Guardian Force Series II Specials: Adventures in Almerak III-IV

By Benjamin Louie

Author’s note: These stories tell Faith Midas’s origin story, how she gained her powers and the Soul Swords.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamin Louie
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005905910

Benjamin Louie

Sometimes images appear in my dreams, they are just image fragments. I have recurring dreams with the same images. I piece those fragments together to form scenes. I put scenes together to form plots. And I turn plots into stories.To hire me as a writer, please go to my website:https://benjaminlouie.com/

Book preview

guardian force of the galaxy II

adventures in almerak II

Contents

The Wrath of Rubeus

A Message From the King. Come Home, Princess

Rubeus is Still Alive? His New Diabolical Plan

Take Over the Kingdom

The Imprisoned Princess. Trapped In the Castle

The Legendary Lost City

Get the Legendary Weapons

The Sky is the Limit

Become the Chosen One!

The Legendary Mirrari

The Cursed Jewel

The Princess Returns Home

The Puppet Master

The Puppet Princess

Storm the Palace

The Mirrari's True Form

The 500 Year Legacy

The Wrath of Rubeus

The Wrath of Rubeus

[ A ] - A Message From the King. Come Home, Princess!

In the Kingdom of Almerak, there is a town called Lodeus, that which is prosperous and peaceful since the founding of the kingdom. Due to its size, it is considered to be more a city than a town, and it is just as busy as Capital City. It is this very place that Faith and Marianna go visit after their duel with the sorcerer Rubeus. Lodeus has an abundance of small antique shops, and the girls decide to go visit them and have lots of fun.

After all they’ve been through, they deserve to have fun and blow off steam. Faith walked by this store and one of the jars caught her eye, and she stared at it through the display window. Marianna stood next to Faith and they both stared at the jar with smiling faces.

King Midas paced back forth in his room, as there is something on his mind. Where is she? he murmured to himself. What if something happens to her? She’s been away from home for too long.

His servants just watched him with much uneasiness. One of them finally spoke up: Your highness. Please calm down.

How can I be calm? My only daughter is missing! Midas replied.

She’s a strong woman. She can survive on her own. Socrates replied. He is the king’s most trusted advisor regarding personal as well as state affairs.

That’s not the point! snapped the king. She’s naive and inexperienced and she’s never been away from home before. Who knows what can happen to her?

One of the servants came into the room and whispered into another servant’s ear. That servant spoke up: Your majesty, maybe some food will ease your mind. The chefs are done making dinner.

How can I eat at a time like this?

Socrates: Eating is good for you, your highness. There’s no use worrying on an empty stomach.

Midas sighed. Very well.

The dinner table was lined up with food made by the chefs of the palace; the food is of the highest quality, cooked with the best ingredients and the freshest meat. Any regular person, upon seeing the meal, would drool and his eyes would pop out from seeing such a gourmet meal.

But tonight, the king is not hungry. He tasted the soup. It tastes bad! He smacked the bowl off the table, and it came crashing on the floor. *Crack*

The servants shivered in fear. None of them dare speak up to him when he is this angry, lest they should be beheaded.

Damn it! Can’t you make better soup than this? shouted the king. The truth is, nothing tastes good ever since his daughter, the princess went missing several months ago. His only daughter has run away from home, and Midas is left all alone. Faith is his only heir to the throne, but not only that, she is his only family, the one who reminds him of his late wife.

All of this is crap! the king shouted, sweeping more food on the floor. Then he placed his palms on the table and panted for breath.

Just now, the door opened and a man in a white cape walked in. Sire, I heard a noise from down the hallway. What is all this commotion about?

Midas turned around to look at him, and his expression changed. "Oh it’s you, Squire."

At your service. Squire said, placing his hand on his chest and bowing. As the captain of the guards, Squire is a man with grace and dignity, and rumor has it he is a top-notch warrior. He has spiky white hair, bears a white cape on his back, and wears leather pants and boots. He always speaks with elegance, as he is around royalty much of the time. He has deep blue eyes that can pierce into your soul if you look too deeply into it. Amongst the guards, he is feared and respected, due to his appearance and mannerisms, and the way he demands the best out of his subordinates.

In addition to his regular duties, he is also Princess Faith’s bodyguard. He has been assigned this job ever since she was a little girl. She and Squire are of the same age, so Midas worried that they might end up having relations with each other beyond that of princess and bodyguard, but to this day, nothing has happened yet. Squire treats his orders as absolute, and Midas knows that Squire will never betray him.

Overall, this man with the white hair and white cape is a reliable soldier. That is why Midas’s expression changed when he saw his face.

Captain Squire, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

I have returned from my previous mission, your highness. I have heard rumors that, while I was gone, the princess has gone missing?

That’s right. Midas replied. But now that you’re back, I can finally take a sigh of relief. I need you your ability, captain. Find my daughter.

Rest assured, your highness. I will find the princess even if I have to flip this kingdom upside down. He bowed, and then he turned around and left the room.

You said what? exclaimed one of the soldiers.

I said I will definitely bring the princess back to her home. Squire replied in the same calm voice he always has.

B-But...if you fail, the king will have your head, especially after making such a bold claim!

Fear not, for I have a plan. said Squire.

A plan? I hope it’s good. the soldier replied meekly.

We are going to put posters all over town for the missing princess. And we are going to offer a reward for anyone who finds her. The reward will be attractive enough that no commoner can resist it. Five hundred gold pieces will do.

Five hundred gold pieces. That’s a drop in the bucket for someone like you, who can ask anything of the king, but I’m afraid that alone won’t be enough. The kingdom is so big, where will we start? Are we going to search every single town? That will take forever!

Squire walked over to a map on the table. No, not every town. The princess was last seen with her friend over here. He pointed at Sunrise Village. It’s a village that no longer exists. The closest town to that village is the Town of Lodeus. I am 99% sure that she will be there.

But how do you know she’s still there? She’s a traveler, so she might have left already.

Squire gave a triumphant smile. I know the princess well. She does not just visit a town and then leave. She wants to explore every bit of it because she likes learning about culture. She will definitely be at Lodeus.

As per Squire’s plan, the infantry went to Lodeus and set up posters with Faith’s face on it. It instructed them to contact Squire if they should find anything.

A man with silver hair and a black cape was kneeling on the ground, panting for breath. His clothes were torn, and his body has scratches all over it. Not only that, but there was blood coming out of the corner of Rubeus’s mouth.

Another man was standing up and he offered his hand. Rubeus looked up at him, and upon seeing a familiar face, took his hand.

Lord Rubeus, are you okay? asked the stranger.

"Cruton? What happened?" asked the exhausted sorcerer.

You were about to be dragged into the demon portal, my lord. But it’s a good thing I got you out in time.

Rubeus opened his eyes, and he released the Spirit Beam. Faith fired the Mega Beam, a thick, pink beam of pure energy that destroys anything it touches. The two forces collided...and the Mega Beam, as it’s more concentrated, broke through, and hit Rubeus directly, pushing him away. Uuhhhh! Impossible!

Rubeus was about to fall into the dark portal, and the demon’s hand grabbed him. The portal was closing, and the demon was sinking into the hole, pulling Rubeus down with him. No!! screamed the frantic sorcerer. The demon sunk completely into the darkness, and the portal closed.

Shortly afterwards, when the forest was empty, Cruton arrived. He chanted the same spell that Rubeus did earlier to open the portal. Cruton saw a bunch of demons, they were all screaming and aching to come to this dimension. But amongst the demon hands, he saw a human’s arms, that one has to be Rubeus. He pulled Rubeus’s arms until he was out of the portal completely.

So, you saved me. Hmmm. How disgraceful of me to be defeated by a girl like her. Rubeus said, referring to Faith. My death was certain, but you saved me. You have my thanks.

Cruton bowed. Anything for you, my lord. I never forget what you’ve done for me. I owe you my life.

At first glance, Cruton seems like an average and ordinary man, but he is anything but that. He dons a white armor on his upper body that extends to the shoulders, and under that a sleeveless shirt. Like Ren, he has a muscular build, and a valuable henchmen to Lord Rubeus. Unlike the others, however, he has learned sorcery from his master, a rare skill not many can achieve. The fact that he can open the demon portal by himself proves that he is an invaluable tool in Rubeus’s army.

Rumor has it that Rubeus saved Cruton from certain doom when he was a mere child. His master took Cruton in and raised him to be a warrior and a sorcerer, and that is why he owes his life to his master.

Rubeus took a few steps forward. We must make preparations for my next plan.

Sir, what is our next step?

Right now, Arkady and Ren are in prison. We need to free them.

While wandering in the Town of Lodeus, Faith and Marianna by chance ran into Prince Darian. Both parties were surprised to see each other, but they greeted each other warmly like old friends.

Prince Darian! What a coincidence. exclaimed Faith.

I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Marianna was equally as happy to see him as Faith was.

I am just as surprised. What are you doing here in Lodeus? Darian inquired.

We were just checking out the different stores. Faith replied.

I see. By the way, do you mind not calling me Prince Darian? Just Darian is fine.

Faith playfully put her fist on her head. Oh sorry. I forgot.

It’s fine. We’re both members of royalty. My kingdom doesn’t exist, and you don’t want to be a princess, so right now we’re just normal people.

Marianna piggybacked his comment. That’s true! We’re as normal as we can be. So...are you here to find clues about Vega?

Yes. But I have no leads. I asked around the town but no one has heard of Vega.

I’m sorry it isn’t going so well. Faith said in sad tone.

It’s alright. I kind of expected it to be hard. Darian said, attempting to make himself feel better. But truthfully, on the inside, he had a deep desire for revenge. The sooner he finds Vega, the better, otherwise, the itching will get to him. He had spent countless nights thinking about the night his kingdom burned to ashes. But at least when he’s with these two women, he can be at least, and forget about his worries for the time being.

While the three friends continued their friendly banter, an old woman watched them from afar. She was holding one of the missing posters in her hands. Faith’s face matches the face shown in the poster, and the old woman is positive it’s the same person.

Without further ado, she went to see Squire. Are you certain that is the princess? Squire asked.

Yes... replied the old lady. It has to be her. My memory is top notch, unrivaled in this town. The princess is staying at this inn that I run. She will be there for a while.

Excellent. said Squire. He snapped his fingers and one of the soldiers hands the old woman a bag of coins.

She opened the bag to find 500 gold coins, the promised reward amount. Her eyes grew wide open as they reflected the shine of the gold. The old woman has never seen this much money in her life, and now she is all set. Thank you, my lord! She shoved the bag of coins into her pocket and left the room.

With their new companion, Faith, Marianna, and Darian walked down the street, heading towards the inn they were staying at for the time being. However, something caught Marianna’s eye - a poster on the wall. Faith, doesn’t that picture look you?

Darian ripped one of them off to get a closer look. "It doesn’t look like you, it is you!"

Faith grabbed the poster from Darian’s hand. "It IS me! Princess is missing...a handsome reward will be given to anyone who knows the princess’s whereabouts? It must be my father’s doing!"

But...how does he know you’re in Lodeus? Marianna asked.

He probably used his spies to trail me here. Faith responded. She crushed the poster. How could he do this?

Because your father misses you. said Squire. His voice attracted everyone’s attention. Then two soldiers appeared, one on his left and the other on his right.

Squire? said Faith, her eyes dilating. What are you doing here?

I came here to bring you home, princess.

You know him? Darian asked the obvious because she did not want to be left out.

Faith spoke without taking her eyes off Squire. He is Squire, a captain who’s assigned to be my bodyguard. My father must have sent you. Tell him I am not going back.

Squire frowned. You must not make your father worry, princess. Stop being so stubborn and come back home. He spoke in a frank manner and did not want to waste any time, and this upset Darian.

Darian stood in front of her. Didn’t you hear what she said? She has no desire to go home. She does not want to be trapped like some bird in a cage.

Excuse me, but who are you?

I’m her friend. Darian responded.

To Squire, it makes no different, an obstacle is an obstacle. A commoner, eh? This is none of your business. Move.

"This is my business." Ignoring the fact that Squire is wrong about him being a commoner, as he is a prince of a fallen kingdom, he does not like this guy’s attitude. Squire’s appearance is for sure unique, with white hair, blue eyes, and a long white cape. But there is a certain strength about him that goes beyond appearance. Darian, being a warrior himself, can sense Squire’s fighting spirit, and feels that he’s a threat.

The feeling is mutual, as Squire feels that Darian is more than some mere commoner. Do not make me say it twice. Affairs within the royal family is none of your concern, outsider. If you do not move, I cannot be responsible for what happens to you.

That last remark