"Yay! Olivia is back! I missed you, baby!"
Olivia grunted and nearly tripped backward as Ghost tackled her with a bone-crushing hug the moment she appeared in front of the Phoenix Flight guild base and began to rapidly kiss her cheek.
"I was worried when you guys didn't come back! You all took your sweet time! I missed you!"
"Y-Yeah? Missed you too." Olivia awkwardly patted the cold girl on the back. "I'm happy to be back."
Ghost wasn't the only one who came out of the base, either. Olem; Falco; Clause; Ragna, who was holding Greenie; and Mama Herta all emerged and excitedly swarmed their little group.
"It's good to see you all made it back!" Ragna let out a hearty laugh and slapped Pock on the back, the zipper man nearly dropping to his knees. He was clearly exhausted after opening up several large portals.
"Hey, not everyone is here," Falco noted as he looked at the group of returning guild members. Laerton, Pock, Olivia, and Ken were the only ones who stood before them. "Where are Davi and Sieg? Don't tell me those two snuck off again?"
Laerton lazily pointed her thumb in the direction of Oleander City. "Before we came here, we made a stop at Oleander first in order to drop the survivors of the Daisy Town incident off. Davi decided to stay behind and make sure they were being taken care of properly. Sieg is with him as well, and I also left a little helper behind to ensure he'd be kept safe."
"A lot must have happened." Clause tugged on his beard and hummed. "I couldn't believe most of what you wrote about in your reports. Are there really people who are as strong as captains?"
Ken snorted and rolled her eyes. "Please. They weren't that strong. In fact, next time they show up, Yujin and I are going to smoke them!"
"Your confidence is noted." Olem folded his arms and looked toward the captain. "Miranda and Vlad are waiting for you inside. They wanted to speak with you."
"Vlad wanted to talk?" Laerton raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit unusual."
"Oh!" Pock perked up. "I bet it is about the thing!"
"The thing?" Ghost finally stopped hugging Olivia and gave the vice captain a confused look. "I like things? What thing?"
Captain Laerton suddenly looked a little uncomfortable and sighed. "The Enforcer games are starting next month."
"No!" Olem threw his arms up out of anger.
"Hell yeah!" Faclo threw his arms up in joy.
"I wonder if I should compete." Ragna rubbed his chin in thought.
"Not that game again…" Clause shook his head in disappointment.
Olivia let out a nervous laugh, still tangled in Ghost's limbs. "Um, so like, what are the Enforcer games? I'm seeing some mixed reactions."
Laerton grunted and took a second to figure out an explanation. "You know how dungeons work, right?"
"I think so?"
"Basically, Knights will enter a dungeon, navigate through it, find the boss, and kill it, and then they escape the dungeon before it seals. They have to do all of this quickly because the dungeon is filled with a type of radiation that will start to transform them into a monster the longer they're exposed. Once the boss is killed and the dungeon is sealed, it'll return to the other side, where dungeons go, and will then gain a new boss monster, and will reappear randomly in the world, and it will also randomly reappear throughout time."
"Yeah, I'm following along so far."
"Well, throw all that knowledge out the window," Laerton said simply.
"Huh?"
"The Enforcer games is a dungeon that might not even truly be a dungeon."
"I don't get it." Olivia let out a sheepish laugh. "I think I'll need more of an explanation."
Ragna tugged on his mustache and hummed. "Allow me, young Olivia. See, the Enforcer games is a type of dungeon, one we call a 'special dungeon'. Special dungeons are given the name that they are because they don't operate like normal dungeons. An example of a special dungeon is the Blood Ocean, the one that surrounds the Mordheim nation. This dungeon is massive in size, and so far, it is the largest dungeon we know about, surrounding the entire island that Mordheim resides on. Because of this, Mordheim is caught within the dungeon, and yet the people do not mutate. This is because the Blood Ocean does not give off a level of radiation like any other dungeon. On top of that, the Blood Ocean hasn't moved either. Even if a boss isn't killed, if enough time passes, a dungeon will eventually move through space and time again, yet hundreds of years have passed, and the Blood Ocean hasn't moved an inch. Finally, the last thing that makes it special is the fact that the Blood Ocean lacks any other monster save for a single boss, the Hydra."
Olivia nodded, following along so far. "Okay, so special dungeons are dungeons that are special and don't follow the traditional rules? So the Enforcer games are like the Blood Ocean?"
Ragna nodded. "The Enforcer games don't give off radiation either, so a person could stay in the dungeon and be perfectly fine so long as they didn't go to the other side when it leaves. It also has a pattern of when and where it appears. It cycles through all the nations every few years, and we always know where it will go next. The dungeon will remain until the conditions to send it away are met. It doesn't have a boss either and is one of the only dungeons we know about that lacks a boss."
"So, if there is no boss, how do you beat it and close it?" Olivia asked.
"You have to play a game," Laerton stated, and already a frown was present on her face. "It involves two guilds, and the games change constantly, but basically, the Enforcer dungeon is a massive landscape with its own culture. The monsters there are able to think and feel, and because of how many there are and the nature of sending the dungeon on, it was decided to not kill these particular monsters. Instead of risking them turning hostile, we engage in their culture and complete their games. Doing so successfully allows the dungeon to leave, akin to killing their boss. Also, due to the nature of the monsters within the dungeon, it has been kept secret from the public. Even other nations keep their people in the dark about the Enforcer games."
A dungeon where you had to play games instead of beating a boss? And the inhabitants were special monsters that could talk and be reasoned with?
"This sounds a bit too good to be true." Ken raised an eyebrow as she processed everything the captain said. "I'm assuming there is a catch."
"The catch is how time-consuming it is." Laerton nodded. "There isn't any radiation in this dungeon, and because of that, the bastards that live in there made it so their games take freaking forever. Sometimes they can last weeks or even months. A few years ago, they had one that lasted almost a full year. Also, in the past, when you won the game, you'd get a reward, one selected from the vault within the dungeon. Sadly, due to how many times these games have gone on for, there is nothing left in the vault, not even scraps, so whenever the Enforcer games are due to arrive, the two lowest guilds are tasked with dealing with it."
"And that's us?" Olivia sighed. "Still, it doesn't seem so bad."
Olem shook the closest thing he had to a head. "Trust me. You'll grow to despise them."
"Seriously?"
Falco let out a laugh and slapped Olem hard on the back. "Nah, Olem is wrong; the Enforcer games are totally sick! We get cool places to stay, get to meet a lot of neat people, and the games are awesome! Olem is just pissed because the entire guild is forced to compete, so he doesn't get to be lazy and sit on his ass. What's even cooler is that Vlad can sometimes be forced to play as well! It isn't often that he leaves that dumb arcade machine he's always sitting at, but believe me, when he is forced to, he puts in work! I don't wanna brag or anything, but Phoenix Flight consistently comes in second place!"
"Uh, aren't there only two guilds?" Ghost asked. "So, second place is last place, right?"
"Err, well, I mean, I guess you can look at it like that…" Falco shyly looked down at the beach and kicked some sand. "Pantheon does tend to beat us, but we're going to win for sure this time!"
"How long do we have, Captain?" Clause questioned.
Laerton held up a finger. "A little less than one month."
"So soon?" Clause tugged on his beard and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, well, I guess it would be good to get some good practice in again. It's been a while since I swung my hammer. Ol' Kronos has been begging for combat."
Ragna placed his hands on his hips and laughed to the heavens. "Why don't we all get some training? I'm sure it could do us all some good, and who knows, maybe we'll even win this year! Oh, but I guess Tea and Doggy will be missing out since those two are still away on a mission."
"Is it okay for them to miss it?" Mama Herta questioned.
"It should be fine."
Laerton rubbed her head, already getting a bit of an ache. "One month. Do whatever you want until then. I'm going to go see what Vlad and Miranda want now."
As soon as she left, Ghost grabbed Olivia by the wrist and began to drag her to the junkyard. "Come on, Liv! Let's train some. I'll show you some cool dagger moves!"
Ken looked a little annoyed at her friend being dragged away, but she wasn't able to voice her concern as Ragna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go, Young Yuan! I want to see if we can improve your martial arts! In fact, I have something I've been wanting to show you for a while now!"
Clause placed his hands behind his back and watched as everyone began to disperse, leaving him and just Mama Herta. "The Enforcer games, huh. I wonder how it'll turn out this time."
"We've gained some new additions." Mama Herta mused. "Our little guild has grown a bit more rowdy."
"Indeed, it has." Clause grinned. "I'm excited to see Pantheon again as well. After all, that was my old guild. I wonder how Myth is holding up. Knowing him, he's likely still searching for a cure."
Mama Herta reached out and patted his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll find something."
"Doubtful." Clause shook his head and looked down at his wrinkled hand. "You can't cure old age. Time comes for us all."
"It'll be okay, Clause."
"I know." The old man smiled softly. "I know."
Meanwhile...
'So, this is why Sieg likes standing on top of buildings.' Davi thought to himself as he stared down at Oleander, perched on one of the many towers. 'I bet I look so cool. It'd be sick if I had a coat or something; talk about aura-'
"Are you going to speak, or are you just going to stare off into the distance?" Susie demanded.
Davi ignored her remark and kept his eyes fixed down below. The people of Daisy were crowded together, all dressed in spare clothes that had been given to them, and they were being shown around the city by the mayor and a few of his goons.
He had stayed behind in order to watch them and make sure they were treated well. He didn't plan to leave until he knew for sure that they'd have homes and a place to stay, as well as a decently cooked meal.
Somewhere up on a higher building, aura farming even harder than he was, would be Sieg, but on the current building he was on, Susie had followed him up and had been mostly bothering him and distracting him every time he was about to look cool. He thought she'd try to attack him, but she didn't. Instead, she kept glaring at his back.
"Alright," Davi didn't turn to face her and stayed perched on his ledge. "I'll bite. Why did you follow me up here, and why do you want to talk?"
Susie hesitated for a moment, a conflicted look crossing onto her face. She considered what she was going to say before finally just stomping her foot down and grunting out a response. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"You want that list alphabetically?"
Susie gritted her teeth, and her glare grew stronger. "You told me you killed my dad, but instead of being some evil bastard, you saved my village, gave them tons of gold, and helped them out a bunch. You're one of the reasons they even have this new city to move into, and I was told you forced the healers to make sure all the mutants were okay and treated. Those are things an Arcane Knight should do, but I can't accept a monster like you being a hero like that! You harmed Hannah, nearly sliced her in two, and tried to kill me, yet when I wanted to die, you came in and saved my life, and you did it by insisting that I could die later at my own hands? What kind of idiot says something like that? Why do you do these things? I don't get it. I don't get you! Who are you? What are you? Why did you save my life all those months ago, and why did you kill my father and tell me? Tell me! I want to know! I deserve to know!"
Davi rubbed his neck, easing some tension, and he took a few seconds to consider his words. He thought of all the wrong things Garon did. All the girls Garon harmed and twisted for his own desires. It'd be so easy to simply say that. Even if Susie didn't want to believe him, getting that secret off his shoulders would help a lot. Or he could say that it wasn't actually him who killed Garon but instead his friend Olivia. Doing that would get Susie's wrath off of him, but what good would either option provide?
Evil or not, Garon still helped some people, and there were those who looked up to him and cared for him.
"You loved your dad, right?"
"Of course I did," Susie snarled. "What kind of stupid question is that?"
"I loved my father also," Davi said. "I remember fondly all the times he'd take me to go fishing or the training we'd go through together. Even though I didn't like it at the time or still don't, I remember those times as something to be cherished." Davi turned around and stared at Susie. "When my father died, I made a promise to avenge him. This was one I did for myself and not because of anyone else. In a way, I think that moment and that promise I made is one of the few things that allow me to cling to this world. Or at least it did. See, at the time when I met you, I told you Garon died at my own hands, and that was because I believed spite is the greatest motivation a person can have. As humans, we do a lot for revenge. Now, I'm less sure. I think chasing after revenge is just bound to eat away at you, and you'll fall apart or give up, should it remain out of reach. Living for others is more important, I think. Those who are still alive should take priority in our hearts over the dead. That doesn't mean we have to forget them or ignore the pain. I think it is more a case of knowing when it's time to accept that what happened, happened, and continue forward down your own path. Obviously, it's your own choice to make, so if you want to keep chasing after me and hoping to kill me to appease your revenge or deal with your hatred for me, you can do that, but I should say, I have no plans on dying."
Susie's shoulders tensed, and the air around her shimmered slightly as a golden orb began to form. It flickered and died just as fast, and her shoulders fell. "What's the point?" Susie sighed. "Even if I do kill you, it wouldn't bring my dad back." She glared back up at him. "Even so, I want to know, right now, did my father have to die? The reason you killed him—what was it?"
Davi's blue eyes met hers, and he nodded. "He was a mutant."
"A mutant?" Susie asked in shock.
"Unlike those girls, he was far into his stage. I don't know how long he had been a mutant, but I guess it affected his mind. We battled, and he decided to do what he did. Your father was a good captain; clearly, the people liked him. He was strong, and maybe if things had been different, he would have been here today. Things weren't, though."
Susie gave a weak nod. "I hate you."
"Okay."
"I don't forgive you."
"Okay."
"I'm not ever going to either."
"Okay."
"That said," Susie turned away from him. "I'm done trying to kill you. Every time I see you and how depressed you look, it makes me sick. I don't want you hanging around me, Hannah, or any of my people. Stay far away and pretend like we don't know each other. I'm done dealing with you. I'm moving on with my life."
"Okay-"
"I hate you so freaking much!"
Before Susie even had a chance at running away or attacking him out of anger, the entire roof shook as a tremendous force crashed down from above. The force of it knocked Davi and Susie over, and Laerton now appeared before them. The captain dusted herself off, then looked toward Susie before turning back to Davi.
"Oh, good, you're both here; that'll make this way easier."
"Make what easier-" Davi began, but he was cut off as Laerton's sword was suddenly drawn, and the roof was nearly split in two. "Captain?"
Laerton pointed the blade at Davi and then at Susie. "Seven. Not sure what you freaky guys are, but you must be important if that other group wants you." A smirk crossed onto her face. "Well, if they want you, then they'll have to take you. I've made up my mind. I'll rip you both up, I'll break every bone in your bodies, I'll cut you to bits, and then I'll sew you back together, again and again, until the two of you are strong enough to survive whatever BS the world wants to throw at you."
"Y-You can't!" Susie's eyes widened with fear, and Laerton just licked her lips.
"Oh, I can, and I will. From this day on, you're both being trained by me. Let's start with a simple exercise. Gain slash resistance or die!" She lifted her sword and began to swing.
"You're insane!" Susie yelled, doing her best to hide behind Davi.
"That's right! I am! So I'll slash you again, and again, and again, and again!" Laerton let out a mad cackle. "Every slice, every cut, I'll carve my very soul into your flesh, and you'll either die or evolve and become something greater! It's time we shatter the shell of weakness that the two of you have placed around yourselves! We're in the real world now! A world of chaos and change! A world of violence! I might not be there the next time the two of you need help, so the easiest way to solve that problem is to simply cause you to become a warrior who can face down any challenge! Are you two ready!"
"Do we get an option?" Davi winced.
"You do not."
Davi and Susie looked to one another, and then they both nodded. If they had no choice, then there was only one thing to do.
Adam, Bloom, and the Lord of Threads. They only knew what three of the evil seven could do. If they wanted to keep up, then they had to grow.
The words of that Spell Sword came to Davi's mind. The one who controls the story is the one with the most power.
Power... Power, power, power, power. It always came down to power.
"We're in." Davi and Susie both agreed. They needed more power.
And so, Phoenix Flight began to train. Ragna and Ken. Olivia, Ghost, and Miranda. Sieg and Falco. And Laerton, Davi, and Susie.
The Enforcer games wouldn't know what hit them.
Phoenix Flight was about to get a whole lot stronger.