"Where..... am I?"

When Allisa woke up, she couldn't recognize where she was. It was so thick in fog that it was nearly impossible to see where she was going. The ground was flooded, with water reaching up to her knees.

"Guys? Are you there?"

It was an early silence. The only sounds were the water sloshing around as Allisa waved through. The ground beneath was incredibly uneven, hard, and at times, squishy.

"Nel! Max! Melvin!" As far as Allisa could tell, she was all alone. "Cliff! Yuki! Rodger! Mary!"

"There's gotta be someone. Hey!! Is anyone out here?!" Allisa called out but to no avail. "Damn it's cold." Allisa shivered, hugging herself to keep warm. "There's gotta be something around."

She continued to wade around, almost tripping on several occasions by the uneven ground. Then, at long last, she found something. A single rock acting as an island in the fog-covered sea. There was also something else. A figure kneeling down in the center.

"H-Hey!! Is someone there?!" Allisa charged forwards, almost tripping over, reaching the rock and claiming up. "Scuse me! Is someone-"

Allisa froze when she saw the figure. It was a man, dressed in ornate armor. A massive rend was torn into the front, and the entire armor was drenched in what Allisa could guess was blood. But that wasn't the most disturbing thing. Allisa had a feeling she'd seen this before.

"Wh-What the..." Allisa took a step back, horrified by the gruesome sight before her. The fog then began to lift, and Allisa could see her surroundings. Behind her was a large cliff with a ruined castle located at the top. It too looked disturbingly familiar.

As Allisa cast her gaze downwards, she saw something rising in the water, which began to turn red, one after the other. Her eyes widened when she saw them. All of it was a body, thousands of them. That's when it hit her. All this time, she was walking on corpses.

Her breathing began ragged as panic started to seep in.

"The fighting, the battles, they will never end."

"No...." She raised her hands to her head, blocking her ears in an attempt to drown out a voice in her head.

"Now you've accepted your fate, that will become your reality until you die."

"I don't want this...."

"A cycle of battle you cannot escape."

"I didn't ask for this!"

"The Peaceful existence you have grown accustomed to is now lost forever, drowned in the blood of your enemies."

"SHUT UUUPPPP!!!!"

****

Allisa snapped up fast, blowing off the covers on top of her, breathing heavily.

"Whoa easy! Don't scare me like that." A familiar voice came from beside her. Slowly tilting her head, she saw the speaker.

"K-Kira?"

Sitting on a chair beside the bed she was on was Kira, who smiled and waved. "Welcome back to the land of the living." She said sarcastically. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm..." Allisa groaned as she put a hand to her head. "Aaaah... My head feels like it's been split open." She moaned.

"I guess that means your ok...." Kira said, rubbing her chin. "Surprised that's what you're homing in on given the fact your body was actually split open." She then tilted her head sideways with an awkward look on her face. "On that note... um..."

"Hm...?" Allisa looked a little confused by Kira's reaction. She then looked down at herself, and immediately realized why.

"YAAAH!!" Allisa yelped as she tugged the sheets over her. "Wha-Why am I naked?!! Where's my clothes?!"

"Over there." Kira pointed to Allisa's clothes resting on a table. "Had to be repaired and washed, so we kinda had to strip ya down."

"S-Strip me.....?" Allisa began to glow red, recalling that Kira told her that she was attracted to girls. "Y-You mean you..."

"No no, don't worry. It was that Red that striped ya." Kira said, waving her hand.

"Oh... right, Nel." That didn't make Allisa feel better. She remembered that she'd stripped her down to her underwear on the day they met.

Once she calmed down enough she then realised she was lying in a bed in a room she'd never seen before. Unusual given the fact she was in a ruin before she lost consciousness.

"You're in an inn back at Tattoria. We brought you here to treat your wounds." Kira responded, anticipating her question. "You guys barely got outta there alive." Kira sighed. "All of you were pretty banged up. Wasn't just you, that kid with the scar on his chest was injured quite badly. His wounds looked like a tic tac toe board. On top of that, that little kid was unconscious, the two guys just collapsed the second we got back, and don't get me started on Red. I don't know what happened back there, but she seriously overdid it."

Allisa unconsciously tightened the grip on her sheets. It was difficult to hear how badly hurt her friends got. She was only concerned about fighting Ellie so she didn't know much about what was going on around her. "What about Mary and Rodger?" She asked, a little scared to know the answer.

"Hm? On, the Cait Sith and that other kid with a tail. Don't worry, they're both fine. The kitty was a little black and blue and that other kid got shot in the back by the looks of it. But don't worry bout them, their wounds were nothing serious." Kira answered her. She then looked at Allisa with a sorrowful look. "You were probably the worst off. We weren't even sure you'd make it given how much blood you lost."

Allisa's eyes widened. "Was it really that bad?" She reached under her sheets to the area where she'd been cut.

"Yeah." Kira nodded before getting up and approaching Allisa's bedside table. "If it went for this," She then picked up a small vial from the table and showed it off to Allisa. "You'd probably be dead."

Allisa turned her head to the vile. It was small, half empty, but contained a silvery liquid. Allisa recognized it. It was her gift from Gimdo as thanks for dealing with Celtic Hoard. "The Phoenix dust."

"Pretty powerful healing potion. It's also very hard to come by."

"It is?"

"Yeah. The stuff to make this comes from a dangerous forest to the east of here. Very difficult to get your hands on it." Kira explained. Allisa knew she was talking about Sterland Forest. The material in question was the mithril from the water that ran through the Samiet village. "Although..." Kira placed the vial back on the table. She grabbed Allisa's sheets and pulled them away from her.

"YAHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!" Allisa yelled as she desperately covered her chest.

"Yeah, wasn't my imagination. Your wounds are completely gone." Kira continued.

"H-Huh?" Allisa looked up at her, her face bright red.

"We gave that to you after we got back while bandaging you up. When I went to change them about an hour later, the wound had completely disappeared." Kira then threw Allisa back the sheets. "I'm not an expert, but that seems to heal a bit too fast."

"W-Well... It's complicated." Allisa said as she wrapped the sheets around her as a makeshift dress. She then looked out of the window in the room. By the dim light outside, it seemed to be sunset. "Hey Kira. How long was I out?"

Kira took in a deep breath. "About Fifteen hours."

"F-FIFTEEN?!!!" Allisa exclaimed. "I-I was out for that long."

"Yep. Just over half a day. It kinda seemed like you were hibernating or something. Even with the wound gone, you wouldn't wake up no matter what." Kira nodded. "The others were out for pretty much that long too. They were all quite worried too."

"Yeah, I bet." Allisa cast her gaze downwards, touching her chest, the area where she'd been cut.

Kira took her seat and turned it around, sitting down on it backward, leaning on the back. "You certainly are a trouble magnet." She joked. "I mean first time we met our boat got attacked by that giant squid. Then we met again over a week afterwards and you were already in deep shit again."

"You say it like it's my fault." Allisa pouted.

"Haha! I'm only messing with ya." Kira chuckled.

Allisa continued to sulk. Her being a 'trouble magnet' wasn't exactly untrue. Since her journey began over three months ago, she always seemed to get herself in dangerous situations on almost a regular basis.

"Kinda weird though." Kira continued. "In the past, it was Ellie who got me in all sorts of deep shit. Well, if it went for that shit, I probably wouldn't've fallen for her."

When she mentioned Ellie, Allisa couldn't help but seize up. She had just tried to kill her not too long ago, and Kira was still talking and joking about her like it was nothing.

"H-Hey, Kira." Allisa eventually spoke up. "C-Can I ask you something?"

"Shot." Kira nodded.

"It's about Ellie," Allisa saw Kira tense up all of a sudden when she mentioned her name. "Just.... Who is she?"

Kira sighed and rubbed the back of her hair. "Straight to the point I see." She said in a weak voice. "Well, back in the day me and her were in the Miltesa Imperial army. Part of the Beast Squad."

She looked up to Allisa, expecting her to react to that name. She looked confused when Allisa didn't react at all.

"Oh right, Country bumpkin. I forgot." Because of Allisa's lack of what was considered general knowledge, Allisa had to lie and tell her that she was from an out-of-the-way village back when they first met. "You know some of the jobs adventurers do, bounties and all that shit?"

Allisa nodded.

"Obviously adventurers would take a job that would pay a lot of money, so some more urgent requests can get overlooked. The Beasts are kinda like, the backup. We handle requests that no one else would bother with to keep the piece.

"Anyway, that's where we met, got in trouble, and hell, we even fell in love. Well, bout five years ago, Ellie got transferred to the Imperial Guard- which is one of the gnarliest branches in the empire, under the direct command of the Emperor and Arch Sage. Never really got why she was transferred so suddenly. Think it was some kinda noble wanten to get into her panties or something, not like they could.

"It wasn't all bad though, we still stayed in touch. We lived together, everything was fine. She was trying to find a way for me to join so we could serve in the guard together." Kira's expression changed to one of sorrow. "Then, there was this one mission. I don't know the details, only that ten people, including Ellie was sent, and only she made it back. I saw her after she made it back, but she looked.... Different. After that...." Kira paused suddenly.

"What is it?" Allisa pressed.

"... That noble I talked about. Well, bout a week after, that guy was murdered."

Allisa looked shocked.

"That ain't the worst of it." Kira looked down. "Ellie was the one who killed him."

"Wh-What?!" Allisa exclaimed.

"I ran out looking for her, to try and prove her innocence. I found her, but...." Kira swallowed the lump in her throat. "She.... wasn't the same Ellie I knew. Not only did she admit to it, but she kept spouting stuff about 'wanting to be free of them.'

"I tried to stop her.... but, nothing I could say got through to her. After that, she just vanished. I spent four whole years, searching all over Avalon for her. This was the first time I managed to corner her and you saw how she was."

Kira stopped talking to allow Allisa time to absorb the information. Based on everything she told her, the Ellie Kira spoke of was vastly different from the Ellie that almost killed her.

"Wow. That got heavy fast." Kira said as she got up from her chair. She walked over to the side of the room and picked up her rifle and slung it over her shoulder. "You best get changed. Your friends are no doubt worried about you." She said as she opened the door to the room.

"Wait. Kira-"

Allisa called after her, but Kira ignored her and just exited the room without saying a word. It was a long story, but she could tell there was more to it than what she had told her. Either there was a part of the story that Kira didn't tell her about or a part she lied about.

"Kira...."

Allisa sighed as she got up from the bed, walking over to her clothes while allowing the bed sheet to slide off her skin. Her clothes were certainly repaired. Even her top had no trace of the massive bloodstain across the front.

As she put on her garments, her mind wandered back to Ellie. It was the same feeling she felt from Garlahad and Rubrik. As though the fates had decreed it, Allisa just knew that she'd be forced to fight her again. And like before, it would be a fight to the death.

"Never-ending battle huh?" Allisa sighed as the words the mysterious boy, Yun, spoke. "It really seems like it."

Sobering feeling

After exiting her room, Allisa walked down to the lobby where she found all her friends gathered around. Their faces lit up when they saw her coming down the stairs.

"Allisa!" Max called out as he ran to her side.

"Finally up on your feet," Melvin said.

"Alright! Our boss is back up!" Rodger cheered.

"Hey guys," Allisa said, feeling a little awkward about being the center of attention. "Sorry for worrying you."

"Did a bit more than worry us," Cliff said as he approached her and patted her on the head. "Still, important thing is you're ok and we're all alive."

Allisa looked around at her friends. Nel and Yuki were also present, though both looked like they were brooding. While that was nothing new with Yuki, it was strange to see Nel look so down. "Where's Mary."

"Think she's with the Arch Sage," Cliff said, not sounding so sure. "Don't worry. She took quite a beating from that Cait Sith, but she was better off than us. May be immature, but she held her own back there."

"That's good." Allisa sighed with relief. ".... Um.... What happened after I passed out? Did we get the tablet back?"

"What do you think?" Yuki grunted before letting out a loud sigh. "Even I think we're lucky to make it out of there alive."

"Oh..." Allisa cast her gaze downwards.

"Yeah, there's no way to sugar coat it," Cliff said, shaking his head. "We got our asses kicked out there."

The mood turned heavy as everyone thought back. Though it pained them to admit it, there was no denying it. Even if they were worn out from the battle with the lion, that didn't change the fact that they lost completely.

That dark, white-haired guy.... Max clenched his fists as he thought back to his battle with his opponent, and how he was completely overpowered.

That swordsman.... Yuki moved his hand towards the hilt of his sword. He picked a fight with the swordsman. Not only did he fight him off, he did it without even drawing his sword.

Yuki then glanced over to Nel, who was being very quiet. "Still don't get what happened to you back then."

Nel cast her gaze downwards. "I don't really know what happened either." She said. Her memory of that time was blank, but given the state her body was in after she regained control, she had some idea what happened.

"....Least you all managed to put up a fight. I was completely useless back there." Melvin muttered. He had used up all his mana in the final moments of the battle with the lion. As a result, he was completely unable to put up any kind of defense.

"Ahh! What's with you all?!" Rodger suddenly exclaimed. "So we lost! Big deal! That just means we got another shot to crush those guys!"

"We got our asses kicked and you want to go back for more?" Cliff asked rhetorically.

"'A Real man always settles the score.' That's what pa always says. I lost loads of times against Steve, but that never stopped me from challenging him to settle the score."

"Hate to say it, but I'm with the kid on this," Yuki announced. "We run into them again, I'm gonna make that guy draw his sword."

"And when I see that big guy again I'm gonna fry him!" Max announced pounding his palm. "No way I'm gonna take that crap he said. This time it's personal."

Cliff let out a long sigh while Allisa gave a weary smile. "Seems there back to normal." She said.

"Looks that way," Cliff said, rubbing the back of her head.

"In case you haven't forgotten, we've got more pressing issues than getting even," Nel announced, sounding very serious.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Allisa asked.

"The tablet they took. We don't know what it is, but we all agree it's connected to something incredibly dangerous."

"Oh, right." Allisa nodded. She recalled the Guardian referring to the tablet as the 'key to the calamity.'

"We agreed to speak to the Arch sage on the subject. Now that we're all together, that should be our next objective. Not finding those guys."

"You sound more uptight than usual," Yuki said, earning him a glare from Nel.

Just then, the door to the hotel opened, and in walked Cory who's expression lit up when she saw Allisa. "Oh great! You're finally up!"

"Cory!" Allisa said as Cory approached her.

"You really gave us a scare back there. Even Pressa thought it was a waste of time to try and save you, and she's the best healer we've got. I know Mary's gonna be relieved. She's been really worried about you." Cory said quickly.

"S-Sorry for worrying you," Allisa said out of instinct.

"Don't worry bout it. You're alive right, so that's all that counts." Cory's expression then changed to one of sadness. "I got a rundown of what happened to you guys. I'm so sorry we couldn't help." She then let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her short blond hair. "Her first mission in a month and she had to run into Leone Vastia of all people. Poor Mary."

Everyone was startled to hear that name from Cory. "You know her?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah, I know her." Cory nodded. "She's a notorious thief, known for her leg strength and power, and also her ability to manipulate people." When she spoke, there was anger in her voice. "She was kinda Mary's teacher back in the day when she was on the streets. She kept her around cause of her potential and skill, but all she ever did was use her before betraying her trust. When she heard Mary was leaving her life as a thief, she tried to talk her out of it. It was the only time Mary stood up against her, so they parted on bad terms."

Cory looked around at the gang. "I take it you all know what happened in Everndail?"

"Where Leone tricked Meracle to steal the first half of that tablet?" Nel said.

"Yeah, that's it." Cory nodded. "Mary was so depressed she didn't leave the residence for three days until Milady had enough of her moping and kicked her out of the house. She's been recovering, but her confidence took a big hit."

Cory moved her right hand to one of her sai's strapped to her thighs. "I won't ever forgive Leone for that. If I see her again, I will kill her."

Everyone was shocked to hear Cory's declaration. Nel raised her eyebrow, paying attention to the expression on Cory's face.

When Cory realized everyone's expression, she shook her head and changed her expression. "A-Anyway," She let out a cough. "Now that you're up, you probably should see milady. I guess you got questions to ask."

Allisa nodded, looking determined. "There's something I want to ask her."

Worst-case scenario

"Nyaaa..." Meracle let out a long sigh out the Atelier's window, gazing blankly into the sky. "I hope Allisa will be ok." She said with a sigh.

"If you're curious then go see her. I've had enough of your moping around." Elaina said very sternly. She sat at her desk with her head buried in a large book.

"Can't you be nice for once?" Meracle pouted.

"What are you talking about? I'm always nice." Elaina asked.

"When have you ever been nice?"

"Well..." Elaine muttered, pretending to think. "How about the last time this happened where you were blindly staring into the sky with that sad look on your face. I managed to knock that out of you."

Meracle instantly froze as the unwelcome memories returned to her. She had previously broken her from her slump after the failure of Everndail.... Which involved literally kicking her outside.

"Now that we've established how nice I am, cheer up already. Your wining's starting to annoy me." Elaina continued.

"Hm. Witch." Meracle muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry. You say something?"

"N-No! Nothing!"

Pressa then approached Elaina's desk, carrying a large tome, which she set down in front of her and pointed to a passage.

Elaina glanced at the page opened, skimming over the words, then back to Pressa. "Is this true?"

Pressa nodded. "No doubt about it. With all the information in those books, that's the only place that matches the descriptions." She then looked to Meracle looking out of the window. "Don't tell me you're still depressed." She said in a condescending tone.

Meracle stuck out her tongue at her in response.

"How childish," Pressa said.

"You wouldn't understand since you don't care about anyone," Meracle muttered under her breath.

"Caring for people is a waste of time and resources. Both of which are better well spent on the crisis that's facing us."

"So you don't care if Allisa dies?!"

"Not particularly. It's her fault we have to rely on plan B in the first place, and by extension yours."

Meracle shot up and hissed at her like a true cat. "You take that back!"

"I will not," Pressa said, not making eye contact.

Meracle leaped up, performing a dive kick aimed towards Pressa. Not looking up, Elaina raised her left hand and made a clockwise motion with her two fingers. Before Meracle knew what happened, she suddenly found herself flying towards a mountain of books on the opposite side of the room, crashing into them, getting herself buried as they caved in around her.

Elaina finally looked up from her work. "Ok. You, stop provoking her." She said to Pressa as Meracle's head shot out from the mound she was buried under. "And you, shut up." She said to Meracle.

"B-But-"

"You know Pressa acts on annoying logic and common sense, which is the reason for her jerky and boring personality." Elaina looked up to Pressa. "No offense."

"None taken," Pressa said at once.

Elaina turned back to Meracle who was getting out from the books in a clumsy manner. "And for your information, I want that girl to recover just as much as you."

"Really?" Meracle asked.

"Of course. After all, I bet a hundred Rundes that she'd make it so it would be a real pain if she died from that."

"YOUR NO BETTER THAN PRESSA!!!"

At that moment the door opened. "Things seem as lively as usual," Cory said as she walked through the door. She then stood aside to allow Allisa to walk through first. When she saw her, Meracle instantly perked up. "Allisa!" She cheered as she leaped towards Allisa.

Unprepared, Allisa was knocked down to the ground as Meracle tackled her, falling to the ground. Everyone parted out of the way, not making any attempts to catch her.

"Ow... M-Mary?" Allisa groaned as Meracle continued to hug her. Without warning she shot up, gazing down at her face.

"Y-Your ok right? You're not hurt, right?" Meracle asked tearing up.

"Well... I was..." Allisa replied as she tried to sit up. She then chuckled as she rubbed Meracle's head. "Good to see your ok too."

Meracle snorted and nodded, trying to hold back her tears.

"She seems to have taken a liking to you," Elaina said, glancing up to Pressa who gave out a big sigh.

Allisa gently pushed Meracle off her and walked towards Elaina's desk with a serious expression. "You knew about that lion, didn't you?" She asked as the others gathered around her.

"Lion? Oh you mean Leo." Elaina said leaning back on her chair, gently locking her fingers together. "Yes, I knew about the guardian."

"Thought as much," Nel said, glancing sideways to Cory, who nervously looked away.

"I told you before you left, I called you over to judge your worth to the Arch Sages. I needed what was in those ruins badly, and that lion was the perfect test for you." Elaina continued. "Make no mistake, defeating that is no small feat."

"You could have given us some heads up!!" Max yelled.

"That would have spoiled the surprise," Elaina smirked.

"Hold on...." Cliff spoke up. "If you really needed what was in that ruin, and you knew about that guardian, why not get it yourself?" He said crossing his arms. "I'm sure that should be no problem to someone with the title of Arch Sage?"

"You make a good point." Elaina nodded. "Unfortunately for me, that location has a powerful barrier that prevents portals opening within the confines of that ruin."

"...So?" Melvin spoke.

"My magic makes use of portals, and against something like that, I'd be at a serious disadvantage." Elaina looked back up to Allisa with a small grin. "Besides, you managed to defeat it, so it all worked out in the end. That's what I'd like to say anyway." She then let out a loud sigh. "I was filled in about what happened after you defeated the Lion. I will admit that was a failing on my part to take that possibility into account."

"So you know who attacked us?" Yuki asked.

"I have a pretty good idea, considering one of the assailants was Leone Vastia of all people."

Meracle flinched when she heard Leone's name. Cory, who was standing Next to her, put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

Elaina leaned forwards, giving Allisa a serious look. "They work for a man named Yensin."

"Yensin....?" Allisa's eyes widened as she recognized the name.

"Oh right," Melvin spoke up. "That guy we fought mentioned his name."

"And he mentioned they had a hand in Celtic Hoard," Yuki added.

"Celtic Hoard?! You mean those guys part of them?!" Rodger exclaimed.

"No. He said they worked together to attack your village, but that's all." Melvin clarified.

"I think 'used' is a better word for it," Cliff said. "That woman, Ellie, she was there back when we attacked the main camp. The one Allisa fought."

"Oh right, her," Rodger muttered.

"And those twin assassins," Nel added. "I'd have to agree with Cliff. Those three did nothing to stop us. Those two only showed themselves right after I killed one of Celtic Hoard's leaders. Even then they just up and left."

Rodger made a loud moan as he tried to piece together the information. "So... This guy's the one who wanted to destroy the village with Dolton? I can understand Dolton, but why does this guy want us outta the way?"

Something suddenly occurred to Allisa. During their fight, Ellie mentioned Garlahad being part of their group. She also recalled the two other people the party encountered, the armored man who could clone himself, and the boy with Yoyos. Then there was the assassin who stole Elizabeth from under their noses and the woman who tried to sacrifice her. Were they all with this Yensin guy?

She then looked to Elaina. "Yensin.... Who exactly is he?"

Elaina let out a sigh before speaking. "Officially, he's recognized by the world as a terrorist. It's a well-earned reputation. Everything he does is targeted, and designed to destabilize local authorities." She then leaned forwards, crossing her fingers together before continuing. "On a personal note, he's an eccentric madman who can drive you insane with words alone."

"Sounds like you've met him before," Nel said.

"You could say we crossed paths." Elaina nodded. "That was about a year ago. I obviously tried to kill him then and there, but...." She sighed. "He may have a big mouth and doesn't shut up, but he has the moves to back it up." She looked back at the party, all-hanging on every word. "Since he's involved in this, that makes this entire situation more dangerous than you could possibly imagine."

"Because of what he's after?" Allisa interrupted. She recalled the stern warning from the guardian before it vanished. It referred to the tablet as 'the key to the calamity.' "The thing it was guarding... what exactly was it?"

Elaina looked up at Allisa, leaning back in her chair. "It's part of a seal to Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"The.... Nine-tailed.... Fox?" Allisa repeated. Everyone else fell silent as they tried to contemplate Elaina's answer.

"Uh... What's the nine-tails?" Rodger asked, breaking the silence.

"Some kind of dangerous monster I bet," Cliff said. "Especially if you need a key."

"You're on the right track," Elaina said to Cliff. "That particular monster is one of six insanely powerful monsters that almost destroyed the world 300 years ago."

Everyone looked shocked.

"Hold up... 300 years ago..." Melvin muttered in thought. "You mean... the six emperors?"

"Glad not all of you are idiots," Elaina said.

"Who you calling an idiot?!" Max and Yuki yelled.

Elaina ignored them and continued her explanation. "Dorstera, the Castle Eater. Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox. Xiorn, the Impure King. Crex, the Scourge. Exodus, the Forbidden One. Lucifer, the Fallen Angel.

"These six monsters suddenly appeared suddenly and almost destroyed this world until the Arch Sages of the time managed to seal them away. Even though they're gone, the repercussions of their rampage remain."

"...Dorstera." Nel repeated as she thought. "That one sounds familiar."

"It should be," Elaina said. "I heard about the incident revolving around Princess Elizabeth of Rosaria, and how she was targeted by a group of fanatical cultists who worshiped the monster as a god."

"My god...." Allisa's eyes widened with terror. She thought back to the massive monstrosity from the Sea temple. "You mean that thing was..."

"Dorstera the Castle Eater." Elaina nodded. "That monster you saw was the actual creature."

Nel, Melvin, Max and Yuki looked shocked.

"Th-That thing... was one of the Six Emperors?" Melvin muttered.

"Thought there was something strange about that monster," Yuki said.

"Uh... What are you guys talking about?" Rodger asked, resting his arms on his head.

"This was just before I joined right?" Cliff asked.

"That's right." Nel nodded. "We were hired to act as body guards to protect the Princess of Rosaria while she was visiting the port town of Tirest. Unfortunately, the two knights that were with her plotted to overthrow the current king by sacrificing her to awaken that monster.

"I wasn't present when it was unleashed, but I gathered that the knights had a backup plan because Dorstera was awakened without killing her." Nel summarized the events.

"Hold up," Max spoke, rubbing his chin. "That monster's one of these Six whatever's that are the most powerful monsters in the world."

"And we managed to kill it," Yuki added.

"Haha! That means we beat one of the most powerful monsters in the entire world!" Max cheered.

"Hahaha! Don't get ahead of yourself." Elaina gave out a short, sarcastic laugh before changing her demeanor. "Do you know why they were sealed in the first place?"

"Uh...." Max scratched the back of his head.

"It wasn't because the Arch Sages didn't want them dead. They literally couldn't kill them." Elaina continued, sounding very serious. "However, a seal works both ways. It can be broken and those monsters would be unleashed upon the world. With that in mind, the Arch Sages weaved into the seal a special spell that would sap away the monster's strength every second it was sealed. Therefore, in the case they awoke, they could be killed."

"So.... When we fought that monster, it wasn't at full strength." Yuki said.

"Let me put it this way. Dorstera destroyed Riser, killing over 100'000 people. If you encountered it when it was at full power, none of you would be here and Riser would be in ruins." Elaina explained.

Allisa couldn't help but gulp. The monster was strong enough as it was back then. She couldn't even imagine it stronger. "So... this nine tails is just as strong as that monster?" She asked.

"Again, it's not that simple." Elaina shook her head. "Whatever malevolent god created them, they were not designed with an equal amount of power."

"M-Meaning?"

"When I listed them, I did so on how powerful they were, weakest first. Kitsune, for example, ravaged half this continent."

Everyone was taken aback.

"One monster.... destroyed half the continent?" Cliff said in disbelief.

"I think you're starting to get how serious this is." Elaina continued. "Even if Kitsune is unsealed and in a weakened state, it can still recover its lost strength. If someone like Yensin is able to unleash that kind of power I can't even begin to imagine the body count."

Allisa gulped. She'd only come to Cataka at the behest of Dran, even leaving her home back at Terra once again to come since she believed it to be a simple job. Even with the setbacks along the way, she could never have predicted that thing would become so serious.

"However," Elaina spoke again, breaking Allisa's chain of thought. "We do have one chance to prevent that. For it to work, I'm going to need all of you gathered here."

"Us?" Yuki asked pointing at himself.

Elaina nodded. "I know where exactly those people who attacked you will be headed." Everyone flinched in response. "So, we can instep them and prevent the awakening of Kitsune."

"You mean... you know where this monster is sealed?" Nel asked. "Where is it?"

"It's somewhere you should be familiar with." Elaina's gaze shifted to Rodger. "Especially since you have him."

"Huh? Me?" Rodger looked puzzled.

Elaina leaned forwards, pausing before speaking once again. "Sterland Village."

"....................WHAAAAAAATT?!!!" The party exclaimed all together, shocked by what they were told.

"Hold on Witch lady! You're saying those bastards from before are gonna destroy my village?!" Rodger asked frantically.

"I don't appreciate being called witch, brat," Elaina grumbled. "and to answer your question, they won't have to. Kitsune will do that for them. That would mean they'd have to assault the village to get to the seal. And since its Yensin we're talking about, they will make it."

"No way.... My village..." Rodger muttered. He was in shock. "Grampa... Granny... Old man Bush... Dora and Fred.... They're gonna kill them all?"

"Rodger," Melvin said to reassure him.

"So that's the reason," Nel muttered to herself. "It's been bugging me why someone like Yensin would advocate an attack on such a remote village in the middle of nowhere."

"Those bastards...." Max growled, clenching his fists. "They're gonna wipe out those tailed folks to awaken some monster."

"Geez, things just keep going from bad to worse," Cliff said holding a hand to his head.

"H-Hold on..." Allisa interrupted, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "There's something I don't get about this."

"And that is?" Elaina asked.

"Let's just suppose this Yensin guy awakens the nine tails. How is he gonna control it?" She asked. "I mean... from what you said about these Emperors, they don't sound like something you can just put a leash on."

"Unfortunately you're wrong," Elaina said.

"What?"

"There is a way. A command seal that's embedded on the body. It allows the one in possession to have the monster obeys their every order."

"Command seal?" Allisa repeated. She then recalled Garlahad's tattoo on his left arm, and how it began to glow just before the monster appeared. "Is it like a tattoo?"

"Correct." Elaina nodded. "I don't know how it's possible to acquire one. In fact, the entire concept of command seals is still a mystery. Not only does it give an individual the power over the monster, but it also seems necessary to reawaken them. Therefore, it's likely that one amongst Yensin's group possesses the necessary command seal for Kitsune. Which means he has everything he needs to awaken the monster."

"Which means we have no time to waste." Yuki groaned.

"Afraid so." Cory nodded. "Like Milady said, we sent you to Löwe Höhle to recover the second half of the key before they could get their hands on it. We honestly didn't expect them to move so soon after the heist in Everndail." Meracle tensed up in response.

"And from what you've told us, that man's accompanied by very powerful mana users," Pressa added.

"Even I have to admit the four of us alone can't take them on by ourselves," Elaina said. "That's why we need the help of everyone present."

Everyone... huh? Nel thought to herself as her eyes shifted to the window, spotting a figure that immediately ducked out of the way.

"Fine by me!" Max exclaimed, slamming his fists together. "I still owe that guy with the crosses in his hand's payback."

"I still owe that swordsman a proper battle. I'll be damned if I let things end like this." Yuki said.

"I ain't gonna let those bastards anywhere near the village!" Rodger announced. "They hurt granpa and everyone else there gonna answer to me!"

"Someone's sure fired up," Cliff commented.

".... Can we win?" Melvin said quietly enough so no one could hear.

Allisa didn't say anything, but her face hardened, and her fists clenched. That means.... I'm gonna have to fight Ellie again. She thought to herself, thinking of Kira. Despite their situation, Allisa knew that Ellie had to be stopped.

"Hold on. There's something that's been bugging me." Nel spoke up, breaking up the heavy atmosphere created. She locked her sights on Elaina with a serious expression. "You seem a bit too knowledgeable about the six emperors."

Everyone stared at her confused by her actions.

"Do you want to go into this now?" Elaina said, as though she was challenging her.

"It's a better time as any." Nel continued.

"N-Nel?" Allisa looked startled by Nel's accusing tone.

"You knew where both halves of that key were. You also knew where to find the monster in question, I doubt that's something you could learn in the course of one day." Nel said, crossing her arms. "You also knew about that lion and the barrier that prevents portals."

"So you don't trust me?"

"You haven't exactly given me a reason to trust you."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Cliff whispered to her.

"I'd rather not take the word of someone who could potentially stab us in the back," Nel continued, narrowing her eyes. "Arch Sage or not."

"M-Miss Nel!" Meracle exclaimed.

Elaina however, snickered at Nel. "You realize that goes both ways, for both to me and your companions."

Nel grimaced, taken aback by Elaina's meaning.

"What does that mean?" Max asked, looking at Nel, who looked away instantly.

"Th-that's...." She stuttered.

"Nel?" Allisa noticed her strange behavior.

"But I suppose you have a point," Elaina said to Nel, who was still frozen. "Before I became an Arch Sage, I was a researcher at the Miltesa Academy of Magic."

"A researcher?" Allisa repeated.

"Is it so hard to believe?" Elaina asked her.

"Um.... Kinda."

Ignoring the response, Elaina continued. "I was researching the Six, trying to unravel its mysteries behind their sudden appearance, and what they were. That attracted a lot of unwanted attention from the higher-ups and that old Geezer Ondwill. Long story short, I was given a choice, become the next Arch Sage of Cataka so they could keep a close eye on me, or have my research confiscated. I chose the option with the less hassle, and here I am." She looked back to Nel. "Good enough?"

Nel shifted her eyes back at her. "For now."

Elaina returned her attention back to Allisa. "I realize this is asking a lot given what you've been through, but as you can tell, the situation is dangerous, and I'll use all the help I can get."

Elaina then cast her gaze to Allisa's comrades. "Not only that but you seven know who we're up against, which means you have a distinct advantage that I don't." She then looked back up to Allisa. "So, will you help me?"

Allisa looked confused. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the leader aren't you? The decisions yours."

"Oh... right." Allisa sighed as the leader card was used again. She looked back to her companions, all of which had mixed feelings about the situation, but nonetheless looked determined enough. Allisa looked back at Elaina with a determined look. "Well, we don't have a choice this time."

"True." Elaina nodded. She then turned to the nearest window, which shone through weak rays of the sun, indicating that the sun was beginning to set. "You should all call it a day."

"Huh?" Allisa looked confused.

"We're not setting out now?" Yuki asked.

"The sun's setting, and I think you can all agree Sterland Forest isn't a place you want to be at night. Plus, I have some preparations myself." Elaina answered. "Also," She looked towards each member of the party, including Meracle. "It may only be over half a day, but you all still need a bit more time to recover from that battle. After all, it's likely you'll be landing straight into another battle, and if you're not at 100%, you'll probably get your asses kicked again."

"You... have a point," Cliff said, rubbing the back of his head.

"But what about my village? Won't they be attacking it while we sit around doing nothing?" Rodger aired a complaint.

"Don't worry about that. Yensin may be unpredictable, but not even he can move from Howls canyon to Sterland Forest in under a day. Take this time to rest and recover, then meet me back here at first light tomorrow."

****

Just outside the cottage, Kira walked along the forest path that would take her back towards Tattoria.

"Tomorrow morning huh?"

With her rifle slung on her back, she pulled out the photograph of her and Ellie.

"So I'll find you in Sterland Forest."

With a determined look, she put the picture back in her pocket as she picked up the pace, trying to make it back without running into Allisa and her Friends.

"Better get ready too. I'm not letting this chance slip away." Kira said to herself. "Sorry Ellie, but you know what kind of bitch I am."

"So long as they exist, I won't ever be free."

"I'll find a way to free you, you can count on that."