"You don't have a clue where you're going," Seige growled as he followed the old lady Kioli on a winding path through the woods.

"Of course I do!" Kioli said, spreading out a large map. "See? We're on the right track according to my map, this should take us into a small town called Olin and from there we trek through the swamp and up to the caverns in the side of the mountain."

"What?" Seige did not even want to think about going that far with the crazy old bat.

Kioli cackled. "I'm kidding! We just have to get to Olin, from there I can get us to Etea Arena."

Seige let out a sigh of relief. "How far to there?"

"Not even a half days journey, we should be there soon, if you'd hurry up!"

"Well I'm the one carrying everything!" Seige growled. "This one bag of yours weighs a ton and so do the other three! Give me a break already!"

Kioli shook her head as she scrambled over sticks and larger rocks. "We must make a good offer or else we'll be refused!"

"What is this 'we'?" Seige didn't like the sound of that.

Kioli sighed. "Fine, fine! You have to make a good offer, and I'm helping you, but I still want to be around that Drakkin if you get one!"

Seige groaned. "Don't say if, if means I may not, and I don't want to think about not getting one."

"Well we're almost to Ol—"

"Hold it right there!" A little kid leapt from the tops of the trees, his face, no… everything about him had an animal quality to it. He had animal ears, a tail, and fangs even. "Gimme all yer loot! Right now! I'm not kidding!"

"Eh?" Kioli blinked. "Go away sonny, we're on a mission!"

"I said gimme yer loot!" The little boy, hands like paws complete with claws, scratched his dark brown hair. "Gimme it now!"

Seige smirked, his attitude changing suddenly. "Try and take it," he let the bags crash to the ground, making Kioli gasp complaining that fragile things were in hers. Seige ignored the old lady and her rambles, pulling on his sword and grinning at the boy. "Come on, what're you waiting for?"

The young boy's mouth dropped open at the sight of the sword and he grumbled. "Ah come on! I need a little something, I wanna have dinner tonight, ya know?"

Kioli shuffled her way over to the boy, raised a fist above his head, and bonked him hard on his cranium. "Shut up and come with us!"

"What?" Seige and the little boy asked though the boy sounded curious while Seige sounded outraged.

Kioli grinned. "You got any parents boy?"

"N-no…"

"Then I'll be your granny! Just call me Kioli and not granny or I'll bonk you again!"

The boy was so confused, and Seige found himself taking pity on him for having to be Kioli's new grandson. Seige knew the old lady would take no for an answer. "Wait a minute, I—"

"First we'll get you some clothes, then we'll get you a nice meal," Kioli sniffed and quickly frowned. "Before all that you need a bath! You stink boy!"

"But—"

Seige put his sword back in its sheath and picked up the bags. "She won't allow you to say no," he smiled faintly, "come on if you must, food, warmth, shelter? If you're an orphan like you say, that's something you haven't had in a while, so be her grandson and let's get going! I don't have all day."

The boy thought about it. He really didn't have any reason to say no and the old lady looked fairly… /Creepy?/ The boy thought. /Old, frightening, wrinkly?/ …trustworthy. "Okay!" He announced with a grin. "I'll go with you!"

Seige was already walking past the boy and Kioli. "What's your name?" Kioli asked, walking after Seige before turning to motion for the boy to make haste.

"Miiji!"

"Migy?" Seige questioned. "Perfect name for the midget!"

Miiji made a very animal like growl at Seige. "You're mean!" The boy stomped right over to Seige and punched him. "Mean!"

Seige's black eyes sparkled with happiness, a rare thing for him these days. "Go tell it to a wall."

+++++++++++++++

As soon as they reached Olin Miiji got a bath, new clothes, and a large dinner. Seige ate a little and Kioli fussed over Miiji. "Kioli," Seige muttered, they all sat at a table in the town's best restaurant. "Tell me how to get to Etea Arena now and I'll be going."

Kioli blinked. "Oh no you don't! We're coming too!"

"Uh," Seige looked from Kioli to Miiji and back again. "You have a grandson to take care of now, you can't come with me an—"

"Yes we can!" Miiji yelled with his mouth stuffed full of food, bits and pieces pierced with his claws. "I wanna go there! I wanna see Drakkin!"

Seige, about to nibble on a roll, stopped and asked, "You've heard of them?"

"Yeah! I wanna go too!"

Seige wasn't thrilled. Kioli? Okay, he might have been able to put up with the old granny, but Miiji? A strange animal human kid with an appetite of ten men? "Well then it's settled!" Kioli cried. "Finish eating all you and then we'll be on our way!"

"This can't be happening," Seige murmured sadly.

+++++++++++++++

"Uh, Kioli?" Miiji asked as he peered around the rock curiously. "Where are we and why is there a door in this rock?"

Kioli ruffled her new grandson's hair. "This is the door to Etea Arena, as soon as I make it the door to Etea Arena!" She picked up three sons, yelled something that neither Seige or Miiji could understand, and tossed the pebbles at the door. "Okay, let's go!"

Seige blinked and Miiji started wondering if going with this old lady was a good idea, he began to think she was insane. "Uh…" Miiji mumbled.

Kioli ignored Miiji's mumbling and turned to Seige. "After you, you're the one getting a Drakkin, so open the door and step through!"

Seige had a feeling he was about to walk right into a large rock as he opened the door, closed his eyes, and stepped through.