Years ago...
"Oh my gosh! You two are so creepy! Get away from me! DAAAADDY!" Falla ran towards the portly merchant as he was talking to the visitors of the Golden Acorn Tribe. The middle-aged
man turned his head to his only child, and twirled his magnificent mustache. He asked to be excused and calmly walked over to give his crying daughter a pat on the head.
"Falla my poor darling, Daddy understands that its no fun dealing with those hideous monsters! However we must be polite while the festival is going on, I'll sort this nonsense out with Mr. Shaman later! Go play somewhere safe!" He angrily glared at the troublesome duo peaking around a table corner a few yards away. Kobra and Bulka giggled to eachother as they clapped the dry mud off their hands. Well Bulka pretended to be happy, she sort of felt bad for throwing mud at the elf girl.
"Do you think it's okay to do that? Th-throw mud at her? She didn't do anything this time!" Bulka knew that Falla was scared of her, but maybe if they didn't pick on her so much then things could have been different between the three of them..l
"Nah, it's okay! She deserves it, my parents say her family's full of snobs! She's a stinky, weak snob! Her precious Daddy'll probably sell her to some creepy old pervert!" Kobra snuck a glance
at the crying elf as he spoke. Tears welled up in her eyes as they met his. The boy wasn't even fazed, and chuckled with a sharp grin. The tiny elf then hid behind her father's shoulder and he carried her off while speaking to the peddlers. Kobra didn't even seem worried. "We are going to be adventurers togeather!" He promised. "You're the brawn and I am the brains! We'll
be the best at fighting bad guys! After all my Dad says I am the chosen one, which means I am awesome!"
"Yeah!" Bulka agreed with him as the began strolling through the fairgrounds. The air carred the smells of popcorn, cotton candy, and the sounds of laughter of kids playing silly games. Bulka's favorite was the one that involved hitting plastic jackalopes with a hammer. Colorful lights were strung around the trees, and the bonfires kept the air warm even as the snow began to fall through the dark branches above. "I am so happy you are my best friend Kobra!" Bulka pressed her mittened hand against her lips and smiled sweetly. Kobra seemed absent minded, he was busy adjusting his earmuffs. Bulka sighed and looked at her feet, and Kobra took that moment of weakness to plant a kiss on her cheek. In complete surprise her head bolted in his direction. He didn't show any sign of awareness as he gazed up at the starry sky, Bulka followed his lead and saw the entrancing flicker of a comet's tail. "I hope we stay friends forever-"
"Hey freaks!" Her enthusiasm was interupted by a bulky elfish boy, twice Kobra's size, stomping up to them. His arms were odly muscular for somebody that still looked so young,
and his large belly pressed into Kobra's face as he forced his way between to two friends. The boy's complexion and hair matched those of Falla. "Why did you ugly idiots make my poor
cousin cry!" Some spit rocketed out from a gap in his teeth, where a babytooth had been, and onto Kobra's face. Falla came running not far behind him, and she had more friends with
her. It seemed like just about every child in the village was against the two of them.
"Let's see how much you like mud now you ugly weirdos!" Falla screamed with uncertainty, and the other children chimed with approval. Before they knew what hit them, they were pelted with cold, winter mud. In the years following that event, it quickly became Kobra and Bulka against the world. Falla would often come around and call Bulka "ugly", "weird," or "loser." At some point the game seemed to get stale for Falla, and she finally left them alone. That was until she ended up being Bulka's first quest buddy.
"So I have a few questions about Orcs? If you don't mind that is!" They hadn't even left the village yet and Bulka was already feeling like calling it a day. Maybe she should have just postponed the first quest, gone out to get the theif without any sort of credit, and done the trail quest with him.
Crap, was she going to have to wait for some other rookie to show up for him to get his license? "Ahem? Are you there Bulka?" Her partner's dainty hand waved infront of her face. Bulka sighed while massaging her temples.
"Shoot." She internally hated herself for giving the elf's annoying question the dignity of a responce.
"So there are other orcs out there right? But they aren't a primal orc like you...becuase like most species they have the blood of other kinds in their gene-pool! Correct? That makes you one of a kind since all the other primal orcs died out in the war right?" Bulka groaned, not even afraid to come across as rude.
"Yes!? This stuff is all fairly obvious isn't it? Next you are going to tell me that humans are the mongrel spawn of every primal bloodline, or that you are a freaking low-elf and not a high-elf!" She angerly ran her fingers through the unshorn half of her head, trying her hardest not to yank her hair out.
"Obviously I am low-elf! I don't have green skin, a tail, or a neck thats three times longer! Not that it matters, people are people reguardless of what bloodlines they come from! I just wish my dad saw it that way..." She looked around and noticed all the villagers going about their buisness, only to stop and suspiciously eye the two girls. The weaver looked like she wanted to step in, only for Falla to cheerfully wave. They probably thought that Bulka was forcing their precious little princess to do something aweful.
Luckily they eventually found the end to the massive maze of silvery trunks and branches. It was now the tranquil grasslands that led up to the mountain range where the rest of the tribe lived. Just beyound the grassy horizon was the sight of leafy, green, smaller trees that made up the woods. "Wow! The fertile ground feels so nice beneath my feet!" Bulka realized that, for some reason, Falla had packed away her sandels and was now walking barefoot. "The air smells nice, so much less dusty too!"
"You act like you have never been outside the village!" Bulka shook her head in dismay.
"Well yeah! That's becuase I like haven't! Duh! Daddy never let me do anything fun! I always had to watch you and Kobra do all the cool stuff! It reall got on my nerves..." Her ears seemed to droop a bit, and Bulka was caught by surprise. "You know I am sorry...when we were kids...I know it was stupid but I was so jelous that I-" The elf shamefully hung her head and looked away. Bulka stood there quietly as Falla wiped away a tear. "Sorry, Mommy always says I am a bit of a drama queen!" Crap, why did she have to make Bulka feel bad for her? "Not that it matters, they kicked me out when I refused to give up on adventuring..." Bulka's jaw dropped, and she found herself staring at the elf. The spoiled brat got kicked out? WHAT!?
"Pardon me Princess? Ya' gave up a life of luxary to risk your life by being an adventurer? That doesn't seem like ya'!" Bulka was never more astounded with a simple sentance. Falla shrugged with a few droplets of sweat on her brow.
"Can't say I blame you for thinking that way, but honestly I never cared much about money. The only thing I ever wanted to be rich in was sweet, sweet freedom!" The elf fidgeted with her
bow and arrow as they kept heading forward.
"Wow...that was cheesy...but congrats I guess?" Falla beamed at Bulka's words, and Bulka hoped that would be the last of the conversation. Unfortunatly fate had other plans...
"Oh hey lookie! It's a Tribal Badge! Too bad it's kinda rusty huh?" Bluka leaned over her companion's shoulder, and her eyes widened in alarm. She recognized that strange
serpentine emblem.
"...That's a badge for the Dread Fangs!" Bulka was cringing at the glossy red-eyed dragon, but Falla seemed even more infatuated. Dear Holy Mother and Twin Sisters! Was that girl too damn curious or what? "Ya' know, the tribe that got the axe thanks to the MultiTribe Allaince? The ones who were planning to take us over? Ring any bells?"
"Yes silly! Am I not allowed to be curious? I find it kind of sad that the Allaince did that you know! I am sure there were at least some innocent children in the Tribe or something! Can you actually believe there used to be four tribes instead of three? Imagine how powerful we were united! The miners of Mossy Boulder, the farmers of Golden Acorn, the industry of Iron Valley, and then the guardians of the Dread Fangs! Their adventurers were legendary!"
"Yeah, except...you know...the Dread Fangs were evil? They probably did child sacrifices and ate puppies alive or whatever!" Falla giggled as the orc shook her head in annoyance.
"Traveling with you is so fun Bulka! Please, let us be friends! Now that we are both are of age we can see this as a new start! We can go on adventures togeather, make some cool discoveries and maybe meet some cute boys..." Bulka really was starting to wonder if this girl was pranking her.
"No thanks, I've already got my eye on somebody!" Bulka smirked a bit, thinking about Cobra with his cool dark vibe and amazing fighting talent.
Falla tried to hold back a gooft snort, but it was no use. "Oh man sister! Give up on that guy, you deserve better! My cousin says he turned into a real d#ck!" Bulka stopped and just stared dumfoundedly for the upteenth time today. She didn't even feel like she could defend Kobra's honnor, she was too busy feeling stunned by Miss Perfect's sudden taste for crude language.
"Oh goodness! Looks like we are here!" Falla slipped her flats out of her bag, and Bulka redied her axe. She hunched her body inwards and prepared to strike at anything, any time.
"Okay Princess, here's the thing. These woods are relitivly safe BUT... there are still chances of a few hostile creatures lurking around. Mostly slimes and pyro-ants. Nothing too major for a couple of low-level noobs. Until we get our badges we won't have menu screens to check their power levels so don't be ashamed to-"
"Oh my heavens! You are only a level one? Didn't you practice your class before today?" Bulka turned around to see a fully loaded, holographic menu infront of Falla...being projected from that rusty enemy pin.
"Falla that's probably cheating!" Once again, Bulka found herself yanking on her voilet strands. The elf just absent-mindedly twirled her stylish braid and looked around gleefully.
"Oh man, I was hoping the village rebel wasn't such a party pooper! I guess Kobra really was the one doing all the bad stuff, without him you are such a serious goody-two-shoes." Was the theif the one getting pulled from another dimension, or was it Bulka? In what world was she the goody-goody and Falla the misbehaving nutcase. She wasn't ready for this change in status quo! She needed some sort of therepy after this disaster.
"OH MY GOSH WHAT"S THAT THING?" Now Bulka's ears were bleeding, well if she had proper humanoid ears they would have bled. Did weird gill-like ear-holes even have the ability to bleed? While the phsyology of her ears was perplexing enough, what Falla was yelling at was even more so. She could sense a wave of sarcasm wash over her has she redied to speak up.
"Ahem, that, my inquisitive elf, is a bloody rock!" The orc unenthasticly explained, complete with exagerated hand gestures and groaning. "You would think somebody who has a father that deals with quarries on a refular basis would pick up as much!" Falla giggled and jabbed her reluctant compainian playfully in the side.
"Yeah but not a level forty rock! LEVEL FORTY!"
"That rock isn't level forty! Nothing without a lifeforce can have a level! You must be reading that thing wrong, can I see?" Falla grinned mischivously as the orc gestured for her to hand the rusty device over.
"Only if you can catch me before we get to the ruins! She was tampering with the menu, and it looked like she opened up some sort of map." With a wink, the elf closed the holograph and bolted into the woods. Just as her limber frame suggested, she was very fast. Meanwhile Bulka, was build for streangth with high cost too speed. This would not end well. However all she could do was resign herself to her fate. Luckily it wasn't too hard to follow Falla's trail, she left a fizzling puddle of slain slimes wherever she went. A few brushes past some thorny thickets, and annoyingly sticky cobweb, later and she recognized a sight she hand't seen since her father died.
"The anceint airship..." The breeze blew by her, adding dramatic flair to her muttering. Before her was a large, bronze colored, vessel covered in overgrowth. The fallen aircraft had the round, detailed decorative sensabilities of the days long past. Faded, oil-painting-like, designs were plastered onto every smooth surface imaginable. They depicted holy scenes and epic battles of olden times. Two angelic statues, one without her head, stood on either side of the entrance. The shards of shattered stained glass crunched beneath her boots as she approuched. Upon entry she noticed another bubbling, green puddle of melted slime. Falla was in the vessel, somewhere.
Bulka took in the scenery around her. The entrance to this battleship looked a lot more like a grand ballroom. There was high dome ceiling, with shattered windows that allowed the outdoors
to invade. Then there were gold pillars , and a ruby red carpet that had been eaten away by rats. Plants grew in a dried-up water fountain, while vines of ivy clung around the frames of withered, mud-stained paintings. A few small animals scurried in the invading thicket as she walked around in awe. She knew summoning chamber wasn't too far away.
Maybe she could find her teammate after? She took the card out of her pocket again and sighed. The last thing she wanted was for the theif to decide that Falla was better and abandon her. Since, after being summoned, her theif would be free to do as he pleases. All that she had to go on that he wouldn't were her father's promises of grand heroics. The omen made no mention of Falla though, so she was only doing the responsible thing by not including her...right?
She recalled that her father made extra certain to show her the summoning room, and she could now see why. Heading down a narrow hallway, she found a flight of spiral steps. They were still just as questionably safe as ever. Every so often a step or two would be missing and she would have carefully to scoot across the guard rails, and she tried to forget that it was a four-story drop. Especially since she, being an orc, was gravity-sensative. Finally, after a few hair-raising scares thanks to her eight butter-fingers, she was down on the sweet-sweet ground.
Then it was a few hops and a skip past some battle cannons, and she was at the summoning chamber's entrance. She looked down at the chip and smiled somewhat sadly. If only her Dad were there. "Okay friend, we'll be getting you out of there now!" She promised the chip as she approached the entrance. The doors were stuck, with just barley enough room for a man the size of her father to squeeze through. Since a six-foot human seemed short to her, she'd have to do things the hard way. She clenched her axe tightly between her rough hands, and swung it ferociously at the doors.
Since magic weapons were made of various magical objects, and the power supply was cut off to the doors, they easily bent to the axe's will. The whole thing took awhile though, but at last there
was a handsome, orc-sized dent.
Upon entering the small, circular chamber, Bulka could feel her heart race. She shakily took a power generator out of her backpack and pressed it against the wall. Imediately
the dark room came to life. It was completely empty.
The floors were a pearly metalic white and the walls were a dark blue with glowing specks that looked like the constellations In the night sky. Using the ancient tongue, Bulka chanted her way into the summoning interface, and took one last look at the chip. She gave the card-shaped device a tight embrace in rememberance to her father, and flung it into a glowing orb of pixilated light at the center of the room. The result was a bright flash that made her feel like she was looking into the sun, and she sheilded her eyes with her arm.
Then HE decened from the beyound, a magnificent, erthreal...
"HONK!"
Bulka's jaw was already sore from all the times it fell that day, however it just had to do it one last time. Right in front of her wasn't a handsome, dashing bandit, or even an ugly, not-so-dashing bandit. Apperently the best theif all of time and existance had to offer her was...
"A f#ck'n GOOSE?"