Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory
Authors's Note: this is the "sequel" to The Last of the Agents Part I: The Legacy (thus, if you haven't read that yet, you may not understand some things in here.) I admit that this part may not be as interesting, since there will not be much action and fight scenes; the chapters will be shorter, too. However, the background that this sets is quite important, so it should be read anyway.
Ch. 1: Friends of the Student
Kyrin had just finished taking in another student as a Pirate, handed him a gun and a pair of Knucklers when they arrived.
There was one male and two females. The male had black hair, blacker than his equipment. One female had pink hair with curls that bobbed up and down as she walked. They bounced a few more times when she stopped walking. The other, older female had bright blue hair. They obviously weren't for any job advancement; their levels were already way too high. And none of them wore or carried anything a Pirate would.
Before she said anything, the male, obviously a Warrior, asked her "Do you know a Phil?"
She was surprised, and her reply was, of course, "Yes."
Now the Thief spoke. "He told us to go to this place. He said that we could get there through this thing called a warp portal here. Using these things." All three held up their Warp Cards simultaneously.
"And you were told to come here by Phil?" she asked.
All three nodded simultaneously. The Thief's pigtails bounced when she did so.
"Did he tell you anything else?"
"He died before he could tell us anything else," the Magician said.
Died? How could he die? though Kyrin.
They then showed her the badges with the letter A. This was when she knew this was official and not a prank.
"Very well," Kyrin said, remaining her cool. "The Warp Portal will take you over to the Omega Sector. The people there will tell you all about it. I will contact them."
She made a call and talked to the monitor, then nodded at them.
Brent, Celina, and Evelyne passed through the Portal one by one, each reappearing in the Command Center.
All three were surprised at seeing the actual Command Center. There were also surprised looks on Dr. Kim's and Professor Porter's face, but only from the fact that new people were coming, not that they arrived.
They were taken aback by the hi-tech monitors and buttons/ switches.
After they had recovered, they walked out of the Command Center and out onto the general area.
"So this is where Phil was all the time," said Brent.
"This place looks so…awesome!" squealed Evelyne. She began running all over the place, did cartwheels, rolled around in the grass, and flew all over the place with Flash Jump.
"Hey, come back!" Celina shouted as she Teleported after her.
Brent ignored the two and walked around. A door suddenly opened and a man came out. He wore the exact same clothes as Phil, complete with the "things" on the side of his head and sunglasses. He even carried the same weapon as him, only it was silver instead of black.
Agent Marco glanced at the two girls, and then turned his attention to Brent.
"Hello," he said. "My name is Marco. I take it that you have an acquaintance with Phil?"
"Yes," replied Brent as both of them heard a shout of "Hey, stop that!" Brent glanced at them. Marco acted as if the two girls weren't even there.
Marco nodded. He now looked over at them. He muttered something which Brent recognized as "Force Field," one of the skills that Phil had used.
All of a sudden, a translucent barrier appeared as both Celina and Evelyne slammed into it, abruptly stopping their movements. Evelyne, who had been in mid-air, fell to the ground and landed on Celina.
"Welcome," Marco said. "To the Omega Sector."
All three of them froze as they suddenly had a double take when they realized the huge building with all its devices and machines from the enormous building they just came out of.
"Phil was surprised the first time he came here, too." Marco said.
Celina and Evelyne slowly trudged over to where Brent and Marco were.
"Where are the aliens?" Evelyne asked.
"You know about the aliens?" Agent Marco said, surprised.
"Yeah. That's how we came to know about this place in the first place. He had called us to help in Leafre."
"No wonder," muttered Marco, still standing in the same spot. "I'm sure you have a lot of other questions to ask other than about the aliens." He added.
"Well, yes," replied Celina. She glanced at Evelyne. "But we don't know where to start."
Marco nodded. "Looks like I'll start it."
"You see, your friend Phil, was employed in an organization called the Agents. It's members are called, quite obviously, Agents. It is a secret organization; and a dying one, at that."
"A dying one?" asked Brent.
"Yes."
"How many Agents are there right now?"
"Before the death of Phil…He and I were the last of the Agents."
"So…right now, you're the last one?"
Agent Marco nodded solemnly.
"They were the protectors of the world, the peacekeepers," Agent Marco continued. "They were extremely powerful. They possessed unimaginable powers. Few people could even hope to wound an accomplished Agent, much less kill one. And for a full fledged Agent…" His voice trailed off.
"Then…how come nobody knows about them? Especially when the organization is dying?"
Agent Marco looked at them sadly. "Because it is a secret organization. Every member that joined was sworn to secrecy. It is arcane. Barely anyone outside of the organization—not even the leaders, (Athena, Sitting Bull, Dark Lord, or Grendel)—knew about it. Now they know, but are still not entirely sure of what the Agents are."
He paused for a moment, and, seeing a confused look in all of them, he said. "Not anyone could join this organization. Its members are handpicked. Even if everybody knew about it, few could hope to join it. It is an elite fighting force. They only ever revealed themselves one time…and that was when the Black Magician nearly took over the world. Even after that, they returned to their secrecy."
"But I'm getting off topic here," he said. "Phil, of course, couldn't tell you about it. He needed to keep this organization a secret. "
"What about all the times he ran off?" Evelyne asked.
"Those were his missions, his tasks. There were people who needed to be saved, and, well, he couldn't tell you about it."
"So that's why," murmured Brent.
"You say Agents are super-powerful." Celina said. "Why are they so powerful?"
"If you have seen Phil in action, as you probably have, an Agent has a set of skills that are rarely, if ever, accessed by a non-Agent. The one I recently used, Force Field, is one."
"And Nova Bomb?" asked Celina.
He nodded. "However, there is more. Other than this weapon, the Laser Rifle, which all qualified Agents carry, they also have another aspect."
"What is that?"
"They have knowledge of more than one class and/or path."
"I don't understand," Evelyne said.
"It means, most of the time, that they can handle multiple weapons with the same effectiveness. For example, one might be a Ranger, but at the same time, also a Crusader."
"So Phil wasn't only a Sniper/ Marksman, but knew another class's skills?"
"That is an understatement." Replied Marco. "He knew the skills of every job, and every path of each job."
"So that means…"
"He was everything." Agent Marco finished for Brent.
All three were stunned. There friend, capable of doing everything they currently knew. And perhaps even more.
"Why are we here, anyway?" Celina asked on an impulse.
"Because you three will become Agents." Came the firm reply
"But…just because we're his friend…doesn't mean we're as good as he is," said Celina.
"Yes you are," said Agent Marco. "There is a reason why Phil had you come here. He has gauged your abilities before, and I trust his judgment." He walked over to Celina.
"You, I have heard, are capable of not only holy magic, but other elemental attacks."
"You told him?" Celina asked Evelyne.
"Yeah," replied Evelyne. "During the trip to El Nath."
"But all I know is Fire Arrow!" said Celina.
"But that is only in the aspect of fire magic, no?"
"Well…"
Marco walked over to Evelyne.
"I have heard you are competent with not only shuriken-do, but also the art of the dagger."
"Well, I know Double Stab," Evelyne replied.
"That is enough, for now," replied Marco
Marco moved over to Brent.
"I see you carry both a sword and an axe."
"Well, I like to use both hands to attack at once." Brent looked at him. "I can use a shield, too. It's just that I have learned to use the weapons to block as well. But it's not like I know the skills of a White Knight."
"Ah. It seems that you are ambidextrous."
"What's that?"
"It means that you can use one hand or arm as effectively as the other. Some people are right handed and some are left. You are both."
"Cool," replied Brent.
"Let me see your skills in the other aspects of your class. Puppet!" Numerous puppets appeared around the grass, waiting to be struck down.
"Let me see your potential with your dagger," Marco said to Evelyne
Evelyne nodded and grabbed the Shinkita she had found in Orbis. "Shadow Partner." She leapt toward the nearest Puppet. "Savage Blow!"
The Puppet she had targeted was torn to shreds, the attack increased twofold with Shadow Partner.
"How do you know Savage Blow? Didn't you only know Double Stab? And why didn't you tell him?" Celina asked her when she came skipping back to them.
"Well, I decided that, since I had learned Shadow Partner, Double Stab, when the attack was doubled, only resulted in four hits. Savage Blow produced six hits, and it would be a lot more hits," she replied, blowing away several strands of pink hair. "And I guess I forgot to tell him."
"Evelyne, you are overly weird."
Evelyne just smiled.
"Not bad," Marco said. "Celina?"
Celina stepped forward, her staff raised. "I want to see every other elemental attack you are capable of," Agent Marco told her.
"Thunder Bolt!" She commanded. A number of lightning bolts descended toward the Puppets, frying them.
"Cold Beam!" A spear of ice pierced another Puppet dead center, straight through the bull's eye of the target.
"Do you know Poison Brace?" Agent Marco asked her.
"Yeah, but I don't think it would do much here."
"That is enough for now." Marco said to her. He turned to Brent. "And you?"
Brent didn't need to use any skills, but did anyway. He deftly cleaved through all the remaining Puppets, each hand destroying a different Puppet at the same time. He used Power Strike, Slash Blast, and Ground Smash once with each weapon.
"Not bad," said Agent Marco when Brent was finished. "Do you know how to use any of the other weapons?"
"Yeah, I guess. But I don't carry them around with me."
"Wait here. I'll be right back." He went back inside the building and returned with a spear, a pole-arm, and a blunt weapon. He handed them all to Brent as Marco summoned a few more Puppets. Brent then showed his mastery (or at least, competence) with each weapon, as he cleaved, speared, and flattened each puppet with a different weapon.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Said Agent Marco after he finished. "You three seem to be ready for the training."
"What training?" Brent asked.
"Why, the training to become an Agent, of course." Said Agent Marco. He looked at them. "Because you will begin your training at a much higher level than Phil did, then your training will be slightly different. Do whatever you want to for now." He disappeared through the door and left them to their own devices.
"Uhm…what do you think we should do now?" Celina asked the two of them.
"Well, you two can just go do your girly things," Brent replied. "I'm going to practice using the other weapons a Warrior uses." He picked up the weapons Agent Marco had left with them.
"I'm not girly!" shouted Celina. Then a much lower voice said "However, Evelyne here is."
"What!" shouted Evelyne. The two girls suddenly began punching each other. Brent moved over and pushed them apart. "Do what you want, just don't fight each other." Both of them murmured something inaudible, and then went to do whatever they would do.
"Girls…" Brent muttered under his breath.
-X-
After a few hours of doing whatever the three of them had been doing, they were told to "head back to their own quarters and take a rest." In other words, to go to sleep. They didn't complain though; it the sun had already set and all of them were more or less tired, and most of the other people had gone to sleep already. They were surprised that they hadn't received any assignments on the first day they were here.
They were introduced to their rooms; each one had their own room that was the size of a Mushroom house in Henesys. They asked if Phil had one like this; Agent Marco responded with a quick "Yes."
The alarm came out at the middle of the night. All three of them had been too lazy to change clothes, and were up a few seconds after the alarm sounded. Celina and Evelyne scrambled outside, half asleep. Brent, who hadn't been asleep when the shrill siren blasted through the compound (he had been studying everything his room had to offer) got outside first, Blue Screamer in hand and glowing orbs already circling him, ready to fight whatever enemy that had come. Evelyne and Celina came out shortly after him, preparing for the emergency fight.
Instead of a monster or enemy, they saw Jr. Officer Medin standing there calmly, whom they had met when Agent Marco had left, holding a clipboard.
"Test passed," they heard Jr. Officer Medin say as he scribbled something on the clipboard.
There was a confused look on Brent's face. Evelyne rubbed her eyes and exchanged looks with Celina.
"Go back to bed." Yawned Celina. It took a few seconds for Brent to understand what had happened. They slowly lumbered back to their quarters.
-X-
Morning came all too early. Jr. Officer Medin was there to greet them.
"Good morning," he said. "I trust you all had a good night's sleep."
He received a few grumbles in reply.
Jr. Officer Medin studied Celina. "Hmmm… first Magician to become an Agent."
"You're kidding."
He gave her a stern look. "We don't kid here," he replied, his tone unchanging, and walked away. Celina and Evelyne exchanged looks.
Just then, Agent Marco walked over to them.
"Why does Jr. Officer Medin say I'm going to be the first Magician to become an Agent?" Celina asked him.
Agent Marco smiled. "That is because no Magicians have ever really become Agents."
"Why?"
"Because magic and science don't mix."
"Science?"
"Yes. The primary reason an Agent is so powerful that they harness the powers of science."
"Science?"
"Yes. You will learn about it in the coming days. Phil had to learn about it, too. And I cannot say it is a walk in the park," he sighed.
-X-
Before they were to learn science, however, they had to learn the skills of the other paths of their jobs. Since they were new, their first task was one that concerned the aliens around the Omega Sector, to get used to them. They were told to collect 5,000 Mateon Tentacles from the, well, Mateons.
The task was, too say the least, quite boring. The Mateons didn't put up much of a fight before they died. Brent, besides the killing, was put in charge of cutting the tentacles.
"My sword it going to need a major wash when we're done," he complained. His Blue Screamer had been completely covered by the purple slime that came from the Mateons, so it could be called a "Purple Screamer," so to speak.
Every time they collected a hundred, Evelyne would Flash Jump back to base and hand them over to Rice the Medic.
"Show off," muttered Celina each time she did it.
-X-
"My armor is getting dirty," whined Evelyne about an hour into the task
"At least it isn't cloth armor," retorted Celina.
After about three hours, the task was finally done. The long time it took to complete the task was mostly due to the lack of Mateons, and that the place where the Omega Sector called "Off-Limits" was pretty big, even though each Mateon had eight tentacles. They weren't "allowed" to go into Boswell Field.
Brent looked at his sword. It was covered in purpled liquid. The stars Evelyne retrieved were covered in purpled liquid, too. She glanced at Celina. Yup, her robe was also stained with the strange, thick purple liquid. But they were glad it was finally over.
"Good job," said Jr. Officer Medin. "You have completed your first training assignment."
The three stared wearily at him. "You are dismissed," he said.
-X-
In the common room, the three were chatting about their task. Evelyne was still complaining about how boring it was.
"You guys don't use projectiles. You don't have to go retrieving ammo after you've used them all up. You have it easy. I'll bet that just about every task later on will require me to do that," she said as she twirled a Tobi.
"What?" asked Brent. "You two should be lucky that you even get to use long range attacks. I have to walk up to each monster and swing my sword to kill it. Plus, you get Flash Jump, which basically eliminates any waiting."
"You have Ground Smash! Why don't you ever use that?"
"It only hits three monsters."
"Better than just one."
"It only goes in a straight line. Like Rush"
The conversation eventually turned into an argument, until they realized that Agent Marco was standing quietly at the door.
"Oh, hi," said Celina, and all three felt a little awkward.
He quietly walked over to them. Still standing, he began talking.
"You won't be complaining once you learn the skills of the other advancement paths." He said. Without another word, he produced three books, tossing them over to them. Evelyne picked up her book. It was titled Tricks of the Bandit, Chief Bandit, and Shadower. Celina looked at hers. The cover said Fire, Poison, Ice, and Lightning Magic. Brent stared at his. His said Page to Paladin, Spearman to Dark Knight."
"In order to become a true Agent, one must learn at least their counter-part's skills, from the second to fourth job. Or have the properties of another class. But I'm pretty sure you don't want to go through that."
Celina and Brent Stared at Evelyne. "Lucky!" they said in unison.
"Huh?"
"You only need to study one set of skills," said Brent. "The Bandit's Path. We need to study two."
"Now hold on. Just because one needs to study less skills, it doesn't necessarily mean it is easier. In fact, it could actually be harder," said Agent Marco
Evelyne frowned at this, but it didn't last very long.
"Who cares?" she said, opening her book. The others did the same. "Hey, I already know this. Double Stab, Haste, Endure, Shadow Resistance, Savage Blow."
"Read on," said Marco dryly.
"Dagger Mastery, Dagger Booster, Steal." She cringed at the last skill. "I don't wanna go stealing people's stuff," she whined.
"No. Not people's stuff. Monsters' stuff. That way, you can get their items without having to kill them."
"That's reassuring," replied Evelyne sarcastically.
"Whatever," said Agent Marco. "Remember: the General will want to see your progress, and I'm the person that informs him." Without another word, he left.
Evelyne turned a few more pages. "Pickpocket? Isn't that the same as Meso Up?"
"I don't think so," replied Celina, looking at the skill. "But it seems to be the same idea. It could be useful to combine the two skills, though."
"Heh, looks like I can skip through most of the second job skills for Page and Spearman. I just need to learn Threaten, Hyperbody, and Iron Will.
"Looks like most of the second job skills are similar to the others of the same class," Celina said.
"This looks so cool!" giggled Evelyne as she reached the fourth job skills. "Meso Mastery! Assassinate! Boomerang Step! And Smokescreen! I can make myself unseen without using Darksight!"
"Assassinating people is fun?" muttered Celina under her breath.
"Hmmm…HP Recovery," said Brent. "This looks nice. That way, I won't need to have a Bishop around me all the time." He glanced at Celina.
"Hmmm…Thunder Spear," said Celina. "This looks nice. That way, I won't need to have a Warrior around me all the time." She glanced at Brent.
"Touché," replied Brent, grinning.
-X-
In the following days, they "practiced" their new skills around the Omega Sector, Kulan Field, and Boswell Field. There were also a few other things that they were trained on; all of them from what Phil was trained on, though only on a minor scale.
The science came later. They were taught at a much faster pace, due to their already high levels. They had not been taught everything yet, but soon, they would learn it—it was inevitable.