Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground: Triple Round Battle

It was strange, the way his fingers and toes tingled after each log-in, but it wasn't a bad thing. No, it was more like his body was waking up after a long sleep, and that the feeling was just returning to the unused muscles in those areas. Nothing a few seconds and some motion wouldn't fix. He'd spent a few hours trying to hack and tune it out, but figured that it would be easier to just leave it be than throw yet another modification onto the beta version he used.

The morning had been unusually cold when he logged in, or maybe it had just been his mind playing tricks on him. He hadn't actually eaten anything, figuring he could get an hour or two in before he actually needed food. The watch on his arm read 10:45 AM, and he sighed, letting his hand rest on the hilt of the blade Zenganshon. A small spark of static electricity jolted into his hand from the cool gold cap on the base of the weapon, and his hand was sent to tingling again. Dangit, he thought, stepping into the sunlight and squinting to allow his eyes ample time to adjust, just when I thought I'd gotten over it.

Today was slightly different, though. His clanmate Yoku had accepted a challenge to a duel under a few very specific rules that he'd set up, and on an extremely abstract field he'd found in his wanderings through the Delta Server. While fruitless in terms of levelling abilities, the field was scenic enough and odd enough that he had to save it sometime and use it for something more amusing.

That was just it: a duel would be more amusing than questing in it had been. Sure, he might not get any levels from it, but the sheer exhilaration he'd get from a fight in such tight quarters as a cathedral with an actual player was unrivalled anywhere in The World. His feet took him over the uneven cobblestones toward the slowly revolving Chaos Gate. He'd never seen it going any faster or slower than it was right now. For something named chaos, it was remarkably consistent. Anyway, putting such thoughts aside, he recited the keywords aloud, and let the intricate golden rings descend over his form.

Reality faded into view again, and he stood once again on the platform. Out of nowhere, the cathedral and square in front of it stood. Essentially, it was at the heart of a gigantic crater, as though the thing itself had stopped some powerful attack from above and saved anything under its relatively small roof. Unseen distances away the curve of the earth sloped up to a peak, forming a ripple about the church some twenty miles away. From here, though, it appeared as only an inch or two added to the horizon.

He sent a quick flashmail to his opponent, reminding him of the field coordinates and notifying him to meet inside. Dueling on the edge like this wouldn't be healthy for either of them, and as Dien walked to the door, he could feel apprehension rising in his heart. When was the last time he'd really been in a church? The whole idea of fighting seemed almost sacrilegious, and he had to pause a moment before gripping the handle. Interestingly enough, the gate swung open easier than he'd hoped, and he was granted passage within. Sitting on one of the pews, he would wait for Yoku to arrive and then let the fun begin.

__________
SP: 34/34

Mac Anu

“Who is that?” asked a passerby to another.

“Who is who?” asked another.

“Him…” the original passerby motioned to a figure down one of Mac Anu’s paths.

“Oh him…” replied a different man, somewhere among the crowd. “He’s…”

Yoku Minagoroshi, the tactician of The Unity was that very man. He shared a different type of passion for The World than most. He himself was rather unique when you actually thought about it. Although he was skilled enough to hold his own against enemies that far surpassed his own, he was at astonishingly low level. Yoku received his title for a reason; his uncanny ability to create unorthodox tactics in the middle of a battle. He kept his level low by fighting in duels against players, his skill being tested in each battle.

However, when Yoku was not off wandering one of the millions of fields within The World or fighting within a duel, many would often see him sitting along one of the waterways within Mac Anu. He was seen and remembered by many, but seldom knew his name. Although he was seen lounging around in his usual spot by the water’s edge, he remained an enigma to most.

A simple tune could be heard throughout the crowds, coming from Yoku’s general direction today. The tune had a melancholic tone to it, yet made the listener feel the musician’s small joy over his own personal walls. Yoku was sitting in his usual spot, with his black electric guitar out. He was the musician who strummed the piece that floated among the audience. Most of the people, who saw him regularly, often stopped the background music that CC Corp placed in Mac Anu in order to listen to his music.

The music came to an abrupt halt, as Yoku opened up a menu by waving his hand over a section in front of him. With a graceful sweep of his hand, he unequipped the electric guitar. In a dazzle of lights, the guitar faded from Yoku’s hands, leaving fleeting specks of light that ascended into the sky. Yoku rose from his seat by the bank and looked at the serenity of the water. The sun sparkled off the surface of the cool river, and reflected onto the man who stood by the bank.

The added light gave Yoku an enchanting look, as the golden trim on his clothing shimmered within the reflected light from the calm water. His attire was mainly red, with hard cloth chest plate adorned with intricate golden designs. He also wore the Unity Dagger in public, enhancing its already magnificent appearance by his breastplate. In addition to his clothes, a brave sword hung by his wait inside a scabbard encrusted with all sorts of jewels. The sword itself led many to confuse Yoku for a blademaster when he traveled around Mac Anu with his primary weapon unequipped. Although it was true that Yoku was a blademaster a long time ago, he was usually seen with a spear of sorts that marked him as a long arm. However, he heard a few rumors circulating around that he had a hacked class that was a hybrid between a blademaster and a long arm.

A soft ring sounded throughout his ears, and a small letter appeared over his head. The long arm opened the flashmail, and read it. The only thing he needed to know, what the sender’s name, and the subject of the mail. It was a reminder from Dien about their duel today.

Yoku walked away from his spot, and headed straight for the gate. He didn’t fancy announcing his destination out loud for others to hear, and usually entered the keywords the old fashioned way. Yoku entered the following keywords, Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, knowing that something awaited him there. He hit the enter command on the menu, awaiting for The World’s programming to send him to his desired field. Three golden rings soon descended a little bit above Yoku. Each ring was adorned with symbols of sorts that looked European.

Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground

The sound of three rings entering the area could be heard throughout the field. No, most would not consider this place a field, but rather a cathedral that housed a mysterious statue inside. Yoku often visited this place when he needed to clear his mind, but never intended it to be used for today’s event. In a sense, he felt as if he was going to desecrate the building, yet felt the exhilaration of the upcoming event due to the cathedral’s mysterious presence.

The long arm walked towards the church-like building, his shoes softening the sounds of his footsteps. Yoku had made a decision beforehand that he would show Dien his main personality. This personality came only when he was fully immersed with The World. A cold, ruthless, calculating bastard that was perfectly suited for creating any strategies no matter what the cost was the real Yoku.

Yoku slipped into the doors of the church, and knew that any good chance of launching a sneak attack at his opponent would be futile, as his arrival had been marked by the sound of three descending golden rings. He stood by the doorway, and looked into the still church. It had an aged appearance to it, and had a chained statue at the end of the church. Yoku looked around, and discovered Dien sitting within the church himself.

“Juk Rom!” Yoku cast the wood spell on Dien’s location, and then followed it up with another spell a little bit away from his enemy. “Gan Zot!” As the two spells activated, Yoku watched as elements worked their magic.

SP 26/45