.hack//SIGN Fan Fiction / .hack//LIMINALITY Fan Fiction / .hack//Legend Of Twilight Bracelet Fan Fiction ❯ Episode Two: .hack//Legacy ❯ Set You Free ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four- Set You Free- The World

 

Sircosgi motioned the three closer.

“Glad to see everyone.” He looked at Pai. “How was your evening?” Pai's face remained stoic.

“Peachy. We played a few games, watched a movie or two, and talked.”

“Well,” Badger said, “it's good for him to have a friend like you. Be a good influence, m'kay?”

“Okay, but no promises!” Pai said, half joking.

“Hey, what's wrong?” Sircosgi asked Joker.

“What? Oh, nothing. Tired.” She said, lying. “Why did you need us?” Sircosgi smiled grimly.

“I read a strange e-mail on the BBS.” He paused for a second. “It said `for those who quest for the Twilight Dragon, come to Theta: Hidden Devil Hydra.'. I am not sure what's there, but it could be someone who can help. I wanted to tell everyone this.” The others nodded.

“What to do?” Joker asked herself.

“We could go.” Badger suggested.

“It sounds like a trap.” Pai supplied.

“If things get too rough we can always gate to another server.” Sircosgi mentioned.

“I say we do it. It could be a good chance of something good happening!” The four nodded.

“Yeah!”

“Let's do it!” They gated over to the field.

 

“Well, this may have been a waste of time.” Joker muttered.

“We'll just look a little harder. I hope we can find something!” Pai murmured.

“And THAT'S the last of the monster portals here on the field. I have a feeling it could be in the dungeon.” Sircosgi declared.

“Not another dungeon adventure!” Badger cried out.

“Fine. We'll gate into the final room of the dungeon. Sound good?” The four gated from where they stood.

 

The four gate-in rings were displayed in the dungeon.

“You know,” a voice said, “it takes a pretty good hacker to just gate into a dungeon.” The four looked at the speaker.

“Lady Celeste?” Sircosgi asked.

“The one and same.”

“Putting yourself at some risk, being with” and Joker put her fingers in quotes, “hackers like us.”

“Don't be naïve, child. There are a few things protecting me from you all. I just needed to speak with you all.”

“Certainly a step or two back from your hacker policy.” Sircosgi said.

“Why? You want to be deleted?” She asked, her eyes glaring.

“Of course not. Now, what do you want?”

“Simply, some answers. Like, for instance, what did you do to this knight?” She pulled in Paul.

“Mistress!” He cried out when he saw Joker. She laughed nervously.

“I remember this now.” She said quietly.

“Well, children?”

“We were under attack by your knights. He got attacked by a monster that appeared to have data corruption. Joker stepped in and saved him. Unfortunately, we were too late for the other knight. This one, too, got messed up, so he sees Joker as his goddess of sorts.” Badger said.

“We were frightened that people would think that we did this, so we never told anyone.” Sircosgi finished. Lady Celeste nodded.

“And I'm supposed to believe this?” The four nodded. “Nice try. What happened?”

“I have a special ability.” Joker said. “I can possess people, monsters, AI's, whatever.”

“Ah, now the truth comes out. Where did you get it?” Celeste asked.

“That is a secret.” Joker replied.

“And you are the only one?”

“No. We all have them. However, some of us have yet to realize what it is.”

“I see. And why do you have them?” Sircosgi shook his head.

“You don't know about what's going on?”

“No. Why don't you tell me.”

“You and your knights would only get in the way.” He said.

“Well, what if I were to grant you complete autonomy?”

“You would do that?” Pai asked.

“In a heartbeat. Now, tell me what is going on.”

“The four Horsemen of the book in Revelations are rampaging. It is our duty to track them down, attack them, and erase them before they can fulfill their functions. So far we have fought one of the four. However, they have emissaries, and they are making things slightly difficult for us.”

“Ah, I see. So, tell me, why so secretive?”

“Simple. If the last horseman goes unchecked, then everyone playing The World at the current time dies.”

“Impossible. Events in The World can't affect anyone in the real world!”

“Ah. So, why are two of your knights comatose, and why are two of our friends, who were attacked by an emissary, in a hospital barely clinging to life?” Celeste opened her mouth, then shut it.

“I see. I may have been wrong in judging you four earlier. So, now tell me, when you have taken care of the Horsemen, what will you do?”

“Beg pardon?”

“What do you expect you will do after that?”

“Oh, we'll do what every other dothacker has done: We're going to Disney World!”

“Aha! They are dothackers! Knights! Move in!” She looked at the four. “Thanks for the information. I'll be sure to get right on this.”

“But you said that you would-“

“I said `what if'. I didn't say I WAS! You'll make good additions to the list of deleted characters.” Pai shook his head.

“NO!” Sircosgi yelled. “We are NOT going down like this. If anyone moves a step closer, Joker will possess Lady Celeste and order the knights to stand down.” He pointed his staff at her. “And if you move at all, I will kill you.” Celeste stopped.

“Well well well!” She said. “You all are quite the heroes, bargaining with other people's lives. Wasn't quite expecting this. Too bad for you though. You see,” She stepped towards the four, “I'm not here. This is a holographic projection. See?” She put her hand through her stomach. “Or, maybe I was expecting it? Knights?”

“Expect this, bitch!” A voice cried out. A massive gate in ring formed, gating in around twenty characters.

“Who are you?” A sole person stepped forward. It was a woman, dressed in a blue dress and bikini. She had long, blue hair, and had two short wings on her back. She carried her axe in her right hand.

“I am Subaru.”

“Oh, shi-“

“Watch it!” Subaru said. She looked at a figure in the crowd. “And you too Blackrose!”

“Sorry!”
“You still haven't answered my question. Who are all of you?”

“Why, that's simple. We are The World's saviors, ALL of us, at one time or another.” Sora stepped forward.

“Get to it, old lady!”

“Fine, Sora. I swear, you're worse than HIM!” Subaru indicated Sircosgi.

“Now WAIT a second!” Sircosgi said, launching into an argument with Subaru. As they fought in the background, another figure walked forward.

“Lady Kamui?” Celeste asked.

“You got it!” The rest of the people walked forward. “Maybe a group introduction is necessary. We'll start with me, and go around. I am Kamui. To my left is BT, and next to her is Tsukasa, and next to her is Bear, and next to him his Mimiru, and next to her is Subaru. They helped wake Aura from her comatose state. Next to Subaru is Ginkan, or the Silver Knight, who also helped wake Aura up, and next to him is Crim, co-founder of the Crimson Knights, who too helped. Next to him is Kite and Blackrose, the two who saved The World from MorgannaModeGone, and saviors of Aura. They were assisted by Mistral, who is the only one to be on today, except for Balmung, who helped basically everyone. Next to Mistral is Shugo and Rena, the winners of the character contest. They saved us from a vagrant AI bent on death. They were helped by Ouka, Mirelle, Balmung, and myself. Those four are Sircosgi, Joker, Pai, and Badger, the current fanatics, who fight the vagrant AI's known as the Horsemen.” Kamui paused. BT stepped forward.

“Now that you know us, you should have an idea of who we are?”

“Simple.” Celeste muttered. “You are the Confederation of dothackers. And a good thing everyone is in the same room. Makes it much easier to delete you all!” Ginkan shook his head.

“Not again. Kamui deleted me last time.”

“Yeah, deletion isn't nice. In fact, it makes you very selfish.” Tsukasa muttered.

“To want is to lose.” Bear mentioned.

“Besides, old lady, we have no intention of deletion.” Sora said. “In fact, we just wanna take our friends and leave.”

“No. Absolutely not. They are my captives.” Sircosgi scoffed.

“Captives? I see, we are now in bondage?” Everyone laughed at Celeste.

“What? I am going to kill all of you, so stop playing around!” Sora glared at Celeste.

“Someone who I crossed said the following thing to me before I was rendered comatose. She said, `Sora, you have played far too much. I will teach you there are things FAR worse than death.' It's a good thing my mom taught me how to share.” And with that he charged into the regiment of knights, and all hell broke loose.

 

Celeste was glad that she wasn't physically there. She had commissioned two hundred knights to be present there. However, they stood no chance against the insurgents. She sighed.

“Nonetheless, they are only pawns.” She turned off the viewscreen.

 

All the Wavemasters banded together in order to coordinate their attacks. BT looked at Sircosgi.

“You lead the way!” Sircosgi raised his staff.

“Pha Varthkin!” All the other Wavemasters followed suit. This single attack took out twenty knights. The others, however, were in a blood frenzy. Kite, Shugo, Mimiru, Blackrose, Pai and Rena grouped in order to form a massive assault.

Sora acted as stand alone.

Kamui, Subaru, Ouka, Crim, Joker, and Ginkan formed the last party. They were hacking away at anyone who got in their way. Sircosgi saw an assault team forming. He raised his staff into the air.

“Everyone, on the count of three, Rue Rom! Here we go now, ONE TWO THREE JUMP!” The Wavemasters cast the spell, which wiped out half of the assault team. The remainder rushed in, only to be cut down by Sora.

Joker then pointed at a knight.

“Possess!” An amber beam of light pierced through him, levitated him into the air, and then faded. The knight dropped to the ground.

“What can I do for you?” Joker smiled.

“Wait here. OH PAUL!” Paul rushed over to her.

“Yes, milady?”

“Wait here with him. Don't attack anyone.” Sircosgi rushed over to her.

“What are you thinking? You just placed another knight into comatose!” Joker smiled.

“You'll see in a second.” The knights, realizing that their doom was close, threw down their weapons in submission.

“We surrender! We'll tell you anything you want! Just don't kill us!” Sora laughed maniacally.

“No quarter!” He continued to slice and dice, which caused the others to take his lead.

 

The knights gone, the Confederation stood around, talking animatedly. Joker then brought the two knights into their midst, ceasing all discussion.

“You are going to talk, and you will tell us everything about the knights or anything that we ask. DO you understand?”

“Yes mistress!”

“Yes milady!”

“Good. Now, start with the Knights.”