(I see most people here write lengthy stories about their dreams to be a famous such-and-such 3rd job, or how they started their journey, so I am going to write my own piece, attempting to write outside the box. Wish me luck, ne?~ Also, this is a work of fiction, as you’ll soon see.)

Mipsacri sighed heartily at the work she had done that day, stretching out at the platform high above the zombies. She could hear their angry moans below her, hisses of torment, beckoning her down there, but she would have none of it. The rather strong thief was tired, and she had just leveled up not moments before. Clutching her dagger loosely on her chest, her kitty curled up beside her singing to himself, she let out a quiet yawn, her eyes beginning to close for just a moment, the droning yells of the zombies beginning to lull her to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a loud click, like a grandfather clock, ticking away deep in the night. But this sound was so powerful, it shook the entire landscape around her. Mip quickly stumbled to her feet, holding her dagger out in front of her threateningly, her cat leaping up beside her and hissing. What was that noise?! Was it going to happen again? Before her questions could be answered, there was another loud click, this time sending out a visible shockwave from where she stood, clearing the entire map, every zombie turning into an instant pile of dust.

Quickly Mip ran to the edge of the platform, leaping off onto the ground, the dust from the zombie corpses sliding silently around her snowshoes along the ice, the silence now almost eerie and ghost-like. Whatever it was that had just destroyed everything she knew she needed to get away from. Taking off as quick as she could towards the nearest city, her small cat trailing behind her, she suddenly heard a voice behind her, that of a small child’s. “Wait a second, please.”

She whirled around to face the voice, her dagger lifted high in case of attack. But all that was standing there was a small cleric, about half her size, her clothes quite oversized, carrying a staff larger than she was, appearing to be about 6 or 7 years old. “Who are you?” Mip immediately inquired, not lowering her dagger in the slightest, in case it was some sort of illusion. But the girl seemed more frightened then dangerous, gripping her staff a bit tighter. “Were you the one who killed all the zombies?” She whined, the tiny angel wings fluttering on her back slightly as she spoke.

“Eh.. feh.” Mipsacri finally grumbled, lowering her dagger and walking over towards her, at the same instance the cleric lowering her staff. Stopping in front of her, practically towering over the girl’s small frame, she decided to crouch down to her height, so seem less threatening. “What’s your name then, kid?”

“M-My name is Meriako.” She mumbled nervously, looking down at her feet as Mip studied her features. This cleric was a small child with pale purple hair, set down in a long braid, her eyes were innocent and hazel. She could tell by just getting near her that this wasn’t a transformation. Whomever this was, was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Well, Meriako, my name is Mipsacri, or Mip for short.. you look to me to be too low level to be around here.. how did you get here, anyway?” To answer that question silently, the cleric took a bag off of her back, pulling out some Dead Mine scrolls just to show them to Mip. After gazing over those for a few moments, she handed them back, then stood up again. “Perhaps.. you should go back to El Nath? I’ll go with you, I need a rest anyway, it’s getting dark.”

Meriako grinned at this rather shyly, nodding slowly. “Okay.. I have my own scrolls to get back to town! So.. I’ll meet you there!” She said, as it seemed to Mip, she was just looking for friends. Pulling out a ‘Return to Town’ scroll, she threw it into the air, a puff of smoke appearing around her than encompassing her all together, tossing up the dust and snow mixture all around. Mipsacri waited a few extra moments to return to the icy land of El Nath, her cat, named Mr. Zaza, sitting down beside her and staring out onto the empty landscape. “Are you sure the girl wasn’t the one who did all this-nyah?” He asked, shifting his cat-like gaze upto her. Mip shook her head, placing her dagger into her holster, looking down at him. “Nah, this kid is too weak to do anything like that.”
Before Zaza had more time to argue, she threw one of her own scrolls into the air, a light circling around her and once it had cleared, she was in El Nath again.

As usual, the town of El Nath was bustling with activity. The shouts of merchants selling their wares could be heard from afar, as well as the small creatures that lived just outside the city. The smell of food mixed with the harsh smell of metal being refined filled the air, Mip’s fingers beginning to tingle from the cold. Blowing on her gloved hands for a moment, past her gaze she saw Meriako running towards her, waving her arms gleefully. “Eh?” Mip pondered as she placed her hands on her hips, being passed by numerous groups of people shopping before Meriako finally came to her, running out of breath, as endurance were never clerics strengths. “I found a room at the inn, you can stay with me if you’d like! I’m paying.” She grinned, although her voice was still slightly shy, Mip could tell she was warming upto her.

“You’re paying?” Mip tilted her head slightly in confusion, “But you’re a low-level cleric, you must be short on mesos right now..” She commented, but Meriako shook her head quickly, smiling. “Not at all, I have plenty saved up.” “O..kay..” She finally agreed hesitantly, as she couldn’t quite pass up an offer for a free stay, but she supposed that the cleric was exaggerating about the fact that she had plenty of mesos. At that moment, the small girl seemed overjoyed to have a friend, turning all the way around and dashing off back to the inn, her small angel wings fluttering in the breeze, disappearing into the masses of bystanders and shoppers.

Taking her time, Mipsacri slipped her hands into her pockets, pulling her cloak slightly tighter around her from the icy chill, slowly walking towards the inn she had frequented. She finally arrived, the tall wooden door swinging open, a blast of warm air hitting her face from the crackling fireplace in the same room. “Welcome to the El Nath Inn and Potion Shop!” The ever graceful Hana greeted, her flowing blue pig-tails set gracefully over her back, making Mip look somewhat of a slob in comparison.

“Ah, there you are, Mip!” Meriako called from across the room, warming herself at the fireplace on a large couch from which one couldn’t see her from the entrance. Hopping off the couch, she looked much rosier now, it seemed she had completely regained her stamina. Mip glanced out the window, the snow was starting to fall again, and the sun was quickly creeping away from view. “Ah.. just in time too.” Mip added, grinning back, stretching her arms tiredly. “So where’s this room you got? I feel I could flop out right now.” “Up the stairs, second room over.” Hana answered for Meriako, tossing the keys to Mip, which she caught easily. “Sweet.” She grinned, climbing up the stairs, Mr. Zaza following her pace, leaving Meriako downstairs to continue warming herself up.

Finally reaching the room that I was spoken of, her pale blue eyes glancing at the room around her. It was fairly plain, equipped with the most normal of things, two beds, a lamp, a bedside table, which in her opinion was no problem. She could care less, she was so tired. Yawning once more, she crawled into one of the two beds which was in the room, tucking herself into the soft warm pillowy blankets, hardly taking a moment to take off her shoes, gloves and hat. “This is so nice..” She mumbled to Mr. Zaza, who had taken a temporary spot at the foot of her bed, her eyes slowly closing, encompassed by the dream world around her.

But then.. a loud tick echoed throughout the room.

[To be continued..]

(I promised you all a decent story, so here it is! Thanks for reading!
~Mip)

(MaskOfSmak pwns you.)