I actually finished one of my books! Aren't you guys proud of me....well you guys are really just worried about this book though...
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       This time Add made sure to take hold of Ara before they both disappeared in a flash of white light. Ara was glad that he had done so, especially since she didn't want a repeat of last time. Where ever this Altera place was, Ara knew nothing about it and if Add had been there but never told her so, she'd rather not end up alone having to find Add's location. It would be even worse because she had the bag with the food and Add would pretty much be on his own. Ara didn't exactly see him as the type to successfully be able to hunt if it came down to it.

       They were dropped from a random spot in the sky above a nice wide area of plain old dirt and grass. Mountains were a little off in the distance and clouds kept them from seeing anything past them. Add had activated his dynamos and carried Ara to the ground rather than have them fall to the ground. When they were safely earthbound, Add put Ara down and immediately began searching their surroundings for anything.

       "I hope Naui will be okay. I know we planned on releasing her anyway but we left her with that guy who claims to be you," Ara muttered to Add. "I'm sure she's fine," he curtly replied, still surveying the surroundings. "You ever been here before?" Ara asked as she also searched for any signs of movement. "Unfortunately, I have. If it weren't for rules, I'd have stayed here to research but since rules exist, I didn't and we can't stay here. Whatever is supposedly going to take place here will need to be solved another way. I'm not going back to that damned place again," Add said as he began to walk off.

       "I thought Altera was the home of nasods. You like nasods don't you? You even made a nasod weapon! What happened here and why did you never tell me about it or Altera since you've been here before?" Ara said as she followed after Add. He was heading towards what seemed to be a cliff but Ara didn't question his intentions. He knew more about the place than she did and she was sure that he wouldn't dive off of a cliff just because it was there. Add did not answer her and kept walking which caused Ara to pout.

        She missed the emotionally vulnerable and sweet Add that she'd just talked to last night. Now he was back to normal and most definitely not in the mood to talk. They stopped at the edge of the cliff which Ara found to be much worse than a cliff. Oh, this was much much worse than any cliff. "Please tell me you aren't expecting us to go that way," Ara said, making sure her uneasiness was detected in her voice. "It would be foolish for you two to make such a jump. I won't be able to save you from that, Ara," Eun said in her head. "We have no choice. It's either this, or we stay in Altera. If any of the nasods see us, it's already too late," Add muttered although Ara sensed his own uneasiness.

        "You're dynamos aren't going to be able to keep us from harm with that much gravity in effect," Ara muttered. "They will too," Add argued, sounding a bit insulted. "Will not," Ara shot back. "They're more than capable of carrying both of us down to safety," Add snapped, most definitely being oversensitive about his weapon's capabilities. "Yeah, okay. Believe that if you want to," Ara muttered. "Fine then. How about I stand right over the edge of the island and you can see for yourself," Add said as he stepped forward to do just that but Ara reached forward and pulled him back.

        "It wasn't me, I swear," Ara said for she hadn't actually carried out the action. "Do not get any closer to the edge. I wasn't for sure until now but there is a deadly barrier around this island. I can sense it," Eun said. Ara relayed the message and told Add that it was Eun who'd pulled him back but he didn't have time to give Ara or Eun an answer or response. Just as usual when things are about to happen, foes began to appear! Add noticed them before Ara did, muttering a curse as soon as he saw them.

        Ara looked in the direction that he now looked in only to see what she assumed to be nasods heading their way. "We can't let them catch us. They'll take us to the queen," Add muttered, not even giving Ara any time to comprehend what was going on before he picked her up. "Add, put me down! I am not a damsel in ditress! I'm a fully trained, unarmed but dangerous martial artist with the power of the millennium fox, Eun, at my disposal! I'm sure I can handle myself," Ara protested as Add carried her away, using his dynamos to get them as far from the incoming nasods as possible.

       Of course he ignored her protesting and kept going only to find that there were nasods coming towards them from the same direction he was going. "Damn it! They knew we were here the whole time," Add growled as he stopped in the middle of the feild. "Well then what do we do. Fighting them will only make things worse since we don't know how many of them there are," Ara said as Add put her down. "We have to surrender," he sighed. Ara wasn't quite sure she heard him right.

        "Wait, are you serious? You, surrendering?" Ara muttered as she raised her fists prepared to fight regardless. "Yes, Ara. They'll kill is on the spot if we fight back. We're technically the ones trespassing," Add said as he pushed down one of her raised fists. The nasods had surrounded them by then and were cautiously approaching them. "You are trespassing on nasod lands. Surrender now or we will use force," one of the nasods said. They were all quite different, some being humanoid nasods, others being less distinguishable from the common appliance, and still others were a mix between the two.

        Most had weapons attached to them or were holding weapons. The thing that creeped Ara out though was the way they seemed to be glaring at them. She didn't doubt that they would have taken them out instantly if there weren't apparently ruled against it. Add returned his dynamos to Ara's bag and held his hands up in surrender. Ara did the same but she was internally laughing for she still had Eun if things were to go wrong. "What happened to relying on your own strength, huh? Using my power whenever any sort of problem arises will only leave you vulnerable when you are without it," Eun chided in Ara's head to which she just rolled her eyes. She would worry about that later.

        Two humanoid nasods took hold of Add and two others took hold of Ara, both pairs escorting them to a single transportation unit that Ara had not noticed until the nasods surrounding it parted as Add and Ara were taken to it. The unit reminded Ara of a really huge box except it floated much like Add's dynamos. The back of it was opened and Add and Ara were forcefully shoved into the unit, the door being shut as soon as they were inside. It was uncomfortably dark as well but Ara's sight slightly adjusted to where she could see Add just a little.

        He summoned his dynamos from Ara's bag and they provided a soft glow that complemented Add's eyes which Ara found herself staring into. "Is there anything I need to know before we go through another near death possible assassination attempt?" Ara asked him. She could have sworn Add almost laughed at her statement. "Yes, actually. There are a few things you should know," Add muttered. The transportation unit lurged forward before he spoke again. They were being taken somewhere.

         "For starters, we aren't even supposed to be in Altera because we're human. Humans are forbidden to enter the city since nasods and people didn't quite get along at one point in time. Also, since we were caught and brought alive, we'll probably be brought before the queen so she can issue her judgement against us which I don't really look forward to. Also, my dynamos are nasod weapons so some problems might arise because of that fact alone," Add explained.

        "Wait so does that mean they have citizenship since they're nasod weapons or something? How does that work? Last time I checked, they didn't have a mind of their own," Ara said with true curiosity. Add seemed truly confused by her question. "Wait a second what did you just ask me?" he spoke as he tilted his head at her. "Do your dynamos have citizenship here in Altera?" Ara asked again. This time Add laughed at her and although Ara felt a bit insulted, she couldn't help but smile a little. Add hardly ever laughed like that.

        "I'm being completely serious. I don't actually know how things work here," Ara said. Add just shook his head at her. "No, Ara. My dynamos don't have Alteran citizenship," Add confirmed. "Oh...I just thought...you know cause they're nasod based or whatever," Ara said quietly. The transportation unit suddenly stopped and Add's expression completely changed to worry. "I didn't think we'd get here so quickly," Add muttered. Just as he said this, the door opened, nearly blinding Ara with the sudden beams of natural light.

         Add returned his dynamos to Ara's bag. The nasods didn't have to tell them to get out for Add automatically did so and Ara followed. She almost gasped at the sight she saw. They seemed to be in a city that was rather beautiful. The entire city was aesthetic in every way and not too far off, Ara could see a castle towering above it all. This sight alone kept her from instantly reacting to her actual surroundings. They were surrounded by nasods that seemed to be guards of some sort and they all had their weapons pointed at the two of them.

        Ara wasn't very fond of guards pointing weapons at her. In addition to that unpleasantness, Ara could hear the voices and plain out noise that all of the nasods around them. Yes, they seemed to be in the center of a path that led right up to the castle that Ara had seen. Nasods crowded the edges of this path and others seemed to have just been getting there. The things that Ara could actually understand were a bit too unspeakable to retell. These nasods obviously hated them. Add suddenly took hold of Ara's hand and pulled her to him. Ara looked to see that one of the guards had attempted to separate them.

         "They're likely going to have us executed publicly if the queen decides so," Add said a bit too calmly for Ara's liking. "You seem perfectly fine with that!" Ara exclaimed. "I know how and when to escape. Besides, I'm sure the queen will reconsider when she sees me again. We didn't quite get along last time we met so she might want to plan a bit of revenge," Add said, still keeping Ara close to him as the guards began to edge them onward. "You've met the queen?!" Ara whisper yelled.

        Their conversation had been in whispers all along but she had been a bit louder just then. "It's a long story," Add said as he used his other hand to scratch his head. The one he hadn't used was secured around Ara's waist as she walked next to him. He apparently had a problem with the nasods getting too close to her. Ara didn't particularly like all of the noise the nasods made as she and Add were escorted down the road. The nasods even threw things at them, mostly trash or scraps, which was clearly bothering Add. They went through this treatment until they reached the castle where Add and Ara had to stop at the front where the castle steps started.

        At the large door to the quite stunning castle was a very pretty lady that Ara knew had to be the queen. Two others were by her side but she alone stood out enough to be the queen. She seemed so regal and her two floating things complemented her outfit. "Whoa, she's pretty. I thought humans weren't allowed in Altera," Ara muttered. "They aren't. She's still a nasod I assure you," Add said with an eye roll. Ara huffed in annoyance, not appreciating Add's attitude although she knew it wasn't directed at her.

        The queen finally made eye contact with them but her eyes lingered on Add who stared at her as well. The queen waved her hand across the air and in an instant, the nasods around them began to go quiet. "You dare show your face here again? I should have known it was you. Just because you've gotten older doesn't mean I wouldn't recognize you, Add," the queen growled loud enough for Add and Ara to clearly hear. "Yeah, nice to see you again too, Eve. This is really jus-" Add was saying. "Silence! And it's your majesty to you. I'm sure my father made it clear that you were never to show your face here again unless you wish to face the consequences of your actions," Eve interrupted.

         "Like I said, it was a big misunderstanding. We were just leaving before we were brought here so I'd appreciate it if you let us leave," Add said, completely unaffected by Eve's outburst. The two ladies beside Eve, which Ara could now safely assume were nasods, whispered something to Eve. Maybe they were the princesses or something. Eve's eyes landed on Ara afterward and Ara could practically feel Add tense up. "Who is she to you? Perhaps she might gain my favor and convince me to show you mercy just as your mother did all of those years ago," Eve said and Ara could have sworn she saw Eve smirk.

         "She isn't doing a damn thing for you now let us leave or I'll force my way out," Add growled as he brought his dynamos into view from Ara's bag. Eve ignored this though and addressed Ara. "You'll listen to me I'm sure. You and Add are to be killed for violating our most closely followed rule but Add will meet a far greater punishment than just death...unless you beg for me to show you and Add mercy," Eve said. Ara was a bit shocked but it wasn't as bad as she thought. She'd figured Eve might have her fight a nasod to the death or something.

        "Go on, beg. Get down on your knees, bow to me, and beg for my mercy," Eve commanded and the nasods in the crowd around them began to mutter and tell her to follow the queen's orders. Ara felt insulted but Eve was offering them a chance to escape death and Ara wouldn't be letting the opportunity pass knowing that it likely wouldn't come again. She didn't care how humiliating it was, she would do it if it meant that she and Add kept living.

         She stepped forward out of Add's grasp but he took hold of her arm. She looked back at him to see his desperate look. "Ara, no. Please don't do this. I can't let you," Add said with a shake of his head. Ara only smiled at him a bit. "It'll be fine. I'd just be showing the queen a bit of respect," Ara said and she pulled out of Add's hold. She walked a little closer to the steps, which the guards almost responded to, and she sat on her knees. Ara bowed low to the ground to the point that her forehead touched the cool paved path. "I beg of you, your highness, please show us mercy. Our lives are in your hands so please spare us," Ara said loud enough to be heard.
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I really need to finish another book though...this one won't be done any time soon. Until next time you astounding readers!