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[Reina Takayama]

Summary

While the Pact troops are mustering to fend off the awakened Elder Dragons and their minions, the human kingdom of Kryta faces civil unrest over a changing political landscape that threatens to throw Queen Jennah’s egalitarian government into chaos. Cast out of Kryta and running for her life, Reina Takayama embarks on a journey to discover her past of Canthan heritage and along the way, meets a band of heroes, who might coincidentally be the salvation of Tyria. Yet, a new threat emerges, creating a rift between dimensions and worlds, potentially an even greater problem than the Dragons themselves. What are the Dragons and whose side will the new forces be on?


I'm writing a story based in the Gw2 world on my character and appearances from other players on our server ;P I'm featuring friends and prominent players, leaders and guilds on Ehmry in the story, so if you're interested, let me know or I will ask you if I want to include you and ask for a name you'd like to use if your character name isn't an actual name name lol.

I'm not completely well versed in the history and gw2 storyline but i've read the gw2 novels so hopefully it's alright! Hope you enjoy

Feel free to leave comments!


Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 |  Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21

Red = New!


SIDE PROJECT:
Beneath the Blade - A collection of Fight Scenes that may be part of the novel later on! Contains spoilers!


CAST / STARRING:

Me!, Lt. Nathaniel, [ARC/ASG] Liric, [FTF] Commander Dagger Hands as Sara, Gavorn Faceburner, [GH] Sortilege Sam as Flotsam Sam, [ASG/GF] Daetha, [HIRE] Vinava
more to be added




CHAPTER 1

The sky rumbled and threw a bolt of lightning, its arrow piercing the unnerving darkness.

It wasn't unusual for this time of the year, but somehow the air carried the eerie aura of death.

Her hands trembled and clutched tighter around her sword hilt. Just a little further and she could have cleared the dreadful foliage and swamp stench of Lychcroft Mere.

But of course, nothing was that easy despite her carefully maintained stealth magic. There, on all four sides were moaning, shambling figures of the Risen, undead beings of the accursed Elder Dragon, Zhaitan.

It was unknown why exactly these massive beasts arose. However, their destruction and corruption of life and land could not be ignored. Having driven an entire race of dwarves to extinction and many mighty nations losing their homelands, even long years of hatred must be set aside lest the world be destroyed.

In war, death and battle is not uncommon, but turning corpses into the enemy takes its toll on the morale of Tyria's last desperate stands.

Reina had been far too studious to understand the ways of combat but she had no choice when her own godfather exiled her from Divinity's Reach. Despite her claims to her innocence, the final death of her sister was too traumatic for the Takayama noble family ultimately bound by honor and tradition. Someone had put the entire blame on the family's death on her shoulders, being the only one still alive. Sometimes, she yearned to join her family. But hadn't her father taught her to live the fullest no matter what happens?

Lychcroft Mere was the last place she wanted to be. But yet it was the only safe area in Kryta from the Seraph, now hunting for her head. The powers in Divinity's Reach were determined to finish off her royal bloodline. Certainly, enemies of her father were in positions of authority.

The Risen kept the Seraph away, and there was a Sylvari camp establishment where her one trusted friend was. Two months ago, she received the reply by mail, that she would be protected here until they sent a messenger towards Lion's Arch.

She had to keep going.

She gritted her teeth and tried to lift her legs from the thick bog. There was absolutely no footing here for her to make a stand. She would need higher ground.

But she hadn't much time. The dark figures almost unseen in the darkness of night were too quick, born aloft by some strange speed. She had a feeling she might meet her demise here.

The first of the swarm threw themselves and all of their rotting limbs at her.

She couldn't help but squeal and stumble back, right into the arms of another Risen.

Ducking desperately beneath flailing arms, her sword blazed purple and caught the dead man behind her across the middle, throwing it back into a tree - a sickening thud.

She immediately made a beeline in that direction - it was the only opening she had left.

The man splattered across the tree was already getting to its decaying feet.

Quick, she urged herself, you can't die here. She willed her feet to move faster but suddenly something was keeping it in place. To her horror, wet tendrils had snuck up and wrapped around her ankles.

What kind of wretched trick was that! Her mind faltered to think of a spell that would save her.

This was no study room, and she had no textbooks. Nor time to recite incantations.

Oh Dwayna, save me.




Next Chapter

[Reina Takayama]

CHAPTER 2


She heard a scream that could only be her own, feeble in the thick and stifling marsh air. Nothing could describe the terror that crept up in her throat as the Risen came upon her. Snarls and hungry voices, smell of damp rotting flesh. It was too late; she couldn't do a thing, caught like a deer in the headlights.

Soon they would tear her apart.

She'd rather turn her own sword around, than to be turned into a Risen.

But there was a brilliant flash of white light just then.

Something so bright, the entire forest seemed to light up, blinding her for several seconds. She blinked, her heart pounding. Even with her partial lack of sight, she could make out a swing of a mighty hammer and crumpled bodies whistling through the air. What the?

A hand grabbed her own and she let out a yelp of surprise. Risen?

But it was a strong, warm hand, with a steady aura of comfort.

"Come on!"

With a simple tug she was loosened from the ensnaring vines and stumbled in the direction she was pulled.



*     *     *     *     *


After what seemed like seconds, she found herself hands on her knees, catching her breath under the canopies of an abandoned Sylvari tree-house as she liked to call it.

Although she couldn't quite comprehend how she made it out alive, a new crisis bestowed upon her face as she found herself flustered and beet red. At her stupidity and incompetence or the now visible features of her handsome savior she couldn't tell.

Oddly, it was not a Sylvari who had rescued her. If it had been, she would have to wonder what a Sylvari's hand would feel like. Cold and wet like leaves? In Divinity's Reach, so sheltered with the courts of the palace grounds, she never had a chance to interact with real Sylvari. Of course, neither a Charr.

"Miss, are you okay?"

She nearly choked in embarrassment.

"Yes," She managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

There was a chuckle and she looked up warily at the warhammer wielding human, who was a full head taller than her. He could easily overpower her if he was working with the Seraph.

"Sorry, but you really don't seem so okay."

"Oh..." Reina grew more flustered. "I guess I'm... a little shaken up."

"This place is dangerous to anyone; I'm just glad I wasn't too late."

She remained silent. She knew she had been ignorant and foolish.

"Where are you heading?"

That question caught her off guard. Where was she heading? This guardian boasted an aura of peace but she couldn't trust someone she had just met.

"Just visiting a friend." She lied.

A lie too obvious it seemed. He tilted his head and smiled. "All the way here by yourself?"

She blushed. "Yes."

"Well, miss, you are now under the custody of the Seraph."





Next Chapter

[Reina Takayama]

CHAPTER 3


From the shadows, forms took shape and stepped into the dim glow. There were easily twelve of them.

She couldn't escape even if she tried with her limited combat experience.
It was literally out of the frying pan, into the fire.

"Just great, thanks for saving me." She shot a glare at her savior now turned enemy.

His once warm and comforting hands grabbed hers coldly and roughly, tightening a single silver enchanted band around her wrists.

She tried to blink back her tears. Everything she had been fighting for, walking for days and nights, covered in bruises, muck and dirt, facing countless horrors she had never seen before. She didn't even have time to accept her family's deaths. All the hope and courage she had gathered to live on... it was all gone now.

She would be trialled and executed by her own people. The same people who she grew up with. The same people who had taken care of her. The same people she always trusted.

"Lieutenant." One of the figures saluted. It was a green hand, encased by leaves. Sylvari?

The Sylvari were aiding the Seraph?

"I'll take it from here." Her captor nodded and grabbed her arm, forcing her forward.

She stumbled and nearly fell but the force of his hand kept her moving.

Her hood fell over her eyes and she made no motion to shrug it back. It was all she could do to hide the tears streaming down her cheek.



*     *     *     *     *



Reina felt the thick air lift and give way to the crisper cooler midsummer evening breeze, even before she could see where she was. In her blurred vision, hood down low, she could make out the steadily climbing slope under her boots, and the tall long grass on her skin.

"Lieutenant, we will be taking our leave now." Said a voice with a heavy outlandish accent. A Sylvari woman. Reina wondered where her friend was.

"Thank you, warden. The Seraph Guard appreciates the favour."

There was a brief exchange of farewell silence before the rustling of leaves and swish of cloaks told her the Sylvari wardens had slipped away.

The Seraph now just four of them continued on, drawn blades at her back.

With just four, she could possibly slip away. But she did not know what their skill was like. Nor did it seem like there was still an ounce of fight left in her heart.

instead, her mind was completely blank; the fatigue from the past few days had finally flooded in and taken its toll. She could swear she was in a dream - a nightmare - something that would surely pass with the coming morning light. It was only two weeks ago when her sister had disappeared, six days ago when the Seraph had warranted for her capture and it had yet to settle in on her mind.

Shock, perhaps. Disbelief? Things had happened so fast she only felt numb. The tears that poured afresh from her eyes wasn't an unwelcome feeling. At least the pain and sorrow could finally be released.

Raised by her noble well-respected family, flowing with the dignified royal Canthan bloodlines, living on the palace grounds meant a life full of abundance and companionship. She was never alone. There were always friends she would play with, assistants that waited on her, and lords and ladies who doted on her. But she always felt they were different. Nothing could be taken for granted.

Indeed, nothing could be taken for granted. Her world was shattered, piece by piece. She was alone now.




Next Chapter

[Reina Takayama]

CHAPTER 4


They reached the top of a hill quietly before it dropped off vertically leaving little pebbles and loose rocks tumbling down the cliff face. She could feel the wind on her face, gathering speed and caressing her.

She shivered. It was still cold even in the summer as dawn approached. Only her cloak kept her warm, as her usual light armor garments was barely useful in covering her body.

The smell of fresh grass greeted her as the sun in the east slowly awakened, like a lazy fire elemental. She lifted her head just enough to take in the horizon before them and her breath caught from the sight.

The softly lit clouds glowed with a pinkish purple hue at the furthest point in the horizon, at the base of the sky, lifted up by faint shapes of a mountain range. From there, the light scattered and filtered through, blending into dark blue. The sky stretched up and up, a sea vast and mysterious.

Above her head she could make out a remarkable blanket of white dots twinkling and winking at her, millions upon millions of stars. Never had she seen this many before. Divinity's Reach always had a lot of city lights that drowned out the night sky. The only errands she had done outside of the city were well lit by caravan escort torches and road lamps.

From town to town, they would travel but here, she could see the rest of the land. Everything was still dark but the villages glittered with lights, a cluster here and there, like little bonfires. Towards the north, there was the greatest bonfire of all. Shining like a bright beacon, standing tall and mighty, countless spires pointing towards the heavens. Even in this distance, she could make out many details of the city. Divinity's Reach, the very place she had to escape.

Reina for a brief moment thought they were planning to dispose of her right there. An easy job to do, she was merely a defensiveless young girl between them. Then they could bury her body in the river that flowed below them towards the lake.

Even if she were to be escorted back to the city, there was no telling whether centaur patrols would intercept them.

But the guardian broke the storm of her thoughts.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He said, a voice hush and gentle.

It was starkly different from his authoritative tone from talking to the Sylvari before.

She ignored him and lifted her chin defiantly.

He leaned in closer beside her ear. "Don't worry." He whispered softly.

She shuddered. His voice was too unnerving, speaking right into her heart.

Don't worry? How could she not worry?

He seemed to have read her thoughts as he caught her eye and smiled. Bile immediately rose in her throat and she wanted to slap him for making a fool of her in this situation. But he had already spun his heel-

To swing a giant hammer, sweeping into the remaining three Seraph guards. She gasped in shock. They never even had a chance lift their weapons before their winged helms dented and their bodies crumpled into a heap. After the deed was done, he set the hammer on its head on the ground nonchalantly, as sudden as he had swung it.

Without a word, the lieutenant came behind her and deftly loosened her bindings.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She was speechless and made no attempt to reply. At the sudden turn in events she was clueless as to what to feel. Instead, she flexed her wrists silently, wincing from the pain.

She studied her savior, captor and now traitor to his own unit. How many more identities would he acquire? He stood a head taller than her at almost six feet, broad shouldered and held an air of dignity, his back gracefully straight, as if he could stand and move swiftly with no effort. He wasn't too muscular but enough to assert his authority and strength, with matching short cropped golden hair to prove his solemnity. His expression was soft, calm and composed despite his tough chiseled features that stared back at her.

He smiled again as she looked away to avoid his eyes.

"Lieutenant Nathaniel Arai Hirano, at your service, Your Highness." He tipped his head in a polite bow and crossed a fist over his chest.

For a moment, she stared at him blankly, confused.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness?"


Next Chapter

[Reina Takayama]

CHAPTER 5


His eyes seemed to carry an unexplicable sadness but he said nothing for a while.

The dawn breeze between them was the only sound, but it too held no answers. Instead, it carried the slowly awakening noise of a slumbering farming village beyond the slopes.

"I'm from Cantha as well." Nathaniel said quietly. He stared off into the distance absentmindedly.

She allowed him to continue.

"I've known you for longer than you may think, Reina. Perhaps you weren't told about your place of origin and your bloodline."

She shook her head slowly. "I was never told much."

"Which might be a good thing." He smiled sadly. "We need to get going. The sun is rising."

Just beyond the mountains, the sky had brightened like crimson fire burning shadows of the land into a myriad of rainbow colors and textures. The clouds above too, were dyed with a soft pastel palette, the work of a water-colour painter. Soon, beneath the morning glow, they could make out the slopes of Kessex Hills, rolling gently with the green and yellows of meadows and flowers, up against crystal clear waters of the lake.

Reina couldn't help but stare in amazement of this beauty. Yet, beauty only hid the threat of the krait in the water and the centaur camps here and there to the inexperienced eye. He was right, they had to move quickly.

"You'll help me escape the Seraph and Divinity's Reach?"

"Of course, my lady."

She half blushed half winced at his etiquette.

"Where are we going?"

"Lion's Arch."



* * *   *   *



The bustling metropolis was always full of loud voices making racket over wares, swimming in drunkenness or breaking out with hot blooded brawls. Of course, it never helped that the city was rebuilt by pirates on wrecked and sea bogged ships and the central hub of all of Tyria, collecting races of all kinds, down to the little Quaggan and the Skritt. It was a surprise the Dredge hadn't shown up yet.

"Apples! Apples! Apples for sale!"

"Forget apples, you there! You look like you can use a new set of armor!"

"I've got the best wine you can get in all of Tyria. Come try some!"

Under the wavering canopies of stretched blue cloth and wooden frames, merchants had already set up their stalls. It was a battleground of spoken talent and deceit. Who would buy the trick? Who had the best deals? Nobody was excepted from the daily grind. The fast pace and weathered effortless dexterity of experienced people in their specialties was Lion's Arch at day. At night, it would be a different story.

This morning, was no different than any other. Certainly parties of different races congregated and worked together all the time. The hub for commerce and trade was a place where history and feuds were set aside and business came first. The place where those seeking asylum from racial discrimination or seeking sanctuary for illegal dealings gathered. However the Lionguard was a powerful presence, it would take the keenest criminal to operate in Lion's Arch. There was no more inconspicuous criminal than a giant lumbering golem strolling through the middle of town this morning.

Without a doubt, there was a tiny Asura who hurried along side the golem's massive stone frame head held high and lips pursed, as if looking upon the world in scorn.

"Out of the way, out of the way civilians!" The asura's tiny head and oversized bat ears bobbled comically as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Don't you know your finite insignificant existence may be ignorantly hindering the path of greatness and the future of this temporal dimension?!" His pale grey skin and large luminous yellow eyes were typical of the race, who originated from the underground caves deep under Tyria, right along side the Dwarves. But his snarky attitude is a cultural and academic inheritance - starting with an already bloated ego, the greater the accomplishments, the greater the Asuran arrogance.

He shook his head in frustration and followed the golem who steadily wedged a path through the pedestrians. Behind them tailed a woman cursing under her breath at the Asuran.

She was in a full set of plate armor shoulder to toe, with a greatsword on her back glowing with an angry red fire, yet she moved with no effort, lithe and confident. Instead of pushing her way through with metal gauntlets, she stepped between the crowd nimbly.

"Hurry up, human!" The asuran called behind him and the warrior scowled in response but didn't say anything.

The job would be over soon. The days of maniacal asuran experimentation and errands would be over. She would collect the last bit of the contracted payment and catch a nice vacation before the next job. Or so she hoped.





Next Chapter

[Drake Erif]

Chapters are too short!!! I'm actually pretty happy you are doing this, it's entertaining and you go into pretty good detail! Very nice job so far and I look forward to seeing the rest of the story unfold.

[Reina Takayama]

Drake Erif, on 26 November 2012 - 03:31 PM, said:

Chapters are too short!!! I'm actually pretty happy you are doing this, it's entertaining and you go into pretty good detail! Very nice job so far and I look forward to seeing the rest of the story unfold.

aww thanks glad ur enjoying it! working on finishing chapter 5 and starting 6! im going to be linking chapters to the first post for easy access

[Liric]

I did not know you write! I'll read this sometime tonight, I hope! =)

[Siiddhartha]

I scanned this for my name and didn't find it.... typo?

[Apticus]

It's not an erotic novella.  That will be my upcoming piece, 50 Shades of Gay, starring you and Madison Reign as your beard.

[Siiddhartha]

that works too.

[Reina Takayama]

Chapter 5 updated! Chapter 6 in the works! So far appearances of Touch and Liric.

Also I don't plan this story in any way xD in writing on the fly and letting it develop hahaaa xD so don't expect perfect storyline lololol

[Apticus]

Put me in it, Reina

[Janus Bloodrunner]

50 Shades of PUNK must now be written...

[Reina Takayama]

Apticus, on 29 November 2012 - 02:09 AM, said:

Put me in it, Reina

i havent even seen u in game have i? i need to see u before i can write u xD

[Apticus]

Reina Takayama, on 29 November 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

i havent even seen u in game have i? i need to see u before i can write u xD

I've seen you.  I've been following you stealthed.

[Madison]

Apticus, on 28 November 2012 - 02:42 PM, said:

It's not an erotic novella.  That will be my upcoming piece, 50 Shades of Gay, starring you and Madison Reign as your beard.

I don't know what to say to this  

[Apticus]

How about "Will there be illustrations?"

[Janus Bloodrunner]

Apticus, on 29 November 2012 - 10:35 AM, said:

I've seen you.  I've been following you stealthed.

When you're alone and hear heavy breathing behind you....don't worry. It's just Apticus.

[Touch]

its great so far