Part Two

"…Nakula?" Oboro said slowly. There was a note of strain in his voice.

"Yes," Daunte said, placing the figurine on the table between them. "That's what Georg said his name was. Georg told me he was always very angry, as did Cius, but I wanted to hear more about him. Do you remember him?"

"Oh, quite well," Oboro said quietly. He picked up Nakula's figurine and examined it closely. "That is uncanny," he said.

"You ran Investigations during the Falenan Civil War as well, right?" Daunte asked. "Do you remember what you uncovered about Nakula?"

"Well, he was a warrior from Armes—"

"Armes? He wasn't from Nagarea?" Daunte asked in confusion.

Oboro looked confused by his question. "Oh no, he was from Armes. I'm sure you've heard enough about hostilities between Armes and Nagarea. They don't share a border but they share mutual hatred with each other."

"…I see," Daunte said slowly. "S-So how did he end up joining Prince Freyjadour's army?"

"Nakula was part of the Armes forces that invaded Falena and intentionally allowed himself to be taken prisoner," Oboro said. "However he was treated with respect for his perceived bravery in protecting his lordship, Jidan Guisu. However, in reality Nakula abandoned his family—and his country—in the pursuit of vengeance."

"'Vengeance'?"

"He was looking for his father's assassin," Oboro said. He glanced to his left briefly before looking back at Daunte. "The assassin came from Nether Gate. The last I heard however, is that Nakula came here to Nagarea to hunt down the remaining members of Nether Gate."

Daunte glanced in the direction that Oboro looked. Shou was sitting at a desk writing a report, not paying attention to their conversation. He had a sensing feeling that something else was going on. Oboro was being deliberately vague.

Should I bring it up? Or should I wait for Oboro to tell me?

He contemplated this for a moment as he took the figurine back from Oboro. Finally he looked back at Oboro. "Have…you seen Nakula recently?" Daunte asked quietly.

"No," Oboro said bluntly. "Trust me, I have been looking for him. But I haven't seen him or heard any rumors about him here in Nagarea. That leads me to believe that he may no longer be with us."

That's because he's isn't. Daunte squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. He gripped the figurine tight in his fists until his fingers started trembling.

"My Lord?" Oboro's voice was full of concern. "Are you all right?"

Daunte forced himself to relax and exhaled sharply. He opened his eyes and straightened, forcing a smile at Oboro. "I'm okay. Thank you for the information, Oboro."

"…Anytime," Oboro said slowly. There was a knock at the door and Caesar poked his head in. "Lord Daunte, Xi An arrived with news. Hero and James are ready to fly."

"Ah, to the Zexan Federation and Grasslands, yes?" Oboro said enthusiastically, clapping his hands. "I hope you have fun! I must gracefully bow out, as an old man like myself shouldn't travel so far!"

"When has that stopped you before?" Shou asked blandly.

"Let's go back to the war room and assemble the party for the trip," Daunte said, standing up. "I'm hoping to be gone for a lesser amount of time, but if there's a war going on in these countries then…"

"A war?!" Umeko exclaimed in confusion. "They're at war and they still invited you?!"

"It's quite curious," Caesar said cheerfully, taking Daunte by the arm. "But we'll be careful."

"Goodbye everyone, and take care of yourselves," Daunte said as he was shuffled out of the room.

"That was weird," Shou scoffed, shaking his head. "Why did Lord Daunte come up here asking random questions about some toy?"

Oboro slowly sat back down on the couch. He closed his eyes. "…Shou?"

"What is it?"

"When Lord Daunte leaves…we're going to go home."

"Eh?!" Shou gaped at him in confusion. "We're going back to Falena?! Why?!"

"Because I need to talk to your parents."

Daunte and Caesar ran into Ichirou on their way back to the main building, and the boy cheerfully agreed to return the figurine of Nakula. Daunte felt sick to his stomach, and it took a considerable amount of strength to not show it on the outside.

That man…Nakula. I'm certain that he's Arin and mine's father. But no one had anything positive to say about him. He seemed motivated by anger and hate. And…he came to Nagarea because of his anger and hate.

Daunte clenched his teeth again. He was full of so much hate, but yet he loved Mother. He loved me, and he loved Arin. Or…Or was it all a lie? How could he feel love when hate consumed his heart? He abandoned his family at home because of his hate! Did we mean anything at all to him? Did he love Mother, or—or was he using her to achieve his goal of revenge?

"Brother!" As they entered the central building, Arin raced towards them down the stairs. It was painful for Daunte to see Arin look so happy when he felt so sick emotionally on the inside.

Arin…he thought that the figurine was our father, too. I-I…How can I tell him any of this? How can I tell him how the man named Nakula—the man I think is our father—was a hate-filled man who sacrificed everything in the pursuit of revenge? How can I tell him that I'm not even sure that he loved any of us now?

He shook his head. Stop it. There's no point in dwelling over this now because he's not here anymore. He's dead, and so is Mother. I never saw anything but love from him. I won't let this taint my memory of him, and I won't let it taint Arin's memory of him.

"Can I come with you on the trip?" Arin asked as they entered the elevator.

"So our fearless leader is heading north today," Gertrude's voice announced throughout the compound.

"S-Should we talk about it so openly?" Bax asked.

"I don't believe it should be a problem," Sanji reassured him. "However I hope that I'm not one of the people chosen for the trip."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Travel makes me queasy."

"What do you mean travel makes you queasy? I-I didn't see you get sick when we took a boat here!"

"I know travel makes ME queasy," Gertrude complained.

"That's because of your drinking…"

"Of course you can," Daunte said. "You were on your best behavior when we went to Toran and Dunan after all." And it doesn't feel right to leave my little brother alone for an extended period of time, he added silently.

"I'll bring the figurines with us!" Arin said eagerly. "That way, if we run into any of the Stars from that war they can autograph them too!"

"I'll accompany you of course," Caesar said. "But I would also recommend bringing Nāṭaka as part of the support party. I've heard that Nadir is still producing plays at Budehuc Castle, and I suspect that they were part of the performing trio together."

"I see," Daunte said. "Well, I'll ask Nāṭaka and see if she's on board with the idea. Surya refused me before so I won't take any of the Falenans with us as to not give an unintentional sense of fostering foreign relations on behalf of Falena."

"That's a good idea too. Especially when we don't really know why we were invited whilst Zexan and the Grasslands are in the middle of fighting Tinto."

"B-But I would like to bring Roen and Felicity with us," Daunte added. "If that's okay."

"You're our Commander. It's entirely your decision, Lord Daunte."

The elevator opened on the fifth floor to reveal Yuber standing in front of it. "I demand to be taken on this trip," he said coldly.

"No," Daunte immediately responded. Arin ducked behind Daunte fearfully.

Yuber narrowed his eyes at him. "And why not?"

"Because you were the aggressor against Zexan and the Grasslands during the Second Fire Bringer War," Daunte reminded him as they exited the elevator. "They invited me as a guest, and I will not be a good guest to them if I bring you."

"I fail to see where the issue is," Yuber said irritably. "War is war. I was their enemy because the person who summoned me deemed them my enemies. That is all."

"Yuber, Caesar told me everything that you did during that war!" Daunte shot back. "You were personally responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians, AND you participated in a plan to destroy the world! So no, I will NOT be taking you there! You're going to stay here and defend this compound! That is my order to you!"

"If my actions are so abhorrent to you, then cancel my contract," Yuber responded. "I will return to the World of Emptiness until someone with a stronger stomach for my skills can put me to better use than you."

"You're not getting out of this that easily," Daunte hissed, pointing at Yuber's face. "You agreed to the contract with me knowing that I wasn't going to allow you to kill wantonly like the other people you've made contracts with. The only stipulation for maintaining the contract was that I had to win. That's it. I'm not letting you out of the contract so that you can fulfill you bloodlust. You're here to help me make this country a better place and that is EXACTLY what you are going to do!"

Yuber held his gaze with a sharp glare but remained silent. Daunte abruptly dropped his arm. "Look," he said, sighing heavily. "I don't know why you thirst for death and chaos so much—"

"I am a demon crafted to love death and chaos," Yuber said coldly. "That is my only purpose and I embrace it. I like killing, and your whining and stipulations will not change that."

"You're not coming with us," Daunte said hotly, glaring back at him. "Instead, your assignment while I'm gone is to think back on your long life and all the people you've killed. Put faces to them; remember their screams and if they begged for mercy. Remember the families they left behind. Remember them not as worthless vermin feeding your bloodlust but as the people they were. I don't care if any of the people you killed were evil. I want you to remember every single one."

"Your attempt at forcing compassion on me is pointless," Yuber said. "I am a monster in the flesh of a man. I cannot feel compassion, or any of those types of feelings. I don't ever care to, even if I could."

"Well you better learn how to do it," Daunte snapped back. "Because until you reflect on every horrible thing you've done, I'm hereby suspending you for ALL combat roles!"

Yuber's face twisted in rage and he advanced on Daunte, but Caesar quickly stepped in his path. "You cannot do that!" He rasped through clenched teeth.

"Well he just did that," Caesar said casually. "You're grounded Yuber. Now, be on your merry way and stop harassing our lord."

"You will pay for this." Yuber did not raise his voice but his tone was chilling. "I will make any attempts to protect you if you do this!"

Daunte paused briefly. As horrible as Yuber's behavior was, it could not be denied that he was skilled in combat and had saved his life previously. Yuber could certainly move quicker than the rest of the Army, save for Viki. If he were to withhold any help, Daunte knew that it could be dangerous.

But I cannot let him think that his behavior is appropriate.

"So be it," Daunte said defiantly. Yuber stiffened very slightly, obviously not expecting this response. "But I'm holding you to your word. You will not protect me, but just me. If this Army is in danger I fully expect you to step up and assist them."

Yuber sputtered in rage but Daunte walked past him with Caesar and Arin and into the war room.

"Ah, Lord Daunte! Caesar!" Gunther called out to them. He was at the ready in the war room with Alise, Varnaz, Kieran, Eamon, Tamara, Surya, and Israfil. "I know you're leaving to go overseas today, so I hereby volunteer myself out of going with you!"

"I understand," Daunte said. He glanced at Caesar briefly before looking at everyone. "I trust you were all told about our plans with the Army's finances?"

"This sounds incredibly risky to put so much of our money into gambling," Eamon said softly. "Gambling is illegal here, but not entirely without reason."

"Understandable," Caesar said. "But I wouldn't risk our finances if I didn't know what I was doing. I will take our money abroad and earn us greater money than what we had before. Eliasen is already aware of the plan and is preparing to procure a significant amount of bits to convert the Potch we bring back. If this pays off then we will have greater financial stability than we ever had before."

"But—" Varnaz began.

"It will be all right," Daunte interrupted, raising a hand. "I have faith in Caesar. We will not let our money go to waste. I will be careful with it, and I swear to you all that any and all winnings we earn with this money will go right back into this Army. I will make this trip worth it for all of us."

"Y-You're really going to the Northern Continent?" Tamara asked him. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave our Army without a leader for a long time…"

"It won't be as long as you think," Caesar said. "Remember the skyship that swooped down on you during the battle? That can fly us north in roughly a day."

"A day?! How is that possible?!"

"Ask Hero, he'll gladly talk your ear off. It's not wise for us to stay gone for too long this time, as we shouldn't spend too much time away from the Army and we don't know the true motives of Zexan and the Grasslands inviting us while they're in the middle of their conflict with Tinto." He looked at Daunte. "But this trip will allow you to see firsthand three different forms of government. A federation, an alliance, and a free state."

"Ah, so that will give Lord Daunte more to think about in what sort of government we should establish when we win," Allise said thoughtfully.

"I realize that you cannot switch parties the minute you leave," Varnaz said. "But I would like to volunteer for this trip. I would like to experience combat up in the north."

"Oh just admit you want to ride in the ship," Gunther teased him. Varnaz answered with a glare.

"None of the Falenans will be available to go, for reasons you already know," Surya said.

"Understood," Daunte said. "Varnaz, I'll be happy to bring you with me. I want to included Roen and Felicity in the party, as well as Arin and Nāṭaka in support roles."

"Okay, so that leaves two open slots for active combat," Caesar said. "Who would you like to fill those slots?"

"I need someone skilled in magic," Daunte said. "But Lady Leknaat hasn't been feeling well so I won't ask her to come. Allise, would you like to come with us?"

"Sure, why not?" Allise said, shrugging. "I don't like politics but I've never gone across the sea before. It sounds like fun."

"You'll enjoy Zexan's cuisine," Caesar said. "It's known for being very spicy."

"There are a few people here who participated in the Second Fire Bringer War, right?" Daunte asked Caesar and he nodded. "Yes. Myself, Futch, Bright, Sharon, Jeane, and Viki to name a few. But I imagine the Dragon Knights do not want to be apart from their dragons so we probably shouldn't—"

"Me, me!" Xi An grabbed Daunte's free hand and smiled at him. "Please take me with you! Hero's the pilot and James is his co-pilot, but I wanna ride in that giant bird anytime it's in the air! I know how to fight, and I have my Trick Rune, so please please PLEASE take me!"

"O-Okay," Daunte said. He looked at Cesar. "So Roen, Felicity, Varnaz, Allise, and Xi An will be coming on the trip in combat roles. And Arin, Nāṭaka, and you Caesar will have support roles."

"Sounds good my Lord," Caesar said, rubbing his hands together. "Now who would you like to lead in your absence?"

Daunte glanced around the room, but when his eyes fell on Tamara she quickly raised her hands defensively. "I don't think I'm a good pick, Lord Daunte. I-I think I've more than proven that I'm not a good leader…"

"You shouldn't sell yourself too short," Keiran told her. "You were thrust into a leadership position with no preparation and very little support."

"If you're not comfortable then I won't give you that position," Daunte said. "But if you feel up to it then you can share leadership with someone else."

"That's an interesting idea," Caesar said. "Who?"

Daunte contemplated this for a moment before he blurted out, "Georg."

Everyone stared back at him in confusion, and Daunte felt heat on his face from embarrassment, but Caesar quickly stepped up. "Excellent idea, Lord Daunte. Georg Prime was a leader of the Ebony Knights, a General in the Scarlet Moon Empire, and was a Queen's Knight. Amongst his other skills."

"He certainly sounds amazing," Keiran said. "I would love to face him in a duel sometime."

"If that's what you want, then I won't object," Tamara said, bowing slightly. "I will try not to disappoint you."

"I'll go and summon everyone for the trip," Caesar said. "Then we should be on our way."

Georg was surprisingly receptive acting as a secondary leader even as a common soldier. Tamara herself seemed to relax in his presence, and Daunte felt confident that the Army would be okay while they were gone.

"I'm so happy we're traveling together again!" Felicity cheered, hugging Daunte and Roen at the same time. "The best friends together again!"

"I've never seen the Northern Continent," Roen said, though he still smiled. "I'm a little concerned about sailing through the air but it's the most convenient way to travel for us."

"I'm absolutely delighted to be making this trip with you!" Nāṭaka gushed to Daunte. "I heard many amazing things about the plays that have been performed at Budehuc Castle! And if it is one of my old friends producing these plays, I will be very happy to see him!"

"I'm going to miss you, my sweet Allise," Gunther sighed, wiping away fake tears.

"I'm sure you will," Allise said disinterestedly, looking at her fingernails.

"Aww, didn't you miss me when I was gone?"

"Not really, no."

"We should probably get going," Caesar interjected. "Viki already sent Bohai and a number of soldiers ahead of us to bring our converted money to the skyship. It's still early so if we leave now we can arrive north by tomorrow morning at least."

"Do we know where we'll be landing?" Daunte asked. "Near Zexan or the Grasslands?"

"Oh, I'm sure Hero will tell us…"

The group had their bags ready and went down to see Viki. Of course, word quickly spread about the fact that Caesar was taking some of the Army's funds with them to play in the Lottery up north. To Daunte's surprise, hardly anyone was upset about this. Rather, he was mobbed by dozen of soldiers who had converted their own money into Potch to play the Lottery too!

It was a bit of a hassle to keep up.

"Okay, you're putting in 500 Potch?" Daunte one soldier. He quickly scribbled the man's name down and looked at Caesar. "H-How many tickets is that?"

"Five," Caesar told him amusedly.

"Okay, five."

"Take my money too!" another soldier exclaimed, shoving a bag at Daunte. "How many tickets can 2,000 Potch get me?!"

2,000 Potch?! That's 20,000 bits! Daunte looked at Caesar, but the strategist shrugged. "That's 20 tickets, my Lord."

"O-Okay…" Daunte wrote down his name as more people clamored around him.

"Lord Daunte!" Yaman called to him from the doors. "You're stealing all of my customers! That's not fair!"

"Everyone, please!" Daunte shouted. "I will get to you all, but you must be patient! Roen, Felicity, can you help me write down names?"

Yaman shrugged slightly. "Ah well. If he's offering, then I'll buy some too…"

"We can only buy 12 tickets at a given time per town," Caesar told him. "But I'm planning on buying tickets in every town we go to, so we should be okay."

When everything was said and Daunte, thirty-seven soldiers (including Yaman) had given Daunte money to play in the lottery. Everyone's pockets were heavier as they went back over to Viki. The girl almost sneezed, but Caesar caught her in time and gently reminded her to put her nose plugs on. Viki did so, and was able to teleport the group to Hero's Island.

"If I may, my Lord?" Caesar muttered to him. Hero was inside the skyship barking order to the soldiers on where to put the money. "Not too much on that side! It will dip on that side! Balance the weight!"

"What is it?" Daunte asked Caesar.

"Most of the soldiers who gave you money are not going to will the lottery. We are going to win because we have more money to spend, and I'm going to prioritize winning with the Army's funds than individual soldiers. But most everyone who gave you money is going to be disappointed. I hope you'll be prepared for that when we come back."

Daunte thought about it for a long moment before nodding. "Thank you for letting me know, Caesar. What I'll do then is ensure all of them, including Yaman, has winnings brought back to them. If their tickets win, so be it. But if they don't, I'll still make sure they get money. They'll either breakeven or win, but they will have winnings. But I'll make sure that no one loses money."

"Wow," Allise said. "That's incredibly generous of you, Lord Daunte."

"Of course it is!" Arin cheered. "Daunte is the greatest leader ever!"

"Well, I don't know—" Daunte said.

"Wouldn't it be better to let them lose?" Varnaz asked. "So that they learn to never frivolously gamble their money away?"

"Perhaps, but how would our soldiers feel to see us come home with a lot of money and have nothing for them?" Caesar asked.

"The money we have is Army funds though," Varnaz pointed out, but he relaxed somewhat. "But—perhaps you have a point. Bringing home winnings for everyone will have an amazing impact on morale. And it isn't like we have the Lottery here, so this will not be a reoccurrence with the soldiers."

"No, they'll just throw their money away on Yaman's game," Roen said.

"Oh, Lord Daunte!" James hurried over to them. "You're ready to go, right? Grandfather and I have worked hard on this ship so that this trip is a lot more pleasant! All of the seats have more comfortable cushions on them, and the aeolipile has more runes attached to it so it won't overheat!"

"I'm so excited to be flying in this again!" Xi An exclaimed, hurrying towards the door of the skyship. "Can it ride in the front?"

"Xi An, that's my seat!" James protested, running after her. Hero bump into his grandson as he exited the ship, but he grabbed his arm so the boy didn't fall over. "Lord Daunte we're bringing too much money!" He snapped at Daunte.

"Is the ship too heavy now?" Daunte said fearfully.

"Of course not! It's just a nuisance is all!"

"We'll make sure to pay you for all of your hard work," Caesar said, but Hero scoffed. "Just funnel any money into my research! That's what matters to me! Are we leaving yet?!"

"I-If you are ready," Daunte said and Hero waved to him. "I'm ready. Let's get going."

"Ooh, this looks interesting!" Felicity said, running into the skyship.

"So we should reach the Northern Continent tomorrow morning?" Roen asked as he followed after Felicity. "It looks smaller on the inside than on the outside…"

"The seating area is only a small part of the ship," James explained from his seat. He had planted himself in the seat so that Xi An couldn't claim it. "The bulk of the space on the ship is the mechanisms to keep the skyship airborne."

"I'm…starting to see why Gunther didn't like traveling in this," Allise said softly. She touched the back of one chair. "What happens if there's a malfunction? We cannot simply jump overboard like on a sea ship, can we?"

"No, you'll die if you do that," Hero said bluntly without any concern in his voice. "If there is a malfunction I will go for an emergency landing. Preferably land over water, but we'd have to make due with whatever surroundings we have. But we've crash-landed before and were okay."

"Ah," Allise said carefully. "And the previous crash landing was the reason you all were gone for so long."

"Yeah, but that won't happen again," James told them confidently.

Varnaz tapped his knuckles on the wall of the ship. "The material is durable, but it's not built for security. If we were to be attacked in this it would sustain considerable damage."

"Well it's a good thing then that we're using this mostly for travel," Caesar said. "And I can't think of too many runes that would have the power to attack this ship during a war battle. I think we'll be okay."

"No one can touch us!" Hero said confidently.

"If everyone is ready, please take your seats!" James said. Xi An sulked in the front row on the left side while Daunte and Arin sat in the front on the right side. Roen and Felicity sat behind them, Caesar took the sea beside Xi An, Varnaz sat behind them, and Allise sat in the last row on the left while Nāṭaka sat in the same row on the right. James hurried to close the door. "Please stand far far back!" He called out to the soldiers outside. "At least sixty meters! We'll be lifting off shortly!"

Daunte heard the cheers outside and waved to the soldiers as James secured the door and hurried back to his seat. "Will we be lifting up off the ground like in Toran or sliding down the hill like out initial takeoff?"

"The latter is too stressful for the ship," Hero said, fiddling with the panel. "Lifting directly from the ground is more convenient!"

"Okay, good," Daunte said, sighing softly in relief.

"Let's go!" Hero announced. Daunte looked out the window and saw the wings beating and the soldiers waving goodbyes. The cabin still gave an uncomfortable lurch as the skyship left the ground and began to slowly rise in the air.

"…Okay," Allise said shakily, gripping the armrests of her chair. "I won't ever make fun of Gunther for this again."

"Is it supposed to rock like this?" Roen whispered up to Daunte.

"Yes," Daunte reassured him, though his stomach was churning. "This is actually more stable than the last time."

"Really?!"

"Well so long as it gets us to where we need to be safely then I won't complain," Felicity said softly.

"YEAH!" Xi An cheered, clapping her hands. "Go, go, go!"

"L-Let's not be hasty—" Varnaz said.

"Here we go," Hero said, flipping a switch.

Daunte and the others shouted as they were thrown back into their seats as the skyship surged forward. After a sllight dip the wings began to beat once again like a bird and the ship left the island smoothly gliding through the air. Daunte relaxed as the cabin stabilized, but he noticed that most everyone except for Caesar, Xi An, and Arin did not relax fully for at ten minutes.

In Lunas, Kaylani pointed out the window frantically. "Look! There it is, the skyship!"

"It's amazing that you flew across the sea in that giant bird," Craig said, laughing.

"Lord Daunte must be heading north again then," Haswar said thoughtfully.

Archana was holding her nephew but smiled as she watched the skyship disappear into the clouds. "I hope that they will be safe…"

"Can I stand up?" Allise called to the front.

"Yes you can," James called back to her. "You all can move around as much as you want until we're ready to land."

"Oh, okay." Allise stood up from her seat slowly. She took a couple of careful steps away from her seat, and when the ship did not lurch again she exhaled sharply and began to casually do stretches.

"This will be the most difficult part of the trip," Caesar said as everyone started to relax and get up. "It's a shorter trip than it would have been by boat, but we are still confined to this space until we land tomorrow morning."

"You complain too much," Hero huffed.

"It's not a complaint," Caesar protested, but Daunte was standing. "Yasaka gave me some food to bring with us. Is anyone hungry?"

Caesar was right though in that it was a long flight with no landmarks out the window outside of clouds and the blue sea. The group kept themselves busy with conversations and sleep, though Arin entertained everyone with the games he played with the figurines. Daunte had seen that Yasaka packed them light meals that sufficiently filled their stomachs but not overly so.

We don't want…complications before we land.

"The area we are visiting," Varnaz said at one point. "It was also the place where Stars of Destiny gathered, right?"

"That's correct," Caesar said. "So there's a chance we will meet the people you all share Stars with."

Varnaz brightened but Caesar held up a hand. "I will warn you Varnaz, that we may not meet the person YOU share a Star with. Geddoe is a mercenary from Harmonia, after all. His work will take him everywhere, not just Zexan and the Grasslands."

"I see," Varnaz said, but Daunte could see the disappointment in his face.

"You said I share a Star with someone named Salome, right?" Allise asked.

"Yes," Caesar said. "And we will most certainly meet him as he is the Assistant Leader of the Zexan Knights."

"Okay, good."

"I probably won't see the person I share a Star with since she's from Tinto and Zexan and the Grasslands are in conflict with Tinto," Felicity said, shrugging.

"B-But we should meet MY Star, right?" Arin asked eagerly. "And Brother's Star?"

"Oh certainly," Caesar said.

"Stars, Stars, Stars," Hero scoffed. "The stars are unmoving in the sky. What is the obsession with that?!"

"You are a Star of Destiny too," Daunte said but Hero shrugged. "I'm too old to care, my Lord."

The day still passed slowly and Daunte for his part had difficulty sleeping still. He kept waking up every so often expecting to see the aeolipile about to explode. Thankfully the sphere did not hiss or make any other abnormal voices. Hero flew for the entire trip, not showing any signs of fatigue despite his age, but he forced James to take breaks and he switched shifts with Xi An every so often.

Daunte drifted off again when he was startled awake by James's shout at dawn. "Look!"

Daunte woke up and immediately looked at the aeolipile, but it wasn't malfunctioning. Caesar and the others were looking out windows in that side of the plain. "That's Vinay del Zexay!" Caesar called over his shoulder to Daunte. "The capital of the Zexan Federation! Wow, we've flown pretty far north!"

Daunte and the others raced over to empty seats on that side to look out the window. He saw a magnificent harbor city, and even at their high height he saw the city waking up and become bustling with activity.

But he also counted no less than ten ships sailing towards the harbor. "Caesar?"

"Right," Caesar said, nodding. "We won't land here, or else we'll endanger the ships. Go northeast!" He called to Hero. "I know exactly where we can land!"

"I wasn't going to land here anyway!" Hero puffed, but he shifted the controls to the right and everyone shouted as the skyship dipped to the right to turn in the sky.

"Are we planning on landing over water?" James asked.

"No, the area I'm thinking of is land," Caesar said. "It's called the Yaza Plain and it's the perfect crossroads for a place to land our skyship."

"Then let's go," Daunte said.

With the skyship it look less than an hour to reach the Yaza Plain. Daunte was impressed by the beautiful greenery below but quickly retook his seat with everyone else as Hero began to circle to make his landing. "So far so good," he heard Allise say softly.

"If I say so, assume the bracing position!" Hero called out.

"What's that?!" Roen asked, but Hero didn't answer him. Thankfully they did not need the bracing position, for though the skyship bounced slightly upon landing there were no incidents as they came to a stop over the flat land.

"Okay, let's stretch and take a break," Caesar announced as James opened the door.

"That was much better, wasn't it Brother?" Arin asked as they left the ship. The air was clean in the Yaza Plain and the wind felt good.

"Considering our last trip ended with a crash landing, yes," Daunte said amusedly.

"I never thought I would ever travel so far in my life," Roen said, taking a seat on the grass. "Although the trip was a little harrowing…"

At least we made it here in one piece," Felicity said, stretching her arms. "Now Daunte needs to do some studying and we'll do some gambling and fighting…"

"Preferably not in the conflict that's going on here," Varnaz said. "We have our own sitaution to worry about."

"But we'll have to be prepared for the chance that they did invite us here expecting help," Allise said. She looked at her surroundings. "There seems to be a few paths on this plain. Where do they all go?"

"If we go east we'll reach the Great Hollow, where the Lizard Clan lives," Caesar said. "West will take us to the Zexan village of Iksay and the free state of Budehuc Castle. And South will take us towards all of the Zexan strongholds—Vinay del Zexay and Brass Castle—as well as the path towards other parts of the Grasslands. We'll also get nearer to the Tinto border south, so closer to the conflict."

"So we'll probably spend most of our time in the south," Allise said. "Should we leave that for later or go south first?"

"We'll leave that up to Lord Daunte," Caesar said. He smiled at Daunte. "Where would you like to go? West towards Budehuc and Iksay? East towards the Great Hollow? Or south?"

Daunte knew that they would be visiting all of these places eventually, and all of them intrigued immensely. It was a difficult decision to make, and he thought about it for a long time and his party waited patiently for his answer. After a few minutes he smiled and nodded with his decision.

"West."