This is part two of a fanfic I've been creating about my new pally alt.
It's based on his adventures in Norrath. It's been a long time since I
wrote the first part simply because I haven't been playing him much.
Recently I started in on him again, so I thought I'd continue the story.
Part one can be found here:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J1CD25BB4
All thoughts, comments, and flames are gladly welcomed. =)
---
The world faded back in.
Marrtuk reacted mostly on an instinctive level. He leapt high and to the
left upon finding himself surrounded by unknown entities. His heart
pounding, he looked wildly around, trying to make a threat assessment.
He was on a stone platform of some sort, surrounded on four sides by pillars
that curved above him. On this platform were crowded many different people
of many different races. Humans, halflings, various variation of elves -
all were standing around, either chatting with each other or moving their
mouths silently. There was constant movement of people moving off the
platform by taking stairs that led down from all four sides of the platform.
Other people would run onto the platform and either stay there or move off
in another direction. It was constant chaos.
Marrtuk took comfort in the fact that, for the most part, he was being
ignored completely. He forced himself into calmness and stood silently
observing, trying to get more of a sense of his surrounding.
Suddenly, from where he had been a few moments ago, a large shape appeared -
an ogre. Marrtuk's eye immediately focused on the creature; the ogres had
always been one of the lurking dangers surrounding Guk and now Gukta. They
were large, stupid creatures who delighted in tormenting everyone around
them.
This ogre was wearing a dark brown leather tunic emblazoned with the
markings of a skull. In one hand it carried an immense lance that was
longer than the ogre was tall. Marrtuk gripped his own inadequate weapon
and watched the ogre closely. It simply stood there, unmoving, staring into
space.
From above the ogre there appeared another creature - a very short
intelligent mammal wearing bright red robes and carrying a wand that had a
large glowing sphere at one end. The mammal - gnome, that was it - came to
rest on the ogre's shoulders and wrinkled his face in disgust. "Move it,
idiot."
Marrtuk took another step back. Ogres had one and only one way to
communicate with folks of other races. Try to eat them or simply render
them into as many small pieces as possible.
To his amazement, the ogre simply blinked, took three steps forward, and sat
on the ground. The gnome fell lightly to the ground where the ogre had been
standing, made a rude gesture at the ogre's back, then turned and ran off
the platform.
Marrtuk stared at the ogre, awaiting an outburst. It just sat there,
seemingly oblivious. Everyone else on the platform was ignoring it as well.
Feeling slightly calmer, Marrtuk looked around, letting the implications
sink in. Monual had mentioned something about "aware" people from all races
working together to lift the curse. These creatures, then, must be "aware".
They realized there was no point in fighting each other while the curse
still loomed over Norrath.
It seemed a reasonable assumption. For now, though, Marrtuk kept a tight
grip on his suddenly inadequate-seeming sword.
That reminded him of why Aenene had sent him here in the first place: to
acquire gear in some kind of bazaar. Marrtuk looked beyond the platform and
found that it was situated in the middle of a large cavern. Four hallways
led away from the chamber. South, he had to go south, according to Monual.
Marrtuk looked around and tried to figure out which way that was. He wasn't
sure - all ways seemed like they could be south. This wasn't Innothule
Swamp, where he was intimately familiar with the landscape and could use
landmarks to guide him. He'd actually have to work on his sense of
direction, which was woefully lacking.
Deciding on a direction, he bounded down the stairs. Two guards stood on
either side of the passageway he was headed towards. Marrtuk stopped and
eyed each of the guards, then chose the guard on the right. "Hail," he said
somewhat nervously.
The guard turned towards him and smiled. "Hail, Marrtuk! This hallway will
take you to the wonders of the Bazaar. There you will find many goods for
sale. Enjoy your visit!"
"Oh?" Marrtuk was pleased he'd found the right way. "Do you know of any
good gear a paladin might buy?"
The guard merely gazed steadily at him. After a moment, he faced outwards
towards the center of the Nexus.
Marrtuk rumbled his throat uncertainly. "Hail."
The guard turned towards him and smiled. "Hail, Marrtuk! This hallway will
take you to the wonders of the Bazaar. There you will find many goods for
sale. Enjoy your visit!"
Marrtuk slowly blinked one eye, then the other, all the while considering
the guard. The guard smiled blankly at him, then turned and faced forward
once more.
Not aware. The guard was not aware. He did not remember Marrtuk. Marrtuk
could easily envision hailing the guard over and over again and getting the
same exact response.
Frozen in time. The nature of the Curse began to sink in a little more
deeply.
Feeling more than a bit unsettled, Marrtuk bounded down the hallway. He
passed more people coming and going, leapt down some stairs, forced his way
through a crowd of people gathered around a blue-skinned mammal in robes,
and followed the corridor into the Bazaar itself.
It was the noise he noticed first. An unceasing babble assailed his ears,
people talking and shouting, uttering phrases in Common that made no sense
to Marrtuk. He was quickly shouldered aside by all the people coming and
going, and Marrtuk quickly pressed himself against a wall, taking in the
sights.
The architecture wasn't that impressive. Stone square walls, crude cloth
canopies, a couple of simple stone structures. At one of these structures
Marrtuk could see money and items being stored and retrieved - this must be
the local bank. Slowly Marrtuk moved towards it.
As he did, he noticed something odd. The sensation was hard to pin down,
and he stopped, took a few steps, stopped, did a backflip, and took another
step forward before he realized what it was. He had no weight. He didn't
feel the weight of the sword in his hand or the clothes on his skin. He
didn't even feel the weight of his flesh on his bones. Yet he could walk
and jump as if gravity worked as it always did. It was a very strange
sensation.
And one that had a very practical application, he soon saw. As he stood in
line at the bank, he saw a tall female mammal withdraw a huge sack of
platinum from the bank. Marrtuk remembered how a similar bag had rendered
him unable to move in Gukta. Yet the female turned and sprinted off,
showing no signs of being encumbered at all. Marrtuk watched her retreat
with one eye while he focused on the banker with the other. He asked for
and received his entire store of platinum - and felt it not at all. As he
moved away, he felt as light as ever. It was an amazing feeling - put the
world on his shoulders and he would never know.
Armor. Weapons. The fight against the Curse. He had a purpose here, and
he could not allow himself to be distracted. Slapping his feet resolutely
against the stone floor, Marrtuk walked towards the canopies and the people
crammed underneath them.
He spent the next several hours browsing through all the wares. There was a
staggering amount of equipment available. It made his current armor seem
like rags and his sword seem like a mere toy. He could easily burn through
all of the platinum Monual had given him on just one or two pieces, but he
wanted to just a bit judicious.
Two items, however, drew him. One was cloak that appeared to be made out of
clear water. It *looked* liquid, but felt firm to the touch. Equipping it
made him feel light and marvelous, made his limbs seem faster and surer.
The other was a large double-bladed axe which the seller called a Windblade.
It seemed to thrum with power in his hands. Marrtuk got a good two-handed
grip on it and felt its heft. It looked and felt dangerous. Marrtuk used a
good portion of his platinum to acquire it.
He walked around the bazaar, still testing out the feel of the Windblade,
still trying to come to grips with the power of the thing. Evil, beware.
"Hey, you. Frog-creature."
Marrtuk stopped at the words, spoken with just a touch of sibilance. One
eye caught a tall upright reptile - one of the evil Iksar. Slowly, Marrtuk
turned to face it.
The Iksar smiled, and Marrtuk shuddered. Deep down in his mind was a
gibbering fear that the creature was going to try and swallow him whole.
That mouth, those teeth, that throat made for squeezing and forcing food
into that cold-blooded gullet... Marrtuk fought an overwhelming urge to run
away.
The Iksar seemed aware of the effect it was having, and smiled more widely
to enhance the effect. "I see you are attempting to equip yourself,
amphibian."
"Marrtuk." The Iksar had to be 'aware'; it had hailed him, after all. No
need to leap away as quickly as possible. "And, uh, yes, I'm buying stuff."
"Ah, and the Bazaar has many wondrous items, enough to make a young creature
as yourself powerful beyond reckoning. And yet, such items cost much,
perhaps more than you can find in that pouch at your side. How would you
like to acquire more?"
Marrtuk lifted one hand from his axe and put it over his money pouch.
"How?"
"With these." The Iksar held out one of its hands. In it were four small
geometric shapes, each facet displaying a number in Common. "Give me some
of your platinum, then roll these dice. If you roll high enough, I will
give you back two or even three times the amount you gave me. Just what an
aspiring young creature like yourself needs to get buy."
Marrtuk stared at the dice. "And if I don't roll high enough?"
"Then hand me more platinum and try again. Soon you will have riches
untold."
"I will?" Marrtuk looked back up at the Iksar's face, its wide mouth, and
suddenly the fear began to subside. "Or will I, after rolling these dice
over and over again, be left with nothing but an empty pouch?"
"Surely your god would not allow such to happen to you," the Iksar said
easily. "Surely your god will see that these dice fall in your favor."
"Surely would Mithaniel Marr frown at me in disapproval should I waste the
gift that was given to me on games of chance." Marrtuk took a step
backwards. "I must decline your offer, Iksar."
"Suit yourself." Just like that, the Iksar lost all interest in Marrtuk.
He hailed another passer-by. Marrtuk took the opportunity to walk away.
The experience left him feeling unsettled. The Iksar knew of the Curse.
Yet, instead of trying to fight against the Curse, the Iksar was merely
attempting to take advantage of other 'aware' individuals. Marrtuk was
disconcerted to find that some people who were aware of the Curse had no
interest in bringing it to an end.
Feeling a little sickened, he headed towards the corridor leading back to
the Nexus. As he did so, he began to feel weight again. His newly-acquired
armor began pressing down on him. The bag of plat became heavier and
heavier, until he could hardly move. With a croak of annoyance, Marrtuk
turned around and headed back towards the Bazaar bankers and deposited the
platinum again.
He left the buzz of the Bazaar behind him. The cavern of the Nexus loomed
all around and he stood, uncertain of where to go.
A call suddenly echoed throughout the cavern. "Looking for teleport to
Cobalt Scar!"
Teleport. Like the spell the High Elf had cast on him. Marrtuk brightened
and called out, "Looking for teleport to Gukta!"
After a few seconds, an answer came echoing off the stones. "Are you
stupid? Just use the books and the stones!"
Marrtuk's enthusiasm dimmed considerable. "Books? Stones?" he tried
responding.
"Western corridor, dolt."
Marrtuk looked around, trying to use his sense of direction to determine whi
ch way was West. After a moment, he bounded off that way. The corridor was
short and ended in a cave-in. Near the jumbled boulders was a book on
pedestal. It glowed brightly. Marrtuk approached it cautiously. As he did
so, another intelligent mammal - a halfling - ran by him. Hardly slowing
down at all, the halfling put her hand on the book - and vanished.
Marrtuk simply stood and watched. As he did so, another troll suddenly
appeared in front of him. Without pausing at all, it ran back towards the
Nexus. A human wielding brightly-glowing swords ran up to the book, tapped
it with one of his weapons, and also disappeared.
Gathering his courage, Marrtuk approached the book and put one hand on it.
The world vanished, in a sensation very similar to the teleport he had
experienced before. When the world faded in again, he was in another place.
Trees, grass, graceful white buildings - not as comfortable as the swampland
around Gukta, but still very pleasant-looking. Marrtuk looked around, once
again seeing a wide variety of intelligent beings either reclining on the
grass or running around on mysterious errands. As he continued looking
about, he saw behind him a stone marker resting on top of a small platform.
Engraved on the stone, in Common, was "Nexus".
A light went on inside Marrtuk's head. He looked and saw another stone
marker nearby. He bounded up to it and saw "The Great Divide" inscribed on
it. Beyond it, he saw more markers.
It took a bit of exploring, for the markers were scattered all around the
city whose name he had not yet learned. But finally, in a darker section of
town slightly more reminiscent of his home, he found a marker labeled
"Gukta". Opening his mouth slightly in pleasure, Marrtuk bounded up and
touched it.
Again, the world faded out and in. This time, he was in front of another
book on a pedestal. And this book pedestal was in the middle of a swamp.
He was home.
Excitedly, Marrtuk turned and began leaping towards Gukta.
Something hit him from behind, hard. He fell forward, stunned. A growl and
bark told him all he needed to know - a kobold had snuck up him. Or,
likely, had been lurking near the pedestal all along and Marrtuk hadn't
noticed it. The kobold began beating on him, although the armor blunted
some of it.
Gathering his wits, Marrtuk pushed himself up and turned. Fortunately he
was still holding the Windblade. Grabbing it with both hands, Marrtuk took
a swing at the kobold.
It was as if the Windblade had a life of its own. It seemed to want to leap
out of his hands, so eager was it to inflict damage. Marrtuk, surprised,
could not control it, and the blow went well wide. He tried again, and
again the axe seemed to fight him and went in a direction he did not intend.
A third time, and through mostly luck Marrtuk was able to push the Windblade
in the general vicinity of the kobold. The blow was glancing at best, and
while the kobold yelped slightly, it did not look seriously hurt.
The kobold, meanwhile, was having not having similar difficulty directing
its own claws. Blow after blow fell upon Marrtuk. In desperation, he
opened his heart and mind to the will of Mithaniel Marr, as he had trained
to do. He felt the power of his god flow through him, healing what it
could, closing up wounds and replacing lost blood. It was a euphoric
feeling.
But it was not enough. The kobold was still there, still rending with its
claws. Marrtuk struggled with the Windblade, trying to will it to go where
he wanted it to go, but each time the blow went awry.
With a howl of triumph, the kobold tore out Marrtuk's throat. His own blood
choking him, Marrtuk fell forward, feeling his body become numb, his sight
dim, his life being pumped out of his throat a handful at a time...
...and then a force grabbed him, seized his body and mind and soul. He had
a place he was intended to be at, a rigid role he had to fill, and deviation
was not to be tolerated. His body was repaired, and he was deposited
outside the entrance to Gukta. As he stood there, dazed, Marrtuk felt his
legs begin to walk forward. He had a place to return to inside, after all.
His thoughts were slow and dull, unable to focus on anything but one
thought: get back to where he belonged, perform what duties he needed to
perform.
With a tremendous effort of will, Marrtuk stopped. He stood, trembling, his
mind still reeling, still wanting to return to apathy. He fought it, fought
it with every fiber of his being, and slowly, reluctantly, the lethargy left
his thoughts, leaving them free and clear.
The Curse. It had been the Curse. The Curse did not want things to change,
even if that meant returning things from death. It did not want people to
think. It did not even want people to live. It only wanted them to respond
as intended, nothing more. It had wanted Marrtuk to return to his assigned
role inside Gukta.
Marrtuk was breathing deeply and rapidly. This was terrifying beyond
comprehension. He had never consciously realized how badly he wanted to be
free to think his own thoughts. Not until it had been taken away from him.
With each new experience, he was coming to realize how terrible the Curse
was. With each new experience, he was coming to realize how important it
was that the Curse come to an end.
Marrtuk looked down at the Windblade, a weapon of awesome power. Slowly, he
unshouldered his backpack - a wondrous device he had discovered in the
Bazaar. Inside he could store up to eight other backpacks, and no matter
how large the items he put inside, the backpack would always be easy to
shoulder, although the weight of the objects he carried was only slightly
reduced. Pulling out one of the backpacks, he carefully stored the
Windblade inside. From another backpack he withdrew a short, unassuming
sword and a dull gray shield. He put everything back in order and
reshouldered his backpack.
Marrtuk gripped his sword and hefted his shield. There was evil out in
Norrath, and it had cursed the population. He needed to find that evil and
exterminate it. But not today. First he had to learn to master his own
mind and body.
His mind set and his purpose clear, Marrtuk strode out into the swamp to
begin his lessons.
--
-Richard
Monual Lifegiver
Archon of Rodcet Nife
Silent Tempest
This page is Copyright by Skaarak; Everquest (TM) is property of Sony Online Entertainment
All stories and art work are Copyright@ by the origial owner/writer.
Most, if not all stories, were taken from newsgroup alt.games.everquest (AGE), I recommend that anyone who gets a chance to read it should!