Ligare Nos Fortuna
Terra (Earth), 3,900 A.A. (After Ascension)
____________________________________________________________________________
“Now now children, settle down.” Grandpa Neon said with a smile, “I have another story for you today!” All the children started laughing and jumping up and down. They loved hearing Grandpa Neon’s stories from when he was younger. “Which one will you tell us today Grandpa?” one small child asked. “Well little one, today I will tell you a story from Grandpa’s life and how our life in this world changed as we know it.”
It all began on a wet stormy day. My new party and I headed out to try and get a few pieces of technology from some old ruins we found marked on a map. Heading there, the tension in the atmosphere was thick and palpable. After all, searching inside these old ruins was a dangerous deed. On the last mission we had undertaken, we were attacked by metal golems. They regenerated again and again until you destroyed their cores.
Reaching the spot I had mentally marked, we decided to take a break. Taking off my shoe and pouring water out I said to my companions, “Pretty tough luck we seem to be having. It's not every day we get such torrential downpours in this neck of the woods, right Luna?” Luna simply glared at me from under the hood of her poncho refusing to speak any more than necessary. Grunthield laughed and slammed his axe and shield together, “ Ha laddie, this is nothing compared to the blizzards that Nix has. Hah, I’ve had to wade through drifts of snow wearing full plate armor. If anything this rain is nice.” “Yeah, nice until you can't get a foothold to block a golem” I retorted. “If worst comes to worst I may be able to cast a spell of fortified earth or something along those lines to provide him a better foothold. At least be happy the little midget isn't drunk.” Cole said in a condescending tone. “Oy! Who ya callin a midget you pointy eared bastard!” Grunthield yelled as he took a swig of dwarven whisky from his flask.
“I'm calling you a midget you useless drunk” Cole replied in a flat tone, “Now shut up and start walking, we still have a good distance to go.” Jack looked at me quizzically, “Where exactly are these ruins you promised us, Neon?” As we break through the trees onto an old path I reply, “Right up ahead, I stumbled upon them a while ago. Never got the chance to explore them.” Breaking through the foliage we saw something that was out of a fairytale. A building made of glass, several giants tall. Lights pulsing all around it in a hypnotising way.
“Hot damn,” said Luna, “ With the way this place looks, I might be able to retire after this run!” Jack looked at me, “So where’s the entrance?” I replied, “No clue, last time I was here I got bloodied up a bit and had to leave.” After a few hours of searching, and a few unlucky encounters with some beasts, we found the entrance. The entrance consisted of a steel door, seemingly impossible to break down, and a technological artifact embedded in the side.
Cole, luckily, was a technomancer, and figured out how to get into the building’s internal framework to let us inside. Heading through the doorway, we were immediately assaulted upon by ghastly visages of ourselves. “Neon, Grunthield, take point!” Jack yelled at us, “Luna start shooting arrows, keep their heads down! Cole, you know what do!.” I pulled both my blades up at once, just in time to stop a blow from the ghoulish image of me. Kicking up and away, I was able to hit him in the chest stunning him enough to make an opening where I could attack. Slicing his head off with my blade, I then looked back towards my party. They were finishing up quite nicely with these strange creatures.
Stolen story; please report.
“What is this place Neon?” Cole asked me. “I have no clue, but there’s a strange feeling vibrating from the top of this building.” I replied, Thinking to myself that if there was an answer to this place, I would find it there. After all, trusting my gut has never led me astray. All of a sudden, the room became shrouded in darkness. I yelled out to my friends, but alas, I received no reply. Stumbling about in the darkness, I heard an eerie voice call me, “Come my beloved. Come back to your rightful place on my side.” Of course this scared me. But in the end my curiosity overruled my fear. I asked back into the darkness, “Who are you? What do you mean “rightful place”?” The only reply I got was a faint sound of giggling.
Scared out of my wits, the only thing I could do was wander. I wandered for so many days and nights that I lost track. Finally after an uncountable amount of time, I saw the light. No no, not THE light, but a light. Walking through I saw a beautiful garden. The only thing off about the garden was the mechanical creatures inhabiting it. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Wandering through the garden, all the creatures were surprisingly docile towards me. All of a sudden a fair maiden with white shimmering hair and robes made of the finest silk emerged from behind a tree. “Hello Neon. I was wondering when you would come back to me.” she said. “Hold on a second. I'm having a few issues with this entire situation. Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I? Where is my party, and what have you done to them!” I yelled in outrage. “Oh my. Still feisty I see. Neon, my dearest. I am Fate. Do you not remember the remnants of your race? The great war? The virtual havens where humanity uploaded what remained of themselves?”
“What are you talking about lady? You are just acting like a delirious madman!” I yelled back in reply. “Did you not ever wonder why when your friends would die around you, you would regenerate? When you would get hurt, your wounds would need just minutes to close? Did you never wonder what happened after the war thousands of years ago?” she asked me while petting a mechanical tiger. “Of course I wondered! Of course I asked these questions! I explored so many different ruins to seek answers that they all combine into one inside my memories.” I yelled at her.
“Well my dearest. It's time for you to fulfill your promise. It's time for you to come back.” She said as she pulled out an orb. “Touch this orb and come back to your people.” I reached out and grabbed it, feeling a bliss fill me. All of a sudden my memories came bursting back. Inside the virtual realms I suddenly remembered my promise. My only hope is the weapons my old friends were gifted along with the letter would make some amends. After all. The world was going to change drastically.
Gaining all my memories back, I can only hope that they will forgive me. The note and weapons I left for them should be enough to keep the safe through the peril that lays ahead. May the “gods” of this world help them with what is to come. The Reemergence protocol is now in action. Humanity is back baby!