Hey guys, in my aspiration to become a successful creative writer, I thought I'd start with a MAL fiction, after seeing all these fantastic fictions in the creative corner.
I want this to be a Game, Action, Comedy, Romance, about 15 MAL users who get warped inside of a video game. My fiction might not be as good as the others, but I'll put my heart and soul into it.
I need 15 characters, so if you want to be in it, please say so, but I want you to be a regular here on MAL (For the readers imersement)
Chapter 1: I'm Late
It was a regular morning in MAL City, the birds were chirping musically in the trees outside Goh's window, and the sun filtered through the blinds onto his face. Goh rolled over in his sleep and pulled the covers above his mouth.
"BRRRRIIIIIINGGGGG!!!" his alarm sounded abruptly, Goh reached over and slammed down on it, shutting it off. "Shut the hell up would ya? Give me five more minutes". Goh layed there for about three more seconds before he shot up to a sitting position. "Crap! I'm late for work!". Less than a minute later Goh was hurriedly riding out of his garage on his bicycle. "God-dammit, I knew I should of changed my alarm clock!" grunted Goh, as he pushed up the hill on his rusty bike.
About three quarters of the way up the hill, Goh saw a figure of someone familiar. "Yo! Late again are we?" the figured called out as Goh got closer. "Yeah, yeah, save it would ya, I have enough to worry about already without your crap, Asap" replied Goh with a hint of sarcasm. "How come were waiting for me this late anyway?" Goh continued. "I can't wait for my childhood friend to walk to work with him? Oh no, what terrible times we live in haha!" said Asap jokingly. Goh ignored him as he slowed his bicycle down beside Asap. "Get on fool, we're going to be late at this rate." Said Goh.
After Asap climbed onto the back of his bike, Goh sped down the road to get to his daytime job, at MAL Headquarters.
End of Chapter 1
CHAPTER TWO: The Start of Something?
Chapter 2: The Start of Something?
The rusty bike pulled up with a screech along the already hot road. "Let's go Asa, I'm sure our boss is going to kill us." sighed Goh. "Yoro ain't that bad." said Asap as he climbed off the bike. "He sounded all excited last night though." started Goh. "Was talking about a new game in development or something." he finished, but Asap didn't reply. The automatic doors to MAL Headquarters opened as Goh and Asap rushed inside. The MAL Headquarters building towered above all buildings in the entirety of MAL City, hundreds of interns and workers scurried orderly passed each other, to get to their destination. MAL Headquarters was the place where everything was run and everything was made, from tooth brushes, to Mach trucks. Goh and Asap rushed into an elevator that had just been opened. "What floor again?" asked Asap looking at Goh. "39th floor" replied Goh. It was then that Goh remembered that Asa has only been working with Goh for a week, although it felt like forever.
BING! The elevator sounded as they reached the 39th floor, Goh rushed out before Asa. He saw a glint of black and white before he collided with something solid. CRASH! Goh fell backwards as did the person he collided with. "Ouch..." Goh said in unison with the mysterious person. Goh jumped up and reached a hand out to the person. Now that Goh had gotten a good look at the person she was actually a gorgeous girl with twin tails and wearing a-- "I'm really sorry!!" the girl said interrupting Goh's train of thought. "No, it's fine, I should have been looking where I was going" replied Goh, reassuring her. "More importantly, take my hand and hop up would ya?" finished Goh. "Oh, sorry." the girl said almost sadly. "Jeez you sure apologise a lot." Her hand was soft and Goh blushed for a second as he pulled her up. "More importantly, what's your name?" asked Goh. "Kibura. Kibura Iburasa. Nice to meet you." Kibura said with a cute smile.
Asa walking up behind the two called out "Made a new girlfriend already have we Goh-Goh?" He said with a chuckle. "LIKE HELL I HAVE!" yelled Goh. "And I told you to stop calling me that!" he finished. "Yeah, yeah, I was kidding Goh, get a sense of humour would you" said Goh sarcastically. Goh wasn't listening however. He was too busy staring at Kibura. Kibura realised this, and started to look almost frightened. "I-is something the matter?" she asked. "This has been bothering me for a while" started Goh. "But why are you wearing a Maid Outfit?" End of Chapter 2
CHAPTER THREE: Executive GinSan
Chapter 3
"So you're the private maid of an executive at MAL HQ, but it's your first day on the job, and you got lost?" confirmed Asa. "Why does this sound awfully cliche?" asked Goh, talking to himself. "Yes." said Kibura. "If you could, would you be able to help me find my way?" she asked. "Well we're running late, but I'm sure Goh could point the way for you. He's been working here for 4 and a half years after all" stated Asa. "I'm told that I'm working for a man named Lupadim." Goh cringed at the name. "Well?" she asked again. "Yeah. Coincidentally, it's right next to where we're going, just follow us." Goh said, sounding serious as he began to fast-walk again towards his boss' office. "What's wrong with him?" Kibura asked Asa with a curious look on her face. "Dunno." Said Asa simply.
"Well, here we are." said Goh suddenly after a five minute walk. "Wow, this place is really big!" exclaimed Kibura. The corridor extended at least 100 meters. "Our boss is this room on the right, your boss is the room on the left." Goh said to Kibura. "Thanks!" Kibura said with a smile and she began to walk towards the door. "Wait." Goh said suddenly. "Hmm?" queried Kibura. "Good luck. You'll need it." said Goh, sounding really serious now. "Right..." whispered Kibura as she entered the room. "What was that all about, Goh?" asked Asa. "Never mind. At any rate we should probably get to work!" Goh exclaimed entering his boss' room.
"YO, Yoro!" said Asa gleefully as they entered the room. " Goh gave him a sharp look as if to say: 'Too blunt bro!'. "That's Mr. GinSan to you Asa. Also don't 'yo' me." said Yoro with a sigh as he turned to face them in his big office chair. Yoro was surprisingly tall and muscular. He wore a business suit and a tie, and he combed back his thick black hair. He stood up and walked across to the other side of the room. "More importantly, you're late. Like thirty minutes late." he said seriously. "Yeah, haha, Goh had a tough time getting out of bed it seems!" Yoro glanced at Goh with what seemed to be a hint of a smile. "Well whatever, I don't care. C'mere you two I've got something to show you." Despite Yoro's serious exterior he was actually quite lax inside.
Before the conversation could advance any further, a piercing scream came from next door. Goh sighed. "It's started." he said. end of Chapter 3
CHAPTER FOUR: The Pervert
Chapter 4
Kibura burst through the door of Yoro's office huffing and panting. "Save me!" she yelped. A big bristly man walked in behind her wearing only a bath towel around his waist while brushing his teeth. Lupadim looked at Kibura from head to toe twice, as if sizing her up. "Not bad... Not bad at all." Lupadim said with a perverted smile. Kibura ran and took cover behind Yoro's shoulder, Yoro looked slightly taken aback by this. "This man has pictures of naked maids all around his office!" Kibura cried. "Don't worry" Goh started. "Lupa is harmless. He's still a freaking pervert though." he finished with a sigh. "I resent that statement young Goh-Goh. I'm simply an enthusiast on..." Lupadim did a two-step and spun around to click his fingers before finishing. "MAIDS!~" he finished with a sing song voice. "please don't call me that." said Goh, wondering when this nickname caught on. "How many times do I have to tell you not to frighten your new maids" Yoro said with a sigh. "I still wonder why the main office still lets you hire more even though you've scared so many away." Yoro added. "YO, Yoro!" Lupa exclaimed with a huge smile, as if he'd just noticed Yoro's presence for the first time. Yoro sighed once again.
"Well, whatever, since you two are here as well, I may as well show you too." Yoro said. "Show us what?" Lupa asked. "This." Yoro pulled out a game cartridge that looked like it belonged to a console from 1999. "What is it?" Asa asked. "The Alpha for the new game from the Gaming Department. An Action-Adventure RPG, it was sent by the main office so we could test it out." After all that was Goh's and Asa's job. They test out all the house technology before they're released.
However the grey cartridge was completely blank other than the title made out in black permanent marker. "Crave Saga Online, huh..." Kibura said aloud. "What a stupid name" Goh scowled. "Wow, THAT looks shifty." Asa claimed. "I like it." Lupa added.
Yoro proped the cartridge into the console and switched it on. All of a sudden the room around the five of them seemed to bend and twist, then, everything went black. End of Chapter 4
CHAPTER FIVE: Where am I?
Chapter 5
Goh awoke with a startle when ice cold water splashed over his face. His vision was blurry and it took him a few seconds to regain his bearings, he made out the face of a male about his age with shaven black hair and wearing rags. "Finally awake are we?" chirped the mysterious lad. There was a boy who looked quite a few years younger than the lad, sitting beside him he had medium lengthed silver hair, and a cute face for a male. "What the hell is happening?" questioned Goh. "Well we found you and your friends over by our village creek just sleeping on the ground. Man you must of had a long journey to fall asleep in such a dangerous place so easily." said the boy. "Village?" questioned Goh further "and where are my friends?" continued Goh with worry in his voice. "Take it easy now tiger. Your friends are already awake, and with the village elder. This is our village, Restonhawk." Goh had no idea what was happening but he decided to go along with it. "And you are?" asked Goh. "I didn't introduce myself? Damn how rude of me haha. I'm Korrvo. And this is my little brother Lime." Korrvo gestured to his right, reminding Goh of the younger boy's presence. "he's really quiet and shy but he's a good kid. Introduce yourself kiddo." Korrvo gave a little shove to Lime. "Nice to meet you..." Lime said in a quiet and cute voice. "Now then." said Korrvo with a smile "Should we go meet up with your friends at the elder's hut?"
Meanwhile at the very very top of MAL HQ, a important meeting was taking place between the Ruler of MAL City and his young female assistant. The big mahogany desk that towered above the others had a big nametag on top. 'CEO - Kineta'.
"Did all go according to plan?" Kineta asked the young girl kneeling on one knee in front of the desk. "Yessir" she replied. "The 8 MAL workers you asked for have all been transferred into the game you sent to Executive Yoro's office..." the mysterious girl replied. "Good..." said Kineta. the mysterious girl began to speak again "However... it seems two others got transferred in a mix up too... Executive Lupa and his new maid" Kineta started to look worried. "We have no other choice. Go through the portal behind me, it will take you into the game. We mustn’t let them interfere with our plans." the mysterious girl nodded her head as she entered the portal. Kineta spoke once more: "I'm counting on you... NarTaco." end of Chapter 5
CHAPTER SIX: The Rules
Chapter Six: The Rules.
Goh walked beside Korrvo and his younger brother Lime into Restonhawk Village elder's hut. Asa, Yoro, Lupa and Kibura all stood at the elder's armchair talking to him. "Good to see you're awake, Goh." Kibura said looking relieved. "Mmhm." Goh mumbled. "So have you guys figured out our situation?" Goh asked. "We were just talking to the elder. It seems we're inside another world." Asa replied. "Inside Crave Saga Online to be more precise." added Yoro. "Inside the game!? That's madness!" although Goh said this, he knew this was the most reasonable explanation. After all, with the technology in this day and age, such a feat was not impossible. "So how do we get back to reality?" Goh asked after a moment of silence. This time it was Lupa who spoke "Our only lead is this book the Elder said they found next to us by the creek." Lupa said holding up a book that was titled 'Rules' in big bold letters. "Read this aloud for me, would ya darling?" Lupadim asked giving the book to Kibura. Kibura gave Lupa a dirty look, but as much as she didn't like it, this man was her boss after all. Kibura opened the book and began to talk.
"Congratulations! Welcome to the world of Crave Saga Online! Well, I say that, but I'm not really there. At any rate, you 8 MAL workers have been split into two groups. One of five, and one of three. Your aim is to slay The Demon God in the depths of hell. First you must find your way down there that is. Hopefully you don't think it will be that easy do you? Of course, like any other game, there are rules. The rules as are follows.
Rule 1: Each player has only three lives. You die 3 times, and your body will disintegrate into dust. Additionally, each time you die, you will wake up at the last Inn you rested at, with your collected items deleted.
Rule 2: Before the game can start, each player must receive a job class, and their weapon. You will find the people who can give you these things in both of the villages where both groups begun.
Rule 3: Stealing, unlawfully killing, or committing similar crimes will result in a bounty on your head.
Rule 4: Beating an enemy in the wild gives you loot, this can vary from money to weapons.
Rule 5: There are is no levelling up in this world. You can only increase your skills by practising.
Rule 6: Wounds and damage work as though they do in real life. Get stabbed or sliced and it can injure you, and it will hurt.
You need not read the other rules just yet. Read them when the time comes.
Thanks for your attention, Chosen 8, I wish you luck on your adventure.
-CEO Kineta-"
Kibura finished with a deep breath. "That bastard!" Lupadim seethed. "What the hell is he thinking." Lupa punched the wall next to him. "Looks like complaining isn't going to get us out of this mess." Yoro said. "So, I take it we're the group of five then." Asa said to himself. "No. We're the group of three" Goh corrected. Asa looked puzzled. "Lupa and Kibura aren't supposed to be here." Goh finished. The elder finally spoke, but not to them, but to Korrvo and Lime. "I'd like you to accompany these warriors on their quest. Get your job class’s appraised while you are there with them, Korrvo, Lime." Korrvo looked like he was about to protest before his face straightened and he replied "Yessir!" he exclaimed. Lime simply nodded. "Now, then, let's go get our job classes!" Korrvo said happily turning to face the group. end of Chapter Six.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Job Classes.
Chapter 7: Job Classes
"It's this building here!" chirped Korrvo gesturing towards a mud hut at the edge of the village. The group of seven made their way inside the building. A man with no pupils stood in the centre of the room. You could only see the whites of his eyes. He was old and had a long white beard.
"That's the foreseer." said Korrvo." He grants you a job class after determining what suits you best. So who wants to go first?" Asked Korrvo, raising his eyebrows. There was a short silence before someone spoke. "I'll do it." said Asa as he walked towards the man. "I seek a job old guy" he said. "....Yeeesss...." The man spoke. He began feeling Asa's face and frowning in concerntration. "I deem the most suitable job for you..." Asa bit down on his lip hard. "...Ninja!" the man yelled.
All of a sudden a flash appeared around the man and Asa that lasted for about three seconds. When it disappeared Asa was wearing new attire and had weapons on his belt. "A black hood and tight black clothes huh? Neat. I also have Kunai and a short sword" said Asa as he walked back towards the group. "I'll go now." announced Korrvo walking towards the man. The same procedure followed as with Asa, until the man finally spoke. "I deem the most suitable job for you... Cannoneer!" he yelled. The flash followed. Korrvo was now wearing thick metallic armour that was easy to move in. He had a hand cannon resting on his shoulder. "Cool." Korrvo said walking back.
"Your turn now Lime." Korrvo gave a nudge, and Lime walked towards the man. "I deem the most suitable job for you... Dark Magician." Lime was now wearing a black cape and a pointed black witch hat. Lime didn't say anything as he walked back to the group. "I'll go now." Kibura said. "I deem the most suitable job for you... Ranger!" after the flash Kibura's outfit hadn't changed. She was still in the maids outfit, but she now had a large quiver full of arrows on her back and a large bow slung around her waist." Kibura skipped back happily. "I guess I'll go then." Yoro said. The procedure went once again. "I deem the most suitable job for you... Mech Suit Pilot!" after the flash Yoro had a large mechanical belt on his waist. He pressed the button on it and a helmet suit with thrusters and lasers covered his body. "Haha, not bad." Yoro said re-joining the group. Lupa looked at Yoro with jealousy all over his face. "Hmph. I'll go now." he grunted. "I deem the most suitable job for you... Brawler! The flashed passed and Lupa was now wearing spiked knuckles and a green Fedora. However other than he was still in only a bath towel.
"WHAT THE HELL MAN?! HOW COME I DON'T GET ANYTHING COOL!?" Lupa looked legitimately pissed off. "Hey at least you got a fedora" Asa laughed "SHUT UP, BITCH!" Lupa yelled again. Asa was still laughing. "Your turn Goh." he said. Goh approached the man. The procedure followed. "I deem the most suitable job for you..." A long silence followed. "I deem the most suitable job for you..." He repeated again. The man looked terrified. "DEMON WARRIOR!" End of chapter
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Group of Five
Chapter 8: The Group of Five
"Demon Warrior?" Goh questioned. Then the flash happened. Goh was now wearing silver knight's armour with spikes on the shoulders and belt. He had a horned helmet that had red markings on the tips. He bore a sword and shield, the blade red, as though it was stained in blood. The shield was like half a sphere with a long spike penetrating out of the centre made out of solid steel. "Wow." Asa whistled. The Foreseer began to speak again. "You are a Demon Warrior... A personal knight to The Demon God, I foresee great and deadly things on your road for both you and your friends. I see death. I see fun memories being made. I see romance. Some of you will not make it back alive however. After all you have yet to meet the rest of your party..."
*Meanwhile somewhere in another town*
"Calm down Uno, we're going to find a place to eat." Kousoku said to the hyperactive and hungry UnoPuntoCinco. "There better be hamburgers! And cookies! And pie! Oohh and Kangaroo mince!" Uno was drooling as he day-dreamed. "We don't live in Australia, Uno. Heck we don't even live in Japan anymore." Kousoku replied with a sigh. Uno wasn't listening however, his head was already filled with all sorts of fantasies. "Would you guys quiet down? Kinda hard to rest my eyes with you guys making such a ruckus." The white haired boy with a scar on his face yawned as he finished his sentence. "Not everybody is a genius like you, Zetrin." Kousoku said tilting his head back. "We actually have to think to figure things out." Zetrin yawned again. "Yeah, yeah." Zetrin whispered fobbing him off. "Anyway, I still can't believe my job class is Scholar." Zetrin complained. "Sounds boring. I'd rather be a Dragon Warrior like you" He finished stretching his arms. “Kousoku looked at Uno. He was chewing on his fingers now. "Can't believe that guy's our Potion Brewer." Kousoku said. Zetrin didn't respond as he looked like he'd fallen asleep while walking. Despite Uno's personality however he was actually quite intelligent.
"Onii-chan.... I'm hungry..." a quiet voice said while tugging on Kousoku's sleeve. Kousoku was blushing all of a sudden. Kousoku had nearly forgotten there was two other companions with him. One was even his younger sister. "Capricious Smile, stop calling my brother onii-chan!" another voice said angrily. "And Kousoku, stop blushing like an idiot we don't even know if she... he... it's... a girl." Capri had a small frame almost like a loli and had a robe and a big scarf wrapped around its mouth. "You two don't get along very well do you?" Kousoku asked. "Well its class is Vampire after all. I'm a Healer so my magic would have the opposite effect on it." the girl grumbled. "Don't worry Emerald. You're the only cute little sister I have." Emerald turned her nose up and flicked back her blonde hair. "Hmph." Kousoku let out a sigh. "At any rate, we should probably find a place to eat. Uno looks like he's about to bite his hands off." End of Chapter
CHAPTER NINE: Battle!
Chapter 9: Battle!
The thumping of heavy footsteps and the clinking and clanking of armour and weapons resonated as Goh's party made their way through the thick forest, after leaving Restonhawk. "So this states capital is our destination, huh? What was it called again?" Asa called out over the noise. "Astonguard, or something rather." Yoro called back while looking at a map. "We can learn about Hell's Gates there according to the elder." he finished his sentence as Goh cut through a vine revealing a large clearing in the forest. "I just want to get to the next town's Inn first." yawned Asa. "I haven't had a wink of sleep since we woke up here." A frozen breeze blew through as they middled the clearing. Lupa shivered. "I'm cold guys..." Asa looked at him and laughed. "You like naked things so much, I don't see your problem." Lupa gave him a dirty look. "That's maids, there's a difference." The frozen breeze seemed to never end. "Quiet!" Kibura said sharply "... Something's not right." One of the Ranger's attributes is the ability to detect danger. Kibura realised this. "Ready yourselves!" she called out. After a moment of hesitation, the party moved into a cautious offensive stance.
"Well, well, what have we here? A merry band of travellers?" three men all Swordsmen, walked out of the thicket on the other side of the clearing, the one in the middle was obviously the leader, he spoke in an English-like accent. "There's a slight problem, you see? This forest is our territory, if you want to come through, you need to pay the toll!" The leader smiled a crocodile-like smile. "Highwaymen." Korrvo scowled. "How much?" Korrvo asked the leader. "Thirty gold!" he replied, still smiling. "That's all the gold we have!" Asa said in despair." Yoro sighed. "I suppose we should pay it." he said. "Like hell! There's no way I'm going to give in to some deadbeats!" Lupa said angrily "Besides we need that money for the inn in the next town. I say we kick these guy's asses and make sure they never steal from anyone again!" Goh brought his sword down next to his shield. "I'm with Lupa on this." he said firmly. Lime nodded his head once in agreement. "Oh my. And I thought we could avoid conflict." the bandit leader said angrily. He gave a sharp whistle and 5 other bandits, two Archers, two Swordsmen and one Cannoneer, entered the clearing. Goh and his party were outnumbered.
"Attack!" The leader commanded. Kibura unslung her bow and quickly armed an arrow in one swift movement. 'FLIP' the sound of the arrow leaving the bow followed by a yelp. One of the bandit archers now had an arrow in his windpipe. He fell flat on his face. "Holy shit!" the bandit next to him screamed. Kibura brought up her bow again but there were already two bandit's on her. One of the bandits brought up his sword above Kibura's head. Kibura tucked her head in and braced. 'THUMP' Kibura looked up and there was a kunai in the bandits face. The bandit collapsed. "You gotta watch out" Asa called out, drawing his short sword to face a bandit swordsman. Kibura dexterously retreated from the other swordsman. "Guess there's no helping it." Yoro sighed. He pressed the button on his belt and the suit covered his body. He used his thrusters to charge at a Swordsmen before planting a solid metal fist in his face. The Swordsman tumbled over twice after his consciousness was knocked clean out of him. Although his armour was heavy Yoro's armour was impervious to things like arrows and blades. "Watch out!" Korrvo yelled to Yoro. The bandit Cannoneer had position himself to fire at Yoro. Yoro had no time to escape. "I'll fight fire with fire!" Korrvo yelled as he fired his cannon. The cannonball crushed into the Bandit Cannoneer's skull, decapitating his head.
Asa was still clashing swords with the swordsman, having the smaller blade he was having a tough time. The Bandit Swordsman's blade swung at Asa from the left and Asa swiftly stepped to the right and drove his shortsword through the Bandit Swordsman's chest and he collapsed on Asa's sword. Asa pulled the sword out of his chest. "Whew... That was close" he took a deep breath. But Asa relaxed too soon. 'FWIP' a sharp pain pieced Asa's leg. "ARRGHHHH!" Asa screamed and he dropped onto the ground.
The remaining Archer had cornered Lime in a thicket. "Awww he's just a kid. I kinda feel sorry for ending his life." the Bandit Archer said. "NOT! HAHA!" The archer armed an arrow as Lime raised his hand. 'CLICK' Lime clicked his fingers and at the same time the Bandit Archer combusted into flames and turned to ashes. "Serves you right." Lime said quietly.
Lupa was face-to-face with the remaining Bandit Swordsman. "Why are you naked?" he quipped. "SHUT UP!" Lupa yelled landing a hard punch in his gut. The Bandit Swordsman doubled over as the spikes pierced his gut and blood spilt everywhere. Lupa's Fedora started glowing and Lupa's muscles doubled in size. He placed another punch into the Bandits face, caving in his skull and decapitating his head. "A magical Fedora? Now I've seen everything." Lupa said to himself.
Goh was in battle with the Leader. They clashed swords and jumped back. It was a swaying of offense and defence for both of them, they clashed swords for the final time and both dashed back. They both caught their breath and charged. The next strike would end the battle. end of Chapter
CHAPTER TEN: To Victor Go the Spoils
Chapter 10: To Victor Go the Spoils
There was a thud as the Leader fell onto his backside and Goh put his sword up to his neck. The Leader’s sword was now sticking out of the ground ten meters away. “Please spare me!” He cried holding his hands up above his head in surrender. “I’ll do anything, so just don’t kill me!” There was intense fear in his voice. “I say we cut his head off.” Said Lupa re-joining Goh. “NO! NO! Anything but that!” The leader whelped. “Hand over everything you’ve stolen, then run away and never return.” The Leader shuffled off his backside and forked over 60 gold pieces from a pouch tied to his waist. “Here! God bless you sir, God bless your soul” he bowed then ran back through the woods he entered from.
“Argh, you let him go, ya softie.” Korrvo said re-joining the group with Kibura, Lime and Yoro. An interface appeared in front of Goh announcing the results of the battle.
‘YOU WON!
Enemy team: 6 Killed, 1 Wounded and Unconscious, 1 retreated
Ally Team: 0 Killed, 1 Wounded and Unconscious, 0 retreated.
Loot: 5 gold pieces’
“Shit! Asa!” Goh shouted running over to Asa's unconscious body. "Quick get the bandages Kibura!" Another one of the Ranger's attributes was First-Aid. "He's passed out from loss of blood." said Kibura as she removed the arrow and bandaged his leg. "If he loses much more, he will lose his first life, and wake up at Restonhawk again." she continued. "We're going to have to carry him to the next town. Yoro gently picked him up, and put him on his shoulders. "Let's get going then." he said.
*Meanwhile somewhere else in the wild."
Kousoku, Emerald, Zetrin and Uno stared at the interface for what seemed to be like hours.
Y-your're insane..." Kousoku said to Capri who was standing in front of a mess of Bandit guts and decapitated limbs and torsos. Her eyes were dark red with blood dripping of her fangs. Her eyes turned white again and she tied the scarf around her mouth again. "Onii-chan... Are you angry?" she asked sadly. "N-no, it's fine, I'm just surprised." Kousoku said reassuring her. "Stop calling my brother 'Onii-chan' would you! And Kousoku are you really fine with this? It's a monster!" Emerald ranted. "She was only trying to help Emerald." Kousoku said. "Man, how boring..." Zetrin yawned. "I didn't even get to do anything. Let's get moving yeah? I want to get to the next town so I can go to sleep." He finished stretching his arms above his head. "NOT FAIR! ONLY CAPRI GOT TO EAT!" Uno yelled. "Yeah, yeah, we'll eat at the Inn bozo." Kousoku said jokingly, “After we rest up there, we go to Astonguard.” End of Chapter
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Rest Up.
Chapter 11: Rest up.
“Checkmate.” Said Yoro moving his piece across the board. “W-wait!” Lupa surveyed the board desperately, attempting to find a mistake or slip-up in Yoro’s pieces. “Impossible!” He yelled when he realised there was no way out. “I’ll have that bath towel now.” Yoro said with a smirk. “W-wait, then I’ll be naked!” Lupa said attempting to persuade him. “You should have thought about that before you challenged me for my Mech Belt.” Yoro said puffing his chest out. “Once more!” Lupa clung desperately. “All or nothing, for my Fedora!” He pleaded. “It’s useless Lupa.” Goh said walking down the stairs into the room where Lupa and Yoro were playing. “Yoro was the national champion at Chess back home.” Lupa looked like a kicked dog. “YOU, TRICKED ME! YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER PLAYED BEFORE!” Yoro was laughing. “It’s called a bluff, now hand it over.” Lupa looked sad as he removed the bath towel. Yoro took the bath towel from Lupa and threw it in the fire beside the table. “YOU BASTARD!” Lupa yelled. “Calm down fool. I’ll buy you more clothes in the town today." Lupa’s eyes lit up “Thanks Yoro!” he gave Yoro a huge hug. “It’s touching me Lupa.” Yoro said looking disgusted. Lupa skipped upstairs, totally oblivious to the fact he was now completely naked.
“How’s Asa?” Yoro asked now talking to Goh. “Yeah, he woke up. I told him to go back to sleep. Looks like he’s going to be fine.” Goh replied. “Well, at least we made it to the next town.” Yoro said. “And we were able to rent out two rooms and the basement thanks to the gold from the bandit party we defeated.” Goh added.
“OH MY GOD MY EYES!” Kibura came running down the stairs rubbing her eyes and retching. “I feel like I just looked into the eyes of a Basilisk.” Kibura moaned. “First monster we encountered on this adventure.” Yoro chuckled. “Level 100 Snake Beast.” Goh added. The three of them started laughing. Korrvo came down stairs with Lime in tail. “What’s with naked Lupa?” He asked. “He lost a bet.” Yoro said proudly. “Big.” Lime said quietly.
About a minute later, the Bartender who runs the Inn came down. “There’s been a change of plans, ‘venturers. Another band of trav’lers have come ‘ere with enuff gold to rent out the entire Inn. We simply can’t turn down the offer. I hope ya don’t mind sharing.” He said, then left the basement. “Sorry for intruding. Looks like we’ll be in your care.” Said Kousoku entering the basement. End of Chapter.
CHAPTER 12: Union and Reunion.
Chapter 12: Union and Reunion.
“Kousoku?” Goh said suddenly standing out of his chair. “Goh…? Wait! Don’t tell me… You’re the other group?” Kousoku looked confused. “Looks like it.” Goh said. “Can’t say I’m happy that it’s you though.” Goh said playing mock disappointment. “What was that you bastard!?” Kousoku said walking down the stairs angrily. “You wanna throw down!?” Goh said grabbing Kousoku’s shirt. “I’ll throw down anytime!” Kousoku replied grabbing Goh’s shirt back. Goh tackled Kousoku onto the staircase and they tumbled around the basement floor throwing insults. “You blonde haired geek!” Goh burned. “Shut it you delinquent loner!” Kousoku quipped back. Nobody could make out the rest as it was just a jumble of insults and angry comments.
Asa walked down the stairs on crutches. “At it again, are they? Still. Surprised to see that Kousoku is in the other group.” Asa said as he reached the bottom of the staircase. “They know each other?” Kibura asked with a curious look on her face. “Childhood friends.” Asa said simply. “We used to hang out together all the time when we were young. They’ve had a long rivalry.” Asa said sitting down on a stool with Kibura’s help. “What were the chances we’d meet up here?” Asa said shaking his head in disbelief. “No. I’d say it was planned by Kineta.” Zetrin said chiming into the conversation. “You are?” Yoro asked. “Just Zetrin. I do stuff and say things. End of introduction.” Zetrin yawned and sat down “Too tired to introduce myself further.” He looked like he immediately fell asleep.
“Man they sure go at it.” Korrvo said taking a sip from a cup observing the rivals roll around. “You’re telling me. I had to break them up so many times when we were children” Said Emerald sitting down next to Korrvo. Korrvo looked to his side. His face turned red. ‘SHE’S TOTALLY MY TYPE!’ he screamed in his head. ‘Her blonde hair and sophisticated aura is just too good!’ “Your nose is bleeding.” Emerald said wiping Korrvo’s face with a napkin. Korrvo swore he could feel steam coming out of his ears. “Hey! Whats wrong!?” Emerald asked as Korrvo fell over backwards.
“Hey guys!” Lupa came running down the stairs, still naked “This guy says he’s one of the MAL workers!” Uno walked down the stairs beside him with a pile of fruit in his arms. “Oh. Looks like we’re already acquainted.” Lupa said. “Nice meat you got there…” Uno said as he walked past Lupa. Lime took an apple out of Uno’s pile of fruit and bit down into it. He looked completely unfazed by what was going on.
“Alright cut it out you two.” Emerald said pulling them apart. “Emerald!” Goh’s eyes lit up. “Your brother was being mean to me.” He said with a fake sob. “Don’t give me that shit!” Kousoku yelled. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Emerald yelled at both of them. They immediately stoped. “Sorry…” they said in unison. “Onii-chan…” A small hand was tugging on Goh’s sleeve. “Capri! You traitor!” Kousoku cried out in despair. “You son of a-“ Kousoku tackled Goh, and they were tumbling on the ground once more.
“Well… Things sure got lively quickly.” Yoro said to himself. End of Chapter.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Who are you?
Chapter 13: Who are you?
“Thanks Yoro! Lupa said happily, buttoning up his new jacket and jeans. “Don’t thank me. I only did it so we didn’t have to see you naked anymore.” Yoro said with a sigh. “Where’s everyone else Goh?” Yoro said now talking to Goh. “Kousoku and his group went to buy medical supplies and new weapons.” Goh said browsing through a rack of hats. “Korvvo said he had something to do. He looked suspicious so I asked Lime to keep an eye on him.” Goh said picking up a hat and trying it on. “Asa’s still in bed. I told him to stay there and I’ll buy him some medicine. And Kibura is ri-…” Goh looked around, she was nowhere to be seen. “Hmm. She was just here a second ago, Goh said leaving the shop to find her.
Kibura was walking through the crowds, something was wrong, she could feel it. She stopped out the front of an old abandoned house. The alleyway beside it caught her attention. Something was drawing her in. Kibura walked into the alley there were shadows all around her. “Are you lost, pretty girl?” A croaky voice said from the shadows. “Who’s there?” Kibura sharply responded, sensing danger. “Who? Me? Oh, I’m nobody. No, no, nobody at all.” He let out a cackle and danced into the shadow opposite him. “What do you want!?” Kibura said unslinging her bow and turning to face the voice. “What… Do I want? Oh, you ask such interesting questions.” He said with a clap of his hands. “Now, let’s see… what do I want…? This is such a difficult question…” He mumbled sounding troubled. “No! Ask an easier question! That one was too hard!” He yelled angrily. He swivelled into another shadow once again. “Listen… I don’t want any trouble.” Kibura said with a shaky voice, arming her bow. Her hand was shaking so much that she dropped the arrow on the ground. “Trouble? Am I really that troublesome?” The voice came from a shadow behind Kibura now, she turned frantically to face it. She took a step back. She could now see the back of the figure of what seemed to be teenage male, except there was a key in his back, like a wind up doll. “Perhaps… Perhaps I do know what I want…” He said to himself. I-is that s-so?” Kibura said taking a step back. She couldn’t shake this dangerous feeling. This person was emitting an enormous amount of pressure. She fell onto her backside as the mysterious boy’s head turned without his body, like the head the head of a doll. “I just want to know who I am.” He said with a sob. His eyes were blood-shot, and his face was without a nose. Kibura let out a shriek and all of a sudden the figure disappeared entirely. “I have a feeling we’ll meet again” his voiced seemed to say in her mind.
“Kibura? There you are!” Goh said entering the alley. “Huh? What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.” End of Chapter
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: To Astonguard.
Chapter 14: To Astonguard.
The party had suited up and had set on the road once again, this time, with the party of five. They had been climbing up a steep hill for what seemed like hours, “I guess we’re the party of eight now huh? Well, ten…” Asa thought aloud as Lupa carried him on his shoulders. Goh had decided earlier that Asa shouldn’t put pressure on his leg, it had been a week since the battle with the bandits, but Goh wanted to be sure, in case of battle, he wanted Asa to be in his best condition possible. There was a big sigh of relief from the back of the party as a big yawn was let out Zetrin was walking 10 meters behind everyone with Kibura. Kibura was quieter than ever. “Man, I wish I could just lay down and go to sleep in this sun.” Zetrin said all of a sudden. “You were asleep, just like 20 minutes ago.” Kibura said. “Besides you can sleep while walking. You would not have bothered to speak unless you had something on your mind.” Zetrin looked at Kibura through one eye, as the other eye was closed. “I guess you’re not as stupid as you let on.” Kibura wasn’t sure if she should take that as a compliment or not. “So? What is it?” She asked. There was a silence. “You.” He said. “You saw something, didn’t you? You’ve not spoken a word in ages.” Kibura wasn’t sure what to say. “All I can say, is we’re going into a big battle. And soon.” She said. Zetrin closed his other eye and yawned. “Thought as much.” spoken his last words before he instantly fell asleep.
Goh and Kousoku we’re at the front of the party arguing over who should be leading. “Geez. They won’t listen to me, no matter what I say.” Emerald said pouting. Little did she know a malicious plot concerning her, was being made just five meters behind her. “It’s perfect! There’s no way this can fail!” Korrvo was flicking through a notepad dotting down notes here and there. “She’s gonna fall head over heels for me, Lime-me-boy!” Korrvo sung giving lime a nudge. “I see.” Lime said quietly. All though Goh had told Lime to keep an eye on him there was nothing he could do to stop his plan now. Capri was giggling as Yoro was giving her a piggyback. It looked almost like they were father and daughter. They were nearing the top of the hill
“I’M HUNGRY!” Uno complained. “If we don’t get there soon, I’m gonna have to eat fresh meat!” Uno gave Lupa an evil look. Lupa looked terrified as he sped up to a jog to get away from Uno. Lupa stopped at the top of the hill. Lupa stood there looking amazed. “What are you looking at Lupa?” Goh said as he reached the top of the hill. There, on the horizon, a huge city spanned for what seemed like hundreds of kilometres. “Astonguard!” He exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. “It’s huge.” Kousoku said in amazement. “Come on guys. Let’s pick up the pace. It’ll be dark soon.” Goh said as they continued their walking pace.
What awaited the party at Astonguard? What new faces will they meet? Only time would tell. But little did they know, they would not reach the city unscathed.
End of Chapter
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Legendary Creature
Chapter Fifteen: A legendary creature
"It should be just a few more kilometers" Goh called out to the rest of the party. The mood surrounding the ten players had grown at the thought of comfortable beds and a warm meal. Zetrin looked as though he was still asleep, though he was focusing on Uno through the slits of his eyes. Uno had strayed away from the party and looked as though he was fiddling with something. "Man we were lucky that we didn't encounter a battle!" Asa said sounding relieved. "We can't relax yet." Goh said, reminding Asa of the mistake he made in the last battle. "Wait! Something is nearby" Kibura called out, as if on que. The ground about twenty meters in front of the party began to turn over and a hand penetrated the ground. The hand was rotten, the party could smell the decaying flesh from their position as a huge beast pulled itself out from the ground. It took a humanoid form, but it was the size of at least ten men. The party retched at the smell. "Zombie?" Kousoku managed to ask through coughing.
Zetrin ran to the front of the party and summoned a huge book into his hands out of thin air. It's pages flipped on it's own until it stopped at a page. "Draugr" Zetrin called out. "One of the 55 Legendary Beasts in Crave Saga Online. It's one of the weaker of the Legendary Beasts. It's undead type, so usually Healing magic would be greatly effective, however, it has the ability to block magic, so Lime and Emerald will be useless. Furthermore, Capri needs to stay back. The blood of a undead creature is like poison to a Vampire." Zetrin surveyed the party carefully. His eyes stopped on Uno. He looked calm. Zetrin knew he was up to something. "Here it comes!" Kibura called out as the Draugr started to walk towards the party. Kibura armed an arrow and released it. 'FWIP' the arrow was going straight for the Draugr's head. The Draugr caught the arrow's shaft and snapped it in half. "Split up!" Goh called out to the party. "Try to surround it. Lupa, stay back with Asa, Capri, Emerald and Lime and protect them." The party ran into their positions. Korrvo positioned himself behind the Draugr. "Eat this!" he yelled aiming his cannon at the Draugr. The Draugr side stepped as soon as soon as the cannon had fired. Yoro had already jumped into the air with his thrusters to attack the Draugr from the front. The cannon ball smashed into Yoro's gut. He hit the ground with a 'CLANG'. "SHIT! YORO!" Korrvo called out. Yoro released his helmet from a kneeling position and blood splattered onto the ground from a cough. The Draugr brought his leg back and kicked Yoro into a tree 25 meters away, next to where Lupa and the others were. "YORO!" Capri yelled in despair. "EMERALD, HEAL YORO!" Kousoku called out. Capri's eyes turned red and she removed her scarf. "NO, Capri!" Lupa said grabbing Capri's small frame and restraining her. Zetrin looked over to Uno, who was still fiddling around with something. "You better hurry up with whatever you're doing, bozo. We're not gonna last much longer." He whispered to himself.
"You bastard!" Goh yelled charging at the Draugr from the front. The Draugr swung his right fist at Goh as he approached. Goh raised his shield at the last moment. It was enough to absorb the damage, but the sheer fotce sent Goh tumbling multiple meters. Kousoku jumped using the Dragon Warrior's High Jump ability and attempted to drive his lance into the Draugr's exposed back. The Draugr spun its entire body and caught the lance, and threw the lance and Kousoku into the air. Kousoku landed with a thud, but his strong legs absorbed the damage. "We just can't touch this guy!" Kousoku said angrily. "Oi, zombie guy!" The Draugr spun to face the voice. "DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF MY WARM MEAL!" Uno yelled pitching a glass bottle at the Draugr. It was the fastest throw Goh had ever seen. Anyone had ever seen. So fast the Draugr had no time to react. It smashed on the Draugr's body. The Draugr stopped in its tracks, paralyzed. "Attack now! You haven't got much time!" Kibura responded instantly, arming her bow and releasing an arrow into it's eye. The Draugr howled in pain. "I can't miss from here!" Korrvo shouted shooting a cannonball into the Draugr's back from merely meters away. The cannonball pierced through the Draugr's entire body, bringing it to it's hands and knees. Goh brought his sword through the Draugr's neck decapitating it's head, at the same time, Kousoku drove his lance through it's heart through it's back. The Draugr collapsed onto the ground and it's head rolled away from it's body. The battle was over.
"Just what the hell was that Uno...?" Goh asked in amazement.
End of Chapter
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: One Down, Two to Go
Chapter 16: One down, two to go.
“As expected of MAL HQ’s top scientist.” Zetrin said. “That hasn’t been confirmed. After all, you never showed up to the tests.” Uno replied back. The party looked surprised at the fact that Uno and Zetrin knew each other in the real world, but more at the fact that Uno was actually a genius scientist. “Still, that was some throw!” Goh exclaimed with a huge grin on his face, giving Uno a slap on the back. “Well, I did play a bit of baseball back home, heheh.” Uno was blushing as he rubbed the back of his head. He wasn’t used to being praised, but he thought he could get used to it. “Aren’t you guys forgetting something?” Kousoku added running over to where the injured Yoro was. The battle interface appeared.
“What’s his condition?” Goh asked fearing the worst. Yoro’s suit was back in his belt. “It’s no good. I managed to heal the bruises and the damage on the outside of his body, but his internal organs have been severely damaged. There’s nothing my magic can do to fix that.” Emerald looked up and spoke the words that everyone was fearing. “He’s going to die.” The words hit like a truck. “The best we can do is get to an Inn as soon as possible, so he doesn’t wake up the last town.” Goh said grimly. The party’s mood had took a turn for the worst. Lupa put Asa down and picked up Yoro. “There’s a village a few hundred meters from here.” Lupa said. “We need to hurry.”
The party sat around the bed. Capri kneeled next to the bed crying. Emerald held her hands above Yoro’s chest monitoring his condition. “Any second now.” She said. Yoro’s breathing sped up and he let out a sharp wheeze. He struggled for air as blood dropped from his eyes. He grabbed the sheets so tight he broke his fingers, his eyes looked like they were going to fall out they were so wide. In a final attempt for air, he coughed a bucket-full of blood onto the sheets. He slowly closed his eyes. It was the most horrific scene the party had ever seen. “It’s over.’ Emerald said softly. There were tears in her eyes and she could taste vomit in her throat. The rest of the party were no better. A flash appeared and the dead Yoro was replaced in the bed with a live one. Yoro sat up and it didn’t take much to realise the atmosphere in the room. “…I died… huh…” He said grimly. Yoro was now one step closer to death.
End of Chapter
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Astonguard: Part One.
Chapter 17: Astonguard Part One.
The sun peeked over the hills behind the city of Astonguard. The gates spanned fifty meters in both directions, but the city itself spanned many kilometres in each direction. The huge wooden drawbridge had armed guards on it, but other than that, pretty much anyone was free to enter. The party had stayed at the Inn the night before, as they were too demoralised to make for the city. The party’s mood had risen once again after they left the Inn. The party had decided to put Yoro’s first death behind them, and work on ways to prevent it from happening again. There was the sound of hollow wood as the party stepped onto the drawbridge. “Man… How are we going to find one man in this city?” Asa questioned. “It’s like finding a needle in a pile of needles” Asa was now walking on his own two legs but still with a slight limp in his step. “There’s gotta be someone in here who knows about an old man who researches Hell, given that some old man in a remote village so far away from here knew about him.” Zetrin said as he scratched his head. “We need to find an Inn before we start searching, so we don’t have to go through the trouble of finding one late at night.” Goh said as they stepped past the guards and entered into the city.
The sudden and dramatic change in the atmosphere was overwhelming. Hundreds of people flooded the main street, filtering in and out of the alleys that lead to tall buildings and even more main streets. Even at first impression, the party could tell, that Astonguard was many times larger than MAL City itself, although the air was surprisingly clean. It took more than a few moments for the party to come to their senses. “What do you know?” Kousoku chimed. “An Inn so close to the entrance.” Sure enough, there was a large Inn wedged between two other buildings on the other side of the main street. Although it was hardly a coincidence. Astonguard must get hundreds, or even thousands of travellers every day. Luckily the party had reached the city at such early hours in the morning.
A bell rang at the top of the door as the party entered the building. Uno stared at a couple eating breakfast yearnfully as they passed them. Goh rang the bell on the bar and a man walked through the door behind the bar. “Ten beds and the basement for three nights.” Goh said. The bartender looked at Goh like he was insane. Goh slotted one hundred gold pieces onto the bar and the look on the man’s face instantly changed. “Certainly sir!” He grinned as he started counting the coins. “There’s two empty rooms upstairs with five beds in each. The basement hasn’t been used in a while, but I’ve kept it clean.” He gave Goh the keys as he finished counting. Goh simply nodded, then he turned to face the rest of the party. “We can cover more ground if we split into groups of two. Kousoku and I have already decided on the groups and where they will go.” He said as the party listened intently. “Lupa and Kibura will ask around the City Centre. Asa and Lime will ask around the market district. Korrvo and Emerald will look around the library. Uno and Zetrin will search the Western District, Yoro and Capri will search the Eastern District. Kousoku and I will go to the Lord’s estate at the top of the city. We will meet back in this Inn’s basement at the setting of the sun to exchange information. We clear?” Everybody was satisfied with the situation, save for one person. Well, I’m sure you can guess who.
Lupa and Kibura had taken a thirty minute walk to the City Centre. The entire walk consisted of Lupa babbling about maids, and Kibura pretending to listen. “We’ll split up and ask around the plaza.” Kibura said to Lupa. “Sounds good.” He replied. They both asked around for what seemed like hours but harvested no results. They both flopped down onto a bench beside the water fountain in the very centre of the city. “It’s no good…” Lupa panted sweating all through his new clothes. “The morning got hot so quickly too…” He finished. “You’re telling me.” Kibura replied wiping a drop of sweat off of her forehead. “Hey you guys there!” A female voice sounded in front of them. A girl walked up to them with a smile on her face. “I seen you askin’ around for somethin’. Watcha after?” she asked. She spoke in a western sort of accent. “Yeah, we’re looking for an old man who can tell us about Hell’s Gates.” Lupa said. “He supposedly lives in this city.” Lupa continued. The girl smiled. “I know ‘im.” She said. “I reckon I can help ya.” She said reaching out for a handshake. “Really? Thanks!” Lupa exclaimed shaking her hand.
God-of-Harem said: I want this to be a Game, Action, Comedy, Romance, about 15 MAL users who get warped inside of a video game. My fiction might not be as good as the others, but I'll put my heart and soul into it.
With a name like God-of-Harem I'm betting there's going to be a harem or two. Lol, No Harem No Life ^^
I'd like your support ^^
Thanks for including me HaremMaster, you have my support for this!
Idk about you guys, but when someone goes around using a forum name that shows an interest in incest from the male perspective and makes topics such as "just between us males", one is inclined to think that the user is indeed a male.
But hey, maybe that's just me and my crappy assumptions again.
God-of-Harem said: 2 spaces left, I'll definitely add more characters as the story develops, but I need 15 to start off.
Woo I got in
I feels special
☕ Truth be told, I'm quite proud of my house blend. To attain my flavor and fragrance, I use five different types of coffee beans. ☕
MAL Saga Online Chapter 1
It was a regular morning in MAL City, the birds were chirping musically in the trees outside Goh's window, and the sun filtered through the blinds onto his face. Goh rolled over in his sleep and pulled the covers above his mouth.
"BRRRRIIIIIINGGGGG!!!" his alarm sounded abruptly, Goh reached over and slammed down on it, shutting it off. "Shut the hell up would ya? Give me five more minutes". Goh layed there for about three more seconds before he shot up to a sitting position. "Crap! I'm late for work!". Less than a minute later Goh was hurredlly riding out of his garage on his bicycle. "God-dammit, I knew I should of changed my alarm clock!" grunted Goh, as he pushed up the hill on his rusty bike.
About three quarters of the way up the hill, Goh saw a figure of someone familiar. "Yo! Late again are we?" the figured called out as Goh got closer. "Yeah, yeah, save it would ya, I have enough to worry about already without your crap, Asap" replied Goh with a hint of sarcasm. "How come you were waiting for me this late anyway?" Goh continued. "I can't wait for my childhood friend to walk to work with him? Oh no, what terrible times we live in haha!" said Asap jokingly. Goh ignored him as he slowed his bicycle down beside Asap. "Get on fool, we're going to be late at this rate." Said Goh.
After Asap climbed onto the back of his bike, Goh sped down the road to get to his daytime job, at MAL Headquarters.
end of Chapter 1
I'm going to try to make the chapters longer and include more characters in them pls bear with me
