~About a year ago~
In what appeared to be a vivid dream, Nimrod struggled to move his body quickly enough before being ripped to shreds by the djinn's claws. He didn't manage to get out of harm's way quickly enough because he suffered the effects of Slow, the Time magic spell. But at the very moment that the djinn pierced his skin with his claws, he woke up in a cold sweat.
He opened his eyes and realized he was tied to a chair. He had a pounding headache that made him squint his eyes. Examining his surroundings, he could tell he was in some sort of prison cell. There was nothing else in the small room.
Several hours passed after he had regained consciousness. And he heard nothing and didn't have a clue as to where he was.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. Four people entered the room and started questioning him. They were all wearing ninja garbs. The leader and another one of the ninjas were women.
Ninja Leader: I've heard about you... Our scouts have seen you fly over the forest on at least two separate occasions.
Nimrod: Yeah? I've never seen any of you. I've seen your pointy weapons, though. That's enough to know that I don't like you.
~ Also a year ago... Elsewhere~
Rachel woke up in a cave by a bonfire. She felt a little woozy, but she was unharmed. As she sat up, she saw a rather large naked man on the other side of the fire. She immediately freaked out, and her face turned red. But she noticed the man didn't have any type of private parts, which was confusing since she remembered her anatomy classes very well.
Man: You protect me. Me protect you. Now safe.
Rachel then realized that she had recognized him from somewhere. While thinking about it, she believed it was utterly absurd... though it might have been the answer to one of the many questions she had at that moment.
Rachel: It's you... You're the one I saw in my dreams... You're a giant! But... You're not a giant now... well... If you consider a 2.15 meters hunk like you a regular-sized man... – Rachel was blushing all this time, and confused as to why he didn't have anything where he should have something… It would have been unladylike to even think about asking that question, so she didn't bother dwelling on it.
Rachel wondered how long she had been unconscious. She looked around her surroundings and didn't recognize anything. It was obviously a cave, after all. So it really didn't look very different from most caves in the Arkana.
Rachel: Where are we?
Man: Land... Giants.
Rachel: The land of the giants?! That can't be true... Anyway... How did we get here?! You know what? Never mind... Where is Nimrod? My brother! He's… looking for me... Where's the pebble he gave me? - she searched through all her pockets but didn't find anything.
Man: Safe. Me kill monster. Girl safe.
Rachel: I'm not sure I remember what happened exactly... but I think it was the exact same thing I had been dreaming over and over again... Thank you for saving me... But I must find my friends... We need to find the weapons of light to... Save the world, basically.
Man: Me hide weapon... Other cave.
Rachel's eyes lit up with excitement, but then she thought:
Rachel: {Wait a minute... There's no way this giant has hidden away one of the weapons we're looking for... Is there? But then again... To meet him after the dreams I've been having is definitely not a coincidence... It's fate!}
Rachel: Can you show me where you hid it?
~Present day, Tower of god~
Woman: Then what should we do, Master? How do we break the seal?
Adramellech: YOU MUST FIND THE WEAPONS OF THE ARSENAL OF DARKNESS AND BRING THEM TO THIS LOCATION. ONLY THEN WILL THE BARRIER BE BROKEN.
Merlin: The arsenal of darkness?
Zeldrys: Where can we find such weapons, Master?
Adramellech: THE AKUMA-KODACHI... THE OMEGA ROD... AND THE DEMON HALBERD. THE FIRST OF THEM IS IN POSSESSION OF THE SHADOW NINJA CLAN... THE OTHER IS IN THE HIGHEST PEAK OF THE EASTERN CONTINENT.
Woman: What about the third one, My Lord?
Adramellech: THE THIRD ONE IS HIDDEN FAR TOO WELL. I CAN NOT SENSE IT. I LEAVE IT IN YOUR CAPABLE HANDS, DEMONA. FIND IT.
Woman: Y-yes, Master.
Somewhere in the fake town of Salvation, someone was really well hidden, listening to the entire conversation. He was able to mask his presence from the Cabal and even from Adramellech himself.
Relm: {Following these fools finally paid off. Now I know where to find it!}
Relm teleported away as soon as he heard the information he hoped to obtain. Adramellech realized at that moment that someone had been spying on them.
Adramellech: YOU FOOLS! THERE WAS A SPY IN YOUR MIDST!
Merlin: Master?
Zeldrys: Merlin! Have your beasts search the perimeter!
Adramellech: IT IS NOW USELESS... HE IS GONE. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES AFTER THE WEAPONS. MAKE HASTE! AND CRUSH ANYONE THAT STANDS IN YOUR WAY.
The Cabal: Yes, Master!
Dalmacia
Over at Dalmacia, Legend had honed his skills with the sword. He had developed some new and impressive sword tech.
Meg: Legend. I'll go find Richard and Rachel to see where we stand with the Arsenal of Light. You stay here and keep on training. I'll send for you when the time is right.
Legend: Why is it called an arsenal if they're only three weapons? Sounds kinda dumb if you ask me...
Meg: I don't know what to tell you, kid... I just follow the script.
Legend: By the way... how will you find them? It's been about a year since we last saw them...
Meg: You let me worry about that. You should know by now that I'm pretty resourceful.
Legend: Alright, Meg. Take care. See you soon!
At the palace, a crucial meeting was about to begin. The Kingdom had attempted to corroborate rumors about an incoming threat from the east for years. Gregg Raines, commander of the dragoon battalion, was sent on an expedition by sea to investigate. He went with 30 men. He was the only one that returned. He was ready to report his findings to the king and the war council.
King Uther: For the past decade, we have been catching wind of more and more concerning rumors about a powerful and ruthless nation to the East.
I have always believed in giving others the benefit of the doubt. However, it is never an option to risk the safety of our Kingdom and its subjects just because of my personal belief. This is why, as you all know, we have been fortifying our defenses and honing our skills in the event of a sudden invasion. There have also been spies sent to the East, which sadly, as you also know, has resulted in either their capture or death... or at least that is what we are forced to assume. Nonetheless, one of our greatest warriors, Dragoon Gregg Raines, was the sole survivor of the latest expedition sent to the east. This is the first time we have ever had someone return from one of such expeditions. I've gathered you all here to listen to his report. Dragoon Raines.
Gregg: Thank you, Your Majesty.
I took a group of 30 of our finest on this reconnaissance expedition by sea, and after three months of difficult sailing, we arrived at the eastern continent. By that time, we had lost five men due to the infamous pellagra illness at sea.
Once there, we realized that the continent had many monsters that we had never seen before and were thus unprepared to battle. They were tough to kill, and many of them seemed to have intelligence.
The people in the room started to show agitation and disbelief, all the while talking amongst themselves.
"Monsters with intelligence?"
"That's preposterous!"
"Everyone knows monsters are just mindless…"
King Uther: Order! Please proceed, Dragoon.
Gregg: Yes, Your Majesty. Ten of our soldiers died in this initial onslaught of monsters. Despite our odds at the moment, we were determined to obtain some actionable intelligence from our mission. We managed to identify a highly fortified castle surrounded by mountains. Access seemed impossible by land. But we did manage to see airships landing. And... That's when we saw them...
"Saw what?"- said the captain of the Dark Knights of the kingdom.
Gregg: They have a host of giants.
All the people in the room started chattering with each other in obvious panic.
"This is madness!"
"Are you certain?"
"There's no such thing as giants."
"Perhaps you imagined it, dragoon."
"What shall we do?!"
"You must be mistaken!"
King Uther: ORDER! Let the man finish. Please proceed.
Gregg: Your Majesty.
It seemed as though they were indeed getting ready to mobilize a large number of troops.
Then, a few of my remaining soldiers were made, and they signaled the rest of us so we could escape capture. They were five. I believe they were captured alive. They are probably being tortured for information as we speak.
But when we were attempting our escape, we realized that the monsters from before and the ones we encountered later weren't beasts that attacked us at random... They were part of their ranks! Five more of the soldiers were killed in battle during our escape. The other remaining five just vanished. I assume full responsibility for my failure in leadership! I've had to look the families of these good men and women in the eye and give them the terrible news... I... I'm sorry...
King Uther: Gregg Raines. Commander of the Dragoons of Dalmacia. The men you led to the east all respected and admired you. I am sure they were aware of the risks of their mission. Do not be discouraged. We still need brave and skilled men like you. Let the pain you feel for the loss of your men fuel you for the protection of our Kingdom. Do not fall prey to despair.
Gregg: I thank you for those uplifting words, your majesty!
Chancellor: Your Majesty. This all means that an incursion is imminent! And if what Dragoon Raines has reported is true, the odds against us seem quite overwhelming…
King Uther: That they are. And let this be clear to everyone here... I do not doubt Dragoon Rains' report... Not in the slightest! I know that his report makes it seem like we face an unbeatable enemy. But that is not true. There are a few secret weapons we still have at our disposal – The king was thinking about Legend and the Sword of Light. He believed that Legend, despite being a child, would be of great value in defending the kingdom. He also believed in the skill and heart of his sons and daughter, skilled warriors, and a powerful White mage.
King Uther: Do not panic! Do not lose heart! We will overcome this enemy and remain a tower of justice in the Arkana.
As the war council nearly lost heart after the report of the last expedition, Legend received a letter with the king's seal.
Legend: {This royal seal must mean that it's from King Uther himself... I wonder what it says...} Huh? A SUMMONS TO BATTLE??!!