[center][h1][color=Black]P R O L O U G E :[/color][/h1][h2][color=39b54a]A L L W E N T W R O N G[/color][/h2][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/51fc61ac770a524e9468f174afa94d7f/tumblr_inline_n1xc79Kcic1rb3m8r.png[/img][/center] [b][center][color=Black]Netherplay Games[/color] [color=gray][[ Main Server Hub ]][/color] [/center][/b] A man looked down to the office area below where a hundred different tech workers were monitoring Netherplay's new virtual reality gaming network. Seventy two hours since the system had gone operational worldwide and it was working like a charm. The various VR arcades were established, the home consoles were running and even the projected difficulties with maintaining the online connection and relay of data between players in networked multiplayer seemed to have vanished. This was going to be the most profitable venture this company had ever made. What could possibly go wrong now? The answer to that question felt the need to present itself at precisely that moment as the man was just starting to feel confident that this entire system might actually hold up. [color=39b54a]"Sir!"[/color] Somebody yelled from across the work floor. An employee ran up the steps to the man's office with a panicked expression on his face. [color=39b54a]"Sir we seem to be experiencing a network event."[/color] The man looked at his employee unsure what he was referring to. [color=Indigo]"What do you mean by 'a network event'"[/color] [color=39b54a]"Some sort of malignant base code is rewriting software over multiple systems."[/color] [color=Indigo]"How fast is it spreading? Can we shut down the network?"[/color] [color=39b54a]"That's the problem sir it's not spreading."[/color] [color=Indigo]"What do you mean? How is it infecting systems if it's not spreading?"[/color] [color=39b54a]"It seems it was buried in the source code of ever single system we sold. Now its coming alive and linking with itself over and over and over again cross connecting ever system, every game and... every player."[/color] [color=Indigo]"Every player?"[/color] [color=39b54a]"You remember their was a parental rights group that was worried the neural link we used could be used to upload or download information directly from the brain?"[/color] [color=Indigo]"It was taken care of. The hardware is untamperable and the firmware unhackable. I programmed the firewalls and safety precautions myself."[/color] [color=39b54a]"It doesn't matter. Because it was already in the system at a base level the virus is circumventing the firewalls with ease. It's imprinting on the brain's of the players. We don't know exactly what it's doing but this cannot be good."[/color] [color=Indigo]"Cannot be good? CANNOT BE GOOD! This is a disaster of biblical proportions. Our company is finished."[/color] [color=MediumSeaGreen][h2]Final Fantasy VI - Terra Branford[/h2][/color] The girl playing Terra stood at the top of the Floating Continent starring at Emperor Gestahl and his general Kefka as they stood in front of the Warring Triad. She was so glad her mother had bought her and her friends nearly eight uninterrupted hours at the local VR arcade. They were just getting to the good part. She did her best to play the part of Terra trying to look serious. This was the end of the world after all. The great statues of Demon, Fiend, and Goddess, the ancient gods of Final Fantasy VI pulsed with power, they glowed, shards of light seeming to break off them, to be absorbed by Emperor Gestahl. He breathed deeply as the power flowed through his body. [color=MediumOrchid]"What Power! What magic! My body hums with it."[/color] He stretched forth his hand and Terra, Locke and Strago all froze in place falling to their knees motionless leaving only Celes free to speak. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Emperor Gestahl! Please, stop this madness!"[/color] She begged him but the Emperor only smiled. [color=MediumOrchid]"Celes, child... Of them all you alone are special. You could have a place in my new world. The mother of a new race of people to populate my Magitek Empire. You could belong with us."[/color] The Emperor was power hungry and mad to use the ancient gods but when he spoke his voice was velvet and everything he said seemed to make so much sense. Kefka, Gestahl's right hand general (though he looked like a court fool) stepped towards Celes and drew his sword. He took it by the blade offering the handle to Celes. [color=Crimson]"Kill the others Celes. Kill them and we will forgive your treachery."[/color] he said it was a steady voice but his eyes and face spoke of barely contained mirth as he watched her squirm. [color=Crimson]"Take this sword, Celes. Kill them all."[/color] Celes grasped the handle with both her hands and turned on her friends. She approached Locke with the blade raised high and set it over his heart. [color=MediumOrchid]"That's it Celes. Together we can rule the world."[/color] said the Emperor. Celes looked at the blade in her hands. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Power only breeds corruption and war."[/color] She said almost to herself. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"It's something we’d all be better off without."[/color] In one movement so swift it was barely visible Celes spun round and stabbed the sword into Kefka's chest. He fell backwards into the center of the Warring Triad, his face as pale as death. The foolish man screamed as he looked at the blade in his chest. [color=Crimson]"B-blood... Blood! [i]My[/i] Blood! You vicious brat! You stupid, vicious, arrogant, whiny, pampered, backstabbing, worthless... LITTLE BRAT!"[/color] He screamed before he collapsed. Even the Emperor believed him dead when the impossible happened. Kefka stood up. Shakily but he pulled himself to his feet and wrenched his own sword from his chest. Then her turned to look at each statue in the Warring Triad in turn. [color=Crimson]"Gods, you were born to fight! Now is the time! I implore you... show me your power!"[/color] As he said these words more light broke away from the statue and converged on Kefka, his wound sealed itself, all the blood returned to his body leaving his shirt torn. Yet he seemed unsatisfied. [color=Crimson]"Heed my words!"[/color] He screamed at the statues. [color=Crimson]"I command you... Show me your power!"[/color] Gestahl seemed to realize what was planning before he did it. [color=MediumOrchid]"Kefka, stop! If you revive them, they'll destroy the very world we want to rule! There's no value in that!"[/color] [color=Crimson]"Shut up!"[/color] The general screamed like a child who's favorite toy was being threatened. [color=MediumOrchid]"Kefka! Are you mad!?"[/color] yelled the Emperor looking suddenly nervous for the first time since Terra had seen him. [color=Crimson]"I'm thinking clearer than I ever have Gestahl. This is the perfect chance to show them the power of the Warring Triad! To show you!"[/color] [color=MediumOrchid]"Kefka... You poor, hopeless thing! You leave me no choice!"[/color] Far from being intimidated by this Kefka burst into insane maniacal laughter [color=MediumOrchid]"What's so funny!?"[/color] But Kefka didn't respond. He couldn't respond he was laughing so hard. [color=MediumOrchid]"I suppose it’s only fitting that you die laughing. Goodbye Kefka."[/color] Gestahl raised his hands skyward and they began to glow with the light of an intense inferno. Yet despite this Kefka continued to laugh. Gestahl thrust his hands outward and the light shot straight at Kefka, aiming to kill but the last moment that spell which had burned legions and destroyed mountains faded into nothing. The Emperor looked shocked. [color=MediumOrchid]"K-kefka? H-how...?"[/color] Kefka looked more than amused. He looked insane in his revelry. [color=Crimson]"I am standing at the center of the Warring Triad fool! They are the gods of magic, they absorb all of it cast in their presence. Or hadn’t you noticed?"[/color] Then Kefka put his hands out and light started to emanate from the Gods of magic. It blasted away from them and struck Gestahl knocking him to the ground at the edge of the Floating Continent overlooking the world. Gestahl looked up at Celes standing a few feet from him. [color=MediumOrchid]"This is not what I wanted Celes. The world is about the learn, the meaning, of fear..."[/color] He choked out. Kefka looked down at Gestahl's broken body. [color=Crimson]"It most certainly will."[/color] Then he kicked the Emperor hard in the stomach sending the limp body cascading to the earth below. Done with his former lord Kefka turned back towards the statues still unsatisfied with the power he had taken. Celes was the only one left who could stop him. She ran towards him attempting to block his path as Terra watched helplessly from the sidelines. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Kefka! NO! Don't do this!"[/color] Kefka struck her with the back of his hand and the newfound power he hand taken from the gods sent her careening towards the edge of the Continent. She fell off the edge only just managing to clutch a hand hole to prolong falling to her death seconds longer. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Kefka, you mustn’t! If you disturb the balance... their power will run wild!"[/color] Either he didn't hear her or he didn't care for Kefka started to drag each statue, one after the other further away from each other. As he did the sky turned black, storm cloud filled the heavens and the earth below darkened. When all hope seemed lost Terra, Celes, Locke and Strago heard a sound that made them think maybe they might still survive this. A shrill whistle off to their right, just out of sight. [color=Crimson]"Who's that?"[/color] Kefka demanded starring into the darkness. A shadow came hurling out of the dark from the next island over. It grabbed Celes and hauled her back onto land before it slammed into the statue of Goddess, pushing it over till it toppled onto Kefka who couldn't get out of the way of such a massive falling object. As it fell the magic that held Terra, Locke and Strago released as Kefka lost focus and the Triad lost cohesion. Terra looked to their savior and as expected it was Shadow the thief. He looked at her through his mask. [color=Black]"GO!"[/color] he shouted. Both Celes and Terra made to move forward, to help contain Kefka, to replace to Triad in their rightful places but Shadow stopped them with his hand. [color=Black]"Forget about me! Run! There’s no stopping this now! I’ll find my way back! Trust me!"[/color] From underneath the statue Kefka yelled in anger. [color=Crimson]"You can’t escape me!"[/color] Lighting from the Triad started to rain down everywhere, sending rocks flying as the Floating Continent started to crumble. They each looked at one another knowing what had to be done. [color=MediumSeaGreen]"Jump!"[/color] Terra shouted as the lightning started to home in. Everyone ran for the edge and leapt for their lives hoping that the Blackjack was close enough to catch them. As Terra was falling however something strange happened. Green swirling lines of ones and zeroes started to unfurl before her eyes, clouding her vision, her hearing, her mind became foggy and unfocused and she seemed to forget she was falling. As it slipped from her memory suddenly she wasn't falling. [center][h1][color=Black]C H A P T E R O N E :[/color][/h1][h2][color=White]A B R A V E N E W W O R L D[/color][/h2][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/51fc61ac770a524e9468f174afa94d7f/tumblr_inline_n1xc79Kcic1rb3m8r.png[/img][/center] [b][center][color=ForestGreen]The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[/color] [color=SaddleBrown][color=gray][[[/color] Hyrule Fields [color=gray]]][/color][/color] [/center][/b] Terra was standing in the middle of an great empty field that seemed to stretch on for eternity despite the fact that she could see its edges. The grass was green but yellowing in some places. A dirt path had been worn into the ground where she stood next to a little fence. Suddenly feeling very tired Terra collapsed next to the fence and looked around her. Their seemed to be something like a walled up farm or ranch not far off though the path disappeared into a grove of trees and she could hear a river running nearby. Terra sat there and though it couldn't have been for more than ten minutes day seemed to shift to night abnormally quickly. She didn't have the presence of mind to time it but one could assume that you could not walk the breath of the field without at least one day/night cycle passing by. As darkness fell Terra heard a wolf howl in the distance. Almost on cue bony hands reached up out of the ground and grabbed at Terra's skin. Surprised and alarmed by the presence of undead creatures Terra's skin burst into flames and her magic ignited. It was a defensive reaction. The fires were so hot that the bones clutching her arms cracked and boiled and the undead drew away from her. Suddenly feeling as though staying put in this place would not be the wisest decision Terra pulled herself to her feet and started to run. Though their were several paths that led out of this field the entire thing seemed to be boxed in by large natural cliffs. In the distance she could see grass give way to red dirt and clay. Perhaps a desert lay in that direction. Deciding her safest bet would be the walled in ranch Terra started to run. It made sense that they would have some defense against these skeletal creatures and being in what seemed to be a commonly traversed area based on the worn path Terra now walked they were likely used to giving shelter to travelers. Even if it was only use of the barn. The skeletons chased Terra all the way to the ranch. As she outpaced old ones new skeletons rose out the ground to meet her causing her to either have to scald them with fire or run around them. When she arrived at the ranch walls she noticed their was no gate to keep the undead out. Even so some shelter was better than none. Terra ran up the path. It took her a minute to realize the skeletons did not follow her nor did more rise up. She turned to look and saw several of them grounded at the path's beginning but none willing to take another step. Perhaps this was some kind of holy ground. Terra needed to figure out where she was.