Lady Luck

"If you grabbed any thunder tomes, I could use them..." Ilyana said, trailing off. Naruto dumped a fair few book on her.

"I don't know if any are thunder, but I grabbed just about all the different ones there." Naruto said.

"There they are! Don't let them escape!" A voice called out. He was silenced by Edward's blade. The rest of the Dawn Brigade was there.

"How did you guys get in so far?" Sothe asked.

"Oddly enough, one of the soldiers let us in the back way. He said 'If you're here to save Laura, I won't stop you.'" Nolan responded.

Sothe slapped his forehead. "It was a trap to get every last one of us, and we fell for it."

"I'm not so sure. He was dressed in black armour, not red." Edward threw in his own thoughts.

Black is Daein's colour, not Begnion's! What's a Daein soldier doing here? Sothe thought frantically.

The black soldier came into view.

"Aran? Is that you?" Laura asked.

"Laura! Quick, escape. I'll turn a blind eye." Aran replied, turning to face the Dawn Brigade.

"But these people are fighting to protect me. I'll not abandon them." Laura responded.

"Argh...I can't fool myself anymore..."Aran closed his eyes.

"Huh?" Came Laura's intelligent response.

"I know what Begnion's been doing, and I can't ignore it anymore." Aran supplied.

"So..." Laura prodded.

"I'll fight with you guys. For a free Daein." Aran whispered.

"Quick! This is the way we came in!" Edward called out, running back the way he came.

"Wait! You have to protect us!" Aimee called out, referring to herself and Kurth.

Sothe glanced back. "Then you'd better run. It's every man and woman for themself out here." Sothe sped away, Aimee and Kurth chasing after the group.

.

Resistance was thin, and the Dawn Brigade saw the outer wall. There was a lone horseman guarding the exit.

"Not so fast!" He yelled out.

Sothe heard a whizzing noise behind him, and rolled sideways yelling. "Naruto!"

Naruto was also in the path of the arrow, and desperately leaped sideways, right into the horse. The horse reared, throwing the rider off into the stone wall. His head hit first, and the man didn't pick himself up out of his own pooling blood.

"There's the exit! Move!" Sothe yelled, and ran forward. The augmented Dawn Brigade fled the compound.

As Edward ran past the body, he claimed the sword. It was better than what he currently had.

.

Aimee's caravan was rather easy to find.

There, the Dawn Brigade heard a rumour that the crown prince of Daein, the son of the late Mad King Ashnard, has been raising an army in the Desert of Death.

"In the Desert of Death, important encounters await us. Our next destination." Micaiah opened her eyes.

No more Aimee! Sothe silently rejoiced.

"We can go together, considering that's our next supply location!" Aimee dashed Sothe's hopes.

"Uhh...sure..." Micaiah agreed, not really sure why Aimee was so happy, and fearing Sothe's reaction.

Sothe just discovered what dirt tasted like, because he went face first into the ground at the news. He couldn't be bothered standing back up just yet.

Oh, shit. His mind chanted over and over.