Chapter 13: Toys and Trials

Jenny shifted in her cot, waking slightly as Olsen put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The steady rhythm of his breathing comforted her, lulling her back towards sleep. The past few days had been rough on them all, especially with the loss of the sweet girl Keeny. Olsen was the only person that she felt she could really turn to for support. Athena warned her that she was using Olsen as a crutch, and not just during this time of uncertainty. It might also seem too soon to be sleeping in the same bed together, but it was only for the night so she wouldn't feel so alone or broken.

She could tell that Olsen felt the same way, so they held each other together through the night. Slowly she opened her eyes and watched the moonlight on the wall. Six months ago, Jenny would have told you she expected to be studying for a test or making reservations at some restaurant for Olsen and her. Never would she have imagined her life would play a significant role in saving an entire world.

"Six months ago, we were nothing but kids." She thought, chuckling to herself and remembering her birthday would be coming up soon. If time worked the same here as it did back in Ohio, her 19th birthday would be in another week, March 30th. A small sound broke her train of thought. She assumed it was one of the children that admired her sleepwalking into the hut. She gently pulled Olsen's arm from her waist and sat up, frozen in surprise as a small man dressed as a clown stood at the door. Firmly she shook Olsen, trying to wake him. Jenny was powerless without her bow or arrows, and they were back in her mother's hut.

When Olsen didn't wake immediately, she reached over him and grabbed his Blood Gigantic claw; she almost dropped it, not expecting the weight. Clumsily she clamped it on her arm and franticly shook it to pull the new Tobi shuriken into her hand from their storage. All the Tobis clattered to the ground. Jenny snatched one up and threw it as best she could, trying to copy Olsen's movements. The Tobi sailed out into the night as the man put a finger to his mouth to quiet her. Olsen awoke when he heard Jenny grunt and looked back at the door. When he saw the small man, he leaped from his bed, grabbed the man by the collar, and pinned him to the wall holding the edge of his new Serpent's Tongue dagger to his throat.

"WAIT, STOP! I'm not here to hurt you!" the man whispered loudly, holding out his hands and wiggling them back and forth.

"Then tell me why you are sneaking into our room in the middle of the night," Olsen growled.

"You are the Guardian Ninja, right?" the man asked with a desperate tone.

"Yes, why?" Olsen retorted, relaxing his grip slightly but still holding his dagger back, ready to strike.

"I'm Mr. Bouffon from Ludibrium, and I desperately need your help."


Jack sat up and rolled his head around, trying to find a way to get to sleep, and instead walked to the front of Helen's sleeping quarters and sat down outside her parent's hut. Ever since he had gotten back to Herb Town, he couldn't get a nagging feeling out of his head. Jack kept thinking back to when they had all first come to Ossyria and had made their first kill, the Slime King, and how confused he felt. But just the other day, he had pounded hundreds of small pixies into a paste as though they were nothing, even enjoyed killing them. Was he becoming a monster just as fearful as The Mage? Then, there was the fact that Keeny's life had been exchanged for his; how was he supposed to ever accept that? Would it be a weight that he carried all his life? Helen sleepily came walking up to him, shielding her eyes from the moonlight that shone down outside when she felt his presence.

"Jack, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling her Ebony Gaia around her shoulders as she sat down next to him in the cool of the night.

"Just some stuff rolling around in my head." Jack sighed, leaning against the house. Helen stared at her clasped hands and let out a heavy breath.

"I did some research about that spell I used to bring you back…"

"Helen, don't." Jack interrupted, grabbing her shoulders firmly and turning her to face him.

"You think the same thing every day; I can see it in your eyes, Jack. I want to correct what happened, I want to bring Keeny back, I want… I don't want to be just a monster." Jack hugged her close, the two of them sitting in silence for a long while, listening to the night around them.

"Keeny's death is something that we will have to live with for the rest of our lives. There isn't a way to undo it. We can only go forward and try not to let the same thing happen again."

"But what if it does? What if I'm forced to choose between losing one of my closest friends at the cost of not know who will have to die?" Jack was going to answer, but he didn't have the words to say, leaning back against the hut, staring up at the stars. Helen was about to say something else when something moved in the underbrush just on the other side of the path. Jack's attention snapped towards the sound, leaned forward to try and get a better view.

"What is it?" Helen asked, a rush of adrenaline waking her. Jack hushed her as he stood, creeping forwards with his fist drawn up, ready to strike. Helen flexed her fingers; flames burst into existence on her palm, lighting the area around them. Nothing seemed to be moving, but Jack knew there was something out there; he could feel it in his bones. He was about to relax when something moved again: it was enormous and block-like structure. It didn't seem like it would move again, and if it was, it would be very slow.

Jack ran back into his quarters and grabbed his new Psychotic Edge gloves, clamping them on and returning just as Helen came out of her quarters with her new staff, the Thorns. His fists pulsed red as he drew them up. Jack launched into a corkscrew that landed hard on the target. The thing crossed its arms, stopping the attack, and breathily grunted, swinging its hand and knocking into the moonlight. Jack corrected as Helen launched her own blaze of flames into the underbrush. The creature grunted as it stepped into the moonlight; parts of its yellow body had melted while more creatures seemed to phase into existence behind it.


Lillianne stirred with the sound thuds far off in the distance. She listened closely for a moment as the fog of dreams cleared her mind. She listened more closely, recognizing the patterns of Matthew's attacks., She snuck past her parent's bedroom, pulling on her armor, and grabbed her halberd, following the sounds of Matthew's attacks. It wasn't long until she found him fully dressed in his new Dark Orientican armor, the large red tassel hanging from the helmet giving him an almost magical look as he swung through his stances.

The black-bladed Tiger's Fang katana glinted in the moonlight with each stroke, silently sweeping through the air. Occasionally he would unsheathe the spade-like Neocora sword from his belt, sweeping through a few dual-wielding maneuvers. Lillianne was entranced as Matthew would move: he looked so relaxed and natural with a sword in hand.

Matthew then pulled the cherry wood sheath from his back, ceremoniously sliding the Tiger's Fang into it like a well-seasoned Samurai. Setting the Tiger's Fang and Neocora beside the weapon's rack where he picked up the large cross spear, thumbing its edges before launching into a dance against invisible foes, practicing new techniques he had learned: The Warriors Shield and the Mana Overdrive.

The Warrior's Shield he had learned by accident when fighting Elliza's clone. By crossing his arms and sending Mana into the ground at his feet, an impenetrable steel statue would surround him. It would then absorb and return any attack with the same force. The Mana Overdrive was a problematic technique for him. For up to five minutes, he could link multiple people's Mana together for use, but at the cost of his battle concentration. Dances assured him that it would become easier to conjure and maintain with time and practice.

Lillianne smiled as she made her way to a concealed position, watching and waiting for him to apply the difficult technique. Sure enough, Matthew stopped for a moment and folded his hands while every edge and shadow of his body glowed with dark gold light. When Lillianne was sure that the technique had solidified, she burst from her hiding spot with a battle step and brought her halberd down hard. Matthew turned around, holding up the cross spear, directing it into the ground.

Lillianne continued with her forward motion by driving the halberd's end into the ground and swinging her leg up to connect with Matthew's face. Matthew pulled up his arm to block but was too slow; her foot sent him spiraling towards the weapon's rack. Matthew righted himself and skidded to a stop as Lillianne came rushing after him. Matthew grabbed the first weapon within reach, the heavy Blessed Mace, hauling it from the ground as a red glow appeared around the handle.

He stopped short, dug his foot into the ground, and hefted it over his head, hitting the ground with a thunderous rumble but missing Lillianne. She thrust the top end of her halberd forward, unleashing a deadly stream of hot energy. Matthew tried to counter by lifting the heavy mace from the ground and send the beam in another direction. Instead, he was lost in a cloud of dust and smoke as the beam hit him square in the chest.

"MATTHEW!" Lillianne called. She had seen that same punch through a dozen beasts like a needle, so she could only imagine what it had done to Matthew. Running to the center of the cloud, she swung her halberd in a tight circle, blowing the dust away. Lillianne let out a breath as she saw the giant golden shield of the Gaia's new form standing where Matthew was, revealing the shaken boy.

"Are you sure that you're ready to use the Mana Overdrive?" Lillianne asked.

"I don't think I have a choice. Where did you come from?!" He replied angrily, getting up and pulling the Blessed Mace from a pile of dirt and walking it back to the weapon's rack.

"I was hiding in the bushes. What was the glow around you earlier?" She asked, slinging her halberd over her shoulder while Matthew put the weapons rack back in order.

"It's called the Mana Overdrive. It's supposed to pool everyone's Mana by matching 'frequencies' so. Doing so also makes our attacks more powerful, but it's rather taxing on one's energy."

"Is it really that difficult? You seemed awfully distracted during the fight." Matthew chuckled.

"Try holding up a platter of crystal glass cups in the middle of battle." He smirked, looking up at Lillianne from under his brow. Lillianne nodded in understanding before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Point taken. It sounds like you need more practice before using it in battle."

"To be honest, it's a lot harder to do it by myself. Solidifying the technique isn't the problem, but when you have to attune yourself with yourself… it just becomes like trying to make a box go through a round hole…."

"Hush! I hear something." Lillianne hissed. The two listened to noises and watched as lightning bolts descended from the sky while pink and green flashes appeared.

"THE VILLAGE!" Matthew reached for a large ax, the Shining Edge, and began to run back for the village when Lillianne stopped him.

"Wait! I know this may sound like a bad idea, but this will give you a chance to use the Overdrive in battle. I want you to attune to me."

"Why?! You just said I need…"

"Just do it! We'll talk about it later!" Matthew huffed but agreed, folding his hands and repeating the spell over in his head. Again, Matthew's edges and shadows glowed with dark golden light and slowly began to emanate from Lillianne. But she was unprepared for the feeling of an invisible force slamming into her body. It felt like a headache would pass and then return until it was suddenly gone. She felt powerful. Dozens of times more powerful than she had ever felt in her years of training with her father. Was this residual power of the Ruby Crystal?

"Just remember this; you're not only using your Mana but mine as well: If I run out, the attunement will break," Matthew explained. Lillianne nodded, barely able to keep her body from shivering over the sheer pressure of power coursing through her body. She was so absorbed in the feeling, she didn't even notice Matthew had left until he was calling her from far away.

She launched into a battle step to catch up, usually surging forward 40 feet. Instead, Lilianne blazed a path past Matthew nearly 100 feet long, leaving the ground scorched and smoldering. Matthew quickly shivered a bit as his Mana disappeared. It wasn't much, but it was still a strange feeling.

Pushing aside the wonder, the two ran into the village where the others were fighting off an army of giant block-like creatures. Matthew and Lillianne made quick work of six of them, powering through them as though they were nothing but mush and leaving toy building blocks behind. Matthew took note of his mana level, then followed after Lillianne as she swung through another few creatures.

"LILLI! WITH ME!" Matthew shouted, bolting to Olsen as he struggled to fight off three of the beasts. Olsen tried to jump away but was brought to the ground again by a large hand. He blinked against his pounding head as one of the creatures raised its fist high into the air when he heard Matthew scream:

"SOLAR SYTHE!" the crescent of light howled over him, leaving rainbows in his eyes as the beasts separated and fell over in halves. Lillianne swung blindingly fast, splitting even more around him. Matthew brought the ax down hard on one of them, the ground shuddering on impact. Olsen shielded his eyes for a moment as the light from the Mana Overdrive hit his face.

"What is that? A new technique?" Olsen asked, his eyes adjusting to the light.

"Yeah, I just put it into use. It links our Mana together as one. You want in? I won't be able to keep it up for much longer, though," Matthew warned, taking note of his own mana level.

"Count me in," Olsen said. Matthew concentrated, pulling Olsen into the Overdrive. Lillianne's goosebumps returned with a vengeance as she felt the residual power of the Pink Quartz. Olsen shivered as the technique took effect.

"Ok, I just need one of you to stay within 15 feet of me; otherwise, I can't maintain the technique," Matthew ordered. With a nod, they set off to find the rest of their comrades. Olsen was surprised by the sheer brute force his shuriken now had, knocking the block monsters back with only a toss or breaking a beast with a full force throw. Within a few more seconds, the creatures were suppressed just as Matthew reached his limit of maintaining the Mana Overdrive.

When it finally wore off, Lillianne clutched at her chest, heaving and panting as if she had just fought a battle lasting an hour. Matthew was about to run over to her when exhaustion hit him as well. Both he and Olsen felt as if their hearts would burst, heaving for air on the ground. Jenny, Jack, and Helen came over to them from nearby.

"Jenny, what happened to them?" Aran asked, running over when he, Dances, and Athena saw them collapse. He propped his daughter up as she heaved for breath, trying to make her relax so that her heart rate would come down.

"I don't know. We were getting pounded from all sides by a bunch of Block Golems until these guys showed up and took them out easy." Jenny replied, rolling Olsen over onto his back. Dances shook his head as he uncorked an Orange Peel potion and poured a small bit into their mouths, instantly calming their breathing and heart rate to a lesser level.

"Dances. What caused this?" Kyrin asked as she helped Olsen to a seated position.

"I believe Kyrin, Matthew overused the Mana Overdrive."

"The mana what?" asked Helen.

"You would know it as the Hyper Body skill from the game. Here in Ossyria, it is called Mana Overdrive. It is a technique that links everyone's Mana together, essentially attuning up to eight people's Mana to each other. However, it doesn't pool everyone's Mana together; it links them, forcing your body beyond its limits anywhere from 2 to 8 times what it is capable of on its own, even beyond that of the Rage technique.

"But it must never be used for long periods like this, at least not yet. It takes time while using the Overdrive in short bursts so that your bodies can become accustomed to the strain. You must also NEVER use it with an apprentice. They wouldn't have anywhere near the stamina needed." Dances warned, helping Matthew to his feet.

"What happens when we run out of Mana? Can't Matt just do it again with the crystal's power?" Jack asked. Dances became serious, locking eyes with Jack.

"It is possible, but it is far more complicated. By itself, the crystal's power is hundreds of times more potent than Mana. But you must never attempt it until you have been trained far more. Attuning the crystals would amplify the strain exponentially, possibly even leading to your deaths. You would be linking four pieces that were originally one." Jack nodded as he unbuckled the Psychotic Edges, holding them at his side. Once he had recovered, Olsen saw Mr. Bouffon standing off to the side and called him over to introduce him. The clown eagerly shook all their hands before explaining his purpose.

"Guardians, I need your assistance: recently, the Toy Factory of Ludibrium has come under a curse. Your parents managed to help us rid the factory of the malevolent toys affected by the Time Sphere's crack and defeating Papulatus. After that, we were able to make toys again for the children." Mr. Bouffon soon lost his smile.

"Recently, however, something has happened to the Time Sphere, and the toys are beginning to corrupt once again. Nearly all the factory managers were chased out, and it is now guarded day and night by Cronos or our maintenance droids called Red Robots. They are building something, but we have no way of knowing what it is. Can you please stop them?"


The Mage hissed in his throat as he listened to Bouffon tell his tale about the toys making something. He was correct, they were indeed making something, but that would be of little concern. It would be at least another few months before the Guardians would be ready for what lay in wait for them.

"Black Mage, I hope that this will not slow me down," Papulatus whined in his squeaky voice as he walked into the room. Papulatus appeared to be nothing more than a walking glow-worm with a small vine and two leaves atop his head. The Mage casually nodded while releasing a growling hiss in the back of his throat.

"You told me that there would be no distractions from completing the Clock Face!" Papulatus hollered, stamping his foot as his older self-appeared, adorned across the upper lip with a grand mustache. The Mage blurred as he moved, standing behind the little worm and picking him up before Papulatus had time to react while agitated whispers hung in the air. With a swing of his arm, the Black Mage hurled Papulatus into the wall, appearing before him once again wrapping his hand around the worm's throat and holding a black flame in the other.

"Is that little pest becoming any trouble for you, Master?" Eleanor asked in a soft voice, walking up to them with a sensual step, setting her hands on The Mage's shoulder. The Mage shook his head with a calming breath, letting Papulatus drop to the floor in an undignified heap, shifting his whispers to a questioning tone. Eleanor nodded in return.

"The Machinist is finishing the last of the calibrations on the Antellion recreation as we speak. Once it is complete, he will run a simulation. All should go according to plan." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder as she did so many times before. Many rooms away, the Machinist carefully tapped on the screens before him, running through billions of calculations.

When Eleanor first came to him in Masteria and offered him the opportunity to recreate the Antellion and power his city once more, he couldn't refuse. But, to do so, he would need a small part of the original's power. It was almost too easy to have the Guardians come to him and tell them of Olde Sapp, thus gaining the sample The Machinist needed. In anticipation of getting this sample, the Black Wings scientists reverse-engineered his body and recreated his entire being in the Black Mage's citadel. Once he had begun work on the famed crystal, his circuits started to reevaluate his position in the whole matter.

His work granted him access to the whole of the Black Mage's plans and what he intended to do. He could see something much worse going on in the background, and not even The Black Mage was aware of it. But it was beyond his capacity to find what this something was. As unassumingly as he could, The Machinist siphoned off a complete copy of the digital plans for the mechanism he was helping construct and sending it to his original self in Masteria. He had no windows for his second self to see and triangulate his position, so the information he gathered would have to do.

With the plans fully transferred, he sent out another messenger orgel to Herb Town, summoning a scientist named Kim. After a short introduction, Kim retrieved the files from The Machinist. he returned to his lab in Herb Town, where he could decrypt the massive file. Dr. Kim would have preferred to have the file decoded. The Machinist explained that doing so was beyond his capability, mostly since modern-day technology was so significantly different from his own. But it wouldn't be a problem; Dr. Kim had the finest computer technicians in the world working with him, so there would be no doubt thy could uncover its secrets. Dr. Kim's assistant, Porter, partially decrypted the data and quickly scanned through it, finding a file about what The Mage was making.

"Dr. Kim, you need to have a look at this!" Porter called. Kim walked over to the monitor and read over the algorithms' lines that would mean nothing to any average person. His eyes became wide as he continued to read.

"This can't be… not even they had that kind of power!"


Helen looked over her friends as they could finally sit up and catch their breath, thinking through their options as to what could be done.

"Dances, how much time would it take to get from here to Ludibrium?" Helen asked.

"It would take nearly 4 hours, assuming that you don't have any problems." He answered. Helen nodded as she continued to think while the sky began to lighten as the sun came up.

"We shall go as soon as the Ticket's ship can be made ready. Captain Shanks' ship is still under maintenance, but I believe the Ticket's ship is still operational."

"I'll go get them," Olsen said, wobbling a bit as he stood.

"You sure? You still look like hell frozen over." Matthew chuckled.

"I'm fine," Olsen called over his shoulder. They gathered once more at the docks thirty minutes later, boarding the Ticket's ship as the last water barrel was being loaded.

"Well, ain't you five just the slickest thing in town! That there new armor of yours is mighty fine if I do say so m'self." Joel complimented, untying a mooring line from the ship and setting them afloat in the bay. Jack struck a pose and pointed a finger pistol at him.

"Thanks. We're looking more like royalty as we get better armor." Jack commented, straightening his Barone Suit jacket, taking out his new Hades pistol, smacking back the slider to clear the chamber. He checked his pockets to make sure that he had indeed grabbed two clips of bullets. Lillianne chuckled and nodded her head.

"I'd have to agree. You five looked so unsure of yourselves when you first came," Lillianne replied, smiling as her eyes met Matthew's, watching him recheck his equipment. It wasn't long until the small group was soaring through the skies, humming at a steady altitude. The wind wound its invisible fingers through Helen's long violet hair as she stood at the bow. Jack stood at the helm, watching Helen as though entranced, mesmerized by the ebb and flow of her Black Anakarune robes.

"You have to admit, she looks mighty perty," Joel commented, nodding his head towards where Helen stood.

"Yeah, she is," Jack answered when Jenny coming out of the ship's hold caught his eye. Her newest armor, called the Blue Choro, matched the sky surrounding them with slight pink hues mixed in, resembling something a samurai might wear. Jack hopped over the railing with a single smooth kick of his feet and landed on deck, catching Jenny's attention when his boots hit the wood hard.

"Where you up in the crow's nest?" she asked, reaching to her hat and playing with the three feathers that stuck out of it.

"Actually, I just came down from the Helm." Jack laughed, crossed his arms as his sight wandered again to Helen.

"Your boots must be heavier than they look; it sounded like you came from higher up," Jenny commented, following Jack's line of sight to Helen, and inwardly sighed. Helen's garb made her jealous compared to her less flattering warrior-like armor. She readjusted the cloak around her neck before joining Olsen at the railing, watching the ground far below.


Eleanor walked with purpose to where the Mage's personal pet waited for his chance to get even with those pesky kids. As of late, she felt a bit unappreciated and wanted to gain that back from the Black Mage. The Cornian patrol watched her walking by, especially with her heavy hip switching gate. But that's how she had always been, even as a teen. Pulling the cloak around her, she entered into the cool cell of Balrog.

"I understand that the Mage had sent some of the Crimson to their deaths. Would you care to avenge them?" she asked with a smooth tone. Balrog rushed Eleanor, pinning her to the wall.

"Are you mocking me?" he hissed through his clenched teeth. Eleanor grinned as a hot light surrounded her, making Balrog pull his burnt hand away and lick it to cool the tender flesh.

"The masters aren't with the Guardians this time; the only one that would be any kind of threat to you would be the Daughter of Aran. Getting revenge would be easy." Balrog growled as he coddled his hand, trying to ease the pain. The beast growled some commands to the Crimson, who flew off on their deadly task, turning back to her with a sneer.

"If any of them die, I will hold you responsible." Eleanor smiled up at him with an alluring yet dangerous look on her face.

"I may not be as powerful as the master, but it would still take decades before you can defeat me." Eleanor chuckled.

"You were nearly killed by the Knights of Cygnus, and yet you say that you are more powerful than I?" Balrog sneered. Eleanor's eyes became dark, remembering the scars she had been given: one on the side of her hip and the other above her left breast. They weren't as visible anymore since she used reverse magic to perfect her skin once more, but the mental scars still remained.

"And yet you were brought down by mere humans yourself— you who were made purely by the Black Mage's magic. I am the Mage's seminarian, and you are his pet. Never forget your station, Balrog." She growled, turning around and walking with agitated steps out of the dungeon.


Alden came up from the ship's hold, looking for his master, then padded over to her. Matthew managed to reinstate the cloak form of his Gaia from his arm shield, realizing that all he had to do what think about what he wanted it to be.

"How'd you do that?" Jenny asked, wide-eyed as she came over to him, catching the cloak's corner and looking over it, finding small gold letters embroidered into the hem.

"I learned it from Olsen. On the back, just below the neck, there's an ancient language embroidery. It's only like three or four characters, but it means 'think therefore it is.' It will change into whatever you want it to be. The problem is you only have three other forms you can 'program' into the cloak, and you can't undo them unless you give it to someone else." Jenny nodded as Alden jumped up on her shoulder and rubbed his head over her cheek.

"Alden, stop! That tickles." She chuckled, bringing him down into her arms and scratching his head, listening to him purr in her arms.

"INCOMING!" Cherry called when something slammed into the side, rocking the ship left as flames curled around the hull.

"Crimson!" Matthew growled, drawing his Neocora making it, and his arms flare red.

"Hey, you wanna try that Mana Overdrive again?" Jenny asked, just as the next fireball hit.

"If we're going to survive this, it's worth a shot, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep all of you attuned for. I've never done more than three people." Matthew explained, sweeping his sword to the left and hitting a fireball back as though it were a baseball. Jenny put a hand on his shoulder, clanking when it hit his armor.

"You can do it." She reassured. Matthew took a breath as the others came around. Matthew dropped the tip of the Neocora and concentrated. Lillianne's Mana frequency was the closest to his, matching with her first. Once aligned, Matthew moved on to Helen, then Olsen, Jack, and finally, Jenny. Matthew felt a bit overwhelmed at the sheer mass of Mana that he had to keep in tune, but he soldiered through it.

Helen was the first to attack, drawing her hand back to create a Sacred Arrow that whistled with the new power available to it and let it go, sizzling past one of the crimsons. Matthew felt dizzy, trying to keep a steady grip on the tuning while everyone attacked at once. Surprisingly, they were actually doing some damage to them.

The warrior did the best that he could but only managed to scare off the ones attacking the mainsails; between maintaining the Overdrive and trying to keep from getting hit, the attunement soon broke. Jack was the first to notice after his first right plowed through the Crimson's chest, and the next punch merely bounced off. He jumped back to barely avoiding the eviscerating, flaming claws of the crimson he fought. Jenny, Olsen, and Helen soon noticed that their attacks were much weaker than before, breathing more heavily than usual.

"Sorry guys, I can't do it." Matthew huffed, holding himself on his knees to catch his breath. Just as he finished his sentence, three of the crimson concentrated their firepower and hit the ship hard, violently listing it to the right. Jenny's heart dropped, feeling the deck leave her feet. Frantically she reached for something as she was flung into the air; ropes, sails, masts… they were all just out of her reach. Olsen looked back to see Jenny reaching out her arm for him, swinging her arms desperately for anything, but especially him.

"JENNY!" He pushed off the deck as hard as he could, grabbing a rope and leaping after her with the aid of his Quartz empowered haste. Just as his fingers brushed hers, the rope snapped tight, pulling him back hard as Jenny's hand slipped from his. Jenny's blood-chilling scream echoed in his head as she cleared the deck and began falling through the sky. Quickly she tried reaching for her bow and activating a mighty wind-encased spine arrow and fired it downwards with no effect. She reached back for another arrow, only to find her arrows scattered in the winds above her. She grabbed to her Gaia but realized she was in a vast sea of air; her Gaia would be no good here.

"Olsen, haste me." Olsen looked back to Jack as he gripped his shoulder hard.

"What?"

"HASTE ME!" Olsen redid his haste spell, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder as a blurred ancient rune appeared over him and wings sprouted on his heels. Jack then ran to the railing, swung over, and pushed off the ship so hard that the ship listed back left, leaving part of the boards caved in.

"YOU CRAZY PIRATE!" shouted Olsen as he watched him disappear after Jenny. Lillianne put a hand on his shoulder as the Crimson readied to attack again, one diving after Jenny and Jack.

"You lot better hold on 'er you'll be thrown off just like them." Called Cherry as she pulled up on a safety lever and hauled the throttle past its maximum; from under the ship, a large "v" shaped mechanism dropped down, glowing a bright blue, whining as though it were some sort of jet engine. All at once, the ship lurched, disappearing into the horizon, leaving the Crimson staring at each other.


Jack did the best he could to catch up to Jenny, falling like a bullet after her with contrails following his feet. When at last he did catch her, he realized that they were falling just off the coast of what he thought might be the Korean Folk town at the bottom of Helios tower of Ludibrium.

"Jenny! Hang onto me! I'm going to try and slow us down!" Jack called as he maneuvered to her as best he could. Jenny all too eagerly clung to him as he began running as fast as he could in mid-air. His feet began to blur until the air beneath them swirled and howled. It took a while, but their descent slowed. Jack quickly tired as he stopped to catch his breath, making them plummet. He tried again, slowing them until his legs burned and ached. The pattern repeated over and over until they hit the water.

"Are you ok?" Jack panted, trying as best he could to keep afloat, barely able to kick hard enough to keep his head above water.

"Yes. LOOK OUT!" Jenny screamed, pulling Jack under the water as the crimson they were unaware of blazed over the surface of the water. Jenny spun around and took aim at the blurry picture above them, drawing a green spine arrow that left the water like a missile but missing and disappearing into the air. Jack was the next to try something. Forcing as much Ruby power into his arms and shoulders as he could, he drove his fist up, creating a shockwave through it. The surface of the water burst with a roar, drenching the Crimson's fur and forcing it into the water.

Jack launched into a corkscrew, throwing the Crimson into the air with a broken back. Jenny then re-drew her spine arrow, launching arrow after arrow at the Crimson, each punching through its body as though they were bullets, staining the water an eerie black color. When they thought the creature had finally been subdued, they swam up to the surface, sputtering and heaving, trying not to swallow the salty water.

"We wouldn't have been able to even scratch those things in the game! How come we can here?!" Jenny sputtered, coming to the surface again after a small wave splashed her in the face.

"The stuff in the game is just a set of numbers designed to test you once you got to a certain level, getting easier as you go. Things live here, actual creatures that can be hurt and killed just as we can. The only difference is whether or not we can match their physical speed and strength. Come on, I see Helios tower over there. We should be able to reach it after a while if we rest from time to time."


It only lasted for a few seconds, but the ship's overdrive was soon turned off, allowing the vessel to drift down to its cruising speed.

"Is everyone alright?" Cherry asked. Everyone nodded back.

"We got to go back for them," Olsen demanded, quickly stomping up to the helm.

"Olsen, if yer want'n to go back an' kill yerself, then go right on ahead. For all I know, you could search fer days an' you might not even find 'em. Instead, you might run into them Crimson we just lost."

"But what if they're injured; they won't be able to swim back!"

"Olsen! It's Jack and Jenny we're talkin' 'bout here. Not only that, but we were in sight of Helios tower when they went over. If they stay calm, they'll be able to swim to it." Cherry drawled. Olsen looked down to the deck, his usually bright blue eyes becoming dark and sad as Matthew set a gauntlet on his shoulder while descending into Ludibrum.

"They'll be fine. Jack is pretty stubborn, so I doubt they will have any kind of problems." Eventually, Olsen half-heartedly accepted that they would be fine and left the ship with the others into the heart of Ludibrum, The Clock Tower. At the entrance stood two of the red robots Bouffon had warned them about, clinking and clattering back and forth.

"So what do we do?" Olsen asked distractedly.

"To be honest, I don't know. These things are about level 63 in the game, so I don't know that we'll be able to take care of them very quickly here now that this is real." Mattew mused.

"I can take 'em." Lillianne scoffed proudly, disappearing with a battle step. With one hard downward right cross, the edge of her halberd cut through the metallic bodies, revealing her kneeling down, waiting for her actions to catch up. Silently the top half of the red robots slid to the side as sparks and cooling fluid sprayed on the ground. The others followed her into the clock tower, climbing over cogs and drive shafts as they descended into the toy factory. Olsen made a motion with his hand and knelt, his sharp eyes looking over everything that was before them. Machines covered the entire studded floor, each having a black and red glow surrounding the outer gears and belts. Brown, pink, and panda teddy bears rose from the conveyor belt as if being raised from the dead.

"What is it that you see?" Helen whispered.

"Just teddy bears for now, but if this toy factory works like the one in the game, it's only going to get weirder as we go down," Olsen whispered back, looking for a way around.

"We'll go as far down as we can. Once we reach the lower levels, you'll be the only one who can find out what's going on." Matthew observed. Olsen nodded as they carefully snuck further into the factory, following the strange hammer sounds drifting up from the stairwells. The further they went, the more a peculiar feeling emanated from their path as if an evil permeated the very air they were breathing.

Soon, the sound of clinking gears began to rise, accompanied by the rhythmic click of a pendulum. Olsen held the others back as he poked his head out from the doorway to see what it was that awaited them, pulling back in when something passed over him and floated down to where a group of the same gathered. Jenny set a hand on his shoulder, scooting closer.

"What is it?" she hissed.

"Chronos, and a lot of them," Olsen Answered. Behind them, something bigger floated past the doorway, clinking and clattering as each cog tooth meshed inside of its body with a blue-grey jester's hat atop its head, followed by twenty more of the same.

"I'll take care of these things. They're nothing more than Platoon Chronos." Lillianne chuckled when Helen stopped her by gripping her shoulder.

"I have no doubt that you could easily eliminate them. But think about the rest of us: we don't have the experience or strength to deal with something that powerful…" A noise made Helen stop midsentence as the purring growl of a Master Chronos drew her attention. From the inner portion of its body extended a pinkish light, rotating around in a full circle to create a clock face where the hands slammed onto it, telling the time of five after eleven. Three smaller clocks appeared above the first as the hands both met up at noon. The clock face then separated forwards. Helen jump in front of Olsen with her Gaia pulled up to block the attack, defecting it into the wall.

"GO GO GO!" Lillianne shouted, slicing through the Chrono as the time spell broke. Matthew touched his Gaia as it became a shield allowing him to push through the maw of Chronos. Looking to his right, he saw a platoon of Chronos coming straight at him while forming their attack spell. Quickly he stopped and held his arm up, ready for the attack. Just before the seal solidified, Helen dove at him and pushed him over as the spell sparked off of her own Gaia.

"HELEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Matthew screamed

"These things do not use normal magic; it's time magic. A single touch will age anything to dust, leaving the rest behind in current time." Matthew growled as he put the Gaia back in its cloak form and pulled a large ax called The Shining from his back, swinging as hard as he could into the face of one of them only to have it spark off of its metallic body. Olsen leaped from place to place, trying to get a bearing on how many they were fighting. Each time he thought he had a vantage point, he would have to move before getting hit by time magic. Out of impulse, he flicked his wrist and hurled a Tobi at one of the Chronos.

At first, the star bounced and sparked inside its body until it caught in one of the cogs. The Chrono shuttered and stumbled until it finally fell over on the ground. The other Chronos stared for a moment before beginning their assault on him. Olsen raised an eyebrow: jamming their gears killed them? Quickly he disappeared, gathering his quartz power around his fist as he ran at one of them, reappearing and hitting the first one within reach with all he had, as a pink ghost sank into the body of the Chrono. Matthew smiled, realizing that they just might survive. He knelt and threw his hands out while a black ghost-like creature rose from his back. Helen stopped teleporting just long enough to swing her staff and cast her slowing spell, each of the Chronos becoming easier to hit.

"GUYS! GO FOR THE GEARS IN THEIR BODY!" Olsen shouted, throwing another shuriken into the cogs. Within a few seconds, the four of them dispatched the weakened Chronos. No sooner had that been done than an army of Platoon, Master, and normal Chronos surrounded them from all sides.

"Matt… now would be a good time to use the Mana Overdrive." Lillianne nervously said.

"Last time I did that, I nearly killed you! My dad was right when he said I wasn't ready for it!"

"At this rate, you'll never be ready! JUST USE IT!" Helen shouted, calling up her Sacred Arrow, trying to push back the closing monsters. She then summoned a bubble of poison, spraying it over the creatures but having no effect. Matthew bowed his head and concentrated as his body glowed gold, honing Lillianne's Mana first, allowing her to begin her attacks, followed by Helen. Just as he matched Olsen's Mana, Matthew's own supply ran out, and the technique broke. Helen managed to finish her now powerful blast of lightning when she felt the overdrive break, teleporting to him.

"Matthew, what's wrong?"

"I'm out of Mana." They did the best they could to keep them at bay, but despite their efforts and the use of their crystal power, the onslaught was just too much.

"Get away from them, you filthy VERMINE!" Jack roared as he descended from above, his fists glowing with an intense bluish-white light. When he hit the ground, the same glow burst from his fist, pushing all the Chronos back. Jack then launched into the onslaught, taking down each one as though they were mere slime, his fists buzzing each time he moved. A small band of Master Chronos began sneaking up behind the group as they sat awe-struck watching Jack when the same buzz came from somewhere above them. High-powered arrows slicing through the bodies of the Chronos. Helen looked back to see Jenny holding a bow with the same bluish-white glow in the shape of sinews and bow arms.

"You guys almost got creamed. Good thing we showed up when we did." Jack called as he held the last Chrono up and forced his fist through its body, sprockets, springs, and cogs flying everywhere.

"Yeah, really." Jenny laughed as the low buzz and glow on both of their weapons stopped.

"What… are those?" asked Matthew, pointing to the cool silver metallic bracers locked onto Jack's arms. The pirate looked at his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, these? These are the actual Unwelcome Guest Knucklers. They're A LOT different than the game portrays them. Jenny has the bow. I'll explain later. What are you guys doing down here anyway?"

"Remember? We were asked to check out what's going on down here."

"I know that. I mean, what are you doing fighting the Cronos? You know as well as I do there would be no way we could fight these things yet." Jack said, unclamping the bracers around his arms and sliding them off.

"And yet you can by just getting some alien tech?" Matthew questioned. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Jenny and I were swimming back to what we thought was the base of Helios tower when it really was the base of Eos tower. We landed in some pretty hot water when we got on the shores in Omega Sector. After some severe drilling about who we were, we were taken to speak with Dr. Kim, who just happened to be there doing something else; it seemed pretty intense. We told about our mission to see what was going on in the Clock tower's bottom, and He then gave us these weapons.

He said they had recovered them from a cube-shaped ship that fell in Omega Sector as part of an alien attack a couple months before the Black Mage rose. Apparently, they use something the aliens were born with to power and use them, but after some tinkering, he converted them to use a small mana flow instead. Otherwise, it just becomes a pretty bracelet." Jack explained. Jenny showed that the bow was clamped down on her arm to make a good transfer of Mana.

"So, in other words, it uses a lot more mana than a normal weapon." Matthew surmised smoothly.

"Yeah, but the benefits are pretty sweet." Jack laughed, making everyone chuckle nervously. As they descended, the strange evil feeling grew as they went. Passing by the slow mouse-like Ticks and Gerble-like Tick Tocks, they tried not to raise any alarm so that they could stay at least somewhat safe. Finally, they reached the Time Chamber's gateway, leading them to the ultimate of strange beings. All around them for what seemed like infinity, clock faces floated by, each one clicking on its own time. Below them extended a ladder into the dark abyss, unable to see what lay below them.

"I think you guys should stay here. I'm the only one who can remain unseen." Olsen said as he readied to climb down.

"I'm going too. Irena taught me something similar so I won't be seen." Jenny said in a commanding voice when she adjusted her bow over her shoulders. Olsen grunted and shook his head, knowing that arguing with her now was a losing battle.

"Good luck, you two," Helen called quietly as they descended the ladder.


Dark Lord Jin spent the afternoon training in Mu Gong's Dojo, powering through the floors to keep his body in top form. Athena watched as he started at the bottom for the 18th time, leaning against the dojo's entrance to catch his breath. Athena decided she would dress casually for a change: A white tank top and blue denim mini-skirt with a small golden star hairpin pulling back her sandy hair.

"Athena, I didn't see you there," jin said, startled, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders while the sunlight glistened off his sweat polished back and chest.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm sorry if I interrupted." Athena chortled.

"No, no, it's alright. I had to stop anyway." He answered as he sat down and crossed his legs, setting down his dagger while pulling his claw from his hand, flinching when part of the claw's sleeve caught the edge of a cut on his wrist. On a whim, Athena came and sat down next to him.

"How do you think they're doing?" she asked.

"Olsen is a bit hasty in his attacks, but with time, even that will dissipate. As a whole, they are becoming fine Guardians." Jin answered. Athena nodded in agreement. Jenny had become such an excellent archer in less than six months; she hardly recognized her sometimes.

"Tell me something, Athena; why is it that you never remarried back in the other world?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Jin," Athena answered sharply.

"I want to hear it from you what the exact reason is. I'm not psychic, you know." Jin pressed as Athena sighed.

"I felt no other man in that world would understand me the way Kalib did. He possessed a peculiar presence that set me at ease like he was my other half."

"So I take it that you tried to get remarried once or twice?" Athena snorted and nodded.

"After Kalib passed, the rest of them were shallow charlatans. Unwilling to have a conversation."Jin nodded, rolling his neck again and revealing an old scar on his shoulder.

"When did you get that?" Athena asked, tracing the scar down from the top of his shoulder to his bicep.

"That was from a fellow apprentice to my Master and former leader of my clan, Shadow Lord."

"It came from her?" Athena asked as Jin nodded. An odd silence lingered between them, shattered by a messenger calling out, running as fast as he could with a large wound cut down the length of his forearm. Just as he reached the porch of the dojo, he collapsed. Athena assessed his injury and called for Grendal. Dark Lord picked up the piece of paper the man was carrying; his eyes and face fell.

"Jin? What is it?" Athena asked, trying to see the note when he pulled it away.

"It's her."


Carefully, the two of them weaved between the numerous Soul, Master, and Death Teddy Bears roaming about. As they snuck by a powerful Master Death Teddy, Jenny's wind cloak dissipated, making a part of her sleeve brush against the creature. The creature whipped around, pushing the small teddy bear in its puppet strings to her and readying a Death Charm. Fortunately, it didn't see anything and slowly continued its patrol. Olsen relaxed as he loosened his grip around Jenny's mouth and waist as they hid behind a stack of crates.

"You have to be more careful," Olsen whispered.

"I'm not exactly trained in infiltration tactics, you know! Besides, that's the first time I've used it; I didn't know how long I could keep it going." Jenny hissed in return. Just as they were getting ready to continue, Jenny pointed Olsen's attention to lettering on the crates. In bold black lettering were the words "UPPER CONTROL ROD #1-6". Olsen pried away a plank to see six thick, steel-colored rods with glowing ends as quietly as he could. They looked at each other and continued until they reached a point where hammering and drilling were loudest. Olsen peaked out from behind a crate seeing a giant machine painted red with three glowing spheres where eyes would have been. Inside the machine's skeleton was a mass of cogs, generators, pulleys, wires, and rods forming what looked to be an alarm clock with hands.

A series of squeaks and clicks rose through the air as something resembling a grandfather clock with teeth jumped on a handle until it gave, and the creature fell to the ground. Something inside the machine clicked as the orbs grew brighter. The cogs and pulleys ground into motion while steam hissed from unseen valves as the generators hummed to life.

A giant pendulum heaved into motion behind the cogs just as clutches changed position, starting the heavy pendulum in the other direction. As it gained speed, it began sounding like a strong metallic heartbeat. It began hovering as hoses fed the glowing generators a blue liquid, filling the area with an eerie sapphire glow. Jenny felt a hand clamp over her mouth and another drop onto her shoulder, pulling her back. Olsen drew his Serpent's Coil and lunged, pushing the end of the dagger towards what looked to be a face as Quartz power streaked from the tip. The person quickly let go of Jenny and fell backward, dropping something in the dark.

"Don't hurt me! I just need your help!" a squeaky whisper hissed in the dark. Olsen relaxed but kept his dagger pointed forward.

"Who are you?" He hissed. The girl moved into the light to illuminate her face. She couldn't have been more than 14 or 15. Her hazelnut eyes were sunken with dark circles painted under them. Dark brown hair came down to the small of her back, crumpled and knotted in a sloppy ponytail, while her dress was stained with dirt and blood with tears scattered throughout.

"What's happened to you? You look like you've been through a battle." Jenny whispered, instantly reaching into her knapsack and grabbing a clean rag and some water to wipe the dirt from her face.

"Six months back, I came down here with my boyfriend and a few friends on a dare. But the creatures down here suddenly became stronger and faster, more than we could handle. We tried to get out but ended were surrounded by the Viking Ghosts. My friends tried to fight them off, but the ghosts were too strong. I was the weakest, so they tried to protect me while I ran for cover. They all died trying to protect me. Even my boyfriend, who was the strongest of us all, a talented Fire magus, was killed. I tried getting out on my own, but I would be spotted by the Viking Ghosts had to hide. For all that time I lived off the Unagi I had brought with me and trying to stay hidden. Oh, Miss Stacy is going to have my head for this." The girl whimpered as Jenny wiped the smudges from her face.

"Stacy? Who's that?" Olsen asked, looking at Jenny quizzically.

"She took over for Athena when she left this world for another. I began my training under her, but since I've been down here, I haven't had a chance to get any stronger." She explained, seeming like she wanted to cry but being so exhausted that she no longer had the strength. Jenny looked at Olsen for a moment and smiled.

"Don't worry; we'll get you out of here. You won't get into any trouble. What's your name, by the way?" Jenny asked gently. The girl's face seemed to light up, even though she was utterly exhausted, collapsing onto Jenny mumbling as she closed her eyes.

"Antonia." She mumbled, quickly falling into a relieved sleep.

"Yet another life torn apart by the Black Mage." Jenny sighed. "Well, I think we've figured out what's going on here. Shall we go back?" Jenny asked. Olsen nodded as he picked up Antonia piggyback while Jenny grabbed the girl's simple bow, heading back the way they came.


"So, they've seen what is being built in the Clock Tower. Do you think they will stall it in its early stages?" Eleanor asked, pushing the cloak back over her shoulders. The Mage slowly shook his head, sweeping his hand to the side and dispelling the image he had been watching. He then turned to Eleanor, narrowing his eyes as questioning whispers arose.

"Thanatos and the GateKeeper? Their physical makeup is a type of genetic sequencing that has to be made from scratch. They are being formed, although it is slower than we had hoped." Eleanor responded as she walked beside his chair and leaned against it gently. A dissatisfied hiss came from The Mage, raising his palm to the crystal ball, revealing an image where the Clock Face was being rebuilt. Eleanor bowed her head slightly, passing him a glass of her special Mana potion she had brought.

"I will be sure to take them as soon as they have been reborn. From what I understand, the Clock Face has just been started. The transfer of the Grace Gear's artificial Mana went smoothly." She said happily, making herself comfortable on the arm of his chair.

"That's good. I would be very disappointed if it didn't." Papulatus grumbled, pushed aside as Oberon came skipping into the room.

"Hiya Mage! Hiya Eleanor! Where's Eldan?" Oberon asked the Mage happily. Eleanor swung her legs around to face the girl.

"I have him out at the moment gathering herbs. He'll be back in a bit." Eleanor answered with seductive serenity. Oberon pursed her lips and blew up her cheeks; she had been looking forward to spending time with Eldan when she got back from her time, sighing as she left the room. Eleanor silently laughed to herself, turning her attention back to The Mage, rubbing his forefinger and thumb against one another while whispers hummed around them.

"I'm sorry to say master, but despite my Wyvern's searching, there has yet to be any word on where the final husk could be." The Mage narrowed his eyes, reaching for the goblet of potion and swallowing a mouthful as he thought of all the places Minerva could have possibly hidden the final piece of his puzzle.


Matthew paced back to the right for the eighth time, gnawing on the thumb of his gauntlet as he walked.

"Matt, could you please stop moving so much? You're making me dizzy." Jack asked with an agitated grunt.

"They've been down there too long; something must have happened," Matthew said urgently, moving towards the stairs when Jack reached out and gripped his arm.

"Dude, you know what the monsters in the game were like; do you honestly think that you, who can be compared to a level 60 character, can really take on those monsters down there and survive?"

"It's better than doing nothing." Matthew shot back until Lillianne walked over to him and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I'm just as worried as you are. But you're not quiet, nor can you hide like Olsen, or even Jenny." She said, flicking his pauldron and making the metal ring. Matthew sighed heavily and relaxed, sitting on a nearby block where Lillianne came and sat next to him.

Helen closed her eyes and listened to a sound coming up the ladder. Slowly she walked to the edge of the platform, looking down into the blackness below, unable to see anything but most definitely feeling something climbing the ladder.

She held her staff out, the darkness pulling back as flames roared into a purple blaze when she applied her Amethyst Crystal, drawing her hand across the staff like a bow and releasing a blazing arrow into the dark below. It looked like a comet streaking down the length of the ladder, revealing Jenny and Olsen pulling in close to the rungs to avoid the fire.

"Do you think you can avoid doing that next time?!" Olsen shouted a few feet from the platform.

"They're coming!" Helen called. Jack and Lillianne bounded over to where she was to help them up. As Olsen crested the ladder, Helen noticed the girl on Olsen's back.

"Who is she?" she asked, looking for wounds and healing the small cuts on her arms and face that she found.

"Her name's Antonia. She was trapped down when The Mage came back." Olsen replied, gently setting Antonia down to wake her while Helen continued to heal the small wound she found.

"The Black Mage rose from Victoria Island; how did she get affected here in Ludibrium?" Helen inquired, holding her hand over a large cut on her hand.

"From what she said, it sounded like all the creatures down there got stronger after his rise. It must have been a wave of power or something from The Mage that changed them." Jenny surmised.

"Well, this going to be a bit of a problem," Jack said, rubbing his forehead.

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Dr. Kim asked us all to come back to the Omega Sector once we found out what was going on. He said he had some disturbing news the research team found out about what the Black Mage was doing. We also need to escort some medical and military supplies to Keia Village, what we know as Korean Folk Town. Dr. Kim gave us these transporters to use once we were done, but they only transport one person each, and we were only given six." Jack explained, sighing as he tried to formulate a plan.

"Then how did you get to us?" Olsen asked apprehensively.

"Dr. Kim found you with tech in his lab, then teleported us to you with a reprogrammed transporter. But that was a one-way trip, as are these." Jack explained, holding out his hands showing six shiny devices. Helen smiled as she healed the last of Antonia's wounds.

"I've been practicing a long-distance transport spell Oz taught to me. I think I can teleport us there. However, I need to do it from the city. I have no idea which way is which at the moment." Jack looked at her worriedly.

"It's a long way to the city outside of the Clock Tower. Are you sure that you'll have enough Mana to get you to Omega?" He asked worriedly. Helen smiled calmly and placed and hand on his large shoulder.

"Remember, my crystal is unsealed now, so I can use its power in place of my Mana. I'll be fine Jack, there's no need to worry." The muscles in Jack's jaw flexed.

"Are you sure? Your crystal's only been unsealed for a little bit."

"Jack, I know what I'm doing. I have more control over it now. It'll be fine." She assured. He passed the devices to the others before turning and reaching for his transporter.

"Ten minutes; if you don't show up by then, I'm coming back for you." he sternly grumbled, activating the transporter and disappearing in a haze of light, followed by Olsen, Jenny, Matthew, and Lillianne.

"I'll be there," Helen said to the dark, picking Antonia and draping her arm over her shoulders, walking through the doorway and flitting from platform to platform, leaving the strange creatures of time to look around and wonder what it was that had zipped past them. Soon she began to feel tired: it had been a while since she had used so many teleportation spells at once, and she was a bit out of practice. Additionally, the crystal's power pushed her body a bit further than her Mana during the fight. But soon enough, she found herself shielding her eyes from the sunlight after leaving the shade of the Clock Tower. Once the sun shone onto Antonia's skin, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open and squinting as she blocked out the sun with her hand.

"Wh-where am I? Did I die?" she asked worriedly. Helen chuckled through her nose.

"No, you are far from dead Antonia," the girl looked at the person supporting her and was taken aback by what she saw: long flowing locks of deep violet hair adorned with bronze ropes, gleaming blue eyes, and dressed in sleek black robes with golden sleeves flowing in the breeze.

"Wow, you're really pretty." Antonia breathed, admiring her as Helen set her and her Thorns staff down.

"Thank you, you are as well, Antonia." Helen saw the raw marks on her knees and quickly held out her hand as a greenish-violet glow surrounded the wounds.

"Are you a priestess?" Antonia asked in surprise.

"In a manner of speaking, though there is a lot I need to learn before I become a complete priestess," Helen answered, soon finishing and standing back up.

"Did you dye your hair that color? And what's with that purple color I saw in your healing spell?" Antonia asked; it seemed that this girl was just full of questions.

"That purple color in my healing abilities is the reason why my hair is violet. I am Helen Olman, The Guardian Mage of Ossyria and vessel of the Amethyst Crystal's power." Antonia's eyes went wide: her parents regaled her with stories of six warriors who would come from another world to save Ossyria one day, but she never dreamed that she would actually meet one of them.

"The two who found me then were…"

"Yes: Olsen Da'Lor, the Guardian Ninja and Jenny Price, Guardian Archer." Antonia gaped and stuttered: the very people who would save all of Ossyria had saved her!

"Jenny will be able to answer all of your questions later, but right now, we need to go to the Omega Sector, where the next phase of our mission awaits. Can you stand?" she asked, helping Antonia to her feet. She wobbled a bit but soon was able to stand on her own.

"The Omega Sector? You guys must really be close to the doctors there." Antonia commented as she followed Helen to the edge of the city.

"What makes you say that?" Helen questioned, though she was more concerned with getting a general idea of where she would be aiming her teleportation spell since it did require knowing where you would be going.

"No one has been allowed there for years! Not just anyone can go there and knock on the front door. 'Hello, I'm Antonia, and I was wondering if anyone would mind if I visited?'" Antonia mocked, acting as though she were looking up at a gate and knocking on it.

"From what I was told, we were asked to hear some vital information. Now stand close to me; we're going to be Tteleporting there." Helen instructed, beginning the Fire Gear transport spell. Flames swirled around them as the hazy image of a gear appeared on the ground. The fire roared momentarily, then died down, revealing a watchtower next to them in the Omega Sector.

"Cutting it a bit close, aren't we, Helen?" Jack asked smartly, shaking his head and putting his arm over her shoulders nonchalantly. Antonia gained her barings a moment after arriving just ahead of her, looking around at the rest of them in wide-eyed adoration.

"You all are…"

"I'm sorry, miss, but right now, there is some important information that needs to be said. Guardians, if you will follow me." Dr. Kim requested, leading them into the watchtower conference room. Inside, a large white fox waited, swishing its nine tails along with three smaller three-tailed foxes around it. Matthew quickly readied his Axe while Jack drew his gun and pulled back the hammer.

"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help." The fox said, putting up his paws and backing away in submission. Dr. Kim jumped between them, waving his hands desperately.

"Alkuhl here helped us gather some of the important information. If you would be so kind as to stand down while we wait for a couple more needing to be informed…" Above them, two shadows passed over the glass roof, landing near the side door: Evan, Mir, Shinsoo, Heidrin, and the Empress entered to Dr. Kim's liking.

"Ah, Good, I'm glad you were able to make it, Empress." He bowed momentarily. "Now that you are all here, I can show you what it was that we have found." He said, turning to a holographic table, bringing up a few dozen images.

"Earlier in the week, we sent spies into Edelstein for information on the situation now that it is occupied but the Black Wings. Their reports indicated hundreds of tons of Mithril Crystal Ore being mined but couldn't determine where it was being taken for smelting. Even with the vast array of advanced equipment here, we couldn't find the smelting forge." Dr. Kim displayed photos taken in Edelstein, depicting dozens of trucks weighed down with opaque blue crystals

"Our sensors have also picked up massive power readings near Edelstein, as well as mana density being depleted in massive proportions located at these points." Pushing another button, a map of Ossyria appeared, showing five points where Mana was being drained from; Perion, Masteria, Aquarious, Leafre, and the heart of Victoria Island, the Sleeping Wood.

"We sent scouts to determine the cause of this depletion, but the scouts were unable to find anything. That's when Akuhl here offered to help." Dr. Kim motioned to the white fox, who continued.

"One of my Samiho and I followed the group going to Masteria, but when they said that they didn't find anything, we were puzzled. We could see a barrier and passed through to a completely blank space. However, there was a very unsettling presence there. We quickly went back to Omega Sector to report what we found. My Samiho and I are magical beings that allowed us to see what humans cannot. Dr. Kim asked if I would help him determine what the cause of the power source near Edelstein was and where the Mithril Crystal was being taken for smelting." One of the three-tailed foxes came forward and sounded as though he were talking to them, but all anyone heard was a series of growls and whines. Akuhl nodded and then translated what had been said.

"This Samiho was able to sneak aboard one of the transports to try and determine where it was being taken. Unfortunately, there was a barrier not too far outside of town that swept him off the truck. He tried to pass through the barrier independently, but it was far more complex and more powerful than any he or I had ever come across." Dr. Kim nodded as he was about to begin when Helen cut him off.

"Could you take us to the barrier is? Perhaps I could figure out a way to break through it." She said, her eyes eager and excited.

"We tried. But even using the magical formula scanner we have, the barrier's makeup is too layered and too complex to even attempt to break through it." Dr. Kim reached under the table, pulling out a thick folder with pages upon pages of magical formula schematics, handing it to Helen. For a long while, she tried to understand what she was looking at, but after almost 10 minutes, she closed the folder and handed it back.

"Wow, that was only the first layer, and I couldn't understand any of it."

"Unfortunately, that isn't the worst of it. The Machinist of Masteria summoned me and provided information on something even more… terrifying." Pressing a button on the remote, a picture of a fierce gauntlet appeared, having five small orbs on top of the knuckles with something that resembled mechanical veins hanging from the sleeve.

"This is what The Black Mage is creating with all that ore: the Oblivion Gauntlet. With it, he would have literal limitless power. He would have the power of The Five Crystals, his own power, and a limitless supply of artificial Mana."

"What in the world does he intend to do with that much power?" the Empress Cygnus asked, her voice breathless and stunned.

"We haven't been able to determine that as of yet, but that isn't the end. From what we could find, the Mithril Crystal ore is mainly used to make mana storage tanks, which he has been draining from the earth. Mithril Crystal is an excellent Mana superconductor." Dr. Kim finished. Helen furrowed her brow as she tried to make sense of it all.

"But wait; we five are vessels to four of the five crystal's power; the crystals technically don't exist anymore," Jenny said, raising an eyebrow.

"That isn't entirely true, Jenny," Mir stated, coming forwards, standing amid the many eyes glued to her, waiting for an explanation.

"When your parents absorbed the power of the crystals into themselves, the crystals didn't disappear. They are more like containers, bottles if you will, we called husks. Evan and I flew around all of Ossyria, scattering them as we flew, not knowing where they would end up landing. If The Mage collected the husks, he could put the power back into their original forms."

"We were born with this power. Athena said that the power can't be pulled out of us." Olsen exclaimed, but Mir shook her head.

"It can't be removed for another to absorb or use. It can be removed if it is put back in the original containers, the Husks." Mir finished gravely.

"So, all we really need to do is get even one husk, and he won't be able to complete the Oblivion Gauntlet," Matthew suggested. Again Mir shook her head.

"That plan is effective, Matthew, but it is incomplete. Mana is still being drained from the ground and presumably be sent to the Black Mage; we must cut off his access to these drills. Heidrin was held prisoner in was one of these Mana Drills."

"Wait, that castle fell apart after we rescued Hedrin. Was some sort of connection there?" Helen asked.

"Yes, there is. Evan and I have been researching something similar to his Mana Drills: for these Mana Drills to stay intact, they must have a power source doubling as a keystone. The more humane version uses a stored amount of Mana as the keystone until it runs out. The Black Wings version uses a person's Life Force as the keystone and will remain active until the person's life force is drained completely or the person is removed." Mir explained. Helen shook her head, remembering what it was like going into the dungeon cell where Heidrin was being held, realizing that it wasn't time going by faster; it was her life force being drained.

"We have to stop them as soon and possible then," Jack stated, punching his fist into the opposite palm. Helen chuckled at his enthusiasm when an intriguing thought struck her.

"What is The Mage using to create the artificial mana?" she asked. Dr. Kim raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"What do you mean, Helen?" Jenny stepped forward.

"We went to Masteria a while ago and found out about a world that existed before Ossyria and how it was destroyed. Back then, they used Artificial Mana created by the Grand Gears, which The Machinist maintains. But the power they used to even power the Gears was something called the Antellion. Its destruction is what wiped out that older world. Without the Antellion, there is nothing powerful enough to power the gears and make Artificial Mana." Dr. Kim cradled his chin deep in thought.

"The machinist also said that the crystals are pieces of the Antellion," Helen added. Dr. Kim nodded.

"I see. My team and I shall research this as much as we can. There is still a lot of information we need to decode. In the meantime, I need you to escort a supply ship to Keia Village. Once you have finished with that shipment, I suggest you go to Masteria."

"Why? What wrong in Masteria?" Jack questioned.

"Once we found out about these Mana Drills, we contacted the Machinist and gave him the information we had. After a short while, he told us about some bizarre and unstable energy readings there."

"Consider it done, Dr. Kim," Matthew said.

"Before you go, I would like to offer you, Guardians, these weapons as thanks for what you have done and will do in the future." Dr. Kim typed in a password as a drawer slid out from the floor, revealing six weapons resting in form-fitting foam.

"These weapons we've recovered from the Cube that crashed just outside of the research facility's walls. Jack may have told you, they require a constant flow of Mana to work. Because of that, they are much more powerful than a normal weapon. Matthew, this is yours: what we assume to be a sort of two-handed sword." Dr. Kim said as he held out something that resembled a torch base to him. As soon as Matthew touched the grip, a strange feeling came over him. Matthew pushed his Mana into the handle of the sword and something inside charged. Blue energy with circuit-like inlays hissed into existence from the end in the shape of a forked sword. Just as it hissed from the handle, the blade hissed out of existence.

"Try it again; you'll get the hang of it," Jack chuckled, clamping on his kucklers and activated the small blades while Jenny passed Olsen his claw. Dr. Kim reached inside and pulled two staff-looking weapons; one he gave to Lillianne, having what appeared to be a dragon's head on the top, while the other he handed to Helen, which resembled a high tech Bow Staff.

Taking a breath, Matthew pushed his Mana into the handle again, making sure to keep a small, steady flow into it. Once more, the blue energy hissed from the handle, humming with power and buzzing with every move he made. Lillianne did the same, finding that the head of the 'dragon' opened its mouth, revealing a serrated blade of a halberd. Helen pushed her own Mana into the staff, which hissed out the same energy in a circular shape, energy flowing back into her.

"Now you must remember these weapons use your mana to stay 'on.' Each weapon can amplify your initial attack up to triple, depending on how much Mana you push into the power core." The six of them admired the weapons they had been given, quickly cutting their mana streams and stowing their new powerful weapons for when they would truly need them.

"We should get going," Akuhl suggested, walking out of the watchtower and down to the dock where the loaded ship waited. With no way to contact Herb Town, the ground decided to bring Antonia with them. It wasn't long until they were cutting waves through the water, watching for any kind of danger while Evan and Mir flew overhead. Antonia excitedly talked to each of 'The Five', gushing about the stories and legends she had heard about them. Lillianne was walking along the port side when she saw Akuhl sitting on the deck, watching the waves, each on his tails doing something else until he noticed her staring at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Lillianne said apologetically. Akuhl chuckled and nodded.

"It is alright. I understand why the Guardian Warrior is wary of me. I haven't exactly carved a good reputation for myself in the past."

"I don't think that's it. Matthew's from another world where Ossyria has been made into a computer game. In that world, at least from what he's told me, you were a soul-stealing monster seeking out a way to become human." Akuhl nodded, lifting his paw and staring blankly at it.

"I have lived many years and learned many things as that description. I learned magics of all kinds in my quest to become human and rule over Keia Village. But even with the knowledge I gained, I can't become human. It took quite a while for me to accept, and yes, I did steal quite a few human souls to no avail. I did return those lives." Lillianne sighed as she leaned against the railing next to him, looking out over the water. Far in the distance, something on the horizon caught her eye. Her skin became cold as she realized who it was: a rouge group of pirates that went their own violent way when Kyrin refused to be what they hoped a pirate should be.

"Matthew! We've got trouble!" Lillianne called as she ran to the main deck. Jenny was the closest to her and came running over, looking out over the horizon with Antonia close behind. Akuhl gritted his fangs and curled his claws into the metal plating of the deck.

"Who is it?" Matthew asked, squinting to see what was on the horizon.

"They call themselves True Pirates. Kyrin told me about them once. They aren't to be taken lightly: if we can hit them while they are still far away, we can avoid a battle." Lillianne explained. Matthew nodded his understanding. Despite Antonia's protest, Jenny order her below deck for safety

"Alright, I'll see if I can hold the Mana Overdrive long enough for Jenny and Jack to get a few good shots in to try and scare them off. If they get here, I can't guarantee that I will be able to hold it." Jenny and Jack nodded as they waited for Matthew. It felt like an adrenalin rush that surged through their body as the Overdrive solidified. Evan and Mir flew down, allowing Jenny and Jack to climb on and fly them out to the pirates. The clatter of grappling hooks snapped Helen's attention to the opposite side of the ship.

"BEHIND US!" Olsen yelled, activating his new high-tech claw and launching a few stars. They flashed like comets, cutting through the ropes, but were quickly replaced. Matthew drew his new sword and activated it, the energy glowing white as the first of the pirates over the side only to be met with the edge of Matthew's sword. Six more jumped over and drew their guns; Matthew was already moving, spinning tightly as his blade passed through three men's flesh without effort. Just as he finished his swing, he wiped away something dripping down his face. It was blood. He stumbled a bit, looking up to the men he had just cut down, staring in horror as they moaned and screamed in a pool of blood on the deck. Matthew ducked down below his cloak when he met three pistols leveled at him while Olsen dove for cover and Helen called up a wall of ice, making the bullets snap off in a random direction.

Under his cloak, Matthew's breathing came in faster and shallower wheezes: his blade had passed through human flesh with such ease. And then there was the blood; it was only a few drops on his gauntlet and sword handle, but the blood on the deck looked like an ocean. His stomach churned, and his heart raced: he had just severely wounded a human, the ones he was trying to protect!

Olsen peeked from behind his cover, watching as the pirates gathered around Matthew under this cloak, unmoving. One of them kicked Matthew hard, throwing him across the deck. Matthew didn't move, only propped himself up on his hands and knees in a dazed panic. Another pirate leveled his pistol to the warrior's head, cocking back the hammer. Olsen hurled a twin set of stars at the gun; the first slammed into the cylinder and knocked it from his hand. The second wasn't as carefully aimed, burying itself into the man's chest. Olsen froze before he threw the next set, color draining from his face watching blood spurt from the man's chest: He wasn't supposed to hurt humans! Matthew felt a large boot slam into his back, pinning him to the deck while a cold pistol was pressed to his temple. The pirate leaned down and grinned, his yellow and crooked teeth making him look inhuman

"Stay down, pretty boy. You'll live longer." Helen was about cast a spell when she felt someone reach around her waist and clamp a hand down over her mouth. Her blood ran cold, screaming under the man's hand as flashes of Ohio came back to her. She tried to summon a spell, but something was blocking her Mana. Olsen tried to fight off the oncoming thugs but was unable to keep up and eventually pinned to the deck as well. Soon after, Akuhl, Lillianne, and Alden were all tied up and brought to the deck's middle.

All of them tried to struggle free when a new set of boots clomped on the deck. From what Matthew could see, it was a woman dressed in a white, knee-length, sleeveless dress with a fur-trimmed cloak around her shoulders. Her dark brown hair came just below her jawline but long enough to cover her left eye. A gold medallion tied the rest of her hair back. The woman stepped across the planks, inspecting those they had captured, and scoffed.

"These are the famous Guardians of Ossyria? I never would have guessed that they would be children. Which of you is Olsen?" She demanded, her mild voice dripping with superiority. None spoke as they struggled to get free when something landed hard on the ship's deck.

"Let them go; they have nothing to do with our feud." Olsen recognized the voice instantly as his dad's voice.

"Well, it looks like my search is over; I've been looking for you, Jin." The woman said darkly, sounding as though she were smiling.

"Even after all these years, you still seek revenge, Syl? Haven't you heard what happened from Dances with Balrog?"

"Lies Jin, we settle this now!" the woman hissed. Matthew turned his head under the man's pressing weight enough to see Syl, Dark Lord, Shinsoo, and Cygnus standing aggressively across from each other. Both Syl and Jin stood face to face, each of them twirling their daggers in hand in anticipation of each other's next move.

"You couldn't face me alone?" Syl sneered, lowering her stance and holding two different daggers ready for battle.

"A coward such as you is not worthy of the title Dark Lord." Olsen could see that whatever was about to happen just might determine who would live and who would die.