This chapter fills in what happens to Riley between her disappearance and her return late in Book 7. There are spoilers. You have been warned.
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"Ugh," Riley groaned as he opened his eyes. It was a familiar sight. The red drapes on the wall and the yellow cream color of the bedroom wallpaper was something he woke up to every morning for many years of his life. "Was it all a dream?"
Riley took a quick look around and recognized it as his room. He had fallen asleep on the desk in his room. His uniform hung on a hanger behind the door. It was where Zedd believed him to be dead. He put his hand to his chest and felt his heartbeat. It was definitely moving. He was definitely not dead. "Are you awake?" asked a woman from outside the room.
Riley recognized the voice as Lucy his sister. "Yes," Riley replied.
Re-initialization Complete!
OK
It was a Hero System message box. Riley had not seen one in a long time. Riley raised his finger and pressed on the OK button. It was not a dream.
Name: Riley
Level: 1
Class: Chaos Mage / Gunner
Sub-Class: Tactician / Temptress of the Night
HP: 210/210
MP: 380/380
Stats:
Strength: 4 (+5)
Dexterity: 9 (+10)
Intelligence: 9
Vitality: 6 (+5)
Agility: 9 (+10)
Charisma: 4
Skills:
Fire Bolt (Level 1)
Ice Bolt (Level 1)
Lightning Bolt (Level 1)
Air Bullet (Level 1)
Earth Pellet (Level 1)
Blood Bullet (Level 1)
Blood Absorption (Level 1)
Lightning Fire Bolt (Level 1)
Flight (Level 1)
Transformation: Temptress of the Night (Level 1)
Transformation (Level 1)
Magicraft (Level 1)
Item Enhancement (Level 1)
Enhanced Body (Level 1, Passive)
Reflex (Level 1, Passive)
Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 1, Passive)
His stats had reset to their default values at level 1, but he had retained the class of Chaos Mage along with some of the skills. Most of the abilities were gone though.
As Riley got up, he examined his body. It was strange to be male again. After all, he had spent several years as a woman as far as he could remember. At the same time, it felt normal to him too. He opened up the Hero System Menu and saw a single new option "Message." As he opened it, he only saw a single person on the contact list: Garnet-192 [World-M35-117]. Riley pressed the name on it and saw three options. Invite was greyed out. Message and Delete were the only ones available. Riley pressed his finger on Message and typed out a two words: "Thank you." He then pressed send.
"How long are you going to be?" Lucy asked.
"Just a minute," said Riley.
"Don't forget you are supposed to see Preston at 8 AM today even though it is your day off," said the woman.
"I won't Lucy," Riley replied.
Riley got dressed in the uniform that hung on his wall. He had not worn it for five years, at least according to his own memories. He put on the blue uniform and stepped outside.
A woman with shoulder length black hair was waiting for him. She only stood up to his shoulder. She reached out to his arm and straightened out his uniform.
Name: Lucy
Level: 12
Class: Sniper
Sub-Class: Nurse
Stats: High Agility, High Dexterity
As talented as his sister was at fighting, she was constantly plagued by her health problems, which prevented her from earning the favor of their father and from actually fighting on the front lines.
"It's alright," said Riley. He felt like he was about to cry at any moment, but he managed to hold back his tears. His sister was the one always there for him, and he had not seen her in years.
"It's not," said Lucy. "You have to finish the officer course soon otherwise father will be disappointed in you."
"And do what with it?" Riley asked. "This was all his decision."
"Our family comes from a long line of military people," said Lucy as she examined how Riley tucked in his top. "You have the talents, but just not the opportunity."
"What's the point of this anyways?" Riley asked.
"I don't like your tone," said Lucy. "You need to take this seriously."
"I am," said Riley. "I just don't see the purpose of it."
"I suddenly don't feel so well," said Lucy as her voice weakened and she began to fall.
Riley caught her. "Is everything all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, just a little dizzy again," said Lucy. "It's been happening more often."
"Have you seen a physician?" Riley asked.
"Yeah," said Lucy. "They said it's a blood problem, but their medicine isn't effective."
Riley knew that his magicraft knowledge could do something about it if he could acquire the means to do it. For now though, he just had to follow what the others wanted him to do. "Where am I going again?" Riley asked.
"Sheesh did you forget already?" Lucy asked. "You're off to see Sergeant Major Preston for a chance to jump the lines and become a real officer."
"Oh right," said Riley. He had completely forgotten about this. His father had arranged for Riley to be able to take the commissioned officer test. "I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do though."
"I don't care if it's what you want to do," said Lucy. "It's what father wants you to do that's important, so hurry up and get going," said Lucy as she pushed Riley out the door.
"I'm going," Riley responded as he headed out.
The base was a familiar sight. There were dozens of old military vehicles on display at the Sun Tzu Military Academy. Riley took a moment to take in all the new sights before heading to Sergeant Major Preston's office located in the administration building.
KNOCK KNOCK. "Come in," said Preston.
As Riley opened the door, he saw the middle aged man with white hair in uniform sitting at his desk. "So you're Zack's son," said Preston.
"Yes," said Riley as he gave a quick salute before continuing. "I was told to come meet with you."
"Your father really wants you to become an officer you know," said Preston. "He even arranged for a special chance for you to take the test."
"I know," said Riley.
"Come with me," said Preston.
Preston got up and began to walk. Riley stood next to Preston who was walking. "Where are we going?" Riley asked.
"To the Training Center," said Preston. "I just want to see something for myself."
At the Training Center, Preston arranged for Riley to have a training gun. "What's this for?' Riley asked.
"I want to see what you can do," said Preston as he walked towards the Shooting Gallery. A single thin cardboard figure was positioned about twenty feet away as he readied the gun.
BANG. Preston fired a single shot as a red pellet smashed against the cardboard figure, covering it with numerous small droplets of red paint. He then handed off the gun to Riley. "I want to see what you can do," he said.
Riley took the gun and fired several shots at the chest of the target. BANG. BANG. BANG. All three landed on the chest. It was much easier than Riley remembered. He used to have to take some time to aim. It was almost like second nature to him now. It was no different from aiming a Fire Bolt. Riley wanted to try it, but this was neither the time nor the place.
"Good shot," said Preston.
"Thank you," said Riley as he handed the gun back to Preston.
"You definitely have the skills like your sister," said Preston. "Anyways, do you know why I agreed to see you?" he asked.
"Is it because my father asked you for a favor like he does with everyone else?" Riley asked.
"Kind of," Preston replied. "I've seen your record, but you don't seem to excel at anything."
"That's because I was not sure what I wanted to do yet," said Riley.
"You talk like you do now," said Preston. "Is that true?"
"I do," said Riley. "I want to be able to help people."
"Help how?" asked Preston. "For every person you kill, you probably create new enemies."
"I don't know yet," said Riley. "I haven't figured that part out yet."
"It's difficult living in someone else's shadow is it not?" asked Preston.
"Yes," said Riley. Riley was always living in someone else's shadow, following someone who was more successful than him. His father, his sister, Zedd, and even Garnet. That needed to change. Riley needed to prove that he could become someone strong enough to protect others.
Someone suddenly ran into the room. "Sergeant Major Preston, there's something you need to see!" he shouted as he began to take deep breaths. He had run there as quickly as possible.
"What is it?" Preston asked.
"Go outside and you will see," said the man.
Preston ran outside and Riley followed. The man from earlier caught up with them and pointed up into the sky.
New Quest: The Invasion Spreads (167:59:59)
Stop the Invasion from destroying your world.
Reward: Experience, New Skill
Riley could not believe what he was seeing. "It can't be," he thought to himself.
In the sky floated a black ball with a green light inside of it. It was like the red star from the Invasion, but green instead. There was only a week until the Invasion arrived. "What is that thing?" Preston asked.
"No one knows," said the man. "The brass has called you in for a meeting to deal with it."
"Preston you must convince everyone to prepare for battle as soon as possible," said Riley. "I don't have proof, but you need to believe me."
"Do you know what that thing is?" Preston asked.
"I saw it once before, an army of fire breathing dogs appeared with them," said Riley. "I know it sounds impossible, but you have to believe me."
Preston looked directly into Riley's eyes. "You seriously believe it, don't you?" he asked.
"Yes," said Riley. "I don't know exactly when or what will show up, but it will eventually the moment that black star appears in the sky." Saying too much might make Preston suspicious rather than trusting.
"I'll have someone look into it," said Preston as he ran off with the messenger.
Riley was left alone looking up at the black star with hints of green. Now that he took a moment to look at it, it kind of looked a little like one of Garnet's eyes. In one week, an Invasion would arrive in their world. They did not have magic, but they had much more advanced weaponry. The only question was whether it was enough. "I need to get stronger before then," Riley thought.
The difference was going to be huge though. In one week, he would need to do what took Garnet five years. "Head to your room," said a voice.
"That voice," thought Riley. "Assad?" he asked.
"Go quickly," said the voice.
Riley quickly ran back to his room. Inside, he saw a silvery portal like the ones Zedd opened. It was an Instance Dungeon. "How?" he thought. Magic was uncommon in their world.
"Use it, this is all I can do for you from here," said the voice.
"Boo," said a female voice from behind him.
Riley turned around and saw a familiar looking person. It was Anna. "How are you here?" she asked.
"The Overseers may not be able to traverse the worlds freely without being noticed, but others can as long as they have the skills to do it," said Anna.
"What about Antium?" Riley asked. "What about Garnet?"
"They will take care of themselves for now," said Anna. "I'm here to help you. Magicraft!"
Anna took out a familiar looking blue and gold sword and handed it to Riley. "This sword is Garnet's," said Riley.
"One of many similar looking ones that have now been named as Excalibur Replicas," said Anna. "You have to prepare yourself to protect the world that you live in."
Then, Anna took out a very different looking purple sword. "Keep this in your Inventory for now," said Anna. "It will let you traverse between worlds when the time comes."
"I lost most of my skills," said Riley. "I have to start over from level 1."
"A month to train you up is more than enough time," said Anna. "We're going to be following my schedule so you need to keep up."
Riley and Anna stepped into the portal. It was indeed an instance dungeon. The familiar look of various animals from boars to wolves to dragons. The timer on the quest suddenly changed. It was climbing from 167 hours to 670 hours. Roughly a month.
"What about my sister?" Riley asked.
"You need to be strong enough to protect everyone," said Anna as she took out eight rings, two bracelets, and two earrings. She handed them to Riley. "Your family should be safe as long as they don't do anything stupid."
Riley no longer had Inspection, so he could not tell what they were, but he put them on. All of his stats increased greatly.
Stats:
Strength: 4 (+174)
Dexterity: 9 (+180)
Intelligence: 9 (+170)
Vitality: 6 (+175)
Agility: 9 (+180)
Charisma: 4 (+50)
"Can you still transform?" Anna asked.
"Yes," said Riley. "Transformation: Temptress of the Night!"
Pain spread throughout Riley's body. It was something that Riley thought he had gotten used to with the frequently transformations. "Now that's the Riley I recognize," said Anna.
Riley look at himself. Or more precisely, herself now. Riley had become a woman again when transformed. The black scales and the white hair were all familiar to her. "How am I going to explain this to my family?" Riley asked.
"You won't have to," said Anna. "Riley is going to go missing during the Invasion."
"Why?!?" Riley asked surprised by this. "Why?" she repeated.
"Garnet is going to need you," said Anna. "You were never meant to come back to this world so early, but she forced it with the Exchange. In doing so, this world and many others had the barriers between them weakened. It is almost certain that with low level Invasions, the Guides themselves will be able to pass through the portal that they create and the higher level Invasions will start to occur."
"Barriers between worlds?" Riley said confusedly. She had no idea what was Anna was talking about.
"Barriers can only be seen when you're trying to force your way through," said Anna. "That is why Invasions take so long to occur. The barrier of the world is strong and it takes time for them to break through it. But when Garnet forced you back, it broke through the barriers of multiple worlds, weakening them and making it easier for others to pass through. What should have taken a Guide a week to break might now only take a day."
"What's happening to Garnet then?" Riley asked.
"In due time, she too will be forced to confront an Invasion that she has no chance of defeating because of overwhelming odds and the Guide that is coming with it," said Anna. "We will be there to help her and you have to learn to combine your magic with your technology before then."
New Quest: Trial of the Chaos Gun Mage
Complete Anna's training and awaken as a Chaos Gun Mage
Reward: New Class, New Skills
"Magic and technology?" Riley was confused.
"Magic can also be created by sufficiently advanced technology," said Anna. "Your world has guns does it not?"
"Yes," said Riley.
"Don't guns resemble fire magic to a degree?" Anna asked.
Riley thought about it and how fire magic behaved. Using lower powered Fire Bolts and firing them in bursts was exactly like a gun. "They do," said Riley.
"Is there anything that would prevent you from making a gun that shot Fire Bolts?" Anna asked.
"Only technology," said Riley.
"Magicraft!" Anna created a gun in her hand. "This is what happens when you properly combine the two."
As Anna pressed the trigger, three shots of Fire Bolts launched forward in an instant. "This is what I will train you to use, magic weaponry," said Anna.
"I'm ready," said Riley. Riley needed all the time she possibly could to train once more.
Anna handed several weapons to Riley. "You can use magicraft to create your own," said Anna.
Riley focused on it. "Magicraft!"
Missing Required Materials
It did not work. Unlike Anna, Riley did not have the materials. "I can't do it," said Riley. "I don't have the materials."
Anna placed the two guns that she made onto Riley's arms and strapped them on. The trigger was modified so that they could be fired if you clenched your hands together the right way. Instead of using bullets, they used mana to create the magic. "Go and defeat what you can," said Anna. "Stick to using bolt type spells only. Do not use Blood Absorption or melee weapons otherwise the correct class will not appear."
"Okay," said Riley. Riley spent the first few days fully transformed at all times, using various mana potions from Anna to keep mana regeneration up.
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 2)
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 3)
Stat Increase: Intelligence +7
A single squeeze of the trigger drained a huge amount of mana, but it killed things quickly.
You have leveled up!
Level Up: Fire Bolt (Level 2)
Stat Increase: Intelligence +1
Stat Increase: Agility +1
Riley worked her way up using different types of bolt spells.
Level Up: Lightning Bolt (Level 2)
Level Up: Ice Bolt (Level 2)
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 4)
Every waking moment was used by Anna to train Riley. "How do you know all this about classes?" Riley asked.
"I too have been through several Ascensions in my time and seen several others," said Anna. "My power comes from the repeated level 100s and starting over."
"How many times have you actually gone through the process?" Riley asked.
Anna started counting on her fingers. "I think it's 11 or 12."
Anna was at least the equivalent of someone who was over level 1000 in terms of stats. It would also explain the power and strength of the Guardians. "Then how are you able to cross into this world?" Riley asked.
Anna took out the purple sword and slashed a hole in space, revealing Riley's room. "This," said Anna. "One of my special creations."
New Skill: Mana Glyphs
Allows you to divert mana into power, speed, regeneration, or defense to increase them by a fixed amount per percentage point of mana.
MP Cost: Reduces maximum mana in exchange
"That's different from before," said Riley. However, she was starting to face the same problem Garnet did, mana limits. And to make it worse, her regeneration was much lower than Garnet's, meaning Riley could not fight for as long or output as much power. Reduction in mana in exchange for power was a huge price.
Riley approached Anna with this problem. "How do I improve mana regeneration?" Riley asked.
"Spend more mana," said Anna. "Fire your bolts at everything and let it recover."
It was the same answer that Zedd gave. So, Riley started shooting bolts as often as she could into the sky even when she was not fighting. It did not grant skill experience, but it did count as mana expenditure. Unlike before though, leveling up the bolt spells alone was not enough to grant access to more powerful spells, most likely because she had chosen a different route.
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 5)
After two weeks of intense training within the Instance Dungeon, it finally occurred. The guns that were created by Anna strapped to Riley's hands changed into more of a gauntlet as a result of the upgrade. They were Riley's own, not Anna's or someone else's.
Quest Complete: Trial of the Chaos Gun Mage
Reward: New Class, New Skills
Class Change: Chaos Mage -> Chaos Gun Mage
New Skill: Transformation: Magic Gunner
Transforms into a form that specializes in rapid casting and usage of projectile spells. Excels in close range combat and allows the use of sword and hand to hand skills while guns are equipped.
MP Cost: 0
New Skill: Transformation: Magic Sniper
Transforms into a form that specializes in the casting of powerful single attacks. Downtimes between attacks are increased. Excels in long range combat.
MP Cost: 0
New Skill: Magic Blade
Allows you to create different types of blades from your guns
MP Cost: 50 per second
New Skill: Caster Shell
Allows you to store powerful spells inside a bullet that can be used at a future point for no mana cost
MP Cost: Varies based on spell stored within a bullet
New Skill: Bullet Recovery
Mana spent on bolt skills is staggared and recovered over a period of ten seconds.
New Skill: Momentum
Damage dealt to enemies is increased by 0.5% per consecutive attack
"I did it," said Riley. "A class change."
"Congratulations," said Anna. "That leaves about two more weeks to train."
Under Anna's training, Riley improved at an extraordinary rate, learning numerous new skills. Then, the day came for the Invasion to arrive.
New Quest: The Invasion Spreads (00:10:28)
Stop the Invasion from destroying your world.
Reward: Experience, New Skill
"Will you be helping me?" Riley asked.
"I'll do what I can," said Anna. "But the focus should be preventing the attack from spreading. If we can confine it to just a small region, then it will be manageable. When the Guide arrives, I will face him or her myself."
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Riley and Anna headed outside and stared at the giant black star in the sky as the eye overlooked them. There was some panic as people had not seen something like this in their life time. In the past, there was only one Invasion ever recorded in their world, and it was over two hundred years ago. But, that was all the evidence they needed to believe that it was a real threat and responded by setting up defensive lines all around it.
Quest Update: The Invasion Spreads (00:00:00)
Defeat Apollo, Guide of Malto.
Reward: Experience, New Skill
ROAR. A large mechanical serpent poked its head through from the black star.
Name: Machine Spirit – Storm
Level: 80
Class: Machine
Sub-Class: Invader
Stats: High Vitality
The moment it did, numerous ordinances were fired at it. It whittled through its armor. WHINE. It cried out as it began to fall through from the sky. However, it was only the first of many. Three more quickly moved through and began to circle the sky.
ROAR. A magic circle connected the three together and they summoned forth a giant humanoid creature the size of a building. BOOM. As it crashed onto the ground, the ground shook. People immediately began to fire at it.
Name: Machine Spirit – Dreadnought
Level: 95
Class: Machine
Sub-Class: Invader
Stats: High Vitality
The giant mechanical soldier began to walk towards Riley. More serpents appeared. ROAR. "They're much more powerful than the Cerberus," said Riley.
"This is still is considered a weak Invasion," said Anna. "Transformation: Blade Dancer!" Anna's standard maid uniform transformed into a suit of armor. There were four blades hovering on her back and one in her left hand. In addition, she had blades strapped to her arms and her legs. She arranged the four blades under her like a platform and stepped onto it.
"Flight!" Riley could still activate her wings. "Transformation: Magic Sniper!" The guns on each of her arms combined into a large rifle in front of her. In the rifle was a slot for Caster Shells to be placed. Her outfit was now a red and black skin tight suit that covered her from head to toe.
Riley aimed the rifle at the chest of the Dreadnought. The glyphs on her body lit up as she focused all of it into attack power. "Lightning Fire Bolt!"
BOOM. A loud sound rang from the rifle as the Lightning Fire Bolt was discharged. Riley was worried it might damage her hearing. BOOM. A second explosion was heard as the bolt crashed against the chest of the Dreadnought. The entire thing tipped over as it fell onto the ground. It was not enough to finish the monster, but it was enough to hurt it. Anna went in to fight the Dreadnought.
CLANG. Anna jumped on top of the Dreadnought. "Petal Dance!" SHING. Her blades pierced its chest and scattered all around Anna. BAM. The blades crashed into the ground after having gone through the Dreadnought. The entire Dreadnought was now in pieces on the floor.
You have leveled up!
Meanwhile, the three serpents in the air continued to call forth more Dreadnoughts. ROAR. More of the serpents began to appear in the sky. These were different from the others as they had what resembled feathers on them. There were now at nine different sets of serpents summoning Dreadnoughts.
Name: Machine Spirit – Typhoon
Level: 80
Class: Machine
Sub-Class: Invader
Stats: High Vitality
PEW. It was the sound of the rapid firing of bows. The metal feathers were scattered everywhere on the ground. That was when Riley realized they were not feathers. They were soldiers. The feather like objects began to split open, resulting in arms and legs.
Name: Machine Spirit – Dust Devil
Level: 20
Class: Machine
Sub-Class: Invader
Stats: High Vitality
The Dust Devils carried weapons with them. Everything from small swords to large hammers to long range bows.
"Transformation: Magic Gunner!" The leather outfit on Riley began to transform into something that resembled more of a dress. A red and black patterned cloth with pants while a more ornate red and black a-line dress covered the top. Gloves with straps for the guns were also part of the outfit. Riley also rearranged her Magic Glyph to provide the boost to defense that she needed in close ranged combat.
The other forces set up here were bringing down some of the Dust Devils, but there were still too many of them because of the Dreadnoughts that had to be dealt with as well. The main focus was on bringing them down. Anna had already downed at least eight of them, but they kept coming. The hundreds of Dust Devils were only making things worse as they began to assault the ground forces. They were going to be overwhelmed soon. When it did, their lines would fall and they would have to retreat to the next defensive line. However, it also meant that the enemies would have control over a larger area and be able to call forth more forces.
Anna continued to jump from Dreadnought to Dreadnought in order to take them down, but they needed to reach the Storm types way up in the sky in order to stop their summoning. "I'm heading for the ones up there," Riley said to Anna.
Anna nodded, giving Riley confirmation that she was heard. Riley spread out her wings and flew straight up into the air. One of the Dreadnoughts attempted to grab Riley. "Magic Blade!" Riley created a beam saber with her gun.
CRACKLE. The Magic Blade sliced right through the arm of the Dreadnought, causing it to stumble. Anna jumped straight at the Dreadnought, knocking it down onto the floor. BOOM. The Dreadnought fell onto its back as Anna cut off the head.
The serpents continued to summon more of the Dreadnoughts. Riley aimed her guns straight ahead towards one of the serpents and began to fire. Fragments of the serpent began to fall off. ROAR. The serpent began to fall towards the ground. The summoning process continued, but it was slower.
You have leveled up!
Riley focused her attention on bringing down the other serpents. By taking down the serpents, the number of Dreadnoughts that appeared would slow down. But, the assault was not ending, more serpents appeared from the eye that was overlooking them. Even one serpent by itself was enough to summon a Dreadnought. Just like the Invasion before, they needed to take out the big targets because they were the ones that were clearing the path for the little ones.
BANG. The two remaining serpents popped like balloons as their fragments fell to the ground. Riley turned and looked. There were numerous metal fragments on the ground from all the Machine Spirits that had been destroyed. The strange thing was that they seem to have been destroyed on their own. Riley remembered that the Invasion was often broken into stages. One meant to weaken their forces, one meant to siege, and one to basically finish everything off. If the serpents were meant to weaken their forces, the Dreadnoughts would be there to siege them, but the Dust Devils were weaker enemies that were not meant to end everything. There was still one more that was coming.
The eye that was overlooking them vanished, but the black ball still remained in the sky. VWOOM. A large metal spike fell through the black star and impaled itself into the ground. BOOM. As it landed, it created a deep crater in the ground. Fragments of metal were slowly being drawn towards it.
A small speck came out of the black star. It was a person wearing some kind of black cloak. His face was partially covered, but Riley could tell that he was not that old.
Name: Apollo
Level: 120
Class: Metal Mage / Sword Master
Sub-Class: Magitech Master / Invader
Stats: High Intelligence.
"Magicraft: Machine Spirit King!" The fragments of metal gathered around the metal spike. Fragments of the destroyed Dreadnoughts began to attach itself to the metal spike. The entire thing glowed as the metal fragments began to fuse together.
Name: Machine Spirit King
Level: 100
Class: Machine
Sub-Class: Invader
Stats: High Strength, High Vitality
A single large humanoid was formed. It wielded a large silver sword breaker in one hand composed of the pieces of the fallen serpents and some type of glowing tower shield in another that was built around the torso of a fallen Dreadnought. The person with the black cloak stood on top of the giant's shoulder. "I finally broke though!" said Apollo.
The black star in the sky disappeared. That normally was supposed to mark the end of an Invasion, but the creatures that came forth from it still rampaged. A few serpents were still summoning more Dreadnoughts. The real threat was the Machine Spirit King and Apollo.
Anna stood next to Riley. "He's the main target," said Anna.
"He's an Invader too," said Riley. "Is he the Guide?"
"Yes," said Anna. "When the Guide cannot break through, they usually rely on their large powerful creature to destroy what they can. If they can break through, they can command their creatures."
Riley noticed as the speed of the Dreadnoughts began to increase. The Dust Devils also began to push with intense ferocity as if they were consumed by bloodlust. Apollo was providing his machines with some type of buff.
"But what happens when a Guide does make it through?" Riley asked.
"We have to stop them before they make a foothold in this world and claim it as their own," said Anna. "And to do that, we have to kill the Guide themselves," said Anna as she pointed to Apollo.
Apollo was already making his move. "Magicraft: Titanic Blade!" He created a large metal sword and threw it at one of the cannons.
BOOM. Apollo moved to take out the heavy weapons that were destroying the Dreadnoughts. "How do we stop him?" Riley asked.
"All Guides should be treated as a powerful mage," said Anna. She combined three of her swords into a single large one and threw it at Apollo. "Let's bring this guy down together."
"Alright," said Riley.
"I'm going to go first," said Anna. "Shoot him with your long range form when you get the chance to."
"Transformation: Magic Sniper!" Riley transformed as she grounded herself on the top of a building overlooking the Machine Spirit King.
Anna flew towards the Machine Spirit King. The sword that she threw crashed straight into its chest, knocking it with enough force to cause it to bend backwards. BAM. "What?!?" shouted Apollo as he looked around.
With the giant sword in hand, Anna swung her sword in a full circle around her. "Wave of Destruction!" A shockwave was released that pushed everything around her back. Even the neck of the Machine Spirit King was blasted backwards from the force.
Apollo turned to face Anna. "You haven't established a foothold in this world yet either, that means I can fight you for the rights to this world," said Apollo.
"I don't care about the rules of engagement for your people," said Anna. "I'm here to stop you."
"Overseer?" asked Apollo.
"No," said Anna. "Just a concerned citizen."
"I don't know who you are, but I will stop anyone who gets in my way," said Apollo. "Magicraft: Twin Blades!" Apollo created a pair of silver short swords in his hands as he rushed towards Anna.
"Blade Art: Double Strike!" A sword appeared behind Anna as it swung in a quarter circle towards Apollo. Anna immediately then pulled out a second sword, performing an overhead smash.
CLANG. Apollo raised his swords to block the attack. "You're strong," he said.
When Anna saw that the attack was blocked, she readied her next one. "Blade Art: Cross Strike!" Two swords appeared and slashed in front of her in an X shape. The attack forced Apollo to fall back.
Riley could see no opening to shoot as the two constantly exchanged blows. With her finger on the trigger, she had to wait until Anna created an opening before she could shoot.
"Magicraft: Claymore!" Apollo switched to a single two handed sword and pushed towards Anna.
Anna took out a sword that Riley had never seen before. A single black and gold sword. "You dare to face me, a Divine Sword with a sword of your own?" asked Apollo.
"Overconfidence leads to death," said Anna. "The fact that you are an expert sword wielder is the reason I draw this sword."
Apollo rushed forward with his claymore. "Avalanche!" The entire sword glowed blue as he approached. He swung the sword. Liquid metal poured forth from the blade.
Anna's black and gold sword cut straight through the liquid, freezing it in place. She immediately jumped back, leaving Apollo wide open. BANG. "Lightning Fire Bolt!" Riley fired the shot at Apollo's chest.
The shot went straight though Apollo's chest. BOOM. The explosion behind him knocked him back, but as he was still holding onto the sword, he did not move. "Gah!" Apollo screamed as he let go of his sword. The sword was still frozen in place, even when Apollo let go. Anna's black and gold sword had frozen everything it touched in place.
BANG. "Lightning Fire Bolt!" Riley fired again.
BOOM. Apollo rolled over in order to avoid it. The shoulders of the giant that they were fighting on was already beginning to weaken as fragments of metal fell off of it. "I cannot die here," said Apollo as he drew a purple sword and slashed it, creating a hole in space.
"Delta Strike!" Anna immediately used a ranged sword skill. The hole was frozen and Apollo bumped into it trying to get back in.
"Impossible," said Apollo as he clawed against the hole in space, trying to get in.
"This is one world you will never be leaving," said Anna. "Heart Seeker!"
Apollo raised his sword to try to block it. Against Anna's black and gold sword, it was useless. CLANG. The moment Anna's sword touched Apollo's, Apollo could no longer move his own sword. Anna immediately then lowered the sword and drove it straight into Apollo's chest.
You have leveled up!
Apollo looked into the distance at where the gun shot came from and Riley saw Apollo looking straight at her. "Hero?!?" he shouted.
SHING. The sword went clean through Apollo's chest. "I win," said Anna.
Once Riley saw that their fight was over and Apollo stopped moving, she flew down to take a closer look. "Is it done?" Riley asked.
"Not yet," said Anna. "You have to absorb him."
"Blood Absorption!" Apollo's body exploded into blood and entered Riley.
Stat Increase: Strength +40
Stat Increase: Dexterity +10
Stat Increase: Intelligence +50
Stat Increase: Vitality +10
Stat Increase: Agility +20
New Skill: Metal Craft
Allows you to create metal weapons with your mana without the need for materials. Items disappear after a certain amount of time has passed.
MP Cost: 100 per creation
New Recipe: Metal Craft: Swords
Allows you to create swords with your mana.
New Recipe: Metal Craft: Gun
Allows you to create guns with your mana.
New Recipe: Metal Craft: Bullet
Allows you to create standard, armor piercing, and silenced, types of gun ammunition with your mana.
New Skill: Magicraft: Machine Spirit
Allows you to create metal golems with high defensive power. Disappears after twenty minutes.
MP Cost: 1000
New Skill: Transformation: Metal Form
Changes your entire body to be similar to metal. Increases Vitality and Strength equal to a quarter of your own Intelligence. Cannot be used with any other elemental transformations.
Upgradeable: Requires Guardian Vessel
MP Cost: Maximum mana reduced by 10%
As Riley turned around, the Machine Spirits were no longer being summoned. As the serpents circled the sky, they were slowly being shot down. "We have to leave before they start searching and asking questions," said Anna.
"How?" Riley asked.
"Remember the sword I gave you?" Anna asked.
"The strange purple one?" Riley asked.
"Yes," said Anna. Anna took the purple sword that Apollo dropped. "Follow me," she said as she slashed a hole into space.
Riley looked into it and saw what appeared to be the walls of Constantinople. There were numerous undead creatures smashing themselves into the wall. "What's going on there?" Riley asked.
"Something that is quickly becoming a war between four different factions," said Anna. "You and I have to ensure that Garnet does not die when the Guide arrives."
"What about here?" Riley asked. "What about my home?"
"The Invaders will recognize both you and Garnet as Heroes," said Anna. "When they do, they will come for you. If you want to protect your home, you must leave here right now."
Riley realized that was what Apollo meant when he said the word "Hero" as he died. It was because Apollo recognized Riley. If she stayed here, other Guides will come for her. If she returned to Garnet's world, Guides will track her there instead.
Riley took a look around one last time and saw that the people were finishing off the Dreadnoughts. She took one look and saw various medics beginning to clean up. In the distance, she saw Lucy, her sister, as she dragged a body out of the rubble. Knowing that Lucy was safe, Riley felt a little comfort. "Alright," said Riley.
Riley took one good look at her stats.
Level: 42
Class: Chaos Gun Mage
Sub-Class: Tactician / Temptress of the Night
HP: 3860/3860
MP: 8580/8580
Stats:
Strength: 84 (+174)
Dexterity: 103 (+180)
Intelligence: 409 (+170)
Vitality: 56 (+175)
Agility: 302 (+180)
Charisma: 4 (+50)
With Anna's help, she had become much stronger despite her low level.
Anna grabbed Riley's hand. "Let's go, the Invasion in that world has already started as well," said Anna.
The two jumped into the purple portal. Riley was returning to the world that she was forced to once. This time, she was going by her own choice to help the one who had brought her home.
Summary of Important Points You May Have Missed
Spoiler :
1) Riley has limited time traveling powers. He's gone for six years and remembers everything with actual proof that it happened, but when he wakes up, it's the next day. Lucy has no idea what he has done.
2) Garnet has the means to cure Lucy's illness (elixir) and will return with it. Riley lost the recipe when he returned to his world, making him unable to create it. The proper ingredients also do not exist in their world (it's not made clear, but that's the case). Eventually, Lucy will most likely join them as the 5th and final guardian (current plan anyways). She is currently weakened because of her illness, resulting in a massive level down that they do not realize as Riley is unable to see status effects on others.
3) Invasions regularly happen in other worlds, but the amount of time it takes between the appearance of the colored star in the sky and the appearance of the monsters depends on the strength of the barrier between worlds and the strength of the Invader. If the difference in strength between Guide and Invader creatures is too great, the time it takes to break through the barrier makes it impossible for both to appear at once and the Guide usually gives up and hopes the creatures they summoned at least weakens the world for the next attempt. A method that is used to force transport between worlds weakens the barriers that protect it from Invasions, thus makes it easier to Invade.
4) There are a few rules and guidelines to claiming a world for yourself. If you don't follow them, someone else can challenge you for claims without consequences.
5) The Guides have a fairly straightforward strategy for attacking a world. Send in summoners, send in troops, send in siege, finally send in ace and hope you can enter the world.
6) To a degree, Guides are able to identify people who have been under the effects of the Hero System because they produce a unique aura, just like how some Guardians can do it. Strange coincidence is it not?
7) Killing a Guide means nothing if they have made back up bodies through Human Form Vessels and Spirit Transmutation. The only consequence is a level down effect if they create another. This is why there was no Quest Complete message for Riley despite Anna having killed Apollo and Riley having absorbed his body. Apollo is still out there.
8) Anna is a lot older and stronger than she pretends to be (she's been doing this for a long time already). She is also in regular contact with Assad, who is able to use the same Messaging system that Riley has though Assad's Messaging is more like a recorded voice. However, Assad is also capable of hearing voices that are directed at him even though he may not respond.
9) The empty vessel in the Hidden Vault is meant to combine the abilities of a Hero with the abilities of a Guardian. The current candidate for it is Riley, which Assad has been trying to prepare her for since the time she got her spirit body.
10) Leaving a world is easier than entering another. There are special tools made for this as well as a result of escalating war between Overseers and Guides.