Please do not post here post on the feedback thread thanks BTW can this be my audition into iwrite? Chapter 1 part 1 Sweat poured down his face, dripping at his chin. His sword, stained with the blood of his prey, burned a glowing hot red. His senses and reactions, intensified from his adrenaline. He notices everything around him, the ripples in the water, how many there are, and how fast they are moving, gives him an indication of how powerful his enemy is, as water from the nearby puddles, rise. He feels the tremors in the ground, as giant spikes rise from the earth, contending with the rising water. He hears the vibrations in the wind, as assassins of the air try to cloak themselves invisible. He even notices the flash of lightning, headed straight towards him. Most would think it was just a normal lightning bolt, but he could see it clearly, a warrior, the upper half of his body clearly visible, while the lower half (from the waist down) was pure lightning, stretching all the way back up to the thunder clouds. He sees the warrior raise his sword. A small grin appears on his face, his left arm, now outstretched, begins to glow a bright red. "FIRA GIGA ENCOMPISA" Four pillars of fire erupt behind him and begin to race towards the lightning assassin. Shock, dread and fear can be seen on the attackers’ face, as the pillars consume him completely. No scream of pain is heard, no shout of shock or defiance is uttered; only the sounds of burning flesh, as he evaporates into the air. He looks up into the sky, and contemplates for a few seconds. "I thought you weren't coming to Armageddon" he begins. He turns around, and smiles at the stranger, who had just sent a level 80 fire blast at his target. "Anyways glad you could make it Kawlawd, by the way, why did you use that spell on him, now people will know how powerful you are". " Yea i wasn't going to come, but i convinced myself to make an appearance, and don't give me that rubbish, you were going to stop his sword with your left hand, and head butt him dead, your such a show off Krypton" Kawlawd replies, as he steps into view. His trident, firm in his right hand, fades from a bright red, to its original colour of grey. He knew krypton well, and he knew krypton knew him better; after all, he and krypton were best friends. Krypton begins to observe the chaos that lies before him. Giant golems made of stone, rise from the earth ready for battle. Warriors of the air swoop down, and begin slicing at the giant behemoths, leaving behind perfect flush cuts, as limbs fall back to whence they came. Spears of ice fly to the sky, disturbing the dark clouds above. A crack of lightning falls, sparking off a magnificent display of ice spears and lightning bolts, rising and falling. Earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis and lightning storms cover the area. Time passes and as the weak fall, the strong emerge. And as the strong fall, the elite emerge, the most powerful warriors from each of the five nations. The last of the earth golem’s fall, leaving behind an Earth warrior covered in dirt and debris. Krypton has been to this part of the battle before in previous world wars. This is when the veterans of each nation emerge. “Krypton” He hears an all too familiar voice whisper. “Come out and playeeyay”. The winds begin to pick up, clouding his hearing. Sonic booms can be seen, as the familiar stranger, breaks the sound barrier. Krypton steps to the right, raises his left hand and catches the attacker at the throat. The attackers’ sword piercing the air, exactly where his chest was just a split second ago. “Still using your old tricks” krypton sighs. He raises the stranger into the air, and slams him on the ground. “You need to mix it up Sam”. Sam rises, cleaning his white tunic, and picking up his scimitar. “You know, this war is so unfair.” Sam jumps a few paces back, and points his blade towards krypton. “How so?” Krypton responds, as if he has heard this speech a thousand times before. “You guys have you, Kawlawd, and the most powerful of all ……” All goes quiet. The fighting stops. The winds relax, the earth turns to stone, the waters become still and the thunder stops roaring. The pressure in the air feels like it has thickened 10 fold. They all know what it means. The immense power shocks krypton. He has never felt anything like this. The only one in the whole world that is stronger than he is. They call him, Majesty. Krypton is glad he is no longer number one. The pressure and the expectation of it can make the strongest of minds go insane. Well that’s what he tells himself to make him feel better. He thought he knew everything, he thought he was at the pinnacle of warrior existence. He was sure of it. But Majesty came out of nowhere, and dethroned him as the most powerful. There was only one way someone could’ve surpassed krypton. Majesty must have found the phoenix sanctuary, and trained under the phoenix warriors. It sounds like something from a fairy tale, but so did surpassing krypton not too long ago. “Gank Krypton” Sam yells. Krypton, shocked by the announcement, begins to jump. Within seconds, veterans from other nations close in on him. He recognises most of them, and sends waves of fire heading in all directions. Krypton sees Sam 40 feet in the air above him and hears him shout “Aero Fulgeo”, sending a beam of highly pressured air towards him. With nowhere to go, krypton is forced to hold his ground and plants his feet firm. A pair of giant stone hands, rise from the earth. There is nothing he can do. The hands come together and with krypton still in between them, crush him. The hands form into a cone, holding krypton at the top. Wounded and dazed by the attacks krypton sees a flash of bright orange in the east. Krypton already knows who it is. He knows he is going to die, and also knows that this man can save him, but will wait until krypton is dead, before entering the battle. He strains the pupils of his eyes, to catch a glimpse of the man shining so brightly. He is shocked at what he sees. Floating 50 feet in the air, the strange man’s skin, weapons and armour glow a magnificent bright red. His pupils completely gone, making his eyes shine a blinding white. All of this, he is able to do, but what shocks krypton the most, is his aura. Most auras can’t be seen, only felt. But this man’s aura can clearly be seen. The aura around him forms into what Krypton describes, as a phoenix, confirming his suspicions about Majesty. Flashes of blue, brown, white and yellow create explosions of immense proportion. Water, earth, air and lightning working together to extinguish the flame, and extinguish they did. Krypton lay on the ground, on the brink of consciousness as Sam walks over and kneels besides him. “I’m sorry we had to gang up on you, this is the only way we can win. We don’t have the power to take you and Majesty” Sam whispers in his ear. “Noobs” was all krypton could say. It was worth it, seeing the face of Sam tighten and strain, and with that, his mind fell into the dark abyss.
He always wondered what it was like to die. What happens? Is there a heaven and hell, where our souls continue living? Are we reincarnated? Do we continue to live on earth, as our souls roam across the land? Or does everything go black, an incomprehensible black, dark abyss? Could this be the day when he finds out? “Oh dear, it seems that you are out of health. You will be spawned in 30 seconds” he reads aloud, from the flashing screen. “Guess like we will never find out... in this life time anyways” he thinks to himself, as he turns the screen off. He stretches his lower back, twisting and turning, observing his surroundings. The first thing he notices is his bed. He was so excited about playing world of Gartena, he forgot to make it. He then notices his calendar. “Let’s see…” he talks to himself, “It’s the 3rd of March.….TWO MORE DAYS!” he shouts with joy. “Zanluther King, make your bed immediately,” an all too familiar voice shouts at him from the doorway, making him jump right out of his seat. Zanluther, that’s the name she calls him when she’s angry with him. “It’s Zan, mum,” he replies, placing the blankets neatly over his sheets. He looks back at his seat and notices the indent on it, from the 3 hours he has been sitting on it. He picks the pillows up off the floor and places them at the top of his bed. “You’re going to Japan in two days, the least you can do before you go, is to make sure your bedroom is clean and tidy before you go.” And with that, she leaves his room. He walks across the room, and looks in the mirror. His black hair is a mess, pointing in all directions. He combs it down with his hands and jumps on his bed, falling asleep. The following day Zan receives a phone call. “Hello?” Zan speaks into the mouth piece, already knowing who it is. “Hi,” a high pitched voice answers, making Zan giggle. “Who is this,” he asks, not wanting to kill the joke. “It’s peach blossom,” the voice responds, making Zans stomach vibrate in a weird way. “Haha,” Zan laughs, “stuff you Cain,” He shouts, sending them both into a frenzy of laughter. “You got all your gears ready for tomorrow?” Cain asks. “Almost,” Zan lies, “I just need a few more things, after that I’m good.” “Well, me and my mum are going to pick you up at around three in the morning, our flight leaves the Melbourne airport at five,” Cain announces. “Yea ok, are we going to stop off anywhere, on the way to the airport?” “Nah mate, we’re just going to go straight to the airport and jump on the plane. Bring some money if you want something to eat, or just eat before you go.” “K, hey, what happened yesterday after I got killed, did you guys manage to beat all those gankers?” Zan asks. Like Zan, Cain also plays world of Gartena, he too using a different alias when playing. “Well after I killed that lightning guy for you, I got into a fight with Xantam. He was pretty pro aye, he got me pinned to the floor with some weird earth technique, next thing I knew he was near you. He’s the one that raised the two hands of rock and crushed you. I was still stuck to the ground; all I could do was watch. They had some pretty good team work, all sending their ultis at you, it looked pretty cool from where I was” Cain recounts the incident from yesterday. “Yea yea, don’t need to rub it in, I already knew that. What happened when I died? What did majesty do?” Zan speaks, quiet annoyed. “I was getting to that, I recorded the battle, I’m watching it know, well Majesty; I don’t know what he was doing when all those guys were ganking you, but after they killed you, his phoenix aura grew grabbing the attention of all those other guys. Xantam pointed his spear towards Majesty and sent hundreds of rock spears flying towards him. Tantilus sent a massive bolt of lightning, it was huge. It was probably as wide as a small bus. Sam sent a few sonic boom waves, they looked cool. Zap looked like he was throwing some knives at him, but you could tell they were coated in highly pressured air, looked like he was shooting from a machine gun that’s how fast he was throwing. There were others but I don’t know who those others were.” “So they killed Majesty? Man, what a bunch of ganking losers” Zan sighs, he was actually quiet relieved majesty had fallen. “NO! Majesty grew his aura even more, and went flying straight at them, going through all of their attacks. It looked like a giant flaming phoenix, With Majesty at the beak. He went straight past them, and when he was on the other side of them, it was over. They all fell to the ground; don’t know how he did that. After that, the computer announced the Fire nation was the champion nation of Gartena, and it ended.” “Wow” Was all Zan could say about that. “Well I better finish getting ready for tomorrow, see you at three,” and with that Zan hung up the phone. Zan was a tad bit angry for the remainder of the day, how can someone be so powerful? Zan was number one for a long time, he put a lot of time and effort into the World of Gartena, he still does, and it’s just not fair. He walks up stairs and starts getting ready. He looks at the time, “10 pm, I’ve got time”. Zan turns his computer on and begins to play World of Gartena. Krypton is spawned back at the fire nation capital. Everywhere he goes he hears people cheering. “Does anyone know where the phoenix sanctuary is?’ He announces. The city erupts with laughter, “The phoenix sanctuary, that’s a good one,” people shout, laughing their heads off. He leaves the area, annoyed at himself and the other players. Krypton walks down an alley way and sits down, thinking of places where he can go to find the sanctuary. “Don’t go through the portal” he hears an old beggar shout. “Don’t go through the portal!” The beggar repeats. “Hey, beggar, I’ll pay you 100 gold coins if you tell me why we shouldn’t go through the portal.” He hears someone ask. “If you go through the portal you will be trapped” The old beggar replies, holding his hand out for the money. Krypton chuckles to himself, and gets up. “Haha, you just got snaked dude” and with that, Krypton disappears leaving no trace, no evidence that he ever existed. Zan logs out and looks at the time once more. “11 pm, i better finish getting ready, “he groans. Zan finishes getting ready and walks downstairs. He notices his mother is still awake, watching some TV. “You should get some sleep Mum,” he tells her, grabbing a blanket from the closet. “I want to see you off before you go” She replies giving him a smile, as Zan places the blanket on her lap. “You want me to make you anything?” She asks, pulling the blanket over her chest. “Nah it’s alright, I’ll just get some chips from the pantry,” He responds, walking into the kitchen taking a bag of potato chips from the pantry. He returns to the lounge, with his bag of chips already open and sits next to her. “What are we watching? “He asks taking some chips from the bag “Transformers, this was one of my favourite movies when I was pregnant with you” she whispers, her eyes glued to the screen. Zan doesn’t really pay attention to the movie; he has no time for classics. He sits there and enjoys spending time with his mother. Cain arrives with his mother at 2:58am. Zan grabs his stuff and places them in Cain’s minivan. “Tell your Dad that if anything happens to you, I will come up to japan and deal with him,” he hears his mother shout, as he enters into the vehicle. They all laugh except his mother, who has a worried look on her face. “Don’t worry mum, nothing will happen to us, I’m a big boy now,” he smiles, as they leave the property. The trip to the airport took half an hour. They took their belongings from the van, placed them on a trolley and entered the airport. Cain said his goodbyes to his mother and they were off. It took an hour to get past customs and onto the platform, where they waited another 10minutes, before they were allowed onto the plane. Zan noticed a strange kid, his hood up wearing glasses in the same platform as them, he wonders if he is going to japan for the same reason as him and Cain but then changes his mind. They enter the plane, and off they are. ”Japan here we come!” Cain announces as the plane takes off, fading into the night sky.
The flash of lightning, the roaring of thunder and the shaking of the plane awaken Zan from his slumber. He looks to the left and sees Cain fast asleep, undisturbed by the storm brewing in the heavens. Another flash of lightning brightens the black oblivion, reminding Zan of his first Gartena world war. It was three years ago. Back then, Tantilus was number one, and krypton had just been accepted into the Band of Brothers. That’s where and when he and Kawlawd met. Krypton began to sharpen his sword, using his power to heat up the blade, making the chore easier. He glanced up and noticed a young mage, reciting spells, while closing his eyes as if it were a prayer. “Nervous?” Krypton asks, not expecting a reply. “Nervous….. The question should be…. am I ready,” the mage replies, giving Krypton a slanted smile. “Kawlawd,” the mage declares, stretching forth his right hand. Krypton accepts his invitation and grabs hold of his extended hand. “Krypton,” he reacts sparking off their friendship. They both look up into the clear night sky, sensing a disturbance. Within seconds thunder clouds appear above their heads, blocking the light from both the moon and the stars. “Where did all those come from” Kawlawd asks, picking up his fire trident preparing for battle. “Thunder mages,” one of the mercenaries answers. “They create the clouds to enhance their powers. They also give their warriors the ability to move freely throughout the sky.” He finishes as Countless flashes of lightning light up the night sky frightening the warriors bellow “How so,” Krypton examines, as he saw the answer. At the front of every lightning bolt was a warrior, dressed for battle, ready to do their tasks both instantly and effectively. "Good morning everyone, this is your captain speaking. We have just entered into the Japanese airspace and will begin our descent shortly. So please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the view.” Zan, taken out of his daydream, saw that Cain was awake, stretching and groaning. The flight to Japan from Melbourne took 13 hours, leaving Zan and Cain stiff and tender. The plane starts to descend through the clouds and smog, giving Zan butterflies throughout his stomach. Zan lifts the curtain, sending blinding rays of light streaming through the Window, revealing the gaming capital of the world, Tokyo city. He has been waiting at the airport for nearly 2 hours, his suit making him itch, nervous about seeing his son. He heard that flight 512 from Melbourne to Tokyo had just arrived and that the passengers were due to come through customs any minute. He glances down at his Rolex, every minute, as time ticks by, one second at a time. “Jackson!” he announces, as he begins to stride towards a young teen, his hood up and glasses on. “Hey Dad,” Jackson responds, handing his bags to his father. “Where’s Kurk?” He asks his father, with a face full of hope. “He couldn’t make it son, he’s a bit busy at the moment.” His father reacted, taking the bags from his boy. The light in Jackson’s face disappears, as they both make their way to the escalators in silence. As they near the escalators their peace is interrupted by two teenage boys, squabbling one with another. Jackson wonders if they are here for the same reason he is, but then changes his mind. “Ahh… where’s your dad? Didn’t he say that he’ll meet us as soon as the flight landed?” Cain asked, quiet upset that no one has come. “If I knew where he was we wouldn’t be lost now would we. You took Japanese last year, go ask around and see if anyone knows where Yushinama is.” Zan orders, feeling a little embarrassed that his dad isn’t here. “It’s Yoshi-nama,” Zan hears a familiar voice, one that he would never forget, butting in from behind them. He turns around and sees a large man, at least six feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, coming towards them. His Tan skin, matching his own, stood out like a moving finger. “Dad,” Zan shouts embracing his father. “Where have you been?” he continues letting go of his father. “Well I had to make sure it was you, I haven’t seen you in seven years Zany. How old are you now.. 20?” his dad laughs. “Yeah right, it’s only 2024 not 2028, I’m still only 16,” Zan responds, quiet pleased with himself that he ruined his father’s joke. “That’s what he gets for calling me Zany,” He thinks to himself. “Oh yeah I almost forgot. This is Cain, Cain this is my dad, but you can call him Stephen.” Zan finishes, making his way outside. After exchanging pleasantries they were off. Like a mouse in a rat race, they begin to maze their way through the busy city. Stephens’s apartment pierced the sky with its 57 floors, but was still shadowed by the nearby sky scrapers, his flat being the 46th. Zan and Cain lay flat on the sofas as soon as they came through the door, Zan on the sofa facing the TV, and Cain on the one facing the kitchen bench. “You guys hungry?” Stephen asks, as he walks into the kitchen opening the pantry door. Zan raises his head and looks at what his dad pulls out of the pantry as if it were a bowl of worms. “Not me, maybe later. Cain you hungry?” “No thanks,” Cain seemed a bit hesitant, as he went on “Uhh I ate on the plane, when you were asleep Zan.” His stomach betraying his taste buds as it begins to rumble. Stephen smiles as he begins to eat, laughing a little “Alright alright I get it. I’ll go to the store and get some cereal.” He finishes eating and notices that Zan and Cain are fast asleep. He puts on his jacket and walks out the door. The following day was the day they had all been waiting for. Zan awoke, as his alarm clock went off at 5:00 am, stirring Cain in the process. Stephen was already awake; he poured them some milk and cereal as they got dressed. “Eat up, you’re too skinny Zan,” Stephen said, as Zan and Cain sat down, placing the bowls of cereal in front of them. 7:00 am came, and they were off, making their way through the busy streets of Tokyo. After 30 minutes of driving a large building came into view. It was at the heart of Tokyo, a monument to the world of gaming. It was in the shape of a Dome, the size of a village. As they drew nearer Zan saw giant Plasma screens attached to the outside walls of the super Dome, each one displayed the picture of a man that Zan knew by the name of Bastion. The creator and president of Limitless entertainment co. Speakers surround the complex, translating what Bastion has to say in all languages you can think of, accommodating for the thousands of people from all over the world. ‘Will you guys be alright? I’m not really into all that gaming stuff,” Stephen says, as he slows down to a stop, about 500m from the Super Dome. “Yea we should manage,” Zan answers, as he emerges from the vehicle closely followed by Cain. They close the door and watch Stephen as he leaves the premises. As they approach the monument, Zan and Cain begin to realise just how big the building really is, taller and wider than anything either of them have witnessed. They enter the complex and register for the game, giving the details of their characters. Zan and Cain are given name tags, both of which have their own names and the names of their characters. They are also given a set of passes. Ushers direct them through a series of passage ways and elevators. They have to show their passes at the entrance of every door, where they are searched and checked. Finally, they emerge at the main part of the structure, coming through a series of arches, as they make their way to the group standing in the centre. Zan takes a head count, “There is 8 of us” he thinks to himself, “2 more and we can start.” Zan begins searching for the person with the name tag Majesty. “He isn’t here yet” He hears a stranger say, as he raises his head to view the mind reader. He looks at his name tag, creating a smile across his face. “Sam” he announces quietly, “Nice to finally meet you mate.” “Yea you to Zan, I always wondered what you looked like. It’s funny, because I’m the only one that has the same name as my character,” returning the smile. Everyone raises their heads as they see two more people entering the room. One Zan recognised as the same young boy he saw at the airport, with the same glasses but a different hoody. Zan glances down at his name tag which has Jackson Crockett A.K.A Shaqson written on it. Zan already knew who the other was; he didn’t need to read his name tag. It was the eyes, those eyes that burned with such intensity and determination, those eyes that said “I will never give up, and if you get in my way, you will fall.” It was the eyes of Majesty. “Kurk Crockett. Those two are brothers.” Sam whispers from behind, pointing his head in the direction of the two new comers. The walls of the room begin to collapses, revealing an arena, with thousands of spectators surrounding them. Giant screens are lowered throughout the stadium, showing close up shots of each of them, along with their details. “People of the world, I give you your CHAMPIONS!” Bastions voice can be heard, as he rises from under the floor on top of a podium. The podium continues to rise 30 feet into the air, as his face appears on the screens. “These 10 hardworking people you see before me are the 10 most powerful players of Gartena. They have been given the opportunity to be the first to test out our new World of Gartena Simulation.” Bastion voice is echoed in all other languages, making the crowd of spectators erupt in cheer. “Champions, when you are announced, please walk into the next room where you will take your first steps into the new World of Gartena. I am sorry to say it, but some of you will have your element changed. Only 2 people per element were allowed, and we seem to have 4 champions from fire and three from air. We have decided to keep the two most powerful from each, and send the less experienced ones to another nation.” Shock is seen across Zans face. He knows he and Kurk will remain fire, while Jackson and Cain will be given another element. He hears a loud cheer as Bastion begins to announce the Champions. “Jackson Crockett. AKA Shaqson Old element: Fire New Element: Water Age: 12 From Tokyo Japan” If Zan looked Shocked, Jackson looked stunned, paralyzed on the spot. His brother, Kurk, whispers in his ear, giving him confidence. He begins waving to the spectators, as he makes his way through the giant gates at the far end of the arena. The gates begin to open, rays of light stream into the stadium, blinding those that look into it. Bastion continues. “Lysander Hereofz AKA Xantam Element: Earth Age: 21 From Italy Greece” Lysander follows in the same pattern as Jackson, waving to the crowd followed by a walk to the other side of the arena, disappearing into the light. “Samuel AKA Sam242 Element: Air Age: 21 From Washington D.C America” Zan gives Sam a small grin, as he continues through the opened Gates. “Cain Smith Old Element: Fire New Element: Earth Age: 19 From Melbourne Australia” “Great I’m with Lysander the Greek Spartan,” Cain rolls his eyes as he follows the previous, waving to the crowd. “Marrow Skurkuvich AKA Tantilus Element: Lightning Age: 18 From Moscow Russia” The crowd erupts as Marrow waves to them. He then begins his journey, following those who went before him. “John Kendall AKA Zap2340 Old element: Air New Element: Lightning Age: 16 From Auckland New Zealand” Bastion goes on. “Taylor Niecker AKA Tigerluv Element: Air Age: 16 From Delhi India” The only girl in the group, begins to make her way to the other side of the field, showing off as she does a few flips at the gate entrance. Julian Williams AKA german_Idiot Element: Water Age: 26 From: London England The man, who clearly needed a shave, walks straight to the gates, not bothering to wave. “Zanluther King,” Bastion begins sending shivers down Zans spine. His announcement reminded Zan of his mother, "thats what my mother says when she's angry with me," he thinks to himself. He looks up and realizes that bastion has finished announcing him. He gives a big wave to the crowd and begins to walk towards the light of the opened gate. “And our Champion of Champions, KURK CROKETT.” The entire arena erupts in cheer and applause, sending envy down Zans stomach, as he continues through the gate, into the light, fading away.
The light drew him in, like a moth to the flame. The light, he noticed, felt so warm, calming and made him feel happy. He finds it fascinating how you can still see light through the lids of your eyes. Light, Zan discovers, is so much better than the dark. The light begins to fade, as Zans pupils start to adjust, revealing a room with what he can only describe as 5 standing giant rings. It reminds him of something he saw off the classic movie, stargate, each ring having an element written on the base. “Wow high-tech” John begins, as he traces the unusual symbols on the rings with his index finger. “Our scientists have been working on this for over ten years now; we are convinced they are ready.” They all turn around to see Bastion standing at the entrance, as the gates begin to close behind him, blocking off the cheering and applauses of the spectators. Bastion was wearing a white suite, which went well with his white hair and blue eyes. His Rolex half covering a strange tattoo was covered in diamonds and pricey gems, making Taylors eyes wide with envy. “I know you are all waiting to try our new simulation so I won’t be long” Bastion begins “When you first enter into the World of Gartena you will feel funny, don’t worry, it’s all part of the programme.” Zan turns around, causing everyone else to turn, as the rings start to power up creating a single blue vortex in each of the rings. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Bastion asks “I won’t go into detail on how it works, for security purposes, but I will tell you how to operate it. Just use your common sense, find the ring that belongs to the element you have been assigned, take a deep breath and step through the portal.” His face full of pride of what he has created. They all do as Bastion says, all of them finding their assigned element taking deep breaths. There’s something about what Bastion said which bugged Zan, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He notices Kurk also has the same feeling, as they both make eye contact, sending courage pulsing through their veins. Both Zan and Kurk step up to a ring which has Fire written on it, Zan looking at the blue vortex, as Kurk looks out to Jackson, making sure he understands what to do. They both take deeps breaths simultaneously, giving the impression that they have rehearsed this, and step through the whirling mass of energy. Zan and Kurk were the first to step through the portal, causing a domino effect. Jackson and Julian were next, followed by Cain and Lysander. Sam and Taylor made their way through shortly after Marrow and John. “So it begins, I hope they do well” Bastion announces. “Follow them and make sure they don’t do anything stupid.”
There is no sky, no floor, as he falls, deeper and deeper he falls. Unable to tell which way is up or which way is down, his eyes close. The fibres in his bones and muscles begin to adjust, mutating into what Zan can only describe as hot. His body feels like it is disintegrating from the inside out, an endless torment. If there is a hell, he can’t imagine it to be worse than this. Everything he does only enhances the pain, trying to shout, trying to move, and even trying to see. If only someone could kill him, and release him from this torture. Every single aspect, every tiny detail of his body burns. Just before he reaches the point of insanity, the pain fades, leaving him battered and numb. As soon as the pain fades the falling ceases, as he lands flat on his back. He lies on the dirt floor, gasping for air, his body wet with sweat, from the pain he had endured. He gazes over to his left and notices Kurk, already standing, with a troubled look on his face. “Has he gotten up already, or did he land like that?” a puzzled Zan thinks to himself. “Come on Zan, I thought you would be tougher than that,” Kurk teases, as he begins to observe his surroundings. They are in the middle of a dirt highway, mountains, he can see in the distance, or are they volcanoes? An embarrassed Zan, forces his way to his feet staggering a little. He looks at his hands, he can feel something… something he didn’t have in the real world, like it was some kind of new blood running through his veins. “Remember what Bastion said, you will feel a little funny when you first enter the game, so don’t worry, I think what you are feeling is your mana. I feel it too, like fire coursing through my body,” Kurk explains, looking around in all directions. “What are you looking for?” Zan asks, looking up, away from his hands. “That ring we just fell through caused me a lot of pain, I’m just wondering if Jackson is alright,” He answers, still trying to figure out exactly where he is. “I don’t remember this area in the game; they must have extended the map. This is extreme, the detail, the wind on my face, the warmth of the sun, it all feels so real.” “The pain certainly felt real,” Zan speaks his voice unstable from the fall. “Don’t know why they would make something like that, I nearly went insane.” “Well I’m going to go, do what you want, I’m going to find my brother and see if he needs any help” Kurk announces as he begins to follow the highway. “GROAWLLL!” Both Kurk and Zan look to where the sound came from which, unfortunately for Zan, was right behind him. Standing in the middle of the road was a giant boar, tusks sharp and ready, making an indication that it was about to charge. The boar was the size of a horse, sending fear down Zans spine. “Groawll!” The beast roars a final time, and begins stampeding towards the intruders. A new type of adrenaline rushes through Zan, making him more aware and increasing his reaction time. The once speeding boar now looks like a floating giant pig, moving no faster than a jogging child. Zan easily side steps the monster and trips its hind legs causing it to collapse. The boar slides a few meters, stunned and dazed, as it struggles to get up. Zan seizes the opportunity and races over to the fallen beast raising his hands high up in the air, bringing agony down upon the helpless hog. Zan soon becomes deafened by the squirming hog, as it gets up and retreats. “And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee all the way home.” Zan shouts in triumph. “Bravo, well-done!” A voice shouts. Zan looks at Kurk, stunned at what he heard. “Did you just congratulate me?” Zan asks his stomach full of pride. “It definitely wasn’t me; it was that man, sitting up in that tree over there,” Kurk points towards a very peculiar tree, bearing all sorts of fruits. Zan looks at the tree, half expecting it to be a joke, but low and behold there was a man in the tree, perched like a bird, eating what looked like a mix between a peach and a banana. Zan was shocked at how Kurk was able to spot him; the leaves provide a perfect camouflage, from both predators and prey. Looking at the claymore on his back, Zan guessed prey. “So you scared the baby away, but what are you going to do about that?” the man shouts, as Zan feels a tremor in the earth. An earthquake was his first thought, but that left his head as a behemoth of a pig comes stampeding over the nearby hills. If Zan thought the previous boar was big, this beast is gigantic. It was by far, the biggest animal Zan has ever seen. Larger than an elephant, larger than a mammoth even larger than the tree the strange man was hiding in. Its eyes, full of rage and hate, locked onto Zan as its 4 tusks and hooves begin to glow a bright red. “GROOOOAAAAGGGGHHHH,” it yells, the force of the growl powerful enough to make Zan stumble back a few feet, as it fly’s straight for him. With the same adrenaline in his veins time begins to move slowly once more, but something was wrong. All around him it seemed like time itself had slowed down, the falling leaves, the birds flying above even the juice falling to the floor from the banana/peach as the perched man takes another bite, everything seemed slower except for the giant boar heading straight at him. With no time to think Zan dives to his left, as one of the tusks from the giant hog manages to scrape his right thigh, sending pain and a stinging sensation throughout his right leg. “Why is this happening, why would they programme the game to make you feel this much pain!” He screams to no one in particular. The boar makes a u turn and begins to rush at the injured body lying on the floor. With nowhere to go, nothing to do, Zan lies on the dirt floor, welcoming the approaching doom as his eyelids close. “Well at least I can leave the pain behind and return to my life” his final words.
He knew he was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Or so he thought. With his eyes closed and his body unresponsive Zan begins to tremble. Not from fear of the approaching beast, not from the pain he is currently enduring, but from the rate and force the earth is quaking, allowing him to know how close the beast is. As the earth begins to vibrate more rapid, Zan feels the breath of the hog. Warm, moist and stale; he feels an impact as he begins to fly through the air like a rocket through the sky. Zan notices 2 things. The first is that the only pain he currently feels is from the gash in his right leg. The second is that someone has him in their clutch… someone saved him. Zan forces his eyes open, shocked that someone would save him, stunned that someone has the speed to get him out in time. “It’s you,” he utters as he recognizes the face of the man that was sitting in the tree. “How did you…” He begins, but his sentence is cut short as the man releases him onto a patch of soft grass, landing with a loud thud. “Ouch!” Zan moans as he lands on his rump, observing his surroundings. He is on top of a large cliff overlooking the area where he once was. The man which saved him was standing at the edge of the cliff, studying the battle that was about to unfold below. “Who are you?” Zan asks, his jeans now torn, soaking with blood. “Alex, you can….. My name is Alex,” the man replies, he was wearing leather chaps and a leather vest, exposing his muscular arms from the shoulders. His battle scars all over his body was a testament to his experience in warfare. Zan notices a tattoo on his left arm which looked very familiar; he had seen that same tattoo before but couldn’t remember where. “Where did you get that tattoo from?” Zan asks, as he moves his eyes from the tattoo to his blade. “What tattoo?” Alex looked puzzled, as Zan looks back at his arm; the tattoo gone. “I just saw….. Never mind, are you going to go down and get Kurk?” “Why? It’s your friends turn, you already had yours,” Alex rebuts, as Zan begins to crawl to the edge to watch the sport. Kurk looked up to where the strange man had taken Zan, “Just as I thought, he is the one that’s going to train us,” he whispers to himself. He begins to focus, studying the battle between Zan and the hog, replaying it in his head over and over again, like a broken DVD. His lips curl into a smile as he finds what he was looking for. “There’s its weakness.” The beast now confused focuses on its new target, the blond skinny one with the red t-shirt. With hooves and tusks glowing red, the beast charges at Kurk with full speed. Kurk stands his ground as the beast approaches. With the same adrenaline coursing through his veins as Zan, everything starts to slow down. The beast sure was fast, even with his improved reflexes, there was no way Kurk could outrun it, narrowing the margin of error. He had a very small window of opportunity, but knew he could do it. As the beast drew nearer, it lowered its head ready to deal a deadly blow, nostrils steaming with rage. Kurk jumps at the window of opportunity and runs up the face of the giant fiend, stopping at the crown of the beasts head. The beast, focused on the child who had just run up its face, continued charging straight ahead, trying to relieve itself of the pest. “So far so good,” Kurk thinks to himself, as he tightens his grip around the ears of the giant boar, getting ready for the impact that was about to come. With the beast running at full speed Kurk had little time to think, as the beast was heading straight for the cliff he saw Zan and the strange man fly up to. Just before the moment of impact, Kurk releases the ears of his foe and hurdles back, allowing the beast to smash into the cliff face at full speed. The impact could be heard, seen and felt as the earth shook. With such force hammering the cliff face, it was inevitable for boulders to tumble down and crush the giant behemoth below, ending the battle between man and pig. Kurk lands quite clumsily but manages to stay on his feet, satisfied with what he had accomplished, he walks over to the dead monster. Zan watches above with both envy and fear swelling inside of him, “He really did it.” “Yes it would seem so,” Alex comments as he walks over to Zan. “Looks like we have a winner,” he continues as an evil smile appears on his face. He lifts Zan high into the air and tosses him over the side of the cliff. “Ahhhhhhhhh,” Zan screams, as he falls, faster and faster he falls, his gut dropping in the process.
His face is full of fear, as the wind begins to pick. His stomach, full of butterflies, drops while his limbs go limp like hair in water. Images of his mother, father, friends and family flash in his mind. “People say that when you fall, you die before you hit the ground. The panicking brain destroys itself along with the rest of the body and the working organs. “That was one of the thoughts that came to mind as he realises how serious this can end. “If the brain panics and shuts me down, then I could die in real life,” he thinks to himself as the earth speeds towards him, 5 meters per second. Just before Zan reaches the bottom he sees a shadow descend right past him. Even with his adrenaline pumping and his reactions intensified the shadow was just a blur. Zan follows the direction the shadow fell and sees Alex, the same evil expression on his face, standing directly below him. With rehearsed timing, Alex catches Zan, his nose inches from the dirt floor below. Alex placing Zan on his feet laughs at the terrified expression Zan has on his face, which transforms into an expression of rage. “Why did you do that?” Zan demands, his adrenaline the only thing that manages to keep him standing. “First, I thought it would be a funny joke, you must admit that was pretty funny, the second, it helps with the healing process” Alex answers still laughing. “Helps with the healing process, how does it help with that?” Zan whispers to himself as he feels something inside of him, he thought it was his adrenaline, tend to his wounds. “Haven’t you ever felt that? When you’re scared and or angry your body heals faster, your reactions increase you even think clearer. Your mana is responsible for that.” Alex says a look of confusion on his face. “When you guys are done clowning around can we go? I’ve got something I have to do.” Kurk announces making obvious that he is annoyed. “We will stop clowning around when we want to” Alex jokes as Zan looks at his leg through his torn jeans, his once gaping cut now a closed scab. “I told you so.” Alex comments as he and Zan make their way to Kurk. Kurk mumbles “Whatever,” as he folds his arms and taps his feet on the ground. As they make their way to Kurk, Zan feels something, he isn’t sure what it is but he felt something. In a split second Alex pushes Zan towards Kurk and pulls out his claymore. He holds his blade out with his right arm with the blade pointing at the intruders. “First of all, who are you and what are you doing here. Your Auras are above average and have the scent of someone from Firaton.” Alex demands his blade pointing at the throat of Kurk. “If we seem like we are from Firaton, then we must be from Firaton,” Kurk bluffs, he steps back a few paces, the blade glowing a bright red in the process. “Don’t try and bluff your way out of this, I saw you fall through a portal, what are your names and where are you from?” He steps closer towards the two young men, this time his blade pointing at the throat of Zan. “My name is Zan King, I’m from Melbourne Australia, and this here is Kurk Crokett he is from Tokyo Japan,” Zan confesses, looking over to Kurk. He feels silly as Kurk looks down in disappointment, “Why did I say that?” Zan thinks to himself. “So Bastion finally sent you.” Kurk says lowering his blade. “How many of you are there?” “10…. There is 10 of us.” Kurk says meeting Alex’s suspicious green gaze with his own. “2 in each of the 5 nations,” Kurk continues. “Who are you and how do you know Bastion?” Alex gives a shrug. “How I know Bastion is not important at this point in time, but what is important is that we find your friends” He places the claymore back into his back strap and walks over to Kurk. “As for who I am, my name is Alex and that’s all you need to know.” End of chapter 2
The mid-day sun soars above causing sweat to drip down the neck of Zan. He looks over to Alex, who begins to follow the road laid before them. “Where are we going?” Zan asks, joining Alex at his left side. “We are going to Firadyia,” Kurk interrupts as he follows in Zans footsteps joining Alex at his right side. “Correct,” Alex finishes, his forehead strained with wrinkles making it clear that he is annoyed about something. “So tell me about Mana” Zan asks, as they continue down the track. Kurk, trying not to show it, concentrates on the answer Alex is about to give. “I thought you would like to know more about that.” Alex begins. “Let me see, well Mana can be seen as 5 individual aspects, or it can be seen as a whole. Look at it how you want, it won’t make a difference.” “Mana resides inside of every living thing, and is the energy of your soul. This energy can be channelled and controlled which allows you to perform inhuman feats. Like when your reactions were increased when fighting that boar.” Alex explains. “You said it can be seen as 5 individual parts, what did you mean by that?” “I meant what I said; mana is split up in 5 portions. For example, when you were attacked by that boar your reflexes were increased, so much so, that it felt like time itself had slowed down. The part or type of mana responsible for this is called the celeritas and is also responsible for the increase in your senses. Your eyesight, hearing and feelings can all be increased when you have mastered your celeritas. This is triggered when you either feel fear, or panic. There is no order to mana, but this is usually the first part warriors develop” “So we need to learn how to trigger it? Or learn how to freely become scared, to use it?” Zan asks, his eyebrows screwed in concentration, displaying a face full of confusion and anger. “No, no, no” Alex Laughs. “I was just merely pointing out that you were scared when that baby boar tried to play with you. That’s why you felt like everything was moving in slow motion. Besides you won’t be learning how to trigger or control your mana, because we are going to find your friends and return you to your world where you belong.” Alex finishes. He looks down and all became silent, obviously he is tire of talking. No one talked for the remainder of the day. They made no noise apart from the sound of footsteps, a sound which Zan became accustomed to in the first three hours of walking. It seemed like they would never stop walking for miles without rest. The sound of footsteps finally came to an end when Alex had decided they had travelled far enough. The Sun had just set and the moon had risen, bringing with it countless stars. “That’s far enough for today; we’ll get to Firadyia tomorrow afternoon.” Alex speaks out, breaking the silence. He leads both Zan and Kurk a few feet from the road and settles in the soft grass. “Get some rest guys, you need it.” Zans legs, stiff as a poker, instantly collapse as he begins to massage them. He feels the scar on his right leg and smiles; he finally has a scar to show off with. Kurk makes no indication that his legs are tired or sore. Which he knows is only just an act. He merely lies on the grass and sticks his head up, waiting for Zan to ask something. Alex stretches his left hand, as it begins to glow a bright red. His eyes close and he begins to concentrate on the flow of mana. He feels the energy of his soul surge through him from the tip of his crown, to the bottom of his toes and to the tips of his fingers. His eyes shoot open, and a beam of fire pours from the palm of his hand, engulfing a pile of rocks and sticks, igniting them. “That’s the first time I have ever seen rocks burn.” Zan remarks, the warmth of the fire helping his muscles relax. “What’s the mana which controls this ability called?” He sticks his head up to see Alex sit down. He notices that with the company of Alex, the three of them form a triangle around the fire. “Potestas” Alex begins “It is triggered when your mind is in utter chaos, or when you are completely confused. It is very difficult to trigger, your Potestas mana that is. “ “So how do we control it?” Kurk asks, startling Alex, as he sits up and leans back on his forearms. “Ahh, we have ourselves a boy thirsty for power.” Alex warns, making a face that looks half humorous and half serious. “To control your mana you must do the opposite to what triggers it. If the trigger is being scared, then to control it you must do the opposite.” He finishes and lets the two teens figure out the answers. “So say I want to control my celeritas portion of my mana, I will have to learn to control my bravery?” Kurk guesses as he thinks of situations he can create, where he can learn how to become brave. “Correct, or in other words, have full confidence in your abilities, and have to courage to stand up for what you believe in. This is how you master your celeritas. “ “Very interesting,” Kurk whispers to himself, as he lies back on the soft grass and feels himself drift off to sleep. Zan also follows Kurk and in moments begins to snore. The cloudless night is cool, as he, along with the new comers, basks in the moonlight. His eyes are closed, trying to get some rest. He feels the warmth, the life, and the light of the moon and stars. He feels the shadows of the leaves, as they are blown from unknown terrain. Almost as if it were meant to be, he feels a disturbance. He feels a power like that of the two teenagers but somehow potent, dark, and chaotic. Instantly his eyes shoot open and he sits up. “So… they are finally here” Alex whispers to himself.
The night was still young when they arrived, entering the new world silently but painfully. The stars, high up above, dominates the sky making it seem like they are holes in the floor in heaven. He gasps for air as sweat pours down his brow. His body vibrates like a shivering puppy, from the transformation he had just undertaken. He gazes around as if he were trying to decipher the exact location he is in. He is alone, as he attempts to find the powers of his fellow comrades. He senses them, hundreds of miles away, two to the east, one to the north and one to the south, all with the same dark and death like aura he has. “I hate going through that portal, it always leaves me gasping for air.” The man screams aloud, as he wipes his sweating curly hair from his blue eyes. “Stop moaning Pyrus, we all went through the same thing.” He hears a teenage girl’s voice in his head, the harshness of her sound enough to put him in his place. “Don’t talk to me like that Marian, or ill make you eat your words. I don’t care if you’re a girl; I’ve had enough of your smart remarks.” Pyrus speaks as if she were right in front of him. “Do you really think I’m afraid of you?” Marian’s voice rings in his ear, followed by a hysterical laugh, dark enough to give zombies goose bumps. “Get your acts together, remember why we are still here” The voice of a man, explodes in his head, as he recalls the task given to them before entering the new dimension. “You can’t tell us what to do, you’re not the boss Lucaz,” Marian snaps back, putting the rage back into Pyrus. “Marian” someone sighs. His voice sounds young and full of despair, startling the mind connected comrades. “But Roth,” Marian pleads, her voice soft and gentle, as her voice goes silent. “Marian, we have to work together as a team, otherwise our task will be impossible to accomplish.” Another voice is heard, his voice rough and husky and full of dominance .”Damian is right, listen to his advice Marian.” Roth utters silencing the demon girl. The argument left the head of Pyrus throbbing, as he senses an approaching power flying in fast. “This isn’t good; my powers haven’t been fully restored.” Pyrus warns, as he feels the massive power draw nearer. “Why, what’s going on?” Damian asks. “Someone has locked on to me and is heading my way fast, his power is massive and I can’t take him alone. I need to borrow some of yours.” “We won’t take any risks” Lucaz begins. “You’re on your own, take all of our powers, we need you alive Pyrus.” “Ok I’m ready; you can transfer your powers.” His eyes close, as he readies his mind for the power transfers. He can sense the incoming force approaching faster and faster, as he feels the first of the powers absorb into his body. As soon as the electrifying energy combines with his own mana he smiles. “Thanks Lucaz, I’ve got yours” “OK, everyone transfer your powers to Pyrus, quick.” Lucaz commands. He feels his power grow even larger as the rest of the powers flood through his body. He feels the swift, sharp and stealthy like energy of the air from Marian, the solid, hard and strong force of the earth from Damian, and the strategic, adaptive and ever-changing powers of the water flood through him from Roth. “Put my powers to good use Pyrus, or else.” Marian gives a final warning as the massive force arrives. “Hello Alex, long time no see, I never thought that massive power belonged to you.” Pyrus intimidates, as his eyes shoot open. Revealing his power and the power of his comrades, as earth, wind, fire, water and lightning surrounds his body. A small grin appears on his face. “Are you ready to dance big boy?”
2 minutes earlier. The clouds shoot past him, making him feel like a jet soaring through the night sky. His hair whips back in the wind, as he locks onto his target. The familiar dark aura brings back memories of death and pain, encouraging him to speed up and put an end to his miserable past once and for all. He increases his mana, when he draws nearer to his prey, revealing his power and alerting the enemy. The approaching man smiles, he knows that the enemy no longer has the distance to run nor hide from his fate. The smile quickly fades as he feels powers flood through his target, making his task 5 times as difficult from what he previously predicted. He senses the enormous power, miles below him, as he begins his decent, floating like a butterfly to the ground below. The claymore on his back rattles in it's sheath as if it were trying to tell it's wielder that it is ready to do his biding, as the enemy comes into view. "Hello Alex, i never thought that massive power belonged to you", the target intimidates with closed eyes. Alex feels the enemies powers grow, sensing all types of elemental auras inside of the man standing in front of him, as his eyes shoot open. "Are you ready to dance big boy?" "Pyrus, why am I not surprised?" Alex sighs. "Next time tell Bastion to come himself." "It's been a while Alex, I wish I could say it's good to see you, but that will be lying," "I'm guessing you were to weak to fight me alone, is that why you had to borrow the powers off of the rest of Bastions lapdogs?" "We are not his lapdogs, besides its better to be with Bastion than against him, don't worry I'll mention what you said to him when I see him." "Yes go and run off to your master, last time I checked, he won't come here because of me." Alex boasts "Hey i've got an idea, why don't you be my lapdog instead." Pyrus's face, now full of rage and hatred, makes Alex grin in triumph. "What are you waiting for?" Alex taunts, as he unsheathes his claymore and points the giant blade at Pyrus. "Come and get me." "WE ARE NOT HIS LAPDOGS! Fine of you want me." Unable to control himself any longer Pyrus opens his hands and, with his palms pointing in the direction of Alex, shouts in a barbaric voice. "HERE I COME!" Four beams of fire race towards Alex as he flys off. Like a family of hungry snakes hunting a mouse, the beams give chase to the fleeing man. The flames intertwine and weave, as if they were flying ballerinas dancing in sync, leaving behind trails of fire brightening the sky and forming spectacular patterns for all to see. Alex could've sworn the flames had serpent heads, as he flips and twists, evading the deadly fire. A beam of fire races straight towards his head. Sensing the approaching power, he flashes to the left, forcing the fire beam to race forward and make a u turn. Alex decides to change his direction and begins to climb higher, in an attempt to suffocate the flames, but to no avail. Another beam darts past him and blocks his escape root. With no where else to go, Alex notices he is trapped as the flames circle and surround him, creating a sphere with Alex in the center. "Good bye, old man." An evil smirk appears on Pyrus. His outstretched arms fill with mana as he closes his hands into a fist. The ball of flames encircling Alex collapse and burn everything thing inside. As soon as Pyrus closed his hands, he felt nothing in his trap, and he knew that he had incinerated Alex. "I wish we could meet again Alex, but that would be lying." Pyrus jokes to himself, dropping his hands to his side and releasing his mana. The flames disperse leaving no trace that there was a man there, only moments ago. "Would it now?" A surprised Pyrus spins around and discovers Alex, unscathed and untouched. "My turn."