen heavily armed Blademasters, was Lios.

From the way things looked, he surmised a great battle, the sides unknown to him. But whoever was responsible for the destruction was going to get an earful.

==========

It was the second day of his temporary suspension, and Asgard was sick and tired of being caged in his quarters while not servicing player complaints on found bugs in fields. All the other admins involved in the ‘spar’ hosted by Mortuus were already back on their respective duties, but were not allowed to be within the same server, unless they were under direct superior supervision. The Fist Fighter was also removed of all administrative power and inventories, and access to any of the admin server’s areas unless accompanied by a supervisor. He had taken the downtime to try and commune with the avatars of his powers, to surmise their unique governing attribute. So far, only two had been unveiled: Fire’s stat was physical attack, and Ice was magical attack. Wood and Earth still shrouded their gods in secrecy.

He slammed his fist into the bed yet again, waiting for any sort of motion signalling a request, or the door opening.

Are you ready to leave?” The Fist Fighter was startled at the disembodied inquiry, but knew the voice all too well. He approached the door, the source of the voice, and cracked the door open slightly. In the corridor, Abacus stood tall, both Blademaster guards unconscious at his feet.

I was getting a little bored.” A green flash filled his room with colour. It was the signal of a player in need. “Shit. I better move quick.” Asgard tried to keep his voice to a whisper, grabbing three Speed Charms from his backpack.

O Nether. I don’t have time for this shit, because I’m about to get busted for breaking out of the admin server. Three charms of speed is what I offer you, so I can get the hell out of here.

It didn’t take long for Nether to respond. Move it you idiot!

Nether’s bluntness made Asgard chuckle. “MeAp Do!” The world seem to slow around him and his movements seem to act on their own before he could come to the realization that he did.

Follow the path of unconscious Blademasters, it should lead you to the chaos gate out of here. I’ll take your petition.” With that, Abacus entered the room and touched the blinking green, and vanished.

==========

Asgard looked over at the passing crowds, as he donned a tattered, brown, hooded cloak to cover his identity from prying eyes, and twirled his Brass Knuckles as he waited for a sign. A brown Gryphon lay beside him, sleeping, its claws instinctively drawn. From the crowd, one character began moving toward him, an elderly character, wrapped in a tattered kimono and a straw hat.

I welcome you, Corvus. Thank you for Nether in that time of need.

I am glad that you can use it so efficiently.” The elder man sat down against the opposing wall of the alley that Asgard occupied the mouth of. “It is truly sad that your leader did not lay down a harsher verdict on that Wavemaster. The race of man is truly a blind one.

Yes, that is true, in some cases. However, if you did not see it in the two before, Lios plans on using Mortuus and the organization he belongs to, for some future use. As well as the fact that Mortuus may betray Lios anytime is known to the head admin.

I did see that. It struck me as odd, but then again, logic seems to wear thin in this existence.” He held out his hand towards Asgard and presented him with a choker, along with it, a laser-precisely cut crystal, shaped in the form of an ankh. “While you were dealing with Mortuus, Loki breached the fortress.” Asgard’s face turned pale. “But do not worry, he did not get far from the front door of ‘the’ room, thanks to your allies.” Asgard’s face became stern, as he knew which allies he spoke of. "But, be warned, he has touched the well, even though I led him to believe that he hadn't. Once you believe yourself ready to face Loki on an equal level, destroy the ankh."

You are completely correct in that assumption. I will hold onto the trinket until the dat comes” Asgard drew back his hood to clearly stare at Corvus.


Now what of my allies. How do they fare?"

FIN

==========

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 4:13 pm
by Nighthand
Graded. An enjoyable enough read, though I cringe with all the admin this and that tossed around... Had fun making up skill names, didn't you?

Asgard -> + 2 Levels, + Steel Steps, + "Welcome Back and Don't F*** This Up" postcard