Whoever the warrior was, she was an Assassin. Or at least something similiar to an Assassin. She jumped out from nowhere and leaped feet-first towards Babus.

There was a glow in the air as the Runeseeker formed a Barrier before him.

It slowed the Assassin's descent, but only like falling through water.

The mage fell backwards and hit his head on a rock.

"This is too ironic," Gukko muttered, charging at the Assasin.

The Assassin caught him in a bone-crushing grip and began to screech at him. It took him a while to make out the words:

"Gukko! You're alive, I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you, look at how much you've grown, bet the ladies never leave you alone..."

Babus growled. "You know her?"

Gukko looked, for the first time in years, into his mother's crystal blue eyes. They were sparkling and starting to water...

"She's my mother that supposedly died years ago."

Babus gasped. "So you're Rochelle? You're under arrest in order of the palace!"

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"Wait!" Gukko grabbed Babus's collar.

"Commoner! Get your filthy hands off me!" the Runeseeker snapped.

Gukko fumed. "Listen, Swine," he snarled. "I thought my mother was dead. I thought that she was killed. And now I see that she's alive again, and you just come along and snap her into Prison! What kind of heartless-"

Babus's Explosion caught him unaware, tossing him like a rag doll into the air and slapping him down again.

"Ugh..."

"I gave you one chance, two chances, but no, you're stilla rude, loud, little br-"

"Hey! Lay off him, pal," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Huh?"

Crazy Chicken Cooper held Babus up by his collar.

"What? You-"

The change was immediate. Cooper blinked and threw Babus down and began to scream about camp. "I like chickens!" the Thief screamed. "Are you a funny chicken?"

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Gukko made his way to where Rochelle was chained, both magically and physically, to the supply wagon.

"Mother?" he asked softly.

His mother's crystal blue eyes sparkled. A single tear slid down. "Here, come closer. Let me get a good look at you... That's my boy." More tears followed the first, a herd of horses sculpted from the winds. "Bet the ladies never leave you alone."

"Not exactly..."

"Where have you been?"

"Well..."

Rochelle sighed."I'm sorry I couldn't be with you all those years..."

"Mother?"

"Yes?"

"Why do they want you in Prison?"

She sighed again. "Well, I killed an important Palace official once. After your father and the others were killed... I was captured. I escaped from Prison and didn't serve my term yet."

"We'll visit, Mother, as much as we can."

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