This technically begins a new arc as Anzio is no longer the focus, but I'm keeping it together because the goals have not changed.

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Garnet finally made it back to Anzio. "Are you sure you two don't want to meet with the King?" Lord Hawk asked. "He offered to make time for you if you did."

"Yes," said Garnet. "I don't like the feeling of the castle very much. I'll just settle for my reward."

"Me neither," said Riley. "I don't want to be dragged into politics."

"Here you go," said Lord Hawk as he handed Garnet a large bag of coins. "It's about 500 gold coins."

"Five hundred?!?" Garnet was surprised it was so much.

"You are responsible for nearly all the damage done to the Zmaj," said Lord Hawk. "On top of that, you were the deciding factor. In addition, you even let us have the Dragon Core. You earned it."

Garnet did not really need gold. "Do you think I can trade this gold for the Dragon Core instead?" she asked.

"Are you sure you want the broken Core?" Lord Hawk asked. "It's basically useless."

It was not useless to Garnet though. It was likely that it could be repaired with magicraft. "Yes," said Garnet.

"Alright, I'll take this gold back and bring you the core," said Lord Hawk. He walked away and returned a while later with the Dragon Core wrapped in a red and gold cloth. "Here you go," he said.

"Thank you," said Garnet.

"Come see me if you ever want to go on another Expedition," said Lord Hawk. "I guarantee there will be room for you."

"I will if I have time," said Garnet. "I have other things to do."

With that done, Garnet knew that an Expedition was not something that was suited for her needs. It required a team that could work together. Hiring people would not fulfill that requirement. Her spirits and her summons were the key. She headed to the Guild building to see if there was any updates.

"You're back!" said Hagel.

"Yeah," said Garnet. "We made it."

"That's great," said Hagel. "For a moment I actually didn't think you would make it."

"Hey that's not nice," said Garnet.

"Haha, it is a dragon after all," said Hagel. "Most of the time, nearly half the people in the fight die."

That was a high death ratio. "No wonder people did not want to go," said Garnet.

"Well, you actually wanted to go," said Hagel. "That's usually a sign that someone is either very strong or reckless."

"Anyways, any updates?" asked Garnet.

"Just one," said Hagel. He went to the back and took out a single thin book. "This was brought by someone and I think you might be interested in it."

"What is it?" asked Garnet.

"I don't know," said Hagel. "Even our mages could barely understand that it was a combination of an artificial body and a summoning."

Garnet opened the book and took a look at it. There was a note inside the book as well. "I'll be waiting for you in Constantinople." That was all it said.

New Quest: Journey to Constantinople

Someone is awaiting your arrival in Constantinople. Find her.

Reward: Unlocks Seal

"Seal?" Garnet thought. "What could be sealed?" A map appeared in front of Garnet, showing her current location in Anzio along with the path that she should take to reach Constantinople.

As Garnet flipped through the book, she saw it, the spell that she was looking for.

New Skill: Human Form Vessel

Requires: 100 Magic Clay, Magic Core, Earth Spirit, Fire Spirit, Water Spirit, Wind Spirit, Advanced Magicraft

Create a body that is shaped like a person. It can be greatly customized and be inhabited by a spirit.

MP Cost: 10000

This was what Garnet was looking for the whole time. A way to bring Riley back and allow her to not be attached to Garnet the whole time. It was not the same as a resurrection spell which would restore her original body as well, but it was a nice alternative. Whoever gave Garnet the book knew what she was looking for.

"This is what I've been looking for," said Garnet as a tear flowed from her eyes. "I've finally made some progress. Thank you Hagel."

"No problem, I'm just doing my job," said Hagel.

"Can you tell me who brought this book here?" asked Garnet.

Hagel leaned in closely to Garnet. "Surprisingly, she told me that it was okay to tell you, but she did not give a name," said Hagel.

"What did she look like?" whispered Garnet.

"She was a woman with blue hair dressed from shoulder down to toe in different shades of blue and white," said Hagel. "The clothes were transparent at the waist, at the legs, at the arms, and at the neck."

"That's quite an unusual appearance," said Garnet.

"Yes," said Hagel. "But she said she was leaving the city and heading East to Constantinople."

"What?!?" said Garnet as she was surprised by this. "She must be strong to do something like that alone."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was a mage," said Hagel.

"Alright," said Garnet. "I guess I need to start heading East too."

"So your goal is to go to Constantinople as well?" asked Hagel.

"Yes," said Garnet. "I'm looking for certain information that is only available there."

"Have a safe trip," said Hagel.

Garnet knew that it was not safe to travel alone, but she no longer had to be. When she returned back home, the Cerberus was still there waiting for her. Even though Garnet was gone for maybe a week, it was still fine. With her Animal Golems, she could create a squad of Cerberus to help guard her. They were not undead, so she did not need to hide them. The goal now was to make sure they got stronger, strong enough so that Garnet could unlock Minion Development or get the requirements to create a Human Form Vessel. If she could get more cores, she could even create bodies for each of her spirits.

"So, we're going to go to Constantinople with just us?" asked Riley.

"Yeah," said Garnet as she began to pack. "We wasted a lot of time and didn't get much done. The Guild takes too long to rank up. It's too hard to organize people for an Expedition. I think it's better if we just go with us."

"You don't have to rush this," said Riley.

"I know," said Garnet. "But I'm going to at my own pace. I don't want to be sitting here waiting for the small chance that it might happen."

"I understand," said Riley.

"You're surprisingly okay with this," said Garnet.

"I don't know what else to do either," said Riley as she began to help. "I think your decision making is better than mine."

There was not much to pack. The only thing to really take was the books and the cauldron, and they could easily be stored. But, Garnet created two additional Cerberus out of the Animal Golems. "You three will protect me on our journey," said Garnet. "Stay out of sight unless you feel it is needed or if I call you."

The three dogs all stood up straight and listened to Garnet. Even though they could not speak, they could motion and gesture to each other. They all ran off, following the orders Garnet issued.

After saying goodbye to Leeroy and Ruby, the two began to walk East. At the gate, they were checked before the man in grey robes above the city gates motioned to let them through. In front of them was a road. As long as they followed it, they would eventually reach the Ruins of Constantinople. Garnet could see that the Cerberus were hiding in strange places. One was following by swimming in the river where only its head was exposed. Nonetheless, they were still following orders.

"Last chance for anything," said Garnet.

"I'm fine," said Riley. "Are you sure you don't want to visit Charles?" she asked.

"They're fine," said Garnet. "They're still busy developing the country and if something did come up, Zedd could always contact us."

"Then off we go," said Riley.

As the two headed East, they looked back at Anzio. The city itself was massive, so much that you probably had to be on a big hill at least a thousand meters up to see everything. Garnet could only make out the Northeast corner of the city where Anzio Academy was and the castle because of how high they stood above everything else. They were heading East, where the Invasions are thought to have originated from The further East you went, the stronger the enemies were. Zedd believed that there was an Invasion that has been going on for centuries in the far East in a city called Beijing.

The first big obstacle was the mountain pass to the North. Garnet had visited earlier in search of spirits, but this was the first time that they were going to cross it. "I have no idea how we're going to do this," said Garnet.

"There should be a trade route somewhere in these mountains," said Riley. "You could always just fly though."

Flying would have made it easy, but there was no telling what kind of crazy creature might spot them from the ground below or be flying in the sky. For example, if there was another Zmaj hiding in these mountains, they would be spotted and it could chase them. That would not be good. "I think it's better to just walk," said Garnet. "After all, there weren't that many aggressive monsters here."

"Why don't you ask one of the spirits for help?" Riley asked Garnet.

"Oh yeah," said Garnet. "They lived here. Call: Meliae!"

"Don't tell me you want to dig up dirt again," said Meliae.

"I just need directions," said Garnet. "How do I get the other side of the mountain?"

"Just follow the main road up past Sino's Cave and down the other side," said Meliae. "The next time you call me, it better be for something important." She then disappeared into the ground.

"I guess we go up," said Garnet.

As they made their way up, they noticed that there were more wild animals. Goats and sheep were plentiful in the mountains despite the small amounts of grass available. Unlike the Western Mountains, the Eastern ones did not feature any crazy aggressive animals. They were mostly passive. The most aggressive one that they saw was a Ram that looked at Garnet and Riley until they left.

Higher up the mountain past Sino's Cave, a thick layer of mist began to form. It was dangerous because it was hard to see. Even Garnet's Night Vision did not help much because it was a fog, not because of the lack of light.

HOWL. It was the sound of one of the Cerberus. "Did they find something?" thought Garnet.

New Quest: Bandits of Dolomite

Clear the bandits in the Dolomite Mountains and continue East.

Reward: Experience

"Someone's coming," said Riley as she drew the short sword strapped to her leg.

Garnet could see the shadow of a man. He limped forward. "Help me..." he said as he reached out his hand. He was injured, but Garnet was not taking any chances.

Name: Liam

Level: 15

Class: Tracker

Sub-Class: Scout

Stats: High Agility

There was a high chance that he was one of the bandits that was mentioned by the quest. With a Tracker Class, it would be possible for him to track someone like Garnet through the mountains. With a Scout sub-class, it would be easy to gather information from unsuspecting travelers. The thing was that Liam was less than half of Garnet's level. If he tried to do anything, she could probably push him off the mountain with a single Air Bullet.

Riley walked up to the man. "Be careful," said Garnet.

"I know it's a trap," Riley whispered as she walked by Garnet.

The man collapsed into Riley's arms. "Thank goodness," he said.

"Are you okay?" asked Riley. She saw that the man was wearing a brown fur coat and a white shirt under. His pants were white or grey in color as well. It would be hard to spot him with the colors he was wearing.

"I was attacked," said the man. "There were many of them," he said as he looked at Garnet. He then turned to face Riley.

Riley saw that he was looking at her body. She was aware when someone was doing this. The man was trying to gauge how strong she was. That was most likely his job. He would then disappear and then inform his allies of the people coming up or he would take them on himself. "Rest," said Riley. "We'll take care of the rest."

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"Take this," groaned the man as he reached into his coat. "And die!" he shouted.

Riley immediately grabbed his arm and twisted it.

"AHH!" the man screamed.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to capture me alive," said Riley. "I thought bandits only killed men and captured the women."

"How did you know?" asked the man.

"Your colors are for hiding, not for traveling," said Riley. "Now it's my turn to ask you questions."

"I will not speak," said the man.

"Do you want to try to make him talk?" Riley asked Garnet.

"Alright," said Garnet. She grabbed onto the arm of the man. "Pleasure Inducement!"

"UGH," groaned the man as he collapsed onto the floor. He was suddenly panting heavily.

"How many people are ahead of us?" asked Garnet.

"Ten not counting me," said the man.

"Who is the strongest in the group?" asked Garnet.

"Me," said the man.

Everyone else in the group was weaker. They were probably comparable to the soldiers of Antium at best, but far fewer in number. "What kind of people are in the group?" asked Garnet.

"Just fighters," said the man.

"Recall!" Garnet recalled the Cerberus. "Scatter the bandits ahead for us," she ordered.

The Cerberus all circled the man on the ground, sniffing him. Then, they went ahead. They could track the people in the fog. It was most likely because of their dog like characteristics. They did not need to see. They could rely on smell as well.

"AHH!" There was a scream. The Cerberus were getting to work. Normal people did not stand a chance against them. After all, they were extremely powerful. The ones Garnet fought were level 60, but hers were probably not near that level.

"AHH!" There was another scream. Garnet could hear some kind of shouting, but she could not make out what it was. Then, silence and the Cerberus returned.

Quest Complete: Bandits of Dolomite

Reward: Experience

Normal people did not stand a chance against the Cerberus. "Continue to protect me well," said Garnet as she pet the Cerberus. The Cerberus reacted by rubbing its head over Garnet's hand. They were very attached to her. They then disappeared again, hiding from plain sight.

"Let's go," Garnet said to Riley. The two continued on their way.

When they reached the top of the path, they saw a tight turn. Around the corner was the bodies of some of the bandits. There were only about three maybe four bodies. They were hiding there, waiting to ambush the people who were coming around to take the path because it was nearly impossible to see around the corner. It was likely that Garnet and Riley would have been attacked by their large numbers if they had followed the man.

A little further down, they saw something that resembled a camp. It was built mostly using stones, creating crude shelters that barely protected its inhabitants from the elements. One building stood out as it was made of wood while the others were all stone. There was movement, it was clearly a place where people lived. "This looks like where the bandits lived," said Garnet.

"Should we take a look?" asked Riley as she quickly scanned the town with her eyes.

"I think it's likely that many of them would be inside," said Garnet.

"If they're attacking people passing by, I think we should do something about it," said Riley.

Garnet laid down a Teleportation Summoning Circle and began to walk towards the camp. There was no howl or warning from the Cerberus. It was not a trap as far as she could tell. It was likely that the bandits were a group of people that acted independently of the town. Garnet and Riley walked in to see that it was a village. It was not the bandits. As she looked around, she saw that there were families here, but they were poor. They built their village near the water that flowed down from the mountain.

As Garnet walked through the village, she saw two people who were heavily injured. One had bite claw marks on his arm and bandages wrapped around his leg. It was likely that he was one of the people who were planning to attack her. With so little in town though, she could see why they did it. They relied on trade for food as it was difficult to grow in the mountains. The only thing they had was the wool and the limited amount of food they could get from the animals on the mountain.

"Are you going to help these people?" asked Riley.

"How did you know?" asked Garnet.

"I can see it in your eyes," said Riley. "You want to do something about this."

"I will," said Garnet she said as she walked up to a merchant who was selling a few pieces of clothing. He also had some processed wool on the side.

Name: Wool

Quality: High

Effects: Resists Cold

"Interested in something?" asked the man.

"I'll trade you," said Garnet. "Wool in exchange for Wild Boar Meat."

The man's eyes lit up immediately. He was interested. "What's your ratio?" he asked.

"Five pounds of wool for this," said Garnet as she took out three and a half kilos of boar meat.

"So much," he said.

"Do you accept?" Garnet asked.

"Yes!" the man shouted. He immediately grabbed up the meat and brought out the wool to Garnet. "Thank you so much," he said.

Garnet stored it inside her ring and began to look around for other things. The other merchants all began to bring out some of their finer wares. They wanted Garnet to buy from them too. What they did not know was that Garnet was not interested in their fancy things. She was looking for things like raw materials. Things she could use. Since everyone was paying attention to her, she decided to just shout, "I'm looking for Flower Nectar, does anyone have it?"

A middle aged woman walked forward. "I do," she said.

Garnet looked at what she had.

Name: Flower Nectar

Quality: High

Effect: Heals abnormalities

Garnet took out several flanks of Wild Boar Meat. "Will this do?" she asked.

"Yes!" said the middle aged woman.

Garnet was thinking of what else these people might have that she could use. Gemstones could possibly be mined from mountains as well. "Anyone with precious jewels?" she asked.

No one stepped forward. Garnet looked around to make sure, but there was no one. It looked like this mountain did not have any precious gems. They could probably serve as good catalysts or be used to create high quality golems and vessels though.

Giving away food was not going to help since people would just flock to her and ask for some. So, she decided to walk around and see what she could find. There was a few pieces of pottery that were being made. "Hey do you have any glue?" Garnet asked.

"Glue?" asked the man. "What's glue?"

"It's something made from animal fat or taken from trees that makes things sticky," said Garnet. She wanted to see if they had a way to repair the Dragon Core she had.

The man took out a jar of what looked like a sticky orange liquid. It was sort of like sap. "Do you mean this?" he asked.

"Yes," said Garnet. "Along with some of the powder you use your pots shiny."

The man took out a jar of red dirt. "This?" he asked.

"Yes, that," said Garnet. "How much for it?"

"I want ten kilos in meat," said the man.

Garnet realized what he was doing. "I'll give you three," said Garnet.

"Seven," the man countered.

"Five, take it or leave it," said Garnet.

"Deal!" said the man with a smile on his face.

It just might be possible to repair the Dragon Core with materials like this. Even a village high up in the mountains had a lot of treasures. The problem was that there were not many visitors, so their economy mostly relied on each other and that was limited. Trade was something very important, but the mountain pass and relative isolation made it difficult. Carriages could not make it up the mountain, so people would have to travel on horseback or by foot, making it difficult to transport large volumes unless they had something special like rings that could store materials. In the entire village, only one person had something like that.

HOWL. Garnet heard the howl of the Cerberus coming from higher up in the mountain. It meant danger was near. She looked around and spotted a tall man approaching. The people looked around fearing that it might be some wild animal attacking. "Stop right there!" shouted Garnet.

The entire market suddenly turned silent. "Give me the food that you have and I might let you live," said the man. He was very tall. Garnet probably barely reached up to his chest. The man had numerous injuries over his body. His right leg was red from a burn. His arm had a bandage on it. His chest had some dried blood on it as well. In his left hand was a knife. It was likely that he was one of the bandits that had tried to ambush her but was scattered by the Cerberus

Thanks to Garnet's size and appearance though, she was being underestimated. Riley stepped forward. "I can handle this," said Garnet as she stepped forward.

"I told you to give me the food that you have," said the man.

"Why should I?" asked Garnet. "If you have something to trade, I'll reconsider it."

"Don't you understand that I could just take it from you?!?" the man shouted.

"No, you cant," said Garnet. "You THINK you can take it from me, but can you really?" she asked. "Do you think the people here accept you?"

The man looked around. All of the villagers were looking at him with intense hatred. It was probably because of people like him that the town's trade declined. People would not visit an isolated town even if they had quality products if there was a high risk of being attacked. It just was not worth their time or their safety to visit. Garnet was their biggest customer in a while, and she was still buying from them and giving them what they really wanted, food. All she wanted in exchange, was a few things that she needed.

"If you want to fight, then I will not mind hurting you more," said Garnet as she drew her sword. "But I'm going to look around more," she said as she turned around and put her sword away. Garnet started to ignore the man, but Riley kept an eye on him.

CLANG. The man dropped his knife and turned around. He walked away. Someone walked up and took the knife away. Garnet turned around and continued on her business. "How did you know?" asked Riley.

"It's something I learned from your knowledge," said Garnet. "There's a risk for every transaction, and the bandits here only made the risk higher."

It was likely that bandits like that discouraged trade and worsened the conditions in the village. As things got worse, their attacks would increase in frequency in order to secure what they needed. In doing so, they probably prevented other travelers from getting through and over time, they stopped going by this route and looked for another.

"I see," said Riley. "Do you have any memories of me?"

"Only memories of when we shared the same body," said Garnet. "If you're looking for memories of your past life, I don't have much of it, only a little about what you did at your school before you came here."

"That's what I know too," said Riley.

"Don't worry," said Garnet. "We'll find your memories somehow."

"I know," said Riley. "But you also have things that you must do and I don't want to be what stops you because there is far more at risk."

"I know," said Garnet. "Hopefully Constantinople has both."

Garnet continued to browse through the market, but the small village had little much else to offer other than a few vials of Flower Nectar. She settled on a little more wool before departing down the other side of the mountain.

Spoiler :

No change in stats. There's probably going to be a lack of change in stats for a while as fighting becomes less of a focus until the next arc.