Garnet returned to Constantinople. "Was it Anna?" Riley asked.
"It was," said Garnet.
"Is she coming back?" Serena asked as she grabbed onto Garnet's arms.
"No," Garnet replied. "She said she doesn't want to fight anymore and I accepted her decision."
Serena looked sad all of a sudden. "You need her don't you?" she asked.
"She gave me this," said Garnet as she took out the black ring that Anna gave her.
"That's the key she was responsible for," said Serena. "You should be able to open the hidden area of the Vault."
"I have to find it first," said Garnet. "Any ideas where?"
"No," said Serena. "Only Master Assad did."
Garnet had the clues given to her by Anna. As long as she wore the ring, she could find the Hidden Vault by following the glow of the ring. "I'll need to start looking then," said Garnet as she slipped on the black ring. "By the way, have you guys found anything interesting in this library?"
"No ressurection spell," said Riley. "No human transmutation either."
"That's rough," said Garnet.
"I don't really mind that anymore," said Riley. "I care more about space time magic that will bring me back."
"But won't your family and friends be unable to recognize you?" asked Garnet.
"That's fine if I have my memories," said Riley. "I remember only a little, but I think it is returning."
"That's good news," said Garnet. "If you can remember anything important, I will try my best to help you."
"Thanks," said Riley.
Garnet turned around and headed out the library to the Vault. Somewhere within the Vault was the Hidden Vault. The key was Anna's black ring. The Vault itself was enormous. It looked like a hallway from the entrance, but it split up in numerous different directions and it was possible to get lost in there. Garnet was only able to navigate it with the help of the Map. Somewhere in the Vault was what she was looking for.
As Garnet stepped into the Vault, she looked at the ring. There was no light from it. She tried to point her finger with the ring in different directions, hoping it would react. Again, there was nothing. "I had hoped it was going to be easy," she said to herself as she began to walk forward.
Garnet kept her eye on the ring as she moved, hoping to get some kind of reaction from the ring. At the first intersection, she tried to point it in each of the four cardinal directions. There was no reaction from the ring. "Does this thing even work?" she thought. Since she came from the East, she decided to head North to the next intersection.
As Garnet walked along, she could not help but think about how strangely quiet it was. The only people who were in the Ark were Garnet, Zedd, Riley, and Serena. Everyone else was above ground. Serena had somehow survived in an environment like this for many years, mostly by herself as well. "Hello?" said Garnet. "Hello?" Garnet's voice echoed back.
When it stopped, Garnet continued forward towards the next intersection. She turned her hand with the ring again, trying to get at least some idea of where she needed to go. She could not sense where it was either. However, this also provide Garnet with some time as she searched. "Transformation: Queen of the Night!"
Garnet transformed in order to spend more time in this form. It capped her mana and was temporarily weaker than it was supposed to be because it was a new transformation. She would have to spend some time transformed in order to draw out its full power according to Anna.
Garnet turned around back to the first intersection and headed South, hoping the ring would provide a response. There was nothing. "I really hope this thing isn't broken," Garnet said to herself.
Garnet continued to make her way through the Vault along a snake path, hoping that the ring would show some sign to guide her. After a while, a faint white light appeared on the ring. Against the black background of the ring, it was easy to notice the change. Garnet raised the ring and tried to point it in different directions. Left? Right? Straight ahead? The strongest light was from the right.
It was strange. According to the map, the right was somewhere she had already passed by. It should have lit up earlier if it was to the right. Nonetheless, Garnet headed towards it. After all, the ring was the one that guided her. It was possible that the Vault itself was a puzzle within a maze and the ring was guide towards the exit.
Garnet used the Map in order to trace her movement through the maze. The route that she was making resembled an octagon of some kind. It was similar to a magic circle, but with straight points instead of being a curved path. The ring then guided Garnet to a completely different direction, away from the route that she just took. Following it led Garnet to a dead end.
"There's nothing here?" she thought as she looked. "No that's not right." The ring was surely bringing her there for a reason. It was glowing brighter than ever before.
Thinking about all the doors that Serena had activated, Garnet placed her left hand on the wall. The two petals on her hand lit up and the completed magic circle lit up on the wall. It was a security system that was highly problematic. It would be impossible to access in times of an emergency.
As the entire wall moved downward into the ground, it was pitch black, even for Garnet. The only thing she could see was a white path lit up from the entrance to a sub-crystal in the back of the room. She followed it and touched the sub-crystal.
Activate the sub-crystal?
Yes/No
Garnet pushed yes. Lightning began to flow into the tubes located along the wall of the room. The entire room lit up. The white path reached the back wall of the room and spread along it. The back wall of the room slid open into another room. Inside was a single large tube in the center of it. On the side was a desk with a clock on it and numerous bookshelves with about a few dozen books in total scattered between them. Against the back wall were dozens of swords. "What is that?" she thought as she approached the tube.
Garnet approached the tube and looked inside of it. It was filled with some kind of liquid. Inside of it was a figure that she could not make out. It looked like it was the shape of a woman, but she was not sure. She needed a closer look in order to know for sure. The liquid prevented the person from being clearly seen, but it was clear that the person inside was not moving.
Name: ???
Level: ???
Class: ???
Sub-Class ???
Stats: ???
There was no information, but it was clearly something living, otherwise Garnet would not be able to see its stats.
New Quest: New Guardian (I)
Complete the work needed to awaken the Silver Guardian.
Reward: New Guardian
There was a quest for it, but she had no idea where to start. Assad was fairly secretive with his work. The clues were most likely going to be in the books since the person in the tube was still a work in progress. For now, Garnet needed to find the weapon. It should have been somewhere in here as well.
The back wall had hundreds of different swords with their sheaths just piled together as if they were trash. Next to it was a pot like the one that was used for magicraft. Garnet picked up the one on top and took a close look at it. The hilt was white. The blade of it was a shiny silver color as if it was never used before. The sheath itself was made of redwood.
Name: Harpe Replica
Quality: Legendary
Effect: Indestructible
Garnet took a look at another sword. One that had a green blade and was adorned with gold. There was a Mana Crystal embedded on the hilt.
Name: Gandring Replica
Quality: Legendary
Effect: Ignores Armor
It was another replica. All of these weapons were replicas like the ones Anna had.
Name: Caladbolg Replica
Quality: Legendary
Effect: Piercing, Extended Range
All of them were legendary as well. Somewhere in this room was the weapon that Assad made, but none of these looked like it. Otherwise, they would not be piled together here like they were junk. The fact that all the weapons piled there were swords made it almost certain that Assad's weapon was a sword.
"Level 42," said a voice.
Garnet turned around and saw a middle aged man. He had a scruffy beard and brown skin. He wore a white cloth wrapped around his head and a fairly dirty brown robe. "Who are you?!?" Garnet shouted.
Name: ???
Level: ???
Class: ???
Sub-Class: ???
Stats: ???
Garnet could not see any stats of the man either.
"Shh, keep your voice down Garnet," said the man.
"How do you know my name?" Garnet demanded.
"I've been waiting for you to find this room," said the man.
"Answer my question," said Garnet.
"I'm the man that the others refer to as Assad," said the man.
"Hero and Master Assad?" Garnet asked. "How is that possible?" she asked. "Can't there only be one Hero in a world?"
"Yes, but I technically left this world more than fifty years ago," said Assad.
"I heard stories, but how can I know for sure you are Assad?" Garnet asked.
Assad reached his hand into the air and pulled out a white and gold sword. "This is my Inventory," he said. "I can also read your stats as a Chaos Mage and see all of your skills."
Garnet had many questions for him. "Why did you leave this city?" she asked.
"The source of the Invasion cannot be stopped in this world," Assad replied. "Which is why I left it to try to fight it at its source."
"It doesn't seem to have worked," said Garnet. "They still occur."
"How far apart are they?" Assad asked.
"They said five years, but I've only seen one," said Garnet.
"Then we still have time," said Assad.
"Time for what?" Garnet wondered.
Assad placed his hand on the desk and channeled his mana into it. A timer appeared on the clock. It was constantly moving up and down. "This will show an estimated time that an Invasion will occur," said Assad. "I've been holding back various armies with my own, but I cannot fight against all of them forever. I even occasionally have to let the weaker enemies slip through to the East."
"If you can't win, what chance do I have?" said Garnet.
"I will buy you time to train, to develop your army, and to rebuild this city into the great fortress it once was," said Assad. "When it is, you should be able to defeat whatever comes with your own abilities."
"What is the goal of the Guides?" Garnet asked.
"That's simple, to become stronger," said Assad.
"Why attack this world then?" Garnet asked.
"You gain more experience from fighting higher level enemies right?" said Assad.
"Yes," said Garnet.
"So what happens if you send in a large amount of monsters for them to fight?" Assad asked.
"The survivors get experience and level up to become stronger," Garnet replied.
"Then when you're strong enough, they will come to kill you and gain that experience," Assad added. "They have been using this method to develop worlds like farms."
"What chance do I have if even you cannot beat them?" said Garnet. "It seems impossible when there are enemies around me that I cannot beat."
"That is why I am here," said Assad. "I'm going to grant you the power you need to stand against them."
Garnet looked at Assad. "How?"
Assad looked at the pile of swords. "Call: Lilith! Call: Aion! Call: Uru! Call: Zuvelk! Call: Luplus! Call: Silwest! Call: Nymph! Call: Grupt! Call: Fanatos! Call: Eital! Call: Plua! Call: Faustus! Call: Uryu!"
Assad summoned thirteen different elemental spirits. Unlike Garnet's, some where male and others were female. "So many...," said Garnet as she was surprised. She only had four elemental spirits not counting Serena and Nian. Adding them, she only had six.
Assad moved all the swords to the pot and the spirits went to work. "This is going to take a few minutes, but I'm going to have to leave after," he said. "I will answer any questions I can while I am here."
"Why can't you stay and help?" Garnet asked.
"If I stayed here, the Guides will be able to send in much more of their forces to attack this world and a few others," Assad explained. "The only one I can directly interefere in right now is this world because of my connection to it. I can also destroy most of their forces by matching it with my own."
"And the others?" Garnet asked.
"I've provided what information I can to them in order to fight back," said Assad. "However, without a Hero System like in this one, their power to fight back is much weaker. The most I can do is try to intercept the stronger armies and let the worlds fight the weaker ones."
"Are there others like you?" Garnet asked.
"Overseers like me are greatly outnumbered because of the sheer number of Guides out there," said Assad. "Which is why you must become strong enough to join us in the future."
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"It takes a long time," said Garnet. "I just don't have the time or resources to become strong."
"I'm afraid you must," said Assad. "To the East is a constant Invasion, one that has been bottlenecked so that it is slow to advance. That is where you must go."
"Why there?" Garnet asked.
"The bottleneck makes it so that only a few enemies appear at regular intervals, but it means that it is also possible to train and gain experience from them because of their manageable numbers," Assad explained. "If you hunt those creatures, you can surely become stronger faster."
"It still doesn't seem enough if those Guides are coming," said Garnet.
"That is where the next part comes in," said Assad. "There is a hidden option in the System Menu, some of which will only appear at level 100, you will get a choice."
New Menu: Exchange
"What choice?" Garnet asked. "What do I have to choose between?"
"Choose Ascension," said Assad.
"What's the others?" Garnet asked. "Why have this choice?"
"It is something the Hero System gave so that they have an option to pass their duties onto another instead of being bound to it for life," Assad replied. "The first choice is Rebirth, in which you are reborn into the world but without your Hero abilities so that you can live a normal life once more and your duties will be passed on to the next person. The second is Ascension in which your level is reset to one, but you are made stronger. The third is the Exchange, where you can reduce your level, but have a wish granted based on the levels and fame that you have accumulated."
"How is that possible?" Garnet asked.
"The Hero System itself is sentient to a degree as a mid-level reality warping spell," Assad explained.
Garnet realized that would explain why the Hero System generated quests based on her own thoughts sometimes and on one occasion even granted her abilities based on the circumstances. The question now was why did it not always generate quests in order to give her the advantage she needed.“Are there limits to the Exchange?“ Garnet asked.
“Almost none,“ said Assad. “The only limit to the Exchange is based on how many levels you have accumulated. With enough levels you can do anything.“
Garnet would have to create a gift for the next Hero someday and leave this world one day to join the struggle. It was either that or to lose her memories and live a normal life. On the other hand, the wish could also give Riley what she wanted more than anything, her own life and world back. Garnet quickly opened the Exchange Menu ans saw the Level Market, a place that you could buy things in exchange for your levels.
There were some features that allowed Garnet to trade levels for new skills or items. At the very bottom, was an option called "Wish." She pressed on it and a system dialogue appeared: "Speak your wish."
"What would it take to send Riley back to her world with her memories?" Garnet asked.
A system dialogue message appeared: 60 Levels to grant this wish.
Yes/No
The "Yes" button was greyed out because Garnet did not have the levels. "What are you doing?" Assad asked.
"Keeping a promise I made," Garnet replied. "However, I don't have the levels for it."
"That may be unwise," said Assad. "We need you and other potential Heroes to join the Overseers to that we can combat the threat of the guides."
"You may have been a Hero in name, but I think you forget what it means to act like one," Garnet countered. "In the last few years, I have been in a huge number of fights, more than anyone should experience in a single lifetime. War changes people and causes us to see things a different way. Even if you ask me to join you, this is my world and my home. It is my duty to protect it, not to raise a successor to take my place."
"The decision is ultimately yours to make," said Assad. "That is the principle of the Overseers and I will abide by it. However, I highly recommend you reconsider and focus on joining us."
Garnet felt a sudden burst of mana as the weapon was completed. A single black and gold sword remained. "What is that?" she asked.
"This was my final creation," said Assad. "I split it into numerous smaller weapons through magicraft so that others could not find it."
"What were you going to do if one was stolen?" Garnet asked.
"You can't leave this room with any of the incomplete ones, they will simply shatter in your hands and reappear here," Assad explained.
"Then how can I use this if I cannot even leave the room with it?" Garnet wondered.
"Take a close look at the sword," said Assad.
Name: ???
Quality: ???
Effect: ???
"I cannot see any information about it," said Garnet.
"Exactly," said Assad. "Only I know how to use it," he said as he took the sword into his hand.
"Then it won't be a help to me will it?" Garnet said sarcastically.
Assad took the sword and stabbed it into Garnet's mana resevoir. There was no pain. Instead, there was a surge of mana flowing throughout her body as she was able to see her own veins glow yellow from the energy. "What are you doing?" Garnet asked.
The sword disappeared. "I've used it on you," said Assad. "You should be receiving the skills soon."
Numerous windows appeared in front of Garnet, showing all the skills she acquired.
New Skill: Thaumaturgy (Passive)
Grants access to Miracle Class abilities.
New Skill: Magic Negation (Passive)
It is possible to cut through or disperse enemy spells if your spells are of a higher tier. Ignores the amount of mana put into an attack.
Skill Upgrade: Blood Scythe
No longer disappears after one swing. It remains until it is broken.
New Skill: Mugen
A Miracle Class spell that rains down bolts of every element that you have access to in a given area. The smaller the area, the quicker the bolts will appear.
MP Cost: 1000 per second
New Skill: Magic Seal
Allows you to place restrictions on items made by magicraft.
"I hope that one day, you will make something for the Hero that will succeed you as well," said Assad. "Only then will we stand a chance against the Guides. Make no mistake though, this power alone is not enough to grant you victory."
Assad created a magic circle underneath him. "Wait," said Garnet. "I have more questions."
"Unfortunately, I don't have the time," said Assad. "I've done what I can to help you, but I must return to the struggle. You will have to come find me once you are ready to join me."
New Quest: Join the Eternal Struggle
The Eternal Struggle between the Overseers and Guides have been going on for as long as anyone can remember. See to it that the Overseers are not pushed further back by adding to their ranks.
Reward: Experience, Fame
The quest description made it seem like the Overseers were the ones losing. It was possible that was why the Invasions were occurring. The Overseers could not stop everything from getting through. Every once in a while, something had to get through.
Assad took out a purple sword and slashed a hole into space. He stepped into it and the hole disappeared. Garnet was left alone in the room once more with the gift that she had been given by Assad.
New Quest: Legacy
Create something that will pass on abilities or grant strength to the next Hero and seal it inside the Hidden Vault of Constantinople
Reward: Experience
With knowledge of the Exchange function, it was possible to help Riley or anyone. The cost was going to be her own strength and progress though. The greater the request, the higher the price for Garnet.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 41
Class: Chaos Mage / Queen / Hero
Sub-class: Queen of the Night
Stats:
HP: 3100/3100
MP: 10860/10860
Fame: 220
Strength: 97 (+5)
Dexterity: 62 (+7)
Intelligence: 311 (+22)
Vitality: 90 (+5)
Agility: 104 (+7)
Charisma: 42 (+20)
PROFICIENCY:Weapon:
- One Handed Sword – 7
- Hand to Hand – 4
- Staff - 1
Magic:
- Fire – 10
- Lightning – 15
- Wind – 7
- Water - 2
- Summoning – 12
- Blood – 6
- Shadow - 0
SKILLS:Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 3)
- Crescent Slash (Level 1)
- Triple Slash (Level 1)
- Delta Attack (Level 1)
- Spiral (Level 1)
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike (Level 1)
- Wind Palm (Level 2)
- Explosive Palm (Level 3)
- Lightning Palm (Level 1)
- Sweeping Kick (Level 1)
- Horizontal Kick (Level 1)
- Uppercut (Level 1)
- Ki Burst (Level 1)
- Demsey Roll (Level 1)
Weapon (Staff):
- Thrust (Level 2)
- Swinging Smash (Level 1)
- Double Strike (Level 1)
- Triple Strike (Level 1)
- Quadruple Strike (Level 1)
- Vertical Smash (Level 1)
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Fire Ball (Level 2)
- Incinerate (Level 1)
- Fire Breath (Level 1)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 8)
- Chain Lightning (Level 4)
- Lightning Ray (Level 3)
- Lightning Blast (Level 1)
- Lightning Breath (Level 1)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 4)
- Wind Blade (Level 1)
- Wind Breath (Level 1)
- Aqua Strike (Level 2)
- Jet Stream (Level 2)
- Aqua Breath (Level 1)
- Shadow Bind (Level 1)
- Shadow Grip (Level 1)
- Shadow Crush (Level 1)
- Shadow Wall (Level 1)
- Heat Wave (Level 1)
- Lightning Fire Bolt (Level 3)
- Crimson Lotus: Blade of Lightning (Level 2)
- Tri-Element Breath (Level 1)
- Mugen (Level 1)
- Mana Armor (Level 2)
- Call: Cerberus (Level 1)
- Call: Revenant (Level 1)
- Call: Death Knight (Level 1)
- Call: Romulus, Knight of Blood (Level 1)
- Call: Sylvia, Priestess of Blood (Level 1)
- Call: Lilith (Level 1)
- Call: Nuria (Level 1)
- Call: Mazu (Level 1)
- Call: Sino (Level 1)
- Call: Meliae (Level 1)
- Call: Serena (Level 1)
- Call: Nian (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Quintessence Force (Level 1)
- Lightning Fire (Passive)
- Essence Absorption (Level 1)
- Blood Bind (Level 1)
- Blood Scythe (Level 2)
- Blood Sacrifice (Level 1)
- Blood Bullet (Level 1)
- Transformation: Blood Reaper (Level 1)
- Transformation: Elementalist (Level 1)
- Teleportation (Level 1)
- Teleportation Summoning Circle (Level 1)
Sub-class (Queen of the Night):
- Supernatural Body (Level 1)
- Captivation (Level 3)
- Cosmic Awareness (Level 1, Passive)
- Embodiment of Lust (Level 1)
- Shadow Warp (Level 1)
- Sonic Scream (Level 1)
- Doppelganger (Level 1)
- Flight (Level 1)
- Aura of Nightmares (Level 1, Passive)
- Plate Armor (Level 1, Passive)
- Transformation (Level 1)
- Partial Transformation (Level 1)
- Transformation: Temptress of the Night (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 5) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 9) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 5)
- Sewing (Level 4) – Tailor
- Advanced Magicraft (Level 1) – Alchemist
- Magic Seal (Level 1)
- Advanced Enhancement (Level 1) - Alchemist
- Disassemble (Level 1)
- Inventory Expansion (Level 4)
Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Staff (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 5)
- Haste (Level 2)
- Scale Armor (Level 1)
- Aura of Leadership (Level 1)
- Aura of the Hero (Level 1)
- Summoning Commander (Level 1)
- Queen's Presence (Level 1)
- Fire Mastery (Level 1)
Unique:
- Hero System (Level 3, Passive)
- Minion Development (Level 2, Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)
- Night Vision (Passive)
- Guardian Contract (Level 1)
- Thaumaturgy (Passive)
- Magic Negation (Passive)