.hack//SIGN Fan Fiction / .hack//LIMINALITY Fan Fiction / .hack//Legend Of Twilight Bracelet Fan Fiction ❯ Episode One- .hack//Destiny ❯ Horseman One ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Eighteen- Horseman One: Conquest- The World

 

“Huh?” Joker asked herself. The four of them, upon entering the room, were blinded by a flashing light.

“Where are we?” Pai asked. Sircosgi sighed as he regained vision.

“We're right back where we started.” The others soon regained sight and glanced around them.

“Arche Koeln?” Badger asked. Sircosgi cried out in anguish.

“DAMN IT ALL! WHY THE HECK, AFTER ALL THIS WORK, ARE WE BACK AT THE BEGINNING?” Sircosgi cried out.

“Silly boy, you're at the end.” Said a voice.

“Helba?” Joker asked.

“Not quite.” A rift in the programming appeared. From the one's and zero's came forth a figure, clad in a white robe.

“YOU!” Badger said. “We saw you back at the field, with Plong. Who are you?”

“Are you Conquest?” Joker added.

“No. I am merely a messenger.” The figure said. The voice, certainly a woman's, seemed young, yet it commanded a sense of maturity.

“And what message do you bring?” Sircosgi asked.

“Simple. I bring for you the message of doom, one that you, and only you, shall bring.”

“Me?” Sircosgi asked.

“Yes, you. If you continue this trivial pursuit, doom shall meet The World.”

“Is that all.”

“No. I have given form to this doom.” A figure began to materialize, in a data stream, next to the figure in white. “I give you Conquest!” The materializing figure took form. Standing next to a white Grunty, was none other than Conquest.

“Odd.” Sircosgi said. “That looks like Alexander the Great.”

“No way!” Pai said. “He is the mack-daddy of all Conquerors.” Badger stood wide-eyed while Joker mouthed out expletives.

“Hah. Maybe if you see the errors of your ways, you won't continue to commit them. Your friends did. They now no longer bring death to this world.”

“This is foolishness!” Sircosgi cried out in anguish. The robed figure just laughed and jumped out through another rift in the game. Conquest merely looked at the group with a cruel smile on his face.

“Let's do this.” Joker said. Pai nodded. Badger held up her staff. Sircosgi just glared at Conquest.

“HAVE AT THEE!” He cried out as he cast Vak Rom at Conquest, back pedaling to allow Joker and Pai to get in front of him. The spells connected, for sure, but they didn't have any effect.

“Damn, this guy's like Boragia. Infinite Life Points.” Badger commented as she cast a spell.

“What to do?” Sircosgi asked frantically. Conquest began to charge at the group, long sword at the ready. Joker and Pai froze in place and Badger stopped a spell in mid-cast. Sircosgi sighed in despair.

His mind hit a flashback. Conquest drew nigh upon them.

“Hey, I have an idea.”

“That would be good now!” Badger yelled over at him.

“Okay, attack NOW!” Sircosgi cried out. Pai and Joker slashed on either side of Conquest, while Badger and Sircosgi cast Pha Varthkin at the same instant. The effect was incredible. The Grunty was vaporized, and Conquest slid ten feet on the ground.

“That was it?” Joker asked, somewhat skeptically. Conquest twitched. “Good. I like a challenge.” Conquest leapt to his feet. Sircosgi looked at Conquest's statistics.

“Okay, keep hacking and slashing. Badger, you solely heal everyone with La Repth every ten or so seconds. Use as many Mage's Souls as you need to keep your magic points up. Pai and Joker, SLASH OFF!” Pai and Joker charged towards Conquest, who had the eeriest smile on his face. As soon as they got into striking range he swung at Pai, with his long sword. Pai was thrown across the field with only one health point to spare.

Meanwhile Joker was slashing on Conquest, with the magic assistance of Sircosgi. Badger was concentrating on healing Pai for the most part. Pai, when hit, was dealt with several status ailments. After a few remedies and potions he was back at the front, hacking and slashing. Conquest smiled again and hit Pai with the same devastating blow.

“What is this?” Pai yelled after being healed again. “Hit Pai across the field day?” Sircosgi glared at him, blood lust in his eyes.

“Get back. Our main attack is soon in coming.” Pai, wide eyed, rushed back, this time wary of the blade. Joker was having a great success in slashing from behind while Sircosgi attacked from behind.

Suddenly, Conquest's statistics changed. Surrounding him was an odd, green ring. Sircosgi smiled.

“Joker, POSSESS HIM!” Joker smiled.

“As you wish.” She pointed a finger towards Conquest. “POSSESS!” A beam of light shot through Conquest, right around where his heart would be. It lifted him into the air, and surrounded him with several rings. Conquest began to scream. Suddenly the beam of light disappeared, and he fell to the ground. After getting up, he knelt before Joker.

“What is your wish, milady?” Joker looked, flabbergasted, at Sircosgi. He had a grim look on his face. He brought a finger across his throat. Joker gasped, then recovered. Glaring at Conquest, she pointed a finger at him.

“Die.”

“As you wish.” Immediately Conquest began to scream. He then began rolling on the floor. He then finally began to fade in the fashion of one's and zero's flying to the sky. Sircosgi nodded at the group.

“Mission accomplished. But our work isn't done yet.” He sighed. “Let's go home.” The group glanced over at the now vanished Conquest before gating out.

 

As the sun began to set on Arche Koeln, the white robe was back. She walked to where Conquest had died and smiled. There, in plain view, was a book. She smiled and picked it up. Giving a laugh to no one, she began to walk away. She began to recite a poem as she faded into the darkness.

“'Won't you step into my parlor' said the spider to the fly?”

 

The four were in Root Town.

“Wow, the population rose, like, one hundred percent!” Joker said. Sircosgi nodded.

“Hey, did that seem too, too easy to any of you?” The group shook their head. “Well, maybe it's just me being weird. I just, I just thought that it being Conquest et all, well, it should have been WAAY harder. But, maybe it was.” He sighed. “Well, I think that we all deserve a night's rest. Does anyone want to come over for dinner?” Pai nodded. “Besides you?” The girls both nodded. “Okay, you guys guard me. I'm stepping away from the controls for a moment.” Sircosgi froze.

“I wondered what happened when someone did that!” Pai said, laughing. Together they posed him with his fingers plugging his ears, and with his tongue sticking out. Sircosgi then unfroze.

“Mom and Dad say that it's- what the hell is this?” He said, pulling his fingers out of his ears. The group busted out with laughter. “Whatever. It's fine. Just all of you make sure to save your game. I'm sure that we don't want to lose any leveling up we may have done.” They all went to the Recorder's and saved.

Pai and Joker had logged off already. Sircosgi and Badger just stood there, in Mac Anu, overlooking the river that flows through it. Sircosgi sighed. Badger looked over and smiled as she brushed hair from his eyes.

“What is it, Dan?” She said, slipping out of the personas of the on-line world.

“It just seems that it is too easy, V. I feel that there should have been more resistance. He did knock Pai around a lot, but other than that, what did he do? He just stood there and let us kill him.”

“Maybe we're just that good?” Badger suggested. Sircosgi laughed.

“He stood there SMILING. I'm pretty sure it ISN'T that. I, I don't know, I just feel that there is something that isn't right going on.” Badger smiled.

“Dan, I'm sure everything's okay.” Sircosgi scoffed.

“How can you be sure?” Badger just smiled.

“Simple.” She leaned over and kissed him. After a moment of shock, Sircosgi reciprocated the kiss. After a few seconds the two separated, a little embarrassed, but neither regretted it. The two just looked into each other's eyes, clasping hands.

“I think it's all going to be fine.” Sircosgi said.

“You betcha.” Badger said, right before logging out. Sircosgi stood there, alone, until he too logged out.