Sanctuary

by Mauled2Death

Pushing onwards to see his fate through, TJ's journey continues in book two of Frequency: Sanctuary. In order to gather his remaining memories he and his companions strive to defeat some of the greatest Agasuras Jienda has ever seen to collect the pages of a magical tome named Memorius Sanctum. Yggdrasil finds itself in a race against time to complete the book or die trying.

5. Freya

The Third Harmony: Freya

We were marked and chosen upon birth through our lineage to become the hope of these worlds. But no, that's not quite the reason I'm doing all of this. There's just someone I love too much. (Kooh)

"Ch-Chief..." TJ muttered with knit eyebrows."

"It is a pleasure to see you again. Now that we are all assembled I would like to hear the details of your mission, if you would be so kind," Peorth said.

"Slow down there a second," Su hissed. "This guy is a Confidant?" Peorth nodded once. "He's the same thing that tried to kill us! He's a Tyrant of the Maelstrom!"

Vanir had the gall to look insulted. "That's quite the bold claim you're making there Succubas."

"Call me that again and give me a reason to give you an iron smile! I dare you!" She returned her glare to the guild master. "Who made this clown into a Confidant? He can't exist! There's only one Abellan, and somehow he's able to switch forms from an Agasura to a human, allowing him into the cities! That's not all; he can use the Contemptuous Arts and the Divinity Sealing spell!" She drew her dagger while keeping him within her vision from the corner of her eye. "I'll kill him now and stop him before he does anything."

"Hold a moment Suuba. There is no need to jump to conclusions," Peorth answered. "Let us discuss the matter before we act, as I believe that once you hear his side of the story there will be no need for conflict between us."

The young girl clicked her tongue. "Let's hear it then."

The barista uneasily rubbed the back of his neck. "Where do I even begin?" He sighed and crossed his arms. "First things first; I am not a Tyrant of the Maelstrom. Mmkay? Good. It's something very similar in essence though. If what my research and the information I got from Peorth here holds true, then what I can 'become' is a creature similar to the creature you Cerebians know as the Tyrant of the Maelstrom. The two are very closely linked, since the TotM was the first of its kind. My entire journey consisted of doing everything it took to acquire this power, and I succeeded. It was costly." He smiled bitterly. "You dabble in dark magic and everyone, including your friends will want your head. That's not important though. Unlike you, I don't transform. It's more an aura than a being. If I attempted to change my shape either I'd die or lose control and become...something. This is just an educated guess on the matter. Now let's move on to more pressing matters."

"I am in agreement," Peorth said.

"Queenie mentioned your symbiotic nature right?" TJ nodded. "Good. This is something both you, and all the other creatures like you share. I guess you could say that for all Agasura. But you're a very particular case. You have the power over two very powerful elements, light, and darkness. Though you've chosen to side with Peorth and in turn become the saviour to her kind, it won't change the fact that you have Agasuric blood in you. Though you can become the Messenger of Light, you'll still have the ability to become the Tyrant of the Maelstrom under the right circumstances, of course. Or at the very least, something close to it. You won't be able to become the TotM without Choen Palm's piece of the Heart of Yggdrasil but that fact won't change. You're gonna need that power, and the power of the Seven if your goal is to defeat the Demon King. Agasura can't be killed by the four elements, nor by the Divine Arts. That, is where the Contemptuous Arts comes in. Master that, and he'll be putty in your hands."

"Okay...but how did you get that power? There aren't others like you, are there?" TJ knit his eyebrows.

"No there's not. Technically, I'm the only one, but I can't quite tell you how I got this power." He offered them a wavering smile. "I can tell you that I'm a traveller. I've come a long way to get here...rather, it was purely by chance and pretty lucky at that. There are some people who followed me here and are likely still somewhere out there searching for me. It's been...what, twenty years? Maybe thirty since then?"

"So what about your little friend there? Anyone with any knowledge of spirits knows that she's not any of the races in the triad. You clearly summoned the little shit. Care to explain?" Su crossed her arms and tapped on her left.

Vanir's mouth twitched at the question. "Gods...can you just stop sticking your nose into my business? You're way too perceptive for your own good. Skuld, come on out." The brownie removed herself from behind the barista's legs and took point before him, his hand gently resting on her hat. "As the potty-mouthed kid said, my companion isn't exactly a brownie. She's my familiar, and my only remaining companion Skuld. Throughout most of my journey's she's been by my side, both protecting me and fighting for me, and doing so much more. I wouldn't have come this far without her. Come on, don't be shy."

"M-my name is Skuld. I am Master's only remaining summoned being." Su's ears seemed to peak at the comment.

"Ain't she just the sweetest? What a keeper!"

"What'd she mean by only remaining summoned being," Su asked.

"Geh..." He grunted and sighed. "I used to summon things. I know how, but I pissed someone off and they sealed my magic. Happy now?" He glared at the teenager.

She grinned devilishly in response. "Ecstatic."

"Anyway let's get on with this shall we? I'm sick of talking about me and my dark past." Su snorted at the comment and his glare intensified.

"You two get along very well." Peorth commented and both looked at her with furrowed brows. "Returning to the topic at hand, TJ, Suuba, this is very important information. I strongly believe Vanir's form is related to a series of Agasuras that have not been seen since ancient times. In some of the scripts that I had found in the libraries of the palace I had uncovered some of the information on the creatures from that time." She closed her eyes. "Our ancestors and those of humanity's had faced off with Asmodeus himself and the greatest threat both had ever seen; a series of sentient beings that spread corruption from one world to the next. The creatures came from a place described as 'The Dark World' to Midgard and in their wake brought death and decay along with a spell similar to that which was used both on Asgard and in Kimara. Can you recall the spell 'Rinstar'?"

TJ shuddered at the question. "Y-yeah...sadly. That thing still haunts my dreams...and my memories."

She nodded. "It was present then. They had described it as a 'black star of death'. It had marred the earth in ways one could not imagine. The scripts tell of God Ah and his left hand banishing the creatures from our world and sealing Asmodeus away. I know not any further details but should I find out I will inform you as soon as possible. Let us move on to the topic of the Seven once more. Vanir, if you would."

"Uh huh. So, the Seven seem to share some of the traits that the the exiled creatures do. This is just a speculation so don't hold me to it alright? From what I've seen those specific Agasura, let's call them Demons for the sake of my sanity, shall we? Now then, the Demons unlike the Agasura inhabited a specific set of creatures, and if they didn't do that, they'd remain in an ethereal form. Couldn't do half the things they could with physical forms, mind. If they claimed a vessel, they would gain a certain type of shape, each meant to fulfill a different role. Almost like the class system in place here. At the top of that pyramid stands the king, and what they don't know is even higher, which is you TJ, the Abellan. As one would expect, they'd think you dead, and you likely the same. Hence why there was a king; but I guess they could have a 'god' of some sort too."

"I didn't even know there was such an Agasura," TJ muttered.

"My point exactly. Or close enough, at the very least. Anyway back on point, I think the Sinful Seven are a lot alike to the others, but rather than falling under the same categories as the rest, they'd have their own set of classes or skills or something. I don't know what they'd do specifically, but if the sins of man are what allowed them to manifest, chances are the sins of man are their weapon in some form or another. Now back to you Ice Queen."

Peorth held out a hand and turned her gaze back to the two. "This is a technique I would like to teach you also TJ. It will be a crucial skill in your battle, to utilize when I am not present." She took a deep breath. "Release, Memorius Sanctum!" A powerful air pressure surged forth from where she stood and a beautiful gilded tome appeared in the palm of her hand.

"What's that Chief?" He asked with a quizzical gaze.

"This is my family's greatest heirloom. It has passed down to our proxies since ancient times, and has been placed in my care as the last link in the chain, and the first to form a contract with the Abellan. This tome contains the history of the world as God Ah and his left hand knew it, and I believe that it also contains some of your memories prior to losing them. If what the tome tells me holds true, the Seven each hold a page that will be crucial to your growth towards becoming your true self, and in the process return your memories, and your forgotten spells."

"That's amazing! But those Agasuras will definitely be some of the toughest we've faced yet. I'll do my best to be ready to face them when the time comes. After fighting Pandora, which of the Seven will we fight first, and where?"

"I do not know." TJ looked nonplussed.

"I've not the foggiest either." Vanir said with a shrug.

"You're both morons," Su grumbled.

"I know of a Confidant that may be able to assist us in locating them with the help of her sisters. Her name is Lucia, and she is a dancer at Club Abio. Should you find the time, I would recommend going to visit her, at the very least to pay your respect," Peorth said.

"I'll be keeping an eye out too, and I'll be sure to stay in touch with my customers and the other Confidants I know about. Chances are someone will hear something about them." Vanir blinked. "Oh! Here's a useful little tidbit also; I think that the more attuned you become to your Agasuric nature, via the Sinful Seven, you'll also become more aware of their presence. Hone those senses kid. They'll take you far."

"Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that along the journey." TJ replied with a smile.

"We should make plans to set out for Foe Mansion," Peorth suggested. "You can leave the team composition to me TJ. But at your convenience you may select a date. If I may, a date within the near future may be in our best interest, as you know time is not on our side. Although, I shall not put you at risk for fear of time."

He shook his head. "I'm alright now Chief. Our meeting with Vanir shook me up a little but I think I'm well enough to return to the battlefield." He knit his brows. "That aside, I'll probably have more than enough time to rest while we search for the Seven. For now let's focus on getting Pandora's Box and proceeding from there. If it's not too soon, we can set out tomorrow and get things off to a proper start."

"Fine by me," Su said.

"That sounds excellent," Peorth added. "I would recommend getting a proper night's sleep you two. Though the journey is short, we still have a fair distance to travel, and Pandora is not to be underestimated either. Now if you will excuse me..." She took a bow and made her exit as her guild-mates and the barista wished her a good night.

"We should get moving too. Baby needs his beauty sleep," Su sneered returning to the crystal. "Later losers."

TJ snorted at the comment and Vanir furrowed his brows. "That girl has an attitude," The barista muttered.

"She's a lot kinder than she might sound," He chuckled gently. "If you talk with her enough you'll begin to see it too. Still, thanks for the information Vanir. We'll be sure to drop by to stay in touch and see how your search is going. It'll definitely be a big help."

The barista smiled wryly. "Are you serious? Do I look like some kind of hint NPC to you?" TJ tilted his head quizzically. "Should have expected that reaction...regardless, I'll do what I can. If you're gonna come all the way here you better buy something next time you hear? I don't run a charity!"

He smiled. "I will. It's a promise."

The barista clicked his tongue. "Freakin' pretty boys. One more thing before you go." The young man gave him a curious stare and nearly jumped when Vanir placed his hands on his shoulders. "I heard about you using a spell some time ago from a mission you were on...what'd the Ice Queen call it? Caster's Workshop? How did you...no, do you know where you learned it? Did someone teach you?"

TJ rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He could recall using the spell during his fight with Su but not where he had learned it. Who had taught him? Or where exactly did he learn any of the spells that Peorth had not passed on to him? He shook his head. "I dunno. That part of my memory is missing too. Sorry Vanir."

He let go of the young man and sighed. "Nah...nothing you need to apologize for. You've got amnesia. Didn't do anything wrong. If you do remember something about it, tell me ASAP, got it?"

"Yeah...okay. Will you tell me the reason though?"

The barista cracked a tiny grin. "I'll tell you when you're ready. Now get out of my sight. Go get that box kid."

The next morning TJ woke up within the tent that Peorth had provided for him. In the letter she had sent with the package she had said that it would just be a temporary arrangement for him, since sleeping in a tent all of the time would result in him getting ill, and that sleeping in a bed would offer him a better rest. Of late she seemed to worry a lot more about his well-being and he was hard-pressed to deny that he did not enjoy her doting. Though he was not quite sure why she meant the arrangement would be temporary. Did she have plans to have him stay at an inn? He considered asking her about it when they would meet up that day.

After rising from his bed he rummaged through his rucksack and removed a simple sandwich, which he unwrapped and ate until the arrival of his companion through the crystal gave him pause.

"Good morning," He uttered through stuffed cheeks. The blank gaze on Su's face said she was not amused where words failed her.

"Gross." She began, to which he just chuckled under his breath. She sighed and continued, "Though that guy is friends with Peorth and a Confidant I still don't like him. I don't give two shits if he's just a copy of the TotM there's still something completely wrong with it. Things like that don't just happen."

TJ shrugged. "Vanir did his research. I dunno where but he knows his stuff. Besides, he's really well-informed about the Agasura and he's willing to help us out to boot! There's no need to suspect him right? I think he's a pretty good companion."

She sighed once more. "That's the problem with you, you idiot. You're too damn trusting! That guy could put a knife through your back and you wouldn't even think twice about suspecting him of it! Didn't that ridiculous fight with Yuta teach you anything?"

The young man put his sandwich down. "It did..." He began. "It taught me that even if your friends become enemies, that we still have to look past all of that and learn to forgive them regardless of how we're treated. If something's lost it doesn't mean it's gone forever. It just needs to be found again. He may have broken our bond then but I think someday he'll come around and come back to us."

The God's Governor frowned. "You're kidding right?" TJ raised an eyebrow at her in the midst of taking another bite of his breakfast. "He tried to murder you, you dumbass! Do you really think you can just be friends with everyone that's out to take your life?! Choen Palm isn't gonna sit down and have tea with you when she could be controlling you with her shard of the Heart of Yggdrasil!"

He laughed. "Choen Palm is a whole different story. I don't think the two of us will see eye to eye anytime soon."

"I don't think the three of us will see eye to eye ever. She's gotta go, and by gotta go I mean we have to either brutally murder her or at the very least seal her away. If she comes back before we settle things with Asmodeus then we're gonna have to go through hell and high water to end this war."

"Asmodeus..." The young man shook his head. Just the sound of the name gave him the chills. He knew who Asmodeus was, but nothing more than that. At his strongest would he really be able to compete with the King of Agasura? He slapped his cheeks twice and clenched his fists. "I'm gonna defeat both of them. We're gonna do it, together! We've already faced a lot of tough guys and we beat Choen Palm once. I'm willing to bet we can do it again, and when we do face off with her we'll be even stronger than we are now! With the power of the Seven I think we can stop her once and for all." Though in spite of what he said he still felt reluctant to take her life.

"Bravery and stupidity really do go hand in hand don't they."

"If that's what it takes to make a full-fledged hero then I think I can accept that."

Shortly after the two made their way to the guild room and found two of their companions already inside, alongside Sellistar and Shabur.

"Good morning!" TJ chimed with a wave.

"Good morning to you and Suuba also," Peorth answered.

"Hey ho!" Kooh beamed.

"How do you do?" Shabur asked with a bow.

"It's good to see you well, young Abellan and Contractee," Sellistar said.

"Hey." Su said with a nod.

TJ glossed over the group around him and tilted his head. "Is this our team? For taking down Pandora?"

Peorth shook her head. "No, we are yet to see Thee. He should be arriving very shortly. In the meantime, would you like to ask any questions? You need not ask about the mission itself, as I will brief you on it upon his arrival."

TJ glanced at Su and she shrugged. "Hmm...well, where is Foe Mansion exactly? Though I had a map it wasn't exactly a place I noticed...it must have been off the path that we followed." He chuckled dryly.

"Foe Mansion is located within the deepest portions of the Dark Forest. You must be very wary when traversing it, as the Agasuras there have both the ability of flight, and snares."

"These ones can fly? I guess I should have expected that sooner or later but...the only one I knew that could fly was Invoke. Then again, it's not everyday you see a giant dragon so...still, what exactly are these Agasuras? Have we faced them before?"

"There are seven types of creatures within the Dark Forest and Foe Mansion." Peorth clapsed her hands together behind her back. "It is true that you have not faced them before, and though some of us have what they are capable of with Asmodeus' Dominion may offset that knowledge. Their tactics and techniques will vary. It may be best to go in without expectation and react accordingly."

"Oh, okay. With you and Kooh there I think we'll be alright. I've no doubt that you guys could fight them off."

"There's an Iris Stone somewhere in there isn't there," Su asked.

"There's two." Kooh answered with a grin. "One in the Forest and the other the Mansion. You might get something useful out of them TJ. Time to get pumped up!"

He laughed. "I don't think I can get as pumped as you Kooh. But I'll try to keep up!"

"That's the spirit kiddo!"

"Get a room, idiots," Su muttered under her breath.

Shortly after Thee arrived in the Guild Room and offered the crew a two-finger salute. They all greeted him in response and Peorth gathered their attention.

"Now that we have all arrived. Let us begin, shall we?" She began and they all agreed. "As you all know, our mission today will be to enter Foe Mansion and vanquish Pandora, claiming the box and performing the rite to create a link between TJ and it. With that, we will be able to use it to seal the Sinful Seven within and enable TJ to utilize their abilities. This will not be an easy mission, nor will it be safe. I asked you to join me expectant that you were all aware of this, and that in partaking your lives will be at risk once more."

Thee chuckled. "Our parents and grandparents before us fought wars to give us and humanity a future. We're standing here now 'cause they weren't afraid to risk their lives. We shouldn't be scared of a couple Agasura right?"

"Damn right. They don't have shit on us." Su sneered. The two high-fived.

"I'm glad you are in agreement. Thee, you are aware of what Agasura lurk within the Dark Forest correct?"

"Yup. Been there a couple times for the ladies in the Fight Arena. Some of the new adventurers were having a hard time with them so they asked me to clean up a bit."

"I see. You are aware of what they could do without the Dominion's effect, so be on your guard throughout the mission. I have mana potions and health potions prepared for this quest, so if you find the need be sure to use them as you see fit."

"Do you have any information on Pandora," Thee asked.

The guild master shook her head. "To our dismay, I do not. The very little that I know of her is her story, and the existence of an Agasura that was created to protect her called Lady Hug. Princess Herne had heard about it through a group adventurers she had requested investigate the location of the two, the Gothic Room. This is also an Instance Dungeon, though not such as that with you are familiar with. It is only a single room, and within wait both Lady Hug and Pandora. We will have to strategize as the mission proceeds, so bear with me here."

"We're not gonna run in blindly? I'm almost impressed." Su chuckled.

"We have been able to manage on very basic strategies under certain circumstances, mainly planning a team that could counteract the strengths of our enemy, but this will not suffice in these times. Our formation will be a very important matter on this mission. Thee and I shall be the vanguard. Suuba will follow afterwards acting as a secondary fighter and caster. Lastly TJ and Kooh will be the rear-guard."

"What are our duties Chief? What should I do?" TJ asked.

"Firstly Thee and I will lead the charge, clearing a path to the best of our abilities, combatting close range enemies such as the Victors. Su will watch our flanks and occasionally check on the rear-guard while striking enemies that may have us deadlocked. Once we come across the Vampanelars we will swap our formation to have the rear take point and vice versa. This will allow you to strike without the risk of being siphoned and will allow us to take action once the initial attack has passed. Once we come across the last of the Agasura we shall swap once more and remain this way until we reach the Gothic Room. Once inside we will scout out the area and plan our moves from there. If there is no need to fight, then we shall choose that opportunity."

"You forgot to tell TJ his duties Princess."

She looked startled. "My apologies." The Abellan gestured that it was not a problem. "When in the rear guard I would like you to focus on fulfilling a support role. If you recall your songs, please provide us with anything that you think will assist us, while making our well-being your most prominent focus. When in the front-line, you and Kooh will fight offensively, using whichever element suits you best. Remember that using the Divine Arts is much more straining on the body, and will use up more mana and stamina. You'll need your energy for fighting Pandora, especially if you are to transform. Kooh, you know what I wish for you to do already."

"Roger." Kooh replied with a salute.

"This is all the information that I have to offer you. Please remember that all of the information I have provided is only tenative, so proceed with cautioun. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask me," Peorth told them. "If not, prepare yourselves to set out."

"Ready when you are." Thee grinned.

"Let's do this," Kooh cheered.

"I'm ready as I'll ever be, I think," TJ chuckled.

"How many times do I have to say it? Born. Ready," Su said.

"I wish you safe travels and a safe return, Children of the Sun," Sellistar told them.

"Do come back safely," Shabur commented. "Until you do I will manage everything here. Your guild is safe with me."

"You have my thanks." Peorth answered with a tiny smile. Her usual serious expression returned as she turned to her guild. "The mission begins now! Yggdrasil, move out!"

The group returned to Elias Palace and Nan waved at them as they departed. Lead by Peorth the group made their way down the streets of Elias towards the Fight Arena. The five weaved their way through the adventurers lined up to enter the massive tent featuring one of the first man-made Instance Dungeons. Tents were also erected all across the premises, TJ stealing a glance around in case he may find his treasure hunter and meister companions amidst the crowd. To his dismay neither seemed to be around. Perhaps Peorth had dispatched them on a mission also?

Shortly after walking a fair distance the group came across an unpaved flat land quickly changing from green to a mossy-yellow, with wispy looking trees decorating the landscape. Leaving aside those much smaller in stature, massive trees alike to those in the Forest reached out to the sky, yet unlike them they were gnarled and barren, the holes in the trunk giving each an eerily unique likeness; the branches like long spindly arms curving in ways one would not think even possible for a tree.

"What's up with this place?" TJ complained. "It's so dark and eerie around here. Is it like this all the time? Also those trees are the creepiest things I've seen in a long time! They've got faces, and some of them even have moss growing out of them! They look like eyes!"

While following Kooh down a ladder Thee looked up to the Abellan and chuckled, "You'll get used to it. It's always like this around here, which explains how it got its name. The trees around here are as tall as the Forest's, but the way they overlap with each other blocks out the sun, so it's a lot darker around here than it actually is outside. That's pretty much why all these nocturnal creatures hang about."

"You afraid of the dark," Su sneered.

He frowned, "I'm not scared of the dark. There's worse things out there. Like Choen Palm; I'm not afraid of her either." The look on the young girl's face was one of a mocking doubt.

"You all must remain vigilant. Enemies can appear at any moment. Take up formation and prepare yourselves. I am almost positive that the Agasura will strike when we least expect-" Before she could finish her sentence the talons of an unfamiliar creature closed in on her head. In the seconds Kooh drew her dagger Peorth had already drawn her spear and stabbed the creature, dragging it to the ground and impaling it a second time. As she withdrew the bloody weapon it let out one last dying cry and fell.

"Uhh..." TJ said in disbelief.

"How do you do that," Thee asked.

"Vigilance," Peorth replied.

The Abellan walked over and prodded the creature with his foot, jumping back in case it was not quite dead. At the realization of it being as dead a sit possibly could be, he inspected it further. There was not anything too unusual about it; it was essentially, a brown gargoyle with rather large protruding eyes, a very thin body but large wings. It suddenly turned to stone and shattered to pieces, which properly surprised him properly.

"These must be gargoyles huh? Stone and all," He muttered. "They're not as strong as I expected."

"Don't let your guard down too quickly kiddo. While you were out like a light we took a little trip ourselves. Some of the Agasura in the depths of the Snowfields have really stepped their game up. Gave us quite a run for our money," Kooh told him.

"R-really? Who was there? Where were you guys headed?"

"We were off to the selki village. There's more to getting you ready for your showdown than just collecting the Seven y'know." She crossed her arms and nodded. "The God's Governor's Temple is located past a haven called Xenym somewhere in the tundra. The selki are the ones that protected the haven after the Dark Moon attacked it."

TJ stopped suddenly and broke the formation. "The Dark Moon..." He collapsed to his knees. "There too? Was I a part of that? Was it my fault that they destroyed it?!"

Kooh lifted him to his feet and dusted him off. "No no that wasn't your fault. You weren't a part of that raid and neither was Choen Palm. Technically, the Dark Moon didn't destroy it. It was b-" She paused, "bested by them, but not entirely destroyed! The Little Princess went to the selki village to ask them to protect it while we were away so the humans didn't find it again."

"I see."

Kooh smiled bitterly. "You don't have to take everything on your shoulders kiddo. If you've got doubts, just ask. If you feel that something is your fault, talk to one of us about it and we'll set you on the right path to understanding. You're not alone, remember that! All of Yggdrasil is backing you, and we'll be with you right up 'till the final battle! Keep your head up okay?"

He smiled. "Sorry you guys always have to cheer me up-" Kooh made an 'x' with her arms and shook her head. "No apologies huh?" He laughed. "Okay, okay that's fair. Still, I'll be counting on you from here on out. We've got a long way to go."

"Can you idiots save the pleasantries for later? We've surrounded by these flying rats." Su hissed glancing around cautiously.

Just as she had declared, a swarm of gargoyles quickly approached them from all sides. Using their ability of flight they had various vantages on their Cerebian enemies. All five of them looked startled by this, the young ninja excluded.

"That's...not normal for them. They shouldn't be flying around these parts either. Definitely weird." Kooh said.

"Battle stations everyone! Keep the formation and keep a close eye on your allies' blind spots and flanks! Be wary of your choice of spells and stances also," Peorth commanded them. "On my signal engage the enemy!" In the few seconds that passed the tension rose and she raised a hand, "Now!"

Kooh was the first to strike, bringing out a series of icicles with a wave of her hand. Two of them fell and a couple others were wounded but they still proceeded. TJ took a few swings with his guitar in a vain attempt to fight them off, and was quickly pulled away from them by his companion. She plunged her dagger into the ground and icy wall arose from it.

"This'll buy us a bit of time. Let's help out Su on my side in the meantime TJ," Kooh told him.

"I've got you covered," He shouted back. With a strum of his guitar a misty aura surrounded the group and slowed down the approach of the gargoyles. "I remember this one from my fight with Su. I'll keep you healthy as much as I can but...be careful, okay?"

Su stomped the ground and the earth was torn up and arose in the form of sharp rocks, piercing another pair of gargoyles. "This clearly isn't gonna cut it. Earth Mages aren't well known for their area of effect spells you know," She complained. She drew her dagger and dashed closer, being swarmed immediately after and forced them away with two transparent green dragons that emerged from her. There were claw marks all across her body but they did not deter her. "Get to work you pansies!"

Thee charged through the crowd slashing as he did and bringing some down in his wake, one of them narrowly avoiding his attack and grabbing him by the shoulders, pulling him off the ground. "I'm caught," He cried out to his guild mates. The guild-master's spear narrowly missed the back of his head and pierced the gargoyle that held him, her appearing shortly after and pulling them back to the ground. Thee stumbled to his feet and she charged past him scaring their enemies away with a pair of swings from her spear.

Some of the gargoyles had finally managed to get around or over the wall and quickly soared down towards TJ and Kooh.

"We're in quite the pinch TJ," Kooh laughed, "any ideas?"

"Uhh...yeah, actually," He answered. He closed his fist and held it up to the sky, releasing a tiny ball of light that flew above their heads. "Sunlight!" It suddenly burst into a bright flash of light and blinded their enemies and Su.

"You-how about a warning next time jackass?!" She snarled while rubbing her eyes.

"My mistake!" He took the chance he had to act and augmented the weapons of his companions.

"Not bad at all TJ! Got any other spells that can keep 'em back? Buy me a few seconds and I'll clean 'em out."

"I know of a couple." He smiled guiltily. "Watch out guys, I'm bringing in the storm! Lightning Storm!" He shouted pointing a finger to the skies. Dark clouds assembled in the grey skies and lightning rained down upon them, friends and foes alike.

"TJ I think you might be a bigger threat than the Agasura!" Thee cried out, striking down a pair of enemies with a horizontal swing and spinning into the crowd.

"At least I gave you guys a proper warning this time. Besides...I'm probably the only thing standing between you and your death so you might wanna hold your tongue!" As he said that he strummed his guitar and a series of multicoloured ripples emerged from beneath his companion and healed his wounds slightly. In spite of the attitude he gave he knew he was using up a fair amount of mana, and quickly.

"Keep 'em coming. You know we'd be lost without you!"

"Alright, time to shine! Get behind me TJ," Kooh said. The Abellan took cover behind her while Su shot down their enemies with an icy bow. Kooh suddenly drew a group of daggers while a massive bullseye upon a wall emerged from the ground. She began to throw her weapons that would pin the enemies to the bullseye until she threw the final dagger, causing the target to explode. The Abellan started coughing on the SP potion he was drinking and looked at her with disbelief.

"What on Jienda was that," He exclaimed.

"No time to talk, gotta take out the others. TJ, Su, hit the floor!" They did as she insisted and a massive iceberg appeared above them. On her command it began to break apart and a series of icicles shot out towards the gargoyles, easily felling them while others would drift past them. Kooh took a knee and took a deep breath. "I wouldn't recommend using two fifth skills in a row," She chuckled. "That and the other spells really take their toll. Mind if I leave the rest to you kids?"

"I can handle myself," Su muttered.

"Looks like you've gotten rid of most of the ones on our side Kooh," TJ said. "Su could probably handle the-" He was cut off mid-sentence as he caught a glimpse of one of the gargoyles clawing at her scalp and pulling on her hair as she cursed and swatted at it. "H-hang on Su!" With a wave of his hand five tiny orbs of light appeared around him. "Five Arrows of Light!" They shot towards the gargoyle and collided with it, felling it.

"It's been way too long..." The sullen look on her face said that it would refuse any discussion on the matter.

"I would recommend you keep your distance Thee. This skill can potentially be dangerous to allies, without proper supervision." Peorth told him.

"You certainly know how to stay calm in a crisis Peorth," Thee chuckled as he leapt to cut down a gargoyle and fell back. His face and armour were a tad bloody and scraped but he was still able to move naturally.

"I am a guild-master after all." She dashed away from him to a point that she deemed a safe distance, and leapt through the air, thrusting her spear into the ground and impaling those that followed her. "There are only a few left! We must persist!"

"The wrecking crew's got your back Little Princess!" Kooh said drawing throwing daggers with one hand and juggling SP potions with the other.

"That's my line," Thee laughed. He took three mighty swings with his blade and spun around to cut down the gargoyle that was hitting his back.

"Only two left! You guys have got this," TJ cheered.

Kooh threw two more daggers and both pierced the gargoyles that Thee was fighting, causing them to hit the ground with dying screams.

"Dude! Those were mine." Thee furrowed his brows. Kooh winked and stuck her tongue out.

The team rendezvoused where TJ and Su were. Peorth declared that if they were to rest, that they would likely have no more than five to ten minutes before more Agasura took the place of their fallen brethren.

TJ chuckled gently upon seeing the group in such a state. Su had claw marks across her face and her hair was a mess because of one specific gargoyle. Thee's armour was scratched and his face was a tad bloody, but he seemed alright nonetheless. Kooh and Peorth for the most part were unharmed. Peorth's clothes were slightly torn and in those places bloody marks remained but they did not bother her. They sat down and drank potions to restore their stamina and special power while the Abellan played a rejuvenating tune for them. "So that's not normal for them huh?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Absolutely not." Peorth replied sipping a potion with a queen's grace, "But I am thankful that their intelligence has not seemed to improve much since the change. It is unnatural for them to do such a thing, and though they coordinated themselves into a group they lacked a leader, and so lacked order. Their attack was nothing more than disorganized."

"You guys went up against other Agasura right? In the Tundra? Kooh said they stepped their game up, but how exactly did they change? Was it like the gargoyles, actually having some form of teamwork," Thee asked.

"One question at a time good sir!" Kooh replied with an open palm.

"Essentially that is correct," Peorth answered, "It is not unusual for the Agasuras to work together, as you have seen throughout your journey. Though it was unlikely that they would perform a coordinated strike. What we have experienced is species that do not exist on Jienda appearing in various sections of it."

"So you mean species from places off of our continent? Like the other worlds?"

"No, not quite. Species that exist only within the confines of the Instance Dungeons. I cannot quite say how exactly they have successfully escaped from there, but it is a sign of ill omens. This may occur around the other Instance Dungeons that exist, so we must be wary and inform both the adventurers and the citizens of the cities alike. Should the guardians escape..." She shook her head, "It will be the Legion War once more."

"You've gotta give me the details on that later." Thee looked around uneasily. "Personally I think it'd be a good idea if we got the hell outta here. More gargoyles are spawning around us."

"That would be the best course of action. Everyone, let us prepare to leave."

"Princess, I think we should hold back a bit. That situation was a teensy bit out of the blue buuut we...did go a tad overboard with our spells and stances. Don'tcha' think," Kooh asked.

Peorth nodded. "I am in agreement. The use of fifth skills may have been unnecessary, but we must be wary of our mana usage. Using the Divine Arts and certain skills will spend what we have, and we will not be able to restore it as easily. It may be best if we alternate positions as the situation proves necessary, and utilize our Special Power when necessary. Mind yourselves, you should use anything within your arsenal should you find yourself in danger."

"Got it Chief. You be careful too," TJ said.

The group pressed on and TJ stole a couple glances about the area. He saw a group of snakes with flower petals growing around their heads, but that was not what had really caught his attention.

"There's...graves. Broken graves scattered around here," He muttered in disbelief.

Just as he had said in the open patches where the gnarled trees did not stand were a series of graves, oft broken or damaged, the names that marked them faded or covered in venom, webs or scratches. The fences that surrounded them also were damaged, and the gates that held them were torn down along with their arches. Some of the tombstones were knocked down, the graves dug up and at times, the coffins with their inhabitants lay open. The remains of spiders and snakes alike surrounded them.

"Destroyed by both human and Agasura alike, it seems. Vandals, as the humans call them. Vanir had told me that the humans wished to bury their dead here to prevent grave robbers, which proved to be a very dangerous task, once safer. The Agasura had not always gathered so close to the city, but since people actually began coming here they came from across the Dark Forest to hunt. The family of the deceased began to hire adventurers to ensure the safety of those in mourning, and for the transportation of their cask. In spite of their efforts, it still proved too little to scare off thieves. It is a shame..." Peorth explained.

Su shook her head. "'A shame' doesn't even begin to fuckin' describe it," She hissed. "Humans can't even find peace when they've kicked the bucket? They already steal from each other and kill each other when they're alive. Why do they need to take from those who've already lost so much? How do we know we'll be safe from them when we die?!"

Kooh placed a hand on the young girl's head and received a glare in turn, "You have to believe in them kiddo," She continued beaming, "I can't speak for all the humans in the world, but I think there are good people out there. People like Vanir and Tetty and Imhotep just to name a few. Whether they're religious or not, even if they've got nothing to gain from assisting us they still do it anyway. When you parted with your body, they gave you a traditional Elfa style funeral. Both you, and Moran were given these because of them. Tetty even stood up for TJ when everyone in the city wanted him thrown in jail!"

The Abellan gave a slight nod. "I couldn't blame them for their decision, but under the leadership of one we can change what the many believe. Peorth lead you guys and found me, and here we are on our way to save the world," He chuckled.

"You're all stupidly optimistic and I'll turn in my grave before I agree with any of you morons," Su said.

"It's a start, at least."

Peorth and Thee continued to lead the team onwards, drawing their weapons as the Flower Snakes caught on to their presence and approached.

"Prepare yourselves! Though one of the weaker creatures in the Dark Forest their bite can still be quite dangerous!" Peorth shouted.

"Right behind ya' Princess!" Kooh answered twirling her dagger.

Two approached from the front, Thee broke formation and just above the ground, taking one of the snakes with the width of his sword. It slithered over to his leg and attempted to bite him but its fangs only met his blade, and soon after the creature did also.

"So far so good Peorth. These ones seem to be acting pretty normal." Thee stated.

"Don't let your guard down so quickly or you'll be getting an unwanted piercing" Kooh grinned, "Snake bites!"

"That's cold..." Thee shuddered.

"Ten points for trying?" She grinned.

"There's another." TJ pointed out when he spotted a Flower Snake approaching from the rear. He readied his guitar and swept it across the ground. The weapon missed as the snake sprung from the ground and dug its fangs into his arm. "O-ouch! Get it off!" He wailed waving his arm about in Kooh's direction.

"Hold still and I'll kill it kiddo." Kooh answered calmly. At her request he finally stopped but looked away while biting his lip. She grabbed it by the tail and sliced it in two, finding herself at a loss as she noticed the upper half still remained attached. "Persistent little buggers aren't they? This might sting a bit so be ready." She squeezed the head and its grip loosened on his arm. She threw the corpse away shortly after while TJ closed the wound using the healing spell Peorth taught him.

Su caught one that approached and easily put it down with Earth Dragon. "These guys are really weak. If this is the best Asmodeus can dish out he's in for a beating," She snickered.

Peorth tugged on a set of vines and looked to the rest of the party, "Though Kooh's pun leaves something to be desired-"

"Princess," She cried.

"-what she said rings true. Thankfully it seems the gargoyles have chased away the others and inhabited where they once resided, so we will not be seeing many in the near future. I would recommend you all brace yourselves should we encounter any Arachne or find ourselves in their webs. If memory serves me, they will likely try to poison their prey.

"P-poison? That doesn't sound good at all..." TJ muttered, climbing up last.

"Don't worry TJ. If you do get poisoned I'll suck it out for ya. But that service will cost you extra!" Kooh said with a wink. Peorth gave her a blank stare and she patted the guild master on the back. "I'm just kidding Princess! Don't look so serious! I know a good healing spell for curing poison and to stop bleeding too." The Abellan laughed dryly at her joke.

"I never was that fond of climbing trees. These ones even more so than those back in the Forest. They're so...you know, topsy-turvy!"

"I'm right there with you on that one," Thee said, leading the group this time. "Gotta watch your-" He paused as his feet found themselves stuck in a sticky material. "Well shit." A camouflaged spider appeared from the shadows and spit poison in his face. He let out an agonizing cry and viciously rubbed his face in a desperate attempt to get it out while frantically trying to escape the web.

Peorth leapt in from behind him and thrusted her spear into the spider's abdomen. The creature let out a loud screech upon the impact and after she pulled it out, kicking it from the branch the group stood on. "You have let your guard down Thee. The Agasura around here may be weak, but we should not underestimate them so easily." She cut the webs with her weapon and nodded to Kooh, who saluted her in turn.

Kooh approached and placed both hands on Thee, a gentle blue glow emanated from both. She reached into her pants pocket and held out a handkerchief. "Here Thee, you can borrow my hankie to wipe off that venom. Regardless of where you get it on you, it'll still poison you, only If it touches your skin though! That bug must have been extra vicious if it aimed for the eyes."

"That's clearly weird," Su said. "Can we get a move on? Pandora will die of boredom before we get to her. It's either her or me. You choose." She grinned. "You can have both, if you like."

"Thanks," Thee handed the handkerchief back to Kooh, "Don't be like that Su. We'll get there in good time; and hell, I'd rather we take our time than risk one of poisoned again. Or dead. The literal kind of dead."

"Not gonna happen! Not on my watch," TJ declared.

"Yeah yeah white knights and whatnot blah blah blah...can we go?" She gave Thee a push and he broad jumped from the branch to a nearby platform cobbled together with stones and covered with moss, alike to those that were further back.

Peorth jumped across after and took the chance to warn her guild mates of other dangers. "If you look ahead you can catch a glimpse of the walking flowers. They may look harmless but they have fangs hidden behind their lips. There may also be more arachne, be on your guard."

"Walking flowers? I saw those on Toad Mountain when I met Curt! Those weird little flowers that walked on their leaves right?"

Peorth shook her head once more and TJ gave her a questioning gaze. "They are essentially the same, but what you saw are a sub-species of the creature. The walking flowers are visually different, but they cannot survive in the climates of Toad Mountain. Their attack patterns are alike, but they are less vicious and also much weaker than their counterpart."

"I guess those guys are like the prirings huh? There's a couple different types of their kind. Kinda makes you wonder what the other Agasura might have."

"I'd rather not know," Su said.

The part of the Dark Forest they next found themselves in had seemed a tad more structured than the others. A pair of trees stood sentry to what TJ had sought out, another Stone of Iris. A pale white light emanated from the top of it and beckoned him to save. Small yellow bushes decorated the ground surrounding the trees, and walking flowers wandered all around. The tree branches seemed to be the safest route that would lead directly to the stone.

"There it is! The stone is just over there," He cheered.

"The trees might be our best bet. I think we should go across them and avoid all of those walking flowers," Thee suggested.

Peorth shook her head. "I am almost certain that they are infested with arachne. The walking flowers can only move so freely because there are no webs to constrict them here. Should we take to the trees, we will be ambushed without a doubt."

"I'm with the boss on this one." Su crossed her arms. "The lack of flowers up there spells bad news."

"So it's unanimous huh? Ground route ahoy!" Kooh said pointing straight ahead.

Peorth lead the way foward and signalled for Thee, Su and TJ to take one side of the tree while she and Kooh clear the other. Su suggested that the reason she split them up would be to lower the risk of them being ambushed from the bushes or from their blind spot due to the tree's trunk. The trio found three flowers approaching.

"Get ready." Su drew her dagger.

The other two readied their weapons and stormed the nearest flowers. Su rushed over and came to a sliding halt, performing a low sweep with her left leg and knocking the creature off balance to thrust her dagger through it's teeth and out from the other side of its head. With a jumping slash Thee easily cut the second in half.

"Watch your backs you two!" TJ shouted out as the third approached.

Su twirled on the ball of her heels and dashed towards it, diving and preparing to cut it down but being met with a blast of pollen. She violently coughed and eventually dropped her dagger as the rest of her body too fell limp.

"Wh-what the hell?! I...can't...move..." She groaned struggling to shift her body in the slightest.

"Paralyzing pollen? That's...not good." Thee thrusted his sword into the creature and tossed it aside.

TJ looked up horrified, "It's about to get much, much worse!"

Arachne hanging from webs descended around them and landed, each opened their mouths and bared their chelicerae at their victims.

"Princess, look at this. The flower I just killed seemed to have produced this." Kooh swept some pollen upon the tip of her dagger and gave the guild master a closer look.

"Fascinating," Peorth swept it from the blade and rubbed it between her fingers, leaving her companion shocked, "It creates a certain...numbness. It likely holds the intent to paralyze a larger foe. Potentially to perform something similar to the arachnes' means of executing a foe?" At that moment a group of arachne emerged from the tree branches and landed around the two. "Kooh, take us to the other party immediately!"

"Right away Princess!" Kooh offered her a hand as two wings emerged from her back. She crouched slightly and shot up into the air as the multicoloured spiders shot their venom where their targets once stood. The two kept altitude above where the other three found themselves trapped and surrounded, safe for the time being due to a barrier TJ had created.

"I dunno how long I can hold this." TJ chuckled, the breaths between the strums of his guitar increased steadily. The arachne surrounding them hissed and spat poison while they clawed at the barrier with their spindly blue legs.

"Let me down here Kooh. I shall clear a path and we will respond accordingly. I'll give you orders once we regroup. You know what to do, correct?" Peorth looked to her companion.

"Of course! I'll be right behind you Princess," Kooh answered.

She held the guild master's hand with both of hers and began to swing her. When she let go the guild master performed two flips before she drew her weapon and placed both her feet at the base of the head of into which she wrapped herself around the pole. As she reached the destination in her descent, she shouted, "Wrath of the Dragon!" She shattered both TJ's barrier and the surrounding area. "Rally unto me my companions! The time to strike back is now!"

The fractured earth came down in a cloud of dust and hid the group on the inside of the veil.

"Ch-Chief? How did you-" TJ's thought was quelled by Peorth's hand.

"There is no time for questions. We must act." He offered a silent nod in response.

Thee took position in front of TJ. "Keep an eye on Su will ya'? We'll handle these guys."

"You think I need your help? Get over yourself," Su remarked.

The Abellan stole a glance at her and grinned. "Talk back when you're not incapacitated Su. You can't fight anything like that."

"You think I need my arms and legs to kick your ass? I'll gnaw at your legs if it'll shut you up."

Peorth and Thee disappeared into the dust and TJ remained on guard stealing glances within the veil in hopes that the two would not be approached. Su struggled to shift her fingers with furrowed brows and grit teeth.

"It looks like we're safe for now." He gripped his guitar tighter. The sounds of combat around them and the battle cries of his teammates made him wary. Without knowing where they were, healing them and supporting them would be a difficult task. On the other hand, if he took his eyes off of Su, she could be attacked while he remained focused on the others. "You holding up okay? I think the Chief and Kooh might know a spell to cure the pollen."

"Do I look okay to you? 'Cause I am! I'm fuckin' great!" He smiled. If she was berating him then she was alright, for the most part.

The sound of hissing caught him off guard and he raised his guitar with trembling hands, searching around him for the cause. Three arachne descended from the tree branches and surrounded the two.

"O-oh...this is bad. This is really bad."

"Kill them. Like, now."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for but a moment. "I'm on it!" Two arachne remained hanging next to each other and he challenged them first. Taking a swing at the first, he overestimated and only cut the web as it released it, landing on the ground next to him. He twirled on his heel and raised the guitar over his head as he did, bringing it down on the creature only to find his weapon colliding with the ground as it leaped to the side. The swing reverberated from his arms to his torso leaving him shaken up, and the second arachne made its move then to leap over to him and bite into his arm. He cried out as he dropped his weapon to punch the spider twice and force it to let go. "I'm just a bit rusty..." He chuckled through grit teeth, holding his bloody wound.

"Yeah that's great and all but I'd rather not be eaten so get to work!" Su hissed eyeing the third arachne approaching her.

"Got it." He picked up his guitar and strummed it twice. "Two Arrows of Lights!" On the third strum the arrows shot towards the spider and stopped it for a brief while, causing it to hiss at him and back away from his companion. "Alright, now for you two." The arachne on his left hissed and spit poison at him, to which he raised his guitar to block. The strength in his arm began to fail him and he lowered the guitar shortly after to take a deep breath and grip the dripping wound once more. This is bad, he thought to himself. The other arachne skittered towards him and he stopped its approach with a crouch behind his guitar's base. Immediately after blocking it he shoved it away and placed the guitar on his back. He held out both hands and a chunk of ice appeared before them. "Ice Storm!" He began to spin and the chunk of ice split into many and followed suit. When both he and the spell came to a halt, he gripped his guitar's neck with both hands. "Elemental Mastery!" The weapon froze over and he dashed towards one of the two and leapt towards it with his weapon armed. He slammed the guitar over its head and hit it once more to crush the abdomen, then kicked it aside. Now for the next one. As he dashed towards the other, he let his bitten arm drag the guitar along as he ran past his companion, "Hailstone!" A small white ring opened where his hand was and a series of icicles emerged from it and pelted the creature as it attempted to devour Su again.

"How long do you plan on keeping this at bay? You could have just blasted the damn thing with any of those spells you used in your other fights, dumbass!"

"We're trying to be mana efficient here remember?" He turned his focus to the other arachne and watched as it too, watched him approach. So long as it remained where it was, he would have no problems bringing it down and moving on to the third. He leapt towards it and slammed his guitar down, missing it once more as it skittered away from him. It had to be the one that bit him the first time, which meant its actions may follow the same pattern. In spite of his body's reaction, he mustered his strength to his legs and dove forward to avoid the creature as it leapt at him in turn. Remembering what Su had taught him during their training session, with a wave of his hand he threw a small ball of water towards it and managed to get some on its body and legs. Moments after he froze it and rose to his feet. "Nowhere to run now." He walked over to it and raised his guitar above it, bringing it down three times, and two more just to be sure that the creature was dead. "Alright Su I'm coming now!"

"Could you be any slower?!"

He caught a glimpse of the spider closing in on her and preparing to bite her. In a desperate attempt to stop it, he tossed his guitar with all his might and sprinted towards it. "Elemental Mastery!" His fists were hardened with sand followed by a second coating of rock and he dove at the spider, the two tumbled away from Su until he found himself atop it. Without a second to spare he immediately started pounding away at the abdomen until there were hardly any remains of it. He found himself coated in a strange green liquid afterwards. "I got it!" He walked back towards Su and she frowned.

"Don't come near me. You're gross."

"Is that what you say to someone who just saved your life?" She clicked her tongue. "I'll accept that too."

Peorth and Thee approached, the guild master nodding with approval.

"Well done TJ. You made the right choice in that scenario and handled it well despite the given circumstances. Though you were correct to follow my orders in our mana consumption, I must amend the statement. It would be best if we used it as the situation will call for it. If you find your allies in danger, do not be afraid to use more than you would under normal events. We should not risk our allies' lives for such a small matter." She blinked and reached out to him which startled him slightly. "My apologies, but you are hurt."

"Eh? This?" He chuckled, "It's nothin', just a scratch."

"It's still bleeding," Su added. He raised a finger to his lips and Thee laughed.

Peorth placed a hand to the wound and it gave off a faint glow, quickly closing it. Despite being a Bard, she was much more skilled at healing than he was. Had she been practicing?

"Thanks Chief."

She gave him a nod and whistled. Kooh suddenly fell from the tree tops with her wings behind her back, and knelt down before Peorth.

"You rang?" She placed her dagger back in the sheath and grinned at the guild master.

"Have you cleared the other path?" Peorth asked.

"Yes'm. Every last one of 'em Ma'am." Peorth gazed at Kooh for a couple of moments and she blushed, then placed both hands to her face. "Don't stare at me like that Princess!"

"You two are making me feel embarrassed doing things like that." Thee said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Can we get a move on here? If I wanted to be face down in the dirt I'd be dead," Su muttered. Kooh walked over and crouched down in front of her. "No, not you. I'd rather have that moron TJ carry me than you."

"Just close the lips and enjoy the moment while it lasts kiddo. The next person who marries you might be the father of the next God's Governor," Kooh laughed.

She lifted her up bridal-style and Su protested vehemently.

"Let's be on our way then, shall we," Peorth suggested.

After a short walk the team came across their first goal, the Iris Stone that awaited atop the pedestal. TJ looked up to it and took a deep breath. How long had it been since he came across an Iris Stone? The last he had found was in the City of Iron, following his battle with Yuta. He felt his heart ache at the thought that these were the last traces of Iris' existence she left for him to find her way to her, and that he passed on the opportunity. He stole a glance down at his companions who now walked the path to a brighter future alongside him and felt a bit more secure. Within that time frame he caught Su mouthing to him, "Get on with it". He chuckled. Looking back to the stone he reached out towards it.

"Will you activate the Iris Stone," It asked him.

"Yes," He replied.

Peorth's shard of the Heart of Yggdrasil began to resonate and glow as the flash of light TJ saw took him to a part of his past. He saw his younger self headed somewhere, the boy wearing a serious expression. In the next picture he found himself opening the path to a shed, precious little if any light barely came in; only that from the open door. Following that he saw himself with a young girl, dressed in rags and shackles on her legs and feet, her hair rather shaggy. The two were playing a board game, which seemed to be checkers. In the next, there was three of them within the darkness, the other girl clean and well dressed in a regal outfit, with her hair tied in twin tails. The three sat together and held hands. One final picture appeared and the three were smiling together, the unkempt girl's bangs moved aside revealing a face that looked alike to the other girl's. Twins?

The Sound of Frequency brought him back to the frozen reality and he felt shaken up for a moment. He found the Iris visual standing before him and he listened carefully to what she had to say. "The Dark Forest was a rather tough place to get through but we've come this far. Foe Mansion isn't far from here. Will you save at this location," It asked. TJ frowned. Iris very rarely, if ever left useful messages to her whereabouts. Though perhaps these were thoughts that she had upon coming through these places?

"Yes," He answered.

He found himself engulfed in light once more and as it cleared away there he saw the two children, the young unkempt girl on her knees and he crouched down to meet her, their pinkies interlocked.

"Promise me you'll come back to visit," A quiet, raspy voice requested.

He gripped his ears to prepare for the noise and found himself back in the present. Placing a hand to the stone and holding one hand to his left ear, he waited the sound out. Afterwards he climbed down the ladder to meet with his companions.

"So, what'd you see? Anything interesting?" Kooh asked with a gleam in her eyes.

He opened his mouth for a moment and closed it, then smiled at her with a shake of his head. "No, it was a pretty bland memory. Let's get a move on, Su looks like she's ready to gnaw at your shoulder Kooh." Just as he said Su was glaring at them with grit teeth.

"Princess-do you wanna burp the baby?"

"Gettin' real tired of your shit," Su muttered.

The three clambered down the ladder and off of the two slabs of land towards another that lead uphill. Peorth pulled on the strings of a ladder that waited at the base and climbed up briefly after, followed by Thee, TJ and Kooh. As they ascended the hill, at the top of it they could see Foe Mansion clearly, bats flying about from it and other mysterious creatures skittering in the darkness. The ground itself was pitch black and the trees wispy and dead.

With good time they found themselves at the doors of the mansion, the entire place looking as if it were to fall apart at any moment. The mansion seemed to lean slightly, the broken shutters slamming against the windows only barred off by rather oddly-shaped bars that seemed to twist at the tops and bottoms. The wood purple with a black brick roof, two black double-doors with an unusual design upon them beckoning weary travellers to open them and meet the horror that awaits within.

"Creepy," TJ thought aloud.

"I can walk perfectly fine now so put me down," Su said. Since they stopped at the Iris Stone Kooh had started carrying Su on her back.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you anymore? If you'll do it for me we can switch on the way back." Su laughed mirthlessly and Kooh let her go without any fore-warning. The girl landed on her feet and sneered.

"It will only become more difficult from here on in. I pray that you are all prepared for the challenges to come," Peorth told them.

"We're ready Peorth, so don't you worry about us. Just lead the way and we'll follow," Thee assured her.

TJ and Kooh gave nods of agreement and Peorth nodded back at them. She walked towards the door and pressed a hand against each. "Then let us press on."

The group changed formation, having their rear stand as the vanguard. The inside proved even more eerie than its counterpart, the hardwood flooring was rotted through and the chandeliers upon the ceiling gave the room a faint buy dying light from the blue flames that lit the candles upon it. The walls had coffins stacked upon each other resting against them along with small tables featuring chipped vases and dead flowers within them. The sound of chainsaws had the both TJ and Thee rather unsettled.

"I'm not crazy, right? You guys hear those chainsaws too," TJ asked.

"Loud and clear." Su smirked. "Scared?"

"Absolutely terrified is more like it. The last thing I want to be is a...an Abellan burger."

Kooh knit her eyebrows while patting him on the head, "Don't worry too much about it TJ. I'm sure you'd be delicious. I could eat you up right now."

"That's not the issue here!"

"Jokes aside, we should probably get a move on. I don't wanna face whatever's hauling those things around either but...they stand between us and Pandora. We don't have much choice in the matter," Thee added.

Kooh gave the three behind her a thumbs-up and began to walk through the hallway. She climbed up a rather large step with TJ quickly following up beside her. Nearby another blocked their path and the two did the same, the Absolute catching a glimpse of a girl in overalls and brown boots nearby.

"There's...There's someone over there. Excu-" TJ cried out.

"TJ wait," Kooh tried to stop him but he caught her attention.

The girl he saw turned around, a red glint in the holes of her hockey mask and her blonde braids swinging in their direction as she revved the chainsaw held by gloved hands. Upon noticing them she began to shout what sounded like terror and a war cry combined and charged towards them, TJ screaming in response.

"W-what do we do?!"

"Fight it off!"

With a wave of her hand, three thin needles appeared between her fingers and she closed her fist, immediately tossing two into the robot's legs and one into it's left biceps, a series of cords with a metal plate for a shoulder in place of skin. The robot slowed down and the left arm temporarily fell limp, causing the chainsaw to drag along the wood and break it apart.

"A robot? This just gets weirder by the second..."

"Now's now the time to talk kiddo. We have to take it out as fast as we can!"

"I-I'm on it!" He raised his hands skyward and pointed both towards the Agasura. "Hailstone!" Upon his words a ring opened before him and fired a barrage of icicles.

As he performed the spell Kooh dashed towards it and came to a grinding halt after sliding past it all while drawing her dagger and leaping onto it's back. As she did the machine rose to it's full height and swatted at her as she gripped it's hair and drew her weapon back. With a fierce stab she pierced the neck and ripped the wires out, causing it to stop once and for all. The chainsaw fell to the ground and remained as it was.

"How did you know," TJ asked.

"The Princess and I have scouted out Foe Mansion before," She smiled. "These fine ladies are known as Victors. They're an awful lot more aggressive than they used to be though. The strange thing about it is, they're not Agasura. They're just robots."

As Peorth approached and shut down the chainsaw she examined the Victor thoroughly. "Perhaps it is not the Agasura's King's Dominion that causes them to become so aggressive. I believe someone may have come through and programmed the Victors to act in such a manner. We must be mindful that it is not only the Agasura that intend to stand in our way. There are human factions likely hidden in the shadows that seek to impede us in any ways possible. At the spearhead of this stands the Dark Moon. Though crippled, I believe that they will act again, and likely soon." She explained. She turned her gaze to Kooh, "It would be best if we spoke of countermeasures and found allies to quell the threat should the need arise."

"Say the word and whoever needs to be taken down, will be."

"We must have patience. I feel that there's no need for such measures as of yet. There may yet be another means. We only need seek it. For the time being, our goal remains finding and defeating the Seven. Let us not lose sight of this."

Kooh grinned, "Of course Princess. Okay my lovelies, follow me!"

The group nodded and followed in her stride. From their vantage point, they could see a floor a fair distance beneath them and the Victor that patrolled it. Kooh jumped down without a second thought and landed barely making a sound as she did. TJ swallowed hard, followed her stumbling as he did followed by Su, Peorth and Thee last.

"Get ready, here comes the next one," Thee told them.

Kooh made her move first, drawing her ice needles and tossed them as she did the first. The Victor tumbled aside and successfully avoided all three, it continued its rampage as the girl furrowed her brows. She pointed both hands towards it and brought out two massive icicles by using the spell Ice Fear and found further disappointment as the Victor tore through them with her weapon. Su pulled the two back and tossed her dagger at it's mask causing it to stumble for a moment. In the short time she had she ran past it and kicked it in the back, knocking it down for a moment to retrieve her dagger.

"What are you waiting for? Get on it," Su shouted.

As it rose to its feet Thee rushed it with a low sweep of his blade, grazing the boots as it leapt back and took a swing at Peorth. She fended off the blade with the tip of her spear as she skidded to a halt, and charged it again. The Victor turned to Thee and he drew his blade to fight off the chainsaw while Peorth approached its flank and thrusted her spear into it. Sparks rained from where she stabbed and the robot let out an enraged cry, nearly disarming Thee through sheer force. It turned towards the guild master and knocked her aside with the pole of her weapon while keeping it stuck in place. As it charged towards the incapacitated Peorth Kooh and Su jumped on it from both sides, thrusting their weapons into both arms. It managed to shake Kooh off while Su willingly let go to grab hold of the spear and plunge it even deeper into the Victor. Electricity ran through the weapon and across its body as it came to a stop.

"My apologies," The guild master said, "I was far too reckless."

"Try and do the world a favour and not die to a common enemy please? I mean if you're gonna go out, go out like a boss...to...you know, a guardian or something," Su snickered.

"I will do my best to keep to that." The God's Governor frowned.

Pulling both her own and Su's weapon from the Victor she tossed the dagger to her companion, "We've gotta be careful too. Jumping on it like that could've ended with one of us becoming mince meat."

TJ offered Peorth a hand and she rose to her feet, dusting off her dress as she did. "You okay Chief," He asked.

"Yes. Thank you for your concern." She pulled her spear from the robot and stood it up by her side. "Let us proceed."

This time around TJ lead the group as Kooh caught up, the group finding themselves at another vantage point. Below a Victor stomped around looking rather annoyed. He took a deep breath and jumped down with his guild mates not far behind. The enraged cry of the Victor followed by a second sent a chill down his spine.

"Kooh!" He shouted stealing a glance at her as she smiled back at him. A series of icicles tore up the ground before them and impaled the Victors feet, freezing them in place briefly.

"Nobody told me not to be mindful of my mana consumption." As she walked past TJ with a smile and a wink, she raised a finger to her lips and lead the engagement on the Victors.

He could not help but laugh at her attitude as he and the others followed her. "I've got your back Kooh! Ice Storm!" As he approached the shard of ice appeared and shattered, surrounding him in icicles that assailed his enemies.

Through the cloud following the spell's end Thee's blade emerged, spinning towards the closer of the two victor's and tearing open the chest, revealing the insides before returning to him. The two managed to break free of Kooh's binding and charged into the cloud taking separate paths. Both swung wildly in what seemed to be an attempt to clear away the haze. The first coming across Peorth with her spear pointed directly at it. At a moment's notice she assaulted it with two swings from her weapon and a third blow powerful enough to split the air in its back. To ensure it would not rise again she thrusted her spear into its back while it was fallen, which pierced the other side and she tore it open, ripping the cords out and tossing them aside.

The haze began to dissipate and revealed TJ who was catching his breath with an uneasy smile on his face after he discovered he was the next target.

"Ah ah ah! Not so fast," Thee said as both Su and Kooh approached from its flanks and stabbed both feet causing it to collapse to the ground. Thee's blade came crashing down upon its back not once but twice, splitting it from the center up, leaving the head intact.

"Thought I was a dead man there," TJ said with a sigh of relief. "Used up a heck-ton of SP to maintain that spell's after-effect. Didn't even know I could do that."

Su snorted, "You'd be surprised. The Special Power skills might only have one way to use them but sometimes you can make something of it. Don't experiment too much or you'll probably die trying. Knowing you."

"Are you worried about him G.G?" Kooh asked with a hand to her mouth.

"Worr-who the hell do you think you're calling G.G? I've got a name too, dumbass."

She smiled at the God's Governor. "As Axle once said, 'everybody gets one'." Everyone aside from Peorth seemed rather dumbfounded by the statement.

"It should be safer now. Let us take refuge in the next room." Peorth suggested.

The guild master entered a nearby doorway and inside was a staircase. She lead the way up a flight and opened another door awaiting at the top of it. Within the room was a couple of ladders that lead to platforms that likely lead to other portions of the mansion, and little else. She asked TJ to remove his rucksack and doled out some SP potions to her guild.

"I hope there's no more of those girls lying in wait," TJ chuckled, "just those few gave us enough trouble as is." He paused for a moment. "You know, I think we swapped our formation too early."

Su glared at Kooh who placed a finger to her chin, averted her gaze and stuck her tongue out, "Whatever are you talking about Little Lamb?" He raised an eyebrow at the term that followed.

"It is fine. There was no incident, and we have escaped unscathed. I am thankful for Kooh's decision," Peorth commented.

"Oh you! Don't flatter me too much or I might have to come over there and hug you."

"She got you damn near killed for it," Su muttered. "I hope you're sure that you want that idiot to lead us further into this place. I'm not risking my ass under her leadership though."

Kooh glomped Su to the ground and rubbed her cheek against her subordinate's, "Now you, don't be so harsh hmm? Though I like that too..."

Su pushed her away with as much force as she could hissing, "Let go! Let go you psychotic witch!"

"You two seem to be having a lot of fun." Thee chuckled with a sip from his potion. At the sound of his words Kooh raised her head like a dog at the sound of treats with a glint in her eyes and he coughed with a wave of his hand. "I don't want any! Just saying!"

She shrugged and continued to assault Su, "Your loss!"

TJ laughed quietly as he glanced at the group before him. Though his memories of the past were lost, he felt as if he had been with his new guild all of his life, and in that time nothing had changed. They were like a family that grew over time, constantly inviting new members to be a part of them. He closed his eyes for a moment recalling what he had seen in the Stones of Iris. Each of them seemed to have their own painful history, but in spite of it they were gathered here and still smiling despite what the past had done to them. Upon him were their hopes, hopes of returning home, being reunited with family, protecting the ones they held dear. For this they fought alongside him, and would lay down their lives for him. He would do everything he could to collect his memories to become as strong as he could be and be the hero that they needed. That the world needed.

Su finally managed to get Kooh off of her and kept her away with her dagger, muttering obscenities as she fought off her superior. Peorth returned her empty flask to the rucksack and Thee finished off his. TJ assisted the guild master to her feet and the others rose in turn.

"Alright team, let's move out," Kooh exclaimed with a raised fist. "Right this way, ladies and gents. The other way leads to a closed space that has a Victor in it. It's not nice."

"Oh thanks," Su added. "Remind me to avoid that the next time I come back here which'll be...hm...never."

Kooh climbed the ladder with the others following closely behind and opened the door leading to another stairwell. The group climbed the flight carefully and exited through another door, finding themselves at the highest floor of the mansion. As the vanguard emerged through the door Kooh placed a hand to her companion's chest and stopped him in place.

"Careful there, startle her and she'll get the jump on you. Let me handle this. Be ready to follow up okay?" Kooh approached the young crying girl surrounded by a black coat and drew her weapon.

She paused for a moment, sheathed the weapon and drew a bubble blower. Before TJ could ask she blew three bubbles, one of them making contact with the Agasura which caused her to throw off the cloak while Kooh leapt back. The girl dressed in a gothic lolita style dress with black wings emerging from her back placed both hands in front of her as two massive pairs of fangs appeared before and behind her.

The fangs disappeared and TJ saw his chance to strike. He approached and prepared the Ice Storm spell but felt in that moment he was in danger. The crimson eyes remained locked in place with his own and in moments a thin stream of lightning surged towards him. Kooh pushed him aside and for the brief moment her hands touched him he could feel a jolt of electricity running through his body. She collapsed to the ground as Su and Peorth leapt over their incapacitated companion, Peorth plunging her weapon through the Agasura's chest and Su's through the neck. The body fell limply to the ground and the two retrieved their weapons.

"K-Kooh!" TJ cried out lifting her body in his arms. "Are you alright?!" Her body temperature was awfully high and her hair rather frizzy, but she still offered him a smile.

"I'm just peaches and gravy." She turned her gaze to the guild master who wore a solemn expression. "Sorry you had to do that Princess. I dropped the ball on that one, didn't I?"

Peorth shook her head and knelt down to place one of Kooh's arms over her shoulder. "Worry not for such a matter. Your safety is the only thing that concerns me right now. It will not do for me to lose you here."

"What do you mean Kooh," TJ asked.

"Fighting against the Vampanelars became a tad difficult for the Princess since she befriended one of them." Kooh answered. "Though it's rare, not all Agasura seek to do harm to us or humanity. Though we're not sure of the details yet, we've noticed that it's possible to help them escape the place their kind is imprisoned and throw away their Agasuric nature to reclaim some of their humanity."

"It's possible to be friends with the Agasura?! I thought they were all evil!"

"They pretty much are," She chuckled, "But you know, just as Humans and Cerebians can change, so can the Agasura. Though since Asmodeus and the Seven are becoming active again, the chances of them rebelling against him decreased. In fact, they're all stronger now! Be extra careful you guys."

Peorth nodded solemnly. "Kooh is right. All Agasura are gaining strength from their King, as will the guardians of the Instance. They will be much more deadly than they once were, so they may do unpredictable things. Be very mindful of this." She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Here TJ, lemme' help Peorth on this one. We'll need you and Su as our front-line until Kooh can move again," Thee suggested. With a nod he raised Kooh's arm and handed her off to Thee to which the two carried her from there.

Before they started moving Kooh focused on Peorth for a couple of moments. "Hey Princess, will you come a little closer," She asked weakly. Peorth's sapphires eyes shifted to her weakened companion and she tilted her head to hear what Kooh had to say. Swiftly and gently her lips touched the guild master's cheek and Peorth immediately flushed red.

"Wh-" Thee nearly let go of Kooh in pure disbelief.

Kooh smiled with her face much less lit up than her superior's and said, "I love you Princess."

Peorth averted her eyes and muttered, "Your thoughts are more than enough."

Su snickered, "Are you two going out yet? Might as well start now if you're not."

"Not happening! My little Princess is spoken for," She grinned.

The Abellan watched the two in shock and disbelief. "Sh-she is? Who's the other?"

The girl smiled devilishly. "That's our secret."

"Kooh please." The guild master muttered.

"Sorry boys, my lips on the matter are sealed. Unless you wanna open them with a prince's kiss!"

TJ waved off the comment. "N-no thanks. Let's keep going. Stay close Su, I think I'll need your help." Eyebrows knit, he carefully gripped his guitar as he moved forward.

"You don't need to tell me twice." She answered as she twirled her dagger.

After climbing a few large steps they came across a pedestal with two meager ladders on both sides that seemed as if they would break if someone was to climb them.

"An Iris Stone," TJ muttered. "Hang on a sec' I'm gonna see what it has to say." He climbed the ladder and gazed upon the Stone of Iris. Before him stood another memory, and a key to piecing his past together, and perhaps hers. He reached out to the stone and gently touched it, the light growing stronger.

"Will you activate the Iris Stone?" It asked him.

"Yes," He answered.

He saw his younger self hand in hand with the young Peorth, the two emerging from a castle at what seemed to be the crown of Yggdrasil itself. In the following picture the two were running through the streets, people watching as they did. Following that, they stood at a stall where a young girl with unkempt hair, dressed in rags sat surrounded by grown men, clutching a loaf of bread tightly to her knees. The next picture revealed the group dissipating and the young girl being lead by the hand by Peorth. In the final piece, she was dressed in a regal outfit featuring the kingdom's herald, an ornate dagger resting before her as she bowed before the king and his daughter.

The Sound of Frequency awakened him from his memory and he gazed upon Iris' visual. "After traversing the Dark Forest we've found ourselves in Foe Mansion. Deep in the heart of the mansion resides Pandora, the one who wields the box of calamity. I would recommend you save at this location," The visual told him.

"Yes," He replied.

Engulfed in light once more he saw his past self standing before a house that was partially encased in ice, massive chunks of it broken apart due to the ice emerging through the house itself. As he gazed upon it, the voice of a young girl rang through his mind. "Promise me that you will still the ripples in that girl's heart, so she may find peace."

The Sound of Frequency caught him off guard once more and he took a knee. Though he was getting used to it, it still proved overwhelming. Though he found himself with a new outlook on the scenario, he had no conclusive evidence as to what had happened to the twins. For the time being, he knew Peorth had been involved, and that a calamity had occurred. A costly one at that.

"You ready or what?" Su shouted up to him.

"Careful with how loud your voice is. If we can sneak past those other Vampanelars, better that we do. With Kooh out of commission and the two of us supporting her, our force is pretty weak, don't you think," Thee asked. Su glared at him from the corner of her eye and snorted in response. "Glad we had this discussion."

TJ climbed down from where he stood and drew his guitar, giving a nod to his company and leading on with Su closely behind. They climbed a couple more large steps and found two Vampanelars standing on the two ahead of them, quietly crying beneath their cloaks. TJ turned back to the group and requested they follow his lead. Taking to the wall and carefully sidling across it to stay out of the Vampanelars' sight, he and the others made their way across it and past the tables that lined the walls towards a dead end. He signalled for them to wait and made his way towards the end of the platform, carefully preparing to climb down while minding the Vampanelar staring right at him. He waved to his guild mates and Peorth gazed back as he pointed to Kooh and awkwardly gestured for them to throw her down to him. Thee gave him a thumbs-up in response. As he started climbing down he froze in place as he caught a glimpse of a crimson glare and the grin of the Agasura that carefully watched him.

"Oh shit!" He desperately began to slide down the ladder as quickly as he could as the Agasura followed after him with a nosedive, pulling him down and pinning him against the ground where two others awaited him. Her grin widened as she opened her mouth and hissed, leaning in towards his neck while he desperately tried to break free of her hold. With a last resort he slammed his head into her cheek and managed to crawl away as the other two approached. As the first recovered, Su fell from the platform with a bone-crushing landing and plunged her dagger through the Vampanelar's neck.

"You're too stupid to be a leader! How many times have I told you-" She ripped her dagger out of the creature's neck and leapt in the way of the two to raise a barrier and stop their lightning from shocking her companion. "Not to get yourself killed! Could've been a damn vampire man-slave for the rest of your life, dumbass!"

"T-thanks Su." TJ muttered as he stumbled to his feet and drew his guitar.

Su pushed him aside and let the barrier fade while the two Agasura cackled and drew claws to hunt down their prey. The two focused on Su first, both surrounding her and viciously taking swipes offering TJ the opportunity to dash in and land a single blow to the ribs on one of them. She turned to him and fired a stream of lightning that he dived to avoid, only to find himself dragged from the ground, disarmed and tossed to the other who caught him and gripped him by the neck.

"Just one time..." Su hissed lunging towards her and stopping mid-way as her companion was used as a meat shield.

"Got you now!" TJ uttered raising a hand to her face. "Arrow of Light!" A single jet of light was emitted from the palm of his hand and collided with the creature, causing her to lose her grip on him and find the two in swapped positions. TJ gripped her by the face and dragged her to the ground, violently bringing her down time and again. As the second flew towards him Su tossed her dagger into the creature's ribcage and dashed past it, she drew the blade and plunged it into the other side, pulled its hair and back and slit the throat, dropping the limp body as she did. Meanwhile TJ was still pounding his enemy into the ground while he gasped for breath.

"Hey stupid," she muttered, "you can stop anytime. That thing's as dead as it'll ever be." He turned to her breathing heavily while covered in blood and dropped the corpse without a second glance. "Creep! What's with that look of blood lust?"

"Blood lust? Do you think I like doing this?"

"You seem to have the most violent way of fighting out of everyone here. So...yeah I'd say you do."

He took a glance at the corpses Su left behind and glanced back at her with raised eyebrows. "Those things are bleeding out of holes you created. That one has three."

"I got the job done and I did it quickly. No one said it had to be clean."

"Now now kiddies now's not the time to fight amongst ourselves," Kooh chuckled as Thee carried her over. "We're all friends here right? Though I gotta admit, both of those kills are kinda nasty. You two don't hold back do you?" TJ chuckled nervously and Su scoffed. "You can kiss and make up now."

"If you make jokes like that on a regular Kooh, you might just hit a nerve," Thee added.

"We're just having a little fun." She smiled.

"Even in times of war, sometimes humour and time to rest are necessities." Peorth said as she handed TJ's guitar to him, receiving a word of thanks in turn.

"You get me Princess!" Peorth took the other arm and they carried on.

Nearby they found another ladder that lead back up to another portion of the mansion. Su insisted that she lead, since TJ would likely get himself killed if he was in charge a second time. He had considered protesting the latter thought, but gracefully accepted and followed her as she began to climb, Peorth following him and Thee carrying Kooh up after them. The moment Su reached the top she stopped in place for only a moment, pulling herself up with incredible speed all while drawing her weapon. As TJ pulled himself up afterwards, he only caught a glimpse of the God's Governor with her weapon plunged through the heart of a Vampanelar.

"H-huh? What just happened?" He asked as he glanced around the surrounding area. The Vampanelar's cloak slowly drifted down as Su arose.

"I killed it. What does it look like," She answered.

"That was...quick. How'd you manage it?"

She walked over to the wall and tapped it twice with her hand. TJ approached as the others made their way up and he noticed markings on the wall. "Climbed up, leapt off of here." She pointed to the cloak. "Grabbed that to hide my jump and came down on the bitch. That answer your question?"

"Yep." He was both impressed and rather shocked. He considered himself rather lucky when the two fought there were no walls.

"Let's move." Su opened a door with a spiralling staircase and lead the way down. As they neared the bottom the sound of creatures cackling reverberated around the room and an eerie chill filled the air. Emerging through the door they found themselves in what seemed to be the basement of Foe Mansion, a series of small cloaked ghosts carrying scythes drifted about with blue wisps following in their wake. As he saw them TJ gripped his chest tightly and shook his head. Perhaps Straw Hat had been there once upon a time? The Abellan may have been with him then, but lost his memories of the time. The last time they had met was in his vision in Belos. He might never see him again, and the thought pained him even more. Peorth and Straw Hat were friends once also; how did she overcome his passing?

"I think I'm fine now you two. Go to him, Princess," Kooh whispered. Releasing her she stretched her arms and watched as Peorth approached TJ and gripped his hand tightly.

"You remember him, do you not?" The guild master asked, her stoic expression focused on him.

"I...I do. Seeing these reminds me of him. The last remnants of him now are his sword, and my memories. The fact that he had one created from these...creatures...means that you guys had been here before?" TJ glanced at her.

Peorth nodded. "We had come during the period you had disappeared for the first time; that is, after you and Trinidell fell from Asgard. Trinidell, Kooh, him and I. We had come to scout out the area, though I had a greater idea in mind. In preparation for the ritual of sealing the Sinful Seven, I proposed that we enter the Gothic Room and request Pandora's cooperation by giving us her artifact." The guild master shook her head with closed eyes. "How young and foolish I was. Pandora would not give up her treasure so freely to trespassers, and the only way to exit was via teleportation. We had the choice of doing that and defeating Pandora herself. I had lead them in challenging the latter, and they suffered scars for my poor decision. I should not have put my companions in such danger."

Su sighed. "What are you griping about? You're putting us in danger and your biggest concern is something that happened in the past? Get over it. Let's be honest look at this team. Look at it! You've got the best Treasure Hunter in the guild, two warlords, me, and him. What more could you need? If you expect us to die trying you're wrong. Hell, if I could keep this idiot alive before he got his upgrade I'm sure keeping the rest of you alive shouldn't be so hard."

Kooh's eyes lit up at Su's compliment and Peorth smiled slightly. "Perhaps you are right Suuba. I am thankful that you have been with TJ from before the battle in Elfa. Had you not been there to challenge Choen Palm, we may have lost him then."

"I don't need your compliments; I'm doing this for me. But if the world got destroyed in the process even if I got my wish I'd gain nothing from it 'cause there'd be nothing to return to. Anyway you can fawn over me later. We've got business that needs to be done, so let's go."

"Right behind you G.G!" Kooh chimed raising a fist to the air.

"Don't you dare start that again." An angry glare was flashed over her shoulder. TJ and Thee chuckled as they followed along.

The group climbed down and as they looked around they saw nothing but the walls and flames that licked the air surrounding the darkness. The Specters that had filled the room had disappeared without a trace, the chilling atmosphere they created remained. The five of them drew their weapons and remained in formation as they slowly continued on through the room, cautiously examining their surroundings as they did.

"This is new." Kooh scratched her cheek with a finger.

"Some of these guys have some interesting tricks up their sleeves but ghosts? Can we fight them," TJ asked.

"Oh absolutely. I dunno if we can fight them while they're invisible though!" The group had passed a ladder under Peorth's lead and stopped at a second. "What should we do here Princess? If we start climbing we'll only be vulnerable all over again."

Peorth closed her eyes for a moment, "We have very little choice in the matter Kooh. To bring out our wings and utilize them would consume a great amount of mana. The Gothic Room is very close, and keeping ourselves prepared for Pandora is our top priority. It would be best if one of us ascended first, while the others remained at the ready in case of an attack. We must proceed knowing that the Specters could attack from any direction and height, so we must be wary of ourselves, and each other."

"Who do you want up there Peorth? I'll volunteer if no one else is willing to risk it," Thee said.

The guild master shook her head, "No, I will go. Should they appear and attack me, we shall respond accordingly."

Su glared at her viciously, "Are you an idiot? How many times have we said we can't afford to have you killed? Let me do it."

Peorth furrowed her brows slightly, "I have made my decision Suuba. You will stand guard with the others as I perform this, that is an order. TJ, I would like you to guard my blind spot as I climb. My spear aside, you have the longest reach of all of us with your guitar. The use of the weapon itself in place of spells will prove safer, and a much faster option. But as it is quite high, there will be a point that you cannot reach. Once I have ascended thus far, focus on protecting the others. If it is safe I will signal you to follow me." She sheathed her spear. "Prepare yourselves! We begin now!"

TJ drew his weapon and watched Peorth ascend the ladder as Kooh, Su and Thee stood guard surrounding the two, Kooh watching the backs of their teammates while the other two stationed themselves in case of an ambush. Peorth's ascent proved successful thus far, though the tension rose at the cacophony of Agasura cackling increased and grew ever closer. TJ watched her, sweat running down his neck and his guitar gripped tightly, his legs trembling as she rose closer to the top, out of his reach.

She placed one hand on the landing and began to climb up, then jerked away from it at the sound of a Specter caught her attention and TJ shouted, "CHIEF BEHIND YOU!" The scythe and Specter emerged from the shadows and the weapon tore through her dress and skin, shedding her blood as she fell away from the ladder into the Absolute's arms. "Chief! Are you all right?"

She cringed with shuttered eyes but gestured for him to let her down. "It is naught but a scratch. We must not be deterred so easily.

"Enemies incoming from the west!" Thee shouted back to them as he raised his blade. Two soul flames were shot towards him and collided with his weapon, burning brightly and flickering out of existence afterwards. He lowered the weapon to his side and stormed towards them, taking a wide horizontal swing and cutting the air as they danced away from him and faded away while cackling. "This is a little bit frustrating, I have to admit."

"How the hell are supposed to kill these things?!" Su hissed keeping her dagger close to her with a hand ready to cast.

"All Agasura are weak to the Divine Arts. There must be a spell that can cancel out their transparency!" Peorth explained glancing around the area. "There is something here that does not belong."

Kooh laughed, "Mysteries never were my specialty. I'm a killer, not a detective."

Su raised an eyebrow, "If there's something that doesn't belong here, it's gotta be those candelabras. I mean, blue flames? Seriously?

"Strike them down!" With a wave of her spear Peorth split three candles nearby and the room dimmed. Kooh and Thee followed suit as TJ remained in close quarters with Su. "TJ, use the Sunlight spell now!"

"I-I'm on it!" He shouted as he clasped his fist and raised a glowing hand skyward. "Sunlight!" A small sphere of light rose into the air and came to a halt beneath the roof, lighting a large portion of the darkened basement. The Specters hidden in the darkness became visible and shrunk away from the light.

"We must make a hasty retreat while TJ maintains the spell! This is a battle that we must not risk! Go quickly!"

Su called them over with a wave of her hand and cupped the two together. "You idiots better get up there on the first jump or you're on your own," She muttered.

"Let me handle that Su. I'm probably the strongest in our group, not to offend TJ," Thee said.

"None taken. I'd be crazy to try to wield that pyramid of yours," He answered with a laugh.

"Ladies first." Su snorted as she placed a foot in his hands and he boosted her up, the girl easily landing and gesturing for the others with a thumbs-up. "Next!" Kooh followed suit and skillfully landed near Su. Peorth followed after and rose higher than the others courtesy of Thee, to find herself caught by Kooh; the Queen offered a word of thanks as she was lead towards the Gothic Room entrance. TJ looked at Thee with knit eyebrows and slumped shoulders to which he smiled in turn, gesturing for the Abellan to proceed. TJ was soon after flung onto the platform and landed with clumsy footing, returning to the ladder and looking down as the effect of the Sunlight spell dissipated and the Specters began to close in on Thee. Drawing his blade with his left hand and climbing the ladder with large leaps, he fended off the ghosts and grabbed hold of TJ's hand while the Abellan took hold of him with both and pulled him up.

"Hurry guys!" Kooh shouted as the three entered the massive gate. As the two approached TJ caught a short glance of the gate; two tall brown pillars surrounded the ring, what seemed to almost be a creature itself, the massive fangs on the inner portion and the eerie blue eyes and ears atop it. The swirling blue energy within brought back memories of his journey to Kimara Research Laboratory. Thee grabbed hold of TJ's hand and pulled him into the gate before the Specters could reach him.

The group reconvened on the inside of the gateway and the two boys found the others resting, Peorth's dress removed from the shoulders to her chest as Kooh tended to the wound on her back.

"O-oh...sorry." Thee turned away. TJ turned his head the moment he caught a glimpse of the two.

"Forgive me for my immodesty. If I was to wear my dress I fear that it would make things more difficult for Kooh," The guild master said.

"Ahh it's just a little skin. What're you two freaking out about," Su snickered.

"We do have morals you know. I try to keep to those," Thee muttered.

Kooh removed her hands from Peorth's back and gave an approving nod to her work. The wound had stopped bleeding and healed slightly, but it remained open. "Alright Princess, that should just about do it. I'd say that you shouldn't overwork yourself until it heals but Pandora is waiting for us." Kooh gave her a pat on the back and caused her to shudder. "You should really take better care of yourself Princess. You have lovely skin. Besides, it's not like you to be so reckless now is it?"

"It is true that it was reckless of me to approach things in such a manner, but I fear not for my outer appearance in place of the safety of my companions. These scars are miniscule in comparison to what those before us have suffered," Peorth answered.

"You idiots never change," Su muttered. "Can we get a move on now or do you two need a moment?"

Kooh smiled devilishly, "I can appraise you if you like Su." The God's Governor covered her torso with her arms and backed away.

"Shall we then?" Adjusting her dress and rising to her feet Peorth lead the team down one flight of stairs with another adjacent to it at the other side of the room. A red carpet blanketed the steps and as they descended the room came into view; the walls decorated by a gorgeous crimson wallpaper with ornate designs, candelabras on two pillars in the center of the room and a grandfather clock beneath the pair on the eastern side of the room. A set of three blanketed tables sat aside from the stairs they emerged on and in the center of the room placed against the wall was an unusual painting of a woman created in a modern art style. Three chandeliers each holding a set of candles hung from the roof and lit the entire room. The group gathered upon the carpet resting before the painting with the guild master standing before them all.

The painting itself featured a lady sitting, her hands upon her lap. She was clad in a dark violet dress with frills both white and violet, a matching hat featuring flowers surrounding the rim with feathers on the back and a veil covering one eye. She had long blonde hair and a set of markings beneath her visible eye. A small blue necklace with a black string rested above her chest. TJ's eyes opened wide as he caught a glimpse of one of the eyebrows of the lady was raised.

"What filthy little children have invaded my master's sanctum?" She asked.

"It talks?!" TJ cried out grabbing his guitar.

Peorth placed a hand to his chest and answered, "My name is Peorth Emeria Ásvaŕtlim, contractor to the Abellan and reigning queen of Asgard. We have come seeking an audience with Pandora, Lady Hug. May we parley with her?"

"My master has no time or patience for you creatures and your requests. Away with you this instant!"

Su grit her teeth, "This painting's got some kind of problem. Where's a permanent market when you need one? I'll show her what us 'creatures' are capable of." She grinned impishly. "A little vandalism won't hurt Pandora any."

"I understand that you and Pandora have your circumstances, Lady Hug, but you must understand that we must see her at any costs. Our world is in danger, and should it be your home, the Gothic Room will be lost in the battle to come! Should you give us the opportunity to fulfill our duties, Pandora will need not remain within the Gothic Room. The gods will forgive her if the Sinful Seven are returned to their rightful place!"

"You have tried my patience for far too long you impertinent insects! Leave this instant or I will eliminate you!"

Thee chuckled wryly as he drew his sword, "Why am I not surprised that it's come to this?"

"Negotiations were made to fail kiddo. You'll get used to it someday," Kooh laughed.

"So be it! Yggdrasil, prepare for combat! Spend your mana wisely, we may have need to battle Pandora also, should she refuse us. TJ, Suuba, now is the time!"

"We can finally let loose? I've been waiting a goddamn long time for this," Su chimed.

"Right. Let's do this Su," TJ answered.

She followed TJ away from Lady Hug as the battle began but seemed to be in thought for a moment. "Something doesn't feel right here."

"It's just been a long time since we used the Frequency. Don't worry so much. Besides, those guys are already fighting Lady Hug and they need our strength. We can't waste time having doubts."

"No but this isn't just some doubt stupid. There's something wrong. You can feel it right?" He raised his eyebrows with a grin and she frowned in turn.

"Alright I'll go first and show you, then you can follow afterwards."

"H-hold on don't-"

He pounded his fists together as he shouted, "Frequency!" The mana began to flow through him and his eyes opened wide as an abnormal sensation ran throughout his body. "What...the..." He collapsed to his knees as Su began to flicker in and out of his sight, his entire body trembling as the bile rose in his throat. After discharging it he collapsed to the ground and fainted.

"Man down!" Thee shouted as Lady Hug stretched out and clawed at him.

"What? Oh! TJ's down for the count and Su went with him! What happened?!" Kooh cried out while slashing at the painting as Peorth fought it off with the point of her spear.

"I dunno but it's not a good sign!" Thee leapt from where he stood and brought his blade down three times with two more leaps and transitioned into a retreating stance as she emerged again and took two swipes at him.

Kooh raised a hand to perform Shattered Berg; the berg appeared again and shattered to pieces, firing a multitude of pieces of ice towards the painting only damaging it slightly as the spell dissipated. "Oh boy, she's one tough cookie." She dashed over and took a horizontal swing with her dagger followed by a rising flourish. Lady Hug turned her way, seemingly inhaling air and discharging a cloud of green smoke towards her. "Poison, be careful guys." She covered her mouth and backed away as far as she could.

Both Thee and Peorth attacked at this time in a flurry of swings and lunges, the two backing away as Peorth glanced at thee and whispered, "Create an opening and move a safe distance away. I will strike then." He nodded to her and took action, spinning towards Lady Hug and raising his blade at her and back down, chipping away at her face.

"Enough," She roared inhaling once more and breathing out a steady stream of flames. Thee jumped back and threw his blade towards her, slicing lower on the picture and bringing the blade back to him.

Peorth charged in, slamming her spear into the ground and spears emerged from all around her to impale the painting. While she drew her weapon Lady Hug emerged again and swatted her aside with a massive claw. The guild master tumbled towards her companion and was stopped in place by her.

"You've gotta be more careful Princess. You're already hurt and now you've got even more wounds." Kooh told her as she helped her onto her feet.

"These wounds are faint. I must persist." Peorth replied rising to her feet before she rushed to her spear and back into the fray.

Lady Hug inhaled once more while Kooh leapt closer towards her to hold both hands out and create a mirror of ice that blocked the poisonous gas headed towards her allies. With a wave of her hand the center of the mirror shattered and the icicles lodged themselves within the painting. Following that she pointed towards it once more and the outer ring expanded toward Lady Hug in another set of pointed icicles.

The painting began to grow flustered and let out an enraged cry with enough force to fling the group towards the other side of the room where they each collided with the wall nearby the others. Following the event Lady Hug inhaled once more and a chilling breath emerged, ice immediately began to gather upon them from the ground up, freezing the incapacitated TJ over also.

"I think we're in quite the pinch. Any ideas Princess?" Kooh asked wriggling the portion of her torso that had yet to be frozen.

"Yes," Peorth responded. She closed her eyes and concentrated, her entire body emitting a powerful glow that melted the ice around. As she arose sopping wet, she clenched her fist and swung her spear horizontally as Yggdrasil's Herald appeared beneath her. With a wave of the weapon she cleared away the mist; she slammed the tip of her weapon against the ice that coated the ground and shattered it, releasing her captured companions. "I shall end this now Lady Hug!" As if in a single movement she appeared in the face of the painting and unleashed a flurry in a matter of seconds. Lady Hug was punctured with holes from the bottom to the top, a look of pure shock as with a final stab Peorth withdrew her weapon and watched as the painting began to rumble and disappear in a series of flames.

"You have to teach me those things Peorth." Thee said in awe.

"The Warlord Style Awakening Techniques require vigorous training and constant vigilance Thee." The guild master answered standing her spear by her side. "If you so desire to learn the Divine Arts, I shall drill them into you through a series of test and training sessions."

"You know, I think I'm just a little bit unprepared to master the Divine Arts. I'll stick with the usual stuff for the time being, thanks."

The group turned their focus back to the place that Lady Hug once was and from the flames emerged a lady that seemed to match the picture from her outfit to the markings upon her cheek. She levitated in mid-air, holding her dress with one hand and a crimson folding fan in the other; her legs were covered by stockings and upon her feet a pair of violet flats.

"We finally meet again, Pandora," Peorth said.

"No need for introductions child. I remember you very clearly, Peorth, was it? My how you've grown. You've even brought old friends, and some new ones I see. So what brings you to my doorstep this day?" She chuckled as she extended her fan and waved it in front of her.

"We've come for the same reason as we did the first, for the treasure you've kept safe for centuries. The Sinful Seven have finally returned and this is a sign of ill omens. It is only a matter of time before Agasura King Asmodeus returns and begins Geseni oto Niztchs. We cannot allow this to happen or all will be lost. I beseech you, allow us to assume control of the box and we will save both Jienda and all of the places upon it, including Foe Mansion and the Gothic Room."

Pandora held the fan before her face and raised an eyebrow. "In your conversation with my protector which you and your allies have destroyed, you had mentioned that should the 'Sinful Seven' as you know them be sealed, the gods will allow me freedom of this place. Is this true?"

The guild master nodded. "God Ah had not put you here as punishment for your deed; he this so both you and the box would be safe from prying hands. He knew that in giving you the box that your curiosity would chance the possibility of it being opened. In preparation for this, he had created us. When the Agasura came to be as did those from the Dark World, God Ah and our goddess had long prepared our ancestors for the battle. You may recall the event, now known as the Agasuric War."

She smiled devilishly and closed the fan. "I recall it quite well. The creator and his companion had lead the fight against King Asmodeus quite magnificently. Their battle so intense they had caused a tear between worlds and the Agasuras escaped into another as God Ah had weakened them and your kind had prepared to seal them. Have they not returned to ravage your land?"

"After centuries we have found very few signs of them but one. According to our source, they had been set free from their seals under the leadership of one man in an attempt to subjugate the world, and the second that opposed the inhabitants of it. The task was a failure, and in the process the creatures had run amok. Should Asmodeus gain control here, he may have them return in the battle against the Gods. This is why we stand here today. We must finish what our ancestors began, and end this war once and for all. To do this we have come here today in hopes that you will cooperate! With your assistance we can begin our task of sealing away the Sinful Seven and proceed to stopping Agasura King Asmodeus."

Pandora opened her fan once more and waved it gently with a coy smile. "That does sound like quite the tempting offer but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? I've been in here for centuries waiting for a worthy group of adventurers to challenge me and claim my treasure as their own, if they were of a high calibre, that is. Ever since Asmodeus had placed his Dominion upon the world things have grown awfully dull. Those that came to Foe Mansion rarely, if ever, arrived at the Gothic Room alive. You may find their corpses beneath the floorboards if you search hard enough, my lovely children." Kooh and Thee both looked upon Pandora with hatred flaring in their eyes, while Peorth remained steadfast. "Those that did, could not defeat Lady Hug. But you, you are the first. And you said that you brought God Ah's little treasure hmm?"

"God Ah's...treasure?" Thee asked with knit eyebrows.

"She means TJ kiddo," Kooh answered.

"God Ah values no one above any other. We are all equal. You too, are a part of this Pandora. I beg of you, please give the box to us and we shall undo what had been done." Peorth knelt down and lowered her head.

"So you say, but can you deny the fact that God Ah had created the child not to be his equal, but to be his successor? The child has inherited his abilities and those that not even he utilizes. He will succeed the creator and claim this world as his own, should he prove able to silence Asmodeus." She smirked. "If this is the one who shall be my superior, I wish to see his abilities for myself, and those of the companions who walk by his side. Defeat me and my treasure is yours; fail here, and I will return to Asmodeus."

"Return...as I had feared you are already-"

"Correct! I belong to Him, in both body and soul." She placed the fan to her lips and smiled devilishly. "Show me what the new generation of God Ah's beloved creations are capable of! I have lived for this moment."

Peorth turned to her companions as she rose to her feet and prepared her weapon. "Yggdrasil, battle stations! We know not of what our enemy is capable of, so remain vigilant!"

"Let the fun begin!" Pandora cackled with a wave of her fan.

The flames of the candles on both sides of her flared and spread out towards the group, surrounding them. Thee charged in first and took a swing at her, she dodged to the side and avoided his blade.

"Thee your flanks!" Kooh shouted as she tackled him to the ground and Peorth deflected a levitating sword that nearly impaled the two of them. "Looks like we've got a caster on our hands. My magic isn't gonna be too effective in this case."

"Above!" Peorth shouted as the chandelier fell from the roof and slammed into the ground which narrowly missed the two who crawled away. As the fire returned to its normal state the two arose to their feet as Peorth took stabs at Pandora, and successfully grazed her with one of four strikes.

"This is just plain chaotic." Thee muttered as he eyed the swords resting across the room.

"How desperately you fight fascinates me greatly. Alas, the fun has only just begun. It'd be in your best interest to remain wary of your surroundings." Pandora told them while she fanned herself.

"TJ!" Peorth shouted before she turned her focus to him while the swords flew above their heads and pointed towards the incapacitated Abellan. As she prepared to make a move the tables beside him began to levitate and assaulted her from all sides.

"I'm on it Princess!" Kooh broke out into a sprint that quickly became her skating as she left a thin trail of ice in her wake. As the swords came down she transitioned from a spin to a crouch; with a wave of her hand her body was coated in ice and she deflected the swords with her arm. They fell limply around his body while Kooh returned to her usual self, her right arm torn and bloody. "You're such a handful Little Lamb, but we'll protect you with everything we have." She placed her hands to the ground and a small barrier of ice surrounded his body while Kooh remained on the other side. She turned to run back to where Pandora remained but was locked in place as a chandelier fell before her. "So rude!"

Thee tossed his blade towards Pandora and she lowered herself to ground height just barely remaining above it. While Thee retrieved his blade Peorth fought past the falling chandelier to Pandora once more, the two dancing skillfully past each other's attacks. The guild master managed to pin the Agasura between the wall and the chandelier and took a stab at her chest only to find herself stopped by the fan. Her eyes opened wide as the tables surrounded her again and one of them slammed into her back and threw her off balance into another. Pandora waved her fan once more and one of the three pushed her towards the candles preparing to spit flames. The guild master found herself in the arms of Kooh and placed upright with a glimpse of a grin as the girl rejoined the battle. Thee caught Pandora off guard and managed a clean cut across her back.

"Very clever, aren't you children? We are just beginning." Pandora rose into the air and with a wide swing the sound of glass being shattered surrounded them as the shards themselves flew to her side and rained down upon the Gothic Room.

Kooh pulled her allies towards her and raised a frozen shield from above her hand, deflecting the bits of glass and protected the two beneath her. She crouched down as the two made their way towards the different stairwells and she flung herself up towards Pandora with her dagger in hand using a chunk of ice that emerged from the ground; as she performed that the shards of glass returned to the window. The Agasura waved her fan and a table came to her rescue, successfully hitting Kooh but not before she plunged her weapon into Pandora's left arm. Thee tossed his blade and she avoided the stance by drifting to the side where Peorth awaited with a series of stabs. As Kooh approached the wall she stopped herself with a hand and foot, then fell towards the ground; she created an icy ramp as she did. She came down and slid upon it then launched her way towards Peorth who sheathed her spear and grabbed her hand, with one foot upon the railing; she spun around and tossed her subordinate towards Pandora who grabbed hold of her and dragged her to the lower floor, the two hit the ground with an incredible impact. Kooh dragged her weapon through Pandora's arm and ripped it out, cutting her face before she leaped back into a pair of somersaults to avoid a rain of swords in her wake. Thee stormed down the stairs and leapt over the railing to slam his sword down upon their target, missing her as she scrambled to her feet and back into a levitating form.

Peorth fell from above creating a burst of light and spun her spear around her, knocking Pandora back into the shield that guarded TJ. Kooh followed after with an icy mallet and slammed it against the shield while Pandora avoided the blow, the ice cracking beneath her weapon's might.

"Oops...sorry!" She raised a hand apologetically. The tables arose once more and one of the three collided with Kooh's chest causing her to tumble back beneath a falling chandelier. Thee stopped above her and held his blade above him stopping the descending fixture.

"You shall not harm him!" Peorth roared beginning her Dragon Fang stance she began with a first unsuccessful lunge, leaping aside to land a successful strike from Pandora's left flank, and finally knocked her to the ground once more with a blow to the back. The guild master caught a glimpse of Thee while he helped Kooh to her feet and a wave of Pandora's fan, three swords seemed to appear from mid-air above her, each pointing down towards it. She had no time to react nor respond.

In a flash of light TJ stood before her, the remnants of his barrier expanding throughout the room as a blue glint in his sclera faded and the usual brown shuttered eyes smiled at her. "Thanks for looking after me Chief. I'm a tad late but you don't mind if I join in, do you?"

"It is...a pleasure to have you back." She answered with a blink.

"Su, you ready? Let's give this another shot with a different approach!" He pounded his fists together and the mana within him surged forth. "Frequency!" His eyes gained a green tint and Su emerged from the crystal in her kunoichi garb.

"That Frequency's pretty convenient. It changed my clothes for me. Sucks to be you." She snickered twirling her dagger in her fingers.

"This...is alright with me. I get better with the Arcane Arts so I'm happy."

"TJ! Hi!" Kooh shouted as she threw ice needles at Pandora while she waved with her free hand.

TJ took his guitar in hand and began to gently strum the chords, the wounds of his allies recovering steadily as they returned to the fray.

"Feeling pretty good! Let's coordinate our attacks guys!" Thee shouted to the others bringing his blade down and across at their target.

"No need to tell me." Su answered drawing three shuriken between her knuckles and tossing them at Pandora, landing two in her leg and the other against the sword rack.

"So this is the power of the Abellan hmm?" Pandora chuckled while blood ran from her in various places on her body. Her eyes were weary and her grip on her fan grew loose. "The child truly can master the three arts. Though I will not concede the box until my last breath."

"This need not end in your demise Pandora! Relinquish the box and the battle will come to a close!" Peorth answered raising her spear to the ascending Pandora.

She laughed at the prospect. "If you want the box, you must kill me to obtain it."

"Oh we'll make sure of that," Su said.

"I dare you to attempt it child!" Pandora shattered the glass once more, all of her weapons rising and at the ready; from the candles' flames to a series of swords emerging from the racks. You've nowhere to run children, now perish."

"Did you forget who I am?!" TJ roared skidding to a halt amongst his guild mates. He slammed his fist against the ground and a series of vines emerged from the walls surrounding the lower floor, trapping them in.

"Fool, you'll only burn your companions alive! An easy victory!"

Pandora began her onslaught, the shards of glass, swords and flames rained down upon where they were stationed and the vines were alight with fire that licked the air and suffocated the atmosphere. As the vines began to burn into nothing but ashes amidst the flames a single flower coated in a thick layer of ice remained. The ice quickly melted away and the closed bud suddenly fired TJ out with his guitar in hand. As he drifted past Pandora he took a swing and hit her in her right flank, landing upon the top floor and waving his hand, firing the second of his companions. Kooh shout out from it and plunged her dagger into Pandora's chest, then grabbed hold of the chandelier beside her and her target's hair with the other. Before Pandora could respond Su was launched from the flower to put another dagger into her stomach and Peorth immediately after to drag her down with the pole of her spear. Finally Thee was released from the flower in a series of flips, bringing down his blade with a mighty downward stab.

Pandora's fan fell from her hands as she struggled to rise and reach out towards the blade that impaled her. "V-very...impressive...Abellan." She hacked up blood as she uttered a laugh. "Though it...matters not. A-after all. M-my Lord...has giv-given me...immortality!" She coughed again in a weak attempt to laugh. "No matter h-how many...times you eliminate me...I shall return!"

TJ ran down the stairs narrowly avoiding the flames that lit them and rejoined his other companions on the ground floor, Kooh aside.

"Alas, our goal was not to kill you but to retrieve the box." Peorth reached out towards her and a blue glow surrounded her hand as one was emitted from Pandora herself. From within her a beautifully decorated pithos emerged and took it's place in Peorth's hand. "There is something else." She reached out again and the blue necklace Pandora wore appeared in her hand. "I know not what you have decided upon this path for Pandora, but you and many others...those lost souls that have fallen to Agasura King Asmodeus. Someday I will find a way to save you all. Not only from his Dominion but from his control, and this endless cycle he has put you all through, willing or unwilling. In God Ah's name, I shall fulfill his wishes as well as my own." She closed her eyes. "Forgive me for having resorted to this, but it is as you had chosen, and we have little other choice. We will do what we must to save this world."

Pandora chuckled weakly. "I've no need...f-for your sympathy...Asgardian. This is...what I h-had...wished for, and I...I have received it. It is your...victory, as is...my treasure. Now go...leave me..." Pandora let out one last sigh and closed her eyes.

After retrieving their weapons Peorth turned to her group and gave them an approving nod. "It would be best if we made a hasty retreat." A small magic circle appeared nearby, giving off a bright white light.

"Princess! Don't leave me up here please!" Kooh shouted tightly gripping the chandelier.

"Come on down Kooh! I'll catch you," Thee chuckled.

"My hero!" She let go of the fixture and crashed into Thee knocking him to the ground. "Where's my princess carry?"

"You might have to give me a princess carry to the hospital. Might have given me a concussion on that one..."

The two immediately followed their companions into the portal and exited the burning Gothic Room.

Finding themselves back in Foe Mansion, the place returned exactly as it was prior to their arrival, they looked around uneasily.

"We don't have to go back the way we came, do we? Those Victors and their chainsaws just don't sit well with me. And neither do the invisible ghosts," TJ muttered.

"No we do not. Come close everyone, I shall return us to Elias." Peorth said drawing her Warp Crystal. The group gathered around her and in a flash of light they returned to the familiar city.

The five had returned to the Guild Room and Peorth rested Pandora's Box amidst all of them.

"How fascinating. This is the fabled Box that had sealed the Sinful Seven hmm?" Shabur asked removing his mask slightly.

"Yes. Through trial and error we have successfully obtained it and another artifact she held. I am unsure of exactly what this is, but i believe once activated we will find out." Peorth answered appraising the jar.

"Can we just slow down a second? All of this shit is happening so fast and you haven't explained even a bit of it," Su hissed.

"What would you like to know?"

"I've got a question." TJ said raising his hand. "How did you do that thing...you know, extracting the box...or jar or whatever you call it out of Pandora?"

"That? It is nothing more than a simple technique called Relic Recovery. It is something my tutors had taught me while I was a young girl. Our ancestors had created it as a countermeasure to prevent their artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. The initial spell is used to hide an artifact within a vessel. It is very rarely used, but it is a technique the finest Cerebian Treasure Hunters may learn in order to uncover the secrets of the past."

"So about this ritual," Su began, "if you were to give TJ the power of more Agasura, wouldn't that make him...you know, more of an Agasura than anything else? If he had to use their powers that'd make him have a need for the Contemptuous Arts. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me."

"That is a legitimate concern of mine. In truth, even I am unsure of exactly what will happen to TJ once we perform the ritual, but I believe that it is meant to be. Memorius Sanctum informed me of such, and I do not believe it will lead me astray."

"Now hold on a fuckin' second. Are you saying you've been lead by a freakin' book this entire time?! What the hell is that?"

"It is no ordinary book Suuba. It is a legendary artifact, a tome, in fact. I am not the only one who has such a creation. The other proxies, Choen Palm and Iris Livier also likely carry a similar artifact, but what information mine holds and theirs will certainly differ, as I only have information on the Cerebians and their side of the concurrent conflict."

"And you're saying this book can tell the future?"

"Tome, and it can tell me a small portion of TJ's future, but only that in the near future. It seems to have new information as we press on." She summoned the book and flipped through the pages. "It says that TJ wearing the pendant is a necessity to completing the ritual. I have found instructions on performing the ritual also. Suuba, Kooh, I will require your assistance in this matter."

"What for?" Su raised an eyebrow.

"At least two of the four God's Governors are required to perform such a task."

"What?!" TJ cried out, his gaze darted towards Kooh.

"You were-" Even Thee was in disbelief.

"Ah the cat's out of the bag," Kooh cried with mock disbelief. "It's true, I'm God's Governor of Water."

"Figures," Su snorted.

"Well that actually explains a whole lot. Truthfully after seeing TJ and Kooh I thought that Cerebian Mages could be a Warrior-type class and still cast magic or use multiple elements," Thee added.

"TJ's case is a very peculiar scenario." Peorth said closing the tome for a moment. "Due to his contract with Suuba, the two are able to master the spells that the other can utilize. Essentially, performing such a feat let alone such a contract would be nearly impossible for someone that is not the Abellan. Trying to open any other cores would put his life in certain danger."

TJ knit his eyebrows. "So why didn't you tell us you were God's Governor of Water all this time Kooh? Did it need to be a secret?"

She placed a finger to her chin and rolled her eyes. "Mm...no, not really. On one hand I wouldn't want to make a big deal out of it or let anyone that shouldn't know, know. But on the other, I'm...kinda a failure as God's Governor."

"What do you mean?"

Kooh turned to Peorth and the guild master nodded in return. "Would you like to see for yourself?"

Peorth opened Memorius Sanctum once more and flipped closer to the end of the tome. "Release!" The pages began to glow and from it an ornate grey hourglass emerged, but there was no sand within.

"Another artifact?" Su asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Correct. This item is known as Garfitua's Hourglass. The creator of it, Kalenda Garfitua, a renown medic and spell researcher had created this item to bolster her experiments. Her research was one of the keys to our discovery and understanding of the Contemptuous Arts, along with improving our own knowledge of both the Divine and Arcane Arts. With it we have made great strides in understanding how to utilize our mana and in what ways we could do this. This item, however serves a very distinct purpose. The target of it must use their own mana to activate the item; once this is done, the researcher would add their mana to the hourglass to add 'sand'. With this, the item would reverse or suspend the effects of a spell on a target for a brief period."

"What does this have to do with Kooh Chief?" TJ asked tilting his head.

"We wish to bring out the second God's Governor."

"Now you're just talking nonsense." Su muttered.

"Kooh, if you would." Peorth handed the hourglass to Kooh and she took it in hand, closing her eyes as she channeled mana into the it, giving it a shining gold look in place of the dull grey. "TJ, I would like you to place your mana into this also. As much as you feel that you are capable of, since performing such a task for the first time will require an immense amount to do so, and you may be the only one capable.

He nodded and took the hour glass in hand. He closed his eyes and tried to shift it from himself to the item; as he did he could feel the mana flow from him into the item and when he finally felt he had used up enough, he saw a series of blue grains of sand resting within the bottom of the hourglass. "Wh-whoa. That's kinda cool. What next?"

Kooh retrieved the hourglass and smiled at him. "Please say hi to her for me." With that she flipped over the hourglass and it began to glow as it levitated before her. The group was engulfed by a blinding light and when it dimmed they found someone where Kooh once stood; a lovely voice sang a somber song as the light began to dim.

A slender girl wearing a white frilly gown stood before TJ with her hands clasped over her waist. She had long icy blue hair that gently drifted down in the following seconds and when she opened her eyes, the same ruby sclera as Kooh.

"An outfit change? I can do that too." Su muttered with a roll of her eyes.

The girl gazed upon TJ for a couple of moments with an unusual intensity, then approached him steadily. She placed her hands upon his cheeks and leaned in to plant her lips upon his, taking his breath away in shock during the long kiss. When she finally pulled away from him she too was out of breath, as the guild members and even Sellistar looked on in surprise.

"Little Lamb...you've grown so much over the years. That look on your face says you don't remember me, but I'm certain in time you will. But I want you to know me now so..." She pointed to herself and smiled at him. "My name is Freya Altena Ásvaŕtlim, God's Governor of Water."

---

Sorry guys, I know you've been waiting for Innocent and it hasn't happened yet. RL got in the way so it's been severely delayed, but it's about a third finished. It's a long one, might be short novel length. Longer than USS, but not as much as Frequency. 100+ pages or so. Got into a bind with it but it'll be in the works. In the meantime, I'm going to update USS to adapt the new style and help it age a little better so look forward to it. I'll keep you all in touch via twitter, once in a while. If you can't wait to read Innocent you can find a link to the rough draft over at my tumblr Inked Serendipity, but you'll only find the good copy here!