Chapter 2

It had been two full days, no sign of the summoner, and Joshua's patience was beginning to wear thin. With the few materials he had collected in the labyrinth, he wasn't sure that he'd be able to create another sword...the one before was near-perfect. A superb weapon, which would've been confiscated along with his other one. Both of them having properties unfamiliar to any of the CraftLords, Joshua was forced to battle against monsters in the maze with a single hammer.

"My back is killing me..." he complained.

Swinging such a thing was difficult. Heavy, and nearly the size of a medium sized box, this seemed quite deadly...to him and his opponent. Such sheer power was required to use it, whereas his swords were quite light and powerful. Although...this being the first time of using a hammer would have come into account as well. Much of the training he took before he came here was Dual Sword combat. This was what he really excelled at, but once again, the rules came into play, meaning he'd fight with a single weapon.

Night had fallen, and Joshua was looking out at the ocean. He knew that the ship...his belongings and nearly everything else were down below the miles of water. His thoughts disturbed when a messenger gently tapped him on the shoulder, informing the summoner had FINALLY arrived. The journey back to the workshop was easy, especially with the new 'Water Scooter' he was given. Perhaps this world was somewhat advanced after all. The machine looked just like a normal scooter, only with some sort of technology that made the thing hover.

"I wonder what the summoner is like. Probably some old guy. But that wouldn't be so bad. More experience would mean a better Guardian Beast. I hope."

Oddly, the summoner was quite young, about in his late twenties, with brown hair and blue garments. Handing over the Summonite, he thought it would be that simple, and a beast would appear out of thin air. He was surprised when the summoner spoke to ask him a question.

"So...What do you hope to achieve from the tournament?" he asked.

Joshua knew he had to be honest, but...without revealing his identity or plans. A single mistake could cause them to catch on and question his real identity. Granted, to them, he looked like a normal teenager, but when you survive through everything life's thrown at him so far, you can't really call him, normal.

"...I want to have enough power to forge not just weapons, but a way home." Joshua replied calmly.

A good answer. That was quite correct. He intended to build a ship while keeping it a secret, hopefully managing to gain to proper materials to achieve this goal. He knew his friends would come looking for him eventually, but with the different worlds, time seemed to run slower on some, faster on others. Sighing deeply, he awaited another question.

"And...What do you seek out of life?"

Okay, this was a bit more of a difficult question. Granted, his life hadn't been easy growing up. With his mother dying after Joshua's sister's birth, he was forced to look after her and his other brothers. Zac and Dakoda. Zac, who was currently back on Mobius, Dakoda had betrayed them both and killed their sister they first arrived in the Video Dimension. But this couldn't really relate to his answer...could it?

"...I want to make others happy, and to overcome my own loss. To protect a loved one, from everything. I've lost quite a lot, and I don't want to lose anyone else!"

With a simple flick of his cape, the summoner's hands glowed with energy, and a strange portal appeared before them. Light streamed out of it, while the summoner chanted odd words that Joshua couldn't understand. With a final flash of light, the summoner vanished, but a new figure had emerged. A young looking figure, floating in mid-air. The light slowly died down, letting Joshua see what had happened.

"Huh?"

Joshua was confused. This Guardian Beast looked like a girl. Wasn't a Guardian Beast to be something along the lines of looking LIKE a beast? It didn't matter. It had light pink hair, dark brown eyes and very pale skin. Her clothing was quite skimpy, a black piece of clothing, which covered her slightly large breasts, and a pair of shorts, also black. She looked around, surprised at her surroundings. It seemed she hadn't left her world before.

"W-Where am I?" it asked.

Joshua nearly fell over in shock.

"It can talk?!" he stammered.

"It?! I'm a girl, thank you! And I have a name! It's Sugar!" she protested.

"Hmm...It seems she's from Sapureth. I haven't heard of that place for quite some time!" Bron smirked.

"What? You know where she came from?" Joshua asked

"Aye. The last CraftLord had a Guardian Beast, also from the same realm. It was different to Sugar here, and it met it's end along with it's Master. Now, Joshua. I guess you better prepare yourself for tomorrow, it will be quite busy!" Bron shouted.

With Sugar on Joshua's side, they should be able to do well, even win the tournament if they managed to cooperate. Leaving them alone to talk, Joshua sat down on a chair, overwhelmed at how all of this was happening so fast. First, there was the huge fall from the atmosphere, a struggle against a foe underwater, learning about CraftKnights and the tournament, and now Sugar's arrival.

...She looks kinda cute. Best I don't say that, though. I don't want to get...yelled at again. Perhaps we should go to the harbor and try and calm down after today... Joshua sighed.

"Sugar...You want to go to the harbor?" Joshua asked.

She nodded quite happily and followed him. Much of the city was asleep, lights turned off by the time the both of them had gotten to the harbor. With a bit of hesitation from Joshua, who didn't feel too comfortable about standing on a boat, they were staring out at the ocean, but it was Sugar who broke the tranquil silence around them.

"...Master Joshua..."

Joshua turned, almost ready to reply.

"Listen...Sugar...I'm real sorry about earlier...Things are just going by so fast...and you're probably the only one I can talk to about my problems that I can't tell anyone else. I can't really say much at the moment...but I can trust you, right?" Joshua asked.

Sugar was kind of surprised, but nodded.

"...I'm not really from this world. Like you, I was born in a different dimension, and...after quite a while, I ended up here. Quite a lot of accidents made me arrive here, and...I'd rather not say much else right now..." Joshua said, slightly uncomfortable, hoping not to say too much.

"So, you're like a prince or something?"

Joshua rubbed his head.

"Kinda...People think of me as an important person. All my friends are waiting for me back on a planet called Mobius, and I have to win the tournament to get back. I think the materials to make a...tool to help me back to Mobius is on the deeper levels of the labyrinth and...So...you'll help me...right?" Joshua asked.

Sugar nodded.

"Of course! I'm your Guardian Beast! I'll help you with anything, Master Joshua!" she smiled happily

"Okay...Just stop it with the 'Master' stuff. I consider you an equal, someone I have to protect...And why did you think I'm some sort of prince? I'm not exactly royalty but, I'll always be there to protect you. So, you have never have to worry about anything." Joshua smiled.

"...So...you'll be kind to me? That's nice...I'm happy my fiancé will be a caring person!" Sugar replied cheerfully.

Again, Joshua nearly fell over in shock. Marriage?! They'd only just met! Granted, he hadn't had anyone THAT close to him...there was once...but he shut that memory away. It had brought pain to him before, and wasn't about to relive it. And getting close to someone, even if there was already sign of romance between them, it wouldn't be wise...

"Sugar...I can't marry you. It's not because of what you think...You do look adorable, and under normal circumstances, I would accept your offer...but...I can't. Having such a huge responsibility...would only put you in danger. I don't want you to die. The monsters in the deeper parts of the labyrinth could easily defeat us if we were to be careless." Joshua sighed.

Her cheeks went a bright red.

"Alright...but we don't have to get married right away...so...you'll tell me, right?" Sugar asked.

Joshua turned around and smiled. Perhaps if everything turned out the way he planned, then maybe. Marriage didn't exactly sound SO bad, and by the time the tournament finished, that would probably be enough time to learn enough about each other. Looking over towards Sugar, who was looking at him with a confused look, but smiled.

"We'll see. " he said, opening his arms and hugging her.

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Awww...Well, we've come quite a way so far! Keep going! There's still more to go!