1 Beginning
On one fateful day in a barren island beside Mainland Hammer, an energetic baby cried with all its might.
"Waaaaaaaah!!"
"it is a boy!" exclaimed the midwife.
"Oh boy, Oh Boy, OH BOY!! IT IS A BOY!!!" A tall man reaching 2 meters in height exclaimed and jumped about in excitement. He was slim, but were not without muscles. Wearing a plain green shirt and short pants, he was the perfect depiction of a forest elf.
"Calm down Ransel, you will scare the child", a soft and exhausted voice rang out from inside the room.
"Ooh sorry Layla" the man scratched his head in embarrassment, entering the room to take a peek at his child. The child had his eyes shut tight, with furry ears sticking out on top of his head, a patch of fur covering his wrists, and a bushy tail at the back.
"Oh wow, he looks just like you, Layla!" The man, Ransel, showed a big happy grin on his face while observing the child.
Layla, the lycanthrope, were a type of species that liked to live in the mountains. Their signature features were their wolf like ears and tail, while they are in the shape of humans.
"Yes, he looks like me, but he is not burly like our kind, but more like elves" Layla countered back.
"Haha! Yes, he is like US, so let's name him 'Lance', 'La' from you and 'nse' from me" Ransel felt so fortunate to be alive.
For 8 years the boy was raised by his parents, learning to hunt like an elf, and track prey like a lycanthrope.
.
.
.
8 Years later.
"Jim, is it really here?" A woman, seemingly in her 30s, stared at an island that inched closer.
"I am certain." Jim, as called by the woman, was rowing the oars, letting out a brief response to the question.
"You'll be back with us in no time, my precious brother" The woman muttered, The winds blew against the boat, making it seem as if the two were not welcomed by the island.
++++++++++
While Lance's family was having grilled golden chicken for lunch, the sky started rippling.
The laughter died down, while a solemn expression could be seen on Layla and Ransel.
"Have they already found us?"
"How did they find us so quick?"
"Now is not the right time"
As the two started having a conversation, Lance could not understand what was so serious about the rippling sky.
"Lance, have Shana take you away from here, remember where we had your fifth birthday party? Go there and wait until mama and papa finds you, okay?" Layla instructed her child, while trying to hold back her tears.
"Mom, what is happening?" Lance felt uncomfortable seeing his parents so serious. This never happened before in the past, his parents were always happy and relaxed. Even when a gigantic fishman rose up from the water, his dad dispatched it with a single arrow.
"No need to worry, we are just going to have a chat with daddy's family" Ransel comforted his son with a smile.
He then nodded at Shana, the midwife and servant of their family. Shana then grabbed Lance and quickly ran towards the rocky hills.
The island where they lived did not have any trees, which explained why an elf lived in a mud-house, over a tree-house. Hence on Lance's fifth birthday, Layla and Ransel found a suitable hiding place for Lance. A small bush north of the mud-house, they had dug a large hole beneath the bush and specially cast illusion magic on the area.
Three minutes after Lance and Shana's departure, a pair swiftly approached them.
"Greetings, my beloved brother" the pair stopped 7 meters from the couple, The woman blushed slightly as she spoke.
"Mayra and Jim, so it is you two that the elders sent" Layla spoke with great anger.
Mayra ignored Layla and approached Ransel. "Elders want you to come back, and they approved of our marriage if I can bring you back to the village" she spoke with a voice full of charm.
Layla's face turned pale, and shouted while stretching her hand out.
"[Author System] Activate! De-spell!"
A translucent wave shot out from her hand, covering Ransel.
"How dare you use such petty charm magic on my husband!" her anger boiled as it reached the tipping point.
Ransel was a high elf, which there are very few of in Ashuela, the mother forest of elves. He was destined for greatness, having the right to fight for the chieftain position. However he cast that aside, choosing to run away with Layla. Layla was a lycanthrope slave raised in Ashuela, one of the many common ones, in fact. His 'irrational' decision infuriated the entire elves community, making them search for him relentlessly.
Now they have found him.
"Hmph, a lowly creature like you who has to shout out for the system have no right to meddle with our family affairs." Mayra sneered, feeling as if she ate a bug for talking to Layla.
"Enough talk, kill the woman, capture the man, find the kid" Jim ordered with great difficulty.
"How arrogant of you! Wind whistle!" Ransel was truly upset by his arrogant relatives.
A gale formed and circulated around Ransel and Layla, forming a dome.
[Party attack speed +10%]
[Party magic defense +10%]
"Hmph, unlike you, I, train hard, strong" Jim let out a creepy laugh as he held out his left hand, as if holding a bow. He then pulled his right hand back "Mighty Winds!". A light green arrow formed, before launching towards the couple. The arrow grew bigger and hit the ground beneath Ransel.
BOOOM
The earth shattered apart like cookies, throwing Ransel and Layla up into the sky.
-40,500
-30,200
damage showed up on top of their heads as they fell back onto the ground.
"Cough, how... how can you be so strong!?" Ransel vomited blood as his gaze showed fear. He then looked at his companion, who laid motionlessly on the ground, her HP decreasing at a rapid rate.
"No... No!! Layla!! LAYLA!!" He crawled to his wife, the fated one he rescued at the slave auction. The one he promised to protect with his life.
"I.. am sorry..." Layla apologized, before closing her eyes.
[Dead] showed on top of her head, before she slowly disintegrated into small particles. The place Ransel crawled to revealed the loot left behind by her death.
[Ring of promise]
[Basic cotton garment](Damaged)
[Lycanthrope fur]
[10 bronze]
"Cheh, slave girl, no money, let's go." Jim muttered, while picking up the weeping Ransel on his back.
"Shana, you can come out now" Mayra smiled brightly, looking towards the bush.
Shana came out of the illusion barrier, princess-carrying the unconscious Lance.
"You did a good job this time, the elders will definitely reward you for your efforts" It would have been nearly impossible to find and capture Ransel if they just blindly searched. However thanks to Shana's information, they easily located the couple.
They left the barren island, heading back to Ashuela, elves' home land.
Ransel was locked up in his tree-house, forbidden from leaving his tree-house in Ashuela without permission. Lance was a lycanthrope hybrid, a breed that elves despised. He was sold off to Kingdom of Argot, a country formed by rich merchants.
For two years Lance was bought and resold, because of his small and weak stature he was not useful for any purpose.
That fateful year, an array of light descended into different parts of the world.
Everyone were shocked to see that it was people that descended from the sky.
They had different names, used by different cultures in the world: immortals, heaven blessed beings, and the sky people.
They called themselves, players.
