Originally Posted by
Tharticus
Chapter 1
I have awaken to be stripped of all my items that the thief took. Still lying on the ground. Muttering to myself as I was inside a horrible dream. I know I should have died but yet I'm alive... somehow.
"How long was I out?" I said to myself.
"From the looks of your body, I say you are the undead." says the female stranger.
"No really, how long was I out?" I said in response.
"If you haven't (hadn't muttered to yourself, I would have killed you a while ago. So, go look at yourself for a minute and grasp yourself first".
I looked around and saw a female archer. She has (had, looked being a past-tense verb, and has being a present-tense. the prettiest eyes I have seen for a long time. Then I gazed on the mirror and saw myself.
"H-H-How is this possible? I should be dead." I said with great disgust. My body is decaying, my eyes are white and all my hair is gone. "
"With the recent events that occurred, the Maple world has it's own cataclysm. For some odd reason, the cataclysm killed and resurrected maplers as well." the female archer replied.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"We're inside my house. We're on the hills on Henesys that you can oversee Victoria Island" the female archer responded. "Tell me, who're you? Before you died of course. That is, unless you lost your memories."
"I'm a ranger. One of the very people who navigates the Crimson Woodkeep and guides people through it."
"Oh? I'm a training to become a hunter. It's good to get tips from a seasoned veteran. But it looks like you are bare bones."
"A thief shanked me and stole all of my equipment. I was critically wounded at the time and I knew that one more attack would end my life. Can you hand me the Maple Newspaper?"
"Sure. But I don't know what you need it for." she replied.
I checked the date on the newspaper. Labeled December 26th 2010. Then it struck me that I have (had) died on August 18th, 2010. I have been dead for four months.
"What's your name?" the female archer asked.
"Name is Desmond Armundsen. What's yours?" I replied back.
"Rillanna Morian. Tell me Desmond, do you still have your bowman skills? I would really like to learn from you."
"Why yes, I do have my bow skills. But I need the proper equipment too. After all, I'm only wearing rags at the time being since the thieves took all my equipment. And sitting here won't do anything good." as I replied and gotten up to the door.
But I felt my hand being grasped by Rillanna.
"Now hold on Desmond, the world you see the past isn't the same what it is couple of months ago. The monsters are more stronger, the landscape has changed and I don't think you are prepared for what is coming." she told me.
"How can I not be prepared? The world changes but we're still intact. In fact, the world won't change, all it does is turn. Some people faced massive changes in the Maple World from people gaining 4th job skills to new items that people desire."
But as soon as I opened the door, the world wasn't the same that I was so used to. The paths that I knew hundreds of times were destroyed. The towns are no longer in the same place and I fainted after that.
"Desmond? Desmond!" Rillanna panicked but calmed herself down and brought my withering body back inside her house.
As I woke up, I have (had) so many questions to ask. Why did the cataclysm occurred? Why am I alive when I am suppose to be dead? Did the MapleWorld changed for the good or for the better? Damn it, I feel like Rip Van Winkle.
"I know it is a lot to take in after you were gone from this world. Trust me, I have a father who was a ranger who traveled the world and couldn't take the changes of the Maple World. He died of a heart attack due to a weak heart." said Rillanna.
"I'm sorry Rillanna, both your father and your concern on a withered body that came back to life for no reason." I replied.
Rillanna smiled, "You have nothing to worry about Desmond. You are a corpse but there is a reason why you are alive."
"Huh, I guess that is god's way of tormenting me some more." I replied in a sarcastic tone.
"So... Um... could you help train with me?" Rillanna asked me.
"I guess so, my skills has been a rough after being dead and with my equipment gone..." I replied.
Rillanna gives (gave, look at how you said was.) me a bag that contains archer clothes and a Ryden bow. I was surprised how she passes the bag to me quick.
"Oh? I can't take this. I'm a rotting corpse and this must cost you some potion money."
"Please take it Desmond. I need to (be) better than the other hunters. Oh, here's the new skill manual. I'm sure you know that the job leaders changed it for the better."
I thought to myself: "That right? New skills? That must mean my old skills are obsolete. Sigh..."
"I guess we will start training tomorrow. I will have to look at the new skillbook manual."
"Great! Thanks for the opportunity Desmond. You can stay over in my house as long as you want! I am going to sleep." Rillanna replied while she heads upstairs to her room.
I thought some more: "Hmph, maybe I do have a purpose for being alive... learning something from this world. Ah well, time to look over the new skillbook manual."