Spiral Knights - Not exactly an original story. <FanFic>

Not exactly an original story. <FanFic>

23 replies [Last post]

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 17:09

Playerman

Never would Matthew forget that moment. When his escape pod tumbled and turned, perfectly so that he could see the Skylark explode.

Never would he forget the sadness he felt, as he watched friends fly out into the abyss of space, their faces paralyzed in fear.

Never would he forget the silence. The cold, dead silence that he heard in his pod, as he fell towards the planet that was to be his people's saving grace.

This is the tale of Matthew.

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Well that's what I thought of in ten minutes. You guys like it? There's been a million stories just like this one, but I thought I'd give it a go. Feedback would be nice.

Character Application Format:

Name, Age, and Gender: Pretty self-explanatory.

Rank: People of higher rank will have a crest, like ingame. I won't accept all Vanguards, they're the best of the best.

Appearance: It's hard to write about somebody if you don't know what they look like.

Personality: Don't just give one emotion and expect me to do something with it. What makes your character angry? Sad? What are their habits? If you say your character "kills whoever makes him/her angry", you'll have to change it.

Biography: Why are they where they are? Now, I will be a bit annoyed if your parents die in the bio, unless it's during the Skylark crash.

Equipment: I'd prefer you not have "costume" armor. Preferred strength is up to 3 stars. Any apps above 3 stars will be introduced at a later time.
-Fighting Style: Note if they fight differently.

If you would like a detail left out of the Character App, you can mail me and I'll see if I can do something.

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Chapters:

Prologue - Looking Back (at the start of this post)
Chapter One - Crash Landing
Chapter Two - Hello, Friend
Chapter Three - Fake Happiness
Chapter Four - Psychotic Behavior
Chapter Five - Patience, Discipline
Interlude One - Helping Hand
Chapter Six - Finding Essentials
Chapter Seven - Quite Sudden
Chapter Eight - Unknowingly Chased

Character Applications:

Matthew/Blake - Playerman
Vin - Vinnydime

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 17:31

Dermog

Oh boy :3

This is going to be a good one. I can tell.

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 23:15

Playerman

Matthew.

Name: Matthew

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Rank: Knight (ranks do go up as the story progresses)

Personality: The quiet type. Fine towards friends, shy towards strangers. Lets friends do most of his talking.
Uses gestures instead of speaking, if it gets the message through
Seems to think positively, but plunges into deep despair if something goes wrong.
Street smart, horrible with the textbook.
Sits down a lot, taking in the atmosphere.
Makes a visual barrier from females, talks mainly to males. Can make friends with animals and AI

Appearance: 5' 8", medium build. Black hair, black eyes. Tanned skin. Eyes look tired most of the time. He's left handed.

Biography: To be played out during the story.

Equipment: As of Chapter 6: Cobalt Armor, Silent Nightblade - No Helmet or Shield

---------

Name: Blake

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Rank: Knight Elite

Personality: Opposite of Matthew. Very outgoing, never lets things get him down.
Average intelligence and sense.
Not one to reject someone from joining in on something.
Can be a bit reckless at times.

Appearance: 5' 7", light build. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Has a smile that can infuse hope into others.

Biography: Oops. Forgot to add this.

Born in a lower class area, Blake was seen as a regular child, with no talents. He only did ever shine when a gun was placed in his hands for the first time. Accuracy was low, but he performed very well in combat. His skill and efficiency is better than that of Matthew. By the time the Skylark crashed, Blake was an Elite Knight.

Equipment: As of Chapter 6: Solid Cobalt Set, Super Blaster, Blaster (given by Matthew)

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 22:25

Playerman

Chapter 1: Crash Landing

Matthew looked out the hardened glass window of the escape pod. His eyes fell upon Cradle. Clearly, it was no natural world. It had been constructed. But what great power could create world of such size?

The planet loomed closer and closer. The pod started to speed up, and increase in temperature. Matthew fell, and fell, until he made contact with the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew woke seated upside-down, still strapped in his safety harness. Compartments were busted open. The light illuminating the pod was flickering. There was a throbbing pain in the side of his neck. Rubbing it, he felt something warm and wet. Looking back at his hand, Matthew saw bright, red blood.

“Ugh…”

He undid his safety harness, and dropped to the ground, which would’ve been the top of the pod. Matthew reached for the First Aid kit, and pulled out a Health capsule. After crushing it in his hand, the capsule turned into a powder, which floated towards his wound. Being mass-produced, this one did little to nothing. But it helped.

He grabbed a “Punch Gun” from it’s compartment. After firing a shot, Matthew kicked the door open. Stepping out, there was a grassy area, with a nearby river. A nearby crash could be heard. He sat down. The wound continued to sting Matthew.

Why did we crash? Why did all my friends disappear?” He looked towards the sky. More pods continued to fall, like meteors. They fell, ever so slowly, yet they shined with purpose. Matthew continued to stare up, completely entranced. Sadness faded away, as the atmosphere seeped in.

He heard buzzing coming from his com unit. “...hello, knight Matthew? Are you there?”

“I’m alive, who are you?”

“I… don’t remember! Just hurry! I’m surrounded by hostiles!”

“...How do I know you’re not trying to trick me?”

“I landed about one kilometer from your position, to the south. Ready your weapons!”

Surely enough, there was a dot with several hostiles around it on the radar. Matthew sighed, and got up.

Tue, 11/12/2013 - 03:35

Vivideus

Just curious

Just curious, why do so many fanfic writers write about Skylark's crash?

I mean, there's simply so much other stuff to write about...Cradle is in essence a blank world with barely a scaffold; you can craft on it whatever you like, build it towards the sky. And some writers chose to write about a pre-set period of plot.

There's a thousand explains to the game. Yet someone chose stuff that's pretty much self-explanatory, that's already 100% covered in the game.

I hope the plot won't be something like:
Crash -> Rescue Camp -> Haven -> Meets random strangers and Feron and Kozma and etc NPCs -> random mission -> promoted -> gets a sprite -> defeat Snarbolax -> learns about Gremlins -> beats Royal Jelly -> defeats Gremlins at IMF -> oops random darkness stuff like Silent Legion or Owlites that correspond to mission 8-1~9-1 -> Vanaduck! showdown! -> gets to Core discovers some random stuff.

Anyway, I'll be watching,
GL HF as usual :3

Tue, 11/12/2013 - 07:24

Playerman

---

By following the story line already in game, it's much easier to not hit a bump in the road. By not adding at least one boss/entity from the actual game, it would be very hard for me to do anything with this. It wasn't my intention to exactly following the storyline, especially since there's already another one going on.

Edit: The title really implies that though. "The Tale of Matthew" seemed too cheesy.

Tue, 11/12/2013 - 08:34

Feline-Grenadier

Name : Vin

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Rank : Recruit

Personality : A friendly, sociable sort of person, easily able to mesh in with the rest of society. Modest and sincere, Vin stands as a good friend to those who are open to him. Though he seriously wishes to remain single, women are attracted to his amiable nature. Even the old crones consider him charming in his own mature way.

However, he holds dark secrets, those of which that upon revealing, leaves him in a broken, maniacal state. If he isn't brutally eviscerating someone alive, he's likely in the middle of killing himself, and only by force, detainment, or persuasion will he stop.

As a soldier of the Spiral Order, he works dutifully as the rest do, though he lacks the hardness of heart to kill, and thus he spares those not combatants or those who he has considered not ready to die. For those who wish to fight him, he fairly judges if they are deserving of death or defeat.

Appearance : 5' 4'. A lean youth with short, wild hair and bright blue eyes, who more often than not is confused between a female and a male with his pretty-boy face and pale complexion. He lacks any and all facial hair, as if they never existed.

Biography : On Isora was where Vin lived, before the Morai Wars. He grew up in relative safety in his own city, and was born of a peculiar generation of children who had extremely slow aging processes. Though he was studying in the more prestigious schools of his district, his sloth and his parents' lack of funding discontinued his formal education when he was sixteen. Simultaneously, he had fallen in love with a girl a year younger. As the year went by, Vin was seventeen, and his girlfriend was sixteen. Both lived in a small apartment, Vin working as a full-time electrician, and she studied and carried on with her school life. A year later, their baby arrived.

That was around the time when the Morai Wars were getting closer, and also when the illegal drug dealers poured into the city. Vin chanced upon a sort of drug that would bring one into an array of dazzling hallucinations. He became addicted to it quickly, and he began to fail to work. His girlfriend, who was busy at home taking care of the baby, had realized that the drugs were undoing the family, and in secret she threw it away in the chutes, and she also ratted out the dealers to make sure there was no one left.

Vin fell into withdrawal, and in one episode, he flew into a furious rampage. He was sentenced to lifetime in prison for murder, but not before the war had reached his city. Riots caused traffic jams, through which the prisoners used to escape from the bus and towards the aircraft hangar, where the Skylark was evacuating people. Even if they were not allowed entry, the prisoners hopped over the fence and charged towards the Skylark, where the guards opened fire upon them. Vin used the bodies of his recently-made companions as shields, and by pure luck the chains that held him together were released by a poorly aimed bullet. Behind him, a huge mob followed, and so he hid in that before rushing into the Skylark's cargo bay as it took off, away from Isora.

He, among the stowaways, never identified himself among all the Isorans. He had desired to throw away his old life once he had come to his clear senses, and grief took over him for a period of time. He managed to grab the Spiral Order's equipment in the cargo bay, just in case, and disguised himself as one of the many legal Isorans.

Equipment :

Proto Sword

Proto Gun

Spiral Sallet

Spiral Culet

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 22:27

Playerman

Chapter 2: Hello, Friend

Stepping back towards his battered pod, a red-stained Proto sword caught Matthew’s eyes. He had never been a very lucky person, but this was one-in-a-million. A strange buzz interrupted his train of thought. What was that? He paused for a moment, waiting for the sound again.

Matthew bumped his com unit a few times. Going back to what he was doing, he closed the Proto armor around his body, leaving the helmet off. Standard Proto armor was always too tight. After tucking a Proto gun into it’s holster, and testing the edge of the Proto sword, Matthew started making his way towards the knight in trouble.

From his vantage point, Matthew could see a knight next to a fallen pod, defending himself against several gelatinous cubes and lizards. Wait, what? No matter how strange the enemy was, the knight who had sent a distress signal was clearly in danger.

What was more strange was where they were fighting. The pod had landed near a rather peculiar monument. Surrounding a pedestal was eight pillars, with purple markings. The ground around the area had strange symbols as well. The purpose of the monument was of a supernatural nature, one Matthew did not understand.

Matthew sprinted towards the fight. As the knight noticed Matthew, one of the lizards had flailed it’s tongue at him. Incredibly unintimidating, but the knight flinched as if struck by a Leviathan Blade. Flipping his sword to a backhanded grip, Matthew came down and impaled it. He unholstered his Proto gun, and opened fire at the “jelly cubes”. The energy bullets left steaming holes, and the cubes soon dissolved and bubbled away.

Looking back at the knight, Matthew saw that he fought as a gunslinger. Quite a good one too. He was making contact with every bullet. Matthew tossed his Proto gun towards the knight. Catching it, the gunslinger continued his rain of bullets, with two guns.

Matthew was getting pushed back. The pure white eyes of the lizards gleamed as they continued to shoot out their extensive tongues. By chance, Matthew was thrown back to the pedestal in the center of all the pillars by a simultaneous attack from three lizards. Lucky little…

Attempting to use the pedestal to get up, Matthew felt a cold, hard object. Turning his head, he saw that it was a small, black katana. Without a second thought, Matthew grabbed it, and slashed at the lizards. Unlike before, the lizards appeared to wilt away as they died. The blade emitted a dark aura, one that disturbed Matthew. What is this?

“Hey, you okay there? You look a little stunned by something.”

Matthew turned to the voice. “I remember now, I’m Blake. Thanks for saving me from them, friend.”

Looking behind Blake, Matthew saw several more corpses and puddles than he had earlier. “What’s with you remembering just now, friend?” He sounded agitated.

“Just wanted to see your reaction.” The gunslinger chuckled to himself. Matthew frowned. What kind of guy jokes about nearly dying? Especially after...

Matthew sheathed the katana and hung on his hip. Let’s not think about that anymore.

”What now then? I don’t like this place.” Matthew said.

“I think the higher-ups sent a message saying they’re trying to establish a temporary base of operations. You not get it?” Matthew checked his message log. Indeed, they did send one.

“I always hear that buzz, don’t see how you didn’t.”

Matthew sighed. Like he would have ever tried to memorize what all the prompts were.

“Let’s just set up camp for the time being.” Blake said, as he unraveled a small sleeping bag.

Mon, 11/25/2013 - 20:13

Playerman

Chapter 3: Fake Happiness

Hiding on the Skylark was easy enough of a task for Vin. In fact, it was too easy, compared to getting on. Roaming the Skylark with it's own equipment, Vin moved in broad daylight. He could walk amongst the other Isorans, not one of them suspecting him as a mass murderer, who would throw away his friends for freedom.

His face radiated youth and innocence. He could feel the looks of men and women alike, glancing at him. Vin loosened his shoulders and grinned. What had he to fear? If he acted natural, he could actually have a chance at getting away from his old life.

Attention, all Isorans must evacuate. Engine failure. Critical Condition. Crash imminent.

Well, I am an Isoran now, after all.

Vin rushed towards the escape pods, managing to be one of the first people there. Screams could be heard as he clambered into a pod. He soon launched after he closed the door. The door from his old life. Explosions could be seen as he flew away from the Skylark.

~~~~~~~~~~

Vin smiled to himself. This really was perfect, no one would know who he was on this new planet. There was a whole new life waiting ahead of him. No more tricks, no more drugs. Now he would just have to get over what had happened before.

An almost fresh start. Better than before.

The grass was greener, the animals looked happier, and the sun shone brighter for that one moment. A lizard about half his height waddled up to Vin, with a blank expression. Vin looked down, and smiled warmly. What a strange planet.

“Are you going to be my first friend?” Vin said in a joking tone. He reached down, and patted the reptilian creature on it’s toughened head. Immediately after this, the lizard reared up, and stuck it’s tongue out at Vin. Rather, it shot it’s tongue out, knocking him to the ground.

Of course, anyone would have been stunned by this. But Vin was paralyzed. Could this creature tell what he really was? Did it know what he had done? Shock turned into fear, and fear turned to anger. He stood up, and raised up his gun. The lizard stuck out it's weapon and whacked Vin across the side of his face.

Stumbling backwards, Vin fired twice upwards, startling the attacker. He regained his balance. With a shaky aim, Vin shot the end of the lizard’s tail. Cringing in pain, the creature ran away and hid.

Several minutes were spent calming himself down.

----------

I'm not very satisfied with how the scenes are described, and the dialogue. I'll spend some time trying to change it.

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 23:12

Skayeth

@Playerman

I like how the scenes are described!

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 00:33

#10

Feline-Grenadier

A revision?

Amidst the riotous rushes into the Skylark, Vin had certainly struggled through many ordeals to bypass the security. He considered himself lucky, being one of the dozens who spearheaded the effort to keep the stowaways on board. He considered himself lucky that he wasn't shot dead when the first security guards panicked and fired into the crowd, and he was even more fortunate to have hid in the cargo bay with a few others while the rest were slaughtered or imprisoned in the next few hours. Though he knew little of his cohorts' names, their mutual trust, even if the khaki straitjacket was the signature attire of the most dangerous criminals in all of Isora, held stronger by the fear of being caught.

And as Vin popped his head out of the cramped cargo box of extra armor, he quickly put his mind to work in the cold, dim hangar before he handed out sets of Proto gear to the others. They exchanged what little clothing they had, and slipped into the form-fitting skin-suits that supported such armor.

And they came into the rest of the Skylark through small groups of threes and fours. Some were caught; Vin was not among them.

So as he was looking outside the window of the craft, it was only to his surprise when he heard the muffled booms of an explosion on the other side. The whole ship shuddered, throwing the young man into the glass, hard.

ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ESCAPE PODS IN AN ORDERLY FASHION. THE SKYLARK IS UNDER ATTACK AND IN CRITICAL CONDITION. I REPEAT, THE SKYLARK IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ESCAPE PODS BY THE ATRIUM.

Vin was only lucky as he was among the first to make it to the pods, and once the gravity inside the craft had released, he barely made it past the hatch before it almost slammed shut on his toes.

Such a man like him, he thought, did not deserve such a fate. Regardless, he continued to will himself to live as he buckled up and punched the release button, ejecting him into places unknown. It was only through the camera and porthole window that he saw he was descending to another planet, while the Skylark burst into a blazing inferno in the abyss of space. Vin was speechless, but he continued to observe the millions of fragments scatter, and the flames were extinguished as quickly as they were made, having their fuel and air all but burned up.

A violent rumbling began to shake the pod, and as Vin felt the pull of gravity, he felt nauseous.

He then blacked out, his body unable to take the dizzying reaction.

~~~~~~~~~~

And as Vin came to, he found his own eyes all but chafed by the piercing sunlight through the porthole window, now stained so by dirt that it only let in just that light. Though he was definitely sure he wasn't anywhere near heaven (his sweaty body had made sure of that), he knew he wasn't exactly in a normal world anymore.

In fact, he wasn't sure if he was in a world he knew anymore. It definitely wouldn't be Isora...but he was breathing, and he wasn't roasting nor freezing inside. Mechanically, as if a robot, he unbuckled himself and opened the hatch, which was sent flying out from the pressurized air. Immediately, cool air rushed into the pod, and a gale of refreshing winds revitalized the young man, allowing his once labored breathing to relax.

As the piercing light alleviated from its harshness, a flood of green entered Vin's eyes. This definitely wasn't Isora, which was all but burnt to a crisp by now...

"This...no..." mumbled Vin as he climbed out of his pod, and allowed his bare feet to mingle with the tingly grass.

So that was it? Was he able to escape his old life just like that? It seemed that way to Vin. There didn't seem to be anyone else other than himself that was here...

A start over? Was that it? No more of that moping nonsense?

A rustle in the bushes proved his previous conclusion false. Slowly, something waddled out from the brush, which revealed itself to be a sort of chubby lizard at half the height of Vin. It was sorta...cute. And as Vin knelt to eye-level with the lizard, he patted it on the head.

"Huh...what are you doing here...?" Vin asked. Suddenly, he was knocked into the ground by a hard blow to his chest, and he could feel himself being dragged in by something...

The small lizard was reeling him in like a fly.

"Nononononono..." Vin pleaded as he tugged at the tongue, though his hands became stuck to the flexible muscle. Instinctively, he kicked the little guy square in the face, which caused it to let go. Clumsily, Vin backed up into the pod, and grasped for a handle for him to hold onto. And as he felt his leg become attached to the tongue again, something small in his hand finally got a decent grip before he dropped to the floor again, and was dragged closer.

As soon as Vin closed in, he smacked the lizard with the object, causing a round to fire off in the air; it was the Proto Gun he had stolen back on the Skylark.

The lizard let go, bewildered by the noise, which gave Vin enough time to hold the gun correctly and fire a round in the dirt in front of the little reptile. With a yelp and a flinch, the little creature scuttled away, back into the brush, away from Vin.

"...sorry little guy..."

Looks like even in this new world, he was going to be alone...

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 06:51

#11

Playerman

---

I do want to edit Chapter 3, but you rewriting the entire chapter just makes me feel bad. :c

I'll change it to better fit your view of Vin, but not exactly.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 07:03

#12

Vivideus

Vinnydime is blatantly

Vinnydime is blatantly overpowered, I assure you.

Otherwise, nice story so far, though I would like to see things accelerate a bit :3

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 21:48

#13

Playerman

---

I might need to spend a day thinking about how to progress the story. I'm not entirely sure how fast my brain creates images.

I'm definitely trying to move.

Edit: Despite what I said, I'm not posting a chapter today. Not feeling very in to it.

Edit edit: Well, I did anyways.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 08:45

#14

Feline-Grenadier

Hm...

...well, you've gotta think a bit for your characters. If a guy gets depressed as heck over mentioning his old life, wouldn't it be a good thing for him to keep on saying to himself "don't think about them." ?

If I were a person who escaped a life of ruin and rot, I'd be more bewildered than anything by suddenly crashing onto a new world.

It's a good way to start thinking about how you want your characters to develop, by thinking from their perspective. But then again, Vin has been used a couple times here and there by other authors too, so he came out a couple of different ways.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 21:48

#15

Playerman

Chapter Four: Psychotic Behavior

Matthew stirred in his sleep. Nightmares were to be expected of people who had been traumatized, but his dreams were not of that day’s events. He dreamt of fighting. Killing enemies, overpowering them, mercilessly destroying. Matthew normally did not think like this, so what was causing such a thing to happen?

~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew woke in a cold sweat. He had been sleeping on the ground, instead of using a sleeping bag, like Blake. He was sleeping normally. It was the middle of the planet’s night, and the fire had gone out. The stars shined brilliantly in the night sky.

Yet Matthew’s muscles were sore. He wasn’t able to catch his breath, let alone calm down mentally. What was happening? He looked around for any signs of hostile creatures, which there was none of that night. His eyes did notice the katana stuck into the soil next to him.

When did I do that? Matthew pulled upwards on the sword lightly, to find that it would slide out as if it was coated with a layer of butter. He drove the dark blade into the ground some thirty yards away, before returning to the campsite.

~~~~~~~~~~

“...hey, wake up! Matthew?”

Matthew took a sharp breath of air, before raising to a sitting position, eyes still closed. “Yeah…?”

“I thought you could have cut yourself on that katana, so I tried moving it. It wouldn’t come out though, why’d you jam it into the ground so far?”

Matthew opened his eyes. After a few moments of blindness, he adjusted to the light. Looking to his side, there was the same black katana. Perhaps, not the same. Both of them felt nervous just staring at the cursed blade. It seemed much larger and more detailed than the day before. Matthew looked back to where he had placed the sword a few hours ago. Nothing there.

“Well, looks like Ozlo and the bunch have set up in a native town. There’s passage to there via a tunnel down inside the planet. There’s an outpost near here that’s guarding entrance to the tunnel.”

Matthew stood up. “Alright…” With one hand, Matthew yanked his sword out of the ground. Holding it, many dark emotions came forth in his mind. He sheathed it, and the emotions withdrew.

“Sword and the stone, huh?” Blake noted.

“...Let’s just get going.”

----------

Progress!

Normal/Piercing/Elemental Weapons: Mental state remains the same, power depends purely on user.

Holy Weapons: Morals are slightly increased, power depends on purity of user.

Dark/Evil Weapons: Users may become insane, paranoid, etc., power depends on length of time used.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 22:33

#16

Feline-Grenadier

Hm...

I was more inclined to think of "Holy" weapons increasing your support of order. The more usage, the more oppressive one becomes...

As for the "Evil" weapons, perhaps it's not becoming insane or evil that's to worry, but maybe just a higher inclination to anarchy is given...

And depending on the purity of the user on both sides, the wielder may or may not become corrupted from these weapons...

Take it or leave it, this is just my opinion of how "good" and "evil" play out. Of course, you can do the good 'ol fashioned way. Works just as well.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 22:59

#17

Playerman

---

@Vinnydime It was my interpretation. Doesn't evil consume for power? The longer one holds a Dark Weapon, the more powerful they become, but the weapon's essence may take over.

As for Holy Weapons, just holding one fills the user with a need for justice. I don't think more usage makes the user evil in their own way.

I'm 'ol fashioned.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 23:08

#18

Feline-Grenadier

Well, I expect good things from you then :D

Sat, 11/16/2013 - 21:11

#19

Playerman

Chapter Five: Patience, Discpline

Outpost - 10:29, One Day After Crash

Matthew and Blake walked towards the outpost wordlessly. There was not much to talk about, anyways. The Squad Leader greeted them as they entered the camp. Matthew simply nodded, and kept walking. Blake initiated conversation.

“Hey! How many knights have passed through here?”

“Fewer than we’d hoped. More are still coming, however. Especially with recruits like that one over there that are aiding people in finding this place.” He pointed towards a rather young-looking recruit. Blake wasn’t entirely sure whether the recruit was male or female. He said his farewells, and broke into a light jog to catch up with Matthew, who he found crouched down, looking over a cliff, down into somewhere. Blake quickened his pace, but then a Guardian stopped him.

“Be careful walking across, wouldn’t want you to fall off.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Blake looked down to where Matthew was staring, to find himself just as stunned. Gears and clockwork, turning and shifting beneath their feet. Echoes could be heard, coming from deep within the planet. This wasn’t right.

“So… you ready to go to Haven?” Blake said, after a few moments of silence. Matthew stood up, and nodded. They headed off towards an elevator of sorts, and pressed down.

The lift came to a stop six minutes later. The entire area was floating above an abyss, with more levels down below. Stepping off, Matthew began coughing. Blake looked over to him.

“Smoke…” He coughed again. Blake noticed too. The entire area looked, and smelled, scorched. As they walked along, there was noticeable holes and marks everywhere, like explosives had gone off recently. Matthew heard a skittering sound. Turning towards it, he saw a machine, walking on four legs. Its one eye zoomed in on him.

“Hey, Matthew…” Blake tapped him on the shoulder. Looking back, he saw many more mechanical beings. Some looked makeshift, while some held sword and shield. Blake pulled out a Proto gun, and a Punch gun. Matthew took the sheath of his sword off his hip, and then pulled the sword out.

“Let’s just…” Looking back, Blake did not see Matthew. He had rushed towards the enemies, with the purpose of destroying them. Side-stepping a slash from one of the mechanical knights, Matthew knocked the sword from it’s hand with the sheath, and then finished it off with a stab to the head. Following the momentum of his stab, Matthew ran past the lifeless shell of the knight, dodging a swipe from one of the staggering robots. He turned around and counterattacked with three quick slashes to the machine’s arms and chest.

Soon Blake had joined in on the action. While providing cover fire with his Proto gun, he danced around the crawlers, finishing each of them off with single shots to their eyes at point blank with his improvised shotgun.

Before long, all the machines had dropped. Many sparked and spazzed randomly. Blake looked to his new companion. “You okay there-” Blake was interrupted by Matthew’s sudden overhead strike.

”Die.”

Blake managed to evade the first few attacks, but was caught off guard when Matthew smacked him on the side of his face with the sheath. Stumbling backwards, the gunslinger turned and began to run. Matthew threw his sword forwards, catching Blake’s shoulder and causing him to fall down. The sword flew back, landing next to Matthew. Silence.

“...wait, what? Hey, what happened?” The anger from his face had faded in worry.

Blake pulled out a spare Health capsule. “Let’s talk about that later. Just put away that sword of yours.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Advanced Training Hall - 8:47, Two Days After Crash.

Matthew dropped to the ground, attempting to catch his breath. His sword fell to the metal floor, before rising into the air, and thrusting itself into the ground. Blake stood watching Matthew fail again and again to remain sane. Biotech Hahn sat observing as well. He held the katana once more, his eyes turning pure white. Then, after flickering between black and white, his eyes would return to their normal color, and Matthew would drop once more.

“Matthew, you should really-”

“I can use it! I just need practice!” Matthew pulled the sword out again.

“We don’t even know what it is.”

“Well I know it’s powerful.”

“You nearly killed me with that thing on the way here, at least take some time away from it.”

Matthew threw the sword to the other side of the Training Hall, lodging it into the side of a rock wall. Turning his back to it, he waited. Moments later, the cursed sword began to shake. The katana burst out of the wall, landing next to Matthew once again.

Hahn spoke up. “What you have is what the Strangers call a “Nightblade”. It appears you are only under the sword’s effects when you grasp it’s hilt. Use something along with it, and there should be little risk.”

The Biotech walked up to Matthew. “Only use that sword when there is nothing to lose. Those blades have the power to wipe out Isora on their own. Do you understand?”

“The blade hungers for blood. I can’t sleep properly. It invades my dreams-”

“That was not mentioned. I shall look over this matter at a later time. Hopefully we can find a way to break the bond between you and the Nightblade.” The Biotech turned away.

“Alright, thank-”

“Good luck to you.” His footsteps echoed throughout the hall as he exited.

The pair looked at each other. Clearly, they had stumbled upon something horrible.

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Long chapter. Didn't post yesterday though, so yeah. Next chapter'll be an interlude.

More progress!

Sun, 11/17/2013 - 18:40

#20

Playerman

Interlude One: Helping Hand

Hall of Heros - 14:03, Three Days After Crash

“For your hard work and determination, saving dozens of your comrades without a second thought, I hereby grant you the title of a Knight. Congratulations, Knight Vin.” Lieutenant Barrus handed Vin a small badge, indicating his rank. He was doing good now. After being given standard Cobalt equipment, Vin saluted, and exited.

Walking out into the Town Square, Vin heard approaching footsteps. Turning around, he saw a man dressed in Solid Cobalt armor. He was a little taller than Vin, but had the same youthful look in his eyes. Two Blasters were holstered on his sides.

“Weren’t the guy who was helping out at the Rescue Camp back then? I think I saw you.”

Vin chuckled. “I was working there, yeah. I don’t remember seeing you, though.”

“My friend was in a rush, had to follow him.” The gunslinger extended his hand. “I’m Blake, glad to see someone like you in the Order.”

Vin reached out and shook Blake’s hand. “Likewise. Where is your friend?”

“Well, I don’t think he really wants to meet anyone right now. Not very chatty.”

“I see.”

“I have to get going, need to find him. You keep doing what you do!” Blake started to head off.

“I can help, if you want…”

“He’s bad with people, don’t worry about it.” Vin stood, watching Blake jog off. It was quiet, except for the wind blowing by and the chirping of the snipes. Vin hadn’t talked normally in a while. For a very long time, actually. It was lonely.

The majority of his talking was warding off compliments and remarks from the recruits he had saved just a day or so ago. They were always so grateful to him. It felt good to be a savior. To be praised. Vin had changed from his old life. His old life… was not something to be remembered.

Vin walked towards the Auction House. He hadn’t completely decided what he was going to do once he got there, but he wanted to do something good. To lend a helping hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Vin had walked out, Barrus called for all the Vanguards. All their personalities shined independently, but they all seemed to know why the Lieutenant had called for them.

He spoke up. “About that Knight, Vin.” Barrus looked to each of them. “Do any of you notice anything… strange about him?”

Zebulon, the Specialist, spoke immediately. As always, he was very observant. “He seems to not have much knowledge about anything in the Order. No procedures, no signs. I also do believe Vin did not legally board the Skylark, seeing as he has always hid his face from us behind a helmet.”

Barrus nodded. “We shall investigate on this matter, secretly. I have reason to believe that he is a stowaway criminal.”

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I feel that I should interact with Vin more, seeing as he’s the only Application so far. :3

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 20:23

#21

Playerman

Chapter Six: Finding Essentials

Somewhere Near the Entrance to Haven - 14:37, Three Days After Crash

Matthew woke to Blake’s voice. Frustrating, considering he was barely getting sleep. Since it was a warm day, Matthew had taken refuge underneath a tree. He had bought a scarf to wrap around his neck, hiding his scar. Matthew opened one eye. Blake looked annoyed as well, but not very.

“What’s that on your head?” Matthew looked up, to see only a flutter of wings. A blue snipe landed on his lap. Picking it up in his hands, Matthew looked back to Blake.

“Hahn told me to find you, cause you weren’t picking up. There might be a way to get that sword away from you!” Matthew yawned.

“Well come on, the sooner the better.” Blake said. Matthew closed his eye and relaxed again.

“Why are you being stubborn now? What do you need?” There was a moment of silence.

“...I haven’t eaten in three days.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The Lab - 15:21, Three Days After Crash

Matthew had made an improvised chair and table using several crates and containers in the Laboratory. He sat crosslegged, holding a mug of warm water in his hand. Patiently, he watched as Head Chef Biscotti wheeled out a tray full of various dinnertime foods. Specially prepared with ingredients from the planet itself, the differing meats and side dishes gave off a peculiar aroma.

Matthew dove right in. Biotech Hahn for once hesitated to speak, seeing such strange behavior. Blake chuckled, and then took a sip from the bowl of stew given to him.

“...We believe that the Nightblades are the work of the Devilites. Imp-like creatures, office jobs. I doubt you’ve seen any before. We’ve barely seen them. It appears they are able to harness dark energies from the atmosphere, and use it as a weapon.”

Matthew nodded, before wiping his mouth. He took a drink of water.

“What you have in your possession is a nearly perfected version of their weaponry. Very rare, very powerful. It consumes on it’s own, making them very valuable in their world. Chances are that they would gladly take something like that off your hands. And then kill you with it. We have yet to pinpoint a branch of their business that has enough power to unbind you from that blade, however. We’ll keep in touch.” Matthew brought down his now empty mug, and saluted.

“See you then.” He began packing the leftovers together.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So, you going to put all that stuff in your apartment?” Blake stretched, tired after eating his fill.

“I don’t have an apartment.”

“Huh? Do you not have anything?”

“Nope.” Matthew pulled the scarf over his mouth. Blake stared blankly at him for a moment. Who cared that little about anything? His eyes looked over several advertisements being shown in his Helmet Display.

“Well, there’s a bunch of housings over past the Garrison being set up. You should take a look.” Matthew continued to move, with no eye contact. “I’m heading back to my humble abode then.” Blake turned and trudged back the direction they were walking from.

“Meh… might as well get a place.” Matthew sleepily followed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew’s New Apartment - 18:57, Three Days After Crash

By the end of the day, Matthew had gotten himself a decent apartment, with a bed, nightstand, and simple cooking supplies. His living quarters were part of an arrangement of stone buildings, built by the Strangers some time ago. They were strange beings. Matthew walked out onto a small patio, and took a deep breath. This was his home, then.

His patio overlooked a rather tranquil lake. Cradle’s Sun was setting in the horizon, making rays of light reflect off the surface of the water. The view was somewhat cliché, but spectacular nonetheless. A blue snipe landed on the railing bordering the patio.

“Followed me here, huh?” The bird tilted it’s head, as if confused. Matthew patted it on the head, and gave it some seeds he bought at the Bazaar. It chewed them up greedily. Strolling back inside, the snipe followed. Matthew smiled, and crouched down to pick it up.

“You can stay for the night.” Wrapping it in his scarf, he placed the bundle of fabric and feathers onto his nightstand. It sat down, seeming pleased. Matthew chuckled. Friends were nice to have, especially at this time.

Tue, 11/19/2013 - 21:27

#22

Playerman

---

I'm finding it hard to keep this going if I'm just typing to myself. Just saying. :3

Still don't like how the chapters Vin are in are put, still haven't bothered to edit them.

Mon, 11/25/2013 - 20:07

#23

Playerman

Chapter Seven: Quite Sudden

OH BOY THAT WAS A LONG NAP.

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Matthew’s Apartment - 2:35, Eight Days After Crash

“...come in, Matthew. This is Biotech Hahn. It appears a branch of devilites strong enough to remove the blade attached to you has turned up in Stratum Three. You’ll have to pass through the Gloaming Wildwoods in order to make it there, but the Snarbolax has already been taken care of. Head off when you’re ready.”

“Alright, than-”

“Good luck to you.” The transmission was cut off. Matthew frowned. Why was everyone waking him up? He looked around his darkened room. The snipe was asleep, as usual. Everything looked hazy, for some reason. He rubbed his eyes, to find that his vision remained foggy. Matthew looked through his contacts. Blake was still awake, for some peculiar reason.

After equipping his armor and sword, Matthew stumbled towards the Arcade. To his surprise, the gunslinger had arrived before him. Not one sound could be heard. That was to be expected of course, since it was the middle of the night.

“You ready, then?” Blake tossed his revolver into the air, and caught it as it came down. Matthew nodded sleepily, and stepped onto the elevator.

“Not much of a morning person, huh?” Blake chuckled.

“It’s a bit early to call it morning.” Matthew responded, sighing deeply. The lift descended into the dark forest. Chromalisks and Wolvers roamed freely here. It was beast territory, under rule of the Snarbolax. Which was dead. The elevator came to a stop. Matthew charged in, sword ready. For moments, he felt alone, fighting the creatures. Simply slashing, many dropped with single attacks. Soon after they were cleared out, Blake would seem to reappear.

“They seem rabid, don’t they? What happened?” Matthew looked towards the next group of beasts. They did infact, look like they were being affected by a disease. Matthew fought on. Undead skeletons began appearing, rotting slowly as they approached. Legions of them limped towards the swordsman, only to be knocked over instantaneously by light attacks. Their bones faded into dust soon afterwards.

Minutes later, the duo arrived at a clearing, appearing to be what was the Snarbolax’s den. Bones lay everywhere, and a single, ominous bell stood in the center of the area. Matthew walked forwards uneasily. He heard a roar.

Turning around, he saw the Snarbolax, shaking madly. Several times larger than him, with an unnaturally green coat of fur. It’s mouth foamed. The beast disappeared. Matthew turned towards a clanging sound. Blake was knocked down, lying against a wall. The Snarbolax roared again, satisfied with what it had done. Blake opened fire at the Snarbolax, as it slowly approached him. His face was panicked. Matthew ran and slashed at the monster. Unlike every other being touched by the blade, the beast did not flinch. It continued to walk towards Blake.

“MATTHE-” The Snarbolax brought it’s jaw down upon Blake, biting down on his thin body. The beast threw his friend’s corpse into the wall. Silence.

The Snarbolax had disappeared. Blake lay expressionless, eyes locked onto Matthew. His friend was gone. Matthew walked onto the elevator that had been ahead of them, without much hesitation. He wasn’t feeling very emotional.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I dream…” Matthew looked up. He saw a female, a pure woman. He had never seen her before.

“Within my dream, I saw it open the void, felt its endless hunger.” He stood up, glaring at her. She smiled softly, despite his hostility.

“You are safe here, Knight. Within this dream, its many eyes cannot see you nor can its many arms reach you.” Matthew stepped back, scowling.

“But this dream is fleeting. Use what is here to prepare for the battle to come. It knows of you now. It will find a way out and come for you.”

“What will?” Matthew clenched his fists. What was all of this? Some kind of trick? How he stumbled upon the Nightblades and had to escape them, a joke? Blake's death, a joke?

“Who is doing this!?!” The woman smiled gently, as before. She raised her hand, and waved. She chuckled, and vanished into thin air. Matthew stumbled backwards, and fell, and fell...

~~~~~~~~~~

*peck peck*

“Ugh…”

Matthew opened his eyes to a blue snipe. It tilted it’s head over, confused.

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Well that was pretty lazily done. Even took some lines straight from the game.

I should get to a schedule.

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Not exactly an original story. <FanFic>