Game Over...Do you wish to start over again ?
The inquisitive sentence floated around near the virtual soul that experienced its end. As if mocking the companions of the dead body, the murderer crushed mercilessly the corpse before the party of the deceased.The inhuman being opened its maw and a light shone brightly from its throat along with unbearable heat.
The man behind the holographic dispy did not want to see this scene. He had seen it countless times already. Countless times while trying to find a good end route for this hellish but lovable videogame.
With a few press on the ESC button, the image on the screen had shifted to a chat window filled with crying emojis and 'GGs' . The man stirred and took the time to read the many comments that he hadn't been able to read during the boss fight.
"Fuck it... You've seen it, chat. I don't think this game has a good ending to begin with. It just doesn't make sense... Can someone update the list of strategies ? Max Magic Resistance and maxed out defense stat isn't working, even with the safest route and pnning. I even had |The Iceberg|, that damned legendary relic !"
- That's fucked up. Ain't that the strongest magic shield of the game ? a highlighted comment pointed out.
"It is... but that damn boss melted through it like it was butter ! Aaaagh- ! Look ! Even rallying the six other Sins didn't work !Tsk-... By the way, how much time did we st ? Did someone count it ?"
- 3 min
- 3.17
- 3 something
-...
"Well I'll be damned. That's annoying. I thought I sted at least 5 minutes... But that makes no sense, right ? There's gotta be an ending where you save the world, right ? Wait- If I speedrun this I might have two or three more runs left to try, what do you think guys ?"
The figure watched his chat getting hyped... surely for the st time. In less than a day, the game would shut down after all.
"Alright ! Let's do this guys ! Good ending you better prepare yourself !"
.........
Game Over...?Do you wish to start over again ??
"Well, that was fun chat... Thanks for the ughs and sticking out with me all this time. You bunch could have done something else other than watching me py this dead game... Though, we'll never see the good ending. And Wrath's backstory even less. Seriously, why did the devs begin a romance route with her if we can't even talk to her until the st fight..."
- Must be a bug... We don't have any fucking way to see her status window, nor her stats, nor her affinity... nothing...
The streamer looked back to read a few messages of his audience. Some were consoling him, some were sending heart emojis, some were still specuting about the game's lore.
"Oh, Skamandy's right ! Thanks for the sub by the way ! But we never got the chance to learn about destroyed southern kingdom everyone talks about ! Aw- that's such a shame. Feels like they dropped this part of the plot to rush the story sometimes..."
- Imagine if it was a lore bomb...
"Yeah, I can imagine. But y'know, sometimes I wonder if people managed to crack the game-files, it'd at least give us an idea of what happens and the enemy's lore..."
- Never cracked, people still respect Indie games.
"Ehh... The company had some budget and it made big money from Sins of Marka if I'm correct. It's more like an AA game. Not quite an indie one."
- Just be honest, you just wanted a romance route with Wrath, we know you
- This ↑
- Yeah. Liz will get you for this.
"Agh! Guys ! You're killing me ! It's not my fault that she's beautiful in the cutscene ! Not as beautiful as Liz but beautiful nonetheless. Bah, anyway. Not that the game's reaching EoS, we could maybe find another game out there to discover ? Heard that there were plenty of retro JRPG games that could interest me. Talked about this with the mods a few days ago... Hear me out chat..."
-
The stream had just ended and the content creator was now intensely looking at the countdown dispyed on the screen. Three minutes left until the shutdown.
That streamer... had spent thousand of hours across seven years to explore this game's universe. Every relic, every item, ever hideout... That didn't mean he was good at the game however...
A man wh
Mostly the old school ones, from before the 2070's. The genre became niche in the mid 50's, the time during which VR tech and games truly progressed. And with that, funds and the general interest eventually forgot about JRPG's. A shame. I had my fan-base and I streamed for fun so that wasn't really a problem for me.But that still became a problem for the developers and studios that mainly created such games. With no resources and investments, games were becoming rarer and rarer. The only game that managed to pierce in these recent years was an indie one, "Sins of Marka", the game that was about to EoS in a few...
The concept was cliché as hell, I won't sugarcoat it. Some random guys gets enrolled into the most prestigious magic academy of Marka, the game world. There, they prove themselves as a powerhouse and aims for the top while also managing an Adventurer life outside of school time.
2:02
Your goal, or rather the main character's initial goal- is to get information about his parents, who disappeared after exploring some ruins somewhere. Along the way, you form retionships, go through hardships and strengthen yourself.
But then, as you progress through the plot, you discover that the Seven Deadly Sins, the big bad evil beings of the game are about to awaken. From that moment on, the story takes a dark turn. As soon as you begin to uncover this, attacks all over the world are unched by followers of the Sins. Your goal turns into your typical "save the world and destroy the Seven Deadly Sins". RIP your parents too. They die along the way depending in the route...
1:13
But... What truly made this game different despite the unoriginal plot was the completely new gamepy and interactions thanks to nowadays' hardware. A very lively game where actions had a long sting impacts on the rest of the game. Of course, some major events couldn't be altered but funnily enough you could prevent some of the Sins from reappearing. Which could make things way easier, or harder too, in your py-through.
The game had seven years of service, seven years where the community desperately tried to find a single good ending. Seven years where we tried to sy, or defeat Raya, The Sin of Wrath, to no luck. The boss was unbeatable. Even with the strongest artifacts, the strongest defense, the strongest magic, The Wrath overwhelmed the pyer, their party and their allies with ndscape-destroying attacks. She was on a whole other realm than the rest of the game's enemies.
When other enemies were cunning and used tactics to defeat the pyer, thanks to their advanced coding, The Wrathwas just pure strength, overwhelming power that crushed you in an instant. Even the sturdiest shield arcanes couldn't stand more than five of her blows, even the most potent magic enchantments sted barely more than ten seconds against her fmes.
The devs said themselves her Wyvern behavior took inspiration from a monster of an old game where you had to hunt monsters and create armor out of them. Something called "Tie-grex" or something was the base material for the AI.
At some point, pyers in forums even specuted that Raya had HP-lock mechanics, but when people tried to create mods to confirm or bury the theory, they never found any data about her. It was as if she wasn't in the game at all, apart from a few mentions there and there.
0:37
The title of Wrath suited the character. The little information you heard about her was that she was in search of revenge, with an unquenchable thirst for violence and chaos. Hate and resentment described her best.But the reason why people tortured themselves to search for a good ending, why they didn't compin much was because... her humanoid form was hot when she appeared in her introduction cutscene.
And while you could learn about the backstory of the other Sins when you defeated them, how they chose their Avatars, you could barely learn The Wrath's name before the final fight.
Well now, everything was in the past. I'd never be able to see my waifu again now.
0:00
There it was. The end. No more Sins of Marka.After sighing, the man pulled his phone out and texted his significant other. A rendez-vous just after stream at a nearby café. "Macaron fondant."
As the name suggested, the café's specialty was macaron-making, Liz's favorite pastries.
I hummed while looking at myself in the mirror, trying to arrange my wild hair.
Right, deodorant too. Alright, let's do this.
A few minutes ter I was strolling in the streets with Liz, chatting happily about her new job interview and other topics. She too loved "Sins of Marka" and tried to reach a happy ending with me. Every time she pyed solo or with NPC's who weren't interested in the main character because "even in another world, I was the only one she'd love."
Very cute.
"Today I'm picking five mango cream macarons and seven strawberry ones ! How about you ?"
"Ehhh ?! you sure you'll be able to eat all of that ? You're so cute when you pick too much. You always end up begging me to finish your treats."
"Sh-shush ! A-anyway. I've watched the end of your stream... You admitted the Sin of Wrath was hot, didn't you...?"
"Uh yeeeees ?" I asked carefully. Her pouty face was cute too. Just like mochi. It made me want to poke it. That was probably a bad idea though...
"Hm. Then maybe I should cospy as her, don't you think~"
Ugh, I'm so lucky...Our faces got closer to each other's and we both blushed. Even though we had been seven years in a retionship, we still had our moments of shyness.
'Multiple potential criminal targets found. Commencing annihition.'
What ? The fuck ?
A seemingly defective police droid just came out of a dark alley in front of everyone's eyes. The pulse rifle it was charging in our direction was not a reassuring sight.Liz and I both began to run to find shelter.These droids were used to dispose of criminals, when they were functional and had no error in their code. They were supposed to recognize normal citizens from individuals who had committed grave crimes.
The droid opened fire. Obviously, Liz and I both tripped on a corpse it just sniped.Ah...At such distance... there was no hope to escape from it.
At least we didn't feel our heads getting blown off by the pulse. The bit of code that imposed a painless death was something that couldn't be corrupted it seemed...
Skree- ? Wha- what the fuck ? What's my voice ?!
"Sweetie, see ? It's beautiful."
It ? Excuse me ? I'm not a thing !
"Of course Kalia ! It has Their blood ! The blood of Wrathful Fire ! Khahahahaahaha ! I already sense great power from its heart ! This child will be an outstanding Wyvern when it grows up !"
Why is my father... a dragon thing ? Wait no, he said Wyvern. Am I...What the fuck ? Why's there a tail ? Where are my hands ?! I don't want wings ! And where's my dick ? Where's everything ? Nonononononono! I've got no genitals ! What am I even ?
Skreeeeeee !What the fuck ?!
"Rah ! You little spitfire ! Did you just release you first breath ?! Kalia ! have you seen this ?! It's not even a day old and its already spitting fire ! Khahaha ! The Prophecy was true ! The one who will hold The Wrath and suppress it at st is born !"
"Hon, don't say such things. We're the Great Priests but speaking lightly of this matter is not something even we can do."
"But look ! That's the first saying of the Prophecy ! 'The Wyrm, child of the Wrathful who set the world abze, shall quench Their Fme with its newborn fire and douse the fme of Hate of the Progenitor.'That's the first sign ! We are both direct descendants of the Wrathful ! And this child made its firstborn fire !"
"Please Fireroc. Wait at least five years, let us observe if there are more signs."
"I get it Kalia, I get it. Let's wait. You hear that huh ? What a cute Wyrm you are, sweet Raya."
Yeah sure, sweet Raya my ass... I don't wanna be a dumb wyve-HOLD ON ! WHAT ?!
Raya ?! As in... Raya, The Drake Sin of Wrath...? Not... possible...
---
During these five years, Raya grew among its new kin. It took surprisingly well the change of race and of anatomy. It took well the fact that it couldn't stream and have access to cooked food anymore.
... The food it could, but cooking and burning had always been a thin line for Wyverns it seemed like.
However, tt didn't take well the fact that it would be nor male nor female until it reached fifteen, the age where Wyverns developed their sexual dimorphism. From the perspective it had in its past life, Jean, or rather Raya- could describe itself as a typical medieval-style wyvern. Two arms that also acted as wings, with very long membrane and thick bones. A set of muscur hind-legs, a powerful and ling spiked tail, fiery red scales, a triangur snout and a two sharp rows of teeth on its jaw.
In scaleless form, which was the name of a Wyvern's humanoid form, Raya looked like an androgynous teen. Fiery red hair with orange and yellow strands. Light lean muscles and patches of scale-ptes on its hips, shoulders, lower jaw and neck. The head was decorated by two straight horns that pointed towards the back of the skull. Its hands and feet had sharp talons attached to them, while the arms looked like the ones from harpies, except that the feathers were repced by its wing membrane.
The whole package also came with a Fire Breath. In scaled and scaleless form.
Raya learnt at school that this tribe of Wyverns was the closest in lineage to the respected but dreaded original Drake Sin of Wrath.
Yes. Every Wyvern was Their descendant. Jean remembered that this... was never said in the lore. Considering the total ck of... this could be a lore-bomb in itself.
The Fire Breath was the proof of a close blood tie with the Dragon. The further the element strayed from actual fire, the further the blood of a Wyvern was from their Progenitor's. Water and Earth Wyverns were more common but the Primordial blood was diluted to a point it would take about ten generations to even get back to a half of Their blood in the next Wyverns' veins. Wind was the second closest blood-retives to the Projenitor and there was a moderate amount of them, spread around Marka.
In contrast, there were only a handful of Fire Wyverns. All in this vilge. The birthpce of The Wrath. The tribe included a thousand and one Wyverns right now.
Raya also discovered something about its parents. Kalia and Fireroc were the priests of the tribe, its spiritual and political leaders. Raya would inherit the title as it possessed the purest blood in the tribe.
The two parents were tasked to protect and hide away the ancient artifact known as the Hearth of Wrath. Their Heart. The artifact that held all of The Sin's Essence. Its rage, its pain, its desire of vengeance. It was protected by arrays of fire magic and Wyvern Breath that would incinerate anyone who'd try to step closer. Even fellow Wyverns apart from the couple of priests.
At some point during its studies, the young questioned itself on whether the events of the game would happen because the original Raya would attempt to steal the relic or something else. She would become the Sin itself after all.
Former Jean swore he'd never come in contact with the dangerous thing unless necessary the day these thoughts came to be.
Hm..
"Ohoh~ Honorable Wyrm Raya ! Strolling around in scaleless-skin ? It's rare to see you in that form. Look at you little reptile, already as big as a teen Wyrm ! You are sure to be the One !"
"Ah ! Elder Kran. Good morning to you. Basking in the sun am I right ?"
The old Wyvern nodded while releasing a moan of rexation.
Raya continued. "Well, you're right Elder. I'm much more used to the body of scales. It always feels weird to crawl around when I'm without them. It's like I'm naked and... pretty much defenseless."
"Right. I was like you back then. I felt the same. Also, there was something I needed to pass on... What was it- I remember ! I heard that your father is looking for you. You know what day it it, right ?" the Wyvern recalled as she scratched her back scales with her tail.
Raya blinked respectfully to its elder and resumed its walk."Thank you for the info, I'll be going then."
"May we meet ter, Honorable Wyrm Raya."
The young Wyrm paid no mind to the formal tone of the much older interlocutor.
'Honorable'... The members of the tribe had started calling Raya as such after an incident depicted in the Prophecy.
During a ceremony two years ago, little Raya had accidentally entered the altar where the Hearth of Wrath was located, without being turned to ashes by the protective arrays.It did that under the eyes of every member of the tribe, who were scared scaleless at the time. And then her mother had muttered something about "The guarding purgatory shall not take offense in the presence of the One."
Raya scoffed. If these events had happened in the game, that Prophecy was as reliable as a wet firecracker.
After a long walk, it finally arrived in front of its father's form.
"Young Wyrm."
The tone was solemn. It was the tone of Fireroc the priest, not the tone of Fireroc the father. "You have reached the age of five. The age where Wyrms become proper Wyverns. A trial awaits you deep in the nearby forest. You will have to prove your strength, prove your fmes, prove that you are of Their lineage ! And at night ! You will return not as Raya the Honorable Wyrm, but as Raya the Destined Wyvern ! Make your tribe proud ! Make your parents proud ! Make yourself proud !"
Right... The Destined Wyvern. The title of the One who shall end The Wrathful. More like Raya the Destined world toaster. Not like I'll let it happen !
I don't know what happened to the original Raya but I won't go down the same path. And fuck this, I'm taking back my dick too when I'm fifteen ! Now what's that trial about ? And where is it ?
"All for the Kingdom !" a voice decred on a cliff.
"All for the Kingdom !" countless voices echoed back.
"Capture the so-called Destined Wyvern. Kill the rest while we're drugging it. Prepare the Wyrmpgue fumes."
"Understood General !"
---
This is taking way too long ! What the fuck is this trial ! Dad said night but it's almost midnight already ! The moons are here ! I left when it was still zenith dammit !
The Wyrm had been charging through obstacles and cwing at Vine-guard Spiders and Wild Tusks for something like two hours.
RHAHHH!
The first trial was simple, it asked to brute-force your way through the river's current. The other side had a rune stone Raya'd need to locate the second trial. This second trial was easy too. Just needed to incinerate a patch of forest under five minutes to find another rune stone.
... But the third trial wasn't anywhere ! The Wyrm was getting impatient and the smoke coming out of its snout was a clear sign that it was very angry.Its cws dug through the earth and it put its head on the ground to release some heat. Literally.
The spiders and the unfortunate boars in front of Raya ended up getting fried by the powerful Fme Breath it unleashed.
After roasting the forest yet again today, Raya lifted its neck from the scorched soil and smelled the air. Its pupils shrank. The air had a taste of... blood and smoke ! Not one of the tribeswyvern's smoke. It learnt to recognize each of their smoke scent. It belonged to another fire. A fire of its former kin. Of humans.
The powerful front limbs dragged the rest of the Wyrm's body with ease. The trees standing in its way met their early demise and the fauna got away as soon as possible. The fauna instinctively knew that although normally not dangerous for them, a charging Wyvern with fmes in its mouth was not something you wanted to encounter.
Raya came back to the tribe's territory and witnessed a terrible sight. The members of his tribe were getting chased down by humans in armor bearing an unknown fg. He recognized nothing from their gear. No archives, no game data, nothing that could help identify the soldiers. But why did everyone stay in humanoid form ? Couldn't they just transform and squash them ?
"RAYA ! RUN AWAY !"
That was Fireroc's voice. Raya turned to see his father in half Wyvern-form cshing with a burly man with decorated armor. His mother was nowhere to be see-
She was in Wyvern form. Raya should have been reassured, if not for the balista darts that pierced her skull and her throat. Now that Raya saw her, its vision focused and it stared at the corpses of all the tribeswyvern who were on patrol today. All impaled in the same fashion. Skull and throat.
"RAYA ! RUN ! AVOID THE SMOKE ! IT'S FORCING US TO TURN SCALELESS !"
A dart whistled in the air and impaled Fireroc's left wing to the ground. He roared in pain before sending a fireball towards the st working balista. But he couldn't move without tearing the limb apart. The man he had been fighting turned around and grinned as he saw Raya. But the most concerning part was the bloody bag made of Fireroc's wing membrane in which the Hearth of Wrath was.
"RAYA ! FLEE !"
The soldiers were all in front of it, holding nests, harpoons, bdes, spears. The man was in front of it too. Why were they doing this ? Why were they butchering its second life ? That was hateful.
A tiny spark ignited somewhere in its being, but Raya had never felt so cold, apart form when it died with Liz. A part of it wanted to do as its father said. But another part of it... The Wyrm opened its jaw and engulfed the troupe of soldiers in its fmes. The breath was so intense that the nearby constructions rattled from the air vacuum it created.The soldiers cried out in pain and horror, even the burly man. The only problem was the battering ram coming straight for Raya's skull.
"Goodnight, lizard."
