Note: Despite the title, this chapter mainly details character interaction and showing how all six will get to the same place. Yes, FINALLY, they will all meet up! Albeit at the very end, but still. Not too much action in this one, yet there's foreshadowing of things to come much later between some characters. Yet the action mostly comes in the next chapter. Sorry about that, yet the important stuff also means parts where things are a little quiet.

That said, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

The Journey to Valsena

Beautiful, he thought. Just beautiful.

Duran held his father's sword in his hand, the blade restored and shimmering in the sunlight of the new day. Indeed, the dwarves lived up to their boasts as the finest craftsmen in the world. And all in one night too. It would put any human blacksmiths to shame, the Valsenan soldier thought. Thankfully, no business would be lost as, while he and Angela were currently exceptions, they kept far away from anything relating to humans.

Still, despite having received the prized weapon back, Duran wasn't exactly optimistic. Morning had come, and he had been reminded that the way to Valsena via the bridge was completely rendered obsolete. Thus, another route would have to be taken. Yet the only other way was outright climbing the canyon valley up to the other side of where the bridge once stood, and Angela had made clear that she wouldn't be going anywhere near that area again. Not that it would've done much good for time as it was, as another issue was that Altenan forces were making their way to Valsena at that very moment. They might've already reached the kingdom by now, who knew? But regardless, Duran HAD to make it there by any means.

And though it was just something that had come to him in the briefest of thoughts, once he got it in his mind, he found himself unable to shake it.

And thus, here they were, in Maia, with Watts and a bag of nitromyte. Or rather, Watts and an unseen dwarf wearing a regular sized coat and appearing as a freakishly tall, dark faced human. "I still don't understand why you couldn't just come as yourself instead of...this thing." Angela remarked, giving the 'human' a poke in its lower region, causing the two dwarves to momentarily lose balance before regaining it again.

"You sure about this?" Faerie asked. "I mean, granted, I don't want anything bad to happen to your king either, but…"

"Honestly...I wouldn't do this if there was any other way I could think of." Duran admitted. "But…"

"Watch it!" Watts hissed. "Like I said, we dwarves don't interact with humans. But we've gotta make cash somehow. So we gotta come out here sometimes."

"Speaking of, here." the lower dwarf said, opening the lower part of the coat and tossing a black bag in Angela's direction, she catching it mostly out of reflex. "Since we are a little vertically inclined, you can do us the service of keeping this."

"Wh-What?!" she shouted, Watts and his partner going off towards an empty stand. "H-Hey! Wait!" she then looked to Duran. "Here." she then tossed it in his direction, he too instinctively caught it and immediately became aware of just how heavy it was. "You keep it." Angela then rushed forward towards the dwarves, Duran struggling behind in carrying the sack.

"Gee, thanks." he hissed. Suddenly, he felt a hand seize his shoulder.

"Ah, THERE you are!" oh no, Duran thought. Even if the small man and his invention came to his mind, for some reason, that didn't mean he was looking forward to seeing him. "You know, you've GOT to stop disappearing on me, young man! How else am I supposed to-" it was then that Bon Voyage paused, looking at the sack. "Wait a moment." he then leaned closer and, to Duran's surprise, actually sniffed it. "Is that…" he sniffed again, the metallic scent overtaking his nostrils. He recoiled, hacking and coughing from the intensity of it. "Yep." the short man coughed. "That's nitromyte all right!"

"Hm?" Watts and his 'lower half' turned to see Duran currently being hounded by a stout man wearing a rather peculiar outfit. "Who's that?"

Angela looked to see what they were talking about, and found both a sense of relief and dread overcome her. "That's...who we're looking for."

Faerie sighed from inside her host. "Here we go."

Jadd

"All right," Riesz muttered, drumming her fingers on the table of the messed up but retaken bar in the recently re-acquired town. "No deaths, only minor injuries…"

"Overall, a successful operation." Hawkeye added in, Riesz looking up to see the thief join her at her table. "See? Told you it'd be fine."

True, things DID turn out better than she imagined they would, yet still, if she had the choice, she would never wish to send civilians into a situation like this again. Of course, with this subsequent takeover, another thought came to her mind. One that she would be herelding with a far more trained group. Though arguably, one that was far more dangerous, and one that wouldn't have the added help of the little people that made this whole operation in Jadd possible.

Hawkeye could immediately see her tension, yet before he could ask, he heard a conversation taking place up above. "I said I was sowwy!" he heard Charlotte speak from upstairs. "I didn't know you wewe so upset about it!"

"Well, I am!" that was Kevin, and from the sound of it, the two were engaged in some sort of argument. He crept up to see the two, Charlotte seemingly surprised while Kevin looked rather upset. "You...you asked me that just so you could get an opening!"

"Weww...yeah, ok." the blonde girl agreed, her expression turning guilty. "But I didn't mean to!"

"Then what did you mean?" Kevin asked, folding his arms, wincing for a moment from the various bruises, particularly his black eye, giving him a shot of pain.

"I had to go!" Charlotte argued. "I needed to hewp Ewisa!"

Kevin sighed. "And I get that." he said, though he was still not pleased with her. "Yet...yet what you said back there to get there…"

"You wouwn't have wet me go if I didn't though…" Charlotte answered, though she immediately regretted it when the beastman turned away. "W-Wait. Kevin-" but it was too late. He went out the room and right past Hawkeye, not even paying the thief any mind, let alone knowing he was there. Going down slowly after him, he watched as Kevin made his exit from the bar.

"What was that about?" Riesz questioned, rising from her seat.

"Kevin?" footsteps were heard, Charlotte was seen coming down the stairs, but she then stopped in her tracks upon seeing that she was too late to stop Kevin. "Kevin…" she murmured, looking to the floor. "I...I didn't mean to…" then, she slumped her way back up the stairs, sniffling. Riesz looked to Hawkeye, he having clearly seen something.

"Just...give them a bit of time." he told the amazon, she in turn biting her lip.

"Not that I'm unsympathetic," Riesz said. "But we don't exactly HAVE that much time. Not if we want to catch that young man. Duran, I believe his name was."

Ah, yes, Hawkeye remembered. "Didn't he say he was from Valsena?"

"Yes." Riesz nodded. "Which means that when we find him, we find the Mana Sword."

"Course," Hawkeye countered. "He didn't exactly seem too keen on getting it. Nor were we too keen on the whole shtick that came with it."

Riesz was silent for a moment, folding her arms and resting her chin. Her upper row of teeth bit down hard on her lower lip, her mind going through the motions of the several possibilities that presented themselves in front of her. As well as all the potential consequences, rewards, and whether or not the risks were worth taking. Indeed, it was much to consider. Yet in that instant, a face came to her mind. That of a small boy. "Truth be told," she began after a good degree of silence. "The retaking of my kingdom isn't the only reason I've come to seek guidance." Riesz explained. "My other reason, though not second in importance, is more...personal."

Hawkeye tilted his head. "Personal?"

Riesz lowered her head. 'Why am I telling you of all people?' she thought, yet at the moment, the words tumbled from her lips. "...my brother."

Maia

"I'll take it!" Bon Voyage declared, loud enough so that everyone outside and running the other stands could hear! "I'll take it all!"

"Uh...sure. Ok. Whatever floats your boat, my man." Watts and his companion were rather off put by how quickly the small man took up their deal of ten-thousand lucre, yet ultimately, who were they to complain? Booze, here they come! "Pleasure doing business with ya!"

"Indeed!" Bon Voyage excitedly cried out, Faerie inwardly rolling her eyes.

"Well, those two have rather high priorities…"

Then, the little man turned to Duran and Angela. "And as for you two," he then grabbed both of them by the wrist. "Come with me!" then, at a rather frightening speed, he raced to his home, dragging the two youths with him and leaving Watts and his 'lower half' alone.

"Now what?" a muffled voice questioned, Watts giving him a small stomp to get him to keep quiet. Though that didn't stop him from undoing some of the buttons of the coat and seeing the house that their company had been dragged into. "You think that guy's got what they say he's got?"

Watts shrugged. Yet given that they had essentially done what they set out to do, they had initially planned to go back. Although...a canon the size of a small house...and built by a human no less...that was something that perhaps needed looking into.

Bon Voyage's Home

"What have you done?" Angela murmured, Duran biting his lip.

"That's what I'd like to know too." Faerie asked, having not come out from Duran, but that didn't stop her from talking.

"You have any other suggestions?" he asked. "Besides, if his sister, at least, that's who I think that woman was, came out alive, then surely we will!"

Angela only narrowed her eyes. "You're grasping at straws."

Duran didn't answer, knowing well she was right. Though he dare not admit it. Yet at the moment, he couldn't think of any other way to get to Valsena. Hell, that damned wizard outright announced his plans to go to his kingdom, and without him there, who would protect the king? True, there were other soldiers, yet...yet he had to be there! He just had to! Still, one thing puzzled him. "It's not like you have to come."

"No, I'm going." the young sorceress answered. "You're not the only one that has a thing or two to say to Koren." she folded her arms and tightened her lips.

"I still can't believe that you want to go through with this." a woman, Bon Voyage's sister, said, baffled the moment the young man asked whether or not the small inventor (though she had more colorful names for him) could pull off getting them to Valsena.

"Truth be told, I can't believe it either." Duran admitted. "But I-"

"Ahem?" Angela raised a brow.

"WE," Duran looked to her as if to say 'happy now?'. "Need to get to the kingdom as soon as possible."

"Can you guarantee you'll survive this?" Faerie asked. "Because, well, you know…" Duran didn't answer. True, Bon Voyage had told them that this would be, in his words, 'perfectly safe', but that man's word meant as much as his mental stability.

The woman looked up and down at the young man stationed in the chair, noting his attire. "You're a soldier, aren't you?" Duran nodded. "Then what are you doing out of the kingdom anyway? Did the king send you on some business or something?" she paused. "Then again, you probably can't answer that…"

"Sort of." the young man answered. 'Mainly personal...but he'll understand.' at least, he could only hope Richard would.

Outside, Watts and his partner looked through the window, surveying the conversation taking place. "When's this guy gonna do something? You said he was crazy!"

"Just wait a bit!" Watts told him. "I've seen him a few times when you and I came here to sell stuff. He always goes on about some grand 'masterpiece', so if these guys are gonna hitch a ride, we're gonna see it for sure!"

"We had better." the second dwarf said gruffly. "You're gonna give me a black eye from those shoes of yours."

Inside, Bon Voyage burst in. "It's ready!" he cried out, jostling everyone from their places due to the volume of his voice. "C'mon, c'mon!" he then got behind Duran and gave his chair a push, knocking him out of it.

"Ow! What the hell-" the young man was cut off by Bon Voyage seizing his arm and dragging him forward, Duran practically being dragged across the floor. Angela gave a small chuckled, yet found herself being dragged to the back door, the small man bursting through it and showing off his masterpiece.

"Behold!" Bon Voyage cried out, Duran and Angela's eyes widening at the massive, dark cannon before them. "I give you the pinnacle of my craft! With this, I shall change and revolutionize history!"

Faerie was left awestruck and terrified. "Oh Goddess, what have you done?"

His sister only shook her head, yet then became aware of the two small figures standing beside her. "Hey! How'd you two get in here?!"

Outside of Jadd

The jester was sent back by a blow to his face, his back slamming against and tearing through a burned up wall of what once used to be a standing house in Astoria. "Release them!" Ludgar roared, the other beastmen backing away from their enraged commander. The blonde, feral humanoid went over to Goremand and seized him by the collar, lifting him up to where they were only mere inches apart from each other. "I know you can, so cough them up!"

Ludgar's troops, having been forced from Jadd, had spent the last few hours in the wilds of the Rabite Forest with little direction. Jadd had been taken away from them, and from the looks of it, whatever valuables that were left in Astoria had been taken back to the reclaimed city in their absence. Even more, Wendel was cut off from them as well. Yet at the moment, the only thing at the forefront of Ludgar's mind was getting the jester to expel the souls of his two comrades that he had just swallowed during the battle.

Goremand rose up and dusted himself off. Lurching forward, the jester gained two lumps in his throat and coughed up what appeared to be two orbs of light. Taking these orbs, he pushed them gently forward, the spheres floating and entering the bodies of two seemingly unconscious forms of two beastmen. Entering through the chest, the two forms stirred and slowly, yet surely lifted themselves up, seemingly confused and unaware of what had just happened. "There." Goremand hissed, rubbing his now sore throat. "Happy now?"

Ludgar snarled. "I'd be 'happier' if you had actually done something worthwhile instead of keeping yourself inside that fat fool's home!" the commander grinded his fangs. "I told you that those children wouldn't be getting out!"

"And as I told you, they were our bargaining chip!" the jester argued back. "And lo and behold, that boy's mother and the fat one came for them." the unnatural being then licked his lips. "As well as that sweet little girl…"

"No." Ludgar answered. "We were to drive out any humans on the territory. No unnecessary bloodshed."

"My method doesn't INVOLVE bloodshed." Goremand answered. "But I've got to ask, you caused such a fuss over those two lackies of yours, yet but smashing and demolishing the humans' villages and leaving them homeless is ok?"

Ludgar paused for a moment, turning away from the jester. "You know nothing of the oppression we have faced from humans over the years." he answered. "A little camping out in the woods won't hurt them." he then began going off, coming to a stop at the shore of the massive body of water, unable to see it from this distance, yet he knew that Ferolia was just across it. To think that they had left what they thought was a short time ago, and had even gained control of the human settlements here, as well as gained access to Wendel. Yet now, now it all came crashing down. Ludgar took a nearby, burnt plank of wood and threw it out into the water, the splash large, but nothing could match up to his frustration at the moment. The men were also at a loss of what to do, the beastmen now the ones left out in the cold.

"Hey now, don't misunderstand me." Suddenly, Goremand seemed to manifest right beside the blonde commander, he in turn, though he dared not openly express it, being shocked by the jester's sudden appearance. "I care not for the lives of these humans either. Yet it seems that, if I may be so bold, that you're not as 'serious' about this mission as you let on."

Ludgar whirled his head around to face the jester, just about ready to throw him out into the lake. "You care to repeat that, clown?!"

"Well, let's count the ways, shall we?" the jester smirked. "You were sent here to acquire the Mana Stone and the surrounding areas, and up until that old fart in Wendel put up another barrier, we were doing just fine. But there were a few...things that I took as sort of odd."

"Such as?" Ludgar snarled, really considering taking the weirdly dressed freak and throwing him right in the lake.

"For one, you had no problem tearing up this place and terrorizing those in Jadd, yet so far, I haven't seen anybody die, have you?" Ludgar was silent. "And, aside from those two priests in Wendel,"

"Which I was NOT aware of until after the fact." the beastman clarified.

"Which I'm NOT giving back. Those belong to the enemy, so technically, they're fair game. Besides, the barrier will block out any intruding force." Ludgar turned away from the jester. "Yet your mission here isn't a failure yet. That old coot must be on death's door by now after casting such a spell. All we need to do is wait until he croaks to then make it into Wendel."

Well, this was somewhat better news, Ludgar thought. "Then we'll keep some troops posted here until that time comes. These woods have plenty of food and shelter for us as it is."

"Though, may I add, you have yet to decide on a sacrifice for the Stone."

"And you've yet to get it through you head that such a decision is MINE and MINE alone."

"Which'll come never." Goremand retorted. "Because you'll never make that decision."

"Excuse me?!" Ludgar whirled around, glaring daggers at the jester, of whom seemed completely unaffected.

"You know I'm right." Goremand responded. "You wouldn't do it, not even until the end. You know, for someone that likes to puff himself up as all that, your soft spots are quite noticeable."

"Shut up…"

"Especially with that little prince."

"Shut up!"

"I know despite all your trash talk about him, you couldn't do it. You beat him to a pulp, but you couldn't finish it. You couldn't bring yourself to-"

"SHUT UP!" the beastman could take no more, seizing the jester by the collar and yanking him off of his feet. "You know nothing, you pale faced bastard! That weakling means NOTHING to me! I would've struck him down had we not been overtaken by those damned humans and their 'help'!"

"You could've overpowered him and you know it." Goremand simply answered, Ludgar just about ready to take a chunk out of his neck. Yet he did nothing but hold him there for a good few moments before he thrust the jester to the ground and stomped off, hissing and spouting curses in his direction. No one made a single comment about it, let alone dare approach their commander, yet Goremand paid them no mind.

Rising from his place on the ground, he dusted himself off and eyed the blonde beastman. 'You may put up an image, but I can read right through you.' Goremand narrowed his eyes. 'I see through all of you. You're ALL no different. Just as weak and hapless as the humans you claim you wish to dominate.' the jester then smiled. 'Keep thinking such then, if it pleases you. It matters not to me. For when the time comes, we'll see who's the one on top." his weapon manifested from thin air and he gripped its handle. 'Oh yes…' he smiled. 'We'll truly see who's on top, won't we? And when that time comes...you'll be mine, you animal.' he then licked his lips. 'You will be ALL mine…'

Jadd

"...and, that's why I'm here." Riesz finished, eyes downcast.

Hawkeye was left speechless. "I...I don't know what to say." he stammered. "I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry my people…"

"Don't be." the princess shook her head. "You weren't the one who caused all that damage. Let alone be the one to capture Elliot." she clenched a fist. "It was those two fiends that did it…"

Hawkeye's eyes widened at that. "Two? Like...twins?"

"Yes." Riesz turned to the thief. "You know of them?" she asked.

"I may." Hawkeye admitted. "But…"

"But what?"

The violet haired thief bit his lip. "They're friends of mine," he admitted. "Though...I don't doubt what you're telling me is true, but...but that just doesn't fit their character."

"Then enlighten me." Riesz replied. "What IS their character, aside from kidnapping innocent children?"

"It's not their fault!" Hawkeye protested. "It…" he then realized. "It must be Isabella's work." he muttered.

The amazon, to his dismay, heard him. "Who?"

Hawkeye seized up. Oh Goddess, how was he going to talk his way out of this? "I-Isabella." he finally spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Who is?"

"She...she's a witch." Hawkeye answered, his apprehension giving way to anger. "She's not only the reason Jessica is cursed, but it's because of her that everyone in Nevarl is acting strange no doubt."

"Isabella…" Riesz then began to reminisce, albeit with a good degree of discomfort, on the burning image of Laurent. And the woman that she had seen that seemed to be at the helm of the operation. "Red hair?" she then asked. "Exotic attire?"

"That sounds like her." Hawkeye confirmed. "Why? Have you seen her?" he asked, surprised.

"She was at Laurent." Riesz answered. "She set those two fiends on my father." she growled. Friends of Hawkeye or not, she wasn't going to lighten her language for him.

"I knew it." Hawkeye growled in turn. "All of this is her fault."

Riesz observed him. "It seems we have shared animosity for this woman." she continued. "And I've given my full story on why I'm here. So far, you've only mentioned a 'Jessica' and a 'cursed necklace', but it seems that there's much more than just that." she noticed Hawkeye, despite his usual nature, growing nervous. "Care to elaborate further?"

After a few moments of debilitating silence, the thief sighed and relented. It was bound to come out later. That said, he had to be careful of what he said, remembering Isabella's words. "I guess you can say it officially began when the head of our guild made an announcement…"

Maia

Despite having seen it before, Duran was still left flabbergasted at what was before him, Angela now just getting a first hand look at it, she scarcely believed what was before her was even real. "We're gonna go to Valsena...in THAT?" she stammered, immediately growing tense.

"Right you are!" Bon Voyage confirmed, grinning from ear to ear in anticipation. "Oh, don't worry though! I've gone through several test runs! It's perfecty safe!"

"If by safe, you mean 'I somehow managed to not break my neck', then yes." the woman near the backdoor called out. It was only then that she noticed the dwarves again. "And would you guys get out of here!?"

"Amazing…" Watts said in awe, ignoring the woman and approaching the cannon. "I didn't think humans were capable of such things…" his other dwarf friend went over and gave the cannon a small poke. The structure on this thing was incredible!

"All right, if you want to get to Valsena, I'd say the best time is now!" Bon Voyage then said, pushing Duran and Angela towards the ladder without giving either of the youths time to say anything. "Come on! Up, up!"

"Wait a minute, you old coot!" Angela then shouted. "You can't just send us flying out of that thing! You'll kill us both!"

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot!" he then dashed inside the house, leaving the group for a moment.

"Frankly put, I'm fine with walking all the way there if this is the alternative." Angela said, having reached the limit of her tolerance level with this fool. She then looked to his sister. "You two can't be related."

Bon Voyage's sister sighed. "I've told myself over the years that he's adopted, and my parents just didn't tell me." she explained. "Otherwise, whatever he has, I'm glad it didn't get passed to me."

"I don't know if that's how human genetics work…" Faerie muttered. "Then again, he has SOMETHING that should stay in only ONE person!"

"And here we are!" a shape covered in white sheets exited from the house, shaking them off to reveal the short inventor.

"And those are?" Duran questioned.

"Parachutes of course!" Bon Voyage answered. "To think, I nearly sent you off without them!" Both Duran and Angela were left flabbergasted.

"You SURE this is the only way there?" Angela whispered.

"The bridge is out, and unless we feel like rock climbing, I can't think of anything better." Duran responded, neither able to go further as a white sheet was thrown in their direction, said sheets having harnesses attached to them.

"Ok, seeing as that little issue has been taking care of," Little?! Duran and Angela still couldn't believe this guy. "Let's get going, shall we?" the little man climbed up the ladder and opened up the hatch, waving for both youths to climb on in.

Well...insane as it was, it seemed there really was no other way. Climbing up, with their parachutes on, Duran and Angela climbed in, a chill running through them when the hatch was shut, trapping them in near complete darkness, save for the opening at the front where they'd exit out of. Watts and his dwarf friend moved out of the way to witness what was taking place, while the little inventor's sister began mouthing a silent prayer.

Faerie trembled. "Goddess help us all…"

"Ready?" Bon Voyage lit the thickened rope at the end of the breech. The flame burnt away at the fuse, the voyage slow and methodical, making it all the more stressful. "One…" it was halfway now. "Two…" just a little bit more now. "THREE!"

Finally, it was time.

BOOM!

Jadd

"...and that's why I'm here."

Riesz was silent for a short while before speaking again. "So...you mean to tell me that this 'Isabella' has somehow entranced the entirety of your guild and set them on Laurent?"

"Pretty much." Hawkeye confirmed. "I know, I know, it's a lot to swallow, and I'll admit, it doesn't sound believable…" he could tell that the princess wasn't entirely certain of what he was saying. "But I promise you, not just Bill and Ben, but everyone, they're not like that! They're good people!"

'Good people that set my home on fire and kidnapped an innocent boy.' Riesz said to herself. Indeed, at the moment, she was at a standstill. What the self-proclaimed thief was saying sounded ludicrous, especially after seeing the damage that had been done to the citadel. Yet on the other hand, the one that was speaking to her had been honest with her so far, not to mention make the fact they were even back in this city possible. As well as backing her several times after meeting him. But still...while he had disproven and made her question much about her initial thoughts about him, lingering doubts still remained. And it was then that she noticed something in his tale that he left out. "If I may ask," she began. "What exactly happened to your friend? Eagle, was it?"

"Yeah? What about him?" Hawkeye asked.

"You said that he perished. Yet...forgive me if I'm being too forward, you didn't exactly say how."

It was subtle, yet Riesz saw the thief grow tense. "No, I guess I didn't." before she could say anything else, he answered. "He...his death was just sudden."

"Sudden how?"

"It was just that, sudden." Hawkeye answered. 'If you tell anyone what happened…' "No one could've stopped it. He just...died. Look, could we not? Please?"

Riesz only grew more curious, not to mention have her dulled suspicions go back up somewhat, but nonetheless, she backed off. So far, Hawkeye hadn't gone against her, and thus, reservations aside, he was ultimately innocent until proven guilty. Still, this lack of information on this 'Eagle' was concerning.

Suddenly, the two were drawn from each other to the door, Kevin having come back. "Sorry." he apologized. "Interrupting anything?"

"No." Hawkeye answered immediately, clearly wanting to get on another subject. "In fact, we were wondering where you were."

"What's the situation outside?" Riesz asked, far from forgetting about 'Eagle', but at the moment, there were more pressing matters.

"So far, everyone is good." unknownst to everyone, Charlotte was listening in from upstairs.

"The guys are wanting to come up here and get a taste of what human booze is like." Domperi said from Kevin's shoulder, somewhat taking the beastman back by such forwardness.

"...can they even take that?" Kevin muttered, Domperi placing his hands on his hips.

"Anything you can take, we can take better." the small humanoid affirmed. He then looked to Hawkeye and Riesz. "Though, I suppose you guys won't be here for the after party. You've got places to go."

"Right." Riesz agreed, nodding. "We need to find a way to get to Valsena as soon as possible." she then rested her chin in her hand. "Yet I doubt a ship will be coming by anytime soon…"

"Why are you thinking so hard about this?" Domperi then asked. "You've got the answer right in front of you!"

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.

"You out of everyone here should know!" the small, bearded man said. "They're sitting, tied up outside!" then it dawned on the beastman, as well as the other three present.

"But wait," Riesz then said. "Those birds, forgive me, but they don't look like they're easy to tame."

"They're not." Kevin admitted. "But they can be bought with food." though even then, his words held a degree of uncertainty. "If it's something they like."

Outside of Maia

Spinning. Everything was spinning. Spinning, spinning, spinning. How long this went, and how high they were, he knew not. The only thing he was aware of was that, if he didn't deploy his makeshift parachute soon, he'd become little more than mush once he hit the ground. Undoing the belts holding the sheet in the back, Duran felt a strong jerk as his momentum was put to a grinding halt, the spinning madness stopping and he was finally able to see what was below him. A vast meadow of fertile, green grass and familiar golden flowers that polluted the rising mounds. He immediately recognized this place.

"OOF!" he felt something, or more accurately, someone, crash into him, both he and them being sent to the ground and landing in a heap atop of each other, yet given that they both were just mere feet away, the damage was little more than a few bruises here and there. "Well…" Angela said, standing and dusting herself off. "That was close."

"Too close." Duran moaned, wincing as his back acted up at that moment.

"Oh, praise be to the Goddess! You...I...we're alive!" Faerie cried out, emerging from her host and giving his cheek a hug, much to his shock. Then, she realized what she was doing and immediately backed off. "Um...yes, well, I'm glad you're safe. Now, let's get going, shall we?

Duran then looked around, realizing with horror where they had exactly landed. Several mounds and holes lay all around them, the warrior's violet eyes widening in terror.

"What?" Angela asked.

"We gotta get out of here." Duran said, the sorceress noticing the rather uncharacteristic fear in his voice.

"Why? I thought we wanted to come here. Isn't this near Valsena?"

"Yeah, but 'here' isn't exactly a good place to be."

"What do you mean?" Faerie questioned.

Before Angela could ask why as well, several heads of what appeared to be small, yellow creatures popped out from the holes, their eyes large and the appearing to be covered in sharp, blue spines, particularly on their backsides. She was about to remark on how cute they looked, yet she thought better of it as they all began to look upon the two humans with utter disdain and fury in their eyes.

Duran only managed to utter one word before the little creatures pounced. "Molebears."

Jadd

"All right," Riesz said, fastening the rope through the hellrider's open mouth and tying it together with the other segments of rope, essentially creating a harness of sorts for the bird. "That's the last of them."

The large birds had all but flown off once the sleeping herbs wore off, everyone panicking about whether or not they'd potentially become prey for the massive creatures. Kevin assured them however that, despite their size and general temperament, his people had trained them well. Thus, with their masters gone, they'd search the skies for any trace of them, or go back to Ferolia where they were sure the best game was, as small rabites only served as a light snack for them. While no one could say for sure, it seemed that the beastman had wished for no harm to come to either them or the hounds his kind had brought over. He, Hawkeye, and Riesz were fortunate enough to catch two of the birds before they could take off with the others, they still recovering from being drugged, so their struggles weren't as strong as they would've been had they been completely there. Thus, they were able to subdue them and create makeshift harnesses of sorts out of spare rope lying around. The arrangements would be that two would ride one bird.

"All right. So," Riesz began, looking at the two birds before them. "Who wants to be coupled with who?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Hawkeye grinned, reveling in how the princess' cheeks flushed.

"Ahem!" Riesz cleared her throat. "I believe that I shall board with Charlotte. If that is alright with you?" she asked, looking to the young (despite the fact she was just a year younger than her, supposedly) girl.

Charlotte looked to Kevin, the beastman in turn only looking away from her. "Y-Yeah. Suwe." she said dejectedly. It wasn't as if Riesz was unsympathetic, yet there were far more pressing matters at hand.

"And you shall board with Kevin. If that is all right with you, of course." Hawkeye was clearly disappointed.

"Something wrong riding with me? I won't mind if you hold on." a look from the young woman told him she wasn't changing her mind. Still, it was worth it to see her cheeks redden up again. "I trust the arrangements won't be a problem?"

Hawkeye sighed. "No, no problem at all." 'Killjoy.'

Kevin went over to one of the birds, it began to act up, and gave it a small pet in the crook of its neck. Applying pressure, his grip was firm but soft, the bird looking to him seemingly confused by this treatment. Nonetheless, this motion appeared to calm it down, its breathing growing steady and it ceasing to flap its large wings madly. He did the same for the other bird, despite it being calmer than its brethren. "I think they're ready."

With that, Riesz and Charlotte boarded one bird while Hawkeye and Kevin boarded another. All around them, the people began to gather to see them take off. "Do you have to go?" Mick asked Charlotte, looking downcast at the ground.

"Sowwy, Mick." the young girl said. "But...Gwandpa said that I gotta." her thoughts lingered on the old man, her fists taking small amounts of Riesz's hair in them. "We gotta find the one who wiww have the Mana Swowd."

Elisa then placed her hand on Mick's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine." she assured him. "After all," she then looked at the other three on the birds. "She has fine folks with her." Charlotte smiled, yet as she looked to her company, Kevin only shared a glance with her for the briefest moment. "I suppose it's time for you all to go."

"Yes." Riesz responded. "There's still more for us to do. And it lies elsewhere."

"I understand." the red haired woman answered.

"But remember," the Mayor spoke up, coming up beside Elisa. "You're always welcome here in Jadd."

"Thank you." the amazon nodded, giving the bird a small kick, as Kevin instructed her to get it to respond to her. The bird responded by spreading its wings and flapping, steadily rising off the ground and up in the air, it's fellow avian cousin following suit. The journey upward began steady at first, yet the higher they rose, the faster the pace of the birds became. Soon, they were high above anyone's reach, flying high in the skies, away from the city and to lands far beyond.

Molebear Moors

"Whoa! That one almost got you!"

"Yes! Thank you for the observation!"

Another flurry of rocks had been thrown in Duran and Angela's direction, their assailants hot on their trails. The small, spiny creatures didn't take too kindly to the pair of strangers intruding on their land, and thus, saw fit to drive them out by any means necessary. Using their thick, sharpened claws perfect for digging, they scooped up loads of rocks and threw it at the two humans, sizes ranging from small pebbles to that of watermelon sized boulders. One of which zoomed right by Angela's head now.

"Hey! Watch it, you little-"

"Just shut up and run!"

"Don't tell me to-" the princess was cut off by another rock being flung her way, this one thankfully smaller than the last one, yet not by much. "How much further?!" she shouted, ducking yet again.

"About another mile or so!"

"Or so?!" Angela shotued. "Sorry, but 'or so' isn't accurate enough-" she was once again cut off, though it wasn't from another rock. "AHHHH!" she screamed as she felt the ground beneath her disappear, falling a good few feet before she met solid earth again. "Owww…" she moaned, rubbing her sore backside.

"Hold on!" Duran called out, jumping down the hole and helping her up. "You ok?"

"Oof!" Angela winced. "I haven't been ok since I left Altena." she moaned. "But...I'm not dead yet, I guess."

"Keep that attitude up." Duran then surveyed their surroundings. "Looks like where one of those little buggers live."

"Just one?" Angela asked. "It looks like a whole family of them could be in here!"

"Maybe." Duran acknowledged. "Don't know. I don't usually make it a point to go looking into molebear holes." he looked down the darkened tunnels. "Well, nowhere else but forward." with that, and having had enough of tunnels and being underground from last time, the soldier and sorceress made their way as quietly as they could through the dwelling of the underground creatures, rather shocked at how spacious it was even if the animals that made it were little more than a few feet tall.

"Wow…"

"Don't be too impressed." Duran told Angela. "These guys are the bane of our existence." he explained. "There's an entire part of the guard composed of soldiers trained just to keep these critters off of the kingdom's soil. Otherwise, they'd come through and tunnel under everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything." Duran nodded. "I don't know whether or not it's true, but my father-" he then paused. "My Aunt Stella once told me that when most of the squad came down with the flu, some of the molebears came and made an entire series of tunnels under her neighbor's home. They did everything from eat everything to scratching up the furniture...and not to mention have no regard for where the bathroom was."

"Ok, a LITTLE too much detail there." Angela grimaced. Goddess forbid that they come across THAT area here. Just then, "Hm?" she felt something tugging at her boot. Looking down, her green eyes widened. "Oh!"

"What?! What is it?!" Duran turned, drawing his sword.

"Oh, look at it!" looking, the soldier saw that a pint-sized baby molebear was pulling and scratching at Angela's ankle, and when that didn't work, it began biting it. "It's adorable!" she then reached down and took it in her hands.

"The hell you think you're doing?! Put that thing down!" Duran demanded.

"Oh, hush!" the princess chided. "Little guy can't do anything to us! Look!" she gestured to the small ground dweller currently biting at her glove covered finger. "I think he likes me!" she then looked back to Duran. "Say, you guys wouldn't happen to have these little ones as pets, would you?"

"What?! No! That thing isn't going ANYWHERE with us!" the soldier then pointed to the baby. "And you'd best put that thing down before…" he then paused.

"Before?" Angela asked, yet then heard a surprisingly low growl come from behind her. She then realized what he meant.

"Get out, get out, GET OUT!" he didn't need to tell her twice! The tiny molebear was tossed from her hand and back to its mother and siblings. Soon, the father came and both parents took off after the intruders, the young ones mainly confused as to what was going on.

"They're coming!" Angela shouted, now cursing the small creature she had previously been fawning over.

"I can see that!" Duran shouted back. "Don't look back and just keep going!" on and on they went, yet they realized that those two underground creatures were far faster than they were in the creatures' natural element.

Yet it was then that Angela realized. "Wait!" she then stopped, much to Duran's surprise. Yet before he could question as to what she was doing, her staff began to glow, and Lumina manifested beside her. "HOLY BOLT!" Suddenly, light emitted from the staff's top, the entire cavern being covered in hot, bright light, the two molebears blinded and disoriented by the display before them. Seizing the opportunity, Duran felt around and found that the tunnel had an opening up top. Seizing Angela's wrist, he climbed upward and out of the hole, both of them running for it. On and on and on they went until they could go no further, their legs giving out and they fell to the ground.

"That…" Faerie wheezed, exiting Duran. "That was close."

"Close?!" Duran exclaimed. "Why are you out of breath while we were the ones running?"

"Hey, being with you's been rather stressful, you know!" the winged woman said. "All the times you've nearly killed yourself...bear in mind, everything you feel, I do too!" she then looked in the direction he was. "How much further is Valsena?"

"Not far now." Duran confirmed. "Just a little bit more."

"Just...just give me a minute." Angela wheezed, lungs burning and she was in desperate need of oxygen. Flopping back on the grass, the princess was momentarily blinded by the sun...only for a massive shape to then cover it. "Huh?" she rose up, squinting her eyes to gauge whether or not she was truly seeing what she thought she was. "Hey." she began, shaking Duran to get his attention. "You see that?" He looked up, the sight of what was above him catching his attention. "Are those...birds?"

"Yeah, I think so." Duran answered. "Never seen birds that big though…"

Faerie's eyes widened. "Actually...I think we have."

It then dawned on the two humans, then preparing themselves for whatever was coming ahead. The birds began to descend, further and further down, yet as they came downward, Duran, Angela, and Faerie came to see that two of the riders were familiar faces.

Note: Again, the 'technically meet up, though in the next chapter, they begin to become more acquainted via the siege on Valsena. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you and others next time!