.HACKLife of Death, Death of Life
Note: This takes place during the interim between the end of Quarantine and
the beginning of Legend of the Twilight. I know Grunties are called
something different in SIGN, but I find Grunty much easier to spell and
remember. I am making up my own plot and whatnot, but some of the
characters, server names and such come from the games, manga and anime.
Disclaimer: Though I wish I owned the characters etc. of the .hack
conglomeration, I must say that I do not. The plot is my own, though I
received inspiration from a .hack role-play that I was in.
Summery: Tsukasa works up the guts to play the World again. However, as
she plays, she discovers something still sleeping within the World that seeks destruction. Another player accidentally sets it loose and Tsukasa
is the only one who can stop it, but at what price?
PROLOG:
Three years ago.
I had been playing the World regularly when the incident occurred. After opening a treasure chest on the instruction of a cat creature known as Maha, I became trapped within the World, my body in the real world rendered almost lifeless, in a coma while my mind controlled my body within the game.
I must say that I quite enjoyed it, at first, for I was not confronted with the problems, which had plagued me in the real world. However, by the time I was able to actually log out and return to the real world, I was quite glad to be free of the World.
Since that time, I haven't really wanted to play any online game whatsoever. I retain paranoia about a similar incident occurring. I don't want to be trapped in a game. I don't want to feel the pain, even if I could feel things like the warmth of a Grunty. At least, that is what I told Mimiru and Subaru, both of whom have tried to convince me that such an incident won't happen again. They say that the World has been fixed, but they don't truly understand how the incident still haunts me. They don't have the dreams...
They also don't understand that, for me, playing that game will never be the same as for them. I logged in for a very short time once, just to test and see. However, the first thing I noticed as I stood there next to the spinning Chaos Gate, was that I could still feel things. Another girl walked past me and I could smell her perfume. The sensations were not quite as strong as when I was in that coma, but they were still there and they scared me. I immediately logged out and haven't gone back since.
However, the pestering of my friends, now both away on summer vacation, has finally gotten to me. Perhaps I will enter into the World again. Yes, I believe I shall, despite my anxiety. Maybe they are right... I can't possibly get stuck within the World again, right?
- Tsukasa
Chapter 1: I'm Back!
The Chaos Gate of Mac Anu, a portal of transparent blue ringed by a golden hoop, ever spinning, center of all that goes on within the World, spun around as usual, alone. No players were hanging about or warping anywhere at this particular moment, though several ran about the root town, trading, buying, talking or simply lurking. Suddenly, a golden loop materialized in the air next to the portal and fell downwards, two other loops following in quick succession. As they fell to the ground, disappearing, a player appeared. This player was a wavemaster, as seen by the staff, and looked about curiously.
"Nothing seems to have changed," she murmured, the voice most definitely feminine, even if the character design was not. "More players, newer character designs, newer weapons, but the basics are all the same."
The character design was rather ambiguous as to whether the player was male or female, the brown and tan robe of the wavemaster being loose and the body design having no features to point one way or the other. She also wore a floppy hat with green jewels upon either side above the ears. Silvery hair stuck out of the bottom in a rather messy fashion. The jewels upon the hat really were the only decoration upon the whole of the girl's outfit. Even the brownish fingerless gloves were plain. The staff, too, had little adornment. It was shaped rather like a shepherd's crook, but with a flawless red orb floating in the center of the curve.
Overall, it seemed that this character was rather unremarkable, save for the eyes. Two intense, deep pools of gray, which held sadness, a strange awareness, a deep knowledge of things and a hint of remembered pain. These eyes rarely blinked and seemed almost to stare into one's soul.
Currently, those eyes gazed at the sky, as their owner sent a flashmail to two friends. Those friends were named Mimiru and Subaru. The wavemaster sighed as she saw that none of them were on. She moved down her list to BT, (skipping Sora) Krim and Bear. None of them were on either. The wavemaster sighed louder, in exasperation. She was unwilling to go to a field alone. Therefore, she began to wander around the root town.
After a few minutes, the girl grew bored, but did not return to the Chaos Gate. A few with keen hearing passed her and frowned in puzzlement as they heard her muttering, "You can do this. It isn't going to happen again. You can go to a field alone. It can be a low level where you don't have to worry about too many monsters. But I don't want to go alone!"
Eventually, the wavemaster made her way back to the Chaos Gate. There, she stood irresolutely, debating whether to go to a field or simply log out. Then, her mind made up, the player muttered the words 'Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground'. The golden loop appeared above her head and fell downwards followed by two others much like when she had logged in. This time, however, the wavemaster disappeared and reappeared upon cold, hard brick. The girl let her breath out in a sigh and looked around. The 'field' had not changed. It was still the island floating in the middle of nothing with a single building, a cathedral.
The wavemaster turned her gray eyes to that massive, imposing building and slowly walked towards it. She didn't realize she was shivering, but, even if she had, the wavemaster would still have forced herself to walk forward. Reaching the door to the cathedral, the girl found it ajar, as usual, and slipped in. She was alone in the large chamber and that suited her fine. The sense of peace, which had always washed over her whenever she had entered this place, came to her and the wavemaster even ventured a smile. Scanning the room, she found everything to be the same as when she had last seen it, three years ago.
A half-hour, at least, the wavemaster spent there, simply sitting and thinking or walking about. Then, with a sigh, she forced herself to leave the chamber and return to the root town. She paused a moment when she appeared in front of the spinning Chaos Gate once more, taking in the myriad of scents before logging out.
As the player in the real world removed her headset and set it next to the computer, she grinned and muttered, "I'm back!"
Author stuff:
{A possibly fictional conversation between author and characters...
Tsukasa: yay! I'm playing again! Fun!
Me: Indeed... But don't get too happy...
Tsukasa: why?
Me: Because interesting and not necessarily pleasant things are about to happen to you in the next few chapters.
Tsukasa: -moans- Why me? Why always me?
Me: grin because you are awesome like that!
Tsukasa: Oh... Do I at least get a happy ending?
Me: Maybe... I haven't decided yet... Besides, you don't want me to spoil it too much for the readers?
Tsukasa: uh... -backs away slightly- No, I don't want you to spoil it, but please can we have a happy ending?
Me: -sigh- I suppose, but then again... I might be mean and have a tragic ending... Be patient and wait for me to finish the story!
Tsukasa: -sigh- All right then... If I have to... }
This chapter would get rated G. However, subsequent chapters would be rated PG to PG-13. That is why it has the rating it has now...
Yes, the first chapter is about Tsukasa... I just didn't feel like actually naming her...
I would appreciate reviews and I don't mind criticism, so long as you don't just say how awful and horrible the story is, but don't offer any suggestions to make it better... Yes, deleting the story counts as a suggestion, but only if you find it beyond redemption...
TO summarize that tangent: Please Read & Review!