Rinnah's MapleLegends Lore Journal [Inspired by Sinclair]

Hi there,

I'm sorry if you can read and understand English. Anyway...

Entry #1: Forsworn Love

Shivering awoke in the Free Market, sat on an expensive chair set amidst the icy vistas and calming El Nath music of FM22. One of many. He didn’t know nor care the chair’s name, except that it was expensive, being from a raffle from some past event lost to the annals of history.

He stretched luxuriously, letting out the inertia of slumber as he entertained thoughts of alt-tabbing to play another game of League of Legends instead. Being AFK was, in some strange way, possibly the same sensation of sleeping for a long time. And yet, a quick @servertime told him that it had only been less than an hour from the time he had gone AFK.

It had been one game of League, nothing more. Many dodges in Champion Select, but only one game of solo queue. He looked a few pixels ahead of him, smiling at the sight of Nightz sitting quietly upon another rather expensive-looking chair. In the wintery glow of FM22, his fellow I/L Arch Mage looked so immaculate in those black Matrix NX robes, equally black shades covering those beautiful emerald eyes of his green like molten envy.

“Nightz.”

“Welcome back, my love.”

Shivering’s eyelashes fluttered. Nightz had been here the entire time, watching over him with a reverent smile that would make any e-girl swoon. Possibly. Or perhaps he was talking to someone else in that Guild of his. Maybe? Maybe not. He liked very much the fantasy of the former, and he smiled as he let himself indulge in it. Easily, he could think of five ways to kiss him on the lips.

“Care for a stroll?” Nightz offered warmly, his words gentle yet manly as befitting someone of his stature. “Been sitting here for a while.”

“Sure, why not…” Shivering answered distantly, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he put two and two together. “Wait. You were sitting here, watching over me… right?”

Nightz grinned.

“If that’s what you’d like to think!”

It was. Sometimes, Shivering would dream of such manliness so close to him. Of resting his head upon that firm, yet soft body that lay beneath his INT gear like a ripe apple covered in ruby red skin. It was not quite jacked with a strong core like a Beaters member, but it was just right. Perfection. He had the good fortune, once, of straddling so gently, what delicateness lay beneath. No amount of Meso or White Scrolls could ever hope to buy that. Not even the dread acronym starting with the letter ‘R’ could, at least in here.

“At least I didn’t come back to you, uh…” Shivering mused, his cheeks running red as he spoke. “Doing… touching… uh… nevermind.”

Nightz winked.

“I didn’t wake you up, didn’t I?”

“Right. Of course. Anyway, you wanna go out for a bit?”

“Sure. You’ll lead the way?”

Shivering nodded.

“Always.”

They left FM22. It was just as chilly outside at the Free Market Entrance, for it was the Christmas Event. It was, at one point for that event had ended a month ago. Even so, people braved the cold weather for the chance to sit on their chairs with their friends. AFK-ing or rolling or just chatting about literally anything.

Quietly, Shivering looked upon the scattered players. How much Meso did they have? Those chairs they had weren’t even worth that much! And their gear? Probably worse! They probably did not even sell leech or multi-mage! There were Bishops among them, e-girls and guys playing girl characters decked out in the nauseatingly pastel colours of event NX, their event faces and hairstyles in colours sickly and bleached like their sense of fashion.

And yet, they were having fun. They were talking. F2-ing and F3-ing. Rolling a few million Meso at a time. Doubling that, for a pittance! They looked like the kind of people who would sell a White Scroll for Meso should they ever stumble upon one, somehow.

“Look at that one, Nightz,” Shivering whispered, his eyes upon a Bishop wearing ugly pyjamas shaped to look like some parody of a dinosaur. “He’s beautiful.”

“That’s some shit NX.”

“He likes it. That’s all that matters,” Shivering answered thoughtfully. “The future is his.”

He then looked quietly upon Nightz, who stood dutifully by his side watching those same players in mutual silence as the festive music of an event long over. Without further words shared, they knew. Multi-mages and sweat-lords would come and go, accomplish their goals and burn out like fireworks in the sky. But obviously, definitely, the social, the Henehoe – they would survive.

The world was theirs to inherit. Not his, nor Nightz’s. Like four seasons of loneliness, they would come and go, and they would cry about HP washing, about being figuratively held at gunpoint IRL into adding obscene amounts of INT in order to keep up with those already established in this society. And they would give their suggestions to fix these problems, always thinking themselves so insightful and clever as they argued with the old guard, so trapped in their wealth and squeaky-clean washed characters, for the very soul of the world. Good and evil, the war eternal.

Eventually, tabula rasa would come. It was not a matter of yes or no, but when. And when that day would come, the sweat would be washed away for good. Surely it would. Like blood cleansed in rain.

“We are the dead,” Shivering uttered quietly. “We are the dead.”

“We are the dead,” Nightz echoed dutifully, placing a hand gently upon Shivering’s shoulder. “We are the dead.”

“You are the dead!”

Shivering turned around. The voice of Kimberly, carrying with it the sharpness of vengeful death, had come from a blue server message, of all things. Butterfly wings heralded the arrival of certain doom, slickly red with the blood of fallen enemies, burning to avenge. It was absolute like the law of nature. All chatter and rolling had ceased, and he could feel everyone’s eyes upon him in the Free Market.

“Remain exactly where you are.”

Shivering grit his teeth. He knew exactly what was coming. He would be a fool to remain! Desperately, he looked to his beloved for hope. They could escape together from this place! Maybe play on another server? Happily ever after!

But he could not move. Nightz’s hand, placed upon his shoulder, was now cold and unmoving like the grave. It left him shivering from the cold.

“Nightz…”

Shivering forced himself to look at Nightz, or at least, what had once been. The bossing I/L Arch-mage’s skin had darkened into a tan like a reverse Michael Jackson, and his lips had contorted sharply into a predatory grin that, from even a single glance, he seemed to have no control over regardless of his emotions. For there was in his eyes, teal like lucid nightmares, barely hidden beneath those black shades – sorrow. He was no longer Nightz. He was now…

“Nightzy.”

The Staff member nodded coldly in acknowledgement of his new name.

“You were given multiple warnings on Discord and the Forums.”

“Nightzy? How? Why…?”

“They got me a long a time ago,” Nightzy answered with a mild, almost regretful irony, dutifully stepping aside as Kimberly approached with the flames of Hell burning hotly upon butterfly wings and Red Whip alike. “They got me a long time ago…”

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Lore Index

Entry #1

Entry #2