Please forgive any mispellings or gramatic incosistences, I'm not a perfect English speaker.
And please forgive the literary weakness in the text, I'm not used to write Fics in English. I could make the narration more poetic if I was writing it in Portuguese.
I don't have much time to devote mimself to write this fic, because I'm a full-handed fanfic writer and have lots of work to do. So, this Fic will be updated weekly.
Please don't forget to give your feedback and suggestion for me to write better in English.
CHAPTER 1
It was somewhere on middle-northwestern of Elmoreden Empire, somewhat close to Schuttgart. The weather was cold and dry, and it was the dawn of one more day in the world of Aden. It was somewhere uninhabited by folks, but a nice place to live, indeed, especially if you are a Dwarven Bounty Hunter armed with fine polearms and blunt weapons. It was Pavel Ruins. There was a small pond of water on which surroudings some personal objects could be found lying on the groud.
The pond wasn't too small, as a female Dwarf could lay down on it. And there was a female Dwarf lying down on that pond indeed, nude, holding her Lance's tip against the neck of a Dark Elf that just came from nowhere, who was ready to cut her throat with his Dark Screamer. It was a kind of a difficult and awkward moment, indeed.
-You're just TOO fond of yourself to resort to try to attack a Bounty Hunter! - said the female Dwarf
-You're just TOO fond of yourself to resort to not to beg for my mercy, in your actual position. - said the Dark Elf
The female Dwarf blushed when she saw that that Dark Elf rapidly peeked at her nude small breasts.
-Can't you just wait until me finish this bath so we can kill each other?
-I'm not killing today, so you can relax. I just need to talk.
-And you just chose the BEST way to start a friendly conversation, huh?
The Dark Elf holstered his Dark Screamer and stood up. "He has got to be no challenge", the Dwarf though, "All his equipment is Common and he is wearing a Drake Leather...". The Dwarf asked the Dark Elf to look away while she got dressed with her underwear and her Blue Wolf Heavy Armor. He didn't look at her at all, but his senses were sharp to detect any attempt to funny backstabings with a Lance or a concussion of a blunt on his head.
-Are you finished?
-Yes, you can turn now.
The Dark Elf looked and saw the Dwarf all dressed up and ready to battle. "She would be a tough opponent", the Dark Elf though, "But it's nothing I can't handle". He tried to not look dangerous, by relaxing his arms.
-Let me begin, Dark Elf. Who are you and what do you want?
-My name... is Yoshimizu. I'm an Abyss Walker, and I have a problem that only you can solve at the present moment.
-Yoshimizu, the Abyss STALKER, huh! What is this problem of yours?
-I know who you are. You are Suzurann, the Golden Knight. You worked for Dual Persona Project, one of some dirty business you Dwarves do.
-Hmmmm... My name is Suzurann, indeed. But I'm no Golden Knight, and I never worked for this Dual Persona Project. Looks like you're mistaking me for someone that looks alike me and has the same name as me.
-I'm not in the mood for playing, Suzurann. I need your help, and you can get paid if you comply. PAID! MONEY! ADENA!
-Don't threat me like a cheap Dwarven stereotype. I just said I'm not the person you're looking for. But I can offer my shoulders for you to cry over them.
-So... Let's assume you're not the Golden Knight, so you don't know anything. I'll explain my story.
Yoshimizu ommitted some details. He didn't tell the name of his clan, which was an important but compromising detail. He and his comrades, other Daggers, were hired as mercenaries to steal something very important. It wasn't a very difficult job for a bunch of well seasoned A and B Grade Treasure Hunters, Plains Walkers and Abyss Walkers. Indeed, it was a perfect job for such stealth and quick warriors. They received the information about a secret project being held in the deepests of Archaic Laboratory, called Dual Persona Project. They didn't know much about what that project was about, but they knew well their goal: steal all documents and artifacts related to that project objectives. They would know what to do when they got there.
As they knew, the Dual Persona Project was being held by Dwarven cientists that are trying to infuse alternative spirits in people's bodies, in order to make them be able to Subclass easily and even use two classes at the same time. Or something like this.
It was some weeks ago, when the mercenaries first approached the Archaic Laboratory. The place was packed with Golems made of an ancient Dwarven Golem-making style, which would represent some challenge to dagger-using warriors. They didn't need to face those Golems: they used their Silent Walk to pass through the dungeons without being seen. It's at this hours that being a stealth warrior is the best thing. They wouldn't need to risk themselves facing hordes of Golems and wouldn't do any noise that could inform their position, a very advantageous tactic to do a would-be sucessful mission.
Their info was useful to pinpoint the position of the project, but wasn't useful to warn them about the dangers. When they first encountered the first guards, seasoned Orc Destroyers and Human Gladiators, they tried to get a good positioning to Backstab them, but there was a trap. Somehow, the guards seen them even though they were using Silent Walk, and a great ambush surrounded the daggers.
It was a clearly unfair fight, since there were far more guards than the mercenaries could handle. The mission would result in failure, if they didn't take a quick and smart decision. The leader of the daggers just reminded everyone about the mission's importance and ordered some of them to pass through the guards and enter the project to steal the subjects. Yoshimizu was one of them. He and other Abyss Walkers used Confusion and Trick to divert the guards and try passing through them.
The job was getting harder and harder as they got into the project. There where lots of strange scientific objects, which indicated they were getting closer of their goal. Their MP were getting short because of a long period of Silent Walking and overuse of Confusion, Charm and Trick. The project had many bifurcations on it's ways, so the daggers needed to split. They had to continue splitting as more bifurcations appeared. Surely some of them were just traps or diversions for invaders, but Yoshimzu was the luckiest.
He found what appeared to be the subject. Thanks to his quick running, he was able to outrun some guards and leave them behind enough for him to steal the subject. As he could figure out, he extracted from a strange machine a glass ampoule containing some black and thick liquid. Unfortunately, the guards were just to close and too numerous when Yoshimizu was ready to take away the subject. There were too much guards and the escaping route was blocked. Yoshimizu had do something about that. It was at that time he just had a supposedly great idea.
-You guys want this?! - said Yoshimizu, showing the ampoule -Kill me first!!
The ampoule was something like a syringe, as it had a sharp tip and a button to inject it's liquid. Yoshimizu injected the liquid in him, stabbing his arm with the ampoule. It hurted a bit, but it wouldn't hurt as much as the beating he would receive from that horde of guards. He could just try to hold them off until he got some reinforcements.
-DON'T DO IT!!! - a guard screamed
-TOO LATE!
Yoshimizu unsheated his Dark Screamer, getting ready for the fight. He waited for a moment like this to relinquish the only shot of Ultimate Evasion he would be able to use in that mission. Taking the Ultimate Evasion stance, he grinned. He wouldn't be able to finish that mission, but at least he would be a pain in the *** for those guards, giving a very little extra chance for a sucess.
-Come on! Who wants to have their throat cut by a Lethal Blow?!
-He injected a whole sample of the unstable Dual Persona! Should we take him on? - a guard said
-He doesn't seem to have subclasses! We'll be fine! CHARGE! - a other guard said
-What the hell are they talking about? - Yoshimizu thought
Suddenly, a great pain erupted from Yoshimizu's insides. He never felt such pain, even from the strongest blow he received during his life. That pain was strange... It was quite... Mystical. He felt a stange force trying to take out his body, as if a demon was possessing him. He got very scared, as well the guards. Hee dismayed as he saw he couldn't help but whrite and moan due of the pain, being incapable of fighting back neither the pain nor the guards. Fortunately, the guards looked to not to want fight him. Something very dangerous was happening.
Yoshimizu's vision was getting darker as he started to hear a voice coming from nowhere.
-Now I am you, and you are me!
-AAAARRRGH!!!! - Yoshimizu screamed
He tried to hold his head, trying to protect himself from that voice.
-You don't need to introduce yourself to me. I can see everything about you. All that you need to know about me is that we will be together from now on... Now, relax and let me take care of this for you.
The voice in his head started to try to control Yoshimizu's body. He could somehow keep it from possessing him completely, but he couldn't hold off all of it's power, letting some of it leak into his body. He looked at his arms, with deeply scared eyes, seeing a misterious dark-golden metal creeping around them, taking form of a very powerful-looking light armor. Only his arms were covered by that armor, because he was fighting back the demon inside him. He could still control his arms, thought, but that was hard and painful.
-I told you to relax, Yoshi. - said the voice
-Shut up!! Let me be!
-Since we just met, I'll let you savor my... I mean, OUR power.
Suddenly, the Dark Elf could feel like he could move freely, even with that armor creeping around him. Strange thoughts invaded his brain, containing information about combat techniques. He could feel a dark energy surging inside him, making him more powerful. He was still scared, but his instincts made him do what he should do.
Back on actual time...
-...And what happened, then? - asked Suzurann
-Happened what always happen when someone mess with an Abyss Walker. - said Yoshimizu, grinning
-So... The problem is this "Dual Persona" thing that is inside you, isn't it?
-Yes, it is.
-But it makes you powerful. With it, you beat hordes of tankers!
-Yes, it's true. But... There's a setback.
-What is it?
-This Lost Persona thing... It wants to take over my body. I can't let it! I'm always tense and nervous, and I can't sleep as well. A Shillien Elder told me that if I don't sleep for a week, I'll die.
-How much time have you been awake, then?
-Something about 43 hours. I just have more 125 hours of life if I don't get rid of this Lost Persona.
-Bah. Cry me river.
-You are the only person from the Dual Persona Project that wasn't killed during our attack. You're the only one who can find out a way to cure me!
-I just said a kk times that I'm not the Golden Knight!
-So I'll assume that you aren't the "real" Suzurann. So... Could you help me to find the Golden Knight?
-Just if you let me take all the loots.
-WHAT?
-Every Dwarf have to know how to take advantage out of the situation! So... You want my help or not?
-Okay okay... But at least let me get enough to buy Pots...
And then, the team was formed.