|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:19 pm
Since TJ doesn't have the rest, I'll finish her job!
Chapter 1
"Wake up! you're gonna be late"
"Huh?" I said tiredly. "The Swordsman final exams! you're late!" screamed my mom.
"WHAAAT!?" why didn't you say so earlier!?"
My name is Zane, a simple novice with a dream. My dream is to be the greatest crusader in my family history! Of course, we have a history of pretty much knights. They were some of the greatest warriors Midgard had seen. My father was killed last year during the War of Emperium. But thats another story, for another time.
I guzzled down my milk and ate my eggs hastily. "Bye mom!"
Before I could hear her reply, I had raced out the door to the Swordsman academy. I raced as fast as I could, and as I ran, I saw a merchant selling his wares. "Come get a bunny band for the low, low price of 100k!" As I was running,
I failed to notice the cart he laid down......whump! I tripped over his cart spilling his wares all over.
"Hey you stupid novice brat! those were some of my best stuff in that basket!"
"Sorry!" I yelled back.
I then sped in front of the academy, with it's cross-sword in the center and it's beautiful granite stone.
I walked in and the nice receptionist lady, Ms. Takano, also in charge of the female part, greeted me with the oh-so familiar, "You're late!" look.
"I'm so so soooo sorry ma'am!" I apologized
"Why are you always so late?" She said strictly.
"Well you see, I......uh.....umm, a poring looted my homework?" That one gets em every time!
"Shut up with the excuses and get to class!" Ms. Takano said angirly
She always gets like that, even when It's not one of her own students.
I walked into my teachers classroom. "Ah, so glad you could finally join us 20 minutes late, young Zane." The casual snickers could be heard, like always.
"Can we just get the Finals started please sir?" I said impatiently
"Young Zane, have some patience! You can't become powerfully strong overnight! It takes years and years of training to become a truly great swordsman, and in that, you must have patience." Sheesh, he's such an old geezer.
"Now, my young students, your time for finals has come! It's time to see what you learned in a test of edurance. Your finals will not be easy, but if you can prevail, you will be rewarded greatly. Now, you might wonder, whats the finals?"
Teach walked up to the chalkboard and started drawing a diagram.
"You must walk across 3 dangerous paths, and each one gets more dangerous than the last. You will have 10 minutes to complete it, and if you cannot finish within that time, you will fail. Any questions?" Well, sounded easy enough. I felt ready to take on my finals on my quest to become a crusader. This was just the beginning.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:20 pm
Chapter 2: Finals test
I strapped my belt buckle tightly, as we walked to the finals room. I was getting super nervous and a little scared. "Now, we shall begin the test, and remember, this is not a race." Teach said. "3.....2.....1....go!" and with that, we ran.
In the first room, it was dark all around. The only thing illuminated, was the floor, which had a pale yellow to it. I ran, and stopped. "Oh i see, if we go too fast, we might fall into the holes." I slowed my pace and ran until I came noticed the floor was getting thinner. It got so thin, I had to walk slowly. "This is costing me time!" I thought. After a while, the floor came back to normal, and I saw the door to Room 2.
Room 2 had the same look as room 1. "Guess they're all the same," I thought.
I saw in front of me, 2 super thin boards. "Great, a balance beam," I really had to slow down now. As i got a little farther, Jason, a guy from class, was really struggling. And then, he started leaning on one side.....and he fell. But I had no time to look, so I walked on.
It was alot of walking, and I came really close to falling, lemme tell you. After a while I made it to the door. "That took long enough," I thought. but the door wouldn't open. "Geez! what now!?" As I thought that, I noticed a chonchon flying around with a little golden thing hanging out of it's brown fuzz. "Ah, we have to kill monsters as well. Makes sense." I unsheathed my dagger and ran and attacked it and missed. Man, that chonchon got MAD! It rushed at me with full speed, and I barely dodged it. I had a plan then. I turned around and it charged at me again, but this time, I stabbed it as it charged, killing it instantly. "That was easy enough," and ran ahead
Finally, room 3! It was kinda hard to contain my excitement, really. "Can't get careless here, I gotta focus!" I wanted to run so bad, but I knew running would be my downfall and demise, so I walked fast. There were a few people ahead of me, I noticed. But for some reason, I saw them doing something weird. I walked closer and saw they were sinking! I tried to save them, but it was too late.
"W-whats going on?! Are they trying to.....?" but after a little while, I heard screams from below getting dimmer. "Oh, I see. This quicksand won't kill you, but it will drag you down the pit." So I had to, (yet again) travel slowly. Unfortunately, the quicksand was put in such weird places, I had to take such long ways that costed alot of time. Eventually, I saw no traces of the murky quicksand, and instead saw something lime-green. "I-is that acid!?" That couldn't be! The association wouldn't put ACID in the test....would they? "I can't be thinking of this right now! I gotta hurry!"
For now, there were thin pieces of board and "acid" that blocked my path. I walked along and niticed there was no way to go. "What dyou do here?" I looked aound and didn't see anything. At this point, I didn't want to do anything too risky, so I did all I could think of, and leaped across. As i flew through the air, I landed and saw the golden lights of heaven, The last door! "All I have to do now, is go through there, and I'll fulfill my dream..." It's funny how life works. We get so close to the thing we want, and it slips through our grasp because of a stupid decision. I ran and failed to notice a hole in the ground, and fell. "NOOOOOO!"
I kept telling myself,"It's just a dream, It's just a dream!" I kept opening my eyes, but I still fell. And then, the world became black....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:21 pm
Chapter 3: The dream
Now, I was falling, and felt a huge and painful Thump! and I was out cold...."So.....my life ends here huh? Am I gonna die? But im only 14.....I have a whole lif to live..." Then, I was out. Cold. But although I was out cold, I remembered this strange dream....this is about all I remember of it...
My name is Haru, and I am a knight of Midgard. I'm kinda a mercenary and have no allegeiance to anyone. I only beame a knight so they'd give me this cool armor, kinda like stealing I guess. I have a good friend traveling with me named Ryo. Ryo and I have been friends since I can remember, and have been travelling for 3 weeks now. We set up camp in this thick forest full of lush green trees. If you looked carefully, you'd think some of the stumps of chopped trees moved....
Ryo was out hunting for food, and I had camp set up. I looked up at the dark night sky and just stared. After what felt like a thousand hours, I saw Ryo come by in his purple clothes woven out of silk. "So what'd you find?" I asked
"Well I found something you like.....bigfoot!"
"Areyou serious?! We can cook bigfoot steak tonight!"
Ryo was an assassin, and I don't know much of his past, and he has never told anyone, so he says. I'd feel more comfortable if he told me, but he said to me one day, "If I told you, i'd have to kill you," How's that for an answer!? But I guess we all have our secrets we dont want to share, so I stopped asking him.
"Hey Haru, I also found this.....dyou know what it is?" He handed me a tree branch. "Umm a tree branch! Duh!" I said snobbishly. "Yeah I know that much! But theres something different about it.....I feel a strange power emnating from it,
so I picked it up and kept it."
"Geez, you really are one weird coco. It's just a tree branch. I'm gonna start cooking this tender bigfoot skin, then go to bed."I said "Maybe you're right..." so he threw it on the ground. Ok i'm a total noob to this forest, and I did NOT see this coming. When he threw it, a beam of light shot out of the branch, and when the light dimmed, there stood a monster I beleivbed to be only a legend. It was a Dark lord.
I couldn't breathe, and just by looking at it, knew that I couldn't win. But Ryo sure could breathe, and I saw something I have never sen in an assassin: fear.
It is indeed rare to see fear on an assassin, but considering this thing could kill us faster than you can say "That poring looted me," who could balme him?
"RUUUUUUUUN!!!"
We ran, and the dark lord followed closely behind, trying to tear at us limb from limb. It was really hard running in this forest, because I was trying not to trip Ryo, and run in this thick jungle. Now, to guys with honor and pride, they don't want to be saved by girls, because they think that they're worse than them. Ryo is one of those people. I turned around, and noticed the dark lord was acting funny. Like it was dying. then a portal appeared, and sucked up the dark lord, and vanished.
"Wait Ryo. The dark lord is gone." We went back to see who could have possibly accomplished this amazing feat. And there I saw the most beautiful of women I have ever seen. She had golden hair, which strung down to shoulder length, and was wearing a pink robe. "Did you kill the dark lord?" I asked.
"You bet! It was pretty fun, watching you run from him." She giggled, and I ignored the mean remark. And here I learned, beauty doesn't really affect assassins, because Ryo was......angry!?
"Hey you! We were just fine on our own!" he snarled
"It sure didn't looooook like you were fine. In fact, you were running like a novice
attacking his first poporing!" ooh, that HAD to hurt. And I looked at Ryo, and he just lost it, and he said words so bad, I cannot say them.
So, this is who I am traveling with. One day, I might settle down and just live in a town, but I highly doubt that.
And that was my dream, or at least until I heard "Zane......Zane...." "ZAAAANE!" I woke up with a start, and the first words I heard were, "You failed."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:22 pm
Chapter 4 The guild
I was dumbstruck. "I failed!?"
"Unfortunately, yes. You did make alot of progress, but you got careless in the end and fell." Teach looked very disappointed. "But can't you make an exception!? Just this once? I mean I was RIGHT at the door!"If that didn't work, I don't know what would. Crying and begging would be immature and get me nowhere. I know. I've tried. "I'm sorry young Zane, but I have never made an exception to anyone taking this test, and if I started now, wouldn't it be unfair to the others?"
I hate it when people have good reasons. "But sir, if I go home now as a novice still, i'll be a great disgrace to my family's name! Please!" Now teach just looked annoyed. "No! I will not make an exception! That's final!" The words just kept going on in my head, "You failed......disgrace!" It wouldn't stop. I knew if I went home now, Mother would be very disapponted, and I couldn't do that to her, not after fathers death. She always told me, You'll be a great swordsman one day, and the savior of our family! I know you can pass.
I had then made a decision that was very drastic.
I got out of bed and ran, ran like i'd never ran before, crying. As I ran out the door, the receptionist tried to stop me, but I got past. I ran to the towns main square and ran south, across the stone bridges that lead outside the town.
I ran away from home, not sure if I could ever return.
I was now in a huge field, full of green grass and trees. I ran down a small hill and ran out of energy and rested next to a sign. I cried for at least what felt like an hour, felling like I had no self confidence, no honor, no......nothing.
As I was sitting by the sign, I saw a band of knights and swordsmen walking by. They all looked like swordsmen except for one thing: they had black colored outfits instead of brown. It had some nicely woven silk, and a scarf. They walked by me and noticed me. "Well what do we have here?" one of them said. "He looks like he was cryin' boss." I guess their boss had the red scarf on. "What's wrong kid?" "Well....." I told them my story about the test. "Oh, I see...." They then huddled up, and whispered something to each other. Then the leader looked up and gave me a strange grin. I didn't like it.
"What's yer name kid?" "Z-zane" I said, a ittle scared. "Zane....what if I told you, you could be a swordsman?" A surge of energy shot through me. I felt a sudden rush of happiness. "Umm, i'd like that very much!" I said, trying to be as nice as I possibly could. "So, what do I have to do?" I asked. He gave me the weirdest look, like I said something strange. "Well here's the great part: Nothing!"
Wow! Nothing! It was like a dream come true! "But...you have to go through a ritual." A ritual. He probably meant a greeting ritual, like a knight gaining knighthood. "Okay!" As I said that, he and his guild started drawing a circle with a star in the center. Personally I thought it looked cool. When they finished, the leader said, "Alright Zane, stand in the center and close your eyes."
I did as I was told, and stood there with my eyes closed. While I couldn't see anything, I heard strange chanting, like a priest's chant, but this sounded different.....if not evil...ah what do I care? I get to become a swordsman! As I thought this, I opened my eyes, and noticed a beam of light shot at me in four directions. I felt an excrutiating pain in my head, and started to float in the air. I had no choice, but to close my eyes. That made it worse. When I closed my eyes, I saw a demon...a demon that looked like he had great power. I couldn't get a good look at it, but I could tell it had extreme power, like none i've ever seen.
I opened my eyes and I was handed a pair of their clothes. I was shocked. I had become a swordsman!
"W-wow! These look ooler than the academies!" I got a good look at it and saw the back. It had an emblem on it. It was a skull of a anacondaqs head. "What's this skull mean?" I asked. "Oh that? That'd be our emblem. Not only are you an apprentice swordsman, You're a member of the Snakehead guild." A guild! An emblem of power, honor and friendship! "Awesome! So does that mean I get to travel with you guys!?" The busted out laughing. "Hahahahaha, maybe when you get stronger. Maybe. For now, go train, or do whatever."
"Okay!" I said excitedly. "Now before we go, I have one last gift..." He pulled out the most beautiful sword I had ever seen. Then he handed it to me. It had a two-sided blade, straight and shiny with a leather hilt, in a zigzag form.
"Wow tha...." but they had already left. "Alright! I have a new goal! Not only will I become a great crusader! I'm gonna be a person that my family AND guild can be proud of!" I headed south.
That's all i've got so far. I'm almost done with chapter 10! (Yes TJ, I am)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:18 pm
I have the rest, the rest are in the forum so I didn't need to post. 3nodding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
