"Ohhh, so this is Sterland Forest." Leone whistled as she gazed at the sinister-looking trees that were Sterland Forest. "Pretty spooky if ya ask me."

"Suppose to be," Robin said as he floated alongside her. "The reason why that village is so secluded is because the forest looks so intimidating."

"Really?"

"Would you wonder in there on your own?"

"Hmmm.... Ok, point." Leone turned to look at Ellie standing close by staring blankly into the forest. "You felt like this before, El?"

"I told you to stop calling me that," Ellie replied sharply, standing with her arms folded, "And no, I didn't."

"Sheesh, you're in a worse mood than usual." Leone said, standing at ease. "Is it cause of running into your girlfriend not too long ago?"

"It's best you leave her as is," Ling said walking past with his hands tucked up his sleeves. "I'm sure running into that woman again has sutured some complicated feelings,"

"Shut up!" Ellie snapped.

Following the successful retrieval of the key at Löwe Höhle, Ellie and her companions reconvened at the entrance to Sterland Forest, crossing the distance with thanks to a teleportation magic provided to them by Lire Lim. Their objective was now to besiege Sterland Village and awaken Kitsune, the ultimate objective and something Ellie had personally been striving towards for the past four years.

Ellie should feel ecstatic about her goal coming to fruition after four years of suffering, but that was not the case. Instead, she felt more agitated than usual. She blamed part of it too being reunited with Kira after so long, a reunion that couldn't have come at a worse time.

Why now of all times? Ellie thought, her right hand digging into the bandaged left arm.

"So this is Sterland Forest, aye?" Sokaku boomed, distracting Ellie from her thoughts, he stood by with his katana and gourd in hand, taking a huge swig in the process.

"Ahhh...! Quite intimidating. I see why many would avoid this place." He said, turning to Fark and Helpono standing behind him. "Don't you agree?"

Fark didn't respond and instead stood by, glaring at the forest. He'd been quieter than usual since his bout with the Salamander. He'd announced that after they were finished in Sterland Forest he'd be departing to hunt down the boy.

Helpono was the opposite. After crying himself out after the battle at Löwe Höhle (which he was unconscious) he'd been muttering quietly under his breath, looking more deranged than usual. He stood behind with a generally sinister aura, banging down his staff on the ground every now and then the occasional tear trailing down from his bloodshot eyes that looked ready to burst out from their sockets.

"Uh... Is he ok?" Sokaku asked Ling, unnerved by Helpono's disposition.

"Oh yes," Ling nodded. "He's just a little upset that he couldn't participate in that last battle having met the one who killed his familiar." His eyes narrowed at Helpono, "that said, when this begins, we should back away from him immediately."

"I'm with ya there," Leone said, glancing nervously at Helpono. "I never want ta go through that again."

Helpono was one of the strongest in the group with a powerful array of water-based spells. At the same time, he was dangerously unstable and had a tendency to lose control of himself in battle, resulting in widespread catastrophe. This was why Ling was forced to incapacitate him so he didn't end up killing everyone present.

"Soooo," Leone whistled as she wiped her head around, "look's like almost all of us are here. Where are the two creepy sisters anyway?"

"We're right here." A voice came from behind Leone, causing her to jump, and, sure enough, it was the twin assassins. "We were the first to arrive. Right Louise?"

"Right Thelma."

"Shesh, you two are bad for my heart." Leone sighed.

"Ha ha! They do seem to make a habit of surprising people." Sokaku said.

"That's not a good thing?" Robin commented.

"See there still same old same old after getting their asses kicked." Leone said, referring to the red-haired assassin going berserk.

"She just took us by surprise."

"We won't be so lenient next time."

"Right Thelma?"

"Right Louise." The twins spoke in unison.

"Speaking of which, are you ok?" Ling interrupted.

"Oh I'm fine." Leone responded, "See, not a trace left that's ta Helpono."

"I wasn't talking about your leg," Ling said with a sly look. "I was referring to that little girl from before. You seemed to have some history behind it."

".... Oh, her." Leone raised her hands over her head, "Na, she's nothin. Just a little screwball from my past, that's all."

"Oh yeah, she's the reason we got the first half of the key," Robin said. "I thought there was something familiar about her."

"Like I said she's just a little screwball." Leone's face remained unreadable to the others. Unlike Ellie, who seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve over someone from her past, Leone gave no signs of her true feelings about her old audience. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road."

Leone began to walk towards the forest when Ling raised a hand, barring her from the entrance. "Not yet, we're not all here?"

"Ehhh....?" Leone glanced around before looking back at Ling confused. "We're all here unless I'm missing something."

Just then, a green flash appeared behind the group, forming a strange green portal. From it emerged three individuals, Yensin, Lire Lim and a third figure wrapped from head to toe in black bandages.

"Hello there," Yensin said waving at the group. "Terribly sorry for my tardiness. We just got a bit sidetracked, lost track of time, you know, the usual excuses."

"Gasti... Mor... torcashi.... Shiiii...." Lire Lim groaned.

"Seriously! You're saying it's my fault we're so late?" Yensin said to Lire Lim in a rhetorical manner. "Well... yes, I admit I got a bit carried away back there, but come on, you were the one who started the entire shit storm. That is on you, my dear."

"Barcash... Nor ga!"

"Alright alright! I'll meet halfway. It's partly my fault, and partly your fault." Yensin clarified before turning to the group. "Terribly sorry you all had to watch that."

"Don't be, I was enjoying the drama," Ling said to him.

"Though you might want to brush up on your acting skills," Robin added on.

"Everyone's a critic it seems," Yensen sighed, throwing his arms up.

"Soooo..... am I the only one who's gonna ask about the weird mummy thing?" Leone spoke up, pointing at the black mummy standing beside Yensin.

"So glad you noticed," Yensin responded pacing up to the mummy. "He's our.... 'special' guest for this escapade."

"Ahhh... guest?"

"Yep, a guest. And one we simply cannot do without." Yensin continued, gently smacking the mummy on the cheek. "In fact, everything hinges on this man's very presence. His entire existence was meant for this exact moment."

"Really?" Leone asked, not looking convinced.

"Wwwweeeellll, It doesn't necessary has to be him specificity," Yensin admitted. "In fact, it doesn't need to be a man, or a woman, or even if he has no arms and legs... In truth, we could use any bum from the gutter for this. But, call me poetic or whatever word you want to call me,"

"Nuts?" Robin suggested.

"Not enough impact."

"Insane?" Leone suggested.

"Better."

"Klacsu..." Lire Lim wheezed.

"Now that's just plain rude." Yensin dismissed. "Bottom line is, I feel this is a, um... honor our guest deserves more than anything." He then clapped his hands together. "Anywho, let's not dwell about and get straight to business. I assume you have the key."

"Yep! Got it right here!" Sokaku called out, reaching into his Hakama and pulled out the tablet.

"Great! Gross, but great." Yensin said, turning to Lire Lim. "If you would, Lire Lim."

Lire Lim brought out her left hand from her coat, which was just as intimidating as her bird mask. Wrapped in a gauntlet made of iron plates with spikes in place of fingers. The part of the skin that was visible was as thin as a twig, the skin a pale gray color. In the thorny clutches was a jade skull, which glowed an unnatural light.

A green aura suddenly cloaked the tablet in Sokaku's hands and lifted it into the air. A green mist formed above Lire Lim, and from that emerged a second tablet almost identical to the other. The two floated towards each other and slotted in together perfectly, the line that divided the two vanished, combining the two into one large coin that floated towards Yensin who caught it with one hand.

"Perfect," Yensin nodded, tucking the completed tablet under his arm. "Now we have everything we need. The key, the guest," he gestured to the mummy. "And of course, we have our darling Ellie," he then gestured to Ellie, who was still staring blankly at the forest. "Ellie?"

"Hm...? What?" Ellie responded halfheartedly.

"Is something wrong? You should be jumping up and down with glee at what we've accomplished." Yensin said with an amused smile.

"I don't jump." Ellie snapped.

"You're not having second thoughts about this?" Yensin said, slowly pacing towards her. "I did say that your left arm is important to me, preferably still attached to your body."

Ellie scoffed as she raised her left arm towards the forest, glancing down it. "Don't worry. I've waited four years for this day," She said, clenching her bandaged into a fist. "No way I'm gonna to back down from this." She spoke in a quiet voice.

"What if your girlfriend shows up again?" Leone asked, mostly as a way to tease her.

"What about it?" Ellie said lowering her hand, glaring back at Leone with a look that caused her to flinch again. "If she shows up again, I'll kill her. As simple as that."

"My my, our 'princess' seems colder than usual," Ling said, cracking a smile.

"Yeah, El's in a much worse mood than usual." Leone said resting her hands on her head. "If that was possible."

"You certain you can do it?" Sokaku asked, walking up to her with his katana resting on his shoulder. "I don't know the details but I take it you two share some history."

"So what?" Ellie responded coldly. "We may have had a history, but she works for 'them.' As far as I'm concerned, she's dead to me. And if I see her again, she'll be dead to the world." her fists clenched as she gazed into the forest.

"I suppose that answers my question," Yensin said in an amused way. "So what about the rest of you? Any second thoughts?" He asked, addressing Leone, Sokaku, Fark and Robin specifically.

"Na, not really." Leone said nonchalantly. "After that deal you offered me while back, no way I'm gonna pass this up."

"Is this really all about the money to you?" Sokaku asked seriously while scratching his beard.

"Cause it is," Leone responded back with a sly grin. "Call me a shameless bitch all you what, cause it's kinda true."

"You can still count me in," Robin said floating just above Leone. "Curious to see what happens."

"Glad to hear it." Yensin acknowledged the two before turning to the indecisive Sokaku. "And you?"

Sokaku glanced back, rubbing his beard.

"You can say no and just walk away, I won't stop you or anything," Yensin said calmly, causing Sokaku to raise an eyebrow. "I may be a lot of things, but when I have people work for me I'd rather it is by their own will."

Sokaku sighed, not bothering to hide his obvious reservations about what they were about to do. "You saved my life, and so I owe you a life debt. Even if I have reservations, I will do my duty with all my strength."

"Good to know," Yensin smiled, turning to Fark, who hadn't said a word since arriving. "Can I count on you as well?"

Fark gave him a cold gaze before disregarding the question entirely, past Yensin towards the forest.

"A simple yes would do too." Yensin shrugged. He then turned to Ling, Helpono, Lire Lim and the twins. "Well then, let's not stand around and get this show on the road!" He said enthusiastically.

"Yes, Master Yensin." The twins said in unison.

"About time, I was getting tired of waiting," Ling said with a smug grin.

Helpono didn't respond to Yensin, continuing his strange rambling as he followed Ling and the twins, keeping his staff close by. Leone, Robin and Sokaku followed on. Ellie remained in place, blankly staring at her left arm.

"Something wrong Ellie?"

"..... No," Ellie shook her head and followed on after the others with a determined look in her eye. This is it. She thought, clenching her left hand into a fist. Today, I'll finally be free. And not even you will stop me, Kira.

Yensin watched Ellie walk towards the forest with a intrigued look.

"Brashi.... Kalr... Vorke..." Lire Lim wheezed.

"I suppose you're right," Yensin responded, a sinister smile forming on his lips. "Still, this could prove to be rather entertaining. Especially when those meddling kids show up."

Unknown to his allies, he had watched the battle in Löwe Höhle thanks to Lire Lim's magic. He was intrigued by what he saw, to say the least, one, in particular, caught his eye. One who tested Ellie's resolve.

"Nork.... Dors.. Char...?"

"Oh, they'll show up. Call it a hunch." Yensin responded. "After all, what kind of 'heroes' would they be if they didn't?"

With a grin, he turned to the mummy, who hadn't taken a single step since arriving. "Well come on! Chop Chop! We haven't got all day!"

The mummy began to walk slowly, talking large strides until it passed both of them.

"Can't find the help these days, can we?" Yensin joked as he began to walk alongside the mummy and Lire Lim. "I know it's a cliché but, let the games begin, as it were."

A new will

We marched on Riser with Fredrik leading the whe.....................................

"My king we........"

The secret passage, hidden in the....

Myself, Rina, Lance, Fredrik and.....

"Where are they coming from!!" Lance yelled as he fought off the guards that....

"So this is the man from the other world, the so-called 'Goddess' Chosen.'"

****

"Allisa.... awaken."

****

Allisa moaned as she was awoken from her slumber by the rays of light that penetrated the room, her head lightly throbbing. She once again had another dream, but this one was far more fragmented than usual. It seemed as though Arthur was about to face King Roudolf, at least that's what she thought from the pieces of memories she was bombarded with.

However, right at the end, she could have sworn she heard her name. "What was that?"

Allisa glanced towards the window of her room, instantly reminding of the significance of today. Today was the rematch against Ellie and her allies. If they failed, then a powerful monster would be awoken and cause an unprecedented amount of destruction.

Allisa got up and changed into clothes saying nothing. She was feeling better than she did thanks to her talk with her friends, but she still couldn't help but feel nervous.

After changing, Allisa made her way to the lobby where all her friends were already gathered.

"Morning." Nel greeted her.

"Oh, morning."

"You all set," Cliff asked her.

"Uh, yeah. I'm all set." Allisa fidgeted as she looked around to all her friends, Max, Melvin, Yuki, Cliff, Rodger and Nel, all of them looking as uneasy as her. "Uh... Before we go, let me just say something."

She took in a deep breath, getting her thoughts in order. As leader (even though she didn't want to be leader), she felt it was her duty to raise everyone's spirits before this important battle.

"Uh... I know we got ourselves into big trouble-"

"Again," Yuki commented under his breath.

"Agai-" Allisa was about to repeat what Yuki said and glared at him. "S-so anyway... uh, where was I?"

"You're still at the beginning." Nel reminded her.

"Aren't you supposed to write this stuff down first?" Cliff asked, slightly amused.

Going slightly red she coughed and continued. "So, I know we got ourselves into big trouble again, and I know things didn't go well for us the first time,"

"That's putting it lightly," Melvin commented.

"Ahh so what?" Max said with his usual grin. "We got another chance against those jerks,"

"And this time we aren't worn out like before," Yuki added.

".... I'm still talking," Allisa grumbled.

"But it's taken way too long," Rodger added. "A real man doesn't need speeches or that crap ta get pumped. All he needs is his own fists and a whole heart'a guts!"

"I've been thinking about this speech all morning, so the least you can do is shut up and let me finish!!" Allisa snapped.

"She's really fired up today," Cliff said quietly to Nel.

"Should we stop her before she makes a fool of herself," Nel asked with a sly smile.

"Ahhh, may as well humor her."

"Ahem! So anyway...." Allisa continued, trying to recover her momentum. "It's gonna be a tough battle, and one we can't avoid. And if we fail, then something horrible is gonna be unleashed."

"This is supposed to be a motivational speech, right?" Melvin interrupted.

"Uh.... Ah! I lost my place again!" Allisa stomped her foot in frustration.

"Best give up," Nel said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They're all pretty motivated anyway."

"Sure am!" Max said grinning while pounding his fists together. "I call that guy with the crosses in his hands!"

"I'm gonna make tattoo chest draw his sword this time," Yuki added with a smirk.

"That weird floating kid's gonna be grounded when I'm through with him!" Rodger spoke out.

"So saving the village comes secondary to you guys?" Melvin sighed.

"What do you mean? We're gonna save the village anyway," Max said, standing at ease.

"When we're done, those bastards are gonna think twice before setting foot in the village again." Rodger proclaimed.

"That's the sort of answer we should expect from those two," Yuki said with a smirk.

"You're now different." Melvin countered with a smile. "Not that I'm complaining."

"They seem quite motivated already," Nel said to Allisa who was still brooding over her speech going to waist.

"Sorry if we kind of hijacked your big moment," Cliff said to Allisa, patting her on the shoulder.

"It's fine, I was kinda coming up with it as I went along," Allisa replied. She looked up and smiled. It was as though the heavy atmosphere of yesterday had evaporated. For the first time, since arriving in Avalon over a week ago, did she feel that things were finally back to normal. "Well then," Allisa took the rains once again. "Let's go out there and save Rodger's village!"

"Yeah!"

"That's the plan."

"Alright!"

"Let's do this!"

"Hm, like I need you to tell me that,"

"Let's stop those bastards once and for all!"

"Alright! Let's kick their asses!"

After a round of the party's cheers, Nel's eyes narrowed. "That was one warcry too many."

In response, the party turned to the stairs, seeing Kira standing on them waving at them with a grin. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Kira?" Allisa said.

"Her again," Cliff said quietly.

"Uh, wasn't she from the boat on the way here?" Max asked.

"Yeah, and she appeared at the ruin too," Yuki answered. "She's been showing up a lot lately."

Kira overhead then and stared at the boys, paying more attention to Cliff than the other boys for some reason. "Oh yeah!" She called out pointing at Cliff, "You're the big guy who was puking his guts out on the ship. Sorry, I didn't recognize you back there."

"GAH!" Cliff froze as he was reminded of a particularly embarrassing event at the start of their adventure.

"Huh? Puking his guts out?" Rodger looked to Cliff confused.

"Let's just say, one of the reasons why we were in Sterland Forest was because Cliff couldn't handle boats," Melvin answered him with an amused look.

"Ha, I'll say," Yuki added chuckling. "And you were so looking forward to it and all."

"S-SHUT UP!" Cliff sputtered turning red.

"Oh yeah, now I remember," Max suddenly spoke up, ignoring Cliff. "You're the one with the gun or something like that."

"That's me!" Kira said with a grin. "And you were that fire-breathing kid who roasted that big-ass squid."

"Can you tell us what you're doing here?" Nel said with suspicion in her voice. "I know you were eavesdropping on our convocation with the Arch Sage so I doubt it's a coincidence you're here now."

"Hehe, you're a sharp one," Kira said casually, bruising of Nel's cold gaze. "Well, to make a long story short, I'm here to give you guys a hand."

"Huh? Y-You are?" Melvin spluttered, being caught off guard.

"Allisa...." Nel muttered, casting her to Allisa who was awkwardly looking away.

"Uh... she kinda ambushed me." She responded quietly.

"You really need to learn to say no every now and then." Cliff sighed.

"Don't worry, I won't hold you guys back or nothing," Kira continued, "I was in the Beast Squad back at home. Not ta brag, but can take care of myself."

"The Beast squad?" Max said, scratching his head.

"Seriously, are you a country bumpkin too?"

"No, he's just an idiot," Melvin responded to Kira before turning to Max. "The Beast Squads a monster extermination squad in Miltesa, and one of the best in Avalon. It's mostly made up of none-Mana users, but all of them are some of the strongest warriors in the world."

"Whahow, you know your stuff kid."

"K-Kid? I'll have you know I'm a gentleman!"

"Gentleman in a 'kids' body," Yuki commented. "And a perv at that,"

"Oh shut up! I'd rather that then being a jerk that everyone hates!" Melvin countered.

"I can live with that."

"I don't really get what'ya talkin about, but I guess you're pretty strong," Rodger said. "Whelp, welcome aboard."

"Thanks little dude," Kira said.

While Kira was getting acquainted with the boys, Nel remained with Allisa, eyeing Kira with suspicion. "Are you sure about this?" she asked quietly.

".... If I'm honest, not really," Allisa responded with a worried look. "But she said she'd come with us either way, so I thought it was better to just take her with us and save the trouble of her following us."

Nel sighed in defeat, glancing back to Kira. "If you want my opinion, I think this is a bad idea to let her come with us."

Allisa didn't say anything to support her decision. This was because she knew in her heart that this was a bad idea, a feeling that she wasn't able to sake when agreeing with Kira. "That makes two of us."

****

The party, plus Kira, made their way through the forest to the Atelier in the woods, a journey that was lively with Kira tagging along. Most of it came from Rodger's fascination with Kira's weapon, which he had seen with several members of Celtic Hoard.

When they got to the atelier Arch Sage Elaina and her three aids, Cory, Pressa and Meracle, greeted them.

"Yo," Kira waved when they arrived. "You're probably wondering who I am?"

"You the one who was eavesdropping on us yesterday," Elaina stated bluntly, causing Kira to jump.

"Ha ha ha, s-sorry about that." Kira apologized.

"Given the mess we're in, the more the merrier," Elaina said before giving her a sinister smile. "Do it again, and I'll rip off those funbags of yours."

S-Scary.

Allisa walked forwards to Elaina. "Is it true we’re going in first?" she asked. Thanks to Meracle, everyone knew about the possibility that they will be sent in before the Arch Sage. Allisa was able to meet with everyone afterward and told them about what Meracle had told her (Surprised that Max, Melvin and Rodger already knew).

Surprisingly, Elaina didn't look shocked that Allisa knew about it. "Unfortunately," She said in an unusually serious tone.

"Mind if we ask why?" Cliff asked.

"It's a countermeasure that is taking a little longer than I thought," Elaina said truthfully. "In the case that they are successful in unleashing the Nine-Tails, I'm preparing a special spell that will sever the monster's link to the command seal that one of them is carrying. The command seals act as a restrictor to their power, but if something in its formula goes wrong, then it will act as a siphon instead, draining its power, hopefully making it easier to kill, in theory anyway.

"Obviously I'd rather not have to use it. But with that psycho leading the charge, I'd rather not take any chances."

"That's fine with us," Max proclaimed, slamming his fists together. "Got a score to settle with them anyway. Might be able to end it before they set foot in the village."

Elaina briefly smiled, making sure to hide it from the party in front of her.

"Um, Milady," Meracle approached Elaina, looking very nervous. "Would it... be ok if I went with them."

"Sure."

"Nya... I knew you'd say no."

"I just said yes."

"But... no matter what you say, I'm still gonna go!"

"Aren't you listening to me?"

"So even if you say no, I'll still- Mya!!" Meracle's planned responses were interrupted when Elaina bonked her on the head.

"I already said you can go, so shut up already."

Meracle looked up with confusion, still rubbing her head. "R-Really?"

Elaina turned to Allisa. "That's ok, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Allisa nodded. "I already agreed to it." She then turned to the others. "T-That's ok right."

"Fine by me," Yuki said. "She's got as much of a reason for coming as the rest of us."

"I'm cool with it," Max said nonchalantly.

"She's gonna help us save my village, how can I say no?" Rodger said with a grin.

"We're gonna need all the help we can get for this one," Melvin said.

"Like the kid said," Cliff agreed. " Besides, she's not a stranger to us. She's fought by our side before."

"Well, we already have one extra traveling with us already," Nel said glancing over to Kira. "What's one more?"

Allisa turned back to Meracle. "Well, come on."

Meracle beamed. She looked back to Pressa and Cory. Pressa didn't take any notice. Cory on the other hand smiled and nodded. Meracle then approached Allisa with a large smile on her face. "I won't let you down," she said.

Cliff glanced too Nel. "You ok with this?" He whispered to her, noticing she didn't really give a straight answer.

"I don't mind her coming with us," Nel clarified, glancing towards Kira who was greeting Meracle. "It's her I don't like."

Elaina then brought everyone's attention by clapping. "Ok, now that we're all here, let's get this started."

Everyone nodded in response.

"Good," Elaina said. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you what's at stake. Whatever happens out there, make sure one of two things, the nine tails remain sealed, or never leaves the forest. Failure is not an option."

"Right."

"Sooo, how are we getting to Sterland Forest anyway?" Kira suddenly asked, raising her hand. "That's about a day away no matter how you look at it."

"Oh, we got that covered," Max said enthusiastically, clenching his right fist. "We got these things called Void rings that take you wherever you wanna go."

"Wow, you actually remembered," Yuki said with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean Sword Bastard?!" Max growled

"Seriously! Anywhere in the world?!" Rodger exclaimed in excitement, ignoring Max and Yuki bashing their heads together beginning another pointless argument.

"Anywhere you've been to before." Melvin clarified. "And since we've been to Sterland Village before, we can just teleport directly there. Quite a stroke of luck."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Allisa said, examining her own ring.

"Ohh, that's how we escaped before, right?" Kira asked.

"Yep," Cliff nodded. "All we have to do is open a portal and it will take us straight there."

"That's one way, yes," Elaina nodded with a smile while raising her left hand, circling her fingers in a clockwise motion. "But I have a more amusing method."

"A-Amusing?"

Without so much as a warning, a black portal suddenly opened up directly beneath all eight of the group. Time froze as every member had their jaws drop. After that, everyone let out a small yelp as they fell down into the portal which closed after them, revealing an empty patch of grass absent of who was standing there previously.

"Uh... Milady," Cory spoke with a confected look. "Was that... really necessary?"

"No," Elaina admitted with a satisfied grin, "but it was funny to see the look on their faces."

Cory let out an exhausted sigh. "They're not gonna be happy when they land."

"Well, with them gone, let's get back to work." Elaina suddenly declared. "They're gonna buy us the time for the backup. Let's not waste it."

"I have a question," Pressa interrupted.

"Huh? What?"

"Why didn't we send them out before? Once that girl recovered, we should have just sent them to that village then and there."

"As they were back then?" Elaina scoffed at Pressa's question. "If I had while they looked like the world had ended, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"So that's why?" Cory said with a smile, "I was wondering why you bothered to give them some breathing space."

"Call it another test," Elaina nodded. "And it paid off, that look each one of them had, it was different from that defeated look they had before." Her smile then disappeared, "Of course, the real test will begin now. Will they make it, or will this be the end of them? I personally prefer the former, even if it means admitting Dran was right about that girl."

Cory glanced back to the open lot before her with a serious expression. She knew perfectly why Meracle wanted to go with them, and knew that she snuck out to ask Allisa if she could accompany them. It was to settle the score against Leone, even if that meant putting her life on the line in this crucial battle.

Mary, best of luck.

****

Not only did the Arch Sage drop the party through a portal unexpectedly, but when they reappeared it was upside down. Everyone landed on their heads before flopping over to their backs or fronts.

"Ow..." Allisa groaned as she held her head. "She did that on purpose."

"I really don't like her," Yuki groaned as he got up.

"Heard stories of the Arch Sage of Cataka before. Didn't believe em until now." Kira said, rubbing her head.

"Ahh... What a witch!!" Rodger exclaimed as he got up and was trying to free his spiked helmet from the ground, which was embedded in the ground after landing.

"Mya, sorry about her," Meracle apologized on behalf of her master still rubbing her head. When she looked around, she saw that the party was now in a forest that she'd never seen before. ".... Where are we?"

"Hey look!" Max attracted everyone's attention, pointing at a ruined tower. "Didn't we pass this place before?"

"Oh yeah, that's the lookout!" Rodger said. "We're not far from the village."

"That's right, this was on the way to Deadmans End," Melvin said remembering the previous time they visited the ruin in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Well, at the very least she dropped us somewhere close," Cliff said.

"So... you know what this pile of rocks is?" Yuki asked, pointing at the ruin.

"Oh right, you were out of it back then," Cliff said to him. Yuki was injured in his fight with Gai and was unavailable for the battle with Celtic Hoard.

"We had to pass this place to save the old man from those bandit bastards," Max explained. "There's a whole city just over there."

"And the village is a little ways back," Melvin finished him off.

Kira had walked around with Meracle, examining the new surroundings. "So this is Sterland Forest?" Kira said.

"Nya... It's kinda creepy," Meracle said timidly with her tail going ridged.

Kira turned to look at Allisa. "So you guys actually came through here to reach Cataka? Why didn't you do what I did and take another boat?"

"Don't ask...." Allisa sighed, remembering the trouble they found themselves in just by passing through.

After the boat was destroyed, Allisa and her friends opted to bypass the closed border by traversing the woods and ended up spending three days there. During that time, they ran into trouble fighting the bandit group, Celtic Hoard, who besieged the village and then kidnapped the chief, and Rodger's grandfather.

It was during that battle she first encountered Ellie.

"Well, I don't think it was a bad thing," Rodger spoke up. "If it weren't for that, I never would'a meet em and leave the forest."

"That's... one way to look at it," Allisa said with a smile.

"I think you would've left the forest one way or the other," Melvin commented.

"When you put it like that, guess it wasn't too bad," Max said. "And I gotta meet Dug so I can't complain?"

"Who was he again?" Yuki asked.

"Don't ask, just don't ask....." Cliff said with a look of dread on his face.

Nel then interrupted the party. "If you're quite finished, we should get moving." There was seriousness in her voice.

"Nel? What's going on?" Allisa asked.

Nel faced towards the direction of the village, clenching her fists. "I can sense something coming from the village?"

"Myew.... Sense something?" Meracle asked.

"Woho, are you a sensor Red?" Kira asked.

"Wait," Melvin looked puzzled. "Can you sense the village from here? I thought it was out of your range?"

"It should be," Nel said, turning back. "and I recognize this feeling. It's them."

"W-What?!" Allisa exclaimed.

"There already at the village?!" Rodger blurted out.

"But it's only been a day! How could they beat us to the punch?!" Melvin asked.

"Ellie...." Kira muttered quietly, clenching her rifle's sling.

"We can figure that out later," Yuki said rationally, putting his hand to his sword, "for now, let's just hurry over and save those little midgets."

"I'm with the Sword Bastard on this one," Max said cracking his knuckles. "If they're already here, that just saves us the trouble of waiting for them to show up."

"Right, no point waitin around, let's show those bastards the price for attaken my home!" Rodger exclaimed furiously.

"I was kinda hoping we'd get more time to prepare," Melvin sighed.

"I know what you're saying," Cliff nodded with a smile, "but I'm with them on this one. No point putting it off any longer."

Melvin nodded back. "Yeah, I've still got to restore my pride after what happened last time." He said with determination, pulling out his wand.

"So this is it," Meracle said to herself clenching her small hands into fists. Time to face Leone, and this time I'll stop her.

Kira kept her gaze to the forest before her, clenching the sling on her rifle. Ellie.....

"Allisa," Nel called out to Allisa, who walked past her to take point.

She then looked back at all her friends, seeing the determination on all their faces. She knew at first glance that there was no need for words. It was now or never. Looking back to the forest, Allisa summoned her sword to her right hand.

"Alright guys," She spoke in a voice full of conviction and determination. "Let's save Rodger's village!"

"YEAH!!!"

With a simple sentence, everyone charged forwards, onto the chaos that was waiting for them.