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It was only a week remaining until Alduin can be fully resurrected. While we knew he would most likely come back eventually, the suspense was killing us. And during this one-month period I had taken up twice the work at home. Whenever I was at work I was constantly questioned by both management and other employees about his condition. My answers would only change slightly to match the dates, but it remained consistent with the story.

"The doctor said to give him another week or so," I said, "he's improving but he's not quite ready to come back yet." Fortunately they really didn't question it further and let it be.

Because of his condition I had to rely on someone else for teleporting. Before the incident he was more than happy to let me warp to central with him. But after that it was our housemate Alecto who would lead me around. I still didn't have my own teleporter but I was glad to have someone to hold onto all these times, to help balance the rough ride.

Alduin and his crew had left very early on the Friday morning, and had taken Casdey, Alduin's temporary host with them. That made me a little more comfortable, because I still didn't like the prospect of being in the same room as her. And it's not because of her abilities; it's because of her that Alduin had gotten into that mess in the first place.

Gareth wasn't home at the moment either, which was fine. He said he was visiting his brother Tufty in the research department and I didn't question it further. I had sat down to watch the morning news when Alecto came out of his room yawning and stretching, and I looked over towards him.

"Morning sleepy head," I commented before returning to the TV screen. He was completely naked, which in turn would surprise any houseguest if they ever came by. I was used to it by now however and had accepted it as second nature. Hell, I was close to the point of just walking around naked myself, if I didn't have to keep a public appearance.

"Anything good on the news?" He replied as he searched through the fridge for something to eat.

"Just the same old nonsense in permanent repeat," I pointed out nonchalantly. Despite how angered I get when it comes to bad news, it was the only kind of news I would watch. The current article was about a brutal murder of a mother and daughter in the next town over. While the details weren't related, it did bring me back to the incident back home in St. George, and I felt a little bitter on the fact that Sterling had gone rampant on the gerbil planet.

"Well there's some good news for you today," he said stretching as he fixed his own breakfast, "you have a new planet to explore. It's a completely new planet and has piqued everyone's curiosity."

"So when am I meeting the others?" I asked as the news shifted to the weather forecast.

"Your regular team is all on their own assignments," I looked over at him confused and he saw my look. "Scouts every now and then are assigned to new teammates for a planet fall, to help people get to know each other better and get a more all around experience working with others."

"So who am I getting assigned to this time?" I asked him.

"Only two who are very capable," he said, "and they're brothers."

"Alex and Brendan?" I wanted to confirm.

"The same," he nodded, "I guess you know them."

"We've spoken once or twice at the food store," I said, "but we never really got acquainted yet."

"Then this will be a good opportunity for you," he said sitting next to me to watch the news with me. I didn't know them all that well, but I was definitely breathing a little easier now. They were both quite talented explorers, and their aid is definitely appreciated. We both sat back down on the couch and finished the morning news without any further discussion.

***

The next day, I had quickly gathered the things I wanted to take with me this time. I chose my shotgun this time, and backed up the weaponry with a few cases of ammo and a pair of long knives. Draco, Salbar, and myself had gone to check out the town back home, and I discovered a weapon store hiding in a small neighborhood. This was when we found the pair in a display case, and Draco was sweet enough to buy them for me. I also had my usual travel gear in a backpack. I was sporting a pair of jean shorts and had a brown jacket over a red shirt.

I was teleported to central with Gareth. I normally went with Alduin in this case, but his out of body dilemma still had another week on the clock. Plus Silverine still hadn't issued me my own teleporter yet, but it never really bothered me when it came down to it. After recovering from the slight landing lag I followed the fox over to the food store, where Silverine, Alex, and Brendan were waiting for us. The lupogriff stood up with his usual condescending stare.

"Punctual as usual Mr. Lewis," he stated professionally, "I'm sure you have met Alex and Brendan from the planet H'trae before." The two in question waved at me. Alex was a human, much like myself, at least on the surface he was like that. His hair was pure blood red, which matched his brother's scales. He was slightly shorter than I was, but his magical talents reminded me not to mess with him, and I didn't plan to anyway. His brother, Brendan, was easily two feet or so taller than his brother. Like Alex's hair, Brendan hosted pure red scales amongst his whole body. Any dragon was a dangerous dragon in my opinion, and he certainly looked tough by all means.

"Yeah," I nodded, "er... sort of." The others laughed at my half assed reply. "So what is our mission for this week?"

"Right, onto business," Silverine began, "We have only a partially explored planet for you to check out this time, meaning we only have geological and biological data. We still need socialistic, cultural, and theological data from the natives. We have since labeled this planet "St. Ivalice XII" after a tablet translation we found from the planet. You three will be the only ones going this trek. It is mostly due to most everyone else on their own errands, and to test you Ryan."

"Test me?" I ask, "I'm not following your reason here."

"Let me put it simply," he said, "there may be plenty of times where you find yourself separated from the others. You want to be able to fend for yourself as best as you can should such a problem occur. There are some out there who would not hesitate to kill you should the opportunity arise." I nodded understanding what he meant. I had to smirk inwardly though, since he doesn't know about the close call I had last time. He's just that much behind the news of things.

I walked over to the other two and we nodded at each other. It was time to depart to St. Ivalice XII. I put a hand tightly around Brendan's shoulder and the dragon brushed the button on his teleporter. After another 40 nauseous seconds we arrived at our destination.

It was instantly hot, and we realized this under two suns that hung over the noon sky. The ground below us was rocky, and had a rough slope. Further observation revealed this to be a mountain we landed on. Alex started reading notes he had taken with him out loud.

"The gravity is about .92 Standard, Lack of plantlife due to extreme heat from the two suns this planet revolves around. The two suns and two moons this planet has contributes to extreme heat in the day and extreme cold in the night. Weather patterns seem strangely familiar to H'trea and Earth meteorology despite the temperature shifts." I looked at him and nodded, understanding easily enough.

"So, I wonder how far away civilization is from here," I pointed out.

"The last party here put down a scanner here before they left," Brendan explained, "that's why we ended up here. The scanner picks up a small amount of humanoid life just down this mountain trail. It's strange though, it's too small to even be a small village. There is maybe about seven or eight of them."

"They might be travelers," I said, "perhaps they can give us some directions." We nodded in agreement and started to walk down the mountain. After a quick five minutes we saw the people the scanner picked up in the valley. The sight was not very welcome though. A caravan lay toppled amongst the scene, and various articles of items lay scurried about the grass. There were small signs of blood, but not much. We soon found out how this happened. There were seven men in rough torn cloaks, and they had another man surrounded. He sported on knight armor and looked just about my age. The young man was obviously in danger by the knife wielding cutthroats.

"Hey," Alex shouted, "Why don't you pick on someone your own idiocy?" The thieves turned around to see us, one of them smirked.

"Well look wha' we get 'ere mates, more wee moppets talking tough ain't ya?" He said, the others laughed. I pulled out my twin knives, ignoring my shotgun to avoid hitting the hostage. Alex started chanting and Brendan pulled out an object from his pack. Closer look revealed it to be a glass bell. The thieves saw that and busted out in hysterical laughter.

"What're zees clowns 'ere? Spoony bards I imagine? What use is'ze stupid bell anyhoo?" The head thief laughed in an annoying manner.

"You'll see," Brendan said and rang the bell rhythmically yet violently. As he did, a fiery aura sprang to life all around Alex. The thieves were taken aback, as were the hostage and myself. The thieves didn't last long after that though, before I knew it, Alex had charged right through them, and the group was out cold. His power had calmed down after that.

"What was that?" I asked Brendan.

"What, haven't you seen a bell before?" He said.

"I have," I sighed, "but that's not the point. What does that bell have to do with Alex's freak out just a second ago?"

"It's how my powers work," Alex explained, "I get temporary spikes of power whenever a bell rings."

"Fascinating," I said.

"Fascinating," said the young man that we saved. He had stood up slowly and regained his composure.

"Are you alright?" Brendan asked him.

"I'm fine," he said looking at the dragon, "thanks. Hm... you're a pretty strange looking Rankja."

"Rankja?" Alex asked, "must be one of their species here." I nodded and looked at Brendan and the knight.

"It was our pleasure, um..." I began.

"My name is Argus," he said, "Argus Daneleu, son of Algath Daneleu."

"I'm Ryan Lewis," I shook his hand, which he returned feverently, "these are my companions, Alex and Brendan." They both greeted him eagerly with a quick bow. It was almost comedic how much in sync the two were.

"You guys seem to be strong travelers yes?" He asked.

"That's right," Alex explained, "We hail from a land faraway, to explore and gather knowledge of all there is to know here. You are a local knight by the looks of it, right?" Argus looked downward.

"Well, I only just recently graduated from a squire, but it seems I don't have what it takes yet. You see, my first job was to escort a high official by the name of Marquis Delnor ed Nymbus to the nearby castle town when we were ambushed by the brigands in the area. They killed the other knights and kidnapped the Marquis for an unknown reason."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said and thought for a moment, "where are they now?"

"They're most likely at their hideout in the south desert, just about ten miles from here," The distance was a measurement I had never heard of, but the algorithm in the translator seemed to measure it at that length.

"Let's go rescue him then," I stated, all three of them looked at me in surprise.

"Really?" The knight asked me, "are you sure?"

"If we don't," I said, "you'll look like a fool going to town yourself without the Marquis. You'd be stripped of knighthood. But if we go rescue him you'll look like a hero. It's worth a try." Argus thought for a minute or two, before the human spoke.

"Alright then," he said, "I'll take you up on that. Follow me." He started walking and I followed a little behind.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Ryan?" Brendan asked me.

"Positive," I said, "while we're traveling we can ask him about the information we need to get. This way we kill two birds with one stone, plus we can save a path way from a group of troublemakers. That alone should be enough to pursue this."

"I agree," Alex said patting my shoulder playfully, "this makes it all the more fun."

***

"So, why haven't you clobbered him yet?" An annoyed Sterling asked. He and the young woman were hiding high in an abandoned bell tower. They hadn't been dispatched long on this new planet before they had found their target with a small group of people.

"I'm waiting for the opportune moment, as some people would say," She replied, not even looking at Sterling. He scoffed.

"And you say I'm useless," he snarled, "hmph, women have no place on the battlefield."

"And I thought half-cyborgs would know when to shut the hell up in front of their superiors," The lady yawned, "besides, don't you have something else to do right now?"

"I'm waiting for the two bozos to report back from the station they're spying on. And if you think you're my superior you're sadly mistaken. Just remember that I can crunch you into a pretzel if I felt like it."

"Whatever," she said not even turning around. She wasn't intimidated by Sterling at all, nor did she care. The only thing she knew was that her target would be coming to this area very soon.

"My next question is why the hell are we stuck in an old bell tower anyway?" Sterling asked.

"It's simple really," she began, "one of Ryan's companions have a unique power when bells ring. The number of their enemies are very great, so Ryan will most likely split from the main front to come ring this oh so convenient bell, and I'll be waiting right here." Sterling shrugged, not bothering to say anything in rebuttal when two Wolves walked up the stairs into the bell room. He addressed them.

"Found anything yet?"

"Afraid not sir," One of them began, "their encryptions are too dense and powerful, we can't even get a small nail of their confidential information."

"So we're stuck again, these guys are tougher than we thought, we may have to back off from them for now until we can figure an algorithm. Very well then..." He turned and faced the lady again, "you can have all the fun you want here, but at least leave me a piece of him to blow into smithereens. Duty calls me back..." He turned back to the two wolves, "Biggs, Wedge, we return to our leader to report." The other two nodded and the three left, walking their way downstairs. The lady shrugged and looked over at the overpass, she could see her target in the horizon.

***

As we walked along the road I decided to ask him about all the things we needed to know about the planet. I was careful with my wording, to not give hints that we were from another world. Order must be kept, after all. He was definitely a sharp young man, every question I asked him he answered with great proficiency. Alex was quick to keep notes written down about the conversation.

It wasn't long before we reached our destination. The desert had a lot of dead greenery lying around, showing evidence of seasonal marshing. Much of the landscape had us located at a valley overview looking over the hideout. The hideout was larger than I had expected, it was roughly two stories embroidered right in front of a rocky wall, leaving only one possible way of entrance, the front. We were quick to study the hideout first.

"There's a lot of brigands there," Brendan was quick to point out, "how are we going to get in?"

"The only way I see is through the front," Alex said.

"This is a very unfortunate denouement we have here," Argus stated.

"Now don't be so quick to give up," I told him, "we just need to find a way to break in." I looked around the near barren landscape for a bit before I saw it. It looked like an old tower, and near the top of the brick structure I could see the silhouette of a large bell. I smiled a bit, it had come to me.

"I have an idea," The others turned and looked at me in curiosity.

"What is it?" Alex said.

"Look up there," I pointed at the bell in question and they looked. They smiled and nodded, needing no further explanation from me.

"So when do we go in?" Argus asked, curious.

"Give me five minutes before you charge," I said, "don't worry if it's not active before then. In fact, it's actually good if we attract more people before his powers activate, it makes things quicker to clean up, and we can rescue the Marquis faster." They nodded, seeming to like the idea.

"Alright then," I began, "I will be back before you know it." I turned and ran as fast as I could toward the clock tower. I was certainly hoping this was going to work, and I did have faith in their abilities to succeed over them.

***

It wasn't long before the five minute time limit passed, and the bell had yet to be rung.

"Do you think we should charge now?" Argus asked.

"Those words don't seem very knightly," Alex began, "you need to be more chivalrous."

"I know," the other human said holding his head down, "but I've only just recently become one. I don't have the knight's strength yet."

"You don't need a knight's strength to be a knight," Brendan stated, "you need to start out with the heart of a knight. When you trust and believe in yourself, the strength will follow."

"You really think I have what it takes?" Argus asked, the two brothers nodded with confidence. "Thank you. Hm... it is time, and Ryan hasn't rung the bell yet."

"It's alright," Brendan said, holding up another small bell, "I always carry extras for emergencies. Let's go."

***

I had gotten to the tower three minutes slower than expected. I had originally suspected that it would be abandoned, and my original suspicions had been confirmed. The door was locked, much to my dismay, when I had another idea.

"Better not let this ammo go to waste, huh?" I asked myself as I pulled out my shotgun, turned the safety off, stood back and fire. The bullet tore through the rusted lock easily, and with a kick I knocked the doors wide open. I smiled and put the shotgun away, running up the spiral staircase as quick as I could.

The only thing I was thinking as I was running was how quiet it was. I knew that it was abandoned but I figured it still couldn't be this quiet. I got to the top of the tower where the bell was. It was hanging over a foyer that was stable enough to walk on. I saw a long dusty rope hung over from the bell and extended over the floor. I walked over to it, expecting something to happen. I always got suspicious of quiet places after nearly being slashed by Sterling, and once again paranoia was going to pay off.

"Don't move," I heard a female voice right behind me, along with the cocking of a gun. This wasn't good, and it also gave a hint of a planetary outsider.

"Friend of Sterling, perhaps?" I asked inhesitantly.

"Turn around slowly," she said. If it was true, then I only had one chance to disarm her. With a quick breath, I swung around and slammed my palm against her extended right arm. With one fluid motion after, I grabbed her arm, twisted her around and used my other hand to reach for the firearm. She was quick though, she flipped a cartwheel, kicking her own gun out of my hand. I quickly caught my balance, and pulled out a long knife. Just as she finished her flip and caught her gun I grabbed her from behind and held the knife up to her throat.

"A little bit of advice," I began, "try a knife or a sword next time, it works better for close encounters." I wrenched the gun from her hand, emptied the magazine chamber, and tossed it aside. She pushed away and just stood, facing me.

"You haven't lost your touch," She said, "still playing the Paladin fantasy?" She was wearing sunglasses, and a tight blue uniform tied in with a short skirt to match. Her hair was long, and had a dirty yellow color. When she took it off they revealed a pair of blue eyes that were all too familiar. I was shocked. "Long time no see."

"It's you," I said hesitantly, "M-Maryah?"

"Five, maybe six years perhaps," She said, "you obviously remember, seeing as you can say my name."

"Well then," I said looking at her, "I guess it is true."

"Hm...?" She looked at me with a sarcastic smirk, "true, about what?"

"You, working with Sterling," I began, "there isn't another explanation. Not a lot of people get to just freely walk off the face of planet Earth."

"Someone's been doing their homework," She chuckled.

"Why, Maryah?" I crossed my arms, a knife still tight in my hand.

"What's it to you?" She asked.

"Why are you here? What are you planning, and who got you and Sterling off of Earth?" As I finished asking these questions I heard a loud beeping. Her glasses on the ground exploded, and a bright flash had gone off. I was temporarily blinded, and Maryah took advantage of it. She lunged for her gun, but left her ammo near my feet.

"Keep swinging your blade mr. Paladin," she said, "see you around." I regained my sight just long enough to see her jump out of the overview looking outside.

"Wait Maryah," I shouted and ran after her. I stopped at the window to look, but she was gone. It was as if she had just disappeared into thin air.

"This is getting too crazy," I sighed, and realized one more thing, "The bell!" I turned to the bell and ran like the wind, grabbing the rope and yanking it down.

***

"These lil' maggots are over there," A thief shouted as another horde charged at the three. Argus was holding his own with his swordsmanship. Brendan was keeping a steady stream of fire, lighting whoever got in his way. Alex was behind them, helping his brother fight while waiting for Ryan to ring the bell.

"Why is this taking him so long?" Alex shouted.

"He must be having difficulties," Brendan replied.

"I hope he hurries up," Argus stated, driving his blade through another criminal, "We need to hurry to the Marquis." Almost as if on cue, the bell rang from a distance. And as the ringing echoed through the air, Alex began to glow.

"Show time," Alex snickered.

***

I hurried to the fortress. I could hear fighting as I did, and hence sped up faster. I had no one else to fight by the time I got there, but as I did, it seemed the fighting was nearly already over. Alex, Brendan, and Argus were all standing there, fighting positions held. Just opposite of them, away from the fortress entrance was a large man, probably the leader, holding another man hostage. This one was very much a lizard, and had the sign of upper class, with dark crimson robes and long silver hair.

"I'm warning you," The man said, "one more step and he dies," I pulled out both my blades and ran down the hill. I was quickly gaining ground, and was glad he didn't turn around until I was up close.

"Hey," I shouted, "look over here." He jerked around in quick surprise just as I swiped my blade. The knife went right over the hostage's head and right through the leader's throat. Before I knew it, the man was on the ground, dead. The other three ran to us, Alex and Brendan to me, and Argus to the Marquis.

"Marquis," Argus asked concerned, "are you alright?" The man slowly stood up on his own power.

"I'm fine young Argus," he said and smiled, "I give you congrats, you showed great courage in both rescuing me and seeking help when it is needed." The two of them walked over to us.

"I must give you three my appreciation," he said, "This brigade has caused a lot of trouble. The people of Eagrose can rest easier now. I must also commend your skill on the battlefield."

"It was nothing," Brendan said, "we were glad to help."

"Oh really?" Alex teased, "Who was the one who had wet feet about the idea?" He jumped a bit in shock and we all laughed. After we were done teasing Brendan, the Marquis spoke to us again.

"You young man," he faced me, "I thank you and your friends for helping my young guardian along the path of knighthood. I must give you this as a token or our gratitude." He handed me a small emblem, embroidered in silver.

"Thank you," I asked, "what is it?"

"That my friend is the mark of a true knight in this country," He began, "A young lady wearing clothes like yours said a Paladin from very far away would arrive here soon. I would say she was right." I didn't say anything, looking at him with a shocked expression, and nodded.

"Thank you," I repeated and gazed at the emblem while thinking, 'Maryah, why are you here? How are you here?'

***

Dear Diary,

It seems the surprises will never end, but that is what I get for exploring the galaxy all the time. First I had met Sterling last time, and now I met... her, Maryah Lytle, another childhood girl- er, friend. But it was strange, I thought she was dead, much like I thought Sterling was supposed to be. That she is not only alive but out of Earth puzzles me enough. I know something has to be going on though, because Sterling and Maryah are now working together. This could mean they are part of something a little bigger, and I intend to find out next time our paths cross.

As for the planet itself, it wasn't a long stay. I talked with the Marquis a little bit to back up the information Argus Daneleu told me. After that it was back to the outfit for us. I stayed with the glowers to tell them about it, but kept the info of Maryah out of the equation. It was hard enough being in a room surrounded with such powerful creatures.

Now, enough about worrying about the two other earthlings, Alduin is getting his body back really soon, and I'm going to bear witness there.

Until next time,

Ryan Lewis