Chapter 31: Crystal Guardian Duties
“Congratulations on passing the Crystal Guardian Trials you two!
Now as Coal just told you, the chance to join our organization or return to your previous lives are completely your choice, but if one of you decides to go back and the other decides to stay the one who leaves will completely forget that their sibling ever existed.
The same thing will happen for Coal and you two.” - Ruby
“It’s alright we’ll be given enough time to decide so let's talk about your last trial!
You two were amazing, and those combination abilities my gosh, how long did it take y’all to make those?” - Coal
“Well when we lost you things changed, Gary and I decided that things needed to change.
We decided to change the world so that what happened to us never happened again.” - Gwen
“The abilities part came kind of naturally as we fought on the battlefield.
We also had the help of others who inspired us to create unique moves.” - Gary
“Would it be alright for us to have some time to relax?” - Coal said to Ruby
“Yeah, what kind of place would you three like to stay at?” - Ruby
“Oh in our final trial we had a nice home on a beach, could we go there?” - Gwen
“Of course, just tell me when you all have come to a decision.” - Ruby
The Dthic party was transported to an independent space with a simple home on the beachfront of an island.
They spent many days not thinking about the Crystal Guardians and just relaxed.
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the warm sun on their skin was a welcome change from the intense training and trials they had endured.
They spent their days swimming, building sandcastles, playing card games and taking long walks on the beach.
As they relaxed, Coal, Gwen and Gary couldn't help but think about their decision.
They had always been close, and the thought of one of them forgetting the others was unbearable.
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But at the same time, they were intrigued by the prospect of joining the Crystal Guardians.
The organization had a noble mission, and they could use their abilities to make a real difference in the world.
The new powers they would have access too, was also just something they were unable to let slip away.
The ability to manipulate space and time had always seemed to be a stage of power limited to the gods, but these crystal beings who protected their dimension had access to it, and they could too.
Eventually, after much discussion and contemplation, they came to a decision.
They would all join the Crystal Guardians. They knew it would be difficult, but they were ready for the challenge and enjoyed thinking about how much they would be doing for their world.
When they told Ruby their decision, she was pleased.
"I'm thrilled to hear that you all will be joining us," Ruby said. "Together, we can accomplish great things and protect the world from danger."
All four were transported into a stone building illuminated with glowing crystals.
“Welcome to the citadel! This is our main headquarters and the area where you all will be assigned tasks, be trained and sent to areas to fight off beings that threaten our world and dimension.
Our city of stone, marble, and crystal floats in the atmosphere of our world. It is easier for us to manipulate space here with a lack of other affinities that could mess up its usage. ” - Ruby
Ruby took them around the floating city and showed them the training grounds and told them some of the history known about it.
The citadel had been built over centuries by the Crystal Guardians, and its architecture was a testament to their mastery of space manipulation.
The training grounds were vast, with different environments and simulations designed to hone their abilities and combat skills.
They also learned about the different divisions of the Crystal Guardians, each with its specific area of expertise.
There were those who focused on combat and defending the world, those who worked on developing new technologies and advancements, and those who worked in diplomacy and maintaining peaceful relations with other dimensions.
Everyone started out in combat and would then have their talents in each area judged before being able to choose where to specialize.
The Dthic party were now defenders of Mordak (the name of their world) and gained their own crystal suits.
The crystalline outer shell that Ruby had was a suit given to all Crystal Guardians.
It acted as the conduit that allowed them access to space and time manipulation.
A time dilation of one minute to twenty-five years was the best they were able to utilize, but it was plenty of time to master techniques, abilities, and the suits were no exception.
The citadel itself was always within the time dilation that allowed them to train for long periods of time without aging.
It was an ideal environment for honing their skills and preparing for their missions.
Over time, the Dthic party became skilled fighters and crystal wielders, using their abilities to protect Mordak from various threats.
Their first mission was against other people from Mordak that sought to destroy their own world.
They quickly found and destroyed their group, erasing their existence from the world.
Missions like these were what occurred a majority of the time.
Someone was always planning to destroy the world, and somehow always found a means of almost making it a reality.
A few missions were stopping invading dimensions from entering theirs.
These interdimensional attacks had very unique armies and plans of attack.
Sometimes giant metallic objects would tear through space and launch metal projectiles or beams of light.
Giant monsters with tentacles would appear at times the size of mountains or larger.
A few times it would be a small bug or parasite that threatened all life, and those were the hardest to combat since at times they would have difficulty knowing who was infected.
A few centuries worth of time passed and when it came time for them to specialize in certain fields, they all decided to stick to combat.
During these centuries, Gwen and Gary have been able to successfully utilize the soul fusion technique on a handful of occasions.
Their combined form was able to fight the most senior of members in the Crystal Guardian organization.