The world as we know it, is coming to an end. An event of catastrophic proportions which led to war and destruction has ravaged the population. Morroc was the first to fall and completely fallen to disrepair and been abandoned to the brutal desert winds. We've lost contact with the other cities as time went on, and travel had been rendered impossible by powerful wards put in place by boss monsters. Only Prontera and Izlude are left intact by the monster flooding in Rune-Midgard due to the presence of the major guilds, who repelled the invasion. The other cities were not so lucky, as refugees told stories of horror, about seeing relatively benign monsters suddenly attack and consume people, as if driven by rage against man himself.

Me? I was in relaxing in a nice little camp in Lutie field, when the Sasquatches started tearing into town. Although I dealt with the deranged bears, Lutie was already frozen shut. The toy factory had exploded with possessed toys, and the Stormy Knight within had become frenzied, killing everyone in the winter wonderland. But in times of chaos, there was always something that spurred on the heroism inherent in all man, indeed, it was here that I witnessed the jolly fat man, who wore his traditional red clothing, defending Lutie's children from the Stormy Knight. Although his efforts had cost him his life, he had stalled it enough so that I could jump in, and warp out all the children he was protecting. I rushed to his side, so that I could heal him, but he held up his hand, and he gave his warm cheery smile as he fell from his mortal wound, and waved me off. Before I could even react, I was pushed back by a powerful force, into the portal I had created. As I materialized in the Pronteran marketplace, I immediately turned myself invisible, and watched the guards accommodate the frightened children. This is when I decided that I would start personally investigating the sudden aggressiveness of the monsters in Rune-Midgard, as my way of honoring the noble sacrifice that Claus had done for the children of Lutie.

My contacts had informed my of the situation of the land, with most of the dungeons falling completely under monster control. The Guild Dungeons have also been sealed shut by their respective Guild Leaders, following the report of the monsters there becoming highly aggressive and even attempting to escape from their dungeons. Cities which had dungeons underneath them have also been overrun, and refugees were piling outside of Prontera at all its gates, with desperate people clamoring to get inside the relatively safe, walled city.

Strangely, the kings and rulers of the land have also mysteriously disappeared before the monster invasion, leaving their respective cities in a panic, and without a leader, the cities were in chaos, causing them to fall much earlier than expected. It was only due to the actions of the Guild Leaders that some semblance of order was maintained. But even the GL had the support of unique individuals, ones who wield great power, enough to change the tide of battle on their own.

In this world, individuals exist to have attained a level of power that surpasses that of a normal denizen of Rune-Midgard. To have attained such power, they have trained all their lives to be the best of their craft, whether it be smithing, alchemy, magic, or sheer physical might. Transcending by the power of the divine Valkyrie, a being sent down by the gods themselves, to aid man in his endeavor to be more than what he is born as. Now, those very men and women who have been awakened by the gods, lead the stalwart defense of the last cities standing in Rune-Midgard.

Though even in the Transcended Ones, there are those who stand out even in that group. Those who are almost godlike in their powers, and even revered as gods by some. This is the difference between attaining great power, and being born with great power. One of these enigmatic individuals is present for Prontera's defense, and it is indeed a sight to behold.

The Battle of Prontera Fields, that was when I first saw the so-called Crimson Lady in action. She wore the typical knight's armor for the women, but instead of the Pronteran teal, hers was dyed with the crimson of blood. I've even heard rumors that she used to wear teal, but it became crimson after slaying so many monsters. I spotted her emerging from her army's front lines, clad from head to toe in her armor. Immediately, an entire row of plate mail clad knights gave her a snappy salute, despite them being a foot taller than her. She had the respect of the men, that much is clear.

She strode right past them, and set her gaze upon the orcish horde. Her gloved hand squeezed the hilt of her sword tightly, and unsheathed it in one smooth motion. It was clearly made of Adamantine, the metal of the gods, nigh-indestructible, and extremely rare. It must have taken a fortune to forge a long sword with pure Adamantine, but it was her shield that gave me pause; for it resonated with unearthly energies, strong enough that I could sense it from a kilometer away. With her equipment, I could already deduce that she would be a powerful ally, but I needed to be sure. It was an oppurtunity I could not pass up, to see her in action.

I watched from the sidelines, trying to study her movement, her technique and her tenacity. The orcs had them terribly outnumbered, over a thousand to one, and orcs were strong and monstrous fighters. She charged right into the front lines, and started racking up quite a body count. Her diminutive frame threw the orcs off guard as her blade cut right through their armor. She dodged and parried what she could, and easily blocked steel-breaking blows with her shield. Ungodly strong and ridiculously fast, she tore through the orcs like they were made of paper, which broke the orcish morale and sent them off to retreat. Overall, her troops lost about a dozen men, while she emerged from the mountain of broken corpses that I've estimated to number to about seven hundred with her armor soaked from all the blood she had spilt. She wasn't even breathing hard, with all the acrobatics and killing that she did, her stamina is phenomenal to say the least.

Despite her fame and ability, none knew who she really was. Not even the guild who accepted her had any idea where she had come from, she had been awarded various boons, and has stayed loyal to her guild, even during several intense power shifts of their leaders. I would have loved to meet her, but I doubt I would get anywhere near her before I am found by the guards.

I resigned to merely observe for now, and to covertly assist the defenders when given the chance. A warrior of her caliber would be around for awhile, barring political dangers. Surely, we would meet again on the battlefield.