Ales

**Ales** is hero of the story. After losing both of his parents, he decides to make a living by becoming an adventurer. He is working towards founding his own guild and to become a "great adventurer," something that in Ales' eyes his father never managed to achieve.

## Story

**SPOILER WARNING:** Plot and/or ending details follow.
Ales is standing at the graves of his parents at a cliffside overlooking the ocean, lamenting the loss of his mother who worked tirelessly to raise him while cursing his father for leaving their family in search of adventure. Ales vows on his mother's grave that he will never turn out like his father and abandon those that needed him. He then heads for the Yusidra Caves to look for a Clean Stone to sell in the Prontera marketplace.

On the way, Ales comes across Sierra washed up on the shore. Thinking she was dead, he frantically tries to wake her up and is relieved to discover she was alive. Seeing as she was amnesiac and scared, Ales took it upon himself to take care of her as it was something his mother would expect of him. He allows Sierra to come with him and teaches her about what it means to be an adventurer.

The two of them finally make it to the Yusidra Caves and went in search of a Clean Stone. After a while, Ales realizes that he doesn't really know where to find a Clean Stone and becomes uncertain as to their next course of action. Suddenly, a Mastering sneaks up on Ales and Sierra quickly dispatches of it with her Summon spell instinctively. Ales is shocked that Sierra is able to use magic, but Sierra doesn't seem to understand why she is able to use magic. Before they could do anything, both Ales and Sierra become surrounded by Masterings and are forced to fight their way out of the ambush. After they destroyed all of the attacking Masterings, Ales notices that one of them has dropped a Clean Stone among other items. He victoriously shows the stone to Sierra, who doesn't seem to understand its value. The two of them leave the caves and Ales thanks Sierra for helping him out. Seeing that Sierra doesn't quite understand basic socializing skills, Ales decides to take the shaman under his wing indefinitely and forms his first ever party.

Ales and Sierra travel to Prontera in search of a job to do. They overhear some citizens talking about the Prontera Culverts and Ales takes the opportunity to help out at the culverts. The two of them head over to the Prontera Chivalry for more information and the commanding knight in charge insists on them undergoing a test before they can attempt the actual extermination efforts. The commander tasks them with finding a Dog Tag in the first floor of the culverts under the supervision of a member of the Order of the Knights. Ales is resistant to not only having to do a test first, but being watched over by someone else as if he was still a child. Eventually, he relents and the commander introduces them to their supervising swordsman Lucifi. Lucifi introduces himself and is excited to assist them, causing Ales to have second thoughts. Soon enough, the party is on its way south of Prontera where the culverts entrance is.

At the culverts, Lucifi declares that it's time to look for the Dog Tag. Ales is confused, asking why they needed to look for it if Lucifi already knows. The swordsman responds that he knows where it is because he is their test examiner and that it was Ales and Sierra's job to find the item. Ales admits that Lucifi is right and begins searching the culverts. Little did he know, Lucifi actually did forget where the Dog Tag is located.

After fighting monster after monster after monster, Ales discovers that Lucifi seriously did not know where the Dog Tag was and has been leading them around the culverts haphazardly. Ales becomes frustrated, exclaiming what kind of examiner the swordsman was to not know where the test item was located. Embarrassed, Lucifi offers to help find the Dog Tag, but Ales stomps off with Sierra following after him. They eventually find the item in a chest and Lucifi congratulates them on passing the test. Suddenly, a Drainliar (Big Bat) catches Lucifi off guard and injures him. Lucifi is shocked to see that a monster from the second floor of the culverts made it past the knights in the area. He tells Ales and Sierra to run, but the two of them choose to stand their ground to protect him. They defeat the monster and turn to help Lucifi. When Ales notices that Lucifi didn't seem hurt, he asks the swordsman if the monster was part of the test. Smiling, Lucifi answers that it was and that the two of them passed the test to participate in the monster extermination. He adds that he appreciated that Ales thought of him as a friend, to which Ales vehemently denies. Lucifi asks Sierra what she thought and she also agrees that Ales did refer to the swordsman as a friend. Defeated, Ales stomps off and Sierra follows after him.

The three of them make it back to the Prontera Chivalry in time to overhear an old man begging for the Order to find his son. The commander tells the old man that the Order doesn't have any knights to spare as they were occupied with getting the monster infestation in the culverts under control. The old man pleads the commander, explaining that adventurers won't help him as he is unable to pay for their services, so the Order was the old man's last hope. The commander insists that there is no one available to help, so the old man leaves the chivalry defeated. Seeing this, Sierra nudges Ales to help out the old man, but Ales is resistant to the idea since there was no money in it for them. He then thinks back to his mother telling him that his father was the type to help out those in need. By not helping the old man, Ales would be less of a person than his own father whom he despises. With a sigh, Ales agrees to help the old man for free, which pleases Sierra.

Ales turns in the Dog Tag to the commander of the Order and offers to help out the old man in their place. The commander congrats their passing of the test and is grateful for their help in assisting the old man. The commander then dismisses Lucifi back to his post, but Lucifi requests to accompany Ales and Sierra further instead. He explains that it would be beneficial to the Order if he acts as an intermediary to Ales and Sierra. Given that Ales and Sierra are not members of the Order of the Knights, Lucifi would be considered as leaving the Order to become an adventurer and that there was no guarantee that he would be allowed back into the Order if he changes his mind later. Lucifi weighs his options and reaffirms his decision to join Ales. With that said and done, the commander approves Lucifi taking a leave from the Order and asks Ales if he would accept the swordsman into his party. Ales is taken aback by all this, stating that he never had any intention of letting Lucifi travel with him. However, with some persuasion from Sierra, Ales relents and allows Lucifi to join them.

The party tracks down the old man to the local tavern where he was desperately asking adventurers to help him. Ales introduces himself and his party before inquiring about the old man's son. The old man, whose name is Olav, reveals that his son Colm was left on his doorstep as a baby ten years ago and that he's raised the boy by himself ever since. His son went missing after leaving a note telling Olav that he's gone into the Prontera forest to look for a White Peach. Lucifi asks about the old man's leg, which confuses Ales as to why that would be relevant to their mission. They then leave the tavern to head for the woods west of the city.

They make their way to the western part of the forest where Colm should be. Lucifi insists that they hurry and find the boy before they run into a tree monster that's rumored to roam that area of the forest. When Ales asks why, Lucifi explains that the monster supposedly carries a fruit called the White Peach, which is said to be able to heal any physical injury. Ales realizes why Lucifi asked about the old man's leg and agrees that they should hurry and find the boy before the tree monster does. Unfortunately, the rumored tree monster (Elder Willow) did end up finding Colm first. Ales and the others quickly rush in to fight the monster and manage to destroy it before it could kill the boy. After making sure Colm was allright, Ales chastises him for being so reckless and making his father worry. He then tells the boy that if he has learned his lesson, he can have the White Peach that fell from the tree monster. Colm is elated and thanks Ales for getting it. Ales is taken aback by the boy's behavior, insisting that they didn't come to the forest for the fruit, so they didn't need it. Lucifi pokes fun at Ales for being such a good guy and Ales doubles down on his attempt to have an uncharitable image.

Ales and the others escort the boy back to the Prontera tavern where Olav was waiting. Seeing Olav reunited with Colm made Ales smile, which didn't escape Sierra's notice. When she points it out to him, Ales argues that it wasn't like it made him happy to see father and son together again or anything. Lucifi then asks why Ales' cheeks were blushing and Ales tells him to shut up. Olav thanks them for their troubles and asks if there's anything he can do for them in return since he had no money to pay them. Ales thinks about it and tells the old man that he can help advertise their guild for them. Olav agrees, but adds that guilds need some sort of item in order to become official. He directs them to Geffen where someone is looking for some sort of treasure, thinking that it may be connected to Ales' desire to form a guild. The party then heads off for the magical city to the west.

On the way, the party comes across a blacksmith who was looking rather agitated. Ales stared at the man, prompting Lucifi to ask what was wrong. Ales just shrugs it off and the group continues on their way. Upon reaching Geffen, they were met with a tall gate and a carpenter who explains to them that entry into Geffen was prohibited due to the increase in monsters in the area. Lucifi introduces himself as a member of the Order of the Knights and requests to speak to the carpenter's boss. The carpenter is unable to grant the request, saying that his boss has disappeared and that it was a regular occurrence. Ales suddenly remembers the blacksmith they came across and wonder if that was the boss in question. The carpenter supposes that his boss likely went to Prontera's tavern, so the party was forced to return back to the city from whence they came.

They reach the Prontera tavern in time to just miss him, as the barfly explains that the head carpenter left for the pond in the eastern Prontera forest after having a drink with him. (He apparently does this all the time.) Lucifi recalls seeing a pond in that area and leads the way out the eastern gate of the city. They track down the head carpenter at the pond, explaining that they need his permission to enter Geffen since the gate seemed to be under construction and accuses the head carpenter of skipping out on work. At first, the blacksmith seemed upset, but then apologizes as he was easily excitable when drunk. He explains that he had finished the gate a long time ago and went off to drink in celebration. He approves their request to enter Geffen and goes back to the city to tell his workers. Ales is exasperated that they were delayed into getting to their next destination for nothing.

At long last, they finally made it into Geffen. Lucifi reminds them that Olav said there was someone looking to hire people to help with a treasure hunt. Ales suggests they ask around to find more information and the party wanders further into the city. After some time, the party encounters a thug looking to recruit them for a treasure hunt. Thinking they may have found their man, Ales and Lucifi ask about the treasure, but the thug refuses to answer any of their questions. Both Ales and Lucifi are skeptical of the whole situation, but Sierra insists on helping the man out despite the sketchiness of the situation. The thug offers to give them a cut of the treasure should they find it and Ales immediately jumps onto the mission with vigor. Lucifi is still unsure, while Sierra doesn't know what to make of everything. The three of them follow the thug into a building where they were joined by other adventurers that were recruited. The thug's boss, name Lughill, explains that they were to go into the Mjolnir Dead Pit to find the treasure, supposedly belonging to the boss's grandfather Aghill. Ales suddenly has second thoughts about the mission, which Lucifi points out how quickly he dragged him and Sierra into it. One of the recruits, a blue-haired thief, explains that Aghill was a famous Rune-Midgarts thief who stole a lot of treasure and hid it somewhere. Many have searched for the treasure, but none have succeeded thus far. Lughill and his right-hand man, the thug name Attar, confirms the story and reminds the recruits that they will get a cut of the treasure should they find it. The two of them then leave as the recruits prepare themselves to search the mines. Sierra apologizes for pushing Ales to help out a man who turned out to be a thief all along. Ales assures her that it wasn't her fault since he was the one who decided that they would participate in the job. The blue-haired thief who spoke up earlier introduces himself as Viselc to the party and informs them that they would need to travel north to Mt. Mjolnir to get to the Mjolnir Dead Pit. He then leaves, hoping to meet them there.

Ales, Sierra, and Lucifi manage to run across Attar, who was looking very distressed. When pressed about it, Attar explains that there's been a landslide and the only way to the Mjolnir Dead Pit has been blocked. Attar exclaims that they have to figure out a way to clear out the road before Lughill arrives. They try to think of a solution when Viselc arrives, noting that the recent rainfall in the area must have caused the landslide. He has an idea that will require gunpowder along with plant stalks, wood chips, and poison spore. Viselc volunteers to get the gundpowder while he asks Ales to collect the rest from the monsters nearby. Ales agrees, but Lucifi is hesitant about the usage of explosions. Ales assures him that things will be fine and Lucifi reluctantly agrees to help out.

After collecting all of the materials, Viselc fashions them into an explosive that manages to clear out the landslide. He then assures the others that the path is clear and goes on ahead to the mines. Ales is in awe of Viselc's knowledge and the party heads towards the Mjolnir Dead Pit. Once inside the cave system, Lughill and Attar reminds everyone that they have to find the treasure and only when they find it will they get a cut of it. Ales and Lucifi are still pretty suspicious of the whole operation as the recruits were basically doing the dirty work for Lughill. Despite their suspicions, they went on ahead to look for the treasure.

As they get deep into the mines, Ales wonders if there's any ghosts around, which causes Lucifi to get very anxious and yell at Ales for even suggesting such a thing. Ales asks him if he's afraid of ghosts, to which the swordsman changes the subject to that of the treasure in question. Deeper into the mines, they hear a scream and sees one of the recruits getting attacked by a vampiric ghost. The specter reveals himself as the ghost of Aghill who needs to feed on souls in order to walk the earth once again. Lughill and Attar admit that the recruits were all sacrifices to feed to Aghill and apologize for their horrific actions as they flee the mines. Ales, Lucifi, and Sierra try to combat the ghost and Aghill strikes Lucifi down. Ales is unsure if the two of them can handle fighting the ghost when Viselc jumps in to help out. The three of the manage to defeat Aghill and Ales is disappointed that there was no treasure to be found after all.

With the fight over, Ales and Sierra go over to check on Lucifi and are glad that he wasn't hurt too badly. Ales questions why Lucifi didn't look like he was giving his all to the fight and if he was scared to fight Aghill due to his fear of ghosts. Lucifi doubles down on not being afraid of ghosts despite his body language insisting otherwise. Ales decides to give it a rest as he understood what the swordsman really meant. The party is joined by Viselc, who notices that the three of them get along rather well. Ales thanks Viselc for his help and vows to make Lughill and Attar pay for sending people to their deaths. Lucifi agrees and they decide to head back to Geffen to find the two men. Viselc bades the party goodbye and takes off, believing that they will meet again.

Upon reaching Geffen, the party heads over to Lughill's hideout where Lughill and Attar were surprised to see them still alive. Ales threatens to make them pay and Lughill explains that they were forced into doing what they did. Aghill was really his grandfather and when he found out his grandfather's treasure was in the Mjolnir Dead Pit, Lughill sought it out. But when he encountered his grandfather's ghost, he begged for his life. Aghill agreed to spare him if he would procure souls for him in exchange. Lughill swears that he won't ever look for sacrifices for his grandfather ever again, but Ales doesn't believe him. He punches Lughill into the wall, reminding him of how many people he sent to their deaths. Lucifi tells Ales to stop, as beating up Lughill and Attar won't bring back those who died to Aghill. He then leaves with Sierra so Ales could collect his thoughts, telling him that they'll wait for him at the gates.

After Lucifi and Sierra left, Ales contemplates again to beat Lughill up and decides against it. He then starts to leave when a portal appears in the middle of the hideout. A Dark Knight appears, demanding to know where a girl with a headdress is. When Lughill responds that he doesn't know what the dark knight was talking about, the dark knight slaughters him in cold blood. Shocked, Ales stands against the dark knight, planning to punish him for such senseless murder. The dark knight slam him against the wall knocking him out. While knocked out, Ales relives his memory of his mother dying, telling him that he and his father made her very happy.

Ales wakes up at the Geffen in some time later. Sierra was by his side as Lucifi explained that they went back to the hideout to find Ales knocked out on the floor. When Ales asks about Lughill and Attar, Lucifi responds with silence. Ales took that to mean the two men were now dead and didn't say a word. Sierra asks him what happened and Ales simply says something about a dark knight. He then requests to be left alone. Lucifi and Sierra reluctantly leave the room. Ales chastises himself for being to weak to fight the dark knight and save Lughill and Attar, determining that he has to get stronger.

Once he fully recovers, Ales meets up with Sierra at the inn's lobby just as Lucifi returns from whatever he was doing. The swordsman explains that while Ales was resting up, he's been going around Geffen asking what was necessary to start up a guild. He explains to Ales that they needed what was called an Emperium to present to the Order of the Knights in order to become a certified guild. Lucifi comments that it's going to be rather difficult to obtain an Emperium, to which Ales asks what it is. Lucifi is taken aback that neither Ales nor Sierra know what an Emperium is, as it's common knowledge among adventurers. He explains what an Emperium is and that it's rumored to only appear to those who are worthy. That's why it became a prerequisite for forming a guild, as only the best adventurers would be able to find it. Lucifi adds that he's been also asking around to see where they could find an Emperium and he managed to hear about a source who frequents the Prontera tavern. He reminds Ales that it would be hard for them to earn money without a guild. At this point, Ales could care less about money as his new goal was to become strong enough to defeat the dark knight he met.

At the Prontera inn, the party tracks down the source who just so happens to be a friend of Lucifi's name Aldo. Lucifi introduces the merchant to Ales and Sierra before asking about the Emperium. Aldo confirms that he knows where to find an Emperium, but won't give them the information for free. He asks them to get a Frione Tear for him if they want to know where to get an Emperium. The party agrees to the terms and asks Aldo where they can obtain a Frione Tear. Aldo responds that if he knew where to get one, he'd have one already. Ales sighs, but still commits to finding the tear if that was what it took for him to form a guild and get stronger. Aldo then wishes them luck with Freyja's blessing, which confuses Ales and Sierra. Lucifi rushes in and explains that Aldo worships the goddess despite being a denizen of Rune-Midgarts, which worships Odin. Aldo adds that he has to be careful as Rune-Midgardian are known to persecute those who follow Freyja. Ales asserts that he doesn't really care as he isn't into religion of any sort. Aldo is relieved to hear that and notes that he's only a casual worshipper as the only reason he follows Freyja was because a girl he loved did. Lucifi asks about the girl, but Aldo says that's all in the past.

The party leaves the inn and Ales is lost on how they would go about finding a Frione Tear. Lucifi comments on how Frione sounds like the name of a monster and suggests that they take other job requests and look for the tear on the side. Ales refuses, wanting the tear to be their one and only priority. Lucifi wonders what is the rush and Ales insists that there's no rush. The swordsman then suggests that they could work on the monster extermination in the culverts in the meantime and the part heads over to the Prontera Chivalry.

The commander of the Order of the Knights confirms that the monster extermination mission is prepped and ready for them to partake in. Ales is fired up to kill lots of monsters and the party heads on over to the Prontera Culverts. There, the commander briefs the adventurers on their mission and warns them to stay vigilant. Ales is quick to rush into the hunt, but Lucifi tries to get him to slow down since it's not a race. Ales counters that they didn't come all this way to let other people do their job for them and dashes off. Lucifi and Sierra are worried, but are left with no choice but to run after Ales and keep an eye on him.

The party makes it to the deepest parts of the culverts and Lucifi tells Ales to be careful, as they have no idea what to expect this far down into the culverts. Ales still wouldn't listen and tries to hunt down more monsters. Suddenly, the party hears a scream and they go over to investigate. They found a magician on the ground and asks him what happened. The magician answers that a golden monster took him down, still shaken from the encounter. Ales tells the magician to take it easy as they will track down the mighty beast. At this point, Lucifi is at a loss as to what to do with Ales. Eventually, they track down the monster (Golden Thief Bug) and Ales is eager to take it on by himself. Lucifi warns him to be careful, as it could be a powerful monster despite how weak it looks. Ales ignores him and land the first hit on the monster. The monster proves to be too much for him to handle and Ales ends up in a vulnerable situation. Before the monster could strike him down, Lucifi jumps in and demands to know if Ales was allright. Together with Sierra, the three of them fight off the monster and the monster flees further into the culverts. Before Ales could go after it, Lucifi stops the young man and tells him off, saying that if Ales continues to behave so recklessly he won't stick around for much longer. Ales is taken aback by the swordsman's words and apologizes for his actions. Seeing how genuine he was about his words, Lucifi and Sierra both forgive him and the party renew their efforts to hunt down the golden monster.

After a long-winded chase throughout the culverts, Ales, Sierra, and Lucifi finally cornered the golden monster and killed it before it could cause any more damage. They report to the Order of the Knights and the commander rewards them for their efforts. As they leave the chivalry, the commander wanted to have a word with Lucifi first, so Ales and Sierra wait for him outside. Some time passes before Lucifi emerges from the chivalry and explains that he has to return to the Order as they've lost many members to the mission in the culverts. Ales and Sierra are saddened by the news, but Lucifi assures them that it won't be forever and he will rejoin them eventually. He also adds that his commander says that they might be able to find information about the Frione Tear in a city called Morocc. Ales and Sierra bid farewell to Lucifi and the two of them head over to the Prontera inn to rest up.

In the morning, Ales and Sierra encounter Viselc who had come to the inn looking for them. He explains that he lives in Morocc and manages a caravan there. On recent trips between Morocc and Prontera, his caravan has come under attack from monsters in the Sograt Desert. So far, there have been no fatalities, but Viselc knows it was only a matter of time before someone gets killed. To that end, Viselc wishes to hire Ales and Sierra to act as bodyguards as they travel from Prontera back to Morocc. Ales is ecstatic, as they were planning to travel to Morocc to look for the Frione Tear anyhow. Viselc has heard of the tear, but he doesn't know where they could find one. He suggests that someone in his caravan may have some information about it. With all that settled, the three of them head off.

Ales, Sierra, and Viselc arrive at the caravan in time to see it under attack by monsters again. After fighting off the monsters, Viselc asks the caravan if everyone's allright. It was then that they meet Lisir, a magician that other members of the caravan had hired as a bodyguard. During the monster attack, Lisir had gotten knocked out, but she sprung back quickly and introduces herself to the group. Ales finds her incredibly off-putting, going so far as to say she was annoying. Despite being ticked off by Ales, Lisir returns to her bodyguard duties, reminding Viselc and the caravan that she expects to be rewarded for her work.

It took some time, but eventually the caravan makes it back to Morocc safe and sound. Viselc thanks Ales and Sierra for the help and offers them room and board during their stay in Morocc. Ales is is grateful for the offer and happily accepts. Viselc adds that no one in the caravan knows about a Frione Tear, but notes that there is a creature called Frione that resides in the Ant Hell monster nest to the northwest in the Sograt Desert. The thief doesn't know if the creature has the item that Ales is looking for, but it's worth checking out at least. Overhearing the conversation, Lisir interrupts and asks Ales if he's really going to Ant Hell. When Ales asks her what of it, she quickly shuts up and leave, leaving the party looking very confused.

The next morning, Ales and Sierra encounter Lisir again. This time the magician offers up her services to help them get through Ant Hell. She shows off her spell powers and assures them that they will find what they're looking for with her help. Ales flat out refuses her, believing that there's something suspicious going on with her interest in coming with them to Ant Hell. In typical Sierra fashion, the shaman wants Ales to let Lisir come along and Ales relents. The three of them head out for Ant Hell and eventually reach the underground monster nest. When Lisir seems hesitant to go further into the nest, Ales asks her what she's hiding. Lisir finally reveals that she thinks the Frione monster that they're hunting is the monster that killed her parents. Ales and Sierra are shocked and Ales apologizes for forcing her to relive those memories. He offers to help her fulfill her desire for revenge since he and Sierra were both planning on hunting down the monster anyhow. Lisir thanks him for the offer and the three of them wander deeper into the nest.

After a long time of searching, Ales, Sierra, and Lisir finally track down Frione and rush to attack it. The battle was long, but the three of them were able to take down the gargantuan monster. Upon its defeat, it dropped the Frione Tear that Ales has been looking for while Lisir celebrates finally avenging her parents. When Lisir asks about the tear, Ales reveals he needs it in order to get an Emperium and form a guild. Lisir offers her friendship in return for Ales and Sierra's help and even wants to join Ales' guild once he's formed it. Ales is hesitant to accept her as she's just in it for the money, but lets her do whatever she wants.

Ales and Sierra return to the Prontera tavern with Lisir in tow and Aldo is astonished that they were able to obtain a Frione Tear for him. As promised, Aldo tells them where they can find an Emperium, but warns them to forget about it as the place where its located has a dragon. Aldo only knows about the Emperium because he had dreams of forming his own guild as well. He lost his friends Zane and Rodia in pursuit of the Emperium and it was shortly after that when he met and befriended Lucifi. After he recovered, Aldo sealed off the cave so that the dragon would never hurt anyone ever again. Aldo asks again if they're sure they want to get the Emperium and Ales confirms his desire to get it despite the danger. Aldo then reveals that the dragon is located in the deepest part of the Yusidra Caves, which shocks Ales as he never saw anything dangerous in there in his previous visits. Aldo reveals it's because of the seal he placed on the cave. They'll be able to see it once he lifts the seal. The three of them then head for the caves.

Ales, Sierra, and Lisir arrive at the Yusidra Caves and the girls are unsure if they can handle a dragon. Ales assures them that they'll be fine and they venture deeper into the caves. They find the unsealed cave inside and Ales warns the girls to be on the alert, as they have no idea what they'll find inside. They eventually run into the dragon (Detale) and are taken aback by how huge it was. There was no turning back now, so the three of them go after the dragon head on. A long, arduous battle ensued and the party emerges victorious against the dragon. At long last, Ales obtained the Emperium he needed to form his guild; Sierra and Lisir congratulate him on achieving his goal. as they make their way out of the cave, they come across a letter addressed to Aldo from Rodia. Lisir is shocked that a letter had managed to survive all this time. Ales insists on taking the letter to Aldo and the party leaves the caves.

They arrive at the Prontera tavern to show Aldo the Emperium as well as the letter they found. Aldo reads the letter and is shocked to know that his love Rodia may still be alive. The letter says that Rodia attempted to use Teleport on herself to escape, but was unsure if she had the strength to do it or if the spell would be stable. Aldo decides to look for her starting with Arunafeltz, which was Rodia's home country. The merchant thanks them for their help and Ales tells him to let them know if he needs further assistance from them after they've formed their guild. They split off from the tavern, with Aldo headed for Arunafeltz while Ales and the party go to the Prontera chivalry to officiate their guild.

With the formation of their guild, dubbed Garde, Ales and the others encounter a competing guild by the name of Golden Eagle, headed by a monk name Edwin with his partner Fiona. Almost immediately Edwin and Fiona are rubbing Ales and Lisir the wrong way with their haughty attitudes. They told them that if they encounter requests they can't handle, they are free to send them to Golden Eagle. With that, they leave the guild base with Ales and Lisir boiling. Despite having to contend with a rival guild now, Ales and the others were able to get their first request as an official guild. An elf name Yolanda wishes for them to find a family member by the name of Popi, who was last seen near Ant Hell. Although hesitant to accept the job given Lisir's past, Ales agrees to take on the request and the three of them head back to the monster nest.

After searching high and low all over Ant Hell, Ales, Sierra, and Lisir come across a friendly dog inside the nest. At first they're unsure why a dog is there until Lisir reveals that the dog's collar says its name is Popi. Ales is surprised that their first request was actually to find a dog and not a person. Suddenly, the three of them were surprised by Edwin and Fiona, who reveal that they, too, were requested to find the dog by the same person. Despite both guilds getting tasked to find the dog, Fiona asserts that their guild will be the one to fulfill the request. Sierra consults with Ales and Ales agrees to hand the dog over to Golden Eagle, insisting that what mattered most was getting the dog back to its owner safely regardless of who does it. Lisir is resistant to the idea, saying that they won't get paid if they don't fulfill the request. But she eventually relents and Edwin and Fiona take the dog.

Ales and Sierra meet up with Yolanda at the Prontera inn, who has been reunited with her dog. The elf apologizes for the trouble, saying that she was so desperate to find her dog that she reached out to everyone she could. Ales assures her it wasn't an issue and Yolanda thanks them anyway and leaves with her dog. The two of them return to their guild's base where Lisir was waiting. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Lucifi steps through. Lisir is quick to point out how old the swordsman was despite being in his 20s. This struck a chord with Lucifi and he starts arguing with the magician. Shortly after, Viselc enters the premises and comments on the noise. Not being able to handle it any longer, Ales tells everyone to shut up and Sierra starts tearing up thinking he was mad at her. Ales apologizes and Viselc shakes his head at the situation.

Once everything has settled down, Ales and Lucifi were informed that they were needed at the Order of the Knights once again. Thinking that it may not be an emergency, Lucifi suggests they head over. At the Prontera chivalry, a knight explains to them that a squadron of knights were taken down by a mysterious monster while doing regular subjugation in the Mjolnir Dead Pit. It happened so quickly that no one knows what the monster is. Therefore, it is upon Lucifi's shoulders to track down the monster, as it should be a fellow knight avenging the Order. Lucifi accepts the mission and leaves the chivalry for Ales to discuss the reward. With Lucifi out of the room, the knight reveals to Ales that the entire mission is a farce in an effort to relieve Lucifi of his fear of ghosts. The Order recognizes Lucifi is a promising knight, but find his fear of ghosts to be a threat to the reputation of the Order. Ales understands, but points out that there was no guarantee that this plan of theirs will work. The knight responds that it's better than doing nothing to resolve the issue. Ales agrees and he and Lucifi head for the Mjolnir Dead Pit.

At the pit, Lucifi reiterates that he hates having to be there thanks to what happened with Aghill's ghost. Ales asks him why he has such a fear of ghosts and Lucifi answers that as a kid, his friends and him went into a haunted mansion to test their bravery. Lucifi became separated from his friends and it was while he was alone that he encountered a ghost (Whisper). The experience traumatized him so badly that it stayed with him for years. Ales realizes that it might be more difficult to deal with Lucifi's phasmophobia now that he knows it's a deep-rooted fear.

They travel deeper into the mines and reach the deepest part where Aghill first appeared. In his place was a Giant Whisper, which shook Lucifi to his core. He tells Ales he suddenly has a stomachache and Ales tells him to stop using his fear to push his responsibilities on others. Lucifi forces himself to battle the monster with Ales' help. They have a hard time with the ghost, but were eventually able to defeat it. The two of them make their way back to Prontera to report to the Order. Lucifi felt rather excited, feeling as if he wasn't afraid of anything anymore. At that moment, the knight gives the signal and the lights start flickering. Ales tells Lucifi to turn around and right behind him was a Whisper. Seeing the ghost, Lucifi quickly flees the chivalry and Ales is astonished that anyone can run that fast. The knight reveals that they've been working with a magician name Martha to help Lucifi overcome his phasmaphobia, but it looks like it's going to take a lot more work. The knight asks Ales in his assistance in the matter and Ales offers to help however he can.

Some time later, Lisir is about to head out of the guild headquarters when Ales interrupts her. He asks her where she's headed off to and Lisir responds that it's none of his business. She disappears through the door and Sierra wanders over to ask what's going on. Ales thinks that Lisir is up to something, but she won't tell him what. He could tell Sierra is worried, so he suggests that the two of them follow her to make sure she's okay. They track her down all the way to Ant Hell, which makes Ales more confused as to why she would return there when she's already avenged her parents. Suddenly another Frione catches Lisir off guard and she gets knocked out. Ales and Sierra rush in to fight the monster and defeat it. Ales and Sierra shake Lisir awake and she demands to know why they were there to begin with. She gets upset with them at first and then reveals that she's there to visit her parents' graves to say her last goodbyes to them alone. Ales and Sierra give her the space she needed to have closure with her parents. They then head back to their guild headquarters.

One day, Viselc goes to Ales with a special request. He had met up with a couple of old friends from the Thief Guild name Pott and Mof while wandering around Prontera. After catching up with them, Pott and Mof were approached by the Pronteran knights as suspects for a rash of burglaries in the city. The two resisted arrest and Pott was able to get away, but Mof ended up behind bars. Viselc needs Ales' help to prove their innocence and find the real thief. Ales wonders why Viselc doesn't do it himself since they're his friends and all. Viselc reveals that Pott doesn't want him to get involved as Viselc could get implicated as well. Ales agrees to help and Viselc tells him to go meet Pott in the Prontera tavern. Despite what Pott told him, Viselc still wishes to help out since he couldn't stand by and not do anything to help his friends out.

Ales meets up with Pott inside the tavern while Viselc waited outside. Pott tells Ales that the real thief is hiding out in the Prontera culverts from what he was able to dig up. He tells Ales that he doesn't have a reward for him, but Ales assures him it's fine. He heads outside to tell Viselc what he learned and the two of them head for the culverts. After a long and tedious search through the sewers, the two of them finally track down the thief (Mobster). Not willing to go down without a fight, the real thief fights back, but Ales and Viselc were able to knock him out together. They then drag the thief to the Prontera chivalry and tell the knight in charge that they found the real thief. However, the knight was skeptical and needed proof, to which Viselc tells him that they need only search the culverts to find the stolen goods. The knight agrees to arrest the thief, but warns that if they don't find the stolen items, Ales will be in serious trouble as a guildleader. Ales agrees to the terms and the knight takes the real thief away. Ales then returns to the tavern to tell Potts that the deed was done. Potts then asks Ales if he's the leader of the guild that Viselc is part of and Ales responds affirmatively. Pott becomes annoyed that Viselc became involved anyways, but admits that he's always been that way. He asks Ales to thank Viselc for him and Ales wonders why he can't do it himself. Pott explains that Viselc can't be seen with suspected thieves as a representative of Morocc and a member of a guild. Ales then assures him he will thank Viselc for him.

Time passes and before they knew it, the Garde guild has become well-known among the populace. Ales and the others were visited by Edwin once again and Lisir is quick to strike out at him for what happened with their first request. Edwin reveals that the Golden Eagle guild was no more and that he came to warn them that someone's going around destroying well-known guilds, including theirs. His partner Fiona was seriously wounded by the culprit, saying that he looked like a dark knight. This piqued Ales' interest, especially when Edwin adds that the person is looking for a girl with a peculiar headdress. He figured that their guild could be targeted and tells them to be careful. Before he leaves, he tasks them with a request he couldn't fulfill on his own due to Fiona being out of commission. He figures that they could have it since they took a request from them before. Ales thanks Edwin for the warning and accepts the request. With that, Edwin leaves, assuring them that the Golden Eagle will be back before they know it.

Ales travels to Geffen with Sierra and Lucifi to fulfill the request tasked to them by the Golden Eagle guild. While in the city of magic, Ales and Lucifi become distracted by a traveling merchant offering a variety of swords. Sierra tries to get their attention, but they were too preoccupied with choosing which sword to put on display at the guild headquarters. They finally settle on a Rusty Legendary Sword and turn to rejoin Sierra, but the shaman simply walks away from them. Ales wonders if Sierra was upset with them and Lucifi suspects that might be the case. They catch up to her and apologize for making her feel left out. Sierra simply tells them she's going to the item shop and the two young man follow after her.

At the item shop, Sierra took charge asking what the client needed, which intimidated both Ales and Lucifi. The client explains that he's missing a legendary sword from his inventory that's supposed to get shipped out. Ales and Lucifi look at each other and Sierra turns to them to forcefully demand the sword. They reluctantly hand over the sword to the client, who's surprised that they were able to find it so quickly. He rewards them with money to the disappointment of Ales and Lucifi, who are now lacking a rare item to display in their guild headquarters. They go outside and Ales and Lucifi asks Sierra if she's still mad at them. Sierra expresses that she did, but stopped being mad at them when she notice them about to cry in the item shop. She then walks off and Lucifi swears to never make her mad ever again. Ales admits that she's scary when she's angry.

Ales later calls a meeting of Garde where Viselc and Lucifi both report rumors of a dark knight going around destroying up and coming guilds. Lisir jokingly wonders what would happen if the dark knight suddenly appeared right in front of them. Ales doesn't think too lightly of it and was about to explain to the others what happened to him a while back when the dark knight in question teleports into their headquarters. Without a word, he quickly shows his power and warns them that he will kill them if they resist. Ales tries to fight back, but the dark knight easily pushes him aside once again. He warns the guild again, but Lucifi, Viselc, and Lisir refuse to hand over Sierra without a fight. Ales manages to get up and tells the others to not get involved as this was his fight. The dark knight is amused and offers to humor him. They both engage in battle and as they gave their last ounce of strength in a final strike, a light enveloped them and Ales was passed out on the floor.

Ales was out cold for a while before he finally woke up again. The guild was happy to see he was well and explained what happened to him. Viselc doesn't think it'll be the last they'll see of the dark knight and Lucifi affirms that the dark knight was looking for Sierra after all. Ales thanks them for all they've done, as he feels he wouldn't have had the strength to fight the dark knight without all of them. Lisir starts joking about flying pigs, which annoys Ales.

While conversing with Lucifi and Ales on what to do to improve the guild's reputation, Lisir suggests that they go to Geffen. Lucifi wonders why Geffen and Lisir reasons that it's the city of magic, so of course she wants to do jobs there. Lucifi and Ales then tease about how Lisir barely wants to do anything around the guild, which upsets the magician so much that she leaves the headquarters. Both young men feel bad about what they said and Lucifi offers to go after her to Geffen to make sure she's okay. Ales then talks about it with Viselc and Sierra, who both admit that things are much quieter without Lucifi and Lisir around. Sierra feels worried about Lisir so the three of them head out for Geffen as well.

Ales manages to track down Lucifi and Lisir in the Mjolnir Dead Pit and is glad to know they were okay. Suddenly, a Munak appears and the three of them brace for battle. They manage to defeat it and Ales is impressed that Lucifi was able to get past his phasmaphobia to fight it. Lucifi couldn't believe it either despite stuttering a bit. Sierra and Viselc catches up with them and are glad Lisir and Lucifi are allright. Lisir starts teasing Lucifi about his phasmaphobia again and the swordsman takes off after her. Ales can't tell if they're getting along or actually fighting. Just then, another Munak appears near them, but Sierra is quickly able to defeat it with her magic. Ales suggests that they all leave as soon as possible.

While they were alone, Ales comments on how Sierra has improved since they met. She didn't talk much at first, but now she smiles more and took charge of a mission. Ales goes on to explain that the reason he wanted to form a guild was because of his father. His father was an adventurer who wouldn't take on any job that he didn't agree with. It was for that reason that his father never joined any guild, preferring help others whenever he can. Then one day his father left and never returned, forcing his mother to have to work hard to support both of them. Eventually she got sick and died, but she always believed that his father would come back. Ales hated his father so much for letting his mother die that he wanted to be the complete opposite and form a guild just to prove his father wrong.

One day, the guild was visited by a merchant from Morocc who came seeking Viselc. He informs the thief that the children of Morocc have been struck with an illness and Viselc's aid was needed. Ales agrees to help the children of Morocc and Viselc suggests they bring Sierra long with them, as her healing abilities would be useful to help the children. He adds that Ales would want Sierra to come along anyhow, which causes Ales to burn red with embarrassment from such an accusation. Both Lisir and Lucifi tease Ales for his reaction while Sierra remains clueless as to what's going on.

With Lucifi and Lisir remaining behind to watch the Garde headquarters, Ales, Sierra, and Viselc travel to Morocc. Upon reaching the desert town, Viselc immediately notices that something was amiss in the air. The merchant from before comes to greet them and Viselc explains that there's a local plant that is known to produce pollen that affects children due to their developing immune systems. The fevers should subside in two to three days and the merchant affirms that he will let the parents know. Although this is a normal occurrence in Morocc, Viselc is concerned with how the air shows a much higher concentration of the pollen than normal. He tells Ales and Sierra that the plant in question grows in an oasis in the middle of the Eternal Sands, an area of the Sograt Desert that not many Morocc locals are not familiar with, including Viselc. Ales and Sierra agree to help, as they can't allow the children to suffer much longer.

After a long time searching, Ales, Sierra, and Viselc find the oasis where a cluster of Mandragoras where flourishing. They immediately get to work killing as many as they could to lessen the amount of pollen they produce. However, the monstrous plants were growing back faster than they could eliminate them. They were at a loss what to do until Sierra tells them to stand back and unleashes a powerful magical attack that decimates the Mandragora population. Ales is astonished that Sierra could do that, but Sierra didn't know why she's able to do that. Ales jokes that Sierra is so powerful, she might not even be norman. With the deed done, Ales suggests they head back to town to let the people know the good news.

The three of them inform the merchant that the problem has been resolved and the merchant is thankful for their work. With this deed done, the Garde guild was already building a good reputation within Morocc. Ales is excited and declares he will have to expand the guild soon in order to meet the incoming demands to come. The merchant offers their assistance for all they've done for the town. Suddenly, the lead carpenter from Geffen shows up, surprising Ales. The merchant explains that the lead carpenter is also the head of construction in Morocc as well as Geffen. The blacksmith assures them that he will do a great job expanding their guild headquarters for them. Ales is hesitant, but accepts the offer.

By the time Ales, Sierra, and Viselc return to Prontera, the Garde headquarter's expansion was already completed. Lucifi was upset that Ales didn't tell them anything about a guild expansion and Ales counters that he didn't have time to before the blacksmith dashed off. Lisir doesn't seem to mind the disruption too much as she comments that the headquarters looks much nicer now. Just then, the guild receives a request from a Pronteran guard. It seems that a large number of people have fallen unconscious in the eastern Prontera forest and that they've all awakened from a terrible nightmare that left them quaking in fear. As such, the Order of the Knights have specifically requested for the Garde guild to investigate the forest and find out what caused people to pass out. Ales accepts the request and the guild heads off to the eastern forest.

Wandering through the forest, the guild encounters a Succubus and Incubus disappearing and reappearing through the trees. The guild manages to track the monster pair down to a stream, but Viselc is struck down first, followed by Lucifi, Lisir, and then Ales. All four adventurers became trapped in their own personal nightmares. Eventually, Ales, Viselc, Lucifi, and Lisir all awaken from their nightmares surprised to see Sierra still standing. The Succubus returns with the Incubus and the two of them engage in battle with the guild.

The guild successfully vanquishes the monsters and Ales and Lucifi thank Sierra for saving all of them. Lisir questions why Sierra was the only one to not fall into a nightmare like they did, but Ales is quick to change the subject to the fact that they've solved the mystery of the unconscious people. Lucifi isn't sure if the issue is actually solved, but agrees that they should report back. Ales tells them that he and Sierra will catch up with them later and the rest of the guild departs. After the guild leaves, Sierra reveals to Ales that she actually dreamed with them, but her dream was of being with two men and running away from something with them. Ales asks her who the men were, but Sierra still couldn't remember their names. Seeing as he was being a bit pushy, Ales backs off and Sierra apologizes for not knowing. Ales assures her that it didn't matter who she was with, but that he was here to protect her because they're friends now.

Some time later, Lisir shows up to the guild headquarters with a man in a lab coat who says he's looking for Sierra. The man is happy to see that she was alive and well until he learns that she doesn't remember who he was. Despite that, the researcher hopes that Sierra had put all the bad things behind her by now and promises to stay by her side. Ales and the others question their relationship and the researcher reveals that his name is Gales and that Sierra came from a research facility he worked at. They ran away from the facility and when Ales asks why, Gales responds that it was best that they didn't know. However, he warns them that the guild is being hunted down, which is why he came to take Sierra away to hide. Lucifi and Viselc argue that Gales hasn't given them any reason to trust him and that being with the guild would mean Sierra would be better protected. Ales mulls it over and asks Sierra what she wants to do, but she doesn't quite know herself. Gales then suggests that he'll stay at the headquarters for a while, and if he feels that Sierra would be better off with the guild, then he will let her stay with them. In addition, Gales also has a request for the guild to obtain some documents from the research facility he used to work at. Viselc wonders if this request is a test for them, but Gales asserts that should the documents fall into the wrong hands, it would have disastrous consequences. Ales agrees to the request and Lucifi and Lisir volunteers to help Ales. Viselc sits out the request, saying that he wants to look into something and leaves. Ales tells Sierra to stay at the headquarters for her safety. When she protests, he adds that she needed time to think anyways, so Sierra relents.

Ales, Lucifi, and Lisir head for Juno, located in the neighboring country of Schwarzwald. There, they were to seek out a man by the name of Skal who can make a keycard that would grant them access into the research facility. After getting off the airship, Lucifi takes Ales aside and asks him if he really felt fine with leaving Sierra back at the headquarters. The swordsman expresses that he won't question Ales' decision, but reminds him that he should never let go of things important to him, no matter what. The three of them track down the blacksmith Skal in the Juno item shop and ask him to make a Key Card for them. Skal doesn't seem to have a good relationship with Gales and says that although the Key Card would be easy for him to make, he won't do it for free. He demands a High Orc Helm in exchange for the Key Card and the Ales and the others have no choice but to agree. Lisir and Lucifi are annoyed at having to do an extra step to get what they need.

Ales, Lucifi, and Lisir head off towards the Elmes Plateau where they can supposedly find a High Orc to get the helm from. After a while of searching, they come across a group of High Orcs hunting down a Pecopeco that gets away. Lisir is unsure if they can take on a whole group of them, but Ales reminds them that they don't have much choice. Together, they struggle to take down the group of High Orcs. By the end of the fight, the three of them were able to procure a High Orc Helm from one of the monsters. Lisir is disappointed that they risked their lives for a piece of junk and Lucifi is eager to rush back to the item shop to smack Skal with the thing. With Key Card in hand, the three of them take the airship back to their headquarters in Prontera.

Upon returning to the guild headquarters, Ales sees Sierra and Gales having a rather friendly conversation with each other, which makes him feel a little hot under the collar. Sierra notices and asks Ales if anything was wrong, but Ales assures that he's fine. Seeing that they have the Key Card, Gales explains that their next destination was Lighthalzen, another city in Schwarzwald. There, the facility they will be infiltrating is known as the Somatology Laboratory. Inside the facility, they are to find a case file labeled "File F" and bring it back to Gales. Ales absorbs the information and immediately heads out of the headquarters, ignoring Sierra calling out to him.

After leaving the Juno airport, Lucifi tells Ales that Sierra was trying to tell him something, but Ales already knew. Lisir butts in about how Sierra looked like she was having a good time with Gales and Lucifi tells her to shut it. Ales tries to not think about it and focus on their mission at hand, which is now to travel from Juno to Lighthalzen. After passing through the Elmes Plateau, the three of them reach Lighthalzen. They prepare themselves and then head on over to the gate to the facility. A guard stops them before entering, stating that only authorized personnel were allowed to enter. Ales asserts that they were authorized personnel, flashing the Key Card at the guard. The guard then lets them pass and Lucifi comments on the strict security. They go inside and search around the facility in search of "File F" only to suddenly be surrounded by security Minorouses. The captain of the guard emerges and tells them that they knew Ales and the others were coming and were surprise they fell for their trap so easily. Lucifi quickly figures out that Gales was behind everything and starts arguing with Lisir since she was the one who brought the researcher to their headquarters. Now all angry at their predicament, Ales, Lucifi, and Lisir viciously fight their way out.

Making their way back to Juno and onto the airship, Lisir paces back and forth as she worries about whether or not Sierra was safe. Lucifi tries to lessen her fears when the airship comes under attack from a flying monster (Owl Baron). They manage to drive off the monsters, but the damage has been done as the airship was now falling to the ground. Ales, Lucifi, and Lisir brace themselves as the airship crashes into the ground. The three of them somehow survive the crash, but they landed somewhere between the Elmes Plateau and Mt. Mjolnir. They manage to run across an old man, who is able to direct them towards Prontera. Worried for Sierra, the three of them rush to get back to their guild headquarters.

## References

1. ↑ Ragnarok DS Website 2013 Feb. 01
2. ↑ Ragnarok DS