Mystic: Land of Knowledge

I've been *trying* to write an RPG for a long time, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I hope to *someday* create this game and *maybe* try and submit it to be released on PC or possibly a console.

*maybe*

But for now, here's the intro.

MYSTIC: LAND OF KNOWLEDGE

Our tale begins in the country of Arynnia, in the small village of Trynt…

…as far as anyone can remember, these lands have been peaceful, without famine and without war. The hardships of the past have long since been forgotten, as the days have been happier in recent times. As children play in the town streets, workmen go about working much as they had when Arynnia first came to be, gathering all they can and establishing large, close-knit families. For the first time in a thousand years, all is as it should be throughout the land.

However, one day the village of Trynt, a small little hamlet in the south of Zeloi, was ransacked by thieves. These vandals made off with anything and everything they could carry, leaving the citizens of Trynt in a state of disorder. This chaos has worried the village elders who have decided to send someone to deal with the situation.

The son of the town’s beloved rancher, Seran, an upstart adolescent eager for a chance to set out on an adventure, decided to apply for the task. The elders, glad to find an able volunteer, send him on his way. He was thrilled to finally walk across the lands he’d dreamed of traveling, to see the world beyond his hometown. But alas, he had a task to complete, and no time to waste!

He caught up with the band of looters and managed to recover the stolen goods and return them to his hometown. The elders initiated him as a full-fledged adult and granted him permission to set out on his own. But before Seran could leave town, he was halted by a group of royal officials from the Mystic Council.

A dark plot was underfoot, and he had been chosen to help investigate. This news excited him. Not only was he finally free of the boring life of Trynt, but he was going to set out on a bold quest to fight the minions of evil!

Little did he know that fighting the villains wouldn’t be all fun and games. His perspective was sure to change by the end…

…so begins the tale of a young man and his adventures across this world.

PROLOGUE - A Mission

"We’re glad you’ve come, Seran," the elder, Orun, greeted the young volunteer. "You see, ever since our village was robbed last night the people have been in a state of turmoil..." This was very true. The townspeople were restless, more restless than Seran had ever seen them. They were arguing amongst each other about pointless nothings; complaining about what had been lost. It had to stop, so that order might be restored.

"This kind of catastrophe hasn’t happened since before I was administered as High Elder. See how they bicker with each other? We just can’t go on like this."

Another elder, Olon, chimed in, "You’ve been waiting for an opportunity to get out of Trynt and see the world, haven’t you?"

Yes, it was true. Seran longed for a life beyond the simple residence in a quiet village in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to get out, to go on an adventure like the ones told in children's tales.

"All my life," he replied. "Ever since I’ve heard my uncle’s stories, at least." His uncle had been an adventurer back in the day, but he had recently lost his leg from an orc attack and was permanently crippled. Seran's aunt had expressed how glad she was he'd finally learned his lesson and decided to take it easy for a while. Seran figured she just missed the company.

"I thought so," Olon acknowledged. "Your father was the same way. But he chose to stick to life on the farm. I suppose he finally settled down not long before you were born. The idea of having a family was appealing to him."

Seran shook his head in disapproval. "Well, I've learned from my father's mistakes. I don't want to be stuck in this dump for the rest of my life. There's a big bright world waiting for me, and I can't pass that up."

Olon nodded in agreement. "You've certainly matured a lot these past couple of years, Seran. You don't take the world for granted like so many others do.

"I don't think you have to worry too much about being stuck here. It’s almost time for you to set out on your own anyhow, and you will need the experience if you’re going to survive in the wilderness. Think of this as your first step on a brand new adventure!"

Owin, the third elder, had been very quiet during the whole conversation. He finally threw in his two cents now. "He’ll need a sword before he leaves the village! There have been monsters sighted on the roads recently!"

There was a moment of grim satisfaction on Seran's face when he heard these words. It was better than he'd anticipated. He'd get a sword and go out to fight monsters. REAL MONSTERS!

Orun silenced the younger elder. "Don’t worry. I’ve already talked this out with Erdone." He then turned back to Seran. "Your father has decided it would be best to give you the family sword to protect yourself while in pursuit of the thieves."

Seran was more excited than ever! He'd finally get a sword of his own and be able to fight! He had to admit, when he volunteered to set out after the thieves, he never thought his luck would turn out this good!

"Who knows? It may prove useful in dealing with those vandals!"

"Then he's all set?"

"I suppose. All he'll need is his sword." There was a long awkward silence before Orun continued. "Seran, are you ready to set out?"

Seran grinned devilishly. "Ready and waiting. Just say the word."

Orun just chuckled to himself and said, "I’ve always admired your enthusiasm. You’ll be just fine."

With that, Seran decided to find his parents. His journey across Arynnia would begin today, whether anyone else knew that or not.

***END OF PROLOGUE***

Stay tuned (lol) for Chapter 1!

So, it's pretty good isn't it? I dressed it up a little for the fic version, but it has the same basic frame as the original script. It's coming along great and I hope to get some major input on my latest (well, latest revived) project!

Wow! that's only the prologe windwakinfool?well...let me say something...This is GREAT!!! I LOVE IT!!! This will make me come here more!! I like the way it's like golden sun!!I LOVE THAT GAME!! *runs arround back and forth* I want to read MORE OF THIS STUFF!!! KEEP WRITTING PLEASE!!!!

Thanks to Experiment-01 for the comments. Thanks to all my other friends for their tremendous support on this project. Thanks to my English teachers for helping me become a better writer.

Bleah bleah bleah.

Anyway, now for the good stuff. Here's Chapter one.


CHAPTER ONE - Departure

Now that Seran had been given the 'ok' to take his new quest, he knew he had to get ready. A good adventurer, after all, had to be prepared.

First on the order of business was buying supplies. He'd need a pack to hold his personal items, which he knew he could easily acquire. Then he'd need some food for the road, which wouldn't be too difficult to obtain either. However, since people from Trynt seldom left the village, he would have difficulty finding his most important item: a tent. However, he had a good idea of where to start.

He wandered from the town square over to Jach's Produce Market. Time to pick up some fruit and vegetables. Unlike many of the other town teens, Seran actually thought these food groups were rather delictable. He grabbed some carrots, a couple potatos, some fresh apples and oranges, and a bunch of grapes. The elders had promised to front the cost for anything he needed for the trip. They had even offered to let him use one of the town's horses, but he had flatly refused. Horses would take all the fun out of venturing beyond the outskirts of Trynt.

After he finished grocery shopping, he rushed towards Samuel's Convenience Store to try and find a backpack that was too his liking. Along the way he was greeted by two small children.

"Hiya Seran!" the little boy exclaimed. "I heard you got picked to go and fight those bad guys!"

"Well, you see," he explained. "They needed someone capable to get back all the stuff those robbers stole, and I just happened to fill that category." It was so fun to brag to the little kids. They all already wanted to be just like him, and talking confidently to his juniors was satisfying for him.

"Cool!" the kid kept on. "I wanna be just like you, Seran!"

Seran smiled. "Good luck, kid!" He looked towards the little girl. She hadn't spoken yet. "Who are you little girl?"

"My daddy says you're a little crazy for wanting to leave the village," she sighed. She was obviously a little bit nervous talking to someone older.

"You tell your daddy I'll be fine, alright?" he replied.

"She won't have to," a voice from behind him said.

"Hello sir! Are you her father by any chance?" Seran asked. He knew the answer, dumb question. And since when was he so proper?

"That I am," he answered. "You know not many people leave this village, right?" What was he getting at? Of course no one left the village, they were all scared out of their wits to change anything in their lives.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a bit adventurous however, and I figured now would be the best time to get some traveling experience before I really leave on my own."

"Well, then take this to mind. Few people leave this village. But even fewer have returned."

Was this guy trying to scare him? It sure seemed that way. He wasn't at all intimidated; he'd already heard what those monsters could do, but he thought the thrill of adventure far outweighed the dangers. But what was this guy trying to prevent?

It didn't matter. He had things to do, and little time to waste. "Listen, I'll remember your words of wisdom, but I really have to get going. Those robbers will be to the next town if I don't move."

The girl's father didn't say another word, and Seran sensed frustration in his pose, as if he'd been hoping to dissuade Seran from leaving. So his suspicions were probably correct. He would have to investigate this when he returned.

But for now, he had to find a backpack, so he could carry all his stuff. And he didn't know where he'd find a tent, either. This was going to take a while.

- - -

By the time he reached the Convenience Store, Jach must have gone out to lunch or something, because he was nowhere to be found. He had asked Owin to wait for Jach to get back so he could explain to the shopkeeper why one of the backpacks was missing while he began his long arduous search for a tent.

After checking every shop he came across in the town square, he decided it'd be best to ask around. Perhaps the first person he came to would be able to tell him. Wait, it was a woman, and a mother at that, he noted, eyeing the little girl clutching the woman's dress. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

"Hello, ma'am," he greeted.

"You must be Seran," she said. How did everyone suddenly know who he was? He swore he hadn't met most of these people before. Heck, why was he complaining?

"That's me," he replied.

"My husband tried to go after those robbers, too, but he hasn’t come back yet. I wonder what might have happened to him?"

Seran resisted the urge to be sarcastic. "Don't worry, he's probably fine. I'll make sure he comes home safely."

Her eyes lit up. "You'd do that? You really are a hero!"

"Well, if you put it that way..." So much for trying to avoid sarcasm. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a tent, do you? I'll be needing one if I'm going to leave town. I may love exploring, but no one likes to sleep on bare ground."

"You know, we just might have another tent in the house. I'll go fetch it. Just wait here."

"Thanks," he replied. That was easier than he'd thought.

The little girl looked at him curiously. "You're pretty goofy-looking, y'know that?" she blurted.

"Gee, thanks for the complement."

"Has my brother been bothering you? He idolizes you, you know."

Seran just laughed. "Doesn't everybody?"

"All the little boys, at least. Well, all the ones I know, at least." This girl was a great deal more chatty than the one he'd met a little while ago. She was kinda cute, too.

Her mother came back outside with a tarp over her shoulder. "This should do nicely," she told him.

"I can't thank you enough..." Seran replied, putting it in his backpack.

Before he could walk away, she stopped him. "If you see my Richard, tell him to come home. We can't seem to get anything done with him gone."

"How will I know it's him?" Seran asked.

The woman just laughed and replied, "Oh, you'll know..."

- - -

Well, he had to admit, things weren't turning out too badly. He had already found all the items on his checklist. Of course it was a mental checklist, as he was too darn lazy to write one out. Now all that was left was to get the family sword from his father and he'd be good to go.

As he walked the road back home, he encountered Ule the fisherman fishing from the dock. Usually he fished from his boat. What was going on here? He decided to ask the old-timer.

"Hey," he greeted. Could have been a little less cheery, he told himself.

"Well, if it isn’t Seran?" Ule said in his salty seaman voice that Seran had grown to love. It made him sound just like the sailor impressions his uncle used to make. "I heard you volunteered to go fight those vandals who came through last night. They stole my boat, so now I have to fish off the dock!"

"What a tragedy..." Seran replied. This guy actually enjoyed Seran's dry humor. Maybe that was why he liked the guy so much.

"Y’know, if you want, I can teach you how to fish. It’ll be helpful on the open road when you need an easy meal." This was all too true. He'd need a little meat to balance out his fruits, veggies, and breads. He'd forgotten this. Good thing he ran into Ule.

"Yeh, I need something to eat besides grapes and carrots!" Seran replied. He must have eaten that type of thing everyday of his life. Being farmers, they were too poor to afford to eat meat all the time like some other families so they usually wound up eating whatever grew in the garden.

"Anyway, here’s a rod and reel," Ule said, handing him the tool and pulling him out onto the dock. "Now stand here, and I'll show you how it's done."

Oh boy. Fishing lessons. Fun!

"So how does this thing work?" Seran asked, playing with the line.

"Haven't you tried fishing before?" Ule inquired. Seran was fiddling with the reel.

"This is an interesting device," he said jokingly, spinning the reel. "What is it for?"

"Apparently not..." Ule sighed. "The first thing you need to know is how to cast. Bring the rod back and flick your wrist forward to cast. The faster you flick your wrist, the farther your cast will be. You getting this?"

"Got it," Seran said confidently, giving it a shot. His first cast went out pretty far. Not bad, if he did say so himself. But he knew nothing about fishing so he wasn't one to judge.

"Nice work, lad!" Ule praised, jumping with glee. "Now try again, and see if you can hit that tree stump out there!" Ule reeled in the line and handed the pole back to Seran.

Seran gauged the distance carefully, then brought the rod swiftly behind his head and made a graceful cast that hit its mark perfectly. Ha. He wished. His cast went far to the right, and Ule had him try again.

"Don't get discouraged! You'll get it!"

He tried again.

And again.

And again.

"What am I doing wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing!" Ule told him. "Keep trying, you almost got it! Remember, the best of fishermen never quits until he makes his catch!"

"Then I must be pretty darn good..." Seran muttered, making one last cast. So much for this.

But his cast landed right on the tree stump.

"Nice cast!" Ule praised again, applauding his efforts. "You're not half bad, you know? Now it's time to have you reel it in yourself. Just twirl the handle on the reel and it'll come right back to you!"

Oh. That was what that 'interesting device' was for. Cool! He reeled it in and Ule handed him a worm and showed him how to bait his hook.

"Now it's time for the final test. You're going to catch your first fish!" Ule said.

"Once you’ve cast your line, watch the fish below the water. When one grabs your line, pull back hard on the rod to set the hook and then use the handle to reel it in!"

"Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Then what are you waiting for! Reel a big one!"

Seran nervously cast his line into the water. "Good cast! Now wait for a fish to grab on."

"I know," Seran replied. This would take some concentration. Not his strong suit, but he could work with it. He watched the water carefully, waiting for an unlucky fish to take his bait. One was coming close now. Just a little further...

And he felt the hook go under. He snapped the pole back and started madly reeling his catch in. "Good job, lad! Now just reel the fish in! Oh, and you can tug on the pole as you reel it in to weaken its stamina!"

He took the expert fisherman's advice, pulling the line left and right to tire out his catch. It wasn't long before the fish just gave up. He dragged it in. It was fairly big, weighing in at about six pounds.

"Good job! You’ve caught your first fish! Now you’re a true fisherman!" Ule exclaimed.

Seran sighed. "Somehow I don’t feel a flood of satisfaction…"

- - -

When he finally arrived at his house, he saw his mother picking blackberries in the garden. He joined her. "Well Seran, you're finally going out on your own little adventure!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Yep," he replied blankly.

"So how did your meeting with the elders go?" she asked. He could tell by the way she was talking to him that she didn't want him to go for fear something would happen to him. Somehow this reminded him of how detached he was from the rest of Trynt. Everybody else was obsessed with 'finding their place' in the way of things, but Seran just wanted to get away from his 'place'. It had made him quite different from all the other children, and he found it difficult to make friends. So he was alone a lot. A real loner. Or, as most of his peers called him, a "real pimpin' loner." He was often respected for his courage and independant nature that was so uncommon in kids these days. Most of them just fantasized about leaving when they were younger, and then later, when they grew up, it passed.

Seran's love of adventure had never faded. He had grown to love the beauty of the world around him, and although Trynt was quite a sight to behold, he'd grown too used to it over the years. He yearned for something more. Suddenly he remembered his mother's question.

"The elders are glad they've found someone able and willing to help. i just hope I'm making the right decision."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Seran. You're a tough kid, I've seen you. The other kids have seen it too. You have unmatched determination and I'm so proud of you for it." He placed the berries he'd picked in the basket and turned to ask her something.

"Have you seen Dad lately?" he wondered.

"You might try looking out back," his mother replied.

"Thanks," he said, running around the house to check. Sure enough there his old man was, tilling the fields. His father was such a hard-working man that Seran was often inspired to become as strong and respected a man as he. But that wasn't important right now. His first priority was the sword.

"Hey son," his father greeted him as he approached.

"How you doing Dad?" he greeted in reply.

"So, you've finally decided to leave town for the first time. I remember when your uncle left. He was about your age. He took the family sword, but ever since his accident he's left it in my care."

"Yeah...about the sword..."

His father was already walking towards the house. "I know. The elders have already discussed it with me. It's about time you received this old heirloom anyway. You're almost seventeen. You've reached manhood. It's tradition to award the eldest son with the family sword when he comes of age."

"Now it's time to perform the sword-presentation ceremony, as my father did before me. Your uncle got this sword on his seventeenth birthday, but we can bend the rules in this special case..."

Seran was intrigued. A ceremony? Would there be strange ritual rites or some magical offering?

"How does this 'ceremony' work?" he asked.

"Well, I give you the sword, and then you're initiated as a full-fledged man."

Seran was not impressed. "That's all? Your 'ceremony' is pathetic!"

"Yeah well, what can I say? It's tradition, you know. Besides, you should respect your betters."

Seran laughed. "Hey, I'm, as you say, 'of age' now!"

His father chuckled in response. "You're right." He laughed some more before adding, "Now our little innocent Seran is lost forever."

"Glad to hear it. Anyway, I'll be back soon. I've got some 'grown-up things' to take care of."

"Good luck son!"

"Yeah, like I need any more of that..."

- - -

He was almost to the gate when he saw a group of well-wishers waiting for him. Among them were his mother and father, along with the elders. Sheesh. He hoped they wouldn't embarass him TOO badly.

"So…you’re finally setting out on your very own adventure!" his mother shouted.

"You’ve been looking forward to this a long time. Now your chance has finally come!" his father added. As if he needed to hear that again.

His mother hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Just…be careful…"

He whispered back. "Come on Mom! You know me! I’m always careful!" His mother had that skeptical look on his face when she knew he wasn't telling the truth. "Heck, who am I kidding?"

They laughed and waved to him as he continued down the road to the gates of Trynt. He would miss them all so dearly as he journeyed after the thieves down the road to Redil, the nearest town. The vandals were likely to have headed there.

He looked back one last time to see them all cheering him on. As they went almost out of earshot, he heard them yell one last "GOOD LUCK!"

Then he was gone. He didn't know when he would return.

Or even IF he would return.

All he knew was that his adventure was finally underway, and whatever was in store for him, he'd have to take it head on. Little did he know this quest would later serve a much greater purpose. And in the end, he would have made the greatest journey any man has ever experienced.

The journey through life.

***END OF CHAPTER ONE***

Oh yeah. Chapter one's done. Chapter two's in the making. Will Seran be able to track down the thieves? Only time will tell.

And what of that shady character who was trying to dissuade him from taking this quest? What motives are behind it? Is he friend or foe? Find the answers to all this and more in Chapter Two!