Chapter 1: Tainted Herbs

The Black Mage walked through the halls of the main castle, stopping occasionally to see the faces of students the Black Wings had recruited. As he wandered, Dragon and Eleanor melted into existence from the shadows and fell in step as Eleanor reported Ergoth's actions.

"The chief memory knight reports no unusual activity within Edelstein. The Wyverns report that Dragonoir hasn't been seen or heard from since his defeat by Oz, the Blaze Wizard Chief, and our contingency plan is progressing smoothly." The Black Mage nodded as they walked to the dungeon. On either side of the main walkway, quiet cells housed skeletons of dead soldiers or unyielding recruits, their flesh melted away by the thick miasma hanging in the air. Coming to one of the cells, The Black Mage looked inside, narrowing his eyes as he looked at a man with charcoal-colored skin, sitting with legs crossed and hands folded as though meditating.

"When one is brought somewhere against their will, it is hardly a summons. You have no honor, Black Mage." The man said, keeping his eyes closed, primarily so as not to let his fear be exposed. The Black Mage's eyes disappeared as he shut them and breathed a long, self-restraining breath, whispers weaving their presence into the air. The man unfolded his legs, shifting to his knees while keeping his hands folded.

"If I knew why you brought me here, there would be no reason for my being in your dungeon, would there?" The man replied, still keeping his eyes shut.

"Do you have a home within the gardens of Herb Town?" Eleanor asked, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg. The man met Eleanor's gaze for a moment, then casually turned his eyes to The Black Mage and nodded.

"I have: what of it?" The Black Mage opened the door and silently walked in, holding out a small vial with a clear substance.

"What am I to do with this?" the man asked, taking the vial and looking over the liquid within, feeling thousands of tiny presences. Whispers surrounded him as The Black Mage held out his hand, bringing up an image of the herbs and tonics stored throughout Herb Town. The man smirked as he tucked the small vial in his sleeve and reached for his hat when whispers filled his ears once more.

"Defeat the Guardians? Why would I want to do that?" he asked until The Black Mage produced a badge adorned with a tiny gold insignia identifying him as an elite within The Mage's inner circle, a General of the Black Wings. The man smirked as he slowly opened his eyes and reached for his bamboo sword and a scroll.

"And if I fail in defeating them?" The three visiting him stared hard, The Black Mage's eyes narrowing as he left the cell, making the air cold and stale. The man nodded his understanding, leaving the dungeon for Herb Town.

"Do you think he will succeed?" Eleanor asked with a mocking smirk. The Black Mage growled in his throat as he left the dungeon, making Eleanor and Dragon chuff in stunned awe.

"He doesn't care about anyone, does he?" Dragon asked, the comment making Eleanor lower her brow in thought. How long before the Black Mage sent her on a mission she would likely never return from? How much usefulness did she still provide her master, and how long would that last?


"Careful, Jen, remember what happened the last time," Jack mumbled.

"It's coming out, like it or not!" Jenny growled, brushing the hair out of her face, damp from her sweating forehead.

"I'm almost done; just keep holding it!"

"It's too much! I gotta take it out!" Jenny hissed back.

"No! Leave it in! I'm almost there."

"Too bad! It's coming out!" Jenny closed her eyes and grabbed the small reactor, yanking it from the circuit board. After a few moments, the lights and processes with the 'Beyond the Clouds' cannon shut down.

"Hey guys! What's up!" Called Antonia, making Jenny jump and accidentally touch the contacts of the reactor to the circuits, fusing it to the board in a shower of sparks, sounding like it was overloading.

"ANTONIA! What did I say about sneaking up on us like that?!" Jack hollered.

"Sorry! I thought you guys were done!" Jack shook his head and pulled Jenny to her feet, running as fast as they could away from the machine until a bloom of blue fire erupted into the sky. Jack coughed hard, pulling his face out of the dirt and shaking his head to get the pebbles out of his hair.

"Next time, wait until you see us away from one of these things," Jack said between heaves. Olsen and Auzzy appeared, running to them after they dispatched another cannon.

"You guys alright?" Auzzy asked, pulling Jenny and Antonia to their feet.

"We're good, Auzzy. Just a bit dusty," Jenny coughed as she stood, brushing off her newly finished Anes of Sapphire: a fitted sleeveless blouse with a long blue skirt embroidered with a golden phoenix on the front. With a brush of her hand, she checked the string of her bow, The Metus, slung across her back.

"That seems kinda fancy for armor, doesn't it, Master Jenny?" Antonia asked, brushing the dirt off her armor.

"Just a little. But it's pretty comfortable." Jenny answered, her hand brushing her new crossbow, The Casa Crow, hanging from her belt.

"Well, I like it a lot," Jack said as he walked up behind her, flicking his hands up to swing back the long blades of his White Fang knucklers and put his arms around her waist. His new White MarQuini suit reflected the sunlight like a mirror, and a red bandana tied down his unruly spiky hair, decorated with tiny silver chains and beads.

"You're not so bad yourself. But we should get back to Herb Town. Matthew and Lillianne have brought back some information about what these cannons are for from Omega Sector." Olsen said, sporting his new Fire Osafa. Wide red leather belts and heavy buckles hung across his waist, wrists, and shoes, with one belt around his head adorned with a gold buckle. On his hand was The Caster: a black metal sleeve with a solid gold dragon baring glaring ruby eyes wrapping its body around it.

The group returned to the airboat, quickly traveling to Herb Town within an hour, where Matthew, Lillianne, and Helen waited. Olsen stared briefly, admiring her new Onyx Fury: a black dress fitted very close to her upper body with a crest of maple leaves embroidered on the front, then flowed out in a draping hoop skirt. Its embroidery was also on the flowing, gold-lined sleeves.

"So, what did you find out?" Jack asked as he and the others walked up to the dining table. Matthew had donned the blackened Commodore Armor, the large spaulders and tassets decorated with intricate gold leaf designs.

"Not much more than what we already know, except for the mana frequency they are supposedly tuned to." Lillianne shrugged. "The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets: why would the Black Mage need something with so much power?"

"It troubles me as well: There is The Oblivion Gauntlet itself, the 'Grace Gears,' as well as the massive amount of mana he's been draining from the land." Helen mused until The Pirate Lord walked up to them. No one could see his eyes from under his hat resting on his bushy white mustache.

"I hate to interrupt ye thinking storm, but there be a problem with the liquids these pandas be makin'." He told them, motioning to a pot of herbal paste sitting in the sun. From inside the pot, arms and legs had sprouted, wriggling around while a strange eye peered out from another broken piece near the rim.

"What is that thing?" Antonia asked, reaching back for an arrow.

"I'm not sure. There was a slight breeze, and then all the pastes and medicinal salves we made began walking around." One of the pandas replied. Helen held her chin between her thumb and index finger, thinking what it could be when something caught her eye.

"Wait, is this…" She held her palm to the pot as a faint bluish-white glow gathered in her hand while a black eye with wings formed in her palm.

"Dispel!" she shouted as the pot lit up with the same bluish-white glow, wriggling and bubbling as the glow sank into it and then went still. No sooner had the shaking stopped than the pot began shaking and squirming again, breaking free of the pandas holding it and running at Helen.

"No, you don't!" Jack growled, sliding between Helen and the pot, cocking back the hammer on his Peacemaker revolver. It responded with an enormous roar as flames burst from the barrel and incinerated it.

"Jack! I hoped we could find what had taken over the salves!" Helen hollered, firmly setting her staff on the ground.

"Sorry, but the thing was charging; do you expect me to do nothing?"

"Calm down, Jack. We just need you to think a little farther ahead next time. Besides, it looks like those things are getting increasingly aggressive," Matthew pointed out, watching some of the recruits try hard to push back an advancing army of pots and jars with little or no luck, as Helen thought and offered a theory.

"There is some kind of magic at work here. However, I would need a spell of a much higher caliber to dispel it. My normal dispelling method doesn't seem to work on this one." Olsen tried to think of how the game Maplestory and Ossyria were similar in this case.

"In the game, if I remember correctly, Captain Hwang said that a monster had taken over the stuff inside the jars and was using it to create havoc in Herb Town. But Helen says that it's some kind of magic at work. Maybe it's a magical monster? Is it possible for a creature to be made purely from magic?" Olsen asked, unsure of how the question would sound coming from him. Helen thought for a moment, searching her ever-expanding mind.

"It is possible, but it would require a great deal of power to perform something of this scale. The only ones close to that kind of power are Grendal or Alcaster." She explained as Jenny and Lillianne left to help their juniors fight off the advancing armies.

"This may take some time, but it may just work. Olsen, do you remember the quest within the game to find Minerva's spell book?" Matthew asked. Olsen rolled his eyes and nodded.

"How could I forget; that quest was such a royal pain in-"

"Yes, yes, we all know. What if there is another dispelling method within that book? If I remember right, it should be within a statue about halfway up the Orbis Tower." Matthew interrupted.

"Then the first person we'd need to see is Alcaster. He should know for sure where we need to begin. Ja… no, Olsen and Helen, do that while the rest of us will stay here to hold off these things." Matthew called as he drew the Fraute from his belt with a satisfying ring and charged into battle, Jack, Auzzy, Areis, Antonia, Jenny, and Nathan close behind. Olsen and Helen ran to the dock and their airboat when Kyrin tossed in a bag of supplies.

"Aren't you on guard duty?" Olsen asked as he watched her board the boat.

"Not today. I'm tired of being stuck here all the time while you guys go out and have all the fun!" she laughed, throwing the sack aside and untying the boat. Olsen huffed and shook his head as he guided the small craft away from the dock and into the sky, heading for El Nath, where their journey would begin.


Checky dropped the wrench for the seventh time and growled, clambering down the arm of his biped machine, picking up the wrench, and then clambering back up the nine feet to the shoulder of the mecha once more.

"Don't you think you should put a tether on that thing?" Belle called as she approached and threw up a small rope.

"Belle, you're a genius!" he laughed, tying the rope to the wrench and then to his belt loop.

"So, what are you working on over here? Shouldn't this thing be up and running by now?" Belle called.

"It is, but the right shoulder still needs a bit of calibrating," Checky grunted as he tightened down the huge inch-and-a-half nut.

"There! Now, let's see if that does it," he called, jumping down into the cockpit between the arms of the reconditioned Drill mecha. It looked like a ten-foot-tall, headless mechanical person. Checky's legs slid into braces suspended just above the cockpit floor while he tightened the restraining harness, flipping switches on the control board. Gauges came to life as a mechanical voice named off various checks. Checky snaked his arms into braces similar to the ones on his legs, slipping his fingers into glove-like hands at the ends.

"Rue Generator operational, beginning status check. Mana tanks at 100%. Balance matrix showing green. Operational angle of 3.5 degrees positive initiated. Generator and Mana Tanks showing green. Beginning nano sync." A mechanical female voice said, sounding an awful lot like Claudine.

"Charge igniter, begin startup sequence, and disengage safeties," Checky commanded. Massive clamps on the sides of the mecha hissed steam and dislodged from the sides as they pulled back, letting the machine take its weight while a rising growl echoed through the garage. A puff of blue fire from the exhaust flared on its back, aimed downwards.

"Mana Hydraulic system holding steady, pressure within normal tolerances. Radar check complete and online. Nano sync complete; awaiting standby disengage command."

"Standby disengage, Lima, Oscar, two six niner." The machine jolted for a moment as the computer went silent. Checky pulled up his hands in a boxing stance as the machine's arms did the same. He stepped forward, swinging his arms through different moves, walking around the garage like a bigger version of himself.

"Mainframe; start training course Tango Lima Oscar one." A door opened to the side of the garage, where a few training robots waited as Belle stood just outside the door to watch. As soon as he stepped into the room, it came alive with whines and clicks as the robots followed after Checky like ants to a picnic. Checky's machine quickly ran and jumped over them, the ground shaking as he landed and then held up his arm, the machine following his every move. The forearm split as a small three-barreled machine gun rose from the hole, erupting into a hailstorm of bullets. Checky then turned around, his other arm revealing another gun sputtering loudly as shell casings jingled on the floor.

A small door on the right of the machine's chest rolled down as a massive stream of fire erupted into existence, toasting everything within its reach. Once the firestorm calmed, Checky held up each of his arms again with fire and bullets spraying the room and taking out everything in sight. He looked over the devastation and walked out of the room over the bodies of the machines, large servos whining and hydraulic pistons hissing with each step.

"Whoa! Talk about overkill. So what's the mana for? I know you said you weren't any good at mana manipulation." Belle commented, making sure to stay well out of the way.

"It's what I used instead of hydraulic fluid. It lasts much longer and doesn't damage the system like our junk hydraulic fluid. Engage standby mode." The mech pulled its shoulders back and stood to attention, its arms hanging limp.

"So, what's with the Nano connection that I heard the computer say?" Belle asked, feeling like a little kid asking question after question.

"Ah, that. Before I made the control system, I had the Omega Sector send me a few vials of their nanites. I injected those into myself, which allows me to sync with the computer and change modes quicker than voice commands or switches on control sticks. This way, I can just think it rather than try and remember what one button out of 50 does." Belle was impressed; Checky made her a sturdy crossbow, the Arrow Turrets, and the saddle for her panther. Deren came walking in, soot covering his face after practicing his magic techniques. He was also getting used to the mace-like wand Checky had made for him, which included a small mana tank at the top made of highly refined Rue.

"At the rate we're going, we should have a strong enough force to rush the mines and free all the laborers in there!" Deren shouted, swinging his wand around excitedly as Checky and Belle laughed in agreement. Claudine smiled as she composed the message for their outside supplier, asking for more parts so they could outfit more of the mechs like Checky's.


A few hours later, Olsen, Helen, and Kyrin touched down in El Nath and were greeted by Aufheben, whom they had found in the Snow Field as an ice statue.

"Is Alcaster in?" Kyrin asked. Aufheben nodded, leading them to him just as he finished a bowl of his famed red bean soup.

"Ah, Kyrin, Olsen, Helen; what can I do for my friends today?" the old man smiled under his bushy white mustache and eyebrows.

"We are looking for Minerva's book of spells. From previous experience, we've heard it was in the Orbis Tower in a statue." Helen stated as Alcaster rubbed his chin, searching his vast mind for information.

"Ah, yes! The Book of Spells; I had retrieved it for a couple of rowdy youngsters from Edelstein the other day; they wanted to learn some of the techniques within the book to help themselves."

"So you have it here?" Olsen asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No, I returned it to the statue where it belongs. After all, a book like that could cause more damage than you know if it falls into the wrong hands. Why are you asking for it?" Alcaster replied seriously.

"Something has happened within Herb Town, and my dispelling method is not working. I hoped it contained a more powerful dispelling method to stop it." Helen answered. Alcaster nodded his understanding, rubbing his chin deep in thought.

"I see. I'll take you to the statue, but you'll have to learn the dispelling method under me here in El Nath. You may be the Guardian Mage of Ossyria and have the power of the Amethyst Crystal at your disposal. However, the method can get out of control if you aren't careful." Alcaster warned, his brow lowering and his voice stern.

"Once you can perform the base, I will accompany you back to Herb Town to use this dispelling method and ensure you don't kill yourself."

"I understand, Alcaster, but we must hurry; Herb Town is imperiled." Helen urged. Alcaster nodded, reaching back for a scroll and a notebook.

"I will need you to gather a few things for me."

"What do we need?" Kyrin asked, punching her palm. Alcaster smirked slyly, bringing out a list of items, making Helen and Olsen slump in disappointment.

"On this page should be everything we need to open the statue's drawer. I'll get things ready on my end." Kyrin took the list and looked it over, immediately calling dibs to gather the item marked as 'Enchanted Ring' located in the mountains north of the town.

Olsen and Helen quickly looked over the list, then left to begin climbing the stairways and ropes of the tower into the cloud park for Stellar, Lunar, and Solar magic badges of the pixies. Eliza greeted them in the park, helping to gather the badges.

Scadur the Hunter joined Kyrin to ward off the ferocious Hector wolves while Kyrin searched a tomb where Alcaster's list claimed the ring would be. After two hours, they all returned with the necessary items, leaving again with Alcaster to find the statue somewhere in the tower's center.

"So Alcaster, does no one learn from this book? Why is it hidden all the time?" Olsen asked, helping the elderly Alcaster up a set of stairs.

"Long ago, when Corus and Minerva were still on good terms, they began writing down the spells, forms, and techniques they had learned so they could one day pass along their knowledge to their children. Your parents learned the less potent techniques, teaching you and others before you. However, there are techniques that even the five masters can't control." Helen's ears burned as he spoke, piquing her interest as she heard him coming up the stairs.

"What if I were to train hard and dawn the Onyx Empress? Would I become powerful enough to learn even more from the book?" Alcaster sadly shook his head.

"No, Helen. Despite your one day becoming even more powerful than your grandfather, even you won't be able to handle them. Only Minerva or Corus could wield them." Helen sighed disappointedly, nodding her understanding as they approached a door sealed with a potent spell. Alcaster removed the spell, allowing them in, revealing a statue of a beautiful woman seated upon a partial pillar with enormous wings decorated with gem chips throughout their finely etched feathers.

"Wow. The statue in the game looks nothing like this." Olsen muttered, staring in awe.

"This is a smaller version of the statue a stone mason made in honor of Minerva before one of her wings changed." Alcaster smiled as he slowly knelt and slipped the ring into a depression in the base, pulling open a drawer. Inside was a hard-leather bound book with brass edging and plates across the covers. A large steel lock held those covers shut.

"This is where those Pixie badges are needed." Alcaster smiled as he pulled a small bowl from his sleeve, reached for the badges, ground them into a fine powder, and sprinkled it into the lock. Small gears inside turned and clicked until the lock sprang open, allowing them passage to the words stored inside.


Matthew held up his arm and pushed as hard as he could with the Shield form of his Gaia cloak, trying to keep from breaking the pots while Lillianne struggled to push them back by using the wind from her powerful swings.

"This is starting to get on my nerves!" Matthew growled as he pushed back another wave of pots and jars.

"Just hang in there, Matt!" Called Lillianne, pushing off another large pot.

"We need to try and save all we can of these salves! It took three years to make each of them, you know!" Jenny called as she pushed another jar of boiling Ginseng water back.

"Where is Helen? It's been hours since she left, and I'm getting tired!" called one of the recruits.

"Just hang in there! She'll be here soon!" Jack called, trying to sound hopeful. Auzzy's skin began to tingle: franticly, he searched and saw an enormous shuriken fluttering through the air directed at Aeris.

"Aeirs! Incoming!" he shouted, hurling his dagger as hard as he could. Nathan heard the shout, turning to see the giant weapon hurtling towards his loved one. With barely any time to move, wind curled around his body, and light gathered in his hand as he drew his arm back. Thunder clapped across the battlefield as Nathan's spear shot from him, mana shaped like a dragon's head surrounding the spear.

Aeris looked back after hearing Auzzy's dagger clatter off something metal just as the shuriken was about to hit her. A streak of blue flashed past her and pinned the shuriken to a tree. Auzzy and Aeris followed the trail of smoke leading back to Nathan, seeing a boiling pot of ginseng water tip itself up. Searing pain exploded in his arms, hands, and face as the rush of boiling water hit him, soaking through the chainmail armor and filling his gauntlets. Within moments, Nathan was overrun, more boiling pots dumping their contents on him, his screams of agony rising over the sound of rushing water.

"NATHAN!" Aeris shrieked, rushing to the warrior and jumping over the squirming mass to get to him when boiling water enveloped her. Antonia tried to fight her way through the advancing wave around them, but no matter what she did, she seemed to be getting further away. Jenny swung her bow as hard as she could, creating a strong wind that blew the pots back long enough for Antonia to lead them away.

Unfortunately, Jenny overlooked another cauldron of boiling water beginning to tip itself over behind her. Just as the boiling contents spilled over the lip, Jenny saw it and pulled up her cloak, blocking the water. The heat pushed through the fabric, heating her arm to unbearable levels, making her scream out. She dared not move lest the scalding waterfall splash her in her attempt to escape.

Jack began bolting through the rows of cauldrons until a wall of searing liquid slashed his side. Antonia looked back to her master, seeing her struggling under the weight of water while Matthew and Lillianne fought back the advancing army of pots and cauldrons, sometimes being splashed with the boiling liquid.

"I'VE HAD IT!" Aeris growled, her red and blistered skin healing slightly from a basic healing spell. She grabbed her pistol, changing the cylinder to a larger caliber, slamming in a Mighty caliber bullet, and flicking it shut. The gun roared in fire and smoke as the pot dumping water onto Jenny shattered, shoving back a wave of pots.

"I'm not playing defense any longer! It's time to stick it to 'em!" Aeris shouted. She reloaded her gun in a blur, firing rounds without holding back. Matthew snarled and reached for his Sunrise greatsword while blue electricity skipped over the steel, his Warrior's Overcharge flaring bright around his wrist. Threads of blue electricity snapped on the ground, hurling his cloak into the air.

With a cry of effort, Matthew drove his sword into the ground as a shockwave ripped through it, tossing aside many pots and cauldrons. Antonia soared through the air, springing off a tossed pot and firing off bomb arrows into the midst of the multitude, each shot breaking a handful.

With a snarl, Matthew caught up his greatsword again, cutting down pots and gaining orbs with each swing until all five had gathered around his wrist. With a grunt that sounded more like a roar, he stepped and swung wide, leveling all the pots within the Sunrise's reach. Lillianne gathered her momentum, unleashing a powerful wave of ice, freezing the air and ground as it enveloped nearly a quarter of the multitude.

In one smooth motion, Jenny turned and swung her bow into position, firing through a dozen pots with one arrow. The four of them readied their next attacks when a burst of light revealed Helen, Olsen, Kyrin, and Alcaster, who held a glowing open book. Helen's eyes glowed bright violet, and her hair shimmered as though made of violet water flowing in an unseen wind.

"Helen, are you…" But Matthew didn't have time to finish as Helen threw her arms to her sides, circling them around one another until they rested in front of her chest.

"Be still, and be vanquished!" She said, her voice echoing as she shot her hands forward and held her palms flat. A wave of violet light pulsed from her chest, hitting every pot, making them still. In another instant, the pots settled on the ground as the holes within them were repaired, and a spark of light rose out of them. The sparks gathered together as a glass bottle formed to contain them, hanging in mid-air. Helen then folded her hands, closed her eyes, and took a long, meaningful breath while the glow faded in her hair and eyes.

"What in Ossyria was that?!" Jenny demanded as she stopped in mid-wrap of Jack's burns.

"That was a powerful dispelling method. I've never seen it used to such a degree and with such little effort. You five just may possess the power to wield the secrets of this book someday, after all!" Alcaster said with a happily surprised voice.

"That explains a lot, but that doesn't quite explain why your eyes and hair were glowing,`" Matthew said as he dropped the Sunrise into the sheath on his back and transformed the Gaia into its cloak form.

"From studies within my Grandfather's library, I learned that the crystal power we have been using is only a minute fraction of the Crystal's true potential. For us to use such a high level of its power for any extended time on command, we must first become equivalent to what we might know as a level 200 character within the game." Helen explained. Nathan walked up to the small bottle still hanging in the air, about to reach for it, when Helen teleported to him and stopped him, instantly beginning to heal his burns.

"Do not touch it. I initially sensed something like this, but I could not dispel it. This liquid is a swarm of magical parasites; when released, they will take hold of anything they come in contact with as a host. Things that are liquid are the first to fall under their control." Jack crossed his arms and huffed hard while Helen began healing the burns of her comrades.

"Who would be stupid enough to release something like that?" Jack scoffed.

"That would be me." a voice said from seemingly everywhere.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" Matthew demanded, drawing his Fraute short sword and transforming his cloak into a shield once more.

"Oh, now where's the fun in that? The apprentice ninja and warrior were very clever in deflecting my shuriken, but how can you defend yourself against something you can't see, I wonder." The voice said when the air behind Matthew seemed to fold and reveal a man with charcoal skin. He struck Matthew across the back with a Bamboo sword, bringing him to his knees. Just as quickly as he appeared, the man vanished from view.

"Oh my, not as well as I thought. If you were to fight back, I would have so much more fun. Yet you can't do anything as I take you down one by one," the voice said, as the air folded behind Aeris, allowing him to hit a series of points on her body and bring her to the ground. Nathan turned as the air folded, clenching his hand and swinging as hard as possible. But the man disappeared again, making Nathan stumble forward.

"How pitiful! That's two I've taken down, and you have yet to scratch me!" the voice laughed. Nathan growled in his throat, sprinting for his spear, still holding the giant shuriken.

"Were you the one who released the Magic Parasite?" Helen demanded. The voice laughed heartily.

"I did already say that, did I not? It was merely a test to see how powerful you lot are. It matters not to me whether or not you live. All I want is to begin a new era with the Black Mage at the head!" Again, he appeared and struck a few points on Helen's body, making her fall to the ground. One by one, their invisible attacker incapacitated everyone until only Olsen remained. With slow and shallow breaths, the ninja listened to the air around him, his hand flicking the pommel of his dagger.

"It looks like only Olsen remains; my, this was boring. A seat as a general for the Black Mage is promised to me if I kill you. I thought this task would be much more interesting. But it seems I've only wasted my time. Farewell, Guardians." Olsen breathed deeply, listening to the winds gently whispering around him.

Helen looked up from her position on the ground to see the air fold behind him. It revealed a man armed with a bamboo sword, raising it to strike Olsen over the head. She tried to call out but couldn't speak; it was as if her voice didn't exist! In a blur of motion, the man grunted while blood ran down from the corners of his mouth. Looking down, he saw Olsen's claw hand driven through his gut.

"But how? You shouldn't have been able to sense my presence behind that veil." the man grunted, dropping the scroll and sword as he cast a healing spell to close the wound. Olsen swung his hand to the side, casting off the blood on it.

"That's where you're wrong. Did you forget that I am the Guardian Ninja of Ossyria?! I may be human, but I have power far greater than you could ever hope to defeat, as do all the Guardians of Ossyria! You're far outclassed, Bamboo Warrior!" Olsen shouted as Lillianne ran from person to person, holding a small talisman above them to release the nerve attack.

"You'll pay for that!" Matthew growled as his shadows became gold and the Mana Overdrive took effect. Within moments, the same gold light spread to the others. The Warrior reached for his sword until Jack hit his jaw with a powerful lighting punch, throwing him back.

Just as the Warrior was beginning to recover, Helen appeared behind him and swung her staff as a blast of flames threw him in the other direction. Jenny appeared above him and quickly fired spine arrows into his shoulders and hips, driving him to the ground. Olsen drew his black-bladed Cursayer dagger and spare kunai, kicking the Warrior in the back to stop his fall, feeling a painful crunch on the sole of his foot. He slashed at his back with a blur of motion, folding his hands over his daggers.

Seven priests, ninjas, and sumo fighters appeared, each hitting the Warrior hard, followed by dark-colored bats hitting him on all sides until a kick from Aeris threw him forward. The Warrior flew across the road, stopped dead by Lillianne's halberd shaft, slamming him to the ground in the whirl of movement. The Warrior tried to stand despite the pain in his shoulders, hips, and back when Lillianne battered him with a volley of slashes, her halberd beginning to glow with a hot yellow light.

She swung hard and hit him in the gut with an orange beam of pure energy. Matthew braced against his shield, stopping the Warrior's flight while his sword iced over. After a series of frigid swings, Matthew slammed the Warrior into the ground face first, the arrows driving through his body and out his back. Holding his sword to the skies, a beam of light shot into the clouds. The Warrior struggled to get up, pulling his arms and legs under him when his hand brushed against his bamboo sword.

"Heh, is that really ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" he shouted, grabbing his sword and standing in a blur to connect with Matthew's neck. Five swords of pure light fell from the sky and drove through the man's body, holding him in the air.

"That is a mere taste of what we can do. Run back to The Black Mage and tell him the day is coming when we will stop him." Matthew growled, dropping his arm, making the swords fade as the Warrior fell to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness. With a heavy breath, Matthew calmed the Mana Overdrive as everyone's power returned to normal.

"Helen, can you heal his wounds? I want to ensure he gets back to The Black Mage with our message." Matthew asked, ceremoniously sheathing his sword. Helen nodded, casting her healing touch while Olsen undid the nerve attacks on their apprentices. Kyrin and Alcaster came from behind a tree and clapped their hands.

"Where were you the entire time?!" Jenny asked with a squeak in her voice.

"Are you kidding? I didn't want to get involved in that fight. If another of the masters had been here, then maybe. That was an awe-inspiring show of power and control." Kyrin complimented. Matthew, however, sat and thought about what had happened.

"I would have killed him if it wasn't for something he had said," Matthew muttered. Kyrin became curious and turned to him.

"What did he say?"

"He said he'd been promised a seat as a General of the Black Mage if he killed us. But thinking back to when we had gone to Ariant, Olsen reported the Black Mage himself came to take Areda away when she was about to kill him and Helen. That tells me we are somehow important to the Black Mage, for what I don't know, but it makes me wonder whether we've been walking into a trap this entire time." Helen began pondering the same thought, coming over to Nathan and Aeirs, further healing their burns.

"That raises a lot of questions, Matthew. For example, is the Mage gathering the Crystal Husks to extract our power somehow? Is our becoming stronger working in the Black Mage's favor?" They all began to think about what they may have stumbled into, unsure if they were doing Ossyria a favor or sending it to hell. With questions mounting in their minds, the group gathered their belongings and headed back into town, not seeing the black hands wrap around the Warrior, dragging him down into a cloud of smoke.


Deren walked to the back alley with Claudine when they heard the bell signaling the arrival of their informant, which was confirmed with their passphrase.

"It's been a while since we've seen you. What else have you gathered?" Claudine asked. The man in the shadows laughed slightly.

"More guards are patrolling the castle for some unknown reason, so it took me a while to get out unnoticed. The Mage asked the Bamboo Warrior to defeat the Guardians, which failed as expected. Dragon and Eleanor have become almost inseparable, even though the Black Mage is somewhat handsy with Eleanor." Deren nodded as he thought.

"Anything else?" he asked, as the person sighed heavily.

"Yes. It wasn't anything concrete, but somewhere near the mines exists a facility housing the storage tanks holding mana the Black Mage has been draining from the land."

"Really? Hmm, this is worth looking into. Keep us posted." Claudine said as the sound of thick leather fluttering in the dark left them while Deren and Claudine walked back to the garage.

"So what do you think?" Deren asked. Claudine shook her head.

"I'm not sure. Hiding those tanks near the mines seems too easy. We'll send a scout out tomorrow and see if anything is unusual. Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see and rely on the informant."


The Warrior's eyes fluttered as he slowly awoke, strung up by his arms spread wide and locked within the dungeon of The Black Mage's castle. He tried to pull free when his captor's hissing whispers stopped him cold.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the Warrior demanded. The Black Mage's eyes laughed while breathy whispers pulsed in the air as he shook his head. The Warrior grit his teeth in anger as The Black Mage shushed his question.

"You bastard! You knew I would fail, didn't you!?" The Warrior demanded. The Mage narrowed his eyes as he breathed slowly until Eleanor appeared beside him and answered.

"That's exactly right; you never would have succeeded. But now, thanks to you, they are questioning their purpose for being here! Do you know how much extra work you have just created for The Master?" she asked agitatedly.

"I told them plainly what would happen-" The Warrior choked when The Black Mage appeared before him and gripped his neck tightly, growling his disapproval. In a blur, The Black Mage reached his fingers around his neck to his jaw and squeezed hard, making him open his mouth. The Black Mage then reached into his mouth, grabbed his tongue, and ripped it from his mouth as blood poured from between his lips. The Warrior's cell door slammed hard, echoing through the stone walls as the Warrior hung limp in his chains, blood pooling on the floor as his tongue began to sizzle and rot in the thick miasma fog on the floor. Dragon appeared at The Black Mage's side, following him and Eleanor as they walked back to the Gauntlet Room and then to a desk where a marionette doll lay in one of the drawers.

"Master, far be it for me to question you, but what is that?" Dragon asked. Eleanor looked back at him, putting her arms around his waist and pulling her body close to Dragon.

"That is a Projection Doll. I've only seen him use it once in an experiment, but it allows The Master to create a temporary person using this doll as a base." Eleanor explained. The Black Mage nodded in agreement, turning to the window as he cuddled the doll in his palm, whispers drifting through the air.

"I see. And with this doll, you intend to fix the questioning of their purpose?" Dragon asked as The Black Mage looked over his shoulder and nodded. Upon turning his attention to the doll again, The Black Mage narrowed his eyes when a strange, soft echo could be heard in his mind, coming to him like a long-lost memory.

"You're so heartless, Corus," the soft female voice said. He looked up and narrowed his eyes before chuckling. After all these centuries, even from beyond the grave, Minerva was still trying to interfere.