Ragnarok Story

INTRODUCTION: 210 R.Y. - 220 R.Y. (I'll use RY as Ragnarok Year)

It has been ten long years since the Orcs invaded Rune Midgard, and to much extent, most of it's cities lay now in ruins. The once evergreen trees were reduced to ash. The rivers that flowed endlessly are now pools of blood littered with Orc, and human remains as well. The once peaceful villages are now unmarked mass graves, haunted by the souls of those within them. To this time, the Orcs, which were eventually entitled "The Horde",continue to ravage the remaining lands. Their reasons? Unknown till now.

Al De Baran has fallen during the early years of the war, alongside with Alberta and Izlude. Geffen remains a resistance post for Rune-Midgard mercenaries. The capitol, Prontera, still stands up to this day, leading the resistance against the unlikely conquerors. The Payon inhabitants have closed it's communications and contacts with the main cities since the start of the war,and nobody knows what happened to them. The other cities are believed to have survived the Orc conquest, and King Tristan III hopes Rune-Midgard is still alive.

Mankind is in the brink of extinction. The orcs have devastated much of it, and the remaining humans either have fled to the mountains or have joined the Horde. With resources and morale going low, mankind now faces one of it's worst nightmares. But hope,yes, Hope stands,still.

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Chapter I -The Warrior Awakened.
- Present day 220 R.Y.

Wake up!". The morning was like any autumn day, leaves littered the ground and the wind was cold. Everything seems to be normal, except for the rising smoke not afar from the city. The sun has been red since bloodshed have dominated the lives of the people. The castle gate was heavily fortified with concrete posts and mithril. The walls were thickened and strengthened with wooden logs and stone works. The morning light was bright this day, a good omen. Yes, a good omen.

"Wake up ye stupid people!" blubbered the Knight, "You ain't got all day, stand up now!" It was Lord Ximota, the commander of the Light Brigade. He's doing the daily check-up routine. "So,where'd ya been last night,old man?" Ximota asked an elderly man. "Well,Sir, I have been helping my sons in gathering food and wood," the old man replied. "Helping ey? I don't quite understand why you get scars from foraging food. Boys,get him." the Knight demanded. "But Lord,I haven't done anything wro---", but even before the old man finished his words, he was knocked down by the Knight's guards.

"Listen all of ye. Any suspectable acts will result in jail, and anyone of ya who has been proven of treason will lead to a tragic death. I repeat, a tragic Death!" The knight rode his horse and proceeded to the main castle.

"Damn that man! He was honorable back then, till he got his position. Curse him!" a man shouted.

Life in the castle was harsh. You have to wake up early in the morning to get a ration of food, probably a piece of bread or boiled potatoes. Taking a bath was prohibited to the townsfolk, and only those rich people can get access to the royal bathhouses. The nights were cold and extremely chilly, so you have to work to pay for a room. This was life, castle life at best.

The daily activities have proceeded with the way it used to be. You can see Masa, the archbishop of Prontera, wandering the streets and preaching the Lord's word. On the other side of the road, you can spot Titanus, a wandering blacksmith who forges and repairs armors and weapons for very high prices.
The scenes of everyday life came by like the rustling leaves. All was peaceful until,

"Open up the gates! Open it up!",the Captain of the Guard shouted, "Open it up I say!".

The tower guards rushed forward to the castle main gate, curious of what would be outside.
The gate bridge was then lowered and the gate opened, from afar, Masa was able to cling himself to the crowd overwatching the gate. Faces of astonishment dominated the crowd as they saw people, robed with brown and gray,pass them. They were familiar though, as they spoke the same language as what the people speak. "Could they be them? No. They have been wiped out. It must not be them." Masa whispered.

The Captain halted the stranger's advance, "Stop. Who thee comes to the domain of the high King, Tristan III?". The Captain demanded for an answer. The man with a darkest robe moved forward, he appeared to be the leader of the group.

"Greetings. We are part of the Stealth Regiment, an armed resistance against the Horde based in Morroc. I and my party were dispatched to search for casualties outside the city when Orcs started to flank our side. We were able to subdue them but we lost 2 men and we have several wounded." The leader of the party told the Captain that they wanted to see the king. "I would highly recognize anyone who would offer refreshment to my troops."

The robed men proceeded while following the Captain. They were assassins, thought to have died out many years ago. They numbered about thirty, not to mention the wounded which were carried on by wagons. "But how? They died many years ago." Masa continues to whisper to himself.

"Damn, they smell like the Desert." Titanus complained. "Well, they are from Morroc. It's good news they're still alive. We haven't heard anything about them for years." Masa replied nervously. The archbishop packed his things; a bible, a rosary, a bottle of Holy Water and his Mace and proceeded on to follow them.

They carried with them strange daggers and swords. Some with the shape of an ox horn, others were made from orc bones and teeth. Titanus chased one of them and offered a weapon. "Hi ya fellow, would you like to purchase my high quality weapons?". But the assassin answered "Sorry. But I don't buy weapons with shit on them." "What?! What the heck are you talking abo---!" Titanus was about to challenge the assassin when he saw the weapon he was offering covered with Peco Peco shit.

"What the----ELLI! Where are you?! I'm gonna kill you!"

Not far away..

"Huh? Did you just hear that Pooky? I think I heard uncle Titanus' voice.".

"Kwaark."

"I guess t'was my imagination, come on, let's go sleep again."

"Kwaaark!."

"Good night Pooky!"

"Kwaaaark! Kwaaark?"

"So is this the ninth time I said good night?"

"..............."


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Chapter II - The Horde


The Orc were human-like creatures. They had their own civilization, far across the plains of Geffen. They worshipped their gods and their chieftain, which was called the Orc hero, but they were chosen only every twenty years. They were a peaceful race, and they even had contact with the humans through trade.

The largest orc village was probably situated across the Geffen oridecon fields, where they mined it's minerals to use for their weapons and metalcrafts. This village, known as Nash'rijen, was governed by it's orc hero, Au'rum. He was the son of the great Orc, Stwgr'en, who became a legend after fighting with the humans during the Undead Conquest. (124 R.Y. - 169 R.Y.) They were known to be peaceful, but fate wasn't at their side for corruption was just steps away from them.

During the last year of the campaign against the Undead, the Orc hero, Stwgr'en,ventured too far in the depths of Glast Heim. He didn't know that at the same time, he was already under the influence of the Dark Lord.

"Halt Stwgr'en, you're going too far, we haven't broken through the stronghold." Tristan declared.

"Silence. I don't take orders from humans." He replied.

"Don't be a nuisance, we're here to cleanse the land of Rune-Midgard!" the young king then ordered Stwgr'en to retreat.

"Ignorance! Don't undermine the Orc."

The argument then developed to a heated confrontation. As soon as the order was passed, the tide of war turned the allied forces to chaos. The Orcs started to fight the humans. Bloodshed was everywhere. Bodies after bodies started to pile off the ground. The orcs rained their arrows on the humans and soon,the ranks of the Knights started to falter. The orcs were built for combat, and every Orc was pitted against two knights. The lines of the knights were falling. The mages, which were on the human side, casted blizzards and firestorms which delayed the Orc advance. The orc was winning.

"Sir, our right side has been flanked. The archers are being rammed and the Cavalry is now disorganized. We need to withdraw our forces." Ximota reported.
"They have turned against us. Get back to the camp!" The King ordered. "Retreat! Retreat!"
"Leave the wounded. They'll just delay the retreat!"

The orcs roared. They roared in victory. The sky turned darker. The sound of lightning dominated the landscape. The Orcs were victorious.

"They're running away from us. We have won! The Orc has won!"

Stwgr'en rallied his brethren.

"Hear me Humans! Today shall mark the new beginning for the Orcs. It's the dawn of the Orc age, to which humans shall bow down to. We shall destroy all your land, and make your sons and daughters slaves. The Orc shall be superior, and soon your gods shall bow down to me. Hear me Tristan! Humans shall fall! Mankind will fall! The Orc will subdue Rune-Midgard, and then the whole world of mankind." His voice roared like thunder all across the battlefield. It strucked the humans, and as soon as they heard it, chills flowed through their veins. The day marked the start of the end of man.

Everything has changed since then. The Orcs mustered their hordes, and cities after cities fell. The marching of the Horde was marked by the shaking of the trees and the crumbling of the ground. The human strongholds started to fall to Orc hands. They terrorized the land,and soon they have conquered most of it.

King Tristan III, on the other hand, funded the Light Brigade, one of the few institutions still capable of posing resistance against the Horde. He ordered all warriors to join the army,young and old.The invitation was well received. Hundreds of brave knights marched under the banner of Rune-Midgard. Through this, they were able to recapture and free some of the key cities of Rune-Midgard, primarily Geffen and Morroc. But the war continued and soon the brink of war turned it's tide against Tristan. The Mithril Guards, for what he called them,was the elite regiment of the Light Brigade. Their armor and weapons are made from mithril, the strongest metal yet to be found. They were sent to recapture Izlude and Alberta, but the campaign appeared to be a disaster for nobody from the party returned. No one knows what happened to them. And to this day, their tragic defeat marked end the reconquest.

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Chapter III- A Reunion Part I.
-present day, 220 R.Y.


"Please leave all your weapons. You are prohibited to enter with them." the Captain told the assassins.

The group unloaded all their belongings. The guards were strucked with awe as one of them dropped a weapon that supposed to look like a golden dagger.

"Be careful Aoki, you might damage it." the leader shouted. "Pardon,it slipped through my hand." the man replied. The man then quickly covered it with black cloth and proceeded with the group.

"Follow me,the King awaits at the center room." The Captain said.

"Wait!" A running figure stopped to breathe. "I also need to see the king. It's an emergency."

"Why Masa, come along. This people also want to see the King, so you might as well join them." The Captain said.

Masa joined the group. And as soon as he walked with them, he saw the leader of the group looking at him. He knew there was something. But he doesn't know what that something is.

They walked through the castle hall. Prontera's wealth was very evident, as the walls were decorated with silver ornaments. The rooms were adorned with majestic paintings and each one has it's own fireplace. The ceiling was filled with carvings, portraying Odin and the other gods.

"So Tristan really did reign Prontera." the Leader whispered. But Masa was able to hear what he said.

The group reached the end of the hallway, and proceeded to the King's room. The guards opened the great door and they were welcomed by the King's jesters. What a magnificent landscape. The room was highlighted with golden decorations. The furnace was aligned with mithril bars. The columns supporting the castle were made of solid concrete. The guards stood in majesty as the group moved forward to meet the king.

"Welcome my friends. It's an honor for me to have you here." The king announced. His voice was mighty, and it echoed all the way through the room. "Please have their seats prepared." The assassins sit with a strange fashion. They folded their feet under their body and they put their robes off. Masa was able to get the seat nearest to the leader.

"What brings you here?" the King asked.

"I would very much enjoy talking to you in front of people, but I do insist that you ask your guards to get out for a while." The leader of the group told the King that they came here to talk about a private matter.

"Captain, please let the guards out for a moment. I need to talk privately." the King ordered. As soon as the guards went out, the assassins took off their robes. Masa watched patiently as their leader prepared to wear his robe off. King Tristan smiled an eerie smile. He knew him.

"What a pleasant surprise." The King stood up and proceeded to join the group.

"You know him, King Tristan?" Masa asked. Astonished.

"Why yes,he was my comrade during the Undead conquest. He specialized in lethal combat and provided us with all our strategic plans. Let me have the honor to introduce you,the legendary Oblivion."

"Greetings." Oblivion approached the archbishop.

"You're different from them. You are not from Morroc aren't you?" Masa asked.

"I believe your correct." He started to remove his coat.

Masa was dazed as the man unfolded his clothes. He was not an assassin. He belonged to the Royal Guards.

"Wait, you are a Knight." Masa concluded, "You have Prontera's seal on your Armor."

"Yes he is,Masa." King Tristan added. "I commissioned him to Morroc ten years ago."

"Before the Horde was able to destroy Morroc, I was able to gather up most of the town's people and led them to the Pyramids. They stay safe at this very moment." Oblivion uttered. "I established the Stealth Regiment, for which most of the assassins joined to." He took a deep breath and then continued. "I met Aoki during one of my invitation meetings."

"And who's Aoki?" Masa asked.

"He's the damn stalker I've been with for years." Oblivion showed off a smile. "He's one of the few Stalkers the Assassin guild have trusted, since there original goal was to spy on us." "But Aoki here's different, he'd prefer collecting Jellopy than stalking us."

"So, since everybody knows each other, let's have lun---"

"Not now my friend, it would be a waste of time. We've come to show a very dangerous relic we've managed to raid from an Orc party." Oblivion told them cautiously.

"Aoki, could you please hand me the artifact."

"Come on. I'm so tired of this castle, let's kick some Orc butt." Aoki declared.

"Hand it to me please..."

"Oh well, here it is." Aoki handed over a hilt covered with black cloth. From afar, Masa was able to see the inscriptions carved in it.

"What's that?" Masa asked. "I sense something wrong."

Oblivion started to uncover it. King Tristan started to sweat as he saw him acting strange. The artifact started to emit a dark glow. The dark glow soon lighted the whole room. Everyone was dumbfounded as they saw him holding a golden Dagger.

"This ,my friends, is the Demon's Grip."