[Rana POV]

Just a little further, just a little further and I'll see you again!

I was never good at hiding my emotions. If I'm sad, anxious, or scared, I show it on my face, and with being separated from Aiden for so long with almost no certainty he's alive and well, I was a wreck for weeks.

"Miss Rana, are you feeling alright, you're sweating and look pale?" Ranbrek Droheck, nickname Rough, the dwarf from the tavern with the longest beard and the elder of the group, was seating next to me in the driver's seat with the two halflings, Mors and Uhka, sitting in the back with Lanie.

"I'm fine... maybe a little worked up." The stress must be getting to me, but I can fight through. 

The barrier that separated the Paganish Realm from the rest of the world was a beautiful sight, hundreds of people traveling just to see it. From the ground to the sky above, the barrier glowed a rainbow of colors that shifted erratically each day. The border was barren except for a squad of guards as we pulled to the station.

One guard, a catfolk man with greying blue fur, walked up to our camper. "Sorry, but nobody native to this side can cross until further notice."

Rough got out and walked up to him. "Don't worry, me and my company are guiding these people. Here are our documents and proof of passage." he showed him identification.

The guard read the papers and returned them. "Very well, you should be safe to cross, but stay cautious, turbulence can be dangerous."

With everything clear, I began to lead our convoy with Rough navigating me as we got closure. It was scary, it was basically fighting the natural instinct to avoid driving a vehicle through a wall, but the camper made contact with no troubles and I followed through. We tethered the vehicles together to prevent separation, but the energy that formed the barrier was so foggy you could barely see in front of you.

"That's good, stay steady and consistently paced." Rough encouraged me. "We should be breaking through the other side in a-"

-THUMP-

Suddenly, we ran into turbulence that shook the ground. I tried to stay calm, but I froze, too scared to react as everything became shakier; my mind left me. I was still in the seat but I wasn't controlling anything as Rough and Lanie tried to wake me up and steered. The camper continued to get more unstable until I saw a large rock approaching and swerved to avoid a collision, only to cause us to fall over a small cliff and skid in a large puddle of mud.

Lanie clutched her arms around me. "Is... is it over?"

Rough was breathing heavily, gripping his chest with one hand. "I... I think that's it."

[Lanie POV]

It was a miracle that we all survived passing the border wall, but our vehicles were greatly damaged. I inspected the engines, but it was useless; the frame and axles were warped, the engines were unrecognizable, the only working functions left if the wheels.

"Good news and Bad news." I addressed everyone, resting after pushing our campers out the mud. "The wheels are still in operation, so we don't have to abandon them, but I have no way of repairing the mechanisms. We could push them, but it will take longer to reach our destination."

"That's not the only problem," Rough spoke. "The turbulence caused a change location. We're not lost, but the Colosseum is at best a seven-month journey from here if you got the vehicles working." This news caused everyone to sign in exasperation."

Don't worry." Turf, Rough's son, stood up. "We're very close to our city. If we work hard enough, we could push your vehicles to the city gate by sundown."

Me and Rana walked up to Rough and Turf. "Thank you," Rana spoke for us. "We're all very grateful for your help. And we'll compensate you and your group for any assistance you and your people give us."

"You compensation need, Miss." Rough politely refused. "The barrier is an erratic phenomenon, if we didn't have your vehicles to protect us, our group might have been in killed passing." The elder and his group saluted. "Please, I would like to welcome you and your companions to our city as my personal guests. However, our people might be more open to guests if they could study your vehicles."

I laughed, Dwarves are famous for being knowledge hounds. "It would be a pleasure."

~7 Hours Later~

Our group was fortunate that Rough and his company were with us. With their help, pushing the campers was less strenuous, but it still took hours to reach our destination. Built into the inner veins of a great mountain was the dwarven city of Sardonyia, it's magnificent stone gates guarded by squads of dwarf soldiers using ballista and cannons.

We parked our vehicles a short distance from the gate while Rough and his son went to talk to the guards, taking the time to rest.

"We may have to stay for a while," I told Rana, handing her some water. "With the damages, I'll have to completely rebuild the campers. Along with planning and maintaining morale, it might take longer to find Aiden than we thought."

My sister-wife still looked unwell as she held her cup, then clenched her stomach as she jumped up and vomited in a nearby bush. "I understand."

"Rana, are sure you're alright, you might have a flu?" I comforted her illness, Jillian moved closure to help me.

She rubbed her head. "I thought it was only stress, but something is going on. I'm fatigued, my apatite is weak, my emotions are hectic, and I've been nauseous for days."

The halfling Jillian gasped, having an idea of what was happening. "Miss Rana, I'm not certain, but with your symptoms... I think you might be pregnant."