Asher woke up on the shore outside the cabin. He looked around unsure. Last thing he remembered was falling asleep still inside of Tiff, as he did most every night. Suddenly the sun was over the sky. The area was basked in darkness, and was suddenly illuminated in daylight. He looked around but couldn’t see anything.
Turning back to the cabin he saw the small figure there. The mana didn’t pour out of him like it did before, he looked like just a small boy. No longer in a suit and tie the boy wore a pair of white pants and a black T-shirt.
“Hello Lawful Good,” he said with a wide smile.
“Hello Avatar,” Asher said.
“I hate that title,” the boy said, walking to stand next to him. The boy stared out over the water. Asher did his best not to freak out. So he did the same. “You can call me System.”
Wasn’t that the name of the smartest being in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey? He thought. No, wait, that was Station. Asher’s mind went in weird places under stress.
“Are you the System?”
“Am I the thing you’ve been cursing most every day for over a year? I might as well be,” the Avatar said.
“Alright, System. What can I help you with?” The boy's voice was off putting. It sounded mature, and didn’t match the figure.
“I wanted to congratulate you on passing the trials,” he said with a chipper tone in his voice. “You did much better than I thought you would. I thought for sure I had you there at the end.”
“You about did,” Asher admitted. The Destruction boss should have been way beyond his level.
They stared out at the water. Neither talking for a time.
“There’s something different about you this time,” System said.
“This time?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb. I know your Joon came from another time. I’m the System, I know everything,” he said with a slight chuckle. “No, there is something very different about you, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost like you’re stronger than you’re supposed to be. Everytime I think I’ve got you, you surprise me. I don’t understand it.”
Asher did his best to not think about it. The System would probably read his mind and kill him instantly.
“Whatever it is, I’m glad you succeeded. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said confidently.
“Like what?” Asher asked.
“Cleaning up the League of course,” he said. “Tell me, what do you think the Trials were about?”
“The first was corruption.” The System nodded. “The second was about greed.”
“Close, more about being blinded by greed. It’s okay to be greedy, but when you risk it all for greed. That’s when it’s a problem.”
“I can see that,” Asher said. “The last, I’m going to say, it could always be worse.”
The System laughed. “That would be good, but no. I may have to make a trial like that for you later. That wasn’t the theme as you call it. The last boss I cooked up for you, special.”
“Gee thanks,” Asher whispered.
The System ignored the comment. “No, the last trial was about Nepotism. You were supposed to focus on the royal family, bring them around, and then the prince would disappoint in the end. That’s the type of person he was. How you played it, the guy practically died off camera. It was hard to get my point across with that.”
“What point?” Asher asked, a little frustrated. He still saw those in the Wist as people, and this guy was playing with their lives.
“Who do you think the themes were for?” The System asked inside.
“Not me, I’m guessing,” Asher said. He had thought they were for him.
“No, you are lawful good. I don’t think you could be corrupt or blinded by greed. Maybe nepotism is your poison, but we will have to wait and see on that. No, the theme was for them.” He waved his hand and the sun winked out to reveal the stars. “All those in the League. Greed, corruption, and nepotism are just a few of the poisons affecting all of them. You and I, we will purge those that are blinded by it.”
Asher grew angry. “You know, I’m not some murderer. I’m not just going to kill those you tell me to,” he spat.
The kid slowly turned his head. It jerked and moved slowly to the side like a puppet with a hand inside. “You don’t think I know that?” He asked coldly. “What is your philosophy again? Let them live till they hurt those you love?”
That was his philosophy. His blood ran cold looking at the little Avatar. “What do you think they will do to you? Only hurt you? No! They will kill those you love most, Lawful Good. Ask Joon, she might remember now. Who do you think they kill? Who would they have to kill for you to have to go after them? Who would they have to kill for you to go as hard as you did in the Roktai Trial?”
Asher knew the answer, but couldn’t say it. “Not just her, but Zora too. Your precious Tiffany and Zora,” the boy mocked. “No matter how many women I threw at you, you never recovered from their deaths. Always you kept going, never giving up. Quest after quest, trial after trial. You took it all on. All in the hopes of seeing them again, but you never did.”
Tears ran down his cheeks as he slowly understood the Avatar was telling the truth. He would do anything for those girls.
“When?” He forced out, trying to hold back the immense emotions he was feeling.
“I don’t know, Lawful Good,” he said. “Like I said, you surprised me. There’s something different about you, and I like it. Maybe you changed enough to make it never happen. Or maybe you changed enough to make it happen sooner.” The Avatar had a chipper attitude again.
Asher stood staring at the tranquil water. The Avatar disappeared at some point. The Lawful Good stayed there thinking. Breathing in and out slowly he eventually stopped crying. There was something different about him. He thought he knew the answer. He was a Prime. He had max levels, and for some reason the System was blind to it.
He would use it to his advantage. Nothing would tear his family apart. Not the League, and not the System. He would kill all those that tried. He would tear the System down if that’s what it took. Like Dea said, it wanted him dead. If that was the case, he wanted it dead as well.
Asher woke up on the shore outside the cabin. He looked around unsure. Last thing he remembered was falling asleep still inside of Tiff, as he did most every night. Suddenly the sun was over the sky. The area was basked in darkness, and was suddenly illuminated in daylight. He looked around but couldn’t see anything.
Turning back to the cabin he saw the small figure there. The mana didn’t pour out of him like it did before, he looked like just a small boy. No longer in a suit and tie the boy wore a pair of white pants and a black T-shirt.
“Hello Lawful Good,” he said with a wide smile.
“Hello Avatar,” Asher said.
“I hate that title,” the boy said, walking to stand next to him. The boy stared out over the water. Asher did his best not to freak out. So he did the same. “You can call me System.”
Wasn’t that the name of the smartest being in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey? He thought. No, wait, that was Station. Asher’s mind went in weird places under stress.
“Are you the System?”
“Am I the thing you’ve been cursing most every day for over a year? I might as well be,” the Avatar said.
“Alright, System. What can I help you with?” The boy's voice was off putting. It sounded mature, and didn’t match the figure.
“I wanted to congratulate you on passing the trials,” he said with a chipper tone in his voice. “You did much better than I thought you would. I thought for sure I had you there at the end.”
“You about did,” Asher admitted. The Destruction boss should have been way beyond his level.
They stared out at the water. Neither talking for a time.
“There’s something different about you this time,” System said.
“This time?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb. I know your Joon came from another time. I’m the System, I know everything,” he said with a slight chuckle. “No, there is something very different about you, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost like you’re stronger than you’re supposed to be. Everytime I think I’ve got you, you surprise me. I don’t understand it.”
Asher did his best to not think about it. The System would probably read his mind and kill him instantly.
“Whatever it is, I’m glad you succeeded. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said confidently.
“Like what?” Asher asked.
“Cleaning up the League of course,” he said. “Tell me, what do you think the Trials were about?”
“The first was corruption.” The System nodded. “The second was about greed.”
“Close, more about being blinded by greed. It’s okay to be greedy, but when you risk it all for greed. That’s when it’s a problem.”
“I can see that,” Asher said. “The last, I’m going to say, it could always be worse.”
The System laughed. “That would be good, but no. I may have to make a trial like that for you later. That wasn’t the theme as you call it. The last boss I cooked up for you, special.”
“Gee thanks,” Asher whispered.
The System ignored the comment. “No, the last trial was about Nepotism. You were supposed to focus on the royal family, bring them around, and then the prince would disappoint in the end. That’s the type of person he was. How you played it, the guy practically died off camera. It was hard to get my point across with that.”
“What point?” Asher asked, a little frustrated. He still saw those in the Wist as people, and this guy was playing with their lives.
“Who do you think the themes were for?” The System asked inside.
“Not me, I’m guessing,” Asher said. He had thought they were for him.
“No, you are lawful good. I don’t think you could be corrupt or blinded by greed. Maybe nepotism is your poison, but we will have to wait and see on that. No, the theme was for them.” He waved his hand and the sun winked out to reveal the stars. “All those in the League. Greed, corruption, and nepotism are just a few of the poisons affecting all of them. You and I, we will purge those that are blinded by it.”
Asher grew angry. “You know, I’m not some murderer. I’m not just going to kill those you tell me to,” he spat.
The kid slowly turned his head. It jerked and moved slowly to the side like a puppet with a hand inside. “You don’t think I know that?” He asked coldly. “What is your philosophy again? Let them live till they hurt those you love?”
That was his philosophy. His blood ran cold looking at the little Avatar. “What do you think they will do to you? Only hurt you? No! They will kill those you love most, Lawful Good. Ask Joon, she might remember now. Who do you think they kill? Who would they have to kill for you to have to go after them? Who would they have to kill for you to go as hard as you did in the Roktai Trial?”
Asher knew the answer, but couldn’t say it. “Not just her, but Zora too. Your precious Tiffany and Zora,” the boy mocked. “No matter how many women I threw at you, you never recovered from their deaths. Always you kept going, never giving up. Quest after quest, trial after trial. You took it all on. All in the hopes of seeing them again, but you never did.”
Tears ran down his cheeks as he slowly understood the Avatar was telling the truth. He would do anything for those girls.
“When?” He forced out, trying to hold back the immense emotions he was feeling.
“I don’t know, Lawful Good,” he said. “Like I said, you surprised me. There’s something different about you, and I like it. Maybe you changed enough to make it never happen. Or maybe you changed enough to make it happen sooner.” The Avatar had a chipper attitude again.
Asher stood staring at the tranquil water. The Avatar disappeared at some point. The Lawful Good stayed there thinking. Breathing in and out slowly he eventually stopped crying. There was something different about him. He thought he knew the answer. He was a Prime. He had max levels, and for some reason the System was blind to it.
He would use it to his advantage. Nothing would tear his family apart. Not the League, and not the System. He would kill all those that tried. He would tear the System down if that’s what it took. Like Dea said, it wanted him dead. If that was the case, he wanted it dead as well.
