EpicThree

Three strides and I was there. Standing in the deep shadow, beneath the gates of the Templarist's domain. I could no longer feel the interaction of circuitry, the buzz of static that overlay all demense in Land. Here there was nothing. Just clarity. The coding tight, confined, purified and sanctified by the Templarist's code jockeys and hacktackers.

Trying the gates, I found that they were locked. While this might deter most characters, I am a master thief, and so I simply pick the lock. The gates swing open without a sound, revealing a large stone building and a short stone staircase climbing to a set of large, ornate wooden doors. Cautiously, I walk up the staircase, but as I do, an eerie feeling fills me with dread.

Reaching the top of the stairs briskly, I peered up at the now massive double doors that loomed in front of me. They were larger than I had expected, or at least seemed to be. The top of the doors stretched far above my head, and the longer I stared the farther it seemed to stretch. Until I realized with sudden alarm that the doors //were// stretching upwards. In a slight panic, I took a step back only to feel my heel bend over the edge of the top step. I whipped around to ensure my footing, expecting to see the staircase descending back down to the ground, that is not what I saw. The stairs were gone, the gates I had //just// passed through were non-existent. My jaw dropped as I stared at this vast new landscape that extended before me. //What is going on?!

As I began to regain my composure, I noticed that the stairs were still there. I started to make my way back down the steps just as I heard a screeching noise behind me. I turned and standing before me was an indescribable creature, I couldn't see beyond its blue eyes with thin white film that glazed over them. The image of those eyes still replay in my mind like 35 mm film projected onto a wall, and the only sound heard was the panting of this creature.

Oddly enough, as the Sun rose across the landscape, the rays of light seared through the creature and within moments this terrifying beast evaporated into thin air with a loud scream. Upon dissipating, // the beast left behind a sword that shined bright with the reflection of the rising Sun. Reaching out to the sword, it became apparent that the rays of the Sun were attracted to the sword and this served as some sort of message to me that I have yet to understand. Holding the sword high into the sky, I gazed upon the immense valley that lay before me and saw large beasts, just as I had seen off in the distance.

The land before my eyes was green and fertile, extending far into the distance, until the expanse of rolling green grass met a sheer cliff at the very edge of the horizon. Everything was different, the steps were cracked and faded by the bands of shining sun peaking through the layer of clouds hanging low in the sky. Looking down I discovered my clothes were different now too: I wore an old leather tunic instead of a shirt, dyed green that had faded just like the steps I no stood upon. A white long-sleeved garment was underneath the tunic, extending to my hands and feet, which now had brown leather boots and gloves on them. It was while I was staring at the new clothes in my body that I realized there were three golden triangles on the back of my right hand glove. I pondered their significance when I heard the high-pitched whinny of an approaching horse.

Not knowing what to make of all these sudden changes in clothing, landscapes and time, I cautiously ventured forth, toward the sounds of the horse, throwing a glance over my shoulder to make sure the terrain remained where it belonged. Looking again at my radiant sword, I wished that I had been a warrior and able to wield such a weapon with ease. Hopefully, it would be worth a few bezants in Cassinopia - I couldn't imagine what anyone who lived in shadows, like myself, would need a sword that emitted light. A horse, on the other hand, would be most useful - how many people from agricultural districts have horses, after all? However, when I saw the horse, my jaw dropped again. This was as surprising as the door growing, only in a much more pleasant fashion.

The animal came to a stop a few meters away from where I stood at the base of the stairs. This was no mere horse, the long piece of ivory protruding from it's forehead would attest to that. This was something I'd always heard of, but never actually seen, even in the game. What stood before me was a unicorn, plain and simple. Its pure white hair made a stark contrast with the rainbow-colored mane and tail flowing from its neck and rear. It looked at me intelligently with large, brown eyes, as if trying to tell me something. I edged closer to the creature, afraid to startle it, but it didn't seem to fear me. Only a few feet away, I reached out my hand to touch it.

Just as my fingertips made contact with the majestic creature's mane, It spoke aloud in a voice like trumpets. "You who hold the sword of Logg, straddle my back and we shall ascend to the uber-realm. Great challenges lie ahead, but great treasures are not far beyond." Never one to turn down treasure, I hopped onto the unicorn's back. Reigns materialized in my hands and the sword whipped from my grasp, attaching itself to the mythical horse's horn. I gave a startled cry, but the unicorn looked back with sparkling eyes and offered reassuring words. "The sword of Logg, which you have rescued from the door of confusion is safe with me. I will utilize its power while we fly together and spear any fiend who dares stand in our way."

As my hands grow tight around the hard leather binding me to this majestic creature so do its legs compact and make ready. With a single gallant leap we spring forth through the green meadows like shooting star tearing its way across the night sky. Its hooves make the sound of thundering drums and as we cut the very air around us I can hear a choir of a thousand angels in song. Their melodious requiem sings for the shedding of my old way of life, and I can feel it burn away in our rainbow wake. I open my eyes into a new world where I am thief no longer. I wear no disguises as I storm the world upon my porcelain mount. Pride and selfishness deep within my heart give way to a flood of righteousness and realization strikes me like divine thunder. I want to be together with my companion and with him forge a new world composed of unyielding harmony. When cold comes into the hearts of men, and when shame permeates through all their souls I will strike back at the tide. I move now, boundless, and I have come into the open. The sick, the impoverished, and even the exile now know the support of a champion.

Her voice enters my head, soft at first, then more insistent. Jerry? Jerry! Wake up....

I groan and roll over, looking at the White Snake poster on the wall, realizing it's time for school again.

Harmony, harmony, oh.

I went through that, dreaming for harmony, year after year, burning my spirit with its monotony. Think of her, roll over, wake up, hate myself, go to school, go to bed, think of her, wake up, hate myself, think of her, wake up, think of her, hate myself, go to school, always with school, then back to sleep. Every day for years, and I am expected to find my way to riches with this tool, this "game," and it is here that I am expected to resign myself to perpetual recreated poverty! No more, it stops today. Atop my personal mountain of color and majesty I will turn the evil of this virtual world to inferno with the purgative digital flames of retribution. I will bring with me vengeance for the downtrodden and lift them upon the wings of justice. As I move from meadow to mountain I make my way to a sheer cliff. The symbolism puts a smile upon me for only a moment as I pull the reigns and we leap from the top like a waterfall descending upon a starving town. The sheer power of my companion gives me distance enough to drop me in the center of a tired scenic hamlet. The people vacate their broken hovels and sundered homes and gaze upon our magnificence. These people will be the first to receive my blessing. They will know my touch as that of their patron saint.

I smile in benevolence at them, and raise my hand to give them my blessings. Yet the looks I receive in return are fear, anger, men raising feeble swords at me, a torch brandished near my bridle, women and children scurrying back into their tired, dreary hovels. "Do you not know your champion when you see him" I say, smiling as I raise both hands in a gesture of peace and solidarity for the poor.

"Evil," an old man says, spitting at my feet. "Ride from here on your deadly black steed, demon, or we will do whatever we must."

I look down at my mount, seeing his black, reptilian body, sinuous coils that undulating beneath my black armor, armor that seems encrusted and stained with dark blotches. His draconic head lifts, and before I can stop him, his mouth rushes forward, spearing the old man mid body, a cascading shower of blood spewing from the already dead torso. 'But this is not right' I think to myself. 'I am their champion, I am not a demon.'

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse at my reflection as I passed a window. As if the deepest, darkest, and most evil thought which had ever dared run through my head had manifested in to a physical being, my reflection explicitly told my truth. I could not deny that the creature staring at me from that window was indeed owned by myself. I had to face up to my actions. No longer could I hide behind my fantasies or continue in the denial in which I had grown so comfortable. I fell to my knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.

As I cried like a baby, a gigantic, 20 foot Drawf came stomping out of nowhere. I looked up at him with awe, but only for a second. Then I just began to cry once again. "SUCK IT UP, BITCH!" he said in a deafening voice before grabbing me by the head and smashing me against every bit of furniture in the room. He then throw me out of the window. I hit the ground hard, the wind was knocked out of me. The Drawf then began rampaging across the entire town, destroying everything within reach. "I'M UNSTOPPABLE!" He roared. "//This is my chance,//" I thought, "//If I save the town then maybe people will no longer think of me as a demon."// As I slowly lifted myself onto my feet, the Drawf's eyes began to glow red. Laser beams shot from his eyes. Everything they hit, disintegrated. Players all around were turned to dust. "You're the real demon!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Hey you," came a voice behind me. I turned around and gaped from surprise. Ash from pokemon stood before me. "Go Magic Karp! Destroy the dark knight in front of me!" He yelled. I laughed out loud. "Like I'm afraid of a Magic Karp. Everyone knows they can't do shit." Ash simply laughed back and said, "This one can, bitch." Before I knew it, the one magic karp multiplied into a million. They then proceeded to rip me to shreds.

First it was a 20 foot Dwarf that almost made me the bottom of his boot, what the hell, it is like the act of the giant midgets. Then it was Ash Ketchem! ASH MOTHA FUZZEM KETCHEM! “I must be in HELL!” is what I screamed as the magikraps tear my body like a bunch of piranha. Ash could have picked something better like charizard or some other wicked looking Pokemon. He could even let the damn thing evolve into garados and then kill but no he had to use magikarp. Me, a demon being the main course for the magikarps. What the hell has the world come to? As I feel my body being shredded like bbq pork, the dark blue blood fills the ground. I thought of my life as I was a child, my mother, my father, my brothers and sisters. They all freaking left me as I went to use the bathroom at the Grand Canyon. I try to scream “I better off here!” but the blood starts to fill my lungs and my mouth. I come back to my thought of ASH KETHEM sending magikrap to kill me; this idiot could not even catch all the GOT DANG POKEMON AND HIS LAST NAME IS KETCHEM! Go figure. Well at least I did not get killed by a gang of Psyducks!

After recovering from what seemed like an eternity of my mind wandering through the hallucinations that were created by a cloud of spores that rose at the sunrise of the new morning, I found myself laying entirely limp within a field of flowers at the base of the mountain range that was at the end of the valley I encountered from the beginning. In my right hand, my sword shined brightly from the light of the sun being at the highest point in the sky and in my left hand I found a mysterious gourd. As I awakened from my daze and slowly begin to sit up, I investigated the gourd in my hand and found markings were emblazoned all around it. It appeared as if the markings told a story with a small figure confidently approaching large clouded figures that stood before him. After taking more time to look at the gourd, it appeared as if the figure was holding up a sword against the giants. Unaware of what any of this meant, I made sure to hold on to the gourd and survey the situation. The other end of the field was met with the sheer drop of a cliff, so the only way to advance was to enter the mountains laid before me.

I get up and head toward the the mountains that are in front of me, as I approach them I notice a gigantic cave. In front of the cave the ground is littered with dead bodies along with unusable armor and weapon scraps. Letting my curiosity get the better of me I approach the cave and head inside it. I proceed cautiously down the dark corridors of the cave, upon turning a corner I notice there is a light flickering in the distance.

As ridiculous as my actions seemed, I found myself walking towards that flickering light as if it were my salvation. My breath was becoming more rapid, my heart racing, as I quickly moved along the twisting, narrow passageway, never taking my eyes off of that beautiful, ethereal light. As the light became brighter, I began to notice my surroundings a little more. I had heard the crackling and crunching beneath my feet, but with the light much brighter now, I could see that I had been treading on the bones and skulls of past warriors. Even though my brain was screaming at me to turn around and flee this morbid cave, my feet ignored it and continued propelling me toward the beckoning light.

I shuffled through the cave, guided by the distant glow that seemed to never grow closer. My movements were awkward, having more and more difficulty keeping my pace steady on the uneven surface of the floor. The shadows began to take on an unnatural feel, as though they slithered and moved at the edge of my sight. But when I turned to face them they were still.

Cold fear crawls up from my toes and rips through my spine and blooms into my soul. The gaping maw of the cave looks back and mocks my efforts to reclaim control of my life. I will not be pushed by the fickle musings of my emotions. I look ahead, and while I am frightened I am not deterred. Every step wears on my spirit like sandpaper against skin. I swear the light never comes any closer, but I refuse to give in to the weak trembling of my hands and heart. I take another step and my mind reels from the sudden understanding that for the past dozen paces my boots have made no noise against the cavern floor. I swear the air sticks to me as I move, and sweat beads at the crown of my head and makes its way to my chin and back into the black abyss through which I wander. I feel heat for the first time in what seems like an eternity. This small light, though it never grew any brighter I can tell I'm close to it. The glow emanates from something I can't quite perceive but I'm almost there. I look down for a moment and I can see the ground again as my sword casts ruby light against my feet and onto the rocks. Yet still I make no sound. I draw ever closer to my goal.

After what seemed like an eternity I finally reached a brightly lit room. As I look around I see mountains of gold, huge furniture and a Gaint, I stare at the gold thinking of all the stuff I could buy if I was able to get my hands on it. However I would have to be able to either avoid the giant or possibly kill it so I could get away with the gold. I creep forward torwards the giant stelthly as I hope to catch him off guard.

And so, with a cut of my hidden blade, I managed to slay the vile guard. Triumphant I emerged and decided that now would be the best time to do that which I enjoy most:
 * 1) taunt

The narrow crevices grow larger and darker. The light appears that if it died, paranoid behaviors grip my eyes. Yellow eyes grow in strength the further I traveled into the caverns. I echo in the dark, “LIGHT GUIDE ME WITH YOUR BEAUTY AND STRENGTH.” My blade hinders from the satchel and as I peer into the blade, hope engulfs my spirits lighting up the path unseen by all. I whisper to myself, "My praises great divine one, your holy presences gives me hope, without you, all would be lost.

As i continue through the dark caverns i hear echos of weird noises i have never heard before. Even though i was protected by my blade i still don't know where these sounds were coming from or how close they are. It was some kind of screeching noises as if someone was scratching they're finger nails along a chalkboard. The sound was driving me crazy. As i keep moving forward trying to find my out, the sound gets closer and louder. The rocks were crumbling from above and felt as if the cavern was going to collapse. I was starting to get scared. i couldn't see more than 10 feet ahead of me.

Suddenly there was a loud crack above me. I swiftly tilted my head upwards. No time to realize that a sharp end of a stalactite was only a hairbreadth away from my right eye. My thoughts were in a haze. "Wa..wha..what just happened!?". I fell back onto the cold hard ground. The mass of rocks were frozen above me. Time had suddenly froze. I felt as if the slightest of movements would continue the wheel of time...the wheel of fate that would of had me crushed if it were not for this miracle. But what had caused it? As I slowly regained my senses, I could feel a strong but comforting pain in the grip of my hands. It was the blade, my blade, tightly gripped in the bloody palm of my hand. Then a strange alluring light started to fill the cavern. A subtle voice seeped out of the light that echoed through the frozen cavern, "whisper my name...and I shall grant thee a bond of eternity". Without a thought of hesitation I slowly stood up and began walking toward the light. Unaware that I had abandoned my blade I stretched my hands out and whispered, "Avalon...".