~Chapter 3- Trapped~

"Stay close to us, Corri," Diva said as they traveled though the pitch darkness back to Petri's woods. The growls of the many beasts that populate the Lands of Ranuulo unsettled Corri. Diva knew it was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

After careful navigation they made it back to the woods. Diva eyed the ground for web traps. She would hate for Corri to be caught in one, "Watch your step."

The dark woods were illuminated by many Focus Lights. They traveled to their home with walls made of compact webbing. Valr breathed in deep as he re-entered his childhood home.

"How is Gweneva doing?" Valr asked his parents.

Diva nodded, "She's fine. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you after all this time."

Valr turned to Corri, "Do you mind staying with my parents for a bit? I'll be right back."

"Take your time, I wanted to ask them more anyways."

Valr smiled and hurried out of the home.

"So you were part of the Sky Bandits with my dad and uncle?" Corri confirmed.

Vos and Diva nodded, "It's not a part of our lives that we're proud of."

"I always heard that there were 7 sky bandits, but it sounds like it was just the 5 of you."

"More ended up joining us over the years."

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By Age 972, all in the Lands of Ralosia knew of the Sky Bandits. As they continued to steal and pillage, their notoriety only grew. Despite the years they had spent with Lunahreim, he never seemed to age.

Over the years, Vos, Razan, and Lucar all made advances towards Diva. She always saw Lucar as the little boy who she cared for, so it was hard for her to make any romantic connection with him. Razan was most assertive of the boys, but he courted women in every town they traveled to. Ultimately, Diva and Vos ended up together. She thought he was the most sound of mind of the three, and was very simply kind.

In Dialtown there was a daughter of a rich council member. Michta was her name, and she was set to be married off to another council member's son. The curly haired blonde was used to a life of rigid discipline and etiquette but craved a more exciting one. Then she met Lucar.

The two were immediately smitten with one another. Lucar promised her a life of adventure and excitement. Michta stole much of her family's riches and took off with him, becoming the sixth member of the Sky Bandits.

Michta was nowhere near the level of strength of the rest of them, but she did grow more powerful, even learning how to use Focus on a rudimentary level.

Razan continued to court new women in each town they robbed until they came upon a simple farm in the east. There was a woman the same age as Razan with bright red hair and a cold look in her eyes. He had been successful in courting many women, but this defiant girl gave Razan trouble. Her name was Bonnie.

Razan demanded that the Sky Bandits leave Bonnie's farm alone.

Bonnie hated her simple farm life, and one day she became fed up with it and left with Razan, never to return home again. Bonnie became the seventh and final Sky Bandit.

Lunahreim took a peculiar interest in Bonnie as well, but it was never clear why.

"Bonnie and I are going on a trip," Lunahreim declared one day when they were hiding out around the Weld Mountains at the time.

"Where are you going?" Razan questioned.

"That's not important," Bonnie coldly responded. Even though Diva had spent a significant time with her, she never felt close to Bonnie. She was so distant from everyone. Diva had a hard time understanding what Razan saw in her.

"Don't you think I ought to know where you're going?" Razan pried.

"Stop worrying. We'll be back before you know it," Lunahreim said. He and Bonnie mounted his crow and they took to the skies.

Days later they return empty-handed. Neither Bonnie nor Lunahreim provided any hint as to what they were doing.

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Corri listened closely as Diva spoke about the other members of the Sky Bandits. Diva asked, "How are Michta and Bonnie doing?"

Corri sighed, "Michta died when I was really young. Focus Sickness."

Both Diva and Vos exhaled deeply. Diva never would've wished that on her, "That's a shame. She did tend to get careless with Focus... Did she end up having any children?"

"Yeah, my cousin Jirro," Corri replied.

Vos nodded, "What about Bonnie? How is she?"

Corri shook her head, "My dad never told me my mother's name. I figured out where she used to live, but that's it. I have no idea where she is or what happened to her."

Diva nodded glumly. She wasn't surprised, she doubted that she and Razan would work out. It was surprising that they even had a second child.

"How did you end up trapped in the Lands of Ranuulo though?" Corri asked.

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The bounty on each of the Sky Bandits rose over time. Many tried to challenge them, but none succeeded. They had become some of the world's strongest.

In Age 974, Diva and Bonnie were pregnant. While Diva and Vos wanted a child, it was an accident for Razan and Bonnie. Something Bonnie lamented.

They made camp in the Saran plains, and a mist covered the ground around them. Lunahreim rushed to his feet shouting, "We have to get out of here, now!"

From the mist emerged a giant Ram standing several stories tall. Its eyes had menace, and it spoke, "Lunahreim! This is the end for you and those who follow you!"

While Lunahreim seemed intent on fleeing, Diva and the other Sky Bandits wanted to stay and fight. But the unthinkable happened. The Sky Bandits won and drove the Ram away.

Lunahreim explained that the Ram was the Earth Deity Ramesses, one of the three deities left by the Goddess to protect these lands. He didn't think it was possible that they could best him. The Sky Bandits had become more powerful than he could possibly imagine.

Soon after, Lunahreim told the Sky Bandits of the Lands of Ranuulo, a place he described as having untold riches.

"I have tried many times to try and reach the Lands of Ranuulo. I've trained many to help me break through, but none have succeeded. But I think you can." Lunahreim explained.

The Sky Bandits heard the call for riches and were more than happy to go. They flew to the Link Temple in the desert. As soon as Bonnie approached the doors, they slid open for her, leading them down into the halls of the temple.

A golden mechanical guard stood in their path and attacked them, but a single blow from Lucar destroyed it.

They continued until they came to a circular gate blocked by a shimmering substance that looked liquid. When Lunahreim placed his hands on it, it became solid.

"This is the barrier," Lunahreim said, "The only thing separating the Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo."

Lucar cockily walked up to the barrier and punched it a few times. It rippled violently for a moment before settling.

"If it were that simple, I would've done it myself," Lunahreim said, "We'll have to attack it all at once, with everything we have."

Lunahreim, Vos, Lucar, and Razan lined up against the barrier. Diva wanted to join them, but Vos insisted she take it easy ever since she became pregnant. Using Focus could harm the baby.

The four unleashed Focus Streams. Black, Purple, Red, and Blue light emerged from the men's fists and impacted against the barrier, and they continued to funnel more forth. The Barrier rippled violently from the impact, and it began to deform and warp around the light.

Then the Focus Bursts broke through.

The Barrier still existed, but there was a gaping hole through it. Lunahreim cackled at the sight, overfilled with joy. After centuries of work he thought he had succeeded.

On the other side of the barrier was a similar looking temple, but the walls were weathered and dark.

"Come on everyone!" Lunahreim said. He and the other Sky Bandits hurried through the damaged barrier.

They left the temple and found themselves in a world very distinct from the Lands of Ralosia, with dark red and purple skies and a harsh and desolate landscape. Lunahreim was ecstatic to be here, but Diva and the others had a very different idea of what this 'place of untold riches' would look like.

Michta asked, "Where are these riches you told us about?"

Lunahreim turned enthusiastically, "Right. Well, I have a strong idea of where one might be. We're going to look for a certain jagged great sword... very valuable."

Vos placed a hand on Diva's belly, "Don't you think we should grab our supplies first? Then we can look for that sword."

Lunahreim conceded, "I suppose that's a good idea."

The Sky Bandits traveled back into the weathered temple until they reached the center where the barrier once stood... The Barrier had returned. It blocked their path back into the Lands of Ralosia.

"That's annoying," Razan shrugged, "I guess we'll have to break through again."

Razan, Vos, and Lucar readied himself near the newly formed barrier. Lunahreim did as well, but with a worried look on his face.

The four struck the barrier once again, the barrier violently shook, but this time it held its form. They exhausted themselves trying to break through it.

"That's strange," The breathless Lucar remarked, "I feel like that should've been enough."

"Let's take a breather and go again," Vos said.

They waited a moment and tried to break through barrier again. It didn't work. They tried again. Then again. And again. They lost track of how many times they tried to break through the barrier. The others lent their help but it was still not enough.

"Lunahreim! Why isn't this working!?" Vos demanded answers.

Lunahreim looked terrified. He leaned against the temple's walls, "Its a trick of the Goddess," He muttered, "Perhaps when it reformed it came back even stronger. Or maybe it was designed to be more formidable on this side."

The group quietly contemplated what he had just said.

"So, what do we do?" Diva asked.

"...I don't know," Lunahreim muttered.

"What if I just try to destroy the temple itself?" Vos asked.

"No! No. If you do that the link between this world and the Lands of Ralosia may be severed forever. Then it will never be possible to escape.

"So... what? Are we trapped here?" Michta asked.

Lunahreim meekly nodded.

The Sky Bandits were trapped in the cruel Lands of Ranuulo. There was little food or water, many living there were hostile, and the beasts that roamed the lands were far more powerful than anything that existed in the Lands of Ralosia.

Early in Age 975, the two women gave birth. Bonnie gave birth to a little black haired boy who they named Aero. Diva gave birth to a brown haired boy named Valr. Michta realized that she was pregnant as well. If not for the kindness of Petri, who allowed them into his abode, many of them would've died.

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Corri interrupted Vos and Diva's recounting of how they found themselves here, "Wait, why are you two still here if my dad and Uncle got out?"

"We don't know how they got out," Diva replied.

"They abandoned us," Vos remarked, clenching his fist, "One day they took off on their own and never came back. They must've found some sort of escape, but they never told us."

Valr re-entered their web-based home, and they decided to get rest. When morning comes for the Lands of Ranuulo, night will find the Lands of Ralosia. They decided that would be the perfect time to cross over.