The Outcast

The four travelers entered the village of Oliand as the sun was setting. Reina rented them a room at the inn, so they could spend the night and continue on in the morning. But as usual, things didn't go exactly as planned. A commotion woke the young Dragon up in the early hours of the morning, and she rushed outside to see what in the heck was going on, and where all the shouting was coming from.

"Barbara," a Farming Clanswoman yelled, "Get yourself together. We need your help to plow the fields and feed all the animals. Why are you forever slacking on your farming duties."

"Did it ever occur to you that I might not want to be a farmer? I want to go out and find adventure far from home. There's no way I'll be cooped up in this little town all my life," another woman shouted back. She seemed to be in her late twenties, and had green eyes and a white coat. Her dress/toga was green, with a golden clip attaching the right shoulder. Brown cuffs were on her arms.

Her mother exclaimed, "You're turning your back on us! It is tradition for all of our clan to work the fields and live in harmony. Can't you understand how important this is to me and your father?"

But Barbara wasn't buying it. "What about what I want? I'm no longer a child mother, you can no longer tell me what to do. You've been running my life for twenty-seven years, it is going to stop right now. I'm going to see the world, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Barbara went inside and slammed the door behind her. Her mother stood there, highly insulted. But she just sighed, and returned to her work in the fields, forgetting her daughter's attitude.

* * *

The group had left Oliand later that day, and kept heading south. With any luck, Foxfire would be only two days away. From there, it was only four more days until the capital of the Empire. Everyone was in joyous spirits, and for once there were no arguments going on. Even Jarin held his tongue and didn't bother to flirt with the girls, he was just enjoying the beauty of the day.

Suddenly, a noise was heard in the bushes. Reina and Jarin readied their swords, Katrina brought up her knives, and Nida prepared a spell. They all turned around to face the unseen enemy. But that wasn't necessary, because the only person who came up to them at the moment, was Barbara.

"Do you travelers mind if I go with you?" she inquired, "I want to see the world for myself, not live in that little village all my life. I'm an outcast there anyway, due to my many dreams."

"You wouldn't want to come along. We're on our way to the Moradis Empire, on a quest to stop the plans of the Empress, get revenge for various injustices, and find out about some of the mysteries surrounding identity. So you might be in grave danger if you come along," Reina admitted.

Barbara told her, "I don't mind danger. I'm a fair hand when it comes to fist fighting, and can cast some Healing and Earth magic. So please, take me with you on your journey."

Jarin went up to her. "Oh, you beautiful lady. I, Jarin, will protect you from the demons we might encounter on the road. So, Reina, we can take her along, she won't be any trouble."

"Jarin," mumbled Katrina, "You're pickup lines really could really stand some working on. Or at least get some new ones, these are getting pretty old if you ask me."

"No thanks, you're a little young for me. And I can protect myself if it comes to that. If you don't want me along, I'll be more than happy to go there on my own adventure," Barbara stated.

Nida asked, "Reina, what should we do? She seems serious about going. But its really dangerous from here on out. Should we take her, or should we let her go off on her own?"

Reina walked up to Barbara. "You can come along, on one condition. If the fight gets too hairy, you should run away immediately. Each of us has good reason to go and kick the Empress's butt, but you just seem to think this is a picnic. We can't be responsible for your safety."

"Deal," Barbara said, "Don't worry about me, Miss Reina, I can take care of myself in a fight."

* * *

Further on down the road, they encountered a troop of monsters. It looked to be a group of demon butterflies. But they didn't take the appearance of the monsters as a joke, they knew that even the prettiest thing could be deadly. Instantly, Reina transformed into her Trygon form, and began attacking them with Firebreath. A whole group of them were obliterated instantly.

Jarin and Katrina ran at the demons with their weapons. Nida was casting his Simoon spell on another group of monsters. Many more of the demons were killed by the trio's attacks.

But many more came out of the bushes at them. It was starting to overwhelm the young warriors as the odds got bigger. Reina's MP was fast depleting. Soon afterwards, she ran out, and transformed back into a girl. She then ran to aid the others with her sword.

Barbara took the incentive to join the frenzy. With her fists, she began decimating monster after monster. Reina actually stopped fighting in order to watch as she went wild. She was all she had said and then some. Soon after Barbara joined the fight, the last demon was killed.

"I guess we were wrong about you Barbara. You can fight pretty well, you won't be a burden to us at all. Welcome to the team, I'm sure we'll all go far together," Reina said.

Barbara replied, "I hope I live up to expectations. So, where are we going to next?"

Reina looked at her. "First, we're going to Foxfire to restock, and then we're going to head to the capital of Moradis. Then, we'll see what happens when it happens."

- - - -

If you were wondering about the Demon Butterflies, then don't. All games have demon butterflies. The Farming Clan is the clan from BoF II where Rand came from. I'm not using the names in the GBA books, they don't correspond with the game at all. Katt, for example, is called a Tigerman in the book, but she's called a Woren in game dialogue (put her in the front, and talk to the hunters at the lodge). Next time, an invaded village gets a fighting chance when the party arrives there.