“Yawn…”, I groaned in my bed. I had neither the strength nor will to get up.

“Hey Evelyn, you gonna keep sleeping or what? We still need to practice Panic. Zakum could be summoned anywhere at anytime. Come on!”

“Shut up… just shut up, Alex…”

Alex was a chief bandit, and was also one of my best friends. Me and him had been partners since that tragedy 3 years ago, and we’re rarely ever apart. We’ve been training rigorously, and I never really got a chance to rest. But I have to admit, I have gotten stronger… maybe strong enough to kill Joseph. But I doubt it. He was still too dangerous.

“No no no, Panic is used AFTER you charge up 5 combos!”, yelled Alex.

“I know, but I’m just tired recently… I’m not in the mood to fight”, I groaned.

“Bad dream again? Oh and 1 more thing… Keith called us up to his office earlier. We’re due there in an hour.”

“Good… another hour of sleep”

-1 hour later-

“Well… it’s happened. Right after Ludibrium was rebuilt, Joseph attacked it again. We’ll need to stop him right now if we’re going to save the Ossyria. If he ever gets to Victoria, we’re dead. I want you two to gather up a group of people and track down Joseph’s agents. Their attacks are minor, but they still cause many casualties.”, said Keith.

“Who do you want us to go after first? I’m sure we could kill at least one without any extra help…”, said Alex.

“Well… there’s this Hermit named Reed who’s been using Crimson Balrogs to attack people. He’s extremely dangerous, and one of the most powerful agents. If we leave him, then he might destroy El Nath, the last line of defence for Orbis Tower.”, said Keith.

Reed was a heartless killer. He had never spared anyone before. I had fought with him before, and nearly died as a result. If he cut through El Nath and got to Orbis, Victoria Island would be doomed. I had to act quickly.

“We should kill him, but… I don’t think we’re ready yet.”, I said wearily.

“You’re ready, alright. In fact, I prepared some equipment for you”, said Keith.

He clapped his hands, and a man brought out a large sword similar to the blue screamer. But it was different… the color wasn’t even blue. It was actually jet black, and it had an intimidating aura around it.

“This… is a dark screamer. It’s actually an ancient weapon. It was created by Joseph when he imbued dark powers into a blue screamer. It was used by Rick, an ancient warrior. He was Joseph’s partner, but betrayed him once he had found out about his plot. Joseph lost, and was exiled.”

Another man came out, and he was holding a deadly looking dagger.

“This is one of the most versatile weapons ever made. It’s an elemental dagger, and it can switch between different elements to ensure the highest damage possible. It’s also extremely sharp, and can pierce even through reinforced steel. Now that you’re all ready… I suggest you begin looking for Reed.”, said Keith.

“Alright then. Let’s go, Alex.”

“With ya all the way”.