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

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

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 new day's sunlight. 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 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. The morning had come, and he had been reminded that the route to Valsena was effectively cut off now that the bridge was down. Thus, another path 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 them much good in any case, as the 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 necessary.

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

And thus, they were in Maia with Watts and a bag of nitromyte. Or, 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 lose balance before regaining it again momentarily.

"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 were any other way I could think of." Duran admitted. "But…"

"Watch it!" Watts hissed. "As I said, we dwarves don't interact with humans. But we have to 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 primarily out of reflex. "Since we are a little vertically challenged, 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 towards the dwarves, Duran struggling behind in carrying the sack.

"Gee, thanks." he hissed. Then, 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 leaned closer and, to Duran's surprise, actually sniffed it. "Is that…" he inhaled again, the metallic scent overtaking his nostrils. He recoiled, hacking and coughing from the pungent aroma. "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 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? I 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. But, of course, another thought came to her mind with this subsequent takeover. One that involved her leading a far more trained group. Arguably, the battle she'd show them into was far more dangerous. And, she wouldn't have the added help of the little people, figuratively speaking and otherwise, who'd made the operation in Jadd possible.

Hawkeye could immediately see her tension, yet before he could ask, he heard a conversation 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 was seemingly surprised, while Kevin looked rather upset. "You asked me that so that you could get an opening!"

"Weww...yeah, ok." the blonde girl agreed, her expression 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, 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 of the room and right past Hawkeye, not even giving any sign he knew the thief was there, let alone paying him any mind. Going down slowly after him, he watched as Kevin exited 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 had 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 possibilities that presented themselves in front of her and 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 reasonable 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 tiny 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…." Angela quietly remarked.

Then, the little man turned to Duran and Angela. "And as for you two," he 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. However, that didn't stop him from undoing some of the coat buttons 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 return. Although a cannon 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 dared 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 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 tiny 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 seemed as questionable 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 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. "When's this guy going to 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 going to hitch a ride, we'll see it for sure!"

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

Inside, Bon Voyage burst in. "It's ready!" he cried out, jolting 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 stunned 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 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 to where they were only mere inches apart. "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; from the looks of it, whatever valuables left in Astora had been relocated to the reclaimed city in their absence. Even worse, they were still cut off from Wendel as well. And 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 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 slowly yet lifted themselves, 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 done something worthwhile instead of keeping yourself inside that fat fool's home!" the commander ground 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. "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 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, stopping 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 and gained access to Wendel. Yet 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, 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, 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 odd."

"Such as?" Ludgar snarled, considering taking the weirdly dressed freak and throwing him 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 after casting such a spell. All we need to do is wait until he croaks to 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."

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

"And you've yet to understand 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, who seemed utterly unaffected.

"You know I'm right," Goremand responded. "You wouldn't do it, not even until the end. But, 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 you couldn't do it despite all your trash talk about him. 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 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 ready to take a chunk out of his neck. Yet he did nothing but hold him there for a few moments before thrusting the jester to the ground and stomping 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 unfortunate 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 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 would he 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 search her memory, albeit with a reasonable degree of discomfort, the burning image of Laurent coming to mind. And the woman she had seen 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. But, 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. 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 astounded at what was before him; Angela, now just getting a first-hand look at it, scarcely believed what she was even seeing. "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! I've gone through several test runs! So it's perfectly safe!"

"If by safe, you mean 'I somehow managed not to 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 of 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 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 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 at 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 hereditary traits work… Faerie muttered to herself, not sharing her thoughts with Duran. But, 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 taken care of," Little?! Duran and Angela still couldn't believe this guy. "Let's get going, shall we?" the little man climbed the ladder and opened up the hatch, waving for both youths to climb on in.

Insane as it was, it seemed there was no other way. So, 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. Watts and his dwarf friend moved out of the way to witness what was happening while the little inventor's sister began mouthing a silent prayer.

Faerie trembled. "Goddess help us all…."

"Ready?" Bon Voyage lit the fuse at the end of the breach. 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 sure 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 done to the citadel. Yet, on the other hand, the one speaking to her had been honest with her so far, not to mention retaking the city might not have been possible without him. Also, he'd given her crucial backup many times since meeting him and backed her several times after meeting him. But still, while he had disproven and made her question her initial thoughts about him, lingering doubts 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 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 grew more curious, not to mention having her dulled suspicions back up somewhat, but 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 to the door; Kevin had come back. "Sorry." he apologized. "Interrupting anything?"

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

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

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

"The guys want 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 and 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." Even then, his words held a degree of uncertainty. "If it's something they like."

Outside of Maia

Spinning. Everything was spinning and spinning, spinning, spinning. How long this went and how high they were, he knew not. The only thing he knew 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 could finally see what was below him. A vast meadow of fertile, green grass and familiar golden flowers decorating 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 hugging his cheek, 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 precisely landed. Several mounds and holes lay 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, several heads of what appeared to be small, yellow creatures popped out from the holes, their eyes large and 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.

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

Jadd

"All right," Riesz said, fastening the rope through the Hell Rider's open mouth and tying it together with the other rope segments, 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 either them or the hounds his kind had brought over. Although they all were fortunate enough to catch two of the birds before they could take off with the others, they were still recovering from being drugged, so their struggles weren't as intense as they would've been had they been entirely there. Thus, they could 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 at the young (despite the fact she was just a year younger than her, supposedly) girl.

Charlotte looked to Kevin, the beastman 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 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 he 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 ceasing to flap its large wings madly. He did the same for the other bird, despite being calmer than its brethren. "I think they're ready."

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

"Sowwy, Mik." 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 Mik'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 at 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 beside Elisa. "You're always welcome here in Jadd."

"Thank you." the amazon nodded, giving the bird a slight 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, its fellow avian cousin following suit. The journey upward began steadily at first, yet the higher they grew, 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 them at the two humans, ranging from small pebbles to 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 shouted. "Sorry, but 'or so' isn't accurate enough-" she was again cut off, though it wasn't from another rock. "AHHHH!" she screamed as she felt the ground beneath her disappear, falling a 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 it's where one of those little vermin live."

"Just one?" Angela asked. "It looks like a whole family of them could be 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, somewhat 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 a fundamental part of the guard composed of soldiers trained just to keep these critters off 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 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 ate and clawed everything to pieces…not to mention they had no regard for using a good bathroom."

"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!" 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 paused.

"Before?" Angela asked, yet then heard a surprisingly low growl 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 about what was happening.

"They're coming!" Angela shouted, cursing the tiny 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 what she was doing, her wand began to glow, and Lumina manifested beside her. "HOLY BOLT!" Suddenly, light emitted from the wand's tip, the entire cavern being covered in hot, bright light, the two Molebears blinded and disoriented by the display before them. Seizing the opportunity, Duran found that the tunnel had an opening up top. Grabbing Angela's wrist, he climbed upward and out of the hole, running for it. 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 were you out of breath while we were 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 his direction. "How much further is Valsena?"

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

"Just...just give me a minute." Angela gasped, her lungs burning, and she desperately needed oxygen. Flopping back on the grass, the Princess was momentarily blinded by the sun, only for a massive shape to cover it. "Huh?" she rose, 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, seeing 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; they were preparing themselves for whatever was coming. The birds began to descend, further and further down, yet as they came downward, Duran, Angela, and Faerie came to see that two riders were familiar faces.

Note: Again, they '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!