The Emperium Frontier has thus far unleashed two installations within the Rune-Midgarts kingdom: the Emperium Fortress based within the Capital City of Prontera; and the Emperium Pyramid far to the Southwest, stationed on Beacon Island. White Trinity had successfully conquered both facilities at the hands of the Battle Vixens and seized two Emperium Stones for themselves. However, a dark Priestess by the name of Tsubaki attempted to assail the Wizard, Thiji, and the Ninja, Raien, during their well-deserved R&R.
After a long three weeks, a fragile peace had settled over the land once more. A week ago, in order to cover their backs, White Trinity sent Thiji Higuri over to Pharos to oversee the fortifications undergoing within the Emperium Pyramid, while Ray, Lee, and Raien kept a vigil over the Emperium Fortress in Mt. Mjolnir. During that time, the three had done their own training, honing their skills in case their perennial enemy would rear its ugly head. However, they were beginning to grow bored from waiting on the new installation, and were on the verge of leaving their post, until…
"Guys, look over there!" alerted Raien to a woman suspiciously approaching the Emperium Fortress. "I think we got ourselves a trespasser."
"Finally, some action!" cheered the eager Ray Kaza, looking over the balcony. Without a second thought, he stood upon the ledge and gestured to his companions. "Come, Trinities! Let's engage!"
Ray, followed by Raien and Lee, vault off of the balcony and stand before the woman in question, whom was sporting some dark clothing…
Ray: Going somewhere, Miss?
Raien: Hold on… I know that face. You're –
Tsubaki, chuckling: Tsubaki, at your service. And you must be the Lightning Ninja, Raien; the Monk, Lee; and you must be the leader – the Gun-Knight, Ray Kaza.
Lee: Do… I know you?
Raien: Who cares if you know her? She's kind of hot!
Ray, stepping forward: Whatever. What do you want, Tsubaki? You were coming awfully close towards the Fortress.
Tsubaki: Well, I never… Can a woman not enjoy a little sightseeing? I was getting bored, so I had decided to spend some time here, in the Prontera region.
Lee: I see… but, you should probably be over at the Monastery, in that case.
Tsubaki: The Monastery?
Lee: Yes. All holy ones usually go to the Monastery for studying. It's the large building located –
Tsubaki: I know what and where the Monastery is, but thank you anyway.
The Trinities throw a concerned glare at the woman, resulting in an awkward pause.
Tsubaki: You don't actually think that I would try to steal your Ruby Emperium, do you? (Laughs airily) You boys should calm yourself. I am but a solitary Priestess; there is no way I could possibly breach this Fortress.
Raien: Indeed that is; you'd be vastly outnumbered anyway.
Tsubaki, giggling: You should learn that numbers do not win a battle.
The "Priestess" scans the area for a moment and sighs.
Tsubaki: Where is your Wizard friend, Thiji?
Raien: He's off somewhere. Why?
Tsubaki: Oh, just asking. I was hoping to meet all four of you, but here I stand seeing only you three. Such a pity. Ahh, well. Perhaps the time will come when I do.
She gives a gentle bow and with a turn of her heel, begins walking away, glaring at them from the corner of her eye.
Tsubaki: I should be going, now. Have a splendid day, gentlemen…
Once she was out of earshot…
Ray: O-kay, is anyone else getting a chill down their spine from that woman?
Raien: No, but I'll tell you what I do have!
Lee: Hey, too much information, Raien. We need to find out what that woman's deal is.
Raien: What do you mean?
Lee: Well, first off, she knew what our names were without us even introducing ourselves.
Ray: Calm down, Lee. We've been kicking ass in the Emperium Frontier; word tends to spread quickly. It's called "building a reputation".
Lee: Well, she seemed eager to meet all four of us, yet Thiji is still over at the Sograt Desert…
Ray: Good point… She didn't seem so very thrilled when she learned of Thiji's absence.
Raien: We may be thinking too hard on this one, guys. She's just one Priestess!
Ray: She looked way too damn dark to be a regular Priestess…
Raien: At any rate, we'll keep our guard up, of course, but let's enjoy our peace while we can.
Lee: May as well. Thiji's sent a report two nights ago that the Guardians were near completion, so all seems well. Let's head back inside.
Meanwhile, Tsubaki made her way down the mountain, a white serpent slithering up her robe and into her arms…
"Numbers do not win a battle, yes. But they definitely help. In that case, I should enlist some. And with that Wizard detached from the others, it will be easier for me to seize control of the situation," she thought to herself. "So, what am I waiting for…?"
After an hour of journeying, she would make it back to the Capital. At the river that flowed through the plains, was a certain blue-haired Assassin that was taking a bath. She had spotted the Priestess in black and decided to tail her…
"Who on earth is that? I don't remember seeing someone like her around here…" whispered Heal-Do to herself. Quickly clothing herself, she hurried to the city before she would lose sight of Tsubaki. She followed her closely until she made it all the way to the Monastery, where she was greeted by a fellow Priestess with a bow. But Heal-Do's presence would be made known to Tsubaki, and would immediately confront her…
Tsubaki: Didn't Mother teach you that it is bad to follow strangers?
Heal-Do: I'm an Assassin. Why should that be of your concern?
Tsubaki: An Assassin, you say? Were you perhaps sent to kill me? Before the House of our lord Odin?
Heal-Do: What?! N-No! Fortunately for you, anyway…
Tsubaki: I take it you must be Heal-Do of the Battle Vixens. I must say it is quite an honor to meet the sworn rivals of White Trinity.
Heal-Do: Just who exactly are you?
Tsubaki: Tsubaki is my name, if you are so eager to know. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to with my fellow clergy. The fighting between the two of you will make it simple for the Holy Saviors to take victory in the Emperium Frontier. Ta-ta.
As Tsubaki entered the Monastery, Heal-Do noticed the white serpent jutting from her sleeve. Was it perhaps some pet of hers? Whatever it must be, Heal-Do shook the thought and casually made her way out of the city, but not before noticing a group of what seemed to be adventurers marching west out of the town square, holding banners of a guild that is as of yet unknown to her. Choosing not to be distracted further, she exited the city from the opposite direction.
Hours later, the sun would begin to set upon the Rune-Midgarts kingdom. Out on Beacon Island, Thiji was hard at work seeing to the completion of the defenses. With him was his colleague, the eccentric Kafra Nora.
Nora: All righty, Lord Thiji! Things are lookin' great for the Pyramid!
Thiji: How are the defenses?
Nora: Well, both of the Guardian Stones are up and running and have begun Guardian production!
Thiji: Splendid. Now I can return to the others and deliver a successful report.
Nora: Right! I'll go ahead and have you sent straight to –
Suddenly, one of Nora's associates emerges from the hill overlooking the Beacon Island. She rushes down and approaches the two, an alarmed expression on her face.
Kafra Pavianne: (Panting) Nora! Nora! We've got trouble!
Nora: What is it, Pav?
Kafra Pavianne: Come look! Come on!
The purple-haired Kafra employee hurriedly takes the two over the hill and points toward the horizon. Taking out a pair of binoculars, Nora notices a large force of men and women marching across the Sograt Desert.
Nora: Oh, my goodness, Pav. You weren't kiddin'! Looks like a group of 'em are comin' this way!
Thiji: A group…? That's two regiments; that's eight-hundred soldiers.
Nora: They're waving some banners that I've never seen before… Do you have any idea who they are, Thiji?
Thiji: No, but that report is going to have to wait, it seems. We can't just sit here and let them usurp the place. Can you help me, Nora?
Nora: You know I can't, given the position I hold!
Thiji: Oh. Right. Conflict of interest and the like. Very well, then. What are our other assets?
Kafra Pavianne: The barricades are set up, and the Guardian Stones are online. The defense rating is at maximum: 100/100, and it has been at least an hour since they were constructed.
Thiji: That leaves us with how many Guardians?
Kafra Pavianne: The maximum number possible: ten. You've six Sword Guardians and four Bow Guardians. But there's a problem: the stones are the first line of defense. The barricades are impenetrable unless the stones are destroyed first, but that will cripple Guardian production. Also, it will automatically deactivate any active Guardians produced by that stone.
Nora: Thanks for the info, Pav! Go back to HQ and see if you can find some dirt on these guys!
Kafra Pavianne: Yes, ma'am!
Pavianne gave a bow before focusing her powers to teleport herself out of the desert, leaving the two of them to the encroaching army.
Thiji: You're not going with her?
Nora: I said I couldn't help you, right? But I didn't say I could help you indirectly! I'll control the Guardians from the facility and you can provide them support! We should give these bad boys a test run anyway!
Thiji: Yes, but I feel that I should not engage in battle directly not because of sheer numerical differences, but I don't want to risk tarnishing White Trinity's name from attacking a group of adventurers.
Nora: What's on your mind, then?
Thiji: You can control the Guardians while I give any special commands.
Nora: Roger that! Let's head back to the Pyramid, then!
Meanwhile, across the sea, Heal-Do caught a ferry from Alberta that was bound for Amatsu. Twilight was approaching as the sun had nearly vanished from sight upon the horizon, and the Assassin stared at her reflection in the water, lost in her mind…
"Who is this Tsubaki…? How does she know my name? More importantly, the guild that I serve? And what are the Holy Saviors? She can't possibly be a Priestess, not with those kinds of dark colors. She has to be something more… At least I can tell my sisters what I've learned, though it's not much to lead on."
Heal-Do heaved a heavy sigh and sat on the deck of the ship as she continued her journey back home. Back on Beacon Island, the enemy was closing in, and Thiji, along with Kafra Nora, had made it back to what appeared to be a control room of sorts within the Emperium Pyramid. There were multiple monitors giving an ample view of the outlying area. Nora flipped into the air and landed on the command chair, taking control of the Guardians with the push of a button!
Nora: All righty! All ten Guardians are standin' by and at our disposal!
Thiji: Excellent. Now, let's see…
The Wizard takes a moment to gaze at each individual monitor, surveying the area with great scrutiny.
Thiji: Before we deploy them, we should find out what exactly it is we're dealing with.
Nora: Not a problem! In fact, they're comin' onscreen now! It looks like… 400 Swordsmen; 200 Acolytes; and 200 Novices.
Thiji: So it's a regiment of Swordsmen, and two companies of Acolytes and Novices which form a battalion respectively, totaling to 800, which forms a group…
Nora: What've ya got in mind?
Thiji: Send Sword Guardians 1 through 4 to the bridges, one on both ends. Have Bow Guardians 1 and 2 on the far end of the bridge; 3 and 4 will defend the stones.
Nora: You got it! We still have two more Sword Guardians unaccounted for!
Thiji: Keep them on reserve for now. We will adapt to the situation as the battle unfolds.
Nora cracks her knuckles and with a rapid series of button presses, sends the Guardians to their designated positions, placing the ones on the bridge aside like statues.
Thiji: Under the cover of night, they will be hard-pressed to see the Guardians fully given their dark coloration. But depending on whom they send in first, we may be able to expedite this defense. If they came all the way down here on foot from their point of origin, then this forced march will have undoubtedly taken a huge hit on their morale. If they were smart, they would have consulted Kafra services to teleport to Morroc and journey the rest of the way from there.
Nora: Then it looks like we playin' the waitin' game for a bit!
By this time, dusk had well arrived as the two kept a vigil over the Beacon Island outskirts. Back at the Emperium Fortress, the three were practicing their skills on some training dummies. Ray touched up on his targeting utilizing only his pistol; Raien jumped from canopy to canopy, throwing electric shuriken at mobile targets; Lee trained his martial arts on Wing Chun dummies, trying to perfect his Iron Fists technique…
Ray: Hell, yeah! Looking good, fellas!
Lee: Got to stay sharp for those Battle Vixens!
Raien: And even sharper for what may lie ahead! Speaking of which, have any of you heard from Thiji yet?
Ray: Nope; we already established that he's still at the Sograt Desert.
Raien: I know. I just worry for the guy.
Lee: Well, he's our strategist, and he opted to go to the Pyramid alone, anyway. I'm sure he knows what he's doing.
Raien: Well, if he doesn't come back first thing tomorrow morning, we're retrieving his ass!
Ray: I suppose we may as well. Who knows when the next facility will show itself? We gotta beat the competition, after all.
Lee: And there's no way we're beating the competition if we don't take a rest every now and again. Let's call it a night, shall we?
Raien: Fine.
As the three agree to retire for the evening, back on Beacon Island, Thiji and Nora patiently await the encroaching enemy forces…
Thiji: Say, Madam Shuji?
Nora: What is it, dear?
Thiji: Since they're taking their good time marching here, we should kill a little more time.
Nora: I agree! But what'd you have in mind?
Thiji: I've been meaning to inquire about the town of Morroc. How was it and the surrounding area formed?
Nora: There's actually a nice little story about that! Here!
She presses a few buttons on the console and the screens reveal portraits of the town of Morroc, along with several other important figures that influenced its creation, and the Sograt Desert.
Nora: Well… long, long ago, a very big event influential to the Rune-Midgarts Kingdom took place – The Thousand-Year War! The participants of this conflict were the Aesir – Gods hailing from Asgard; the Vanir – Gods hailing from Vanaheim; and the fire Jotunn, hailing from Muspelheim. The destructive force of the fire Jotunn caused immense damage to the Midgard continent.
Thiji: Hm… Gods versus Giants. Go on.
Nora: The commander of the Jotunn at the time was named Surt. He was confronted by the King of Gods, Odin, and Jaoong, which led to Surt's eventual demise. However, the fallout from the resulting battle caused the Dayr Ocean to dry up into an arid desert, littered with the bodies of Muspel giants!
Thiji: And let me guess. This Dayr Ocean turned into -?
Nora: Yup! The Sograt Desert we now see before us today!
Thiji: What of the giants' fate?
Nora: Their bodies had changed as time as by, turning into a very precious mineral known as Pilanium. Now, this mineral was precious because it not only fueled the fiery sword that Surt wielded, but the budding tribes around the desert had begun to create Pilanium mines in an effort to hoard this rare resource.
Thiji: And this would cause the tribes to war amongst each other, vying for control over them…
Nora: You got it! But eventually, an empire would rise from these tribes: the Solvive Empire. Its ruler was none other than the Great King Osiris, but his brother Set, the King of Blood, who assassinated Osiris out of jealousy.
Thiji: "King of Blood"?
Nora: He got that moniker for killin' any Solvive that opposed his rule.
Thiji: Ahh. Uh, going back to Surt…
Nora: Oh, yeah! Sometime later, after the Solvive, Surt returned to Midgard to wreak havoc once more. However, the only person standing in his way at the time was a lone Mage-Knight of incredible power named Thanatos. He battled the ferocious demonic Jotunn for ten days straight! Their struggle raged all over, but in the end, on the tenth day, Thanatos came out victorious, and as a result, he sealed Surt away, beneath the earth, so that he would no longer cause destruction upon the realm.
Thiji: Amazing… But, how exactly was he able to seal the demon away?
The teal-colored Kafra gestured to another screen that showed a large castle in the center of the city.
Nora: You see, because Surt was so powerful, Thanatos needed to find a means to protect the seal to ensure that the demon would be locked away for good. Thus, the people of Rune-Midgarts constructed a shrine directly upon the seal!
Thiji: You mean to tell me that that castle – the castle that now stands in the middle of the city – has a purpose?
Nora: Well, it certainly does more than provide the chief with a place to live! Before too long after its construction, buildings, tents and the like were startin' to form around the castle, and the new-founded city took after the name of the great demon that was sealed long ago… Morroc!
Thiji: Wow…
Nora: They are also home to the guild of Soul Linkers, and the nearby Pyramids are where the Thieves' Guild call home! Just some miscellaneous information for 'ya!
Thiji: I see… thank you for sharing that, Madam Shuji.
Nora: You're most certainly welcome! And look! Right on cue; our guests have finally arrived!
She presses a couple buttons and reverts the screens back to their regular settings before giving Thiji a thumbs up. Meanwhile, the army of adventurers marched upon the Beacon Island without hesitation, approaching the bridges that led to the Emperium Pyramid prior. The regiment of Swordsmen advanced on the bridge, ignoring the statues that stood silent as they passed through.
"Awaiting orders!" spoke Nora, her fingers itching to hit the buttons. The Wizard lifted his hand, silently giving the order to stand by. After a while, the Swordsmen had finally reached the opposite end of the bridge, only to be stopped by a pair of crossed swords. Murmurs spread throughout the regiment, confused at the sudden halt.
"Let us have a little fun…" chuckled Thiji, giving the order to activate the Guardians. With the push of a button, the Guardians sprung to life and surrounded the Swordsmen on the bridge! One of the Sword Guardians at the van took its blade and swung it laterally, knocking out a considerable number, and sending several groups plummeting into the waters below. "Whoa! Whoa! D-Don't kill them!" cried the Wizard. "Just incapacitate them or something! We don't want to stoop to the Battle Vixens' level!"
"Uh, right! Right! Sorry!" acknowledged Nora, hastily creating a protocol for the Sword Guardians to use their swords defensively. After noticing the struggling Swordsmen, the leader of the group called in the Acolytes for ranged support. Before long, the Sword Guardians were being overwhelmed by continuous volleys of Holy Light.
"Keep firing!" commanded the group leader.
"Sword Guardians 1 and 2 have sustained heavy damage; 3 and 4 are being overrun!" reported Nora.
"Do these Guardians have any sort of special attacks we can use?" asked Thiji. Looking around for a moment, Nora, noticed several colored buttons on the far end.
"Oh, look at that. They do! Good call!" she answered. "Looks like this one is… Arrow Shower!"
"Have the Bow Guardians use that to harass the Acolytes; put the Sword Guardians on autopilot!" the Wizard ordered.
Moments later, the Bow Guardians would spring into action and aim toward the hills leading to the island, while the Sword Guardians glowed with a bright aura as the Swordsmen that struck their mighty blows against the constructs would find themselves injured just as they struck. Before the Acolytes could fire another volley, they found themselves surrounded by an unending shower of arrows, ducking and covering – and ultimately breaking formation – as a result from the chaos.
"All right! That takes care of that! Shall we wrap this up?!" said Nora, slamming down on a large, red button with her fist, causing the Sword Guardians to form a wall and charge full speed down the bridge, pushing the Swordsmen back and out of the perimeter.
"What the hell…?! How did we -? Our entire army was beaten by… by a handful of statues?! Retreat! Full retreat!" shouted the group leader in fright, gathering whatever able-bodied adventurers they could and immediately began to fall back. The Novices simply watched, frozen in fear. The Guardians walked back toward the Pyramid, leaving the Swordsmen alone long enough for them to come to and follow their army back to the mainland, shaking the Novices from their fear as they did.
"Yeah! Y'all just got wrecked!" cheered the teal Kafra jumping out of her seat. With the immediate threat now dealt with, Thiji gave a sigh of relief as Nora's jubilation would be interrupted by a beeping sound coming from her left ear. "Oh, I gotta take this, Thiji. It's a colleague." The Wizard nodded and sat down, waiting patiently…
"This is Kafra Executive Nora speaking. Oh, hey there! Yeah, sorry, I was caught up with some business down by Beacon Island, otherwise I'd have returned to headquarters a long time ago. Wait, what? Oh, she did, did she? Excellent! I'll let him know straight away! Thank ya, dear!"
"Something the matter?" asked Thiji.
"Pav just found some information on those adventurers we drove away!" she explained. "She just returned to HQ!"
"I see. Perhaps I should go back to the Fortress and inform the others." said the Wizard.
"No, no, no! You leave that to me, all right? We got this all under control!" replied the teal Kafra. "Just let the others know to look at their television the following mornin'! I'll take you back to the Emperium Fortress directly usin' my executive powers!"
The Wizard nodded and closed his eyes. As Kafra Nora clapped her hands, Thiji is drawn into a portal. Reopening his eyes, he finds himself on his room balcony – he had returned to the Emperium Fortress. He searched about his person for a moment to make sure that nothing was lost or misplaced before he turned back to walk into his room, only to be stopped by Raien, who was seen crouched upon the rooftop.
Raien: Hey, you. Where the hell have you been?
Thiji: Raien, I –
Raien: The others were worried sick about you. Find yourself a nice lady already, did you?
Thiji: What? No. You know why I was gone for so long: to oversee the defense of the Emperium Pyramid.
Raien: Oh, yeah, the Pyramid. You know, I should've done that instead; I was the one that discovered it first!
Thiji: But… we all elected that I were to go, remember?
Raien: Yeah, well, we also elected that we were gonna come and get you ourselves if you didn't show up by morning!
Thiji: Your concern for me is appreciated, brother, but I assure you that everything is under control. Let us retire, shall we?
Raien: Fine, then.
Thiji: Oh, and let's keep an eye on the news for tomorrow.
He drops down from the roof and would begin exiting the room. At last, Heal-Do had returned to the Land of Destiny, where her and her sisters make their home. Under the cover of night, she swiftly made her way back to her base using the shadows to her advantage until she finally arrived at the entrance. Lupi notices her baby sister approaching, though she appeared to be out of breath for some reason…
Lupi: Welcome back, sis. Why the heck are you tired?
Heal-Do: (Panting) I… I have some news for you all.
Aege: Uh, news? I could have sworn you said you were just taking a walk through Prontera fields.
Lupi: Let the girl catch her breath first. Elua!
Elua: Yes!
Lupi: Let's get some Autumn Red Tea brewing.
Elua: Ahh, our favorite! Right away!
About ten minutes later, they would retire to their living room. Elua brought in small teapot and four cups to distribute to the others.
Heal-Do: Thank you for the tea, sister.
Elua: No problem! You needed a nice pick-me-up, anyway! So, what was it you wanted to tell us?
Heal-Do: I have reason to believe that we may be running into another guild at the Emperium Frontier…
Lupi: A third guild?
Aege: How can you be so sure?
Heal-Do, taking a sip of her tea: I ran into a woman that said something about the Holy Saviors… Does that sound familiar to anyone?
Elua: Uh-uh… You, Mukuhawk?
Her falcon shakes its head.
Aege: What did this woman look like?
Heal-Do: She had black robes, mostly. Her name was Tsubaki; she might be a Priestess.
Lupi: Since when do Priestesses wear dark clothing?
Elua: You're right, big sis. This Tsubaki girl sounds fishy.
Aege: Seems like they'll bring anyone into the Orthodoxy these days. Best that we keep our eyes open out there.
Heal-Do: Okay.
Lupi: Even if there is another guild out there trying to burst into our rivalry with those Trinities, they'll meet the same fate that will soon come to them. Don't worry about it, baby sister. Let's get some sleep.
Lupi finished her tea in seconds and got up from her seat to retire for the eve. The other sisters followed suit as Elua collected the dishes. Meanwhile, in the dead of night, in an abandoned mine, Tsubaki had emerged from the darkness, clasping what appeared to be an animated piece of obsidian ore in her left hand. She shot a glare at the rock, and then at the crescent moon in the skies above as a smirk crept upon her face…
"Excellent…" she chuckled. "With these, I can even the playing field. Watch yourself, Wizard. You are not the only one in this land that knows strategy…"
Her hand glowed with shadow energy, which fused itself with the obsidian. Crushing it in her hand, it broke off into small fragments, and after doing so, Tsubaki gave out a wicked chuckle that echoed into the night sky… Her dark plan – whatever it may be – would soon be brought to light.
After the long night had passed, the dawn would arrive upon Rune-Midgarts, and the boys of White Trinity were up bright and early for their morning training regimen, save for Thiji whom was inside the Fortress keeping an eye on the news. Remembering what the Wizard had said last night, Raien called off the sparring for a moment and told them all to head back inside the Emperium Fortress, finding Thiji within…
Lee: You interrupted our training for this?
Thiji: I assure you, Kafra Nora told me to –
Raien: Wait, Nora told you to watch the news? Oh, yeah, then we definitely have to sit down for this.
Ray: You mean that crazy, teal-haired, teal-uniformed Kafra lady who punched out a Clock Tower Manager back at Comodo Beach a couple months ago?
Thiji: The very same.
Lee: I really need to see if I can learn a few things from her… She fights just like a Monk would.
Ray: So, what exactly are we supposed to be watching T.V. for?
Thiji: We will find out right now; the report is coming on.
The four found a seat in front of the television and made themselves comfortable. After a moment of waiting, the news broadcast would arrive on-screen…
"Good morning, people of Rune-Midgarts, and thank you for tuning in today! We are coming to you live from Kafra Headquarters in Al De Baran. My name is Glaris, and today we've a special bulletin that will be given by our own field operative, the ever-spunky Kafra Nora! The floor is yours, ma'am."
"Thank ya, Glaris! And gooood mornin', Rune-Midgarts! Live from Beacon Island, I am Nora, and I've got quite the news that'll wake you up!"
"The sun isn't even fully up yet and she's energetic as hell!" commented Ray, who was then shushed by the other three.
"Yesterday afternoon, a group of adventurers donning silver-white garments had traversed the scorching Sograt Desert! Why? Perhaps to take on the Emperium Pyramid, just recently conquered by White Trinity, led by their fearless leader, Ray Kaza!"
"Oh, yeah! My name was said on the news!" cheered the Gun-Knight, fist pumping.
"The defenses were established shortly after the battle to ensure its safety from being captured, and when the group arrived, they were met by a small squadron of statue-like soldiers known as Guardians! This 10-on-800 battle resulted in a shocking upset as the adventurers were sent packin' after taking heavy damage! Fortunately, there were no confirmed fatalities, and all of 'em were sent home safely – though a few were sent plummetin' to the sea below... Here's footage on the battle that took place just outside of the Pyramid!"
Raien, Ray, and Lee watched in awe as they witnessed the footage of the Guardians taking on large odds. Thiji was sucking his teeth the entire time, trying to feign interest. However, they were not the only ones watching the broadcast…
Lupi: What. The. Hell. They built Guardians?!
Heal-Do: That's menacing… Do we even have the skills to overpower those?
Aege: Not unless we want to become swiss cheese.
Lupi: This can't be…
Elua: I know! Those adventurers aren't even trying to dodge!
Lupi: No, you idiot! I meant the Guardians! How the hell did we let them build defenses?!
Aege: There was nothing we could do, sister; they beat us fair and square.
Lupi, shouting: Nobody asked you! We're just going to have to fight harder! They are our rivals, and we will reclaim our position as the best guild!
Heal-Do: Then we'd better work on our techniques, or we could be caught off-guard again…
Just then, Heal-Do noticed the banners that were being held by some of the adventurers and recognized the colors.
Heal-Do: Wait… Could it be –?
Elua: What did you find, baby sister?
Heal-Do: Those colors! I've seen them before! The same silver and blue! I saw them when I ran into that Priestess in Prontera!
Aege: Then damn the Guardians for a moment, who are they?
The four women kept quiet as the footage ran its course until the screen revealed Nora once more… Meanwhile, in Prontera Square, Tsubaki watched the footage from the shadows and scoffed before teleporting away to gods know where.
"Quite the display of power! Guardians are not ta' be trifled with! And what's more interesting was the opponents the colossal soldiers were facing: donning garments of silver and white, with blue undertones, these brave and lucky men and women hail from the less-heard of guild known as the Holy Saviors!"
"Holy Saviors?!" gasped all the Trinities.
"Holy Saviors?!" gasped all the Vixens.
"This faction mainly comprised of Crusaders and Priests are devoted to the Allfather Odin, who watches over Rune-Midgarts! However, information on their leader is unknown as they were not present at the site of battle that evening. We will keep you updated as we continue our investigation on this new team. Glaris, back to you!"
"So we know what the Holy Saviors are, but their leader wasn't there, so we don't really know what we're up against," deducted Lee. "What do you think we should do?"
"There is not much else left to do until we find out where the next installation will be," answered the Wizard. "I just hope that it's in someplace temperate."
"Thank you, Nora. As always, a top-notch report delivered by the Kafra Corporation's finest! In other news, the next installation for the Emperium Frontier has finally revealed itself."
"Hey, shut up! They're about to announce the next Emperium place!" shouted Elua, calming down the other sisters who were all abuzz about the Holy Saviors.
"After triangulating the coordinates, we have discovered the latest installation to be located in… Payon! Deep within its forests, far to the Southwest, the Emperium Jungle emerges from within the labyrinth of vines. We understand that this maze will be full of tricky monsters as well as sightings of giant footprints, which must mean that a big, bad monster is waiting within! Those who succeed will take home the Emerald Emperium!"
"You heard Glaris, ladies!" said Lupi, standing up as she grasped her lance. "The Emperium Jungle has opened! We will get back at those loser Trinities this time!"
"Yeah! Nothing will stop us! We're with you sister!" cheered Elua. Back at the Fortress…
"What do you think those footprints she mentioned might be?" questioned Ray.
"I'm not sure, but we will have to begin preparations as soon as possible," Thiji answered. Just then, their discussion was interrupted yet again by the broadcast…
"Wait… I'm getting something. This just in, everyone: apparently the Forest City of Payon is undergoing strange activity. Because of this, teleportation lines have been temporarily cut off until this disturbance has been systematically dealt with. Participants will have to take an alternate route through Morroc and traverse the Sograt Desert east until they reach the Payon Forest."
"Dammit… I just had to mention a temperate place," sighed the Wizard. "Now what…"
"We need to get Nora! I'm sure she has the power to take us through whatever's causing trouble in Payon!" the Lightning Ninja suggested.
"We can't do that, brother; it'd be too risky, plus she is already in the desert. If anything, she could be on her way there to investigate what's happened," Thiji explained. "Our only course of action is to request transport to our secondary base in Pharos and make the trek from there."
"Well, no point standing around… Let's move out, Trinities!" spoke Ray, getting out of his seat and turning off the television.
"How are we going to get to Payon?" asked Heal-Do. "We can't traverse the Sograt Desert; White Trinity will be meeting us there for sure!"
"Fool! We have the advantage! We will travel there by sea; we take a ferry to Alberta and head west from there. We'll knock some time off the journey and beat White Trinity to the Jungle!" Lupi spoke. "Now come on, daylight's burning!"
"Wow, Lupi, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were beginning to actually use your head a lot more than your lance arm," commented Aege, taking her axe in hand. Meanwhile, White Trinity gathers plenty of provisions (namely drinks) and receives a teleport straight to Beacon Island, where their secondary base is located.
As they are greeted by the Guardians, a Kafra Employee sporting blond pigtails and brown eyes rushes toward the four…
Curly Sue: (panting) White Trinity! Oh, thank goodness I've found you guys!
Thiji: Another Kafra employee.
Curly Sue: I'm… I'm Curly Sue. But you can just call me "Sue".
Raien: Hey, Sue.
Lee: What is it, Sue?
Curly Sue: Miss Nora was doing a report in the middle of the Sograt Desert, but after she had finished, there was some sort of disturbance in the air, and our transmission was cut off!
Ray: Wait a moment, we just got here after seeing that report! We were told by Nora to watch this morning's news bulletin!
Thiji: Are you implicitly saying that Kafra Nora is out there right now, investigating the cause of this?
Curly Sue: Who do you think was with her giving the report?
Ray: This sounds bad. We should help her!
Thiji: Contrary to popular belief, she is capable of handling herself. But if we do happen to find her, we will aid in the investigation. Right now getting to Payon is our primary objective, and the Battle Vixens are probably on their way there as we speak.
Lee: This is probably moot, but is there any way at all that you can teleport us there?
Curly Sue: Nope. Whatever's causing the disturbance has affected our ability to teleport anyone to the Forest City.
Ray: What if we had a ticket?
Curly Sue: Still no good; that ticket only waives the teleporting fee.
Raien: Well, boys, I hate to say it, but we're gonna have to hoof it through this desert…
Lee: Thank goodness we stocked up on plenty of beverages.
Thiji: Miss Sue, can you point us in the direction where you last saw Nora?
Curly Sue: East, past the Sandarman Fortress, then northeast from there toward the border where the desert meets the forest.
Ray: You're coming with us, right?
Curly Sue: I would, but I was charged with watching the Pyramid while the others try to find the source of this disturbance!
Thiji: Then we have our bearings: we cut a path through the Sandarman Fortress, then we proceed northeast until we see the forest.
Raien: Right!
White Trinity began their trek as they exited Beacon Island and bypassing the Sandarman Fortress with great efficiency. Utilizing his Acolyte skills, Lee aided the group with his Agility Up spell, giving the four a much-needed speed boost as they zoomed through the dangers that lurked within the Fortress. Before they knew it, they were at the Sograt Desert yet again, and now it was finally time to head northeastward.
Taking great care in rationing their drinks, they had made it through a good chunk of the ocean of sand before noon, and morale was kept high through a nice little talk to pass the time…
Ray: So, Thiji, how exactly did you pull off that one spell from before?
Thiji: What spell?
Ray: You know, the one where you conjured a huge-ass ice storm on Lupi and Aege.
The Wizard flashed back to that moment in time…
"Behold… the Frost Tempest…!"
Thiji: Oh… that one. It's a spell I sort of improvised on.
Lee: I wish I could have seen it. It must have been pretty cool! No pun intended.
Raien: Oh, don't worry. This guy's got a lot more tricks up his sleeve, and as a matter of fact, I do, too.
Ray: Save it for the next fight, then! Whatever we have in store we can use Thiji's brain for strategies!
The four laughed heartily as their march continued. Meanwhile, the Battle Vixens had just crossed the sea and would soon be upon Alberta…
Lupi: All right, sisters. Listen up: we're heading straight west out of the city, and then we head north to Payon! We'll get to the Jungle before those Trinities, and finally prove our might is still right!
Aege: Well said, sister! We're kicking their asses this time!
Elua: Try to save the Ninja for me, would you? I think he's kind of cute!
Lupi: No fraternizing with the enemy!
Aege: Whoa, Lupi, you're using big words now?
Lupi: The hell are you talking about?
Elua: Well, you used to be as monosyllabic as humanly possible, but now you're actually showing off some eloquence!
Lupi: Hey, stop co-signing! I'm not stupid!
Elua: Baby sister, are you all right? You haven't spoken a word since we left Amatsu.
Heal-Do: Sorry… I'm just… a little uneasy.
Aege: She's always like that before a battle, Elua. Don't worry; when we begin the fight, she'll show off her colors. It's in her blood, after all.
Lupi: Anyway… we're almost there. Once we make port, we're heading straight out of Alberta while there's still daylight!
Within the Forest City of Payon, dark clouds began to fill the sky above. The citizens just assumed that it would rain soon, and retreated to their homes. Tsubaki had arrived, and the next phase of her plan would soon begin.
"And now to put this operation in motion. This diversionary tactic should give the Holy Saviors the advantage they need to conquer the Emperium Jungle…" she chuckled, gazing at the dark-infused obsidian fragments in her palm. Just then, two silhouetted female figures appeared before Tsubaki, their arms tucked into their sleeves… "Oh, good. You two have arrived, as I had hoped. White Trinity will soon cross the desert. I want you both to stall them at the border for as long as possible. Understand?"
"Yes, Lady Tsubaki…" acknowledged the two figures as they bowed their heads and stormed out of the city to meet their quarry.
After another half-hour of travel, the White Trinity party had ventured deep within the desert at this point. They had begun following a group of earthworms called Hodes for a short while until they arrived at a flat expanse with the ocean lying to the south, and in the center of the area were what looked like ruins of an ancient pyramid. As the Hodes broke formation, new creatures arrived: small, living mounds of sand with ghostly faces began to surround them.
Ray: Damn! Sandmen!
Lee: They say that they are the spirits of men who died out here in the Sograt Desert.
Raien: That can't be right…
Lee: It isn't. Apparently they're really just a type of fairy…
Thiji: And they don't seem to like people very much.
The four stood back-to-back- as they prepared to fight off the Sandmen, but they paused for a moment and looked eastward, storming off in that direction.
Raien: What, are they scared of us too?
Lee: They shouldn't be. Sandmen are naturally hostile.
Thiji: Like the Hodes, perhaps they are leading us somewhere as well.
Just then, the Sandmen vanished!
Ray: Whoa!
Raien: The hell -?
Lee: That almost looked like…
Thiji: A teleportation spell. The magical effect looked similar. If they would do this so suddenly, then something big must be going on nearby.
The quartet hasted their march through the desert. Moments later, they would hear sounds of battle mixed with some martial arts yells.
Raien: Bro, do you hear that?
Thiji: I do now…
Lee: A Taekwon fighter, perhaps?
Ray: We won't know until we get there! Let's move it!
Raien, Lee, & Thiji: Right!
Their running continued until they were within clear view of the ruins. In the distance was someone grappling with a bunch of Sandmen, and it seemed that the person in question was winning. As they approached, the person was now within plain sight: it was Nora battling the minions of some large, pinkish monster with large teeth, four eyes, and weird-looking green "hair".
White Trinity: Nora!
Nora: Ki-ya! Sorya!
Ray: Let's give her some help!
Thiji began to charge an ice spell as Ray, Lee, and Raien charged in. Ray, wasting no time, flipped a coin, and absorbed a spirit sphere into his gun to fire Magic Bullets at the monster to shake its hold on the Sandmen, giving Nora some breathing room. Raien flanked them with lightning-imbued kunais which he had aimed at the freakish brute, but the Hodes from before appeared to shield it from the barrage, destroying themselves in the process.
"Cold Bolt of Ice!" cried Thiji as he pelted them with ice shards, scattering the minions. "Frost Diver!" he cried again, keeping up the assault with a blast of frost in an attempt to freeze the brute, but it failed! The beast was enraged, and powered itself up before focusing on Thiji. He attempted another Frost Diver, which was a direct hit to the face, but the freeze attempt still failed. "What?! Why won't it freeze…?"
"Ya can't freeze it, Thiji! It's an MVP!" Nora alerted, chasing it down before tripping it with a swift low kick. Ray continued shooting at it with bullets as Lee delivered a powerful combo of blows to its head. The creature rose back up to its feet, flinging Lee and Nora as it did, but they recovered and landed on their feet. With a roar, it summoned its horde of minions yet again, and Raien saw his opportunity to attack. Summoning a Huuma Shuriken, he imbued it with lightning energy and flung it at the creature's gaping maw, causing it to forcibly swallow the electrified star. After a brief moment, it burst into numerous chunks, and the minions that followed it disintegrated into nothingness…
Ray: Good shit, Raien!
Raien: Hey, it was nothing. But… What the hell was that? And why is there a large bubble that says "MVP!" above Nora's head?
Nora, dusting off her apron: There are monsters like the one we just fought that are more powerful than just your regular beasties. They are usually seen with lesser minions to support their already powerful abilities. We've begun callin' 'em "MVPs" because they're sorta like boss monsters that no adventurer – green or not – can handle alone.
Thiji: Glad we came when we did. And now you have a shiny diamond to your name.
Nora: I appreciate it, guys! Thanks! Headquarters will like it!
Lee: What was that creature we just battled?
Nora: That particular MVP is called "Phreeoni." No one knows why the hell it's here, where it came from, or what it even is! But we do know that every so often one emerges within the Sograt Desert.
Thiji: It seems like a lot of things happen in this huge sea of sand…
Ray: So, this… Phreeoni was the cause of the disturbance?
Nora: Heck, no! By the looks o' that thing, it wasn't even close to bein' the source!
Thiji: We assumed you were out investigating; Kafra Curly Sue informed us that you were.
Nora: Oh, Sue! I see. Yeah, I was, but then this thing appeared while I was headin' to the forest. It's not too far from where we are; we just have to cross a bridge connecting the border between the desert and the Payon Forest.
The teal Kafra led them northeast as she explained to them about what had actually happened during her investigation. Apparently Nora learned that there is some sort of energy signature that is interfering with the teleportation lines to Payon, barring anyone's entry. Even with her powers, she was unable to breach it, and came to this conclusion.
After her explanation was finished, they had finally reached the end of the desert; a large river split the land in two with the Sograt Desert to the west, and the Payon Forest to the east. Nora pointed the way for them before turning back and walking the other way.
Lee: Hey! Wait! You're not going to continue your investigation?
Nora: I pretty much learned all that I have to about this! And with you four here, I'll know for sure. Just cross that bridge over there and Payon is a short distance away!
Ray: Thanks, Nora.
She waved farewell to them before teleporting away. With the path lying before them, White Trinity continued down the road, relieved that they have survived the scorching heat of the desert.
It seemed that at this point, nothing would stand in their way, until they noticed a "gate" of large sticks on both ends of the bridge. They were linked together from the top with string, and dangling from them were holy sutras. Looking back in front of them, on the other end of the bridge they saw two girls in kimonos– one's robes was red, and her hair was short and dark red, stopping at her neck, with a small tiara on the crown of her head. The other had much longer, dark blue hair with bangs stopping past her shoulders, sporting blue robes. They shared the same gray eyes, but their eye shadow was red and blue, respectively.
"Halt!" shouted the red girl. "We will not let you pass!"
"Surrender, or suffer the might of the priestess duo of my sister, Botan, and I, Momiji!" said the blue girl. The two of them made a heroic pose as the sounds of taiko drums resounded in the air. They stretched out their arms and hands, implying the order to stop.
Lee: Um…
Ray: Let me get this straight… the red one is Momiji… the… blue one is Botan?
Raien: Damn, they look fine…!
Thiji: …
Momiji, whispering: We got them scared stiff, sister! It's working like a charm!
Botan, whispering: This is definitely going to be much easier than we thought! Let's keep it up a bit longer!
Ray: They… sent Acolytes to stop us?
Momiji: Watch your tongue! We are not Acolytes!
Botan: We are certified Priestesses! Get it right!
Lee: Impossible! Where are your robes?!
Momiji: We're a different kind of Priestess, but we still serve the Church of Odin!
Botan: Praise be to His glory, He who has made our land of Rune-Midgarts rich and pure!
Ray: They're sure as hell not Priestess material! They look no older than us!
Thiji: They're Mikos, shrine maidens.
Lee: That's… interesting. Then again, that explains the sutras.
Thiji: *sigh* Raien will take care of you.
Raien: Wait, why me? What the hell am I supposed to do?
Thiji: I don't know, use that perverted little world of yours you call an imagination.
Botan: Judging by the clothes you wear, we can tell that you… *pointing to Thiji* Are a Wizard. You… *Points to Raien* are a Ninja. You… *points to Ray* are a… Gunslinger-Knight?
Ray: Guilty as charged.
Botan, pointing to Lee: And you! You are a Monk! Brother, come and join our crusade! We serve the same God!
Momiji: Together we will defeat White Trinity with our holy will!
Lee: She's right. The Saint Capitolina Abbey is under the same jurisdiction as the Prontera Sanctuary; they both practice Odinism. However, I'm afraid I can't do that. My allegiance is with these guys, with White Trinity.
Botan: Very well… Prepare yourself – huh? Wait, where are you going?
Thiji turned back and walked a short distance away from everyone. He seemed to have been bored as he took out a tome and began reading.
Thiji: They'll make anyone a Priestess these days…
Botan: What was that?!
Momiji: How dare you?!
Botan & Momiji: GET HIM! In the name of Odin!
Charging down the bridge, the two (Acolytes, Priestesses, Mikos, take your pick) rose their staves in the air to attack Thiji, but the Ninja swoops in and knocks them back toward the opposite end.
"Sorry, but he said that I'm your opponent, so you'll just have to deal with me!" Raien chided.
"Very well!" replied Botan. "You shall be defeated first, and then the Wizard! Ready, Momiji?"
"Ready, Botan!" spoke the blue Acolyte. They brought their hands together and conjured a ball of holy energy from their palms.
"Holy Light!" they both yelled, sending a small blast of holy energy to attack the Ninja. It connects, and then explodes in a flash of light, temporarily blinding Raien.
"You're seriously not letting them beat you…" Thiji scoffed.
"Don't worry," Raien said back, recovering from the stun. "That's the only hit they'll get off of me!"
"These girls… they don't seem weak at all…" pondered Lee.
"Geez, that thing is bright as hell!" Ray exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the flash. After the flash subsided, Raien looked before him and saw that one of the Acolytes was missing! He then turned his gaze skyward and saw that Momiji had used the confusion of the blast to attack Thiji from above!
Without moving his head, Thiji grabbed his Aqua Staff and slammed it on the ground before saying, "Frost Nova" in a monotone. The counter pushed Momiji away and knocked her on her bottom and next to Botan.
Botan: Sister, are you all right?!
Momiji: Yeah… That Wizard is fast. But we cannot let them harm Lady Tsubaki or the Holy Saviors!
Lee: Wait, did they just say –
Raien, grabbing a handful of kunai knives: Time to dance, ladies!
Momiji: Sister, be careful!
The Ninja threw a flurry lightning-infused kunai knives at the feet of the two girls. Jumping around in fright, they held each other as they screamed helplessly.
"This is kind of hot," Raien thought as he continued his attack. Thiji simply sighed and continued reading his tome, while Ray and Lee found a comfortable seat in the sand and enjoyed the show.
"W-We have to do something!" whimpered Momiji.
"Follow my lead, Momiji!" Botan ordered, jumping out of the way. In a retaliatory effort, Botan & Momiji took their staves and aimed at Raien, firing a beam of holy energy from its tip. This concentrated Holy Light would be dodged by Raien as he shifted his body to the left, watching the beam fly off toward a nearby rock. "Now!" Taking out a sutra, the two Priestess-in-training folded them and then crushed it in their hands, blowing the remains into the air as it releases holy energy.
After a moment of silence, everyone looked around, wondering what exactly they were doing. The Wizard attempted to flip another page in his book, but his arm was unable to move – in fact, his entire body wasn't responding!
"What in the -?" said Thiji. After thinking for a moment, he knew just what had happened. "Paralysis…!"
"Paralysis?! You mean we can't move?!" the Gun-Knight shouted, trying to get up from his seated position to no avail.
"No good… I can't move either!" Raien spoke, trying to move his own hand. As they saw White Trinity helpless before them, the two sisters giggled in joy, clapping their hands together and prancing around.
Botan: I'd say we've outdone ourselves!
Momiji: Yeah, I think so, too!
Lee: Dammit… They have us bound, and we can't get up…
The Monk suddenly finds himself on his feet as he stands up without any difficulty whatsoever.
Lee: … Except me.
Ray: Oh, right! Holy energy… Your chi force is holy! You can totally defeat those two and lift this paralysis!
Without hesitation, Lee called forth the spirit energy from around him and five Spirit Spheres danced around him. Pointing toward the sticks supporting the sutras, he used his Finger Offensive to break them in half, causing the entire "barrier" to fall before the two girls. They crouched and covered their heads as White Trinity was able to move once more!
Thiji: Well done, Lee.
Ray: Yeah, nice work!
Lee: It was nothing. You got this from here, Raien?
Raien: Yeah, I'm going in.
Raien advances down the bridge to the other side where the two Acolytes were, now feeling the cool grass of the forest beneath his feet. The two immediately stood up and grabbed their weapons.
Botan: Quickly, sister! We must attack head-on!
Momiji: Right!
They surround the Ninja and would begin to charge, their weapons held high in the air as they did. With a simple turn of his heel, Raien avoided their attack wholly and they would instead hit each other on accident.
Botan: OW!
Momiji: What insolence…! That won't happen again!
They try same tactic again and Raien easily sidesteps it, causing them to attack each other again on accident.
Raien: You know, I've always enjoyed seeing a catfight. I didn't think you two would be the ones causing it to each other, though.
Botan: Why, you little…!
Momiji: You will pay for tricking us a second time! Feel our divine might!
Putting their all into this next attack, the two Priestesses-in-training fired another blast of Holy Light at Raien, who jumps out of the way to avoid it, miraculously preventing the two of them from hitting each other. Instead, they struck the Wizard, and his hat, along with the tome that he was reading, are flung from off his person.
Ray: Oh, snap…
Lee: They hit Thiji instead? Whoa!
Thiji: …
Pausing for a moment, he got up from his seat with his Aqua Staff in hand. The Wizard gave them a soft chuckle before he called upon the powers of ice, a gale of snow blowing around him.
Botan: Uh-oh… Did we just make him angry?
Raien: Be honored. He's only doing this because he acknowledges you two as adversaries.
Thiji, echoing: What in the hell are you talking about?! They shot my tome and my hat off! I'm merely returning the favor!
Momiji: Sister, watch out!
The storm gathering around Thiji had reached its peak, and he would then point his staff toward the Acolytes.
"Storm… Gust!" cried the Wizard, directing the blizzard of ice and snow down the bridge, uprooting the fortifications and sweeping Botan & Momiji off their feet and blasting them down past the bridge, and into the forest.
"WAAAAAAHHH!" shrieked the Priestesses-in-training as they were helplessly being thrashed about by the storm. After languishing within the frozen furor for a good, long, minute, they found themselves frozen in blocks of ice before they vanished into the Payon Forest on the other side.
Thiji: *scoffs* Imbeciles…
Lee: Gee, don't you think that was a little bit much?
Thiji: It may have been, but they were wasting too much of our time; they had to leave by force. Plus, they knocked off my hat and my tome.
Ray: No point mulling over it! We did what had to be done. Let's continue past this checkpoint and get to Payon, and then we'll make for the Jungle!
Raien: Let's get to it, then! You can read when we make it to the city, Thiji. All we need to do now is get to the city!
Thiji: Yes, the Battle Vixens could almost be there for all we know.
Ray: Come on, dammit!
Their march continued as they crossed the bridge and finally entered the Payon Forest from the west. From the east, the Battle Vixens were a stone's throw away from the Forest City. Mukuhawk flew to Elua's side, landing on her arm…
Elua: Thanks, boy! Mukuhawk says that Payon is right through this clearing! We're almost there!
Lupi: Yes! We made it to Payon before them!
Aege: Not bad planning, sister. You should use that head of yours more often.
Lupi: Well, it was rather smart, if I do say so – hey, what is that supposed to mean?!
Heal-Do: Oh, you two… always fighting. Is it because you two are the oldest? Or maybe it's their element, who knows?
Elua: Ahh, Payon… A beautiful, tranquil town surrounded by mountains. Very few invaders appear because of its architecture, you know!
Aege: Hey, Elua, didn't you use to train here when you were an Archer?
Elua: Of course! I was the top of my class, and the Archer Association was very proud to have me amongst their ranks!
Lupi: That's all well and good, but we don't have time to go to the village and swap stories!
Elua: Aww, we don't?
Heal-Do giggled to herself as they continued their run to the Forest City. In mere moments, they found themselves before the gates that lead into the city. The four sisters took a minute to catch their breath before they approached the entrance. However, Heal-Do stopped for a moment, sensing that something was wrong…