GtRO - Glast Heim Rescue Mission

“Oh…” Raelyn breathed, hushed voice filled with awe as the two stepped into the old, dilapidated building.
Despite the eerie silence and the dark energies she sensed surrounding this place, Raelyn couldn’t help but wander around to inspect the area. Glast Heim, she had once read, used to be Rune Midgard’s capital and had housed some of the finest warriors of the land. The rows of knight statues in this entrance hall had clearly once been a symbol of pride; now they served as a dark reminder of how this city, once filled with life, was inhabited by demons and the undead. Standing in such a historical site made Raelyn shiver, and she wasn’t quite sure if the thrill was from fear or excitement. “So this is the former Knight’s Guild? It’s so much more impressive than the one in Prontera.”

“Raelyn, we have a missing person on our hands,” Edward reminded her gently. “I prefer not making it two. It’s best to stick close together.” He had known since their first meeting that Raelyn could be quite curious, but he hoped she wouldn't try to wander off in her excitement. Glast Heim wasn’t somewhere anyone should get lost in, especially with all sorts of hostile monsters lurking about.

“Ah… Right.” Sheepishly, Raelyn took one more glance up at the ominous statue before trotting back towards her mentor’s side. As much as she would like to explore, Edward was right to be wary; the entire city had been abandoned precisely because it had proven to be too dangerous to restore. Besides, as Edward had pointed out, they had a guild mission to focus on; a Soul Linker by the name of Ambrose had gone missing some time ago, but what clues his friends could find about his disappearance pointed his last location to be in Glast Heim’s Chivalry. The issue now was finding him - preferably alive. That was where they, as Rocket Punch Generation members, came in.

Edward flashed Raelyn a quick smile before taking the lead, his faithful Warg, Manna, following him close behind to keep a lookout for any threats. They had agreed beforehand to avoid attracting monsters’ attention as much as possible. Edward and Manna could handle them just fine, especially considering how the Ranger came prepared with Holy Arrows, but most of Raelyn’s spells wouldn’t be as effective against targets of shadow property - of which unfortunately most of the demons here were. On top of that, they had a wide area to search for Ambrose, and wasting energy fighting would be counterproductive. Best to just stay out of trouble as much as possible.

As they proceeded, ducking behind cover or changing course whenever they heard the clanking of metal or the soft rustle of paper that betrayed a nearby monster’s presence, Edward and Manna kept an eye and ear out for any sign of their target while Raelyn tried to search for any magical residues the Soul Linker might have left. Keeping in with their decision to remain stealthy, they kept conversations to a bare minimum. It wasn’t until quite some time later before Manna abruptly broke the silence with a warning growl.

Edward glanced down, about to ask her what she had sensed, when he heard the familiar twang of a bowstring. He whipped around to warn Raelyn, only to hear a yelp from her that made his blood run cold. The High Wizard had fallen back against the wall, eyes screwed shut in agony. Just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the dark shaft of an arrow sticking out of her. The air suddenly felt thick and heavy with the scent of blood; he couldn’t seem to breathe. Couldn't seem to think. Couldn't even see Raelyn. All he could see was prone form of a young Sniper, her cries filling the air. A growing puddle of blood stained everything it touched as it fed from where her arm was- no, should have been…

At the same time, Raelyn stumbled backwards, a sharp sting in her left shoulder. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she forced her eyes open just in time to see the Raydric Archer pull another phantom arrow back. Not enough time nor space for her to move out of the way. As the arrow was released, she quickly casted the first spell that came to mind. A trio of ice stalagmites rose from the ground to block the shot, but she had been a split second too slow; the arrow passed through the open gap between the tips of the Ice Wall. She only had time for a briefest sense of horror to register before a bright, green cloud surrounded her without warning. The magicked projectile met the outermost edge of the fog, then dissipated. Raelyn didn’t let her surprise at the unexpected Pneuma stop her from acting; she quickly stored her mana inside her staff with a quick Mystical Amplification for good measure, then fired off a Jupitel Thunder. The spell sailed over the Ice Wall and caught the Raydric Archer, knocking the monster into the wall. Upon impact, the dark energies that held the armor pieces that made up the Raydric Archer’s form ebbed away, causing the pieces to clatter to the floor.

“Wow, that was a close call, huh?” At the new voice, Raelyn glanced up to see a familiar, grinning Champion. “You two should have waited for me! I have the natural advantages of Acolyte training against the demons and undead in this area, you know! And I can give everything a good thrashing with this!” At the last part, Punch proudly patted the Grand Cross they were carrying for emphasis.

“We weren't able to get in contact with anyone else,” the High Wizard answered after she had caught her breath. Now that the immediate danger was over, she was beginning to process the situation on a more conscious level. After appraising her throbbing shoulder, Raelyn decided that the damage wasn’t too severe. If anything, the shock probably had been worse than the pain. A White Potion or two would suffice for the time being. “But ah, thank you for the timely assistance, regardless.”

“Hey, no problem. So you two are here to find that Soul Linker guy, right?”
“Ah- Yes, but we haven't found any trace of him yet. We did search the eastern area, but with all the monsters about, we might not have been able to be as thorough as we would have liked.”
“No luck here, either, and I’ve been all over the place - and I mean, all over.”

“Perhaps we could work together? Spreading out might cover more ground in a shorter time, but we should err on the side of caution, and we could use your assistance.” Raelyn was about to add more, but a distressed whine caught her attention. With a jolt, she realized that Edward had been uncharacteristically silent this entire time. “Edward, are you-” She stopped, the question dying in her throat as the answer sunk in. A clearly worried Manna was standing protectively in front of Edward, peering up at him, but he wasn't paying her any attention. In fact, he didn't seem to be aware of anything in particular, if the distant gaze of his eyes were any indication. His rapid, heavy breaths and uncontrollable trembling weren't optimistic signs, either.

“Edward…?” When he didn't respond to her cautious inquiry, Raelyn spoke in a louder and firmer voice, “Edward!” The Ranger gave a start with a sharp inhale. Though his eyes managed to focus on hers, Raelyn could see that they were still wide and round with terror. She was at a loss at first; never before had she ever seen her mentor in such a state before. He didn’t appear to be injured in any way - at least… not on the physical level.

In spite of the cold numbness that had washed over her, she forced herself to speak. “It's okay, Edward. We're fine now. We're safe.” Her voice, so much more confident than usual, didn’t sound like her own. Seeing how his hands were shaking, Raelyn tentatively reached over to pat his arm in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. He flinched; she hastily withdrew her hand. Edward must have noticed, for a hint of guilt crept into his eyes.

“Sorry, Raelyn.” Whether he was apologizing for his reaction or his earlier state, Raelyn wasn't sure, but she shook her head anyway.

“There's no need for you to apologize.” She studied him for a bit. At the very least, his trembling had ceased upon her attempt to comfort him. For a moment, she considered asking him what had happened, but ended up opting for a different question instead. “Do you want to return home first? This, um, Champion and I can continue with the search.”

“No, I'm okay. We should carry on with the mission.”

Raelyn stared at him doubtfully. It was clear that he wasn't fine, and surely he knew it, too. On the other hand, perhaps it would be better for him to remain nearby; Edward had Manna to protect him, but Raelyn felt more comfortable being able to keep an eye on him herself anyway. “All right.” The High Wizard turned to give Punch a nod. “Would you mind taking the lead? Considering, erm, your ‘natural advantages’, you’d probably fare the best out of the three of us.”

“Uh… Yeah!” Punch snapped to attention. They weren't sure what exactly had happened, but now was probably not the best time to ask. "Of course! You two won't have anything to worry about with me around!" Raelyn smiled weakly at them, then turned to murmur something to Edward that Punch couldn't quite catch. Edward listened carefully before offering Punch a smile of his own, though it was noticeably weaker than usual.

"Thanks for your help. We'd be happy to work with you, Miss Champion."

"Yeah, sure! So, we're going now or what?"

Once the trio had collected themselves, Punch led the trek around the Chivalry first floor. Though they were perfectly fine with a bit of scuffle here and there, the Champion respected the others’ wish to resort to combat only when there were no other options. All the while, they remained alert for any signs of Ambrose. But as time dragged on, it soon became clear that this job was more tedious than it had initially sounded. No matter where they looked, there seemed to be no trace of Ambrose. A dried spot of blood they came across had seemed promising at first until they realized there was no way to identify whether it had been from the Soul Linker or some other hapless adventurer. With each step of this fruitless search, Punch began to feel their patience waning. Small group or not, they should have found something by now, especially with all the Teleporting Punch had done earlier before running across two of their guildmates.

"Well, at least this means he's probably not dead yet," Punch eventually broke the silence, a slight edge in their voice. At this rate, they all might as well check the second floor instead. Before Punch could make the suggestion, a scream pierced the air. A very human one.

None of them even glanced at each other before they took off running in that direction, all semblance of stealth gone. In the distance, they could hear a commotion of running footsteps, clanging metals, and the methodic trot of what sounded like a horse. A large one, at that. As Punch rounded the corner, they were nearly bowled over by a rushing figure fleeing from a sizable mob consisting of… well, just about every single hostile creature one could find in his area, from Ridewords to Abysmal Knights. The offender didn't even seem to notice, nor did he break his stride; Punch only had enough time to catch a glimpse of a Soul Linker, glasses askew as he fumbled for something in his pockets, before he sped away, but that was enough.

"Well, found him!" Unfazed by the number of pursuers, Punch jumped into action. They smacked a Raydric that came upon them as hard as they could, knocking it into another one in the progress. They would have trounced more, but a shout from the High Wizard made Punch turn to look. Ambrose, in his panic, was still scampering away; evidently, he hadn’t realized that he was being helped. That wasn’t good. Neither was the Fly Wing that he had just pulled out from his pocket.

Punch made a split-second decision. With a few Snaps, they easily caught up to Ambrose and snatched him up, eliciting a surprised yelp from him. "Don't even think of using that right now," the Champion grumbled. "You know how much time we spent looking for you?" A galloping sound caused them to chance a quick peek behind them, then quickly duck to avoid the swing of a gigantic, broadsword. Punch scrambled to right themselves again, only for a Rideword pounced on them. Before it could sink its fangs into the Champion’s skin, it was thrown off; a couple of arrows protruded from its spine. Meanwhile, the horse of the Abysmal Knight that had tried to attack Punch suddenly whinnied, rearing back from the magicked wall of flames that had burst forth before it. Manna took that opportunity to leap forward upon Edward’s command to latch onto one of its legs.

“Thanks, guys!” Punch called out. Edward quickly motioned for them to move on.

“Go on and take him to safety! We’ll handle them and catch up!” Punch nodded, and with a few more Snaps, disappeared from view around a corner. With the two out of the line of danger, Edward quickly reloaded his Big Crossbow with more Holy Arrows, then fired into the air. A hail of arrows showered upon the thickest part of the mob, killing off a good portion of it. The rest that had remained a safe distance from the Arrow Storm seemed to have lost interest in the original intruder; instead, they trained their attacks on the two new, easier targets. Edward began to aim again, only to pause indecisively. The remaining monsters were spread too far apart from one another for a second Arrow Storm to work as effectively as the first.

“Edward?” Some distance away, Raelyn had just finished downing a Giant Whisper with a series of rapid strikes from ghostly wisps she had summoned before twisting out of the way of an oncoming arrow. “Perhaps we, ah, should move to a less open space? I… find dealing with archers troublesome, and maybe we could lure them in a more enclosed space for you to finish them all at once?”

Edward considered the suggestion, then nodded. Finding more cover was always a good idea, and they could probably outrun the monsters, especially with the help of his Wind Walk. Raelyn’s eyes brightened as the air whipped around them, taking that as a sign to put the plan into action. The spellcaster instantly activated her Energy Coat. “All right! In that case, I’ll be the bait and set them up for you!”

Wait, what?

“Raelyn, no!” That was not what he had agreed to at all! Before he could protest further, Raelyn had conjured a ball of flame in her hand and lobbed it at one of the monsters that had been rushing at Edward. The Fireball exploded on impact, its scattered embers scorching nearby enemies as well. The spell didn’t seem to hurt them much, but it did make them all turn toward her. The High Wizard repeated the process a few more times until she had grabbed the attention of all of the standing monsters, then took off running, Hurriedly, Edward called for Manna, who had just ripped a Rideword apart with a snap of her jaws, before rushing after the horde that his mentee had angered. He saw one of the Raydric Archers draw its bowstring back, preparing to let loose an arrow at Raelyn. Immediately, two of Edward’s own arrows from a Double Strafe met their mark, sending the empty helm clattering to the ground. But that was only one of many still left. Desperate, he quickly reloaded more bolts for another shot. Please don’t let me be too late this time…

At the same time, Raelyn abruptly swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding some projectiles and spells in the process. The room she found herself in was cluttered with old furnishings, some of which had toppled over and blocked a few paths. She took it all in with one sweep of her gaze even as she continued running. It wouldn’t do to be trapped here, but as long as she was quick, it would also serve her purposes well enough. After a few more twists and turns, she decided that she was sufficiently deep enough into the room, she whirled around to face the incoming mass. Edward must have managed to take down a few more monsters during her flight, but the rest were forced to cluster together from the narrow spaces. Perfect; that should next part should make it all the easier for him. From beneath her cloak, she flung one of her Blue Gemstones outward. The gemstone sailed through the air, landing somewhere in the middle of the crowd. At the same time, Raelyn released her spell.

The monsters that had been pursuing her suddenly buckled to the ground. Arrows that had been aimed in her direction plummeted harmlessly. Without missing a beat, the High Wizard flicked her wrist almost casually, a thick, greenish miasma surrounding her targets. With both Gravitational Field and Quagmire hindering the monsters’ movement and attacks, it would be a cinch to finish them all off with one powerful attack. Sure enough, another rainstorm of projectiles struck the monsters from above. This time, none of them could escape the onslaught of the Arrow Storm.

As the last of the dark magic surrounding the monsters faded, Raelyn straightened herself, satisfied with the smooth sailing. It was a lot quieter, now that most of the hostiles in vicinity had been cleared out. All they need to do now was reunite with Punch and Ambrose, and they could leave.

“Raelyn!”

Almost instantly, her smile evaporated; Edward, closely followed by Manna, was striding over. Despite their victory, her mentor looked far from pleased. Raelyn resisted the urge to shrink back from the stern look on his face when his voice, holding none of its usual gentleness, cut through the air. “That was incredibly dangerous! You could have been hurt, or-”

“I’m fine, Edward.” Raelyn hadn’t meant to interrupt, but the defensive words spilled out before she could stop them. “Everything worked out.”
“That doesn’t give you an excuse to pull such a reckless stunt. You can’t say that just because things worked well this time, the same move will work so well again next time.”

A part of Raelyn- the one that was used to being meek and obeying without a question- considered apologizing. But she remained silent, letting an unfamiliar frustration fester inside her. After all the tests he put her through and the secrecy she had to tolerate, he still considered her as nothing more than a hapless child? Did he even trust her to fend for herself?
She was about to make a retort until Edward drew nearer.

His hands were trembling again.
Quickly, she flicked her gaze up at his face. He appeared upset, sure, but not nearly as angry as he had sounded.
And there it was again. That fear in his eyes. Something else, too. A lost, vulnerable look that she had trouble identifying. A certain shine in his eyes, as if he were close to tears. Any argument she had wanted to make died at the sight as she felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. His earlier reaction must not have been out of fear of this place, or even fear for himself, then. But she had been fine, so…

Feeling her throat constrict, Raelyn shakily reached out to him again, unsure of what she was doing. “Edward, I-“

“Uh… Did we come at a bad time?” In the middle of Edward’s scolding, Punch poked their head into the room, eyebrow raised. With them was a sheepish Ambrose, who had one of Punch’s hands clasped firmly on his shoulder to keep him from fleeing again. “Geez, we could hear you two from down the hall. I guess it made it easier to find you guys, at least.”

Mentor and mentee instantly took a step backwards from each other, avoiding eye contact. It was a moment before Raelyn forced her voice to remain calm enough to answer, “No, it’s fine.” Edward nodded curtly, face turned away from the others to hide his expression. It was too late to act casual, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them to save their argument for later.

“Well, great, because I want to get out of here as soon as possible. This guy-” Punch smacked Ambrose on the back, nearly causing the young man to topple over, “-needs to learn to stay still instead of trying to get lost again.”

“W-Wait!” The interjection came from Ambrose, who had managed to regain his footing. The Soul Linker was sporting a long cut on his cheek, and his glasses looked slightly crooked, but otherwise appeared mostly unscathed from his ordeal. “This room is supposed to be the library-” At his words, the others glanced curiously around at all the broken and fallen bookcases and scattered tomes littering the floor. “-or some sort of recordkeeping room, anyway. I was browsing through some of these books here before, I, err… was picked up a Rideword by accident. But there could be valuable information in these books, and I’d like to take a look around first.”

“Yeah, yeah… Considerate of you to use up even more of your saviors’ precious time, right?” Punch muttered, not even trying to keep a low voice. After all the trouble they went through, the Champion just wanted to drag the Soul Linker back to civilization and enjoy a well-deserved cup of green tea. Nothing in the mission description said anything about searching through dusty old books.

“Actually, I’d like to see if there’s anything interesting, too.” Edward’s voice was considerably calmer than before, though he still refused to meet anyone’s eyes. “This is a rare opportunity, after all.” Punch frowned a little. Out of the corner of their eyes, they caught a certain High Wizard wordlessly shuffling closer to one of the upright bookshelves. Clearly outnumbered, Punch threw up their hands.
“Fine… At least make it quick, then.”

The next few minutes were spent in relative silence, save for the flipping of pages. Most of the books were too damaged to be legible, but a few, despite their wears and tears, were still usable. One tome in particular caught Edward’s eyes. It was old and battered, but was mostly in one piece. He could read some of the words, too, though others were a little harder to decipher, as if they were of an archaic language.

“Hm… This seems to be on the history of Glast Heim,” Ambrose mused when Edward showed him the book for examination. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you more than that. History isn’t really in my field of expertise. But if you want to, keep it. You Rocket Punch Generation members are interested in this sort of thing, right?”

“Oh, thanks!” Edward perused the book once more before carefully storing it away; it could come in handy one day, or at least make for an interesting read. When Ambrose finally announced that he was finished, Punch jumped to attention.

“Great!” With that, the Champion cast Warp Portal. “Let's get out of here then! I'm beat.”

“Did you even do much?” Ambrose skeptically asked, only for Punch to shush him quickly with a friendly shove into the portal. Raelyn stepped in next, stopping just long enough to hand Punch a Blue Gemstone to replace the one they had just used. It occurred to Punch only then that she had been keeping quiet for a while. Huh, probably was still upset about the argument Punch had accidentally overheard earlier. None of their business, though. Punch simply gave the High Wizard an encouraging pat on the back, not noticing how the latter winced from the excessive force.

“Thank you for all your help, Miss Champion.” Edward nodded politely at Punch before entering the portal as well. With everyone safely in, Punch stretched before heading in after them.

Well, that was another good deed done. All in a day's work.