The Last Summoner: Chapter 5

“Man, I’m glad we get a day off from school today.” Gloria said plopping herself face down onto her bed after her and Rose came back from breakfast. “I’m so drained I don’t think I’ll ever get up from this bed.”

“You know it’s not school that is making you this tired.” Rose said placing some books on her desk. “You used up a lot of energy when you fought that werewolf in the dungeon. Getting that back takes time.”

“Rose that was two days ago. I’m pretty sure my magical energy is fully restored by now." Gloria said. "Since then I've been running around the academy trying to find my way around to get to my classes on time."

“That must have been tough considering I had you wrapped in bandages after healing those burns you got." Rose said.

"Tell me about it." Gloria said. "Some of the students were avoiding me thinking I was some kind of monster."

"It was all for your well-being." Rose said. "Being a Healer as well; you should know it was necessary."

"I know. It didn't make it any easier though." Gloria said. "Damn Osper."

"So what is an Osper anyway?" Rose asked. "I mean it's great that you have one, but I'm not going to be able to plan any strategies effectively if I don't know everything about my teammate’s battle capabilities."

“Well, Ospars are magical beings said to have a deep past connection with Summoners.” Gloria said turning on her back and looking up at the ceiling. “They always go into hiding unless a Summoner is nearby. When that happens the Summoner can fight against the Ospar to obtain its power. Just like I did.”

“And you can’t have more than one?” Rose asked remembering Zakarn’s words.

“That’s right. One Ospar per Summoner.” Gloria said rolling over on her stomach facing Rose. “We have to make sure every Summoner gets one right? Six Summoners, six different Ospars."

"Are you saying there are five other Ospars out there waiting for a Summoner that won't appear?" Rose asked.

"Pretty much. And each one of them are a stickler for traditions. They won't allow me to have more than one Ospar even though I'm the last of the Summoners." Gloria said.

"How are you sure of that?" Rose asked. "You could always try."

"If I was allowed, Zakarn wouldn't have told me that I couldn't." Gloria pointed out. "Besides from what I've seen so far, he wouldn't accept having another Ospar in my subconscious even if I did find another one."

"Your subconscious?” Rose said. “Is that where all your weapons are?”

“Yeah.” Gloria said. “When not in use a Summoner’s weapons live in the Summoner’s subconscious. They come to this world through a small portal inside the heart and then travel through the blood stream to reach the location the Summoner has asked them to appear.”

“In your heart!? Wouldn’t something like that cause damage to such a sensitive organ?” Rose asked.

“The portal is barely noticeable. It’s just big enough for a beam of light to slip through.” Gloria said. “Once it touches the outside of the body the beam of light starts to form into a card which the Summoner uses to create the weapon.”

“Does it hurt when the cards come out?” Rose asked.

“Not at all.” Gloria said laughing at the question. “It’s like shinning a flashlight on your hand; just you would use more magical energy."

“Sounds like being a Summoner is tough work to me.” Rose said.

"A Summoner has to start training at an early age and never stops." Gloria said. "Even my parents were still in training."

"What? Summoner Sanala was still training?" Rose asked. "But she accomplished so much and even started training others."

"Hmm. Let me break it down for you. That could explain things easier." Gloria said pushing herself up to sit on her knees. "First a Summoner must master the Demon Capture Gate spell. That way they can at least seal demons away even if someone else kills the demon. Next the Summoner must train with the weapon they have an affinity for."

"Affinity?" Rose asked.

"You know. The weapon that you feel you were born to use. Some people can wield a sword better than they could a bow even if they never had any training with either weapon." Gloria said.

"Oh I think I get it." Rose said. "If a father were a Warrior who used mostly swords and the mother was an Archer who used mostly bows, their children would have an affinity for either of those weapons."

"Exactly. My father was a master swordsman capable of defeating large groups of demons with only a single strike. My mother was a master at using a staff which could fire bursts of magical energy. See where I'm going with this?"

"Yeah. You have an affinity for both those weapons which is why you ended up with the Gunblade." Rose said nodding.

"That's the theory anyway. Now back on topic." Gloria said. "After a Summoner masters the weapon they have an affinity for, they must search for a number of things. Those things of course, being different weapons."

"Different weapons? What for?" Rose asked.

"A Summoner must master one weapon, but they must be able to summon every weapon known to man." Gloria said. "And not just weapons either, armor and other items that could help in combat. I am currently at this stage in training."

"What weapons do you have so far?" Rose asked excitingly.

"Well...eh...about that." Gloria said nervously. "Truth is...you've seen all the weapons I have."

"What?"

"Not including Zakarn, I only have three weapons." Gloria said. "My Gunblade, my shield and Twinblade, that sword I split into two identical swords the other day."

"What about your staff?" Rose asked pointing at the metal staff leaned up against the wall at the foot of Gloria's bed.

"That thing is more of a crutch than a weapon." Gloria said annoyed. "It's easier to summon a weapon when you have something already in your hand. It's supposed to be only used for training purposes, but I just don't feel comfortable summoning without it."

"You summoned your Gunblade without it when you defeated Zakarn." Rose said.

"Only because I've mastered the Gunblade and know how it feels in my hand." Gloria said. "If I were to summon Twinblade, I'd need that staff."

"I see. So why don't you just add that staff to your weapons list?" Rose asked. "If its weapons you're looking for that could fill the spot for staffs."

"I'd rather not waste my magical energy summoning that just so I could summon another weapon." Gloria said pointing at her staff. "Besides...I already know what staff I want. Even if it's impossible to find."

Gloria looked down at the floor sadly. Rose felt she should change the subject quickly before Gloria is reminded of painful memories even more.

“So, it’s the weekend now. What do you want to do?”

Gloria looked up at Rose with a blank expression. She turned her head to look out the window and her eyes seem to light up.

“How about we have a training match?” Gloria said excitingly. "It's a beautiful enough day."

“What!? Against you!? Even if it's just training, I’d never be able to take you on. You’d beat me for sure.” Rose said.

“Oh don’t worry about it.” Gloria said leaning forward on her bed. “Besides, you won’t be fighting against me.”

“If not you, then who am I going up against?” Rose asked not liking where this was going.

“You’ll see.” Gloria said with a giggle.

***
Meanwhile in the Headmasters office, Aslan was meeting with the mayor of the next town over. There was apparently trouble over in town and the mayor came to the academy himself to request some help.

“You can see the kind of trouble we’re in.” the Mayor said after explaining everything to Aslan.

“Indeed.” Aslan said nodding. “The news about these bandits has reached even us, but to think they’re this close already.”

“Please if there is anything you can do to get rid of them we’ll be forever grateful.” The Mayor said. "They just arrived two nights ago and unfortunately that's how long it took me to get here. I'm not sure what kind of damage they may have caused so far."

“According to the rumors, they’ll just demand for food and money. Then they'll head to the next town.” Aslan said. “If there ever was a chance to be rid of them, it's now."

“So you’ll send someone to help?”

“Don’t worry Mayor; I know just the team that can handle it.” Aslan said. “These criminals have terrorized this world for far too long.”

“Thank you. I hope you will take care of them soon.” The Mayor said getting out of the chair he was sitting in to leave the room.

Aslan turned his chair around to look out the window as the Mayor opened the door and walked out. He smiles at the other presence in the room.

“I assume you heard everything.” He said. “What do you think about this job? Duran?”

“I think me and my boys can handle it no problem.” Duran said sitting on the window sill of the open window at the other end of the room.

"Are you sure? You just got out of the medical area yesterday." Aslan said.

"Although I hate to admit it, my sister knows how to heal." Duran said looking at the back of his hand. "I feel better than before and I'm itching to get a few jobs done."

“Alright then.” Aslan said. “The job is yours. Head on over there and see what your team can do. Tell Mick that this is his chance to redeem himself after disobeying my orders last time."

“I heard about the battle that went on in the dungeon." Duran said. "Actually I have a question about that concerning this current job. If this is really them, don’t you think she should be notified of their location as well?”

“I would like to avoid sending her. If people were to find out about her it could cause problems for us." Aslan said. "Plus she had asked for jobs that involve a certain item. If you see any unusual items during this job send word back and I'll send her as back-up."

“What kind of unusual item?” Duran asked.

"I'm not sure myself." Aslan said. "All I was informed of was that it was an orb of some sorts."

"I understand sir." Duran said before turning to leave the office.

***

Outside Gloria and Rose stood facing each other. They were a good distance away from the school so that they could train in peace without having an audience. Rose stood with her staff held in front of her. She wasn't too keen on doing this but according to Gloria she was doing a huge favor and Rose wanted to help.

“You ready for this Rose?” Gloria asked seeing how nervous Rose was.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Rose said.

“Alright. Here we go. Zakarn!”

When Gloria called his name a card of light came out of her hand and landed on the ground just to turn into the mighty beast she had defeated only two days ago.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to summon me.” Zakarn said turning to face Gloria. “Eh...Are you alright?”

“I’m…fine.” Gloria said staggering a bit. “I just got a little dizzy that’s all.”

“Naturally.” Zakarn said. “Summoning an Ospar drains a lot of magical energy all at once. It's something you have to get used to."

“You expect me to fight him!?” Rose asked pointing at Zakarn. “He gave you a hard time and you’re ten times stronger than I am.”

“Rose, relax.” Gloria said. “I just need you to defend yourself while I try to make a magical connection with him.”

“Ah, trying to gain access to my overdrive ability are you?” Zakarn asked. “I’m not sure if I should give it to you yet. You nearly fainted just summoning me, how could you handle using my abilities?”

“Overdrive ability?” Rose repeated. “What’s he talking about?”

“Remember back to the different stages of a Summoners training. When a Summoner obtains a weapon they have two abilities that they can unlock with each weapon.” Gloria explained. “First is the Overdrive ability. This ability can be used when the Summoner concentrates his or her magical energy into the weapon. Basically it’s just a more powerful attack that a Summoner can use. The second ability is the Overkill ability. Like the name says; it’s overkill. It’s an attack that puts the overdrive ability to shame and is never really needed in a fight but it's there to use if the Summoner faces a tough opponent."

“So out of the weapons you have, how many abilities do you know?” Rose asked.

“I only know two Overdrive abilities." Gloria said. "The abilities from my shield and my Gunblade. I used them both in order to defeat Zakarn."

“So what about Overkill abilities?” Zakarn asked. “How many of them do you know?"

“None at the moment.” Gloria said a little annoyed at the question. “I’m working on it though.”

“What kind of Summoner did I lose to?” Zakarn asked himself. “You don’t have that many weapons at your disposal. Not only that, but you don’t know a single Overkill ability from any of the weapons you do have. How can you even call yourself a Summoner?"

“So I still have a lot to do before I’m a full-fledged Summoner.” Gloria said angrily. “The truth of the matter is I’m the only Summoner that you could be partnered up with. So just deal with it.”

“How can you be so sure you’re the only one?” Zakarn asked.

“Hmm? What do you mean? Of course I’m the only one. The Sanctuary was swallowed by a demon gate. I’m the only survivor.”

“How can you be so naive?” Zakarn said. “Your little sanctuary gets swallowed and because you didn’t see any others escape, you automatically believe you’re the only survivor.”

“What are you trying to say?” Gloria asked. “Do you know of any others who survived? If so, tell me so I can start searching for them.”

“Now I didn’t say that.” Zakarn said. “I was trapped in a statue when your sanctuary was swallowed. I’m just saying you shouldn’t think you’re all important because you’re the only one of your kind.”

“Um…I don’t know much about Summoners and what they do…” Rose said. “…but I don’t think this is a good way of obtaining Zakarn’s Overdrive ability. Shouldn’t you two be friendlier with each other?”

“STAY OUT OF THIS HEALER!” both Gloria and Zakarn said glaring at Rose.

“OK, OK I got the hint.” Rose said. “Well at least they’re in sync with each other.”

“All that aside was there a reason you summoned me? I don't take kindly to being summoned just to chat.” Zakarn said.

“Of course there was a reason." Gloria said. "I already told you I wanted to form a magical connection with you."

“You mentioned a magical connection before, but what is it?” Rose asked.

“Oh how to explain?” Gloria said thinking. “Just imagine magical energy as cups of water. I’ll pour my cup of water into another cup while at the same time Zakarn will pour his cup into that same cup. So our magical energy will combine. In a sense it’s a way to share magical energy."

“Is it hard to do?” Rose asked.

“Well it can be a little difficult. For example if Zakarn pours too much of his magical energy in; my own energy will be pushed out. Same could go the other way around too.” Gloria said quickly seeing the look on Zakarn’s face. “If we both put too much magical energy in; the cup will overflow and the connection will be cut. If we do it right however, we'll have enough magical energy to use Zakarn’s Overdrive ability."

“Sounds like it will take a great deal of concentration.” Rose said. “But there is still one more thing I don't get."

“What is it?”

“How come he has to fight me through the whole thing while you just stand there and concentrate?”

“Oh? You’d rather take us both on then?” Gloria asked giggling a little.

“Absolutely not!” Rose said quickly. “However if you both need to combine your magical energies together, how come he doesn’t stand around and concentrate like you?"

“Two reasons. One, unlike me, he can make the connection easily without needing to concentrate. He's probably done this more than a hundred times already whereas this is my first time, and two, you try telling a werewolf to sit and stay.”

“I’m not a damn dog.” Zakarn added.

“I get the point." Rose said. "Silly me for asking."

“Don’t worry.” Gloria said smiling. “If he gets too out of hand I’ll just call him back.”

“You sure you can do that?” Zakarn asked. “It took a lot just to summon me, calling me back when I don’t want to will take even more.”

“Trust me Rose. I can to this." Gloria said ignoring Zakarn. "You ready?"

“Y…yeah.” Rose said nervously raising her staff. “Ready when you are.”

“Alright Zakarn you heard her. Attack at will.” Gloria said pointing at Rose.

Zakarn however didn’t move. He just stood there looking up at the sky.

“Zakarn?” Gloria called out. “Are you listening? You can attack now."

“Maybe he really will stand and concentrate with you.” Rose said lowering her staff.

Just then Zakarn rushed towards Rose and clawed at her. Rose shrieked and blocked the attack just in time but was pushed onto her back.

“Zakarn! What was that for!?” Gloria yelled.

“You said ‘attack at will’.” Zakarn said mockingly. “So I attacked when I felt like it.”

“Don’t twist my words!” Gloria said angrily.

“Well don't give vague orders. Just start the connection already.” Zakarn said walking towards Rose.

Gloria cursed under her breath before closing her eyes and concentrating on finding Zakarn’s magical energy.

“There we go. Now that she has her mind on the task at hand, let’s have a little fun.” Zakarn said cracking his knuckles."

Rose got to her feet and raised her staff getting ready for another attack. Zakarn ran towards her and grabbed her staff just to pull it away from her.

“H…hey, what are you…oof!” Rose said just before she got a punch to the face.

Rose was knocked backwards and rolled on the ground a bit. Zakarn threw Rose’s staff away and started to move in closer.

“I was told to attack you.” He said. “She didn’t say I couldn’t kill you, or even gave me a limit of the amount of damage I can inflict on you.”

“This is why Gloria said she wasn't good at being a leader." Rose mumbled before yelling out. "Gloria! Call him back! He’s going too far!”

Gloria just stood there with her eyes closed. She didn’t budge even an inch. Zakarn ran up to Rose and grabbed both her hands and lifted her into the air. Rose tried to pull her hands free but Zakarn was obviously too strong.

“It’s useless, she can’t hear you.” Zakarn said. “She’s too busy trying to match my magical energy to even notice what’s going on in the outside world as long as I keep changing the amount of magical energy I put in the connection she'll keep trying to match it."

“Gloria!” Rose yelled out again ignoring Zakarn.

“You know, I was going to tear you to pieces, but now that I have a good look at you, I can see what a pretty little human you are.” Zakarn said grinning. “I wonder what you look like under all those clothes.”

Rose gasped as Zakarn brandished his claws. She looked into his eyes but something seemed off. Rose expected to see hunger in his eyes but instead there was panic. She walked her legs up his front to kick him in the chin. Zakarn shook his head and smiled without losing his grip on Rose’s hands.

“Nice try.” Zakarn said as his tail comes out from under him and wraps around Rose’s feet to keep them from moving. “But I never let go.”

“GLORIA HELP!” Rose screamed as she struggled to break free. "Something is very wrong here!"

“Scream again and I’ll rip your head off.” Zakarn said sliding a claw alongside Rose’s face down to her chin.

Rose whimpered as Zakarn’s claw slid from her chin down to the top of her shirt. The thin fabric of her shirt began to rip as the razor sharp claw slides further down. Rose shut her eyes tight as tears began to form when she felt the tip of the claw touch the top of her breasts. She couldn't believe what was happening and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Just then, the claw stopped on its own. Rose opened her eyes to see the surprise in Zakarn’s face. His eyes however were showing relief.

“What!? No! Impossible!” he said as he started to glow and change back into a card of light which flew into Gloria’s outstretched hand.

“Are…you…alright…Rose?” Gloria said collapsing on the ground nearly out of breath.

Rose had fallen to her feet when Zakarn turned back but soon after fell to her knees. Rose was on the verge of tears. She had never been so scared before in her life.

“I…managed to call him back…just in time it seems…” Gloria said exhausted. “…Good thing I had a feeling...this would happen."

Gloria passed out which brought Rose back to her senses. She got to her feet and ran over to Gloria.

“G…Gloria!” Rose said shaking Gloria. "Hey! Are you alright!?"

Rose placed a hand on Gloria's forehead and used her own magical energy to see what was wrong. Rose gave a sigh of relief when she found out Gloria had only passed out. She had managed to prop Gloria on her back and picked her up to carry her back to the academy with some difficulty.

***

Gloria opened her eyes to find herself sitting under a tree. She stood up to get a look around and realized where she was. She was standing on a cliff that, in the real world, would have been a perfect spot to see the sunset; however it was really a copy of the real thing that Gloria had made in her subconscious. This hill was her and Aleen’s favorite spot to watch the sunset. Gloria took a deep breath.

“Zakarn! Zakarn show yourself we need to talk about what happened!” she called out impatiently.

Gloria waited but nobody showed up. She waited and listened thinking he was purposefully taking his time. She was about to call out again when she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

“About time.” Gloria said. “You shouldn’t keep me waiting when I call y-.”

When Gloria turned around she saw that it wasn’t Zakarn who appeared, but the last person she would have expected to see.

“A-Aleen?” Gloria said as her old friend stood before her. “H-how are you...in my subconscious?”

“Relax.” Aleen said with the same gentle voice Gloria remembers. “Everything will come together eventually. Can you do me a favor though?”

“You know I can.” Gloria said smiling.

“I know things didn’t go well with Zakarn, but please don’t be angry at him.” Aleen said. “It really wasn’t his fault.”

"Not his fault!? But he..." Gloria started but Aleen cut her off by raising a hand.

“Think back to our lessons at the Sanctuary." She said. "You know full well why this had happened. Of course if you must blame someone, then you should blame me."

"Aleen, I could never blame you." Gloria said. "Besides, how can I? You’re..."

"Dead?" Aleen said saying the part Gloria had trouble with. "That may be so, but...I still feel it is my fault that this happened."

"I don't get it." Gloria said shaking her head.

Aleen just smiled and walked over to Gloria giving her a big hug. Gloria was taken by surprise but she remembered Aleen’s warmth and smell even after all this time. It was something she could never forget.

“I told you everything will come together eventually.” Aleen said pulling away from the hug. “I met Zakarn in your subconscious. He told me what happened out there. He’s very upset about it. Even though he's horrible at showing it."

“I’m so confused Aleen.” Gloria said. “What do I do?”

“First you should trust in me and in what I’m asking you to do.” Aleen said. “Have I ever let you down in the past?”

“No…” Gloria said. “You even helped me out even after your incident.”

“Zakarn told me about your victory over him.” Aleen said. “I’m glad the weapon I gave you really helped you out and that you’re keeping the promise we made.”

“I just wish I knew why I can’t unlock the Twinblade’s Overdrive ability.” Gloria said. “I’ve seen you use it several times, I should be able to do it.”

"I am also to blame for that." Aleen said looking worried. "I wish I could tell you, but this is something you must figure out yourself."

“Figure out for myself? About what? Twinblade?" Gloria asked getting more and more confused.

“It’s OK. You don't have to think too deeply about it now.” Aleen said. “You’d better get back to the real world or you might make your friend worry.

“I guess I should. I hope she’s alright.” Gloria said. “She had gotten quite a scare.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine as long as you help her out.” Aleen said smiling. “You were always able to heal any wound whether it’s physical or psychological.”

Gloria smiled as she felt herself get lifted up out of her subconscious. She waved at Aleen who was waving back.

“Thanks Aleen.” Gloria said before she left. “For always being there for me.”

"I told you I would." Came Aleen's voice before everything disappeared.

***

When Gloria opened her eyes this time, she expected to find herself in her dorm room. However she found herself in a room which looked like a hospital room. It was a small room which had only one door that was probably the way into a hallway which connected the other hospital rooms. There was also a small table next to the bed Gloria was I, where a cup of water was sitting. Gloria sat up to find Rose sitting in a chair with her head down on Gloria’s bed asleep. Gloria looked outside the window to her left to see that night had fallen. Rose probably stayed here the whole day making sure Gloria was recovering. She smiled and placed a hand on the top of Rose’s head which woke her up.

“Hmm?” Rose said looking up at Gloria with her eyes half open. “Ah you’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Better now. Thanks to you I'm sure.” Gloria said. “Where am I?”

“This is the school’s medical area.” Rose said standing up to stretch. “You used too much magical energy at once. I had to bring you here so that we could make sure your magical energy recovered normally."

“We? Who else watched over me?” Gloria asked.

“Mr. Pyder of course.” Rose said happily. "He knows more about magical energy exhaustion then I do naturally."

Gloria was relieved to hear that she was in good hands. Mr. Pyder was the Healer instructor at the academy. Gloria met him at the same time as Rose when she first arrived a few days ago. Since then she’s been attending his class and surprisingly is learning a lot from him. Unfortunately, magical energy exhaustion wasn't going to be covered for a while in that class.

“Thanks Rose…” Gloria said smiling. “…and I’m sorry for what happened.”

“I…it’s OK.” Rose said shivering a little. “I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“Actually it was my fault." Gloria said. "You see I..."

Just then a loud bang could be heard outside the room and Mr. Pyder came in as some other healers holding a stretcher with someone laying in it ran by. Headmaster Aslan could be seen following the healers looking a bit concerned.

“Rose! I’m going to need your help over here.” Mr. Pyder said. “Your brother is in bad shape!”

“Duran!?” Rose said her voice shaking a little.

Rose ran out of the room with Mr. Pyder. Gloria threw the sheets off her and got out of her bed only to stagger once her feet touched the floor. She slowly walked out of the room leaning against the wall to keep from falling down. She heard panicked voices in the room across from hers and she pushed herself off the wall only to trip and fall forward. Aslan had appeared and quickly caught her before her face smacked the floor.

“Wait Gloria. You should rest more." He said. "Rose and the others can deal with this. You've used enough of your magical energy already this week alone."

“You don't think I know that!? I just want to see his wounds, not heal them." Gloria said. "Can you help me over there?"

Aslan hesitated for a second before leading Gloria towards Duran’s room. The Healers had laid Duran down on the bed and had removed his armor so that they could start healing him. Gloria looked at Duran’s wounds and feared the worst. She saw a bunch of cuts and burns all over his body. His blood had gotten all over his clothes and he seemed to be semi-unconscious.

“These burn marks over his body and around his wounds.” Gloria said. “He was fighting a Mercenary.”

“You can tell just by looking at his wounds?” Rose asked.

“Yeah. Those are energy burns made by a weapon of pure energy.” Gloria said. “Only Mercenaries have that kind of weapon.”

“I-it wasn’t Mercenaries.” Duran said painfully.

“Who was it Duran?” Aslan asked. “Was it them?"

“Yeah...there is no doubt about it now...” Duran said coughing. “They are the fakes that have been...terrorizing the towns."

"The fake Summoners!? Where!?" Gloria asked.

Duran didn’t answer. He simply looked up at Aslan who gave him a small nod. Duran nodded back before looking to Gloria.

"They should...still be in Wiltmar..." he said.”Me...and my team...sought them out...but they were waiting for us. They ambushed us...killing one of my guys on the spot."

"You're team? What about Mick!? Where is he?" Rose asked anxiously.

"They...captured him." Duran said looking over at Rose. "I think...they intend...on interrogating him...who knows what they want though."

"Why was I not sent instead?" Gloria asked looking at Aslan.

"They are hiding in a town full of people. Last thing we needed was for word to get out that a Summoner is still around." Aslan said.

"Headmaster...about that object...you mentioned." Duran said.

"Duran, we need to get you fixed up immediately." Rose said. "Whatever it is can wait."

"No! It's important." Duran said. "During...the fight...one of them pulled out...an unusual small orb...I...wish I could remember what...he called it though."

"I think I already know what it's called." Aslan said looking to Gloria and Rose. "Rose, leave Duran to Mr. Pyder and the other Healers. You need to make sure Gloria will be well enough for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What are we doing tomorrow?" Rose asked.

"You are going to finish what Duran's team started." Aslan said. "You will take on their job."

"Wait, if you're sending me; then that orb Duran mentioned is..." Gloria said.

"That's right." Aslan said nodding. "It seems the fake Summoners have a Demon Gate Key."