Despite opposition from the church and many other lords, I followed Merlin's counsel and agreed upon Rina’s request to go to her world. Yet I would not go alone. Lancelot, Bors, Lucan and Gawin, some of my finest warriors were to come with me. There were objections to this after all the men of the north continued to pillage the land, coming in far greater numbers than before.

But if this other world could have a solution as Merlin suggestsssssssghehehdeke-

...e all gathered; Rina summoned whom would become our guide to this world; a tiny creature, human but not. No bigger than a goblet, insect wings, and pointed ears, Rina stated she was a fairy by the name of Comite.

The fairy was cautions of me, as we were of it. I still know nothing of what to make o-

-of light burst in the seams. Knowing of the risks, prepared for what was to come, we took our steps into a brave new worl-

Allisa stood in an ocean devoid of color. There stood a few feet ahead, turning ever so slightly to look behind her. Blood red eyes blazed-

“The wheels continue to turn, Chosen.”

Trouble Brewing

Allisa shot up from her prone position, breathing very heavily. "Wh-What the..."

"Allisa!"

"Are you ok?"

As Allisa slowly tilted cranked her head around, she saw a rather concerned Max and Nel sitting close by.

"Oh... um.... I-I Think I'm ok." Allisa spoke very slowly. Her Body felt very heavy and sluggish while her head felt like it had been cracked open. "....Ah...." Allisa moaned as she reached for her head. "Wh-Where am I?"

"The village," Nel replied. "We brought you back after you collapsed."

"I... Collapsed?"

"You don't remember?" Max asked, still looking concerned. "You just up and collapsed. What happened to you? Was it something that guy did?"

"No." Allisa shook her head. "My body just.... went all numb. Then everything went hazy and... well, now I'm here." She still felt very disorientated. However, she did leave out what had happened after she collapsed.

What had happened was, rather unexpectedly, she viewed another of Arthur's memories. This was the first time this had happened to her and was definitely wasn't something that should happen in the middle of a fight. However, she just couldn't bring herself to tell them that (She'd die of embarrassment).

"H-How long was I out?" Allisa asked as she started to regain her senses.

"An hour," Nel said. "We only just got back."

"R-Really?" Allisa was expecting to have been out longer. "What about those guys, um... Celtic Hoard?"

Max gave her a grin. "They ran off."

"For now at least." Nel corrected, with a more serious face. "This is a calm before a storm."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain when the others get here."

As if on cue, the door to the room flew open, with Cliff and Melvin walking through, followed lastly by Yuki.

"Hey." Cliff waved when she saw Allisa sitting up, "See you're finally up."

"You ok?" Melvin asked. "They said you collapsed all of a sudden."

"I'm alright." Allisa nodded.

"So what the hell happened to you?" Yuki asked, leaning against the wall near the door.

"Not sure." Allisa shook her head as she dragged her feet out of the bed. "My body just went numb, then I passed out."

"This ever happened before?" Cliff asked.

Allisa replied by shaking her head. "Kinda weird though...." She added.

"We should leave that aside for now," Nel interrupted quickly, "we've got bigger problems at the moment."

"Is it about what happened to you guys?" Melvin asked.

Nel nodded. "We were attacked by Celtic Hoard not far from the Village."

"More specifically, Me, Blondy, the Pyro and those annoying brats were attacked." Yuki clarified. "And while we're on that subject," he then pointed at Cliff and Melvin, "where were you anyway?!"

"Aw, did you have trouble on your own?" Cliff asked in a mocking tone.

"No! I was just wondering why she appeared," Yuki pointed at Nel, "and you two were nowhere to be seen."

"We didn't know what was going on," Melvin said defensively. "How were we supposed to appear when we still in the village unaware of what was going on outside?"

"Don't get smart with me you little-"

A stool then smacked Yuki in the face, one that was thrown by Nel. As it slowly still off, Yuki collapsed backward with a large red impression on his face.

"Now that that's settled," she said, returning the conversation to the main topic. "The ones we fought were the vanguard of an army that's likely on their way here as we speak?"

"Huh?!" Allisa, Cliff, Max and Melvin looked at Nel surprised.

"Wait," Max muttered, "I remember that 'bum bum bum' guy says they're gonna attack this place."

"...um... this might be a stupid question at this point, but what exactly a vanguard?" Allisa asked.

"Well, in military terms, it's the part of the army that goes ahead of the main battle group to scout out the enemy or secure ground for the main force." Cliff summarized.

"Hold on," Melvin interrupted, "why would they attack this place? It's not like there's anything of value here. Seem's like a waste of time if you ask me."

"That gun nut said something about that...." Yuki groaned as he rubbed his tender face. "Said some guy called Yensin hired them to-"

"Yensin!!" Melvin and Nel exclaimed in surprise.

Yuki looked between the two puzzled. "Wait, you know this guy?"

"How could you have not?" Melvin asked. "He's one of the most dangerous people in Avalon! They'res wanted posters for him everywhere!"

"First I've heard of him," Max said.

"Well you I get," Melvin said to him in an exhausted manner.

"So, who's this Yensin guy?" Allisa asked.

"A terrorist." Nel summarized. "One of the most dangerous in all of Avalon, responsible for many atrocities to the three powers. Assassination, genocide, bombings, attacks, kidnaps, you name it. What makes him dangerous is how unpredictable he can be. Sometimes he'll strike out without a clear goal in mind."

"So... what you're saying is he hired a group of bandits to burn this out-of-the-way town on a whim?" Cliff asked.

"That does seem likely," Nel replied, sounding unsure of her own theory.

"S-Seriously?" Allisa said worriedly. "That's insane. Who would do something like that?!"

"Sounds like one of those villains who just commits crimes over and over again with no real reason," Cliff said, sounding just as worried.

"So what does it matter," Max said, sounding optimistic, "If they come, well just beat the crap outta them. Plain and simple."

"But, against an army...?" Allisa said, sounding less optimistic. "Don't you think we're a little over our heads here?"

"We won against demons not too long ago," Yuki said.

"Yeah, barely," Melvin shuddered.

"Before we do anything, can we come up with some kind of plan instead of rushing in?" Cliff said.

"Actually, before that the village council wants to see us," Nel said.

"The village.... You mean Gimdo?" Allisa asked.

"After we got back I told the chief about what happened, and what's coming. The village's council is going to convene and they want us to be present."

"Us?"

"Why would they need us? We're outsiders?" Melvin asked.

"Well, apparently the leaders of the Anti-human faction are amongst the council."

"The what?" Max and Allisa exclaimed together.

"Oh, you guys don't know about them?" Cliff asked.

"First I've heard of it," Max said, shaking his head.

"I met one earlier," Nel said, "and I'm pretty sure we won't be seen as saviors."

"But we're not here to hurt them, they must realize that," Allisa said.

"I don't think that will make a difference," Cliff said. "I got a look of that Dorian guy the squirt warned us about, and he doesn't seem likely to listen to what we have to say."

"I saw this guy as well," Melvin said. "And if he's at this meeting, were definitely gonna be accused of something."

"Like what? We haven't done anything." Max said.

"I don't think it'll matter. He'll probably accuse us of espionage or being spies or something."

"Let's just go and find out," Nel said, obviously getting impatient by the back and forth talks. "Can you walk?" She asked Allisa.

"Oh, yeah." Allisa nodded while she stood up. "Sorry for worrying you all."

****

"How are you so banged up?" Hellina asked, her hands glowing from her healing magic, which she was using to heal the bruised Rodger.

"Wasn't my fault, it was that snake creep," Rodger grunted. His injuries were clearly the worst compared to his friends, not that surprising given that he took the most punishment from his opponent. He was at his house, along with Dora, Fred and Bush.

"Honestly, What have you gotten into this time?" Hellina sighed. She then looked towards Dora and Fred. "At least you two are ok.

"It's more thanks to Rodger." Dora nodded. "He drew that snake guy's attention away from us."

"See!" Rodger said with a smug face to his grandmother.

"I suppose so." Hellina sighed again, knowing she was beaten.

"But I do agree with your gran," Dora said. "Even for you, that was way too reckless."

"I-I'm with her there." Fred nodded. "If it weren't for Miss Nel, we'd all be dead."

"Good point," Hellina said, knocking Rodger on the head.

"Given the situation, I think the boy did quite well," Bush said. "He's a lot like his father."

"Don't encourage him. It'll just inflate his ego some more." Dora moaned.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Rodger exclaimed.

Dora ignored him and looked to Bush, who was sitting beside her. "Thanks a lot, grandpa. You really saved us back then."

Bush smiled and brushed Dora's hair under her helmet. "I was just doing my job."

"It's still good that you came to help them," Hellina said, easing up her healing on Rodger. "Who knows what this idiot would have done."

"Hey!" Rodger exclaimed.

"If anyone should be thanked, it be the human. She was the one who sensed the ruckus at Graham's grave." Bush said humbly.

"Sensed? You mean she's a sensor?" Dora asked.

"Wh-Whats a sensor?" Fred asked.

"It's people who can detect mana," Dora said. "Graham told us about them one time, remember."

Both Fred and Rodger gave her black expressions. "I forgot," they both said.

Dora let out a long sigh of contempt at her friend's stupidity.

"Dora," Bush interrupted her sigh and pointed to a pair that was approaching them.

"Uh oh," Dora recognized both of them. They were her parents, and they didn't look happy.

"I'll take care of this," Bush said to Dora. "Van, Freya, what brings you here?"

The woman, Freya simply pushed past him and presided to Dora. "Are you alright?" she asked, a little coldly.

"I'm fine," Dora said.

"Was it those humans?" Van asked. "I told you they were dangerous."

"It wasn't them! They saved us!"

"I-I can support her on that," Fred said.

"Yeah! Don't go jumping to conclusions ya daft bats!" Rodger yelled.

"Please stay out of this," Dora begged her two friends.

"It was Celtic Hoard that attacked them," Hellina explained. "The humans you're referring to actually defended them."

The two looked towards Hellina and them back to Dora. "Is it true you were with those humans?" The father asked.

"Of course I was."

"Before you were attacked."

"Ummm..." Dora stuttered nervously. "I-I was just showing them around."

"What were you thinking?" The mother, Freya snapped. "You know how dangerous humans are!"

"B-But these ones aren't dangerous!" Dora yelled. "They helped us!"

"Humans always protect themselves before others," Van said to her. "We've explained this to you over and over again. They are selfish and cruel."

"That's just a stereotype." Bush interrupted. "I've been around a lot longer than any of you and I can tell you that not all humans are like that."

"Can you really say that?" Freya asked. "After what happened to mom."

Bush stuttered back, not expecting Freya's argument.

"She put her trust in humans and left the forest. You remember what happened, don't You?"

"How could I forget?" Bush said in a somber voice.

"B-But that doesn't mean all humans are bad!" Dora yelled.

"They are!" Van snapped in a stern voice. "And it's that fool Graham who gave you the delusion that-"

"My pa wasn't a fool!!" Rodger yelled at the top of his lungs, glaring at Dora's parents. "You just think that crap cause you're a coward." He then jumped down from his seat, ignoring Hellina calling his name. "My pa was a hero. And I won't forgive anyone who calls him a fool for being different from the rest of you cowards!"

"R-Rodger?" Dora muttered.

No one said anything for a minute while the standoff between Rodger and Dora's Parents continued. Bush was the one who finally broke the silence.

"That's enough." He said, standing between Rodger and his son in law. "We do have more urgent matters to attend to. I'm sure you've heard by now that Celtic Hoard is going to attack the village. Now's not the time to be at each other's throats."

Van and Rodger continued to glare at each other until eventually, Van let out a huff. "Fine." He grunted before turning to Dora again. "We'll talk about this later." He and Freya then walked off.

Rodger stood silent, clenching his fists. Everyone simply stared at him in silence, even Hellina decided not to snap at him for insulting someone. "Just what the hell's wrong with these people...?" He growled.

"It's just the way things are," Bush said to him. "It's easier to hide from the dangers of the world than face them in the open."

Rodger then ran off as fast as he could, gritting his teeth hard. I hate this place! They're all just cowards! I'm gonna leave this place, once and for all, and prove them that the world ain't as scary as they think! A small tear rolled down Rodger's cheek as he ran. Just like you pa.

Accusations

Allisa and her friends were called to the meeting with the 3 village elders and council, made up of around 10 people in total, including Gimdo. Nel gave them all a quick summary of what happened at Graham's grave and told them that an attack by Celtic Hoard is imminent.

The reaction of the council was a predictable one of shock and confusion.

"Why would they attack us? We haven't done anything to provoke an attack." One of the council members, a man as old as Gimdo, exclaimed.

"They were hired by a person called Yensin." Nel verified.

"Yensin?" Another of the council parroted.

"A criminal, and a very dangerous man."

"But why would this human want to attack us?"

Yuki then spoke. "That gun nut I fought said there's some kind of treasure here?"

"That's ridiculous!" Another of the council yelled. Nel recognized him as Adem, whom she met that morning. "We have nothing that they could want. This is just human greed, plain and simple!"

"I don't think they would be attacking for gold alone, especially given the weapons at their disposal," Nel said.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Another of the council, a woman who looked a bit like Fred, said.

"On our way here we ran across one of their encampments which housed a Magitek weapon. And a powerful one at that."

"M-Magitek?"

"I believe my son mentioned such things," Gimdo spoke. "powerful weapons that harness mana without input from the user." He looked to Nel for confirmation. "Is that right?"

Nel nodded.

"But where could they have gotten that stuff?" Allisa asked. "Seems way too high-tech for a bunch of bandits to have."

"Who knows?" Nel shrugged.

"Ah, what does it matter?" Max said, pounding his fists together. "These jerks come here, I'll blow them away."

"Heh, Gotta agree with the pyro on this one," Yuki said with a grin.

"Not all of us are fight-crazy monsters like you two." Melvin wined.

"You mean you would help us?" One of the Elders of the village spoke a very old man with a beard as long as his short body.

"Of course." Allisa nodded. "You're letting us stay here so it's the least we can do."

"You sound pretty optimistic," Cliff said with a grin.

"We do have those two," Allisa said to him, pointing her thumb at Max and Yuki, Max waving while Yuki grunted.

"Good point,"

"Hold it!" A loud voice came from one of the council members, who Cliff and Melvin recognized as Dorian, the supposed 'human hater' of the village. "How do we know you're not on their side? For all we know, you could be Celtic Hoard spies."

There were several mutterings in hushed voices around the council.

"Wh-Where not with them!" Allisa said defensively.

"Yeah! We just fought those bastards an hour ago!" Max snapped.

"And we blew up one of their toys before coming here," Cliff said. "I'm pretty sure they want our heads for that."

"Y-Yeah! We helped out Rodger and his friends." Melvin added.

"And now we're under attack, a day after you arrived." Dorian continued his accusation. "Sorry, but I am a man who doesn't believe in coincidences." His gaze fell on Allisa. "And you say you'll help us, but what’s in it for you?"

"N-Nothing!" Allisa said.

"So you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart? What rubbish." Dorian spat. "Humans are the most selfish and vile creatures who never do anything if not for something in return."

Max was about to snap back before Nel raised an arm in front of him. "We need to get into Cataka, and the flooded road is the only way in. I'd say that would be our reason for defending this place." She explained calmly.

"Besides, you guys need all the help you can get," Yuki added. "these guys are no joke, I can tell you that much."

"Don't underestimate us," Dorian said back to Yuki, fixing his glare on him. "We have held this village for over 500 years against the monsters you must have surely encountered on the way here. I highly doubt that we'll be overrun by a gang of vagabonds like Celtic Hoard."

Before anyone could say anything else came slamming through the door with Bush rushing through huffing and puffing. "G-Gimdo!" He panted. "We have trouble! Big trouble!"

Memories of the Father

(One Year ago)

"Hey Pa!" I yelled as I ran up him at the gate.

"Rodger." He greeted me with a grin. "Here to see me off?"

"No way," I said with a bigger grin. "I'm going with ya."

Pa let out a laugh. "Sorry kid, you're still too young."

"Aw, but I'm way stronger now! You saw what I can do."

"That it is, but the outside world is still very dangerous."

"I don't care! One of these days I'm gonna go out with you! I'm gonna get so strong that I'll be able to beat you."

Pa smiled at me. "I'll hold you to it then." He then rummaged through his rucksack and pulled out a silver hammer. "But if you want to be strong like me, you're going to need something to enhance your magic." he then handed it to me. "If you want to beat me, make sure you get a handle that."

"On this?" I said as I looked at the hammer.

"Remember, No matter what happens, no matter how hard the road before you becomes, a real man never goes back on his word." He said to me grinning. " Never regret the decisions you make, and take each step forward and never backwards." He then turned and began walking out of the village.

"You'll see!" I called back, accepting the challenge my pa had set. "When you get back, I'm gonna have moves that'll put yours to shame!" I then waved to him as he continued. "And don't worry about me! I'll be alright!"

Pa then turned back and waved. "I know that you'll be alright. After all, you're my son."

****

Rodger sat alone as he studied the hammer his father had given him. That was a year ago, and on that trip, his father never returned. Since then, he'd been going out into the forest to get stronger. Strong enough that he can survive the outside world. However, given the encounter with the snake man, he realized how weak he still was compared to the humans he wanted to travel with. It took Nel under a second to kill the man, while it took Rodger everything he had just to stay alive.

Just means I have to get stronger.

"I know you're there." He announced. Dora and Fred then emerged.

"H-How are you doing?" Fred asked.

"Not too bad." Rodger shrugged as he hooked his hammer to his back.

"Sorry about my parents," Dora apologized. "I know that was going too far, even for them."

Rodger didn't say anything in response to that regard. "Um.... About earlier...." He was referring to the argument he had with her just before the fight.

"Yeah, I still wanted to talk to you about that," Dora said, her tone changing to a more serious one.

"Well I'm not changing my mind," Rodger said in a tone more serious than Dora's. "I'm fed up with this stupid place. Everyone here's just a bunch of cowards. I'm gonna see what my pa saw!"

"And what about us?" Dora asked. "We promised that we'd go together, didn't we?"

"...." Rodger couldn't find the words to reply with.

"Y-Yeah, you could have talked to us before you decided this."

Rodger still couldn't reply to his two friends.

"Aren't we your friends?" Dora continued.

"S-Sorry..." Rodger said in a barely audible voice.

Dora let out a long sigh before speaking again. "Look, I get how you feel. After your dad died, I know you've been pushing yourself really hard. You've been going out alone, picking fights with Steve, but you don't have to cut us out of everything you do."

".......I-"

Suddenly, there was a loud bomb that rattled the entire village, followed immediately by a massive explosion on the walls to the village.

"Wh-What the!!"

The three were knocked over by a shockwave that rattled the village.

"Wh-What was that?" Fred asked as he picked himself up.

"I don't know," Rodger said. He then ran towards the wall along with Fred and Dora. Scaling the walls, he looked over onto the valley and froze. "Wha-what is this?!" Fred and Dora then caught up, and simply looked in horror at what was before them.

Littering the valley was a collection of humans bearing weapons of all kinds, numbering in the hundreds. More daunting was the war machines, about 20 or 30 small biped walkers with fearsome guns attached, about 5 towering machines that Rodger recognized to be the same design as the one he destroyed yesterday, and at the center of the formation was a massive cannon, with a barrel around 80 meters big.

"It's Celtic hoard," Rodger said. "We're under attack!"