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| Birth of Chaos |
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The day had finally come. I was overjoyed as the UPS man walked down the hall. I retreated in to my study, and pulled the package open. I took a moment to admire the colorful packaging before pulling the disk and headset out. I booted up my computer and inserted the disk for the most talked about and anticipated game ever. Terra, such a simple name, for a game anything but.
As the installer ran, I thought about all I had heard about this game. It is supposed to revolutionize the gaming market. Powered by a technology called "total immersion virtual reality" and created by Midgrad Entertainment, this was a beta version. The actual game wasn't to be released for another year, but, being friends with the creator, I had gotten on the beta testing list.
The installer finished up and the program opened, showing a splash screen of a warrior welding a longsword in one hand and shooting a fireball with the other. The caption over the image read "Welcome to Terra, a world of Sword and Sorcery" after a moment the screen blanks and the main menu appears, without a second's hesitation, I click on "New Game." The next display showed a number of options to define you're character, I set the options to physically resemble myself. 5'11" tall, muscular, long brown hair, blue eyes. Under age, I decided to make my character slightly older then me. I typed "22."
I thought for a while at the name field before typing "Loki," as a fan of the Norse Mythology, I liked Loki the trickster the best. I clicked the "next" button and waited while the system processed, humm, I thought, they need to work on the load-time.
Finally, it was ready, I was asked to provide a few more details, weapons, armor and the like, before too much longer the screen displayed "Please put on the headset." I did so, and was amazed.
There was a moment of blackness, before the program finished loading and a brand new world opened before my eyes. I was standing on a grassy plain, a small village visible a short distance away. I wondered at the realism of this realm as I walked towards the village, it only took a few moments to reach the village, a sign over the entrance reads "Welcome to Warrior's Grove, everything you need to explore the world of Terra."
I move inside the village, looking around. The entire village is filled with everything the beginning adventurer needs to get started, a smithy is visible a short walk away, next to that is an inn. Out of curiosity, I enter the Inn, and stare at all the people, the room is filled with people, all of them dressed very similarly to the way I am.
A man sitting at the counter notices me and waves me over, I sit next to him and am presented with a mug of ale by the bartender. "You must be Kyle, we've been waiting for you."
"You guys are all beta testers?" I take a sip of ale, and am shocked at the flavor... so real.
He smiles at my reaction. "They are," he gestures to a table in the corner of the room, "I'm the creator."
"Mark!" Now I recognized him, his face was almost the same, save for the lack of beard and no glasses. "What's going on? Thanks for the beta by the way." I take another sip of ale, enjoying the sensation.
He grins, "No problem, I thought you would like it." He turns to the table, "Well, now that Kyle's here, we can get started. As you all know, this world isn't quite finished yet, I'm still putting the finishing touches on most of it, so many places you can't get into. However, I have finished a short dungeon just outside the village for you to test. It's not much, but it should provide a nice example of what's in store for the rest of this world. Now, the smithy is another place I've not quite finished, however, the innkeeper here will provide any weapon free of charge. There's a training room right over there," he points at a door in the back of the room, "that will help you get aquatinted with the weapon."
"Any question? No, okay. You are free to start whenever you like." At that the entire table emptied as everyone rushed the bar, all clamoring at the barkeep. Somehow he manages to provide everyone with the weapon they ask for. After everyone else has moved off, I turn to the bartender and ask for a glave, a weapon I'm already framilyer with. He hands me a long staff with a short, curved blade on the end. The entire thing is about seven feet long, with the staff part at five feet and a two foot blade.
I walk outside and experiment with the weapon, quite happy with the way it handles. After a few moments the rest of the group emerges from the inn, all chattering excitedly as they exit. Without a word to me they headed off toward the dungeon. I followed a short distance behind.
As the group descended into the dungeon, I felt a surge of anticipation. The lifestyle I had only dreamed about was finally coming true, albeit in a strange, almost too realistic video game.
Watching the group ahead of me, I could tell that they were a closely knit group of friends, who had most likely been together in one fashion or another for quite some time. They were chattering excitedly up ahead, plowing blindly forward, moving so quickly, in fact, that they completely missed a hall, leading off to the right. I tried to get there attention, but it was useless. With a shrug, I headed down the tunnel alone.
In retrospect, that was probably a mistake, however I was operating under the assumption that this was just a game. How little I knew...
As I walked down the tunnel, I couldn't help but wonder at the realism. I was admiring it so much, I almost didn't notice the transition from dirt walls to smooth mosaic tile. After a short time, I came to a stone door, engraved with a series of strange images and runes. Without a moment's hesitation, I opened the door.
I felt a strange sensation as I crossed the threshold, but merely made a note of it to tell Mark when I saw him next. I looked around the room. I wasn't very large, only about fifty feet across, circler. At the center there was a raised podium, a beam of bright light bathing it.
As I moved toward the podium, the light decreased in intensity, until I could see what the center of this chamber was. It was a small disk, about six inches across. I looked at it in wonder, I'd not heard anything about this in the information Mark had sent me. I reached my hand over to touch it, but an ethereal voice stopped me.
Haven't you ever heard not to touch what you don't understand?
I spooked. "Who are you?" The suddenness of the voice and the fact it seemed to be in my head had startled me.
The voice chuckled, I am Mjolnir, the Spirit Dragon of Chaos.
"Who?" I was amazed, as far as I could tell, this was completely spontaneous. "What's a 'Spirit Dragon'?"
Mjolnir chuckled again, Spirit Dragons are a part of a much larger world than the one you know. He took a deep breath, strange for a disembodied voice. The artifact in front of you is called a "Crest" an ancient power created long ago. There were seven of these made, one for each element; Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Light, Dark, and Chaos. Over the centuries these crests have been involved in countless battles. To assist in the battles the crests choose humans to channel the energy. These humans become what we call "Defenders."
I stopped the voice in mid-speech, "Wait, what dose this have to do with me, and why are you talking to me?" I was still thinking this was "just a game."
When the voice spoke again, I could hear it's anger, This is not a game. You have passed beyond the limits of your puny "game," what you see is real. Our plight is real, and you are our last hope.
With a suddenness only a dream could muster, I was transported somewhere else. I felt as though I were flying, though, to my eyes, I was standing still, on a grassy hill overlooking a vast grassland. As I watched, years flew by. I saw the first settlers arrive on horse-like creatures, the first buildings go up. I watched as the huts became houses. I saw the discovery of iron, the creation of steel. My wonder only grew as the simple building changed into modern towers of glass and steel, the hill I was standing on was engulfed by the growing city.
Just as it seemed this vision couldn't get any weirder, I was hauled into the sky just in time to witness a man falling to his death. Only, he seemed to somehow be in control of his fall. As I watched, he slowed until he was hanging in the air, just a few feet above the tallest tower. All the world seemed to focus on him. It was as if the whole city turned it's eyes upon him, to see what he would do.
They were not disappointed.
Lighting began to crackle overhead, as the man raised his arms to the heavens, he looked to asking a deity for a miracle, yet I knew somehow that he wasn't. The lightning started striking the ground, slowly at first, then with greater frequency until the bolts began to stay, cackling, connecting the earth and sky. The blots formed a circle, ringing the city.
The city. My attention was pulled downward, to the city. At first glance, it appeared to be normal. Until I noticed that all the lights were out, and all the people were lying dead on the ground.
I was flying across the landscape. The scenes below me horrified me and scorched my soul. The blasted and ruined landscape rushed past me, I watched as a man emerged from under a rock, thin and haggard, he dashed from rock to rock, as he grabbed rodents and insects, eating them raw.
What happened here? I thought, Where am I? This is unbelevibe!
The voice of Mjolnir came once more, This was once a vibrant and prosperous culture, they had just embarked upon there greatest adventure, space travel. When they discovered Evil. I was once again at the city, but now it was ruined, blasted buildings and burnt homes filled the city. The once great city, now a blasted parody of it's former glory.
But that was not the worst. Above the city rose a new structure, outlined with lightning, it felt to me as if it were a place of great evil. Mjolnir's voice spoke once more, This is the place of evil, created from the souls of those who once lived here. Darkness now rules this world, and as he's destroyed this world, so to shall others fall.
Something didn't seem quite right. Isn't there someone else, someone better suited to this task?
Sadness filled the air as Mjolnir spoke once more, No.
What happened?
The Battle Against the Darkness has raged since the dawn of time, you are the only one left who posses the Divine Spark. The rare and powerful soul that allows one to alter reality. I was once again standing before the floating disc.
"What can I do? I'm just a programmer, I'm not a hero." An image on the far wall shimmered and peeled off, fleshing out into a mirror image of me. Except for a few details, this strange doppleganger was perfect. The eyes were vacant and the body stiff.
Mjolnir's voice came from the image, "Not a hero, yet. Think about yourself, think about how you react when hardships befall the innocent. And 'just a programmer?'" He chuckled, a strange sight when coming from an expressionless golem. "Even better, you are experienced with dealing with inconsistencies and non-liner effects of time."
"What do I have to do?"
"Accept your destiny, become the Last Defender."
"I accept."
The timeline was in flux. Someone, somewhere was making changes. I floated through the Eternal Chaos, the space between worlds, closing in on the flux. I'd been at this for awhile now, how long I couldn't say, Mjolnir told me that becoming a Defender was more difficult than simply being chosen and accepting, I must pass a test.
I was given the ability to sense fluctuations in the timeline, points where an outsider has entered and changed something, my task was to find and stop one of them.
I re-entered the timeline just in time to see a man fall to the ground. I ran over to him, he'd been shot in the head. I looked around, but the killer had already run off.
I went back to the body, jugging from the clothing, I was in the late 1960's, this poor soul was dressed like a hippy, long hair, loose clothing, and a tie-died t-shirt. "Why did someone shoot you? And why am I here?"
The rustling startled me. I turned to see a man, dressed in a long, black cloak, holding a pistol pointed at me. "So, you've finally come. He told me you find me. Which one are you? Hum? Air? Fire? Maybe Light? Doesn't matter. A bullet'll still kill you. He told me you 'Defenders' can't use your powers unless you're faced by another Defender. Well," He opened his arms, "I'm just a man. Now stand up and face me."
I stood. "What are you going to do?"
He chuckled, a disturbing sound. "Shoot you, just like I shot that worthless hippy. Then you'll be dead, and He'll have free reign here."
"And you? What'll happen to you when he takes over?" I slowly moved closer, trying to get him within range of my glave. He wasn't falling for it, though, as I stepped closer, he stepped away.
"Stay back," He leveled the gun at me. "I'll be the leader of this pointless existence." He was waving the gun around, I suspected he was quite mad. "All of this will be mine!"
Yep, he's nuts. I thought.
While he was distracted, I pounced, driving the blade of my glave into his skull. The startled look on his face as the razor-sharp weapon cleaved his brain was priceless, with all he knew about Defenders, he was unprepared for a direct, physical strike.
As the body fell to the ground. Mjolnir's voice spoke once more, That was good, the Dark has been using these native people you kill the Defenders, allowing Evil to spread unencumbered throughout that world.
"I thought Defenders were immortal?"
Relitivly speaking. They can still be "killed," that only prevents them from re-entering that world. And because the death-blow was dealt by a native of that world, they cannot use their powers to stop it.
"So, did I pass?" I was eager to get on with it, I hated knowing that all of this was going on and not being able to do anything about it.
Yes, get ready, this can be rather disturbing for some.
The first effect I noticed was the awareness. I could sense thoughts, thousands of them, as my power increased I could feel the minds of everyone else in this world. It became too much, I fell to my knees as everyone was shouting in my head.
"MAKE IT STOP!!!" Utter silence, I could still feel the minds, by they were no longer yelling.
The next effect was physical. My hands began to itch, and as I reflexively scratched at them, the skin came away in bits and peaces, reveling deep purple scales. The itching continued up my arms to my elbows, the scales followed. My fingertips burst revealing half-itch claws.
The itching and scales progressed to my legs, working up from my toes to just under my knees. I waited, but the scales were the only change to affect my legs.
Pain lashed through my back as wings burst through. Then the pain moved lower as my new tail emerged. My mind was filled with the red-hot pain of the transformation.
As the pain ebbed, I looked up too see an outline of a dragon, slowly clarifying into a deep-purple scaled beast, about 20 feet long, rising before me. I guessed this was Mjolnir, the Sprit Dragon of Chaos.
"Welcome to the ranks of the Defenders," he chuckled, a deep, satisfying sound. "Now the fun begins."
Author's Note:
Well there you have it. The beginning of the end. This was an idea that's been bothering me for quite sometime now. I tried to do and individual story for each of the seven elements; Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Chaos, Light, and Dark, but it fell flat. I was having too much trouble defining the worlds I wanted. So, I decided to work it all out in a collection of stand-alone stories about one man and his battles against Evil. I chose "Chaos" as my base element, because I could have fun with it. As an element not normally associated with good, it seemed the perfect way to go. Plus, there are rules for how the other elements act, Fire is hot-tempered and quick to judge. Water is easy-going yet acts for the future, rather than the present. And so on. However, very few writers tackle chaos, thus the common ideas don't exist for this element, or are very loose.
In any case, I wrote it, now I'm posting it for you to read. And for the writers out there: feel free to write in this universe, or, better, (because I haven't really defined a "universe" yet) this Continuum. I only ask that you either leave the seven main elements alone, or place your Defenders before this cycle. Remember, a Defender's power is bound until they face another Defender.
Have fun!
Next tale: Battle for Disaster
Home | Stories | Poems | Personal Stuff (About Me) | Contact Me