PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 7: Hotel Arcus

• Several months after the battle of Cernium, Cosim infiltrated Ereve and told Neinheart that the Alliance could find traces of the Ancient Gods in the Arcus desert in Grandis. Neinheart organized a mission to Arcus with the Adversary, Belle, and Irena. The Glory Guard traveled to Hotel Arcus, where they encountered the hotel manager - a boy named Rusty - and his assistant, a robot named Archelon.

• They quickly learned that all of the robots in the hotel were run-down, including Archelon, who often made many mistakes while trying to be helpful, even as he attempted to learn more about human behavior and emotions. They also learned that nobody had been to the hotel in many years, with Rusty’s friend, Kelly, even having left as well soon after Rusty’s father had passed away.

• Soon after, Senya Angler arrived at the hotel and revealed that she planned to buy it from Rusty, despite the Alliance’s warnings that Senya was part of the Angler Company.

• While searching for signs of the Ancient God, the Glory Guard discovered a treasure map and began reluctantly working with Senya to search for clues. The Adversary soon learned that Senya had a level of respect for broken-down machines, claiming that unlike people, machines were treated as worthless and dispensable when they stopped working as intended.

• The Glory Guard also learned that the hotel had once been home to the Seekers, who searched for ancient artifacts throughout Grandis.

• At the end of the treasure hunt, the Glory Guard discovered that the treasure was a bomb, which detonated and left them with no leads. After Senya repaired Archelon and the other broken down robots, Rusty sold the hotel to Senya and decided to leave.

• On his way, he discovered the broken pieces of the bomb and found a rusty screw inside. He then had a memory of his younger self watching a movie with Archelon when a mysterious stranger had appeared, claiming to be Archelon’s old friend. He recalled how the stranger had called Archelon his “screw-loose friend” before disappearing.

• As Rusty rushed back to the hotel, Senya revealed that she had reprogrammed Archelon to be obedient to her, as he was the key to operating the ancient superweapons buried alongside the fortress beneath the hotel.

• Despite the Adversary’s best efforts, they were unable to deal any damage to the robot superweapons, which had been created with the power of a god, rendering them immune to anything except the power of another god. As the Adversary had lost the Seal Stone, they were unable to damage the robots.

• Archelon attempted to resist Senya’s commands, causing her to detonate him with the intent to rebuild him without his defects. As Rusty cried over Archelon, the rusty screw reacted to Archelon’s parts and reassembled him, allowing him to regain his dormant memories. Archelon then revealed himself to hold the consciousness of an Ancient God. Archelon’s true body - a massive tortoise buried beneath the desert - then awakened and recalled the superweapons.

• Unable to control Archelon anymore, Senya decided to sell the hotel back to Rusty before retreating. Archelon then revealed that an old friend had constructed his robot body long ago so that he could live amongst mortals, as he had always been curious about the nature of the human heart.

• Soon after, the Seekers returned back to the hotel, with all of them hunting for the ancient artifacts of the gods, which were now resurfacing with the Ancient Gods’ awakening.

• While helping Rusty, the Adversary discovered a note from his friend, Kelly, who revealed that the reason why his father had died of illness was because of the war being waged by the High Flora. Because of this, the real reason why Kelly had left was because she intended to join the resistance movement against them.