Wednesday, April 20, 2011

CHAPTER 22: Ten Days of Training

We were given the remainder of the day to prepare for the upcoming training session following the meeting with Nicolai93. I used this time to practice my dagger strikes and agility, as I usually do on a daily basis, though the recent events I have endured have interfered with that training regimen. Every day as an assassin that I did not have any business to attend to, I would train for at least three hours per day. This would generally consist of working on my form with my various dagger strikes. Since I had to use these weapons both for offensive and defensive purposes, I had to make sure my form was flawless. I would also work on my agility by vaulting off of buildings and jumping between rooftops. Back in my younger years, Ganondorf8 would often throw rocks in my direction to test my dodging abilities, which probably helped more so than my solo training. Still, I was determined to become the strongest and fastest assassin that I could possibly be, as my father would have the same motive in mind. The mountains near the General Wii Discussion Board made for an excellent place to test stamina, as climbing up those cliffs was no easy task. Stealth and lethality were also key components that I valued as part of my set of skills. Needless to say that I was confident in my abilities, but I wanted to make sure I was at my physical peak and was fully prepared for whatever challenge awaited me tomorrow. Following my hours of training, I returned to my room when I crossed paths with LordCrumpTheGreat in the hallway. Delighted to see me, she stopped for a chat.

“Hey!!!” She said, her face beaming, “Are you ready or what?” “I think so…” I said somewhat confidently, though I really was unsure of what to expect. “I’m really nervous,” she remarked, “I hope it’s not as hard as he said it would be…but at least we get a nice meal the night before.” “Meal?” I asked, realizing how hungry I actually was. “Yeah,” she smiled, “Did you go to your room yet? Nicolai93 left a ton of food for each of us.” “Nice!” I exclaimed as I opened the door to my bedroom. Sure enough, there was a huge table against the right wall lined with a banquet of delicious-looking food. “Very nice!” I said as I marveled at the impressive spread. Meat, bread, cheese, pasta, soup, and even desserts covered every square inch of the table, but I quickly noticed a large note on the center, atop of a freshly-baked apple pie. “What’s this?” I asked LordCrumpTheGreat, to which she simply shrugged her shoulders. “Did you get one in your room, too?” “Hold on, I’ll check…” she said as she ran into her quarters and quickly returned holding a piece of paper. “Yeah, I must have been so hungry that I didn’t even notice.” Comparing the notes side-by-side, the same message was written on both.

To All Cardinals,

This is all of the food you will receive until we leave to the Power On Power-Up Tournament.

- Nicolai93

“Oh no!” LordCrumpTheGreat screamed, “I already ate half the turkey! I hope I don’t run out…” “Don’t worry,” I replied calmly, “I’m sure Nicolai93 would not want us to starve. There is sure to be plenty of food if you just rationalize.” “I guess…” She said softly, still uneasy about her current predicament. I thought that this would mark the end of the conversation, but she continued to linger as I prepared a plate of food for myself. Wanting her to leave, I remarked, “Maybe you should go get some sleep. Tomorrow is sure to be a long day.” “Oh!” She said in a surprised tone, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Umm…goodnight!” Perhaps realizing that she was intruding, she quickly exited the room and closed the door, leaving me to eat in peace. After my meal, I almost instantly collapsed on my bed and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the following morning to an ear-piercing alarm that caused to sit up quickly in bed. In front of me, I met eyes with another user who had a sword directly pointed at my face. As he raised his hands to swing down, I quickly fumbled underneath the sheets and pulled out a dagger, with which I used to block the incoming attack. He quickly followed up with another strike down, but this time I rolled out of bed and on the floor to dodge the sword as it sliced my pillow in half. Assuming a fighting pose, I blocked his third attempt and used my other dagger to stab him directly in the chest. Much to my surprise, however, my dagger met with a strong chest plate beneath his shirt and my attack had no effect. As the user prepared to strike again, I reacted quickly and attacked, slicing his arm that was holding the sword. However, much to my surprise, this resulted in several sparks and revealed a series of severed electrical wires. “Well done” my foe replied in a robotic-like voice, “Please follow me to the training facilities.” Picking up his severed arm, my opponent quickly rushed out of the room, causing me to dash to keep up with him. His speed increased dramatically as he moved down the hallway, navigating rapidly through a confusing maze of hallways. Zipping in an out of doorways and narrow passages, I had to run at almost my full speed to keep up with him until he quickly stopped in front of a door. “Well done” he said again in the same voice, “Enter if you are ready to begin.” I pushed open the door to see Nicolai93 standing there alone with his arms folded.

“Ah, ShadowMario41,” He said, “You’re the first to arrive… which makes sense because yours was a test of speed.” “Hello sir!” I said, though I was still somewhat confused as to what had just happened. Sensing that, Nicolai93 offered me an explanation, “I just tested each of you in terms of your strengths. Yours was clearly based on reaction time and agility. I hope the training drone didn’t rough you up too much.” “I see,” I remarked, “I’ve never seen one of those before.” “They’re quite sophisticated!” Nicolai93 exclaimed proudly, “Let’s wait for the others. They should be here any moment.” As if on cue, the door opened to reveal PikminMaster7, whose training drone had a several holes in the center of its torso. “Greetings!” Nicolai93 said, “You’ve passed your test of strength.” “These things get tougher every time,” PikminMaster7 said, “I had to give it my all to even put a dent in this thing.” “If that was your all,” Nicolai93 said, “then you might be in over your head.”

Before PikminMaster7 could deliver a rebuttal, PrinceLudwig appeared in the doorway, his training drone’s head hanging on by a wire. “Hello PrinceLudwig, you passed your test of magical strength.” “Let the games begin.” The mage simply replied with a smirk on his face. GamePlayer30 followed closely behind, who passed his test of defensive combat and LordCrumpTheGreat was last, passing her test of accuracy. After Nicolai93 welcomed everyone, he raised his hands, signaling silence before he began, “I hope you are all prepared for what you are about to face. Each of you has a ten-day training program specifically designed to suit your individual abilities. LordCrumpTheGreat and ShadowMario41, don’t worry; even though you’ve only been here for a short time, I have observed your combat skills and can already dissect your strengths and weaknesses.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out five envelopes with names written on them and handed them off to PrinceLudwig. “Pass these around and take the one with your name on it. Inside you will find a card with a number and a key. As you can see behind me, there are five silver doors each marked with a number. The number in your envelope corresponds to your training room and the key will be used to unlock that door. You are the only one allowed in and out of your respective rooms. I will be supervising all of your sessions and pulling the strings, so you better not take any unwarranted breaks.” I received my envelope from PikminMaster7 as he said this and promptly opened it to see a card with a large number 3 on it. “Good luck!” Nicolai93 said, “You’ll need it!”

He exited the room through the door through which we originally entered and we all moved to our respective rooms and turned the key to open the door. Stepping inside, I closed the door behind me and large overhead lights immediately turned on. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the room were entirely black with intersecting green lines forming a grid-like pattern. The room was average-sized, but there were no windows or other light sources to speak of. Just one overhead vent and the door leading outside was the only variation in the floor and wall pattern. I kept my guard up, expecting an enemy to be waiting in the room, but it was entirely empty. A few moments later, though, I heard a voice over some sort of speaker system. It was unmistakably the voice of Nicolai93. “You have fifteen minutes to stretch before the training starts.” Taking his advice fully, I stretched my arms and legs, ready to begin this intense routine.

When the time allotted for stretching had expired, the voice spoke on the speaker again. “Today I will test your strongest attribute. For you, ShadowMario41, it is your speed and agility. Until you hear otherwise, you must dodge everything that is fired at you. Failing to do so will have some painful consequences.” When he finished his sentence, drone guns appeared out of the wall and started firing small round pellets in my direction. The guns followed my movements, so they would always fire towards me, not randomly around the room. For the first few minutes, they were slow and I could avoid them with ease, but the pace of these projectiles quickly increased and, after five minutes, I had to be on my toes to dodge the next one. Thirty minutes in, I was really struggling to avoid the projectiles, and was sweating as I tried to keep pace. Left, right, up, down; I had to move in all directions flawlessly to avoid them. When the firing rate was kicked up another notch, I was forced to block one that was headed straight towards my face. The impact of the pellet against my blade was so strong that I knocked me to the ground, where I had to roll to avoid the near-constant stream of pellets aimed in my direction. I quickly sprang to my feet, but not in time to dodge a projectile that struck me in the shoulder. I winced in pain as my whole arm was throbbing from that one hit, but I could not falter. I was struck twice in succession, both on my left leg, before I could get back into rhythm. I had only been hit one additional time in the right leg and, after an hour, the projectiles ceased.

“Five minute break.” The voice said, though I was already extremely fatigued from just that first exercise. The break seemed to last much less than five minutes, though, and the voice came over the speaker again. “The blast of electrical energy will bounce around the room. Dodge it or you’ll get zapped.” Slowly rising to my feet again, I saw a ball of light emerge from the vent in the ceiling, as it started to bounce around the room wildly. Although it was not aimed directly at me, it moved even faster than the pellets fired from the guns, so I really had to zip around the room to avoid being zapped. I could feel myself getting somewhat lightheaded during the course of this exercise. As I was working at my full potential, maintaining this level of speed for such an extended period of time was extremely draining. Thirty minutes into the workout, a second energy ball dropped in from above, and now the two were bouncing around at the same wild speed. At my full speed, it was nearly impossible to dodge these energy spheres, but I somehow managed to do it. After an hour, I expected another break, but I was greeted with a third ball of energy entering the room, this one slightly slower yet larger than the other two. I was dashing off of walls, running rapidly across the floor, and making split-second decisions to successfully avoid the blasts. As soon as I felt as if I was about to pass out, the balls immediately stopped in mid-air. “Five minute break.” I heard once again as I stood my ground, trying to catch my breath.

As soon as the break ended and without warning, the balls of energy continued their paths, one nearly striking me in the face as I rolled to dodge just in the nick of time. For the first time in any training exercise that I had done, I felt as if I was going to die. I could feel the fatigue setting in and my vision was beginning to blur. I mistakenly moved the wrong way to dodge a blast and I could tell it was going to hit me right in the chest. I braced myself for impact, but instead of pain I felt re-energized, as if new life was coursing through my veins. The other projectiles increased in speed in response to the contact, but I was able to dash around the room and barely avoid them. Two grueling and draining hours later, there were now four balls bouncing around the room, but they dissipated and Nicolai93’s voice spoke again, “One hour for lunch then return here. I hope you remember how to get back to your room.” “Damn!” I said coming to a harsh realization. I focused so much on conserving my energy to follow that robot that I did not pay any attention to where I was actually going. I opened the door that lead outside, but the other members were still training. Either their regimens were still going on or our lunches were scheduled differently. Paying it no mind, I walked slowly into the hallway, grimacing in pain with each step.

After approximately twenty minutes of searching, I finally made it back to my room, where I had a light lunch and freshened up before returning to the training area. Already fatigued, I had to persevere for another four hours of the same exercises before the long day was finally over. When I emerged from the room, I had to struggle to keep my balance; my knees were shaking and I felt like I was going to topple over at any second. As instructed by Nicolai93, I returned to my room, ate a hearty and well-deserved meal, and then collapsed on my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

I awoke the next day to the same deafening alarm and a training drone attacking me. I defeated it in the same manner and was promptly directed to the training facilities. I was extremely sore from the previous day, but knew that I had to keep working if I wanted to take full advantage of Nicolai93’s training program. As all of the cardinals gathered in front of the boss, it was clear to me that I was not the only one having problems. PrinceLudwig was seemingly out of breath, LordCrumpTheGreat looked like she was going to be sick, and the other two just looked generally fatigued. There was also a peculiar plastic container filled with arm and ankle bands and a stack of brown books behind Nicolai93, which he addressed before allowing us to begin our training.

“Greetings!” He said cheerfully, which somewhat mocked our weariness, “It’s great to see that you all survived the first day. This day will play out much differently… but first I have something very important to give all of you.” On the ground next to him was a stack of books, which he picked up and handed out to all of us. “This empty book will serve as your training log,” he said very seriously, “and I want you all to write about your experience every night after your training, like a diary of sorts.” “But my writing skills are alre –” PikminMaster7 chimed in before being interrupted by Nicolai93, “Silence, you fool! This is not about your writing skills. By reflecting upon your training each day, you can reflect upon your experiences and learn from them. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is an integral part in becoming a well-rounded fighter, and that is exactly what you will do for me. If you fail to record an entry, you will be met with severe punishment.” Nicolai93 clenched his fists upon completing this sentence, causing everyone to look around nervously. “Is that clear?” “Yes sir!” We all said in unison, agreeing to write about our training experience on a nightly basis. Satisfied with our compliance, he directed his attention towards the arm bands, which I presumed were also going to be given to us.

He grabbed the bands out of the plastic bin and passed them around to everyone. “Each of you will wear one of these on each arm and one on each ankle.” I held the band in my hand when it was passed to me. It was solid black and seemingly made of metal, but was surprisingly unrestrictive when I fastened it around my arm. The other cardinals and I proceeded to put on these bands, which did not seem to serve much purpose. We were all exchanging glances, inquiring with our body language as to the nature of these bands, but to no avail. Eventually Nicolai93 spoke out, holding a remote control in his right hand, “Make sure they’re on nice and tight. When I press this button, you all might be in for a bit of a surprise. Before then, please enter your respective rooms. Good luck!”

I stepped inside and closed the door, still curious as to what these bands would accomplish. Not soon after, though, Nicolai93’s voice could be heard from the speaker, “I am about to activate the bands on your arms and legs. Let’s just say that today’s workout might seem a little…heavy…” Upon finishing his sentence, it felt as if cinderblocks had been attached to my hands and feet. The weight that I felt left me with no choice but to fall to the ground .Laying flat on my stomach, I could barely even lift my arms and legs. Nicolai93’s voice came over the speaker once again, “Don’t worry… your only task today and tomorrow is to get used to wearing these. On the fourth day of training, you will complete the drills you all did yesterday while wearing these bands. How you choose to spend these two days is entirely up to you.” “Ah!” I winced in pain as I struggled to lift my left arm and get in a crawling position, but it was no use. The weight was simply too much as I crashed down to the floor yet again.

After some mental debate as to how I should try to get up once more, I tried the same tactic of getting into a crawl, this time with much more determination. Using nearly all of the strength within me, I was able to get on my hands and knees, soon thereafter rising to a kneeling position. I knew that standing up would be the biggest obstacle to overcome, so I decided to take it one step at a time. I tried to shift my left foot in a swift motion such that the sole of my foot was flat on the floor, but I lost my balance and had to bring my hand back to the floor to stabilize myself. An hour passed of this struggle, but I eventually rose to my feet; the effort of standing still was enough to make me sweat. I strained to take a step forward, but I was slowly making progress. Each step was very difficult, but my resolve was unwavering. I had to put all of my energy into each step forward, which was extremely draining.

A few hours had passed before I was able to walk at a very slow pace, though I felt as if I was going to collapse at any moment. At this point, I decided it would be best to return to my room, as it would probably take a considerable amount of time to get there. I emerged from my training room, stepping heavily on the floor as I trudged back to my room. “Damn it all!” I heard GamePlayer30 scream loudly from elsewhere within Nicolai93’s lair. He was undoubtedly also having trouble with the intense training regime. By the end of the day, I was able to walk at a somewhat normal pace, but the strain on my muscles was tremendous. Unsure of how I would eventually be able to complete the exercises I worked on the first day with this added weight, I returned to my room and fell asleep later that night.

*******************

The light from underneath the door leading to the hallway met with my eyes and I promptly awoke. There was no deafening alarm or ambush and my feeling of anxiety was quelled once I realized what day it was. It was August 30th, 2007; the training had passed as I sat up in my bed on the day of rest, the day before we would journey to the tournament. Even though it we were supposed to just rest, I thought I would at least stretch out my muscles and test my strength. However, upon trying to move my arms, a sharp pain coursed through my body, as if my spinal cord were being rattled. “Ah!” I screamed as I was literally rendered immobile due to the extreme pain. I suppose that Nicolai93 factored in this period of recovery, as he knew that we would all be feeling this way. At this point, it was not the black bands slowing me down so much as it was the constant grind of training at such intensity for ten straight days. I felt tired and strangely out of breath, but I could not fall back asleep. My mind raced as I sat there, thankful that the training had ended but bored at the same time. A few minutes had passed before the door to my bedroom opened to reveal Nicolai93, who was standing there with his arms folded.

“Ah!” He exclaimed, “You’re awake and healthy!” “I don’t know about that…” I remarked, still struggling to stay in a seated position. Sensing this, Nicolai93 said, “Oh don’t worry. You can lie down if you wish…today is your rest day…and a well-deserved one after all that training.” Upon hearing this, I crashed my head down upon the soft pillow, as he looked around the room, focusing in particular on the table that once had a banquet on it but now was home to leftovers and food scraps. “Wow… you went through all that food.” He said, “Don’t worry…everyone else did, too. Would you like me to put what’s left on a plate for you?” Surprised by his uncharacteristic kindness, I replied, “Uhh…sure…thanks.” “Of course!” He said back, “At this point, I’m glad that all of you are alive.” As he scraped together the last of the remaining food, he said, “In fact, I’m surprised that you could even sit up. Some of the others couldn’t even manage that…” “Is everyone okay?” I asked, curious as to the status of the other cardinals. Nicolai93 paused before replying, “GamePlayer30 is sick to his stomach. His training regime was nowhere near as hard as what I put you four through. It’s kind of pathetic, really…”

“If I may,” I began to ask, “Why is GamePlayer30 a cardinal in the first place? He doesn’t seem to match our level of…” Nicolai93 glared at me as I muttered my final word, “…strength.” His facial expression gradually softened as he brought the plate of food to my bedside. “I am impressed with your phenomenal progress, so I’ll tell you…” he said, standing there with his arms crossed again, “…but not now. Now you must rest your mind and body.” I felt somewhat disappointed that Nicolai93 would not share his tale at the moment, but knew that I would be treated to an interesting story in the future. Meanwhile, Nicolai93 picked up my diary, which was lying on the desk and started flipping through it, making sure there was an entry for each day. “Excellent!” He said proudly, “Although a bit short, I guess you don’t say very much regardless. You did listen after all.” He tossed the book in my direction and, landing on my stomach, the cover of the book opened. “If you’re looking for something to do…” he said, “…reading up on your training might not be such a bad idea. You may be amazed at what exactly you did these past few days…But before I leave let me remind you there is a meeting tomorrow morning before we head out to the tournament. You better be up and ready.” He spun around and made his way for the door, but I wanted to ask him one further question before he left. “Boss,” I said, causing him to glance over his shoulder, “In your opinion, how did I do?” As a child, it was always uplifting to hear from my father that I had done well in a training exercise or another drill, and I was hoping to possibly relive that feeling after suffering for ten days. Without turning around, he simply replied, “My opinion matters not. The results will speak for themselves. How well do you think you did?” As soon as he stopped talking, the door slammed shut behind them and I was left in solitude. Picking up the book, it had landed on my entry for the third day, so I started reading from there.

Day 3:

Faced another training drone in the morning, this time with weights on my wrists and ankles. Found it difficult to move, but still beat it. Went to the meeting room all day to get used to the weights. It was a challenge, but I think I can finally move normally without a problem. Felt like my arms and legs were going to burst, so I took short breaks frequently. I might not be back up to full speed just yet, but I should be ok. I hope I can take on day 1’s training with all this weight. It’s work to just write this!

Looking back, day three of the training was probably one of the simplest days of the whole routine, and I was still completely worn out. Chuckling a bit at my reaction, I decided to read on.

Day 4:

No training drone and no briefing from Nicolai93 in the morning. Our training rooms were simply open, so I went in. Faced off against day 1’s training again, but with these weights. Every step felt grueling…I thought I was going to faint in more than one occasion. Really pushed myself to the limit. Noticed that things weren’t quite as fast as day 1, but I had to move as fast as possible with these stupid arm bands. Damn these things… if I could take them off this would be so much easier. Every movement, every decision, and every action was painful. I am absolutely exhausted.

Day 5:

Nicolai93 told us before the training that we would be tested in our secondary attributes. Turns out mine were stealth and lethality. Had to dodge crisscrossing spotlights for two hours. Very difficult with these bands still on, though I was starting to get used to them. After, had to fend off countless attack drones. They would heal if they were not killed, so I had to beat them with one deadly strike. Got to try out my Shadow Slash again, which was fun and faster than ever. Tough challenge – I got bruises on my arms and legs and a cut on my left hand. Will still try to train in day 6 despite the pain.

Day 6:

Horrible timing for this drill, considering how banged up I was from day 5. Had to work on using my daggers for defense, not just dodging everything. Repeated drills from day 1, but I was required to block…not dodge a single one. Was mostly successful, except for one that missed and caught me below my left eye. Lucky that it didn’t hit me in the eye, but it’s swollen pretty bad. Afterwards, I was forced to be punched in the abdomen several times to build up physical tolerance. Most painful exercise thus far…felt sick for a few hours afterwards. Thankfully this madness is almost over.

Day 7:

Nicolai93 told us that this and tomorrow would be the last easy days before the final two, not that the rest were even remotely easy. Had to strike extremely small targets on a wall with my daggers over and over. He said it would work on accuracy to make sure my strikes were precise. Probably the easiest drill of them all, but made my arms really tired. Lifted weights after the old fashioned way to develop some muscle mass. Finally fully used to the weighted bands, but the lifting was still really hard. Did some sprints after that to measure how fast and how long I could run at top speed. Not as tired as yesterday…but still ready for a nice meal and bed.

Day 8:

Was taught one-on-one with Nicolai93 how to improve my magical abilities. Before, my magic was limited to simple summoning of my weapons and the Flux spell. Nicolai93 taught me Nosferatu, which drains an opponent’s life and heals you. Very useful, though still not fully confident in my ability to use it. Also taught me how to power my weapons with the element of shadow, so I could make deadly magical dagger strikes. Was extremely hard to learn and mentally draining. Struggled to learn this, probably because I never did this before. I think I have it down, but I’ll practice a few more times before going to sleep. Two days left…that are supposed to be hellish. We’ll find out.

Day 9:

Amazed that I am still alive. Nicolai93 turned up the weight on the arm and ankle bands again, though not as dramatically as before. Made us do the same drills as day 5 and day 7 without having time to get used to the weight setting. Almost blacked out several times while running from the spotlights. Felt like my arm was going to snap when I was lifting weights. Finally collapsed at the end of my sprints…woke up a few minutes later to the cracking sound of a whip. Nicolai93 whipped me across the back, punishing me for taking an unauthorized break. The marks are still there…it hurts tremendously. Writing this is a struggle. Not sure how I’m going to survive the…

Day 10:

It’s finally over! After I finish this I’m going to sleep forever. Today was a combination of all the days. First completed day 1 drills, then Nicolai93 increased the weight slightly again. Felt only like a five pound increase, but was still noticeable at this point. Without any time to recover, we had to do the day 5 drills, then the day 1 drills again. Got caught by the searchlights twice, but thankfully not a third time or else Nicolai93 would have had my head. Got hit by pellets several times, noticeable bruises on my right knee and forearm. Finally, had to spar with Nicolai93, using both physical and magical attacks. Only pulled off Nosferatu a few times…was punished for the failed attempts. Channeled magic into my weapons very well, though. Nearly avoided death multiple times…a cut on my right ear shows how close I came. Still have a bandage wrapped around it. I feel dead.

Putting my hand to my right ear, I felt the bandage that served as a reminder of Nicolai93’s incredible strength. During that whole fight, I felt as if he was not even fighting at half of his full potential, though everyone was probably so tired that he would have killed us otherwise. I yawned loudly, coming to the realization that reading the journal entries made me tired once more. Closing my heavy eyelids, I drifted back to sleep, thankful that my training was over. I was eager both for tomorrow and to find out if the intense training really paid off. After a meeting in the morning with Nicolai93, I would be headed to my first Power On Power-Up Tournament with a mission in mind: Kill Falcon6, take his key, and eventually claim the 1337 for the Nicolai93 Organization.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

CHAPTER 21: The Elite Plans

Although I fell asleep very quickly, I awoke feeling somewhat sore. Perhaps it was that I was not used to such commodities like a comfortable bed or that I was fatigued from the events that transpired in the past few days. Whatever the case may be, I rolled over and checked my PM watch. I saw that it was 9:30 AM and that I had received two new messages overnight. As I sat up and wiped my eyes, I checked out the first message.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FROM: NICOLAI93 Add User to Friends List – Add User to Ignore List

SENT: 08/19/07 1:00 A.M.

Message to all cardinals:

We will be meeting in the main hall at 10:00 sharp this morning. For our new members, it’s the same room you were in last night. We will discuss sensitive new plans and attendance is mandatory. See you there!

~Nicolai93

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I only had a half-hour to get ready and be presentable for Nicolai93 and the other cardinals; I definitely did not want to show up late on my first day for the new job. Still, it would only take me about ten minutes to get ready, so I had plenty of time to view the other message I received.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FROM: POWERTOMARIO Remove User from Friends List – Add User to Ignore List

SENT: 08/19/07 5:56 A.M.

Hello ShadowMario41, I trust that you are doing well. In the past two days, I had exhaustively researched the extensive archive of NSider’s history for information on the 1337. Unfortunately facts about this mysterious item are limited, but I did manage to come across one thing.

According to one text I read, the 1337 is an artifact of unknown origin… presumably crafted by the NOAs… that was originally going to be used by NOA_Shaun to create an unstoppable military force known as the “Pickle Army.” Other NOAs, though, decided that it was too dangerous to have an artifact like that in case it fell into the wrong hands. If that happened, even the NOAs could be overwhelmed and the community would be consumed by chaos. The item was supposed to be destroyed many years ago… However, NOA_Shaun supposedly hid the item instead of destroying it so that its power could be utilized in case of an emergency. It seems to me like he didn’t want to throw away his dream of having a loyal army of tremendous power. The item was hidden in an extremely secure location that is heavily guarded, but so far no one has ever laid eyes upon it.

Sorry but that’s all I could find out. Like I said before, information was limited about this children’s tale, though it seems like it could be more than that now. It’s only one source… so you may not want to read too much into it, but that’s what I found. I hope this was adequate. Good luck!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took me a few moments to soak in all of the information that PowerToMario had sent me via private message. At least one source other than Falcon6 or urban legends confirmed or, at the very least, hinted towards the existence of the 1337. Armed with this new knowledge, I was determined to find out what I could do to get my hands on such an object. I sent a reply thanking PowerToMario for his helpful information and slowly stood up, stretching my legs. Now, though, I had to focus on working for the Nicolai93 Organization, as I expected the pay to be quite high from this notorious group. Much to my surprise, there was a set of clean robes hanging on the wall beside me in my exact size. I changed quickly and left my bedroom, only to find LordCrumpTheGreat standing in the hallway.

“Hey…” she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice, “Good morning… w-what’s up?” “Nothing…” I replied, “Are you ok? You seemed pretty worn out yesterday.” She scratched the back of her head with her left hand and smiled big before saying, “Heh…yeah… that teleporter really made my stomach turn.” She looked towards the ground and kicked the floor as if she wanted to tell me something. “Is there…” I asked hesitantly, “…something you want to tell me?” “Well…” she started, “this is kind of embarrassing but… I didn’t want to walk into the main hall alone. I feel a little scared around these guys. You seem…strong and confident sooooo… do you think you can walk with me?” As much as it pained me to work alongside an X-Naut, I knew I would have to get used to it. Overcoming this prejudice was another challenge I had to face if I wanted to keep my employment in this organization. Under any other circumstances, I would have quickly declined the offer, but I did not want to start burning bridges on the first day. “Sure,” I said somewhat reluctantly, “If it will make you feel any better I don’t see why not.” “YAY!” She exclaimed as she leapt into the air, “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” “Umm…” I muttered, unsure of how to react to such a situation, “…no problem.”

The two of us walked side-by-side into the main hall where Nicolai93 and PrinceLudwig were already waiting for the meeting to begin. Nicolai93 was once again seated in his golden throne, but there was now a circular couch in the center of the room on which PrinceLudwig was seated. He motioned for the two of us to take a seat next to him with a hand gesture, to which we obliged, though LordCrumpTheGreat was initially somewhat hesitant to enter the grand hall. The couch, despite its metallic appearance (matching the overall décor of the room), was surprisingly comfortable. “Nice couch!” LordCrumpTheGreat exclaimed as she shifted around in her seat, “It’s so comfy!” “Pah…” PrinceLudwig scoffed, “You better enjoy the comfort now while it lasts because… we have much… excitement ahead of us.” “Indeed,” Nicolai93 stated in a booming voice, “It is rare that I have to call in new members for a mission, much less new cardinals. This may be our most important endeavor yet.” “Nicolai93…” I said after a brief pause, “Why did you hire us anyway? Why not promote someone else already working for you?” “Ha! Ha!” He laughed, “If you don’t want to be here then by all means… PrinceLudwig will show you the…” “No!” I hastily interrupted, not wanting to compromise my position so soon, “I-I respect your decision.” “I knew you would,” Nicolai93 replied with a smirk, “I’ll tell you if you manage to survive your first mission. Until then…well…” Nicolai93 pondered for a moment, stroking his chin with his right hand before resuming, “Hmm…Let’s just say we may all be on the same side. Why be enemies if we’re after the same thing?”

I was going to inquire as to what exactly he meant, but the door opposite the one LordCrumpTheGreat and I entered from opened to reveal a fully healthy and revitalized GamePlayer30, armored and ready for action. “Hey guys! I made it!” GamePlayer30 exclaimed as he started to run towards us, but stopped and grimaced in pain, “Oooh… gotta walk slow…” Armor clanking with each step, he eventually made his way to the couch and sat down as far away from PrinceLudwig as possible, who was stroking his magic scepter and staring maniacally at GamePlayer30. “Stop staring at me like that!” The nervous GamePlayer30 yelled at PrinceLudwig. “Heh …” the crazed magician responded, “How about a magic trick?” He paused for a moment then lashed out, “I’ll make your life disappear!” PrinceLudwig raised his scepter to attack GamePlayer30 when Nicolai93 interrupted, quelling the conflict, “Easy, you two! I know what your lust for violence is like, PrinceLudwig, but you’ll get your chance at the tournament.” “I…can hardly wait…” the mage responded in a low yet creepy tone.

Before I had the chance to ask, LordCrumpTheGreat spoke out, proposing the same question I had in mind, “Wait… tournament!? What tournament?” “You’ll find out once PikminMaster7 shows up.” Glancing down at his PM watch and then clenching his fist, Nicolai93 continued, “He better not be late this time. I already gave him a pass last week! How is this organization supposed to achieve perfection when –” As if on cue, the doors that I entered through a few minutes ago opened to reveal the final cardinal, again garbed in his purple robe and wielding his trusty rapier. “Ah, excellent!” Nicolai93 exclaimed in a radically different tone than before, “You’re here.” The user spun around stylishly and said, “Sorry if you expected anything less from a man like me.” “Ugh…” Both PrinceLudwig and GamePlayer30 scoffed as the user took a seat right next to LordCrumpTheGreat.

Much to her dismay, he leaned in closely, twirling his black hair with his left index finger. “Hey you…” he said softly, “I’m PikminMaster7… glad the boss finally decided to hire a lovely looking lady such as yourself.” Clearly aggravated, LordCrumpTheGreat folded her arms and looked away, which caused PikminMaster7’s expression to quickly change to one of disappointment. “Ohh…” He said, “Don’t be shy. I know it’s hard to resist my –” “What the hell is that smell!?” GamePlayer30 exclaimed as he quickly plugged his nose with his right hand. Taking a whiff of the air, I identified a very pungent aroma and copied the motion of GamePlayer30. “Did someone get sprayed by a dying skunk?” GamePlayer30 asked in a nasally voice due to his nose being covered. PikminMaster7 smelled the air before commenting, “Ah, that fragrance is my latest and greatest cologne. I had to put it on for working with our lovely new cardinal… both now and perhaps later tonight…” “Ugh!” LordCrumpTheGreat shrieked and slapped PikminMaster7 across the face, “How dare you!?” “You had that one coming, you know…” GamePlayer30 marked slyly, only to be slapped much in the same manner by PikminMaster7. “Shut up, you!” The rapier-wielding user yelled, to which PrinceLudwig responded, “Hey, you know…it’s not his fault that your sig shield… has a picture of Colette…” “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” PikminMaster7 screamed repeatedly, “She represents all that is pure with the world. She’s perfect…” “Yeah,” GamePlayer30 remarked, “Especially if you’re into ironing boards!” Before PikminMaster7 could retort with a comment of his own, Nicolai93 interrupted the feud and said, “Alright! It’s time for the meeting to begin!” Despite the difficulties in ignoring the strong smell coming from PikminMaster7, everyone instantly quieted down and listened to their leader.

“Now,” He began, “I first want to welcome our newest cardinals, ShadowMario41 and LordCrumpTheGreat, to this fine organization. In case you did not have a chance to meet the others, the user with the shell on his back is PrinceLudwig, the swordsman is PikminMaster7, and as I’m sure you know by now, the user in the armor is GamePlayer30.” LordCrumpTheGreat and I both nodded, confirming that we were acquainted with the other users, before Nicolai93 continued, “Excellent… now let’s get down to business. The mission we are about to undertake is extremely integral to the continued success of our organization. In fact, it may be our most important mission ever.” All five of us devoted our undivided attention to our boss as he spoke.

“I know that some of you have heard of this before, but just to make sure we’re all on the same page, allow me to tell you the story of the 1337.” “I knew it!” I exclaimed under my breath, as Nicolai93 just confirmed my suspicions as to why I was hired. Somehow, he must have known that I was involved with this object, which would lead him to get me in the organization to avoid any potential competition. Also, somewhat unrelated but still much to my surprise, I half-expected everyone in the room to scoff at the notion that the 1337 might actually exist, but they did not question him in the slightest, not even in their body language. The other cardinals had the utmost respect for their boss, meaning that he must be a phenomenal leader, an extremely powerful fighter, or a deadly combination of these attributes. As Nicolai93 explained the same story of the 1337 consistent with those that I had heard numerous times in the past two days, I began to realize just how real this situation was becoming. It seemed as if my involvement with the issue of the 1337 was now unavoidable. Falcon6’s word might not have been the most trustworthy, but there would be no way that a big-time group like this would waste their time with the 1337 unless they had some hardcore evidence affirming its existence. Judging by the tone of severity present in Nicolai93’s voice, this was an issue that could potentially impact the entire forum of NSider.

However, whereas other sources ended the story saying that any further information was unknown, Nicolai93 had a little more insight to add to the tale. “From what those in our organization have confirmed,” he said, “there are four pieces or ‘keys’, if you will, that are required to operate the device. All four of them are completely indestructible, so we don’t have to worry about them breaking or anything. Of course, our new primary objective is to collect all of the keys and claim the 1337 for ourselves.” “New plans!?” GamePlayer30 screamed, interrupting Nicolai93, “But I just finished memorizing the old plans!” PikminMaster7 whacked him on the head with the hilt of his rapier to silence him, and Nicolai93 glared at him before continuing, “Anyway, if we can succeed, then even the NOAs will be unable to contain our incredible power. Three of these keys are triangle-shaped artifacts that continuously radiate a golden light. We have confirmed the location of two of these three keys. One is in the possession of the Syndicate, so we will worry about that one later…” PrinceLudwig, GamePlayer30, and PikminMaster7 all scowled upon hearing Nicolai93 mention this while LordCrumpTheGreat and I were left relatively clueless to their reaction. Figuring it would be best to inquire about it later, we continued to listen to Nicolai93’s important information. “However, there is one additional fourth key that is shaped like a golden star. It does not radiate light like the others, but it is said to have some sort of reaction if it is in close proximity to one of the other three keys. The opportunity has presented itself for us to go after that key first.”

“But sir,” PrinceLudwig said, “isn’t one of the other keys needed to identify that one, like you said?” Nicolai93 chuckled a bit before responding, “Ha! Ha! Yes, normally you would be right, but we have pinpointed its exact location. In fact, it’s in the possession of one notorious user on NSider.” “Falcon6…” I said softly, causing the other four cardinals to look in my direction. Avoiding eye contact, I looked shyly towards the floor as Nicolai93 exclaimed, “Yes, Falcon6! That is exactly why ShadowMario41 is on our team.” I looked up at him and thought about what he was implying, but did not have time to ponder it much before PrinceLudwig interrupted, “The Hero of NSider? That arrogant fool? Really!?” “Yes really,” Nicolai93 affirmed, “You see, this plan is two-fold, so GamePlayer30 might have a tough time remembering it.” “Hey!” He shouted before being interrupted by LordCrumpTheGreat. “You know,” she said, “I’ve only been around for a little while but I can already tell he’s right.” “I knew I loved her for more than one reason,” PikminMaster7 chimed in, “she also has a sense of humor.”

“Excuse me,” Nicolai93 said softly, quickly raising the volume of his voice, “but are you quite finished!?” “Eep!” PikminMaster7 squeaked, “Sorry.” The boss of this organization was about to continue when he looked over at LordCrumpTheGreat who had one of her arms extended in the air, waving it slightly. Sighing rather loudly, Nicolai93 said, “Normally I don’t allow questions during my speeches…and you definitely don’t have to raise your hand. Since it’s your first day, I’ll give you this one pass… but it better not happen again.” “My bad…” LordCrumpTheGreat said sheepishly before speaking out again hesitantly, “I just wanted to ask…you said you know where two of the three keys are. Did you mean two of the three triangular keys or….what?” Unsure of how Nicolai93 would react to such a question, I looked back towards him, only to see a smile on his face. “Ah yes, I left out that little detail, didn’t I?” Nicolai93 said, seemingly proud of LordCrumpTheGreat for reminding him, “The second triangle key that we know of is in the Temple of Time, that historic landmark on the Legend of Zelda board. I don’t want to take any chances with that one… so after we get Falcon6’s precious star, we will all go after that one.” “You mean you’ll be joining us?” PikminMaster7 asked, to which the boss responded, “I may be able to handle such a thing alone… but I am not in a position to take any chances. All six of us will go there after the key in Falcon6’s possession is secured.” We all nodded, signifying that we understood and coaxing him to continue.

“Now back to the task at hand…” Nicolai93 said, “Since Falcon6 is such a high-profile user on NSider, the only way to safely get the star key from him is… well… if he’s dead. Simply murdering such a user would completely backfire, as news would spread extremely quickly and, if it were traced back here, this organization would undoubtedly have to deal with the unmerciful power of the NOAs. I am also positive that the moderators practically regard his word as the law, so stealing it from him would not work either. Really, the only solution is to take it from his dead corpse, which is what I intend to do.” It was at this point that I realized how big of a responsibility it was to be a member of the Nicolai93 Organization. They were not targeting criminals and thieves, but one of the most famous NSiders; the one that many people regard as a hero. This would truly be a difficult task but, judging by the look on Nicolai93’s face, he had some ace-in-the-hole tactic that he was about to share with us.

“Wait!” GamePlayer30 said, halting his boss’ speech, “If we get the 1337 first, then can’t we just kill Falcon6 with that?” Everyone, including me, was clearly irritated at this n00b-like question, but PrinceLudwig was the first to chime in, “Were you listening at all? Without all of the keys, the 1337 is useless…and Falcon6 has a key!” “Of course he doesn’t understand,” PikminMaster7 said, “he’s an idiot!” Both PikminMaster7 and PrinceLudwig looked towards me, expecting me to add to the barrage of insults, but I maintained my composure, as I desperately wanted to hear the rest of Nicolai93’s plan. “Wow…you’re no fun.” PikminMaster7 remarked as his gaze returned to his boss. “At least someone’s on my side!” GamePlayer30 screamed, to which I replied, “Other than working together… do not associate me with anything that has to do with you.” “Ha!” The swordsman remarked, now looking towards GamePlayer30, “He can talk after all!” A loud tapping sound echoed throughout the main hall, causing everyone to stop and look towards Nicolai93, who was feverishly tapping his foot on the floor, passive-aggressively demanding silence.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by someone who will receive appropriate punishment later…” the look on GamePlayer30’s face turned to that of pure fear, as he sat up straight and gave his unwavering attention to Nicolai93. “…The reason why this is the golden opportunity to strike is that the Power On Power-Up Tournament is at hand. The tournament begins on September 1st… in exactly 13 days from now. Falcon6 competed in the last two events and I am certain that he will show up again. The thing about the tournament is that killing one’s opponent, while frowned upon, it actually permitted. Granted the opponent could yield at any time, but getting in the killing strike before then is perfectly legal. In fact, it’s the only event on NSider in which killing an opponent is allowed; even the Power On RP board has certain restrictions in place. Thus, if we kill Falcon6 during the tournament, the headlines will read ‘Hero of NSider Killed in Tournament’ instead of ‘Hero of NSider Murdered – Killer Wanted’. We would still get the key either way, so I would much rather avoid the resulting backlash from killing Falcon6 outside the tournament, don’t you agree?” We all nodded at Nicolai93, especially PrinceLudwig, who had a devious smile across his face. “Excellent,” the boss continued, “but the preparation for the tournament will not be easy. Starting tomorrow, you must all undergo an extreme training regimen for ten days straight. Only then will you all be ready.”

“H-How extreme is extreme?” GamePlayer30 asked with worrisome and fearful tones in his voice. Nicolai93 paused for a moment, thinking up an appropriate response before replying, “It will push you to your limits and beyond. It will cause you to surpass the limitations of normal users. It will…open the gates for you to reach levels of strength comparable to my own.” Everyone remained extremely silent as Nicolai93 looked around the room, making eye contact with each of us before continuing, “Very good… I don’t sense that any of you want to cop out on me. You are all committed…even GamePlayer30.” Nicolai93 took another long pause, then changed his tone of voice to something much more personable as he leaned forward in his chair, “Listen… beyond a shadow of a doubt, this will be hardest thing you all will have faced at this point in your lives. I am confident in your abilities, but it will require every ounce of effort and determination in your bodies.” Sitting back once more, his tone shifted once again back to a professional-sounding voice, “Each training program will be customized to enhance your respective skills and turn your weaknesses into your strengths. Well… today is your last day of rest before the training begins. Enjoy it…while you still can!”

Sunday, April 3, 2011

CHAPTER 20: Introductions

When I regained my consciousness, I found myself surrounded by pitch blackness. I felt the floor as that of cold steel and I stood up, only to quickly wince in pain. My midsection was still aching from when I was struck by PrinceLudwig and I had no idea where I was. Slightly delirious, I looked around for a light source or something visible, but I could not even see my own hand in front of me. I drew my daggers just in case I was to be attacked and kept shifting around to make sure I could not approached from behind. For all I knew, this area could have been filled with foes just waiting to attack. One jump to the side caused my body to collide with what I presumed to be a solid wall, so I pressed my back to it and peered into the blackness. The sound of my body hitting said wall must have alerted someone else in the room, as I could hear a user gasp softly and start to breathe heavily. Upon hearing this, my heart raced, as I knew I wasn’t alone in the darkness.

“Who’s there!? Show yourself!” I said loudly, to which I heard in response “…hello?” The voice was surprisingly high-pitched and seemed to be that of a female user. “Are you a friend or not?” I demanded to know from the mysterious voice. After a moment, she responded, “F-Friend I guess. I won’t h-hurt you if that’s what you mean. I just want to get out of here!” “Ok then…” I said, feeling a bit more relaxed now that I was not in any immediate danger, “Do you have any idea where we are?” “No,” she said, “I was talking to someone named PikminMaster7 and then…I don’t remember…” “Hmm…” I said pensively, “What is your name?” Not expecting her to actually reveal her identity, I was surprised when she told me. “LordCrumpTheGreat, or Lord Crumpette if you prefer.” I stiffened at the sound of her telling me this; even though the user was friendly, that identity was undeniably one of an X-Naut. “Are you…an X-Naut?” I asked, trying to hide the violent undertone in my voice, “…Yeah, I guess so… Why does that matter?” Upon hearing this, I had to really struggle to control my emotions, as I could have lashed out towards her and ended her life here and now, despite not being able to see anything. If I really wanted to, I could have found her and killed her on the spot, but my better judgment overcame me in this situation. In this unfamiliar location and uncomfortable situation, it was better to keep my one ally than to quickly turn her into an enemy, regardless of her race.

After this brief conversation, my PM device started beeping and I presume her device did the same, as I heard her fumbling around for something on her person. I rolled up my sleeve and pressed the button on my watch to reveal the message in front of me:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FROM: NICOLAI93 Add User to Friends List – Add User to Ignore List

SENT: 08/18/07 7:27 P.M.

Dear new member,

In approximately ninety seconds, the wall in front of you will open to reveal a bright blue portal, into which you must step to enter the main base of the Nicolai93 Organization. There, you will be introduced to me as well as the current cardinals of this team. We will then begin our customary Cardinal Orientation by praising pwning GamePlayer30… ignore that crossed out word…GamePlayer30 wrote that and his punishment has been dished out accordingly. I await your arrival.

~Nicolai93

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was extremely shocked when I saw the current time. If the time that I received the message was correct, I was knocked out cold for almost an entire day. I wonder if it was a certain attack or spell that caused me to be incapacitated for such an extended period of time, as LordCrumpTheGreat seemed to be knocked out for approximately the same length of time I was. “Hey uhh…did you just get a message, by any chance?” I heard LordCrumpTheGreat’s voice speak out from the other end of the room. “Yeah…I did…” I responded, realizing that she, too, was hired to become a new cardinal of the Nicolai93 organization. I found it strange that we were not starting out as lowly members, but rather as one of the top ranks in this collection of criminals. Maybe Nicolai93 truly had an eye for spotting talent and did not want mine to go to waste with assignments of little importance to the group. Whatever the case might have been, in a few short seconds I was about to be welcomed as a new cardinal of the Nicolai93 organization. “So…” LordCrumpTheGreat said, “I guess since we’re both going to be cardinals, what’s your name?” “ShadowMario41.” I replied, not wanting to reveal any more information than what was necessary. “Nice to meet you!” She said in an even higher-pitched voice; I guess she was excited to make a new friend.

Before our conversation could continue any further, the door in front of us opened on cue with a loud clanking noise and a blue light flooded the once-dark room. This light was emanating from a small platform, which I assumed to be the portal that Nicolai93 mentioned in his message. I looked over at LordCrumpTheGreat before I entered the portal just so I could get a visual of my partner and hopefully get used to working alongside an X-Naut, despite my strong preemptive prejudice. She was garbed in a similar uniform as X-Naut128 was when he became an NSider, except hers was a bright pink instead of a dark red color. She was much shorter than I was and I found her looking back at me with hazel-green eyes. Instead of a broadsword like X-Naut128, she had two small ray guns attached to her white utility belt as her weapons of choice. I imagine that, since she was also a new recruit of the Nicolai93 Organization, her accuracy with those weapons was impeccable and she was a very talented fighter, despite appearing somewhat average. I noticed that she also had a knife hanging from her belt, too, that she could utilize for close combat situations. She seemed somewhat hesitant to enter the portal but, after making eye contact with me, assumed a confident posture and walked forward boldly.

We both entered the blue portal simultaneously and all I could see was a bright blue light in all directions. I could not even get a glimpse at my hand or any other part of my body, just this blinding blue luminosity. I also started to feel extremely dizzy, as if I was being spun around at extremely high speeds. A feeling of sickness overcame me and I felt very nauseous after only a brief moment. My heart started beating rapidly, as if it were trying to escape from my chest. I could feel cold beads of sweat forming on my forehead and they started to drip down towards my eyebrows. However, this terrible experience only lasted a few seconds, after which I instantly regained my vision and felt perfectly healthy. I dropped down onto one knee and started breathing heavily, as I was still in shock from that terrible experience. I could hear the laughter of other users coming from behind me, but I could not bring myself to turn around just yet. After a few more seconds, though, I finally managed to stand up and face the other direction.

I appeared to be standing between two rows of pillars in a large room with chrome walls. I was standing on a long strip of red carpet, which extended forward up a few small steps to a large, elegant throne truly fit for a king. It was made out of solid gold with gemstones engraved throughout. A red “N” made out of rubies was on the top of this grand chair, which was the iconic symbol of this underground criminal organization. The padding of the chair seemed to be made of the finest and most comfortable material around and, occupying that seat, was presumably none other than Nicolai93, himself. Judging by him just sitting there, he was about half a foot taller than me and had somewhat of a muscular build, though somehow still kept a slender stature. He had wavy light brown hair parted in the middle of his forehead that extended down the length of his face and a neatly trimmed goatee of the same color. He wore a long red trench coat covered with elegant patterns and lined with shiny golden buttons. A golden handkerchief stuck out from the top of his trench coat and a long-sleeve white shirt could be seen underneath that. The sleeves of his shirt extended to and were cuffed at his wrists, but he also had on white gloves that concealed his hands. He had golden armor plates on his shoulders, which gave him even more of a regal appearance. In addition, he wore a brown belt with a large silver buckle somewhat tight black pants. His dark brown boots were made out of the finest leather and looked to be quite expensive. Resting next to the throne was his weapon of choice, a large two-handed silver battle axe with a long bronze handle. In the middle of the two blades was the “N” insignia of the Nicolai93 Organization and the edges appeared to be extremely sharp. With the reputation that preceded this user, I was sure that he could handle the oversized and heavy weapon with ease.

The room I was in seemed to be a briefing room of sorts, as three other users also stood beside Nicolai93, two on the left side and one on the right. I instantly recognized one of the users of the left as PrinceLudwig, whom I met with before being knocked out and taken to this place. Now that the area was brightly lit, though, I could get a much better visual of this user. He was somewhat short and hunched over, wearing a heavy turtle shell on his back. He had white hair that was parted down the middle so that it formed two wavy tufts identical to each other but extending in opposite directions. He was wielding a golden rod with a sizeable red gemstone at its tip. From the looks of it, the weapon appeared to be a potent magical staff, but looked durable enough to be swung around as a melee weapon, too. The scepter was so shiny and polished that one could see his or her reflection in it. He wore two black spiked wristbands on each arm and a long dark faded green cloak that concealed his body. He had an evil-looking smirk on his face and was staring me down with his dark brown eyes.

My eyes shifted to the user standing next to him, one that I did not recognize. He had long jet black hair and wore a purple robe with gold trim that extended down to about his knees with sleeves that went to his elbows. His hair was perfectly straight and his clothes seemed to be in mint condition. In his left hand, he held his weapon of choice: a thin deep red rapier with a velvet hilt. He was not wearing a shirt beneath his robe, revealing the upper part of his well-defined chest. A lighter purple cloth was tied around his slender midsection, which brought his robe together and covered his abdominal region. He wore white pants and knee-high brown boots. There was a silver holster for his blade strapped around his waist and, just judging from appearance, seemed to be a very swift and deadly fencer. His brown eyes also met mine with a sinister gaze, causing me to quickly look in the direction of the third user.

The flashback of my first mission under the command of Dr. Peppy returned instantly as I laid eyes upon this third member of the organization. Without a doubt, it was GamePlayer30, the user that I had captured and delivered to Dr. Peppy for interrogation about the Nicolai93 Organization one year ago. He was somewhat plump and had noticeable battle scar on his right cheek. He wore a suit of solid blue armor, which seemed heavy but also very durable. In his right hand he held a mace, but this was unlike the mace that I remember Ganondorf8 wielding during my childhood. Instead of a spiked ball on a chain attached to a handle, it was all one piece, acting more like a club in combat. Regardless, even a simple weapon like this could be lethal in the right hands. GamePlayer30 had short black hair and had a confused expression on his face, staring at me in awe. This oblivious look reminded me vaguely of X-Naut128, but there was no way a user like that could make it into this sort of an organization.

“Wh-Where am I?” I asked, trying to remain calm despite being rather tense, still recovering from the illness I felt for mere seconds after I stepped into the blue portal. The users in front of me remained silent, but I heard a groan of agony coming from my right. After glancing over, I found LordCrumpTheGreat slowly getting up from the floor; she must have felt the same horrible sensation as I did. “Ohhh…” she moaned, “everything hurts…” I looked back towards the four users and placed both hands on the hilts of my daggers just in case they decided to attack. Noticing this, the user seated in the throne spoke out with a chuckle in his voice, “Relax. We’re not going to hurt you. GamePlayer30…maybe.” “Hee hee hee” PrinceLudwig laughed manically at the sound of this and GamePlayer30 shot the user a nasty look, but I remained composed as I simply crossed my arms and stood strong. LordCrumpTheGreat was finally on her feet and appeared to be a little nervous as she faced the users in front of her. Following a few moments of silence, the user seated in the throne spoke out again in a booming voice.

“Greetings! My name is Nicolai93 and I would like to welcome you both as our newest cardinals! After much time and effort, I have decided that you are the two users we need for our next and possibly future missions. I am most pleased that you’ve accepted our invitations.” LordCrumpTheGreat ran over to the closest pillar in the room and leaned against it; her head must still have been spinning from the prior experience. “Yeah,” The unknown rapier-wielder spoke out, “The teleportation process can be pretty rough the first time. You’ll get used to it.” Nicolai93 continued, “Allow me to explain the code of conduct of this organization. You see there are –” “He doesn’t look so good!” GamePlayer30 exclaimed, interrupting Nicolai93 and pointing to LordCrumpTheGreat, who was still leaning against the pillar for balance. Immediately upon hearing this, her facial expression changed to one of anger as she spoke out, “He!? I’m a girl you know!” “Really?” GamePlayer30 asked, only to heighten the level of anger coursing through LordCrumpTheGreat. GamePlayer30 then continued to say, “Are we really gonna have a girl working for us, boss?” The unknown user and PrinceLudwig smirked at GamePlayer30’s cruel comment, but Nicolai93 and I both remained firm as LordCrumpTheGreat pulled out one of her ray guns and aimed it at GamePlayer30’s head.

“Eep!” He said upon seeing the laser-sight scope pointed directly at his forehead, “Sorry! Sorry!” Although probably tempted to blast the fool, LordCrumpTheGreat returned her gun to her holster and tried standing up on her own, only to quickly return to leaning against the pillar for support. While I was fixated on that, I did not notice that the purple-robed user walked up to me. “You don’t show very much emotion, do you?” He said as he started to poke my arm repeatedly with the hilt of his rapier, “The ladies must like the silent type.” Like LordCrumpTheGreat, I was tempted to lash out at this user for violating my personal space, but I remain composed and simply responded, “I don’t talk much.” “What are you too shy!?” GamePlayer30 mocked from beside Nicolai93, which caused me to unsheathe my daggers and assume a fighting pose. Perhaps I was overreacting, but I felt as if GamePlayer30’s comment was somewhat insulting towards my profession. “Do you really want those words to be your last?” I said as I twirled my daggers in my hands and targeted GamePlayer30. Despite the heavy armor he was wearing, he quickly ran behind Nicolai93’s throne like a coward.

“What did I do now!?” GamePlayer30 exclaimed from his self-proclaimed safe spot. “You became an NSider…” PrinceLudwig promptly retorted, which forced a chuckle out of Nicolai93. “I hate you Lemmy!” GamePlayer30 shouted, causing Ludwig to dash behind the chair with his wand pointed at him. “It’s Ludwig!” The magic-user shouted as he shot out red fiery rings from his wand in the direction of GamePlayer30. I could not see the impact of this attack, as my view was obstructed by the throne, but GamePlayer30 quickly ran out with his hair and face on fire. He tried to get away from the crazed magician, but tripped over his own feet during his escape.

"ShadowMario41!” PrinceLudwig yelled, “Do me a favor and slice off his armor. I think you can manage that so I can burn him to a crisp...heh heh!” I was initially hesitant to attack a fellow cardinal and coworker, but I followed PrinceLudwig’s order and dashed like a blur towards GamePlayer30, slicing right through his armor with my magical daggers. With loud clanking sounds, pieces of his armor fell to the floor as PrinceLudwig’s fire continued to burn his flesh. Much to my surprise, Nicolai93 permitted the skirmish that was taking place, despite one his cardinals being on the verge of death. Once GamePlayer30’s chest plate fell to pieces, I had the opportunity to stab him in the abdomen, which would surely have been fatal. Not wanting to kill him, though, I jabbed the hilts of my daggers into his stomach and the charred and battered user fell to the ground.

“Umm…” I said as I looked in the direction of Nicolai93, who was still sitting on his throne and actually laughing at the ensuing battle. “Don’t worry,” he said, “We have the medical tools to fix him up very quickly. Pwning GamePlayer30 is a regular tradition around here.” “It’s like the teleportation process,” the user garbed in purple spoke out with a smile, “you’ll get used to it eventually and you won’t feel so bad about doing it.” “Precisely!” Nicolai93 said proudly as he adjusted his position in his comfortable chair. “Very well” I said as I slid my daggers back into the holsters and returned alongside LordCrumpTheGreat, who finally regained her balance and was able to stand now without any difficulty. A team of three medics emerged from a door on the right side of the room and hastily whisked GamePlayer30 away on a stretcher.

Once the door closed behind them, Nicolai93 spoke out once more. “Well I was going to explain your mission tonight, but I do want to wait until GamePlayer30 is healthy and all members are ready to go. I will brief everyone first thing tomorrow morning. PrinceLudwig!” “Yes, sir?” he asked, to which Nicolai93 responded, “Show our newest cardinals to their rooms.” “Of course…” PrinceLudwig said before turning to LordCrumpTheGreat and me, “Right this way…” He motioned us to follow him through a door on the left side of the room and we obliged. The door led to a long corridor, which had several rooms branching off of it. “These are the rooms reserved for cardinals,” PrinceLudwig explained, “ShadowMario41…you take this one on the left and LordCrumpTheGreat… your room is right next to his.” I entered the door that PrinceLudwig pointed to and LordCrumpTheGreat did the same. Much to my surprise the bedroom was quite luxurious, featuring all of the amenities that some wealthy users take for granted. Exhausted from the events of the past few days, I immediately collapsed on the ultra-soft bed and fell asleep in a matter of minutes. When I next awoke, I would be accepting my first assignment as a member of the Nicolai93 Organization.