I will let you all know now in case you haven't been able to figure it out yet... I don't have an update schedule. I update whenever I finish a chapter and proofread it. I apologize for any poor spelling. I do the best with what I have to work with. I don't have Microsoft office and have resorted to using the spell check that's here on FF . N, so PLEASE let me know if you see mistakes. I don't have a beta and I would appreciate it lots! As I said in the note last chapter, I won't make them all unnecessarily large. Please enjoy the chapter after this brief disclaimer:
Disclaimer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I don't own anything.
Thank you
XoXoX
Chapter Three: Why Did This Happen?
I don't mean to sound like a lame little kids show or a teacher or anything else, but raise your hand if you thought Iselia would be small. I mentally raised my hand to be level with my head. I had thought along those lines... Until I had actually GOTTEN to the village. We had just arrived after a long run from the Martel Temple that resided north west of where we were currently standing, and my jaw had inconspicuously dropped to the ground. There were definitely more than the seven or so buildings it had showed in the game, that's for sure. The basic structure was the same, though, I could be wrong. Even though it was no where nearly as large as the city I lived in, it was by no means minuscule.
Despite its stature, Iselia was still quaint. The houses and shops were well built and decent in size. Of course, there were more trees here than what I was used to, but I didn't mind nature in the least. I preferred Oxygen over the conveniences of the city I wasn't allowed to have because my uncle was greedy. From what I'd seen so far, Sylvarant wasn't that bad off if we could just eliminate the Desians...
I was kidding myself. Even if the human ranches were put out of commission, Tethe'alla would still be receiving all the mana until the seals were either reversed or the two worlds were joined together. That was another thing that had managed to slip my mind at first. How would my presence here effect things? I had already interacted with two of the main characters and was probably holding them up, preventing them from eavesdropping on the conversation between the Mayor, Raine, Kratos, Phaidra, Frank and Colette, as well as seeing their final best friend on her birthday. That was pretty selfish of me, so I decided to dismiss myself.
"Thank you both so much for your help. I owe you one," I said with false cheer. I planted a too big grin on my face in hopes it would scare the two guys away and see their sacrificial friend.
"What do you plan on doing now?" Lloyd asked me curiously. Curse him and his kindness.
"I'm probably just going to go rent a room at the inn for now and stock up on some items. I'm going to be leaving sometime tomorrow... Probably," I added on a bit sheepishly. I really had no idea what I was going to do. I didn't have any gald on me, so I couldn't afford a room OR supplies. All I knew was that if the oracle happened today, that meant Genis hadn't taken Lloyd to see Marble yet. The scene with the exbelua happened the day after the oracle, just after Lloyd finds out Colette lied to him about their departure time. I had to find a way to get on everyone's good side so I could travel with them and possibly get some info while helping them in every way I could.
"Well, it was nice meeting you!" Lloyd said to me enthusiastically, holding his hand out to me in a friendly gesture with a goofy smile on his face. I cringed ever so slightly at the contact I made, not at all used to human touch when it wasn't causing me pain.
"Same. Again, thank you for your help. I hope we can meet again sometime!" I told him, once again sincere. I really did hope I got to see Lloyd, Genis and everyone else again. With that all said and done, I turned swiftly on my heel, glad that we hadn't run into any monsters in our eagerness to find civilization, and darted down the middle road, towards where I believed the Inn would be based entirely off of prior knowledge.
It was harder to find than I thought. Had I forgotten to mention that everyone here was speaking Japanese? It was fine with me because I could speak fluently enough, but reading was an entirely different subject. They always Incorporated too many Chinese characters that I didn't yet know. After several minutes of panicked reading, I found a sign with the character for sleep. I approached the door and just stood their, contemplating. I didn't have a whole lot of options at this point. I could either go in and explain that I had no gald and see if there was anything I could do in exchange for a night there, or I could camp outside the village for the night and fight monsters... Without any hesitation, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The smell of home cooking filled my nostrils as soon as I took a breath. It smelled a little like the beef stew I had made back on Earth, but something was off. It smelled like there were a few too many onions. Slowly and silently, I approached the desk and cautiously rang the bell that sat there so tauntingly. While I waited for someone to help me, I observed the inside of the place more thoroughly. It was much larger than the game made it seem. To my left was a hallway with two or three doors on the wooden walls. To my left was a closed door. There were sounds coming from inside, so I assumed that to be the kitchen. I continued to look around at all the small trinkets and paintings that lined the walls. This Inn definitely had a homey feel to it.
After a few more minutes of me curiously exploring the room I entered, a young woman came and stood behind the desk. She had pretty, light brown hair and deep brown eyes with tan skin covered in flour. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties.
"Can I help you?" she asked kindly. Hey, maybe she would accept my offer?
"Yes, actually," I started. "I was wondering if I could rent a room for the night?"
"Of course. Is it just for you?" she asked back.
"Yeah, but I have a minor problem..." I trailed off. When she cocked her head to the side in question, I continued to explain my dilemma. "You see, I kinda don't have any gald and-" I froze in my tracks when her face suddenly darkened.
"Get out if you can't pay," she said menacingly. I began to hurriedly plead my case.
"It's not that I want a room for free, it's not! I was just wondering if I could work or something in exchange for the lodging!" burst out of my mouth. I wasn't going to lie and say I was robbed or anything, so I prayed that would be enough for one night.
"..." The woman didn't say anything for several long, agonizing seconds, until she finally decided to humor me.
"You can stay the night in the last room down that hall over there," she indicated with her index finger as she went on. "You will need to help with the cooking and cleaning... If you can," she ordered skeptically.
"I can do both fairly well," I informed her.
All she did was nod and follow up with a "Get to work," before she turned and walked down the hall to what I assumed was her own room. I was correct earlier in thinking someone had been in the process of preparing beef stew. I had also been correct in guessing there were too many onions. What I hadn't expected, however, was the stench being enough to nearly incapacitate me as soon as I opened the door. With a long, stress filled sigh, I began my 'chores.' I had to completely remake the broth using nothing but the meager food supply found in the cupboards, but that was nothing new. After the hours of standing over an open cooking fire, I could finally release myself from the heat and start the cleaning.
Cleaning, even though the technology here was primitive, wasn't all that tedious of a job, which surprised me. All I needed to do was simply wet an old rag I'd found and wipe the dust off everything. That couldn't have taken any longer than another hour. With that, I had finished my payment for the nights room and received a key to the door farthest back down the hall I had noticed upon entry of the building. I tucked the key in one of my many pockets and walked out the front door so I could familiarize myself with Iselia before leaving for I don't know how long.
When I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, I was greeted with silence. Not a speck of dirt was kicked into the atmosphere, no leaves bristling in the wind. Nothing. It was strange and unrecognizable to someone raised like I was. I grew up around car horns sounding in the road, car radios blasting different types of music, and a multitude of profanities being shouted from person to person. This was definitely a change, but a pleasant one that I may actually be thankful for.
I stood just outside the door in a daze, thinking, comparing Sylvarant to Earth. Both could be considered to be in similar situations, I suppose. Sylvarant was currently in a hazardous state, lacking the mana to support itself. Earth's state of being was still being debated. No one knew for sure if we were causing it's downfall or if it was a natural occurrence. Unlike here, we didn't have four thousand year old seraphs controlling us like puppets.
I hadn't noticed that I'd begun to walk, too immersed in my thoughts to care much. Before I knew it, the sky had darkened considerably from the bright blue it was when I had woken in the field outside the church. In a hurry, I made my way back towards my temporary place of residence. I swiftly opened the door, stepped inside, and closed myself inside. I did all this, but not before I noticed the flashes of white, purple, orange and blue by Iselia's southern exit.
They must be going to Dirk's house to see Lloyd,' I mused. Wow... Kratos didn't know for a fact that his only family was still alive. I felt kind of sorry for him and could sympathize quite easily. Sure, I hadn't been completely left alone in the world like he had, but we'd both witnessed the deaths of people that we had loved. I walked away from the door and took my time in getting to my room for the night. I shoved the key into the lock, turned ninety degrees clockwise, and pushed open the door. There weren't any lights, I had expected as much. Up against one of the walls was a thin mattress with a night stand next to it. On the far side of the room was an open window with a screen covering the hole.
I had yet to see a bathroom, so it was probably an outhouse sitting behind the place. Not finding the strength of mind to care at the moment, I made my way to the bed and sat down. I first removed my shoes and socks, followed by my gloves. I felt 'off ' when I wasn't wearing the Sapphire around my neck, so I left that on, if only for the feeling of normalcy. I then tucked myself into the bedspread, relaxed instantly in the warmth, and fell fast asleep within minutes.
XoXoX
There was a knocking on my bedroom door. It had been sounding for several minutes now, but Cadince had yet to barge in and pounce on me like he did almost every morning as my personal alarm.
"Miss?" he called through the- wait, what? Last time I'd heard, his voice wasn't feminine and he couldn't stand formalities. Who was knocking on my door, then? Never mind, it didn't matter.
"Yes?" I called back.
"It's almost time for checkout!" she let me know. Checkout? And then it hit me. I wasn't in my bedroom. I wasn't even in Detroit, or on EARTH. I was in Sylvarant, more specifically, Iselia Village's Inn. It was still so strange I could barely manage to wrap my head around it.
"I'll be out in a few minutes, thank you!" I told her as I sat up. I spun off the thin comforter and slid my shoes back onto my feet, pulled my gloves back on and ran my fingers through my thin blond hair. I was lucky I hardly ever needed to brush my hair, otherwise most of the time I'd end up looking like a complete mess at school or other places I may have needed to go for some reason. I located the room key and exited my room, locking the door behind me. I set the key quietly on the desk and left the building.
I was shocked to see how high the sun was already. It had to be at. . . Least. . . Noon. . . . . .
Crap.
Crap crap crap. Holy SHIT!
It was almost time for the Desians to invade and Lloyd and Genis to be exiled as a result. I had no idea what I was going to say to convince them to take me with. If I couldn't do it now, I would never get another chance. My thoughts continued to spiral downward, until-
"Watch it, you inferior being!" Someone belted into my left ear. Can you say OW!
"Sorry," I murmured a quiet apology instantly, even though he was the one calling me an 'inferior being ' ... Damn. I looked up and, what do you know! I'm face to face with a Desian. How had I not seen him sooner? His outfit stuck out like a sore thumb. He was almost as conspicuous as Lloyd was, and I hadn't seen him standing right in front of me. I went to move straight past him, only to be met with a crossbow pointed at my head.
"Move it!" he shouted at me, again in my left ear. When I didn't even flinch at the threatening aura he emitted, he prodded me in the head several times, urging me back the way I had come. Some time later, I found myself in the middle of a group of the villagers. It was obvious they were all scared out of their wits, otherwise I'm sure one of them would be questioning this situation to make sure it was justified. Though I myself doubted anything the Desians did could be called that. No, definitely not. Not long after my silent monologue did they decide to set fire to the town in order to bring a certain main character out of hiding. It worked.
I could see Lloyd in the crowd to my left. I could see he went around to the school and saved the villagers who had managed to avoid capture.
"Listen up, inferior beings!" a voice shouted over the roar of the crowd. "I am Forcystus, one of the Desian Five Grand Cardinals. I am a superior half-elf who rules over the farm where we cultivate you pathetic humans." He seemed so smug and self important, it almost made me sick. Almost.
"Lloyd!" He continued to shout out, drawing every eye to his profile. "You, a human, have been found guilty for the crime of violating the non-aggression treaty. Therefore, I bring judgment upon you and this village!" he finished proudly. Yeah, because you torturing humans is so much better.
Genis shouted from somewhere in the large crowd. "You violated the treaty, too! You tried to murder the Chosen!" Wow... He sounded pissed.
While Genis was fuming, Forcystus looked confused and a bit amused. One of the Desians, the captain probably, spoke up in order to mock the young 'elf.' "Us? Kill the Chosen? Hahaha! I see now. They must be after the Chosen." he said this like it was the absolute funniest thing in all of existence. To him, it might have been.
Now Lloyd spoke for the first time during this entire confrontation. "They? Are you saying you aren't the ones that attacked Colette?" Lloyd asked, unaware that it was the Renegades that attacked the temple.
Forcystus, stuck up as ever, said in a tone full of disdain "I have no need to explain myself to the likes of you." If looks could kill, the glare he was giving Lloyd would have him six feet under the ground he stood on. "The only thing that matters is that you, Lloyd Irving, have been in contact with host body F192 and attacked our guards."
Now it was the head cowards turn to add in his two cents. "What have you done! How many times have we told you to stay away from the ranch!" His anger exploded from the giant, gaping hole on his face and Lloyd flinched away from the accusations.
". . . I'm sorry," Lloyd stated, trying his hardest to not allow his voice to crack. Poor him, since he hadn't done anything wrong. I think this whole scene is covered in the second game when Emil and Marta reach Iselia the first time and talk with the ass hole authority figure. The conversation mentioned using one life to save a thousand or vise verse. An entire argument occurred over it and Emil had the same view about saving all thousand and one. This just made me mad.
"We've prepared an appropriate opponent for your crime." Forcystus proclaimed. I couldn't wait until we got to blow up their ranch. Right as that thought crossed over the front of my mind, the exbelua that used to be an old woman named Marble or 'host body F192' appeared, being led through the back gate.
"What... What is that thing?" Lloyd asked, a hint of fear creeping into his voice. I could tell by the way his voice started to break.
"Now receive your punishment!" Forcystus shouted out just as the exbelua swiped one of its overly large arms at the brunette. Lloyd blocked the attack with his arms crossed in front of himself, and the mayor stumbled backwards in order to escape the brawl.
"Damn! Lloyd exclaimed in anger and frustration at his predicament.
"Lloyd! I'll help, too!" Genis yelled out as the crowd broke slightly so he could make his way to the front. I couldn't just stand here cowering while two kids fought for this village full of people that couldn't stand the very sight of them anymore.
I pushed my way to the front and into the clearing where the action was happening. "I'll lend you a hand," I said, a little scared but sure of my decision. I knew the creatures attacks pretty well and was sure that I could do something to help.
"K - Katie?" Lloyd stuttered, surprised by my sudden appearance. I simply smiled sadly back at him in response. I hoped that I wouldn't be a nuisance to the two fighters.
"Why do you want to help?" Genis asked, also probably shocked by the overall situation.
"This isn't right," was all I had time to say as a response, because before I could add any more, the exbelua continued its rampage. I made a fist and spread my feet in anticipation. Lloyd ran forward with his wooden swords drawn. Swiping across the monsters mid section with his left sword, following up with his right and stabbing with his left, he began the battle. Genis had started casting one of his spells, aqua edge most likely. The color of the ruin under his feet was blue, making it a water spell. I ran up next to Lloyd and punched the creature upward with my left arm, then my right in a continued pattern. My goal had been to distract the thing, but I wound up knocking it off balance. I was so surprised that I froze for a moment. I would have remained that way if I hadn't seen a blob of green coming down towards my head.
"Look out!" Lloyd call as I dodge rolled right of the oncoming attack. Genis finally completed his spell and three or four water jets shot out of nowhere and hit the former Marble in the face, more specifically, in the eyes. With our opponent temporarily blinded, Lloyd and I ran up and started a merciless assault. He would attack with an upper slash combo and when he stopped, I continued with a series of punches and kicks. He would take over whenever I needed to take a moment to catch my breath, and this pattern continued so the monster didn't have a chance to recover or attack. Genis threw in a variety of occasional spells, always hitting their mark.
After a few minutes, it grabbed it's head like it was in pain, and I knew what was coming. Lloyd was currently approaching to attack once again, and he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. "Shit!" escaped my hoarse throat as I full out sprinted across the large clearing to pull Lloyd out of the way. I caught up to him just as a purple swirl formed on the ground beneath his feet. I jumped with all the strength I could push into my legs and tackled him to the ground a few feet away.
You've gotta love adrenaline rushes.
"Thanks. I guess we're even now," the red clad teen said with a small chuckle before climbing back onto his feet and offering me a hand to help me up. I didn't hesitate in getting back up, because right now Genis was alone and fighting a monster much, much bigger and stronger than he was. I didn't respond to his thanks just yet and charged head first back into the fray.
When I was close enough, I jump as high in the air as I could and brought my foot down on its head, using my momentum to add power to the simplistic attack. Lloyd simultaneously hit the creature with a sword rain and Genis struck with one of his wind blades. The combination seemed to do the trick and the poor ex-human fell to the ground in front of us.
Forcystus started to walk forward and Lloyd hit him with a completely unexpected demon fang. One of his underlings ran out and blocked his 'Lord' from further attack.
"Lord Forcystus! It's just as you thought, that boy has an exshpere!" the captain exclaimed loudly.
"It must be the one from the Angelus Project that we've been searching for," he responded heatedly. He then turned towards Lloyds general direction. "Give it to me," he demanded.
"No!" he shouted back instantly. "This is a memento of my mom's, who you Desians murdered!" This scene always affected me negatively whenever I heard it.
"What are you talking about? Your mother was-"
"Shut up!" I yelled at him, not taking the time to think about any consequences my outburst may have. "What do you know? You torture humans for a living. And who know? Maybe you do it for fun, too!" I shouted out. I couldn't stand any of the Grand Cardinals. They were always so full of themselves, and now that I had a chance to voice my rage, I wasn't going to waste it. "What you do is sick and wrong. Sure half elves are treated worse than dirt, but two wrongs don't make a right! Be the bigger person!" I had wanted to say that since I had first watched this scene. Unjustified hatred had never made any sense to me.
Paying far to much attention to my ranting, we all failed to notice a certain being climb to its feet and make its way over to us. It wasn't until the thing was wrapped around the Green haired half elf that we realized we lacked the means to kill anything. Then the voice of a kind old woman came out of seemingly nowhere.
"Run... Away... Genis, Lloyd!" The voice said. I seemed to be the only one to realize right away that what we had just fought was using all its remaining strength to defy those that changed it.
"Who... What was that voice? It... Sounded like..." C'mon Genis. Use that large brain of yours and make the connection! I urged him mentally. "Marble?..." That's it...
"It can't be!" Lloyd denied profusely. If only it would do any good.
"Uh... Ugh... Guh!" the voice managed to choke out. "Get away... Hurry!..." The voice wheezed out. Please, not this scene. "Genis... You were like a Grandson to me. Thank you." Please don't do this, Marble. If you die, I won't be able to reign in the veil of water that is currently over my eyes. "Good-bye..." With that said and done, it-no, SHE proceeded to self destruct causing some serious damage to the Desian soldiers and their leader. My eyes were following a round jewel that only stopped when it hit a blue boot that Genis was wearing.
"Ugh!" Someone shouted in dramatized agony. I spun around and saw Forcystus grabbing at his side in order to stop the bleeding.
"No!" The captain yelled out in shock. "Protect Lord Forcystus!" The soldiers obeyed without complaint and helped their hero and commanding officer to his feet.
"Lloyd..." Forcystus gasped out. After composing himself, he continued menacingly. "We will always come after you as long as you possess that exsphere. ALWAYS!" He shouted while being hoisted back to where they came from.
"M-Marble..." I heard Genis whisper while looking at the blue sphere he held in his hands. "Marble!" He shouted out, eyes widening at a sudden revelation. "Marble! NO!" After several moments of heart wrenching silence, the town leader spoke.
"What have you done! Look! Look what happened to our village! Its all your fault!" he shouted directly at Lloyd, completely ignoring Genis and myself.
"I'm sorry..." Was all Lloyd could force out of his mouth, in a voice no louder than a whisper. He really was far too kind for his own good, seeing as he hadn't done anything to warrant what was coming within the next few minutes.
"You think you can fix this by apologizing!" the mayor shouted into the teens face. Lloyd visibly shrunk. "The Desians marked you as their enemy! As long as you are here, this village will never be at peace. Do you understand?" Genis took this as his cue to protect his best friend.
"Wait a minute! You're going to exile him?" the kid asked, anger blazing behind ice blue orbs.
"Yes," the mayor replied in a monotone.
"That's not fair!" he yelled like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum. "Lloyd didn't do anything wrong! He just saved marble..." Now he was trying for a guilt trip. He just happened to overlook one small detail...
"Any involvement with the ranch is forbidden. There are no exceptions." he said coldly.
"So it's okay to let people die at the human ranch as long as the village is safe!" Genis continued to argue. He, once again, made a good point, but one thing is needed for arguments like that one to work.
One of the village women replied to this statement. "The people at the ranch are just going to rot there anyway."
"Yes." The mayor stated cryptically. "Had you not done something so stupid, they'd have been the only ones that died.
That's what the mayor and some of the villagers lack. In order for guilt to work, one must have a conscience.
"You humans are all the same..." Genis muttered spitefully.
"Genis..." I spoke up just as quietly. "There's no point. He made up his mind a long time ago." He just kept looking mournfully at the dirt under his feet.
"That's enough Genis. This... Was my fault," Lloyd spoke up and turned to face the mayor. "I'll leave," he concluded.
"Mayor..." The woman I recognized as the Inn keeper said. "Surely you don't have to be so strict on a child?" she inquired.
"What are you saying!" Yet another villager piped up. "Do you realize how many people died here because of him!"
Genis decided to make one last attempt at saving Lloyd. "Its not Lloyd's fault! I'm the one who took him to the ranch, so its my fault!"
"But its Lloyd the Desians are after," the mayor quipped. "And besides, Lloyd isn't from this village to begin with. He's an outsider, raised by a dwarf."
"Then I'm leaving, too." Genis said in submission. "I'm just as guilty as he is."
"Genis..." Lloyd said in mild shock.
"I'm guilty as well," I said seemingly out of nowhere. Genis gaped in unsuppressed astonishment. I looked the mayor in the eyes and said "I fought the Desians as well, making me a target." There were a few minutes that passed by without a sound to be heard, when finally the mayor reached a verdict.
"Fine then," he said unemotionally. "By the rights vested in me as mayor, I hereby announce the banishment of Lloyd, Genis and-" He stopped talking suddenly, realizing he was missing an important piece of information.
"My name is Katie," I supplied with the same, uncaring attitude he possessed.
"And Katie from the village of Iselia," the old geezer went on as though he hadn't ended his last sentence abruptly. The silence that should've followed friends leaving their home to never return disappeared almost instantly when a chorus of "Get out!" ensued from the spectators of the 'event.'
The three of us all bowed our heads in silent apology as we made our way to the back gate. As soon as we were outside the village, the jeers quieted. Before we could even walk ten feet away, someone called our names. We turned to see a small, older woman motioning us forward. Next to her was a fairly tall man with bright blond hair. They must be Frank and Phaidra; Colette's family.
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Lloyd apologized as soon as we were next to the pair, Genis and I nodding our heads in agreement.
"If you feel that way, please catch up to the Chosen and protect her." Phaidra requested of us. "If in doing so, the world is saved, surely everyone will change their minds about you."
"For I'm sure Colette would want that as well," Frank told him.
"... Yes. I will atone for what I've done. I swear to protect Colette for the sake of those who have died because of me." Lloyd said with misery laced all through his words, filling them with complete sincerity.
"I'll follow you, Lloyd. Its my fault that you were banished. So I promise to stick by you always," Genis said faithfully. They were just like how brothers behaved after getting through the I'm-going-to-slit-your-throat-with-a-spoon phase.
"What are you going to do, Katie? You said you were planning on staying here, right? But that kinda..."Lloyd started out, curious about my plans.
"I was actually wondering if I could join the two of you. I don't have anywhere else to go, and I'm willing to do almost anything if it means bringing down Forcystus," I said honestly. He may have been my favorite out of the Grand Cardinals, but that didn't mean I was incapable of hating him. I just happened to hate him LESS than the other four.
"I don't mind at all. I think we could use all the help we can get. What about you, Genis?" he directed the question to the silver haired boy standing next to him and slightly in front of me.
"..." He seemed to be deep in thought, weighing all the options. "Its a good idea. She seems to be alright, as far as humans go... No offense Lloyd." he seemed to add as more of an after thought more than anything else.
"Thank you. I really appreciate this," I told them.
"Then take this with you," Phaidra directed towards me. In one hand, she held a large dagger, and in the other was a bag with what I assumed were supplies. "They will help you in times of danger, I hope," she said as she pushed the items into my hand.
"Have a safe journey you three," Frank said in farewell. We said our good-byes swiftly and headed south.
"Say Genis." Lloyd said suddenly after we had walked for a few minutes. "Why don't you use that exsphere? That's Marble's memento." he informed the half-elf.
"...Okay..." Genis answered after staring at the stone in silence for a short while.
"I'll explain to you how to use the key crest later. After all, it looks like its going to be a long journey."
Yeah, it certainly was. I wasn't entirely sure how I'd ended up traveling with two of the games main characters because I hadn't planned on it going this way, but I had accomplished what I had thought nearly impossible. I found a way to travel (possibly) with the world regeneration group without having to come up with a faulty story that was more than likely going to bite me in the ass later on. Take THAT fanfiction! But despite how fortunate I had been so far, excluding the banishment, I was kind of worried. Luck had to run out eventually, so it was only a matter of time before mine did. The only question left was when.