Chapter One

Lapis's POV

A flash of light and I was gone. I was standing on some weird stone platform. I jumped a bit and quickly checked myself over.

Armor- check.

Sword- check.

I stared into the distance, drinking in the vast forests and ornate buildings through my stark blue eyes. My cape billowed in a slight breeze, and I reluctantly stepped down from the stone circle. This wasn't the water dimension that I was used to, with its abundance of lakes, hot springs, and delightful waterfalls, but rather, an island.

An island, as I would quickly discover, in the sky.

Then, footsteps approached from my right; I responded by quickly drawing my sword and pointing it in my captor's direction.

Which happened to be a busty blonde in a simple dress.

"H-Hello!" the woman stammered, fearfully eyeing the edge of my blade. "I am E-Ellia, and w-welcome to Sky Island!"

I slowly lowered my blade. I didn't mean to scare her, but I had to stay on guard. "I am Lapis," I greeted, my smooth, yet stern voice seeming to confuse her. "Well – ahem - Lapis," Ellia struggled, clearing her throat. "It seems the Summoner's magic worked! The Summonhenge pulled you from the Water dimension!"

The what?!

The look on my face must've been one of plain astonishment, because Ellia proceeded to explain my situation.

"I am the assistant to owner of this island, a rising Summoner. He summoned you for your help in defeating the monsters that threaten our world. He summons a lot of warriors via the Summonhenge, which is the platform you were just standing on, and summoning scrolls."

I nodded, not really understanding her, but it was a knight's code to help those in need.

Even if this person essentially kidnapped you.

Ellia took my hand and gave me the grand tour of the island's immense buildings, scenic forests, and rocky cliffs. Finally we stopped by a huge barrack style building.

"This is where most of our troops stay. You will be in bunk 2-J, between Arnold and Galleon."

I laid eyes on the door to my room. I could feel the burning energy from a strong fire-type nearby, and a cool energy of water that resonated with my own.

"Also, the Summoner says you are a fantastic leader, and he will let you have a companion while you are on the island."

Ellia's words confused me. "Companion?"

As I asked the question, a hellhound pup peeked from under Ellia's gown. His skin was a dark blue, making his lighter blue eyes seemingly glow. He yipped at me, and I saw his tail swish back and forth in happiness. I couldn't resist, and leaned down and scratched his chin. I noticed the collar around his neck and read the name.

"Tarq," I chuckled. "It fits you."

….

Time Skip – about 2 years later

Lapis POV

I yawned as I awakened, stretching my tired muscles. My bed groaned in response, and a playful bark came from the other side of the room. Tarq, who'd grown considerably since I first met him, jumped onto the bed and panted adorably, nudging me with his wet nose. I giggled as he pulled my bedsheets in order to keep me from pulling them up and going back to sleep, as I often did.

"Okay, boy! I'm up I'm up!"

He bounded down once I assured him I was awake, and stood in plain view, his tail in full swing. I quickly bathed, enjoying the embrace of the warm water, and donned my armor. As I buckled on my sword, I took a deep breath, and threw open my door.

The island was in complete chaos.

The hotheaded Neostone Fighter, Trevor, was once again going toe to toe with Kaz, one of our resident samurai. Trevor was adamantly convinced that he could defeat Kaz in one move.

Which was virtually impossible, because Kaz was faster, and his secret technique, Sword of the Supreme Sky Wolf, was deadly if he chose to use it.

And there was the constant arguing between Laika and Chow. Those two could argue for days if you let them, but if the two immensely powerful Dragon Knights fought, they could potentially destroy the island.

Belladeon, Kro, and Raoq apparently wanted to play rough today as well. I could hear the snarls and yips from across the island.

Woosa and Pungbaek were meditating in the Tranquil Forest, looking the part of the only sane monsters on the island. I sighed in relief, noticing the six purple stars embroidered on each of their robes. I'd come to like the two wise, if not unnaturally so, boys. Now that the Summoner had decided to bring out their maximum potential, it was guaranteed that they wouldn't be used as strengthening material.

Apparently, our worth was determined to the Summoner, as Ellia put it, by our "star grade". Evidently the Summonhenge assigned each of us with a number of stars, and the more stars a monster had, generally the stronger it was. The Summoner could raise our star grade by using other monsters of the same star grade in a process called Evolution.

The stars ranged from 1 to 5 star naturally, but the ultimate honor was being Evolved to a 6 star monster. No monster was ever lucky enough to naturally be assigned six stars; according to Ellia, it simply wasn't possible.

The more unlucky monsters, the one, two, and most three star monsters were used as material.

I couldn't help but shudder at the thought. When a monster was used as material, it dissolved into its essence; magical energy in it's purest form. It would then be absorbed by the target monster, and effectively, cease to exist.

I still remember Jojo, our fire-based joker. I'd fought alongside him for a long time, ever since we were clearing weaker areas like Telain Forest together, and we conquered the Fifth floor of the Giant's Keep together too.

But then Lushen came along.

I had nothing against the wind mischief maker; he was a fun and simple guy. He was deemed by the Summoner to be more valuable than Jojo, and as such, Jojo soon disappeared, being used as Evolution material. I still miss him, but Ellia assures me that we'll see him again someday-

"Oi! Lapis!"

A sharp voice with a thick Australian accent jarred me from my thoughts. I spun around quickly as I noticed my favorite pirate in the world approaching me.

Galleon.

I'd met him when he was still a nameless captain of the seas, and we quickly became friends. He was fun and easygoing outside of jobs, but on the field he was tough, frigid, and business-like.

Oh sweet Goddess Ameria he's a turn on.

Wait.. I wasn't thinking that!

I quickly adjusted my armor, trying my best to cover my….assets and look like a modest woman. I stood to attention as he was in speaking distance. "Good morning, Galleon."

He smiled that gorgeous smile and returned the greeting. "So, ya know what day it is?"

I thought for a second. "Sunday."

Galleon's smile widened, showing even more perfect white teeth. "And ya know what that means…"

Guild wars. So that's why he was so happy.

Guilds were a collection of Summoners, much like ours. Each week guilds would battle each other for supremacy, and at the end of the week, the most successful guilds would get awesome rewards.

Galleon loved Guild Wars. And he was good at it. If he lead us into a Guild Battle, our reaction times seem to drop and we deal attacks much more swiftly.

Our Summoner was in an average guild, and loved using Galleon, Chow, and I, because we were strong and fast.

I smiled at Galleon. "Good luck this week!"

He smiled back, a hauntingly hungry look in his eyes. "Thanks, but I won't need it."

As he walked off to his bunk, I couldn't help but stare after him. Sweet America he is hot. Just thinking about him made me blush.

"LAAAAAAPPIIIISSS!"

The distressed wail scared me a bit, along with the bone-shaking roar that followed.

What the hell was going on?