"Oh, my dear Princess Rune." The first man who got off one of the boats said.

This man looked about forty years old. He had dark skin tone, a long black beard and hardened eyes. His eyes were those of a man who had seen battle but retained his kind heart. The man wore blue armor with a flower-like symbol painted on it in white and had a katana at his side which he seemed ready to use at any moment.

"Lones, it is good to see you." The girl (presumably Princess Rune) said.

He kneeled before her; as did all the other men who got off the boats.

"Princess Rune, I asked you not to wonder-off." The man named Londes said.

"I know, but I heard the cries of a wounded animal." Princess Rune replied. "I felt I needed to help. I had not expected an encounter with Werebeasts."

"You are lucky these two warriors were here to protect you." Londes said. "You two have my utmost thanks."

"Ah, it was nothing." Dante said.

"Um, could you tell us where we are?" Makoto asked.

"You are currently in the Western Forest." Loners answered. "Could it be that you are lost?"

"Yep, we are completely and utterly lost." Dante replied.

"Well, then it would be a honor to transport you to the Capital City." Princess Rune said. "It is the least we can do."

"Sure, I guess that would be okay." Makoto replied.

Loners allowed the two of them into one of their boats. Both of them watched as they ascended up to the larger vessel.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you your names." Princess Rune said.

"I am Makoto Mizuhara and this is my friend, Dante Cole." He replied.

"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." Rune said with a warm smile.

Dante wondered if Makoto realized how badly he was staring at her. Sure, Rune was very pretty, but she was no Nanami.

Oh my God, Dante thought. What happened to Nanami?! Is she here too?! I doubt it, but I should be ready. Hey, if she is here, maybe I can rescue her, like I did Rune. Then, she just might fall for me. Ha, that would be awesome!

After a few minutes, Dante nudged Makoto when he continued staring at Rune.

"Set sail for the Capital City!" Lones shouted to the crew of the vessel.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Jinnai woke-up locked in a iron cage with a bunch of werewolves who were armed with swords and other medieval weapons all around him. He seemed to be in some werewolf war camp. At first, Jinnai thought this must be a dream, so he pinched his cheek. It hurt, so Jinnai quickly realized he was awake. Then, Jinnai decided to do what he does best; yell and complain.

"Hey, I demand to know what is going on here!" Jinnai shouted. "This is unjust imprisonment! You can't treat me like an animal. I am Jinnai, a brilliant Japanese scholar. You werewolves will pay for this, you can count on that!"

"Will you shut up?!" One of them shouted.

When Jinnai kept shouting, that same werewolf walked over to him. This werewolf had gray fur, scars on his arms, and fierce yellow eyes. He wore brown leather armor with a sword strapped to his side. Once he reached the cage, this werewolf grabbed Jinnai by the collar. His breath smelled like raw meat.

"You are a very noisy human, aren't you?" He growled. "Maybe if I give you a few bruises and a couple cuts, you'll quite down?"

In response, Jinnai grinned. "I was wondering how long it would take for one of you to get annoyed enough to come over here."

Then, before the werewolf could react, Jinnai pulled out his sword and held it against the werewolf's throat.

"Well, seems the tables have turned, little doggie." Jinnai said with a sinister smirk. "Now open this cage, or I'll open you up.

The werewolf swallowed hard, then slowly pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Jinnai. After Jinnai was free, he decided to start gathering some information.

"What is your name, little doggie?" Jinnai asked.

"Jacob." He answered. "Jacob McCoy."

"Well, Jacob, I am going to need you to answer some questions." Jinnai said. "First, where the hell am I?"

"You are in the camp of the 31st Wolf Battalion located in the Western Forest area of El Hazard." Jacob replied.

"What in the world is El Hazard?" Jinnai asked.

Jacob gave Jinnai a baffled look. "El Hazard is the the world. It is the place where we, the forests, the mountains and the oceans exist. I thought everyone knew that."

"Whatever." Jinnai said. "Tell me why you imprisoned me."

"Because you are a human." Jacob replied. "Our two races are at war. In fact, we are expecting a battalion of cavalrymen to attack us within the next two days."

When Jinnai heard this, an idea formed in his mind. If it worked, he would gain power; the kind of power he has craved all his life. Finally, he would show everyone his greatness and there was no Makoto here to show him up.

"Take me to your leader." Jinnai ordered with a grin.

Jacob lead Jinnai through the camp. All of the werewolves stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Many growled and some even tried to get close enough to free Jacob, but Jinnai kept a firm grip on the sword and told them to keep their distance. It was not long before they reached a black tent, which housed the commanding officer and his advisors. Inside, there were five werewolves arguing with each other. At the center was a wooden table with multiple maps laid out on it.

"What the hell?!" The first one to notice them exclaimed.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." He said. "I am Jinnai, and I would like to discuss a proposition."

"What sort of proposition?" The commander asked.

"The kind where I help you defeat the approaching human troops." Jinnai replied with a wicked smile.

Meanwhile, in a network of tunnels under the Western Forest, a member the Phantom tribe found an unconscious and oddly dressed girl. Thinking that the girl might be hurt, the Phantom tribe girl carefully dragged her to the Phantom tribe village deep underground.