//------------------------------// // Alfheim, Land of the Fairies // Story: A Wielder and His Students // by Golden Flare //------------------------------// So...I'm in a virtual RPG game world now...that's logical, I guess? Well, Kingdom Hearts is an RPG game universe with multiple worlds in it, but I don't recall it being in VR, to my knowledge at least, so there's that. My thought process was interrupted by Rainbow stirring awake next to me. "Ugh...what the Tartarus hit me...?" she uttered to herself, rubbing the side of her head. "You gonna make it, Dash?" I asked, making her look at me. "Huh? Devin? You're back already? Where's Fluttershy?" "She's back in Equestria, safe, thank God." "What? But we ARE in..." Rainbow then got a better look around, "Wait a minute...I don't recognize this forest...where are we?!" "Fluttershy and I got pulled into a crack in the sky, I ended up here and Fluttershy made back to Equestria." "How do you know?!" I deadpanned and showed her the note I received mere minutes ago, she read it quick and gained a sheepish look, "Oh. Right." "Back to brass tacks," I took charge of the conversation, "I'm pretty curious to how YOU got here. Last I checked, you were back in Equestria." "Hmm..." Rainbow began to think, "Well, I remember taking a quick break from my Keyblade training, then some guy got the drop on me, opened a black portal and said, 'move it, dyke' before shoving me in. Yeah, my mane is rainbow-colored! I can't help it!" "Focus, Rainbow." "Right, sorry. Anyway, he had a hood over his head, so I couldn't see his face, but...he wasn't wearing shoes. He was LITERALLY in his bare feet." I sighed, "...JD." "You know that punk?" "He's no punk, he's my brother." "That guy is your BROTHER?!?" "Yeah. Core recruited him during the Mayan Calendar-End of the World thing for whatever end game he's planning, and what JD gets out of it, I don't know. Petty revenge, maybe? Either way, both of them need to be stopped." "Can we get back to Equestria, though?" I summoned Gazing Eye in my right hand, "As long as we have our Keyblades, we'll always have a way to return." Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I'll admit, I was pretty worried for a minute there." I dismissed my Keyblade, "I know this is your first time in a new world, but we have to adapt accordingly. Okay?" Rainbow saluted, "Roger that, Teach!" "Teach?" "Ya know, cuz you're our Keyblade teacher...?" "Oh, right, gotcha." Suddenly, I heard the telltale sounds of a scuffle taking place in another clearing next to ours, and judging by the way Rainbow's ears are moving, she heard it too. "You think...?" she asked. "Yeah. Trouble." I answered. "Think we should go help?" "I'd be ashamed of both of us if we didn't." Rainbow smirked, "Then let's go." I nod, "Keep quiet and stay low. Let's get the jump on them." Rainbow nodded back as we snuck into the other clearing. In the other clearing, a ponytailed blonde haired girl wearing a green warrior's outfit held her katana out, and despite breathing heavily from overexertion, ready to defend herself against her attackers: three heavily armored and winged guys in red wielding spears and shields, not looking the slightest bit remorseful about ganging up on a young woman. "Sorry about this. We're on a mission, though. Give up your money and items, and we'll let you go." the leader of the red guys ordered her. "What're you actin' like a gentleman for, Kagemune?" the red guy on the left asked. "Yeah, we haven't fought a chick in forever! C'mon, let's waste her!" the red guy on the right spoke right after. The green girl grit her teeth in anger before properly raising her blade to strike, "Go on, try it! But I'm taking one of you with me! Whoever's not afraid of dying, come on! Step up and get some!" "You're a stubborn girl." Kagemune commented, "Suit yourself." The red guys and the green girl got ready for a fight. 3-on-1, not very fair odds, but Dash and I should balance it out easily. "Ahhhhhhh!!" Huh? A shout of surprise momentarily distracted everyone, including us when a guy in black with wings similar to the red guys fell out of the sky and on his head, probably a newb. Yikes...that's gotta hurt... I thought. The guy in black groaned as he got on all fours and rubbed his head, "Damn...gotta work on those landings..." "What are you doing?!" the green girl asked in a panic, "Go, get outta here!" "Would someone tell me why three big guys are fighting one single girl? That's pretty uncool, if you ask me." This guy must have a death wish. "What did you say?!" "Better get your ass outta here, newb, fast!" The two cronies got ready to mow him down with their spears. "Hold it." I called out. They all turned to the big tree the green girl was standing in front of and saw me and Rainbow Dash stepping out from behind it, us summoning our Keyblades beforehand. "You wanna fight? Then try us!" One of the red guys growled, then said, "A fellow Salamander AND an Undine?! You go right, I'll go left! Get ready to die!" The guy in black simply caught the spear in his hand while I used Formchange to morph my Keyblade into a whip and latched onto the other's spear. "See ya!" the guy in black said as he threw his opponent back. "Catch ya later." I said as I flung him into the airborne opponent, slamming them into each other. "Excuse me. Hate to interrupt, but do you mind if I take care of this?" "Cut me off a slice of THAT action." I added. "Same here!" Rainbow agreed. The green girl was at a loss for words, but then spoke, "Uh, I guess if you really want to. It's not like they were gonna let you walk outta here alive anyway." The guy in black smirked, "Then sit back and lemme at 'em." he drew his short sword and took a step forward, swiftly passing the cronies at break-neck speeds that would make even Rainbow jealous. "Huh? Where'd he go?...AHHHHH!" was all one of the cronies could say before he burst into red flames, surprising all that was present. I was able to recover from my shock and rushed the other crony, "My turn." The red crony looked scared before I straight-up slashed his midsection, splitting him in half before he too burst into red flames. "Nice job." the guy in black complimented me, I simply responded with a thumbs-up, and he turned to Kagemune, "How 'bout you? Feel like fighting?" Kagemune just shrugged and shook his head, "No thanks, pal. My Magic Skill is gonna reach 900 soon, so I'd rather not die just yet." "Huh?" Rainbow uttered confused. "I'll explain later." I walked up and whispered to her. "At least you're honest about it." the guy in black said before turning to the green girl, "How 'bout you, miss?" The green girl just sighed in relief and lowered her blade, "Guess I'll pass, too." she then gave Kagemune a determined glare, "But next time, you're going down!" "Oh, then next time I'll be sure to bring more friends along." Kagemune concluded before flying away, leaving us with the small flames of his comrades behind. "Hey, what's up with those flames--" "Shh!" The green girl interrupted the guy in black, "They're Remain Lights. The players you killed can still hear you." we waited until they disappeared, allowing Rainbow to ponder the term "player". Once they were gone, she spoke again, "Okay, NOW we can talk. So. What do you guys want? You want me to thank you? Run away?" she raised her blade again, "Or do you wanna fight?" I stopped Rainbow from charging at her with an arm before speaking, "I wasn't really expecting anything in return, I just thought I should help. I can't speak for Dash here, though." The guy in black sheathed his sword and folded his arms in contemplation, "If we break down what just happened, it's one of those 'knight in shining armor saves the princess' moments." "Huh...?" the green girl utters. "You could burst into tears and throw your arms around me." "Pffft!" Rainbow snickers. "Oh, piss off, loser!" the green girl scolds. The guy in black chuckles, "Naw, I was just kidding!" The green girl simply growls in frustration and her eye twitches. "No way!" What? Who said that? "I won't let her do that!" The guy in black suddenly clutches his shirt pocket, "Watch it! Stay outta sight!" A little pixie girl with black hair flew out of his shirt pocket, that's a new one. "Mommy may be the only one allowed to have daddy!" "Wait, 'daddy'?!" The green girl said as she approached them. The guy in black grabbed the pixie and tried to mumble out an excuse, but couldn't find the right words. "No way...is that one of those Private Pixies?" "Uh, sort of, I guess..." he said, nervously. "Mm-hmm...then how 'bout you tell me what a Spriggan like you is doing wandering around here. And an Undine with a Salamander, too. Quite the unusual combo, if you ask me." The green girl demanded to know, suspiciously. "'Undine'?" Rainbow asked. I tapped her shoulder and whispered, "Probably a good idea to play along for now. It's best if less people know what's really going on." Rainbow nods and turns back to the green girl, "We...just got lost is all." "Yeah...same here." The guy in black added. The green girl looked confused, then laughed, "How could you guys get that lost?! Spriggan territory is way to the east, Undine territory is underground, and Salamander territory is in the Desert Area! God, you guys are weird!" she giggled a little more before she sheathed her blade in the scabbard on her side, "Anyway, thank you guys for saving me. I guess I should introduce myself; Leafa, nice to meet you, even if one of you are a Salamander." "I'm Kirito, and this is Yui." the guy in black finally introduced himself and his pixie companion. "My name is Devin, and this is Rainbow, but everyone just calls her Dash." "Nice to meet ya!" Rainbow greeted. "Okay then, Kirito, Devin, and Dash," Leafa began, "Do any of you have plans today? I mean, cuz if you don't, I can buy you all a drink as...thanks." "A drink sounds awesome!" Kirito said. "Agreed. I AM parched." I replied. "Apple cider for me!" Rainbow chimes in, excitedly. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain about some stuff." Kirito added. "Like, what kinda stuff?" Leafa asked. "Just more about this world. And especially...about the Tree." "Oh. You mean the World Tree?" "World Tree?" I muttered, then looked in the distance and saw a massive tree reaching the heavens. "Yeah, sure. I may not look like it, but I know a lot about this game." "Game?" Rainbow asked as I elbowed her side. "Later." I whispered. "There's this neutral village to the north of us, it's a little out of the way, but we can fly there." "So Leafa can fly too?" Rainbow asked me. "Seems that way. This world appears to be based off of a role-playing game." "Like that O&O thing I've heard about back in Equestria?" A Dungeons and Dragons parody? I thought, "Yeah, precisely." Rainbow nodded in understanding as Kirito and Leafa kept conversing, the former of the two speaking next, "Okay, but...what about Sylvain? Isn't that town closer to us?" "...You really don't know anything about this game." Leafa began to explain a bit, "Sylvain is Sylph Territory." "So?" "You're not a Sylph, if you're in THEIR territory, you can't attack them, but they can attack YOU." I began to picture a scenario where Rainbow and I are in a pinch with the Sylphs and think of what would happen if we died in this game world. Would we respawn like any other player? Or just flat out die? I shudder. I think it's best if we don't find out. "As long as I don't do anything to provoke 'em, they won't attack me." Kirito smiled, "And you'll be there Miss Leafa." Leafa sighs with a smile, "Just call me Leafa. And if you really wanna go there, I'll take you. I can't guarantee your safety, though." she turns and summons her wings, "Let's get flying!" "Wait, you mean you can fly without using the controller?" "Of course. Can't you?" "I just learned how to use this thing, so I'm still trying to figure everything out." Kirito answered. "Huh? 'Controller'?" Rainbow uttered, making me elbow her again. "It's something from my world, I'll explain later." I tell her. "Okay, just stop elbowing me..." Leafa took over, "Well, there's a little trick to doing it; c'mon, turn around, but don't access your controller." "O-kay...?" Kirito mumbled. Leafa then proceeded to explain how to go about using his wings without his game controller, and he seemed to be getting the hang of it... "Go!!" And then she launched him without warning. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Kirito cried out as he flew. "Oh no!" Leafa flew up to find him with Yui following. As we watched them in the air, Rainbow had an important question for me; something that I should've thought of. "...You can't fly like they can, can you?" I jumped at those words, then sighed, "No, I can't. Keyblade wielders can gain the ability to glide, but I can't do that yet." "Then what're we supposed to tell them? Even if I lift you all the way to this Sylvain place, it's just gonna draw more questions." "Hmm...I think I have an idea, but you have to play along with me..." Rainbow did indeed fly me to Sylvain, only for us to find Kirito lying on the ground and Leafa crouching with her hands together, as if saying sorry. Wonder what happened... "That was so not cool..." Kirito groaned. "Stop whining, I can heal you." Leafa said, then held out her hand and began chanting some words I couldn't pronounce, and just like that, Kirito's HP went back up. "No way...this is magic...?" Just then, I accidentally brushed up against the edge of the spell Leafa cast, and a screen popped up in front of me, surprising me and shocking Rainbow. Obtained the power of greater healing. Cura now available. "Huh, that's new." I whisper. I close it out before anyone else can see. "The Undine are the only ones who specialize in high-level healing spells, but that's an important one anyone can do, so you should learn it." Leafa said. Kirito looked at his hand, "Different races have different skills, huh?" He sat up, "Does the Spriggan race have anything they're good at?" "Well, you guys are good at treasure hunting and illusion magic. Neither of those things are much help in battle, though." Kirito sighs and hops to his feet, stretching, then takes a look around the area of Sylvain we're in, "So this is a Sylph town. Man, it's beautiful." "I know, right?" Leafa asks rhetorically. "It's certainly got a majestic charm to it." I agreed, then thought, I definitely know that JD would enjoy this place, knowing that his favorite color is green...if only he hadn't-- "LEAFAAAAAA!!" the voice of a young boy roused me from my thoughts and I saw someone with short lime green hair, dressed in a LOT of green to be considered normal running towards us, "Thank God you're okay!" "Oh, hey Recon." Leafa greeted as the kid caught up and hunched over panting. "I knew you'd survive..." He turned to face us and went on the offensive by grabbing the handle of his knife, "Uh-A Spriggan?! An Undine?! AND A SALAMANDER?!?" "No, it's okay, they saved me from those other Salamanders." "Yeah, take it easy, I'm not like the other guys, I promise you." I say to Recon calmly. Recon looked confused at all this. "This is my friend, his name's Recon." Leafa introduces. "Nice to meet you, Freeman's the name, Devin Freeman." I greet. "I'm Rainbow Dash, but you can just call me Dash." Rainbow greets as well. "Hey there. My name's Kirito." Kirito greets with his hand out. "Uh, hi, nice to meet all of ya..." Recon greets, until he had a sudden change of heart and reached for his knife again, "Wait! What am I talking about?! I take that back! You sure about them? They could be spies for their own territories!" "Geez, dude. Paranoid much?" Rainbow quips. "No, they're all cool!" Leafa cheerfully assures, "I'm pretty sure if they really WERE spies, Kirito wouldn't such a ditz, Dash wouldn't be so clueless, and Devin wouldn't be so quiet." "Gee, thanks a lot." Kirito says, sarcastically. "Hey, I'm trying here!" Rainbow complains. "...I'm just gonna ignore that comment...THIS time." I respond, cryptically. Recon looked upset for some reason, "Anyway, Sigurd and the others are waiting for you at the tavern." Sigurd? Who's that? "Oh, that's right. Hmm..." Leafa began thinking, "On second thought, I can't go today." "Huh...? You're not going...?" Recon mumbled, now worried. "Nope! I kinda promised these guys I'd buy them some drinks for saving me." Leafa began pulling me and Kirito somewhere with Rainbow chuckling at our predicament, "See ya later!" "Leafaaaaaa..." Recon whined as we continued to walk away. "Oh, by the way," Leafa began, "I didn't even see you use your wings when you and Dash got here, Devin. Is there something up?" "Oh, uh..." I stumbled my words for a moment, "My...avatar is a little on the glitchy side, so...I can't really fly without Dash's help right now." "Oh. Okay then." Leafa seemed to accept. Kirito had a suspicious look, "Hmmm..." We now found ourselves in a bar of some sort, with an NPC barkeep and waitress, the latter of which passed out our drinks before bowing and leaving us to converse further. "Is that Recon guy your boyfriend?" Kirito asked Leafa. "Are the two of you in love?" Yui asked cheerfully. Great conversation starter, guys... I thought inward as I deadpanned outwards. Leafa blushed and responded with, "No! We're not in love! W-We're just in the same party is all! "I don't know, from where I was standing, you guys seem tight." Kirito smugly pointed out. "Alright, Cupid Yui, don't tease the poor girl." I say. "Well, I'm teasing her too," Kirito added, "so what does that make me, Cupid's Bodyguard?" "No, secretary would be more appropriate." I answered in a unamused tone. "Heeeey!" "Whatever, I know him in real life! We go to the same school and we're classmates, but that's it!" "Mm-hmm..." Kirito hummed in a knowing tone. "Ugh..." Rainbow groaned. Leafa glared at him until she cleared her throat and spoke, "Anyway, bottom's up! And thanks again for saving me!" We all tapped our glasses together in celebration and drank our beverages. "Those guys in the forest were playing pretty rough. Are gangs of PK'ers normal in this game or what?" "'PK'ers'?" Rainbow whispered to me. "'Player Killers'." I answered quietly, with Rainbow struggling to control her emotions. "Well for one thing, the Salamander and Sylph races never got along. But those guys were organized and THAT wasn't happening until recently. I don't know. If you ask me, they're gearing up to try to clear the World Tree soon." Racism must be rampant in this world, but the Salamanders being more organized only recently? There's something a little fishy about that. I ponder. "Actually," Kirito spoke up, "I was hoping you could tell me what you knew about the World Tree." "Oh yeah, you mentioned it before, why do you wanna know?" Leafa asked him. "I wanna get to the top, soon as I can." Leafa was silent for a second, "Join the club; every player wants to get to the top. You COULD say that's the Grand Quest of Alfheim Online." "What do you mean?" Leafa then proceeded to explain how the players in this game world couldn't fly as high or as long as they wanted, that they had limits, which I could tell was pissing Rainbow off, Leafa began to tell the tale of a floating city just above the World Tree and its ruler named "Oberon", who grants the first race to reach the top to be reborn as an advanced race called "Alfs", who can fly all they wish. But to get there, they have to enter the gateway to the floating city and fend off the NPCs guarding the way, which all of them are powerful. Leafa also explained that the game has been out for a year and no one has cleared it yet. Kirito then figured out that not one race alone can clear the Grand Quest, making Leafa compliment his instincts, and even say that nobody will work together to clear it, because only one race will get the reward of it all, Kirito even remarked that clearing the game is impossible then. And with the racism here, it is very much impossible. Normally a game has a great challenge to clear it entirely. But why make a game impossible to clear? That doesn't make any sense...something isn't right here. I think to myself. Leafa finished up with flying being addictive and even if it takes years, someday a race will fly forever, making Rainbow look at her in respect. "But I can't wait around that long!" Kirito's declaration shocked all of us, even more so when he looked serious. Deadly serious. "Daddy...?" Yui flew up to his shoulder and asked. Kirito looked sad, "Sorry. It's just that...I have to get to the top of the World Tree as soon as I can..." Leafa had an odd look, "Uh-...Okay, what's the rush...?" "I'm sort of...looking for someone." "But what do you mean?" "No offense, but...it's hard to explain..." Kirito gained a look of deep-seated longing, which surprised Leafa and Rainbow, but I knew that look all too well. I saw that same look in the mirror, more times than I care to count. "...Thank you, Leafa. All the info you gave me is really gonna help." Kirito began to get up and leave until Leafa grabbed his arm, "Wait! Are you heading for the World Tree right now?" "Uh-huh. I need to see for myself." Silence reigned for a moment. "...Alone?" Leafa asked as Kirito pulled away, "That's crazy. It's really far away and...you'll have to fight a bunch of monsters...I know you can handle yourself but..." Leafa then looked as if she made up her mind, "Hey. If you want, I can take you there! All of you!" Kirito looked shocked, but I had a knowing expression; she didn't want him to leave. "Thanks, but..." Kirito began as Leafa walked up to him, "We just met and I wouldn't feel right you coming all that way..." "Right, then maybe you already know how to get there?" Leafa asked, accusingly. "..." "Whatcha gonna do about the Guardians?" "Well...I'll think of something when I get there..." He answered, not entirely sure of his own words. "...Too late! My mind's made up." Leafa concluded as she reached him and looked to the side, stunning Kirito. "...Okay." Kirito submitted with a scratch behind his head. Leafa blushed a bit as she spoke, "So...do you wanna meet up tomorrow?" "Yeah, sure." "Then I'll meet you here tomorrow at 3 PM sharp, um, I have to log out now," Leafa pulled up a screen with a flick of her finger, "so when you're ready, you can log out in one of the rooms upstairs, okay? Well, see ya then." she was all set to log out until Kirito stopped her. "Wait!" she turned to him, "...Thank you, Leafa." he said with a genuine smile. Leafa smiled back, pushed a button and vanished in a flash of digital light. "We'd better pack it in, Dash. Big day tomorrow." I say suddenly. "Uh...right." We waltz right up the stairs to the rooms in the upper floor with Kirito and Yui doing the same. "I guess this means goodbye until tomorrow, doesn't it?" Yui asked Kirito. "Yeah, but I'll be back soon. It won't be that long." He assured her. "...Daddy...? Would it be alright if I slept next to you...? Just until you log out." "...Yeah. Sure. I don't mind." Silence, then the lights went out. "You and me, we're gonna save Asuna, then we'll all go buy a house somewhere again." "That would make me so happy. You know, living with you and mommy again would be a dream come true." "...It's not a dream. I promise you, I'll make it a reality." Yui giggles. "Daddy, there's one other thing." "What's that?" "...It's that boy, Devin." "...What did you find out?" "I checked his player credentials when he was unaware..." "And?" "That's the thing: it just says 'Unregistered Player'." Kirito gasped. "And his weapon...all I can see it's name and stats: the stats are abnormal for this game, and the name..." "Go on..." "It says...'No Name'." "No Name?" "Yes. I can't even see what type of weapon it is. It's as if something is preventing me from gaining access to its properties." "Weird..." Silence again. "Good night...daddy." I stopped eavesdropping there. I got what I needed to know. Rainbow was waiting for me in our room, "So? What the verdict, Teach?" "...They're onto us." I began, "Those two seem pretty sharp for their ages, especially Yui. We need to be careful of what we say and do from now on." "Right." "Let's get some rest. We're gonna need it." "Okay, good night, Teach." "Night." JD's POV Meanwhile, Devin's brother, JD was scrolling through the list of players within Alfheim Online and saw four players, three of them who recently logged in, and two of them he recognized, "So, you think you can help Kirito save Asuna? Well I have news for you, BRO, you're in my domain now. Just in case..." JD went through the avatar selection screen and chose Spriggan, "Wait till they get a load of me..." His form changed into his new avatar as he inputted an alias. Name Input Zenrix "And now for a voice change. Devin's a little too smart for his own good, he'll recognize my voice right away, soooooo..." He selected a voice change for his avatar, "Get your game on!" He declared, sounding dangerously similar to Jaden Yuki from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. He was soon teleported into the World Tree, meeting with Sugou, as his Fairy King Oberon avatar the second he finished toying and taunting Asuna, "Ahh, I see you finally made it." "You know it!" JD, as Zenrix, said. Sugou deadpanned, "You don't have to keep up the disguise, no one else is here." "Maybe I'm a fan of Jaden and like doing it!" JD said, a little too cheerfully. Sugou sighed, "Fine, fine. Let's go already." "Very well," JD began as Sugou walked past him and he followed, "after all, you only got a week anyway. I picked up my brother's signature in the game, as well as that Rainbow Dyke he has with him." "Hmm...and you're sure he can't just be ignored?" "Trust me, those two have special powers that you don't have, and I do as well, just different from theirs." "I'll have to do some research on them when they get here. But how did they log in? My team hasn't informed me of their characters entering ALO." "Simple." The sclera in JD's right eye glowed a sickly light blue while his pupil and iris became a dark purple, "They are not of this world." "...We'll go into detail later. Anything else?" "One condition before I inform Core of our alliance." "Name it." "When you see my brother and his dyke friend; leave them to me. Whether they come to me dead or alive..." JD summons his dark, jagged sword, "I'm going with...DEAD."