When Achilleas O'Lop finally came to, he was no longer in the ruined Little Fish Casino. Rather, he had found himself in Walker Surgical Clinic, in Stormhaven. He was dressed in a hospital gown, and his wounded shoulder had been bandaged up.
Realising his situation, he instantly sat up, and took a look around the room. He peeked out of the nearby window, noticing it was daytime. Dr. Walker was there jotting down some stuff in his clipboard, but he wasn't the only one, as Geowar was there also, floating idly near his bedside, fully dressed in his combat uniform.
"What happened to Tony Tuscan?" Was the first question to come to his mind.
"The Noir Assassin tipped us off, and we arrested him. The evidence we found inside your jacket was just impossible to ignore. He's in the detention center." Geowar explained.
"Ah, that's good then. Why is it that you of all people are here?" O'Lop continued, perplexed at Geowar's appearance.
"Excellent question. When I encountered the Noir Assassin, he said some gibberish about portals, and a guitar…" Geowar tried elaborating, but O'Lop just stared at him in confusion. "You don't remember a thing, do you?"
"Can't say that I do." O'Lop confirmed, nodding.
"You, sir, have awakened your powers, which is why I am here to retrieve you. The two of us are going home - my home, that is - posthaste!" Geowar declared, snapping his fingers to create sparks resembling fireworks as he did. "With the approval of your doctor, of course."
"I have no notes. This was truly a miraculous recovery!" Walker exclaimed, tapping his pen on his clipboard in astonishment.
Geowar immediately snapped his fingers, and a golden spiral materialised before the three of them, and O'Lop and himself stepped through, finding themselves in the basement of the castle of Sowei City, right across from the matter transporter. George Renie and Leo were standing next to it.
"What you did was reckless, and stupid." Leo said, staring at O'Lop. "But it worked, so why am I complaining?" He chuckled.
"When will you come back?" Renie asked Geowar.
"Oh, I can't know that yet. But hey, what do you think about starting our little project up while I'm away?" Geowar mumbled that last part, so Leo, busy conversing with O'Lop, wouldn't hear them.
"B-but what if it goes haywire again?!" Renie questioned, but Geowar brushed him off.
"My replacement will be glad to handle it!" Geowar exclaimed, a wide smile forming on his face. Rene did not return it.
"Joy, we're getting those klutz knights again." Leo snarked, the memory of the utterly incompetent Titan and Signus springing back to his mind. "You'd better be back soon, Geowar."
"Farewell, friends. Don't go anywhere, they should come out just as I go in." Geowar said, and the pair entered the glowing portal, headed for the land of the Starborne, the Above.
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Crossing through the portal, the two arrived in the dimly lit room adjacent to Lord Nova's auditorium. O'Lop took a quick glance around and noticed the contraption they came out of nearly identical to the one they came in from.
"Odd. Where are Titan and Signus? They should be stationed here…" Geowar pondered, and his question was answered when, the sound of a man wailing loudly sounded from within the auditorium. Geowar motioned to O'Lop and the two quickly rushed inside, expecting something to have happened. Rather, they were met with the sight of Titan bawling (even though it wasn't obvious due to his helmet), while surrounded by Signus and Master Lambda, near Lord Nova's vacant seat.
"Titan… Why aren't you at your post again?" Geowar approached them. O'Lop slowly walked towards them as well, glancing around the grandiose and beautiful stained glass that made up the room.
"Chrysalis broke up with me, bro!" Titan cried out in pain, as Signus shook his head in disappointment.
"Who's Chrysalis?" Geowar asked, incredibly confused. Beneath his helmet, Signus rolled his eyes.
"Oh right. Last time you saw him he was with Theia. You'd think he'd learn after the 276th breakup, but we can't all be geniuses, apparently." Signus snarked, as Titan cried louder.
"Enough of that." Interrupted Master Lambda. "What is your purpose here, Geowar?"
"Ah yes. You see, Master, another of the humans we spoke about has awakened his powers. Meet Achilleas O'Lop!" Geowar exclaimed, and moved out of the way to reveal O'Lop, who was fidgeting with the hammer, spinning it around his hand, as he gazed at the God of Magic's Auditorium.
Lambda's eyes widened, as all noise, even Titan's yelps, silenced. O'Lop snapped back to reality when he noticed the two knights and the old master stare at him.
"Did I say something weird?" O'Lop asked. Geowar smiled, and shook his head, signalling "no."
"The second of the Legendary Arms of the Masters, Seeker." Lambda let out, then turned to Geowar. "I assume you and he will be staying here for training then."
"Yes, Master." Geowar confirmed, crossing his arms.
"Oh, sick! We get to beat up that turd, Riox again!" Let's go, Titan!" Signus shot out of his seat, and tried to drag Titan up as well, but he wouldn't budge.
"I've lost the will to fight, bro… It's a side effect of… Heartbreak!" Titan wailed, so Signus let him go with a scoff.
"Whatever, bro. I'll go kick his ass myself. Au revoir!" Exclaimed Signus, before fleeing to the next room, and taking the portal back to Earth.
"With that, settled, I suppose some proper introductions are in order." Lambda cleared his throat, and extended his hand for O'Lop to shake. "I am Lambda, Master of Channelling, the technique in which sorcerers imbue their weapons with their magic." The old man introduced himself.
"Ah, so you will teach me how to use my hammer? Marvellous!" O'Lop enthusiastically shouted, but Lambda motioned him to quiet down.
"I am afraid not. What you have right there is one of the Three Legendary Arms of the Masters, weapons unmatched in strength to any others. Another is my Channeli Spire, and the third, the Ageless Blade, Excalibur, has been lost for eons." Lambda said, lifting up the Channeli Spire, a wooden staff that ended with a spiral that resembled the shell of a snail, embedded with a green crystal in it's center, as he spoke of it.
"Even a master such as myself, doesn't have the knowledge necessary to teach you all the intricacies of this weapon. Only one man can help you, the Master Weaponsmith, Orion." Lambda clarified.
"Aha! Then, where is this Orion? I am eager to meet him!" O'Lop exclaimed, as Geowar cringed at him.
"Long dead." Lambda shut him down quickly. "Fortunately, his records are still saved in his lodgings, and they go in detail on all the complicated magic used in his creations. Once you understand your weapon, you and I can go over channelling."
"Very well, I shall drop by Orion's cabin to retrieve his documents! Be back in a flash!" Geowar announced, but a loud and stern "No." sounded from behind them, halting his departure.
Everyone turned around to witness his greatness, the God of Magic, Lord Nova, floating ominously above them with his arms crossed, his robes and cape blowing majestically in the wind.
Lord Nova slowly lowered himself on his throne, staring down at the people below him. Before him, O'Lop felt like an ant, partially due to his enormous size, nearly double the height of even Titan, who was over a head taller than O'Lop himself.
Nova sat down and began caressing his beard, waiting for the inevitable question from Geowar; "What do you mean, 'No'?"
"Surely you don't mean we can't show him the documents. Lord Nova?" Geowar asked.
"You misunderstand me, Guardian. You will show the human the documents, but you will not retrieve them alone. The human, will accompany you." Nova pointed at O'Lop's face, who in tur, stole a glance at Geowar who had gone nearly pale in the face.
"W-with all due respect, you know that's impossible!" Geowar pleaded, a trickle of sweat running down his face. "We'd be leading him to his death! She could- I mean I don't know for certain but-!"
"Silence! You will do as I say!" Lord Nova ordered. "It is the only way."
Geowar anxiously looked around the room for support, but Titan just gave him a sympathetic look, as Lambda avoided his gaze, shutting his eyes. With no way out, Geowar kneeled in respect.
"As you wish, Lord Nova." He stuttered, and once he got up, dragged O'Lop aside, and opened a portal that would lead them to Orion's cabin.
"What was that all about?" O'Lop confusedly asked.
"You're about to find out…" Geowar worriedly stated, and headed in the portal first, O'Lop following him inside shortly thereafter.
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On the other side of the portal was a small, grassy hill. A stone path led up to the Weaponsmith's home, a small, concrete cabin, with a slanted, tiled roof, supported by wooden beams on either side. By the front door, various furnaces, tools, and a titanium anvil were placed, having gathered dust through the years of being unused. A fenced off little garden was adjacent to the back door of the cabin, but the plants inside had withered and died.
"Don't come too close." Geowar warned Lop, and anxiously knocked on the door. O'Lop stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed, a worried and confused expression on his face. His instincts told him to hide the Seeker behind his back.
A slouched figure opened the door from inside, concealed by a filthy brown cloak, and poked it's head out.
"I'm really, painfully sorry for intruding, I just need to borrow some of Orion's documents and I'll be on my merry way! Can I come in?" Geowar asked, a stupid, fake smile plastered all over his mug.
"Is this some sort of mockery? Do you find me amusing, Geowar?" The cloaked figure asked in a low voice. Geowar took a careful step back. "You brought a human to my home!?" They shouted.
With one swift motion, the figure rushed out of the room, knocking the door of it's hinges, and attacked Geowar, knocking him aside as he collapsed on the anvil. The person, who O'Lop had figured out was a woman by the sound of her voice, began flying straight at him, armed with a lance. A pair of majestic, angelic wings were sprouted from her back, contrasting with the ragged cloak.
The woman swung her lance at O'Lop, who, not wanting to hurt her, could do nothing but dodge, as she yelled out questions rapidly.
"Who sent you? Are you here to finish what you started!?" She shouted, unrelenting in her attack. She swung the lance overhead, aiming for the minister's head, and he was forced to reveal the Seeker, using it to block the attack.
Witnessing the legendary weapon, the woman staggered, her hands began shaking, and she dropped her weapon. O'Lop saw her eyes go wide in real time.
"You- where did you get that? Impossible…" She muttered. She clutched her head with her hands, and let out a blood-curdling scream, before rushing back inside the cabin, slamming the door.
"Get out… GET OUT!!" She yelled, and locked the door from the inside.
"Who was that?" O'Lop asked, turning to look at Geowar, who had floated beside him.
"That was the weaponsmith's daughter. Galaxia." He stated. A pained frown formed as he mentioned the woman's name. "I knew this wouldn't work. This would never have worked… Lord Nova was a fool to think it would." Mumbled Geowar.
"I don't understand what you're talking about." O'Lop said. Geowar sighed.
"Let's go find Titan, and I'll explain everything." Geowar opened another portal, and the pair returned to the Auditorium.
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"Oh, thank the heavens! You're both alive!" Titan exclaimed, once he noticed Geowar and O'Lop had returned. He ran up to them to check if they were alright.
"Yes, but we didn't get the documents. Galaxia stopped us." Geowar said, but Titan brushed him off.
"Be glad the human even survived. That chick has completely lost her marbles; my crazy ex Sedna is the pinnacle of sanity compared to her." He shuddered at the thought.
"Come now, Titan, that is no way to speak of a lady in distress." O'Lop reprimanded him. Titan crossed his arms and looked to the side, averting his gaze from O'Lop. "But what has happened to her?"
"I suppose you did have a near death experience, and I owe an explanation." Geowar sighed, putting his arms on his hips.
"Everything began some 1500 years ago, when a certain… incident took place. The details of it all are irrelevant, but what you need to know, is that Galaxia's father was among the casualties…
In the aftermath of that incident, the Guardian Order was formed, and for 500 years at a time one of us would stay on Terra - on Earth, rather - to guard it.
Galaxia, in a state of anger and grief, volunteered to be the first." Geowar began explaining.
"A mistake, if you ask me." Titan interjected. "Horrible things have happened to the previous guardians… You already know of Blaze's fate."
"It was a mistake indeed. Galaxia was untrained in combat, as she largely spent her time helping her father in his workshop. Lord Nova underestimated humanity severely, and he's been regretting it ever since Galaxia's tenure ended.
I've still yet to find out what had happened to her, but when she returned, she was in a dishevelled state, and she's been isolating since. She's been hiding in that cabin for over a millennium, the only thing persisting is her hatred of humanity." Geowar concluded.
"It didn't help when her successor never returned from his mission… hearing of his fate must have worsened things." Titan added.
"… Back before everything that happened, Galaxia and I were good friends, she was like an older sister to me, and I've tried again and again to repair our relationship. Around 200 years before I was sent to earth, I gave up on visiting her altogether, a fact I'm still ashamed of, but there was nothing I could do to help." Geowar said, solemnly looking down at the ground.
"L-lord Nova has been her only visitor for so many years now, and he's not the easiest person to talk to." Titan pointed out.
"Ah, Lord Nova must have thought her meeting another human would have helped." O'Lop figured. He turned his gaze and stared at the God of Magic, up in his throne. His eyes were closed, and he was lying backwards on his chair, resting, looking larger than life.
"An impossible idea, if you ask me." Geowar shrugged.
"Well, it's something, at the very least. I cannot believe you would give up on your comrade like that!" O'Lop scolded him.
"Listen, I tried my hardest! I'm simply unqualified!" Geowar attempted to defend himself, but O'Lop gave him a harsh glare.
"Your presence alone could have helped, and you stopped that as well! What do you suppose she thinks about, all alone in that cabin all day?" O'Lop asked, but neither Geowar or Titan had an answer.
"There's nothing we can do about it now. Let's move on… Titan, you think you can drop by and collect the documents for us?" Geowar asked him, but before he could answer, O'Lop put his arm in front of the large knight stopping him.
"There's no need for that, I'll retrieve the documents myself!" He announced triumphantly.
"No, Achilleas, you won't. I can't let you put yourself at risk like that for no reason, just let Titan-" Geowar tried to stop him, but O'Lop shushed him, shocking him into silence.
"I don't need your approval!" O'Lop smirked, and started making various hand signs and letting out strange yelps, until eventually, after lots of strain, a portal appeared before them. It wasn't as elegant and refined as Geowar's golden spiral, it shook around and glitched, and it's shape wasn't circular, and more of an oval, but it was serviceable enough to get O'Lop back to the weaponsmith's cabin, closing behind him just as Geowar was about to follow him in.
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O'Lop marched up the stone path and came face to face with Galaxia's door. He loudly banged at it, to no response. It was very fortunate for him that their earlier scuffle had broken the door, so he just opened it and headed inside.
The room was in abysmal condition, unlit, the only furniture being a bed, and a table, caked with dust everywhere except where the plate would be. Galaxia, hearing the sound of the door open turned around, coming face to face with the human she loathed so, grabbed her lance from a weapon rack that was on the wall behind it and swung with all her might.
"You may strike me if it eases your pain, but I implore you hear me out first." O'Lop said, before the blow connected, raised his hands in the air, and let the legendary arm, Seeker, drop on the floor with a thud. The concrete cracked beneath it as it landed.
Galaxia was left in stunned silence, her weapon still hanging in midair. She confusedly glared at O'Lop, who had a stern and steady look.
"There is a matter I must tend to, and you are the only person alive who can help me." O'Lop carefully approached, but Galaxia swung her weapon, narrowly missing the man's nose.
"Don't come any closer! I'll die before I help a human! Leave me alone!" She snarled, vitriol consuming the mention of the word human.
"All I need from you is help figuring out this weapon. This is your father's handiwork, correct?" O'Lop asked.
"Don't mention my father to me, human! You- you stole that hammer, didn't you! You took it from him! And now y-you're here to send me right with my old man, aren't you!? They sent you! That queen a-and those cultists!" Galaxia rambled on, shaking that lance way too close to O'Lop's face than he was comfortable with, but his resolve remained steadfast, so he didn't move.
"I have no idea who hurt you, but I swear on my honour as a warrior and a man, they are all dead, and if they weren't, they would feel the cold embrace of death as soon as I found them." O'Lop exclaimed, but that seemed to tick Galaxia off further.
"You don't know!? YOU DON'T KNOW!?! The sun cultists- they- 100 years I spent, chained up in that cave, just waiting for the metal binding me to rust. 100 years of pain and starvation, and you don't know!?" Galaxia screamed, tears began forming, blurring her sight. "You want to see what you people did to me? Do you!?"
With a swift move, Galaxia pulled the ragged cloak she was still wearing off of her, and tossed it aside. Underneath she wore her crimson combat uniform, consisting of a sleeveless top and a skirt that reached right above her knees, adorned with various decorations made of silver. Atop her head, her fiery red hair finally flowed freely, and a distinct halo, not unlike the one on Geowar's head appeared, blood red in colour. Large scars covered her arms and legs from top to bottom, and were undoubtedly underneath her uniform as well.
A combat mask hid the bottom half of her face, coloured red and gray. Her eyes were deep brown, and staring daggers at O'Lop. Her wings spread inside the cabin, knocking aside whatever was on her table, as she ominously floated, looking down at the intrusive human. She carefully removed her mask and tossed it aside, revealing a large scar starting left of her nose, going through her lips, and curving around her chin.
"Gaze at what you humans did to me! I'm a hideous monster, all because of you!" She announced, looking around as if an imaginary audience was there, looking at her.
"And even after all that, the heavens blessed you, a pathetic, snivelling human, with the power of the Legendary Arm, the weapon belonging to my father, Seeker. You, and not myself." Galaxia suddenly cooled off, and stepped back on the ground, her voice lower than before. O'Lop said nothing, and instead observed as the first Guardian discarded her lance, and reached to pick up the Seeker from the floor.
She grabbed the handle of the battle hammer and pulled but it didn't budge, remaining firmly planted in the concrete.
"Of course, I am unworthy. My father went into detail about it. Some utopic nonsense, about having the power to face adversity, no matter the odds. That is what makes you worthy." Galaxia whispered.
"In that case, I don't believe you are unworthy." O'Lop said. Galaxia stared at him in silence. "If what I've heard is correct, you immediately volunteered to be the first Guardian, to head into an unknown world and to protect it! To persevere against the unknown with steadfast resolve."
"He is correct." Geowar said, appearing through the doorway. "I recall that day, during the incident, you were among the first to try and fight, knowing that the odds were stacked against you."
"Geowar…" Galaxia muttered.
"Yes! All that's happened is that you have lost your way, thanks to the horrible people who hurt you, and while you may not be able to lift the hammer now, with perseverance, and with determination anything is possible. You can take the first step right here, helping me understanding your father's work." O'Lop concluded.
Galaxia breathed slowly, in and out, and stared.
"For what it's worth, I apologise for what my people did. I can promise there's more to humanity than a few hundred awful men and their vile queen. You must have seen it yourself, before… whatever happened." O'Lop added, giving the woman a smile.
"You're right… Before the sun cult abducted me, things were good. The people liked me, they thought I was sent from heaven to protect them. I guess they weren't completely wrong, in a sense." Galaxia confirmed, and backed away from the pair, reaching into a cabinet to pull out a stack of her father's documents.
"I don't know much to tell you about seeker, it was a secret project between my father and Lord Nova… but I can help you decipher what's written, if you're having issues." She handed, O'Lop the documents, avoiding his gaze.
"Thank you, Guardian Galaxia." O'Lop thanked her. "We'll leave you now, but we'll be back."
O'Lop and Geowar exited the cabin, and outside waited Titan.
"You actually got the documents! Impressive." He exclaimed.
"Yes, it's a hefty sum, too. How long do you suspect it will take us to go through them all, Geowar?" O'Lop asked.
"Around a week, if I'm right." Geowar estimated, and then a short silence ensued. "Hey, listen. Thank you for helping with Galaxia back there. I haven't seen her this animated in ages."
"Don't sweat it, friend. I'm certain your efforts were appreciated by her as well." O'Lop laughed.
For the next week, O'Lop and Geowar would remain the below, going through the documents one by one, with Galaxia's help. Master Lambda helped hone O'Lop's portal magic as well, and by the end of his training, he would be able to create portals using the Seeker as a conduit, and even change the size of the Legendary hammer.
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When O'Lop and Geowar returned back to Earth, however, a surprise found them. Waiting for them on the other side of the matter transporter were Renee, incredibly pissed, Nick staring daggers right at him, George Renie, avoiding eye contact, and Signus, who looked… really pleased with himself.
"Good luck!" Signus mocked him as they crossed paths, and slapped him on the back, confusing him further.
Geowar went and stood right in front of Renee, ready to greet her, when she suddenly slapped him across the face, and told him to go fuck himself.
"What in the heavens happened while we were away!?" Was his immediate reaction.