A Fated Meeting

Politics suck! But apparently, that seems to be the talk of the town, not that I give a damn. I prefer not to follow trends.

So, instead of Anwar vs Badawi nonsense, I'm gonna post a true story from my former days as a Mapler. I will be using story-telling terms, rather than gamer terms.

It was a warm, breezy evening along the path between Kerning City and Henesys. The sun was shining brightly as the never-ending daylight of the world of MapleStory continued. I was just a young wizard-in-training. In gamer terms, I was level 31, with my new skills Lightning and MP Eater. Considering how pathetic my damage was with Lightning, I was determined to train until I was more capable of wielding this newfound power. And so that resolution led me on a journey to Ant Tunnel.

A long my journey, I met a few trainess of each profession. 1 of Magician, Cleric, Crossbowman, Warrior and Rogue. Most of them have retired by now, I think, as I have not heard of them ever since even until my final day in Maple. Anyway, most of them were slightly weaker than me, but it was just a minor deviation (give or take 3 levels). So, the 6 of us formed a temporary coalition (party, in gamer terms). This pretty little group of newcomers braved the elements and the violent beasts that roam the lands.

Several of us were not in good shape as we continuously slipped of cliffs and fell into pits of raging creatures. Thankfully, we swore an "all for one, and one for all" oath. We arrived at Henesys with little injuries and no casualties. It was here we met a young merchant. He was not a fighter, as was obvious from his physique (I looked at his level). However, he was well-provisioned with items and was willing to sell it to us at low prices, as long as we buy in bulk. I specialise in ranged combat, so I did not require his assistance, but I suppose our vanguards did. They had a conversation, of which I did not listen to.

It was a good 20 minutes before we received a message to regroup. And it was then that we traversed the lands between Henesys and the Victoria Dungeon. Unfortunately, not all of us were unaffected by injuries. Even though our physical wounds have healed completely, some of us still fill some tuggings on their feet. The thorns covering the region presented even more problems.

Suddenly, we heard a scream. "Help!! Damn!!" We weren't sure who it was, at first. It might have been a trickster luring us, but we ruled that out. The Rogue said, "Maybe it's a pretty girl or a rich kid. We can probably earn something out of this. Let's go!" I shook my head. "Is money and girls the only thing he thinks of? I guess that's obvious from the way he bragged about his money the whole way here."

"Aww, it's just some weakling. Doesn't look rich at all. Alright, let's get outta here before he sees us." The Rogue said. The Magician and Warrior agreed. I didn't, of course. He must have seen us, after all. So, it would be wrong to just abandon him. "I'm going to save him." I didn't even wait for a reply and rushed to the scene. I do remember somebody saying, "Idiot!" though.

Upon arrival, I instantly detected the person in trouble. He was an Archer, an inexperienced young lad who just learned how to wield a bow. Then, I spied the attacker. I gasped. Somehow, the lad just picked a fight with a Stone Golem!! I gulped. There was no way I could face that thing alone. But that archer was cornered. A few more steps and he's done for. I bit my lips and jumped down, casting Magic Claw. It was a skill that took me half a year to fully master, but it was surely worth the time. Lightning was out of the question since I couldn't even kill Snails with that skill.

So, the Stone Golem seemed to recognise this threat. It rather faced a person who could hurt it, rather than someone who couldn't even touch it. It came after me and even boosted its power with skills of its own. I backed away as I struck the geological monstrocity. It came after me, but after 30 odd strikes, I was backed against a wall. I wonder if the lad had escaped because if he had, I could escape. I was just about to use my ultimate escape magic ('Quit Game' button, in gamer terms) when I noticed the Archer behind the Golem launching arrows like there's no tomorrow.

"He's an idiot," I thought. The Golem hit me once and suffered massive damage. I knew I couldn't take another hit from that thing, even with my Magic Guard. I panted with that hit and quickly charged past the Golem. I ran towards the idiot and told him, "Escape now!" And of all the stupid things in the world to say, "Huh?" was his reply. I took another hit then, but I miraculously survived. I quickly swallowed a Potion and pushed the Golem back. The Golem was now way to close for him to escape.

I took another hit. I realised my stock of potions running low, not the life-saving ones, but rather the energy-replenishing ones. In 2 more minutes, I would have nothing left to throw at the Stone Golem. "This is bad." i thought. I shouted at the Archer to escape up the rope while I held the thing of. He nodded and went for it, but he either has bad hand-eye coordination or he really was an idiot, he kept slipping from the rope and the Golem forced us away from the rope.

Then, my energy drained. I tried casting but there was nothing left. Every 10 seconds or so, I would gain enough for one spell, but that thing was still towering high and dragging its body mass towards us. With 6 spells per minute, I was chicken feed. Then, the Golem threw a fist at me. I only finished using a spell and my reflexes weren't fast enough. I was done for.........

"Heal!"

I felt my wounds disappearing, although my energy didn't return. I looked up and saw the Cleric. "You owe me one for that!" "I'll owe you another one if you come down here and help us!" "Nope. I'll just heal you! Unlike some pea-brained twerp, I measure my chances before I pick a fight. I'll gain some experience out of healing you, so feel free to get hit to your heart's content."

I was not satisfied at all, but I knew my chances were boosted even with just that, so I charged at the Golem. I took a hit, but managed to go behind it. I clawed at the thing again and it came chasing after me like a starving...uh... stone cannibal. My strategy continued and I prayed that the lad finally caught the rope and ran for it. And this time, I was not disappointed. The lad escaped up the rope and apparently remembered how to use the ultimate escape spell.

Now, I had a problem. The Stone Golem was too close to me, so I could not do the same as the lad, nor could I skip dimensions (change channels, in gamer terms) in time. I took a hit again and dashed behind the Golem. I rejoiced. I could get to the rope and escape. But, Lady Luck was not with me that day. A 2nd Stone Golem sudenly awoken from its sleep and guarded the rope. behind me, the 1st Stone Golem was gaining up on me. I was now trapped. Even with the healing magic supporting me, I could not take two hits! And to add to my misery, the Cleric disappeared. Something forced him to use the escape spell, apparently. The other guys had also left the area, not that they would help me. Some "all for one, and one for all" oath!

Suddenly, a giant spear impaled the 2nd Stone Golem and fell it. The 1st Stone Golem prepared to strike at me, but was also killed by a magnificent and powerful arrow. Two people came within view. One was an Ice-Lightning Mage (far superior in power than yours truly), and the other was an experienced archer (He was at least quadruple my level).

I climbed up the rope before anymore Stone Golems awaken. I thanked them both continuously. The Ice-Lightning Mage approached me and said, "No, no. Thank you for saving my idiot of a brother. He's a newcomer to this world and understood little about the inhabitants. In fact, he just learnt a few skills from me, took my bow and arrows and came running here. I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused you."

The archer grunted and said, "I can't believe you called me all the way here for this. This runt here is just as big of an idiot as your brother. He was clearly weaker than the Golem and he still played hero anyway. Sheesh... Look, kid. Next time you wanna save someone, make sure that his sister's buddy had not just been invited to follow a group of masters to challenge Pianus."

"Sorry..." I said. "Don't mind him. He's just acting cool like in the movies," the Ice-Lightning Mage said. "Well, now that we've repaid the debt. Can we go now? Maybe I can still make it to fight," the archer said. "Right... Anyway, Seth, my brother sends his thanks to you, and promises to train hard. So that, next time, he'll be the one saving you. Haha! Bye now." With that said, the two people left. I was dazed for a moment, but then I quickly gathered my wits. The first thing I did was tore up the coalition treaty (I left the party), burnt it and buried it deep into the ground.

1 year later, I had completely forgotten about that event. that was, until I received a message from a stranger. He requested a rendezvous and I went. I asked him who he was and he reminded me of that day. It all came back to me and I shook his hand warmly. We started with friendly chatting at first, but then he came to the main topic. "I know we haven't met known each other long. We've only met twice, in fact... but would you be my............. (I wonder if he was blushing when he said this)...................sworn brother?"

"....Uhh...... sure... Why not?" I replied. Then, I thought, "Well, that's a first... Never thought I'd adopt a brother in a video game."

"Great! Oh yeah!" His words suddenly interrupted my thoughts. "You know those guys who you were with that day and didn't help you? Well, my sis has connections. And they, well... you could say it's gonna be a LOOOOOOONG time before they can train again. I heard every training ground they were planning to go to has been cleared out." I couldn't help but laugh, but I do pity them...a little. We did help each other a lot until that point.

A few months later, my sworn brother's attitude seemed to change. Puberty, perhaps? He became more violent and constantly threw tantrums, but maybe it's because he's in a bad mood everytime he asks to meet. Our ties loosened and finally broke when I retired. And just for the record, he never surpassed me like he promised. I was always 10 steps ahead of him.

But I wonder if he's become stronger and, hopefully, nicer now. Well, maybe someday when my strength returns. I shall take my staff up once more and return to the magical world of Maple to meet my brother. One can only that day will come. Hopefully, we'll meet again in the same situation, except that I'll be the one needing saving, as he had promised.

-----------

And that's the story. Alright, admit it. At some point of the story, you thought the kid I saved was gay, didn't you? You thought this was supposed to be some romance tale didn't you? Or did you just not bother to read at all? Well, if you answered yes, to any one of them, I say,


"Whatever... It's your brain."