The Mesmers Final Days (A Short Story)

[Tseison.4659]

The Mesmers Final Days (A Short Story) - inspired and based on the tragic story of the Mesmer Profession.

 

The Present Day

 

Over countless years, many scholars, warriors and professions out there in Tyria have sought our power to make it their own. Mesmers were hunted down, absorbed of all their magic and then killed. From our young Mesmers to even our most powerful, they showed no mercy. Only a handful of us remained, and we were running out of time and places to hide.

 

Laying low for years beneath the Cathedral of Eternal Radiance, the Temple of Lyssa, the last of us gathered around a large floating rotating globe in the centre of the chamber that The Elder One was slowly powering. Their final sacrifice in saving us all.

 

The Mirror Globe would not only transport us to a parallel dimension, but it is a place where we may exist in Tyria undetected and unaffected by everyone else. Some may call it a prison, but at this very moment, it is our only chance at saving our kind and what’s left of our magic.

 

Left to fight for ourselves along with myself were a handful of Mirages, one Chronomancer who is badly injured in trying to give us enough time to get back here and a bunch of Mesmers who have barely honed their magic.

 

They had us backed into a corner, and it was only a matter of time before they were upon us.

 

“Can’t you help the Elder One speed things up?” One of the Mesmers asked the Chronomancer.

 

“Have some respect. Besides, if I attempted to do that in my condition, we both would likely die, and the ritual would be incomplete,” the Chronomancer replied and suddenly gave me a nasty look.

 

“How come that Chronomancer doesn’t like you?” A young Mesmer asked me.

 

I wish I could answer them, but the reality is that some of us wield power unfathomable to even the Elders' eyes. Our magic is chaotic, but many of us have only known to tame it. There have only been three individuals, including myself, who’ve been able to wield the primal energies of our magic to its full potential. One of them I knew long ago was so consumed by it that it killed them. The third one, their whereabouts have been unknown for years, and we’ve just come to believe they succumb to its power as well. As for me, I've had to wear the helmet of Lyssa for as long as I can remember, and it has been the only thing keeping my powers at bay.

 

“Don’t mind them. Go with your friends, we shall be leaving shortly,” I replied.

 

Sending the child off, I could hear footsteps approaching from behind me. As I took a glimpse from the corner of my eye and slowly revealing themselves from a Mass Invisibility spell were three unknown individuals I’d never seen before.

 

“Don’t give the child hope, even that is an illusion in this very moment,” one of them said.

 

“And you are?” I asked.

 

"Don't be alarmed. We're fellow Mesmers just like the rest of you," one of them reassured in a soft enchanting voice.

 

“This is the Siren. I am an Oracle and to my left is the Egoist. We've come from the far west region of Tyria and have come to lend our help. Even though I know what is to come to pass,” the Oracle replied.

 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” I asked.

 

“My magic has evolved into clairvoyance. Sirens are capable of manipulating sound and the Egoist--"

 

"Let’s just say I can take a hit and exploit even the toughest of enemy's weaknesses.” the Egoist interrupted.

 

“That all sounds good on paper, but even you should know our magic isn’t so easy to branch off to such capabilities,” I said.

 

“Don’t be naive. Even you know that Mesmers are capable of so much. The only difference between us is you allow blind fools with no imagination to teach your students how to summon copies of themselves. Pathetic tricks that one would think all Mesmers do is entertain at Galas or even children's parties for a living. No wonder they’re all young, hiding behind illusions and not embracing real potential," the Oracle informed as they continued to degrade the children huddled close to the Elder.

 

"Oracle please, they're just children. What's gotten into you? You've been acting off since we got here," the Siren questioned.

 

The Oracle laughed but abruptly became silent as their eyes burned with our magic and their body slowly rose off the ground.

 

“What’s happening?” I asked.

 

“They’re here,” the Oracle's voice echoed through the chamber, warning us of a coming attack.

 

Before we could even prepare, bursting out of the walls from four corners of the chamber appeared a large number of varying Warriors, Rangers, Mages, Monks, and the list goes on. We were surrounded and heavily outnumbered, and the only thing between them and us was the sudden forming of a Feedback barrier. I wasn’t aware this was happening as the children, along with myself, the Elder and the Oracle, were the only ones within the barrier while the others stood outside of it.

 

“Drop this barrier now! You’re all not fighting without me!” I yelled.

 

And even though I could stop it from ultimately forming, it leaves the Elder and the ritual exposed and only I could help keep the barrier up until it was time. As a battle commenced before my eyes, all I could do was helplessly watch.

 

Berserkers and Spellbreakers broke through the army's frontlines and dove straight for the Egoist as he stood there alone, welcoming them. He laughed and suddenly chanted the words “Illusion of Weakness.” His body began to glow with our magic, and in a matter of moments, he sprinted forward and started to brawl with each of them.

 

Each attack connecting to the Egoist empowered him somehow, giving him the strength of a hundred warriors enabling him to plow through them all like they were wheat in a field.

 

Then, a barrage of glistening blue arrows rained from the sky and created a barrier around the Egoist. Three Dragonhunters appeared. Each of them wore a gauntlet on their right arm with ethereal chains coiled around it. With a simple hand gesture, ethereal chains manifested within the barrier, latching onto the Egoists body and setting him on fire in a blue flame. The sound of burning pain filled my ears, and as the smoke in the barrier barely cleared, I could vaguely see his body fall and shatter into a flock of purple butterflies.

 

“Haha! You fools make this too easy!” A voice from up in the air yelled, and as I looked up, it was the Egoist who came slamming his fist down hard onto the ground and launching the Dragonhunters away.

 

All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind swooped him up off the ground and through him far across the chamber. A couple of Elementalist emerged from the crowd that began to chant, combining their powers and quickly summoning a Tornado of varying elements—bolts of lightning, debris and intense heat emitted from all directions. A few Mesmers got caught in it and likely didn’t survive.

 

The Siren swiftly leaped in and released a piercing sonic wave that disrupted the Elementalist chanting and causing the Tornado to disappear slowly. She released a second wave right after that knocked them all back and a majority of the army on the east side of the chamber.

 

The Siren was suddenly ambushed from behind by a cloaked Soulbeast that impaled her in the back with a dagger and used a second dagger to slit her throat.

 

“No!” The Chronomancer yelled, and in their anger, they started to rend time upon the Soulbeast. Weakening and crippling their entire body, I watched as they quickly aged before my eyes. A Smokescale beast suddenly dispersed from their body and began to age until they both looked withered and died in seconds. 

 

The Chronomancer ran to the Siren and quickly reversed her injuries, bringing her back to life. But they noticed a dagger revealing itself from a stealthed figure behind the Siren. It was a Thief this time, and in the Chronomancer's selflessness, they swapped places with the Siren and took the attack in their place.

 

The Siren was suddenly ambushed by two Daredevils but immediately reacted and retaliated with manifesting an illusionary harp and plucked a few of its strings, causing an acute sound wave that disabled them where they stood.

 

Attempting to unleash a crescendo upon them and an incoming group, three bullets from a Deadeye amongst the group interrupted the attack and pierced through her body. In her final moments, she snapped her finger, causing the harp to shatter and release a cascading explosion of sound and Mesmer magic, launching all nearby away.

 

Tears rolled down my eyes, and my concentration was slipping from holding this barrier up. I could see the Elder becoming weak and the ritual pausing as there wasn’t enough to maintain it.

 

“I’m too weak. You must take my place and complete the ritual,” the Elder One said.

 

“You know I can’t do that. What if I tore into the quantum strings of reality and collapsed the ritual?” I asked, trying to think of some other way to handle the current situation.

 

“That’s a risk you must take. For our survival,” The Elder One said.

 

It’s too great of a risk, and as I looked out the barrier once more, I watched the Mirages combine their powers and create a sandstorm that whipped around the border of the barrier, making it hard for our enemies to see inside. Still, I could see all the Mirages elegantly fighting off unsuspecting foes within the veil of sand.

 

As beautiful as it was to witness, the battle was far from over as I suddenly noticed an Omega Siege Golem appear with an Engineer standing on one of its arms and holding a flamethrower. Both the Engineer and Golem began to spray a cone of fire against the sandstorm. The intensity of the heat started to gradually crystallize the sand and the Mirages that were caught inside.

 

All I could see surrounding the barrier was a sea of crystal sand, and Mirages fused within. Unable to act or move. The Engineer suddenly launched a mortar round at the wall of crystal and caused it to shatter.

 

All of them, gone. My helmet started to crack from the extreme emotions I was exhibiting increasingly. The Elder One suddenly fell to their knees, and within moments they completely collapsed to the ground, causing the ritual to untether itself gradually.

 

As the crystal wall cleared, I noticed a Revenant slowly heading my way with a hammer clutched tightly. The Egoist suddenly emerged in a wave of clones of himself running straight for the Revenant. Not worried about the massive influx of clones heading towards them, the Revenant twirled their hammer around and slammed it onto the ground, creating a cascading eruption of energy all around and destroying each clone before they could even reach them.

 

The real Egoist emerged out of stealth, and with all of his strength, he wound up his arm to connect a bunch against the Revenant. He hit nothing but smoke as they swiftly disappeared at the right moment and attacked the Egoist in a flurry of fierce attacks from the mist. Upon re-entering into the physical plane, the Revenant took their hammer and launched the Egoist with a powerful smash.

 

“Do something!” I yelled at The Oracle, but they just stood there and watched, waiting for whatever vision they saw to follow through.

 

Was this the end? The ritual couldn’t be completed, and more of the army just kept pouring in. I didn’t want to give up on such a young generation of Mesmers, but even if I took this helmet off, I couldn’t live with the thought of being the last of my kind if anything were to go wrong.

 

As the Revenant ran towards me, a sudden portal appeared outside the barrier in front of me. Within moments, a flurry of psionic blades fired out from it and attacked the Revenant and others behind them with a thousand psionic blades.

 

“Mind if I cut in?” An unknown voice asked.

 

Appearing out of the shadows was a man with various psionic-like swords and daggers floating around them. It must’ve been a Mesmer, but just like the other three, this one was different. More portals began to open up around the chamber, and that’s when a storm of blades begun to rain down upon the army.

 

“Who are you?” I asked.

 

“You can call me the Virtuoso. Now hurry and complete the ritual. The young ones must survive,” the Virtuoso said.

 

I had no choice but to finish what the Elder started, it’s now or never. I dispersed the barrier around us, and as I turned to face the Mirror Globe, I witnessed the Oracle one by one siphoning the young Mesmers of their life force.

 

"No! What are you doing?" I yelled, and without hesitation, I threw an illusionary blade at them.

 

A claw of darkness promptly manifested around the Oracle and shielded them from the attack.

 

“Did you think I was going to allow you and the rest of the Mesmers to escape what was coming?” The Oracle stated.

 

“You’re working with them?” I asked.

 

“Oh please. Accept the fact that your power is meant to be shared with the rest of the world. Mesmers aren’t unique as they once were. Can’t you see that?”

 

“And can’t you see that you’re being manipulated? You would turn against your kind and achieve what? Power?”

 

The Oracle laughed, and with a slight gesture of their hands, a glamour lifted from them, revealing a Necromancer before me.

 

“A simple illusion, and yet even someone as powerful as you were fooled. You see, Tyria isn’t made for Mesmers to be running around in it anymore, and when we’ve finally wiped you off the face of the planet, no one will remember any of you. You will all be a fleeting memory while the rest of us get to relish in your power. We will be gods walking amongst these mortals,” The Necromancer said.

 

“You can’t do this,” I said.

 

“I already have, and I have already seen the outcome. Surrender your magic. You’ve lost.”

 

I began to laugh, and without delay, I removed the helmet off my head. Chaos energies immediately dispersed outwards and wove a set of glistening garments around my body. A headdress formed atop my head, and four bubbles of energy formed and orbited around my body.

 

“You may think you’ve won the battle, but I already have won the war,” I said.

 

With a snap of my finger, the four bubbles of energy begun to rotate as a singular entity and formed a giant portal.

 

“You can hunt us down, but no matter how hard you try to get rid of us and steal that what makes us unique, there will always be Mesmers across Tyria that will fight back against people like you!” I challenged.

 

Then within moments, an army of Mesmers from across Tyria emerged out of the Portal and began to fight off against what was left of the remaining army. I threw a bolt of chaos energy at the Necromancer, stopping them from sapping the life force out of one of the children and knocking them far away.

 

“Hey, let me help you,” The Virtuoso volunteered as they suddenly appeared before me.

 

“No. Get the children to a safe distance. Let me handle this alone,” I said.

 

“No! We want to fight too!” One of the children pleaded.

 

“It’s too dangerous—“

 

I suddenly stopped myself as I looked at each of their stubborn faces and the burning rage wanting to avenge their fallen brothers and sisters. A part of me sees a child, but looking past the illusion, I see a Mesmer willing to fight and die for our people, and no amount of illusion can hide that truth. 

 

“Fine then, let this be your first assignment. Show them how overpowering we can be,” I said.

 

They all then followed the Virtuoso into battle, and then I set my attention back to the Necromancer. Their body began to float in the air, and then shadowy green energy enveloped them, assuming the form of a Lich. I confronted the Lich and embarked on a long, drawn-out fight.

 

Embracing all of the chaos magic at my disposal, the very fabric of reality within the chamber would twist and contort, tipping the war against the army in our favour.

 

The Necromancer's dark magic was vast, and the sense of Mesmer magic was heavily woven into their being, giving them exceptional protection against my attacks. But with each strike, their defences dwindled, and so did their Lich form.

 

As the Necromancer fell to their knees begging for mercy, I did spare their life, but in return, I absorbed every bit of Mesmer magic from them and the surrounding army, taking back what was rightfully ours.

 

With all that power, I imbued the Mirror Globe and completed the ritual. The globe began to rotate quickly, and within moments, each Mesmer within the vicinity started to disappear in a wisp of purple light and flew straight into the globe.

 

“I guess your vision was wrong, or was it you that was supposed to lose,” I mocked and walked up to the globe.

 

“This isn’t over! We’ll find you all! There's no place on Tyria you can hide. The end of all Mesmers is inevitable!” The Necromancer yelled.

 

“I doubt it, but don’t worry, we’ll still be around, and if we ever meet again, you will all be the ones to fear us," I replied and surrendered myself to the globe as it took me away from the chaos of Tyria and to a place I can finally call, Home.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Tseison.4659

[AshkyLicious.4729]

Enjoyed every moment of reading this 🤩 I certainly can relate to this as a mesmer and our current situation in the game!

Edited September 18, 2021 by AshkyLicious.4729

[Tseison.4659]

34 minutes ago, AshkyLicious.4729 said:

Enjoyed every moment of reading this 🤩 I certaintly can relate to this as a mesmer and our current situation in the game!

Glad you liked it! I really tried to include a lot of surreal situations that we've faced as a community through little easter eggs in the story to get the message across haha!

[mungozen.2379]

That blue font on grey background is unreadable. 

[Moradorin.6217]

11 hours ago, Mungo Zen.9364 said:

That blue font on grey background is unreadable. 

Yea actually same. I had to highlight to see what you wrote. Many people use the Dark Theme in the forum now.

[Tseison.4659]

Ah okay, not sure about that as I wasn't aware it had that, so not sure how to change it sorry 🤷‍♂️

[Moradorin.6217]

On 9/19/2021 at 8:48 AM, Tseison.4659 said:

Ah okay, not sure about that as I wasn't aware it had that, so not sure how to change it sorry 🤷‍♂️

Its fine. I think most people use the default "day theme" still. I was able to read it highlighting it. Its happening because the font is on the dark side which would be perfect on the white background.

 

TBH it feels more like a forum issue. What I mean is the default font color can obviously change depending on background, but it doesn't seem to working for custom font options. it "could" force the default background on custom fonts, or force a font color change depending upon theme, but thats probably asking too much.

 

I really liked your story btw. 😃

[Tseison.4659]

4 minutes ago, Moradorin.6217 said:

Its fine. I think most people use the default "day theme" still. I was able to read it highlighting it. Its happening because the font is on the dark side which would be perfect on the white background.

 

TBH it feels more like a forum issue. What I mean is the default font color can obviously change depending on background, but it doesn't seem to working for custom font options. it "could" force the default background on custom fonts, or force a font color change depending upon theme, but thats probably asking too much.

 

I really liked your story btw. 😃

Yeah I just noticed the “theme” all the way at the bottom so I changed it and yeah you can’t see anything 😂 but that definitely is a forum issue. But yeah for those in the dark theme can easily just turn back to the day theme to read it and switch back.

Thanks again for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed it!

Edited September 22, 2021 by Tseison.4659

[mossmere.9503]

That was beautiful and really echoes what's happening in the game. Well written. 😄

[Tseison.4659]

40 minutes ago, mossmere.9503 said:

That was beautiful and really echoes what's happening in the game. Well written. 😄

Thank you! 😄 that's what I was going for haha