Queen of Ragnarok

by Dylan Keefer

  I frown at that.

  “How? Could we have prevented that?” Until now I have not talked to Victor and Bain about it. But Mom already told me that woman and her party crushed all of them. They could not even bring down one of them.

  “You were using low level magic but only on yourself. We had no such protection. That might be why it ended up like that. They see a Black Mage healing in the background, you are the only Black Mage we have. It does not take a genius to figure it out.”

  It was one spell, I sigh.

  “So wait, you hired me to be a decoy!” Her voice clapped us out of our system.

  She was not happy, I could see the fiery expression on her face.

  “Hell no, you are a Black Mage that specializes in shadow magic, we need that. You can perform Teleportation with Valush, plus you can fight, no?”

  “Yes I can help in that area.” She said humbly, she calmed down quick. Teleportation I forgot about that, Valush and her have the requirements to perform the spell together.

  Forever Flair turns towards me, “You can count on me, I won’t fail you. I am really good at making potions and I have a lot with me too.” She shoots a look at Valush. This prompts Valush to squint at the Flamorish, but Forever Flair smiles in response to that.

  “Wait… you guys were attacked?” Joshua asks from behind me.

  “Yes, by Gwendolyn.” I reply.

  “Gwendolyn…?” Joshua’s voice trailed off.

  I waver my eyes on Neil’s shocked face.

  “Wait, Gwendolyn, that Gwendolyn?!” Neil uttered.

  Since I did not know this woman, I replied, “I know the Gwendolyn that attacked me, she was super fast with two swords, so…”

  “How my…”

  “Who’s Gwendolyn?” J. Ron asked.

  “Only the most vicious and powerful fighter in this game, Gwendolyn is a member of the The Witches of Light. All of us were wiped out except Celina who escaped.” Victor said.

  “She is of Godly status, she might rather keep that toy for herself.” Bain projected to the group.

  “That might be true, the Witches of Light are more like a controlling group, they look to rule over people. Individually they are not very strong, but she is. She won’t be sharing none of those spoils with them I am sure.” Victor replied.

  “There are over one hundred and fifty players of Godly status in this game, we should be watching them closely they might come for Celina.” Neil said.

  “Millions play this game, is it that hard to reach the top?” J. Ron asked.

  “Yes, to increase your prestige it requires only time and effort in the right areas. Sometimes you lose your prestige if you do not practice it as much as you used to. So my advice, get accustomed to one type of weapon or style and focus on that specifically at the start. Works out better for you in the long run…”

  J. Ron nodded with determination clearly etched on his face at Neil’s pearls of wisdom.

  “Hey but we have the staff, so we should be strong enough to beat her right?” Everyone ogled Xavier hard then Forever Flair patted him on the shoulder as she twirled beside him.

  “It is not that simple…” Bain replied, I cut him off, “The staff is not powerful, it is a pain and trust me it is a bad weapon but with the Gauntlet of Grace it allows me to activate the Trials of Gods Quest. Beyond that…we’ve only beaten one God, and we’ve fought five other Gods since then and lost. The Gods are not easy to beat, so at this point we are still vulnerable.”

  “You guys should recruit more members.” Killon said.

  “That is unnecessary. Control will be more important to me than power, especially since we are turning this group into a commerce group for a while for my high school project. The teacher wanted me to create a business and document its failure or success.”

  “High school, what grade?” Alice asked.

  “My last year actually,”

  “Considering how things are wouldn’t it be better for you to not be doing that.” Xavier utters snidely.

  “Nope, that is how we will reach the top of this game.”

  “Uh?”

  “She and all of these groups are targeting us now. We have to prepare for that.” Was all I could say as everyone stared at me. I blink, Neil was right, the limelight does not suit me. Slightly tongue tied as I ponder what to say to my allies.

  No, I need clarity. I step past all of them and walk out to the edge of the dome nestled in the side of the cliff. The glass gave me a clear view. On the outside was a fierce wind, it overlooked the northern tip leading into the Fallista Sea which stood on the eastern side of the continents of Alvador and Riontiff. In that instant I felt free.

  But freedom is never free, you have to fight for it. All of us do.

  I turn, everyone was close behind me.

  “We will destroy the structure that makes them so frightening, we will cut their claws and hit them where it hurts. This is Ragnarok…they start this and we will end this. Fighting them on the field day in and out will not get us anywhere. To beat all of them we must work not only harder, but smarter. We need one place to work from and only one place, that Fort. So Neil, you, me,” I snap my finger, “what is your name again?”

  “Forever Flair.”

  I stare then I look away, “someone give her a shorter name.”

  She shoots an aghast glare at me as Joshua interjected, “FF?”

  Bain chimes in, “Nah man, call her Medpack. I checked her, she’s got a million potions in her inventory.”

  “What about Flair?”

  “Hey, I like Medpack!”

  “Alright Medpack it is.”

  She was staring at all the boys like she wanted to hit them, but could say nothing as they settled on Medpack. Valush was laughing silently behind her. Medpack was alright with me.

  “Victor, Deabush and Bourne too we are taking that Fort.”

  They all nodded.

  “Alice you still operate out of Teloho City?”

  “Yes I do.” She responded abruptly.

  “Joshua, Mom, take the young ones and escort Alice back to Teloho City.”

  Alice tried to interject, “No that is,”

  Victor appeared at her side, “Hey you are one of us now, trust me it is better to walk in groups. Some of these players have no conscience.”

  She stared wide-eyed at him for a while but nodded in agreement.

  “Opa and Bain I need you to visit Hokour, pick up some goods Victor pre-ordered from the Bazaar you can sort that out yes?”

  “Sure.” Bain answered

  “Valush?”

  “Yes my dear.”

  “You know where the Queen of Light,”

  “Witches of Light,” Bain corrected me.

  “Whatever. Their bases are?”

  “Ya…not really…”

  “I know.” Victor stepped forward.

  “Good, tell her where the smallest one is. Valush take Killon and attack it, but only when Joshua confirms Alice has reached Teloho City ok? Take what you can and game out.”

  She nodded as Killon flew right over and dropped beside Valush jumping slightly as if ready for a fight.

  I proclaim, “Alright guys give them hell.”

  Chapter 8

  Cracked walls, climbing plants thick in bunches on the roof leaking down into the earth. I moved and the tapping echo with which the earth gave me so much discomfort. The darkness crept up well in the corners untouched. The poignant smell traversing through the air had me nearly closing my eyes at times.

  The corridors were rather long, the arches over each entrance had one symbol, a dragon, contorted with a fork going through it diagonally. That said there were a lot of abandoned weapons and broken shards of shields with the occasional broken swords.

  Bourne kept shooting glances at these things. I was just focusing on what the shadows were hiding. Our torch was not that bright. Personally I was not a fan of the darkness, which makes the fact that I am a Black Mage almost laughable. />
  This place gives me the creeps. But then again we would have to fix this place up soon.

  Well, we had to conquer it first. Medpack was next to me, she was looking around wildly. In front of me was Neil, Victor and Bourne had already walked off some distance with Deabush close behind him. Bourne was holding a pretty huge heavy looking axe. I definitely did not want to be hit with that.

  He was here to be our Forger though.

  Which reminds me, “Neil I forgot to ask but did you give them the details of the benefits?”

  He turned his head, “Oh yeah, I explained each person’s duties and what would be required for them and everyone was in agreement. The weekly Gold contribution for Bourne and Alice…we have to work up a lot of Gold.”

  Bourne and Alice were a part of Ragnarok but they would not be doing any quests. Everyone else will be doing that. Our job was to get money and materials for them. Bourne and Alice were well known experts in their craft, paying for their help would be good for our fighting ability and pockets.

  “Yeah I know, we will be questing a lot so it should be fine...money is not that important for everyone else here...hey Deabush stay beside me.” Deabush shivered slightly and ran over to me, nodding nervously before moving shoulder to shoulder with me. I reach in my pack.

  Taking out the Bow of Legend, I point my finger at him, “Hold this, and don’t miss.”

  He takes it tenderly. Neil laughs and slaps him on his side, “first day you get to use the most powerful weapon in the game.”

  “Cool…” He said.

  Thinking on it, I do not know much about my team.

  I whisper, “Identify.”

  Victor was a Brilliant Beastlord, he has not changed much from last time. Neil was a Brilliant Warrior, Accomplished Gladiator and Accomplished Warmonger, where Gladiators are known for their pretty skillful use of many weapons, his stats were pretty balanced but the highest stat was speed.

  Deabush was a Joke of a Warrior and an Apprentice Sharpshooter, his luck was rather high I must admit.

  Bourne was an Apprentice Knight, a Brilliant Forgemaster and a Average Berserker, pretty decent defense.

  Medpack was more interesting, she was a Brilliant Black Mage, a Brilliant Shadow Mage, a Brilliant Ninja and a Brilliant Chaos Weaver. Chaos Weavers were Black mages that could make potions and tonics with the effects of their magic. Also, this girl had a lot of weapons, a whole lot of them. Four Kunai, Five Hidden Knives, and one Tanto, she seemed almost too prepared.

  By the time we reach the Ogres, I can effectively pat Neil on his back for past pain. They were lazily thrown all over the room, I could not witness any good walking space at all. Their legs lying on the ground alone took the whole width of the room.

  The room was too tight as I could barely see more than a portion of them. At this point I was wondering how the hell they got here. The corridor which I was stooping in to peek at them was way too narrow for them to come through. Well this did afford us one thing though.

  I look behind me at my employees, “We can shoot them easily from here.”

  Neil probed Deabush forward as I stepped back. Deabush took his time and aim, the first shot immediately enlisted a crushing roar that rumbled like thunder on a clear day. Deabush now had to shoot moving targets but at that range it was no problem for him.

  It was only after the third shot that I felt it, this shattering shake in the very soles of my feet. Neil stood up a little and Deabush started shooting with urgency.

  They shot up backward, I saw the literal eye of the blasted Ogre for only a second. Deabush shot an arrow into it. The earth shook as the Ogre flew back into a rampage close to us. Deabush took aim and shot it in the leg. Slowly he took it out of its misery.

  We advanced into the room, a bunch of big old Armor Plates, a great Helm I could literally fit into, they even were fitted with Gorgets and Pauldrons.

  “Someone’s Monsters?” Bourne smartly asked. We gave him a carefree shrug. But I already know from past experience with the Darth Wastelands that the Ogres around here actually had their own Lord. You could beat him but he was not easy.

  He was one of the harder bosses to beat in this game.

  “Ok, Neil do it for us.”

  Neil blinked at me, “You people….”

  I giggled. As he began he stood still and I saw the blurb come up, on it was the word ‘Taking…’ It only took a few seconds for him to say it.

  “Somebody or something is still here.”

  You got to be kidding me. We told Bourne to stay with Neil as all of us spanned out and started looking. It did not take long. On a lower level, within the shadows of a curved stairway were eyes. Victor saw them clearly long before us and rushed in. A myriad of snarls and roars mixed in with pelting stones and puckering clanks of metals, all I saw were shapes moving and morphing in rabid confusion. Deabush shot his arrow once to stop an advancing Bugbear.

  Wearing leather studded armor it had metal braces connecting each leather slab. Their eyes were yellow as their teeth, looking like Bears but fatter and stronger, they had a rabid appetite and fur that stood on end when they roar.

  Those slithering bastards were in here? Me and Medpack kept behind Deabush as Victor had already pushed through growling all the way down. Under the glare of the flare that I held, their mangled bodies were slowly blurring away leaving their armor and weapons behind.

  “What the,”

  Something had grabbed unto Deabush, a sliver of a glint, Deabush fell, another, then a third. A shining blinking glare hit my eye as the object rushed upward, a raspy cry as the Bugbear crushed unto the ground convulsing before it died. Deabush breathed out a sigh of relief.

  As he looked at me, I looked at him. But we were still at a loss at what just happened. Wait, were those knifes? I counted three, two aimed at the neck, one at the wrist. That was the hand that grabbed Deabush I assumed. Those knives were familiar. I stare around behind me at Medpack, she seemed startled as I stared at her.

  “What?” She asked suddenly.

  She had aimed perfectly. “Nice job.” Was all I could say when I would rather praise her for such quick timing and precision.

  She smirked slightly and threw her hands up like ‘no big deal’. I need to buy Neil a beer after this. I looked up and saw the hole leading above us. We will need to search that later.

  Further down we met something intriguing, Cowards. This path led into a sort of prison, but a majority of the cell doors were eaten away. Some had none but the chains in the back of each room remained, instruments of torture slumped in the center between the two sections, rows of tiny rooms.

  At the back were small little Warrior Ferrets, four of them, they almost looked so cute, almost. Victor was staring at them with discontent and was advancing with the idea to just get rid of them. All enemies needed to be defeated but looking at them I realize one thing.

  Victor was a Lord, Beastlord but still a Lord.

  “Hey Victor why not try to subdue them?” He looked back at me and frowned pointing downward.

  “These little pests?”

  Well he was right. He had the power to but he never needed it though. Out of efficiency, he probably never did.

  “They can be a useful pest.” I say with a smile.

  He frowned worse. “They are only cowering because I barked at them. It was not even a serious bark…”

  I reply honestly, “They probably would suck as Guards but Monsters have other uses.”

  “Girl I am not babysitting these things.”

  I clap my hands, “come on, I will mostly manage them when this is over. Just get them on our side.”

  Victor slumped his shoulders in defeat, “fine.”

  The power of Lords to parley was not used often. There was not that much NPC’s in the cities to parley with, so the only things the skill could be used on were Monsters and NPC character bosses.

  Victor came closer to them. He whistled smoothly shattering my composure as the chilling echo o
f his call resonated in my bones. The call of a Wolf, the little Ferrets jumped, then they ran to Victor’s side ready to please like children.

  “Black Wonderful,” I look at Medpack as I focus my mind, “Call Neil.”

  Neil’s voice echoed in my brain, “yes it is going through…it is counting down now.”

  “Alright,” I motion toward Victor and Deabush, “Go outside, let none of those dumb ugly things come near here.”

  They nod and leave.

  “Call Valush…..pick up you damn drama queen.”

  “I heard that.”

  I jump slightly, in the best way I can manage, “Heeey!”

  “Cut the happy hour greeting, I am busy right now.” She was supposed to be in Walaborn, a little island that loved its tourists and the tourists loved it.

  “Ok… are they giving you too much trouble?”

  “Nope, they are already…hold on, Oblivion!....Oy come make me! Yeah, they are already sleeping with Davy Jones.”

  “Then who the hell are you are fighting?”

  “Some damn group named Gallivant Gang. Bunch of,”

  “Let me call Joshua and the others. Is Killon there?”

  “It will take them a while to reach here by boat. Killion is here, he helped me sneak into the Witch’s little hostel but he cannot do much now. He can only give me supplies. Stay where you are I got this. These Cockroaches are not beating me, trust me.”

  As much I do not trust her words in that respect, I understood her wishes and said, “You better not lose.”

  “Don’t worry I got this.”

  The call ended.

  The little Ferrets were walking around aimlessly. I snap my fingers. I got their attention. “Come on Forever Flair," she looked at me with determination, "we are going out front.”

  She nodded happily.

  Chapter 9

  "Man, I swear those bastards piss me off!" Valush laments. She walks by her hair was greatly frazzled and bushy with out-sprung strands waving over her temple. Her clothes were blackened in places but still intact.

  "Don't you usually get pissed off?" I inquired.