Corvayne stepped onto dirt by the edge of the badlands, far to the east of Cascadia. He sighed as he looked himself over. Old clothes with lots of brown and black. Backpack, spear, no strawberry pants. Death had claimed him, and now he was back to square one. Or not entirely... he flexed [[Agility]] and felt himself picking up speed. He flung a shadow hand at the railing behind him and watched it bounce inside the metal.

Looking around, he saw endless flat sands behind him, and the dry hills ahead. It had been a few months, and he noticed little changes that he had forgotten, including some of the stones he had associated with the high plains wandering off into the sands. In his mind it had been flat, but he shrugged.

First question: should he dip into the portal and start working on Nel'Ferral tasks? The Raven was back alive, and Bell depending on her memories might or might not be healed. Her daughter would start near the dungeon, as might the bride...

Without a bike, he'd take forever to re-do everything he had done before. He wanted to see Bell again, but also Spears. He also wasn't sure if Diamond being fixed would carry over. One thing at a time. It was frustrating to have to start over, but with the Pacts and Adept powers, not to mention chain shadows, he would be that much harder a fight for Argyle.

He wouldn't NEED to fight Argyle, possibly, or he could do it with Spears backing him up. That made him smile. He frowned as he thought of the Bride. Cheap shot! He'd have to recruit the spider and try to have Growl-Whine fight her.

Corvayne started the walk back. Over the dusty hills with mining trails on them, the four lane road reminding him of his last two walks. First, the joy he felt seeing plants, and running in the grass. Then, the second time, shrouded in doubts and fears. Now, well, it was his third time around. He had some idea of what was in store for him. Yes, there were monsters out there that could take him out, but he could have Diamond's fixed if needed before the Bride even made her move.

He let the line of trucks pass as he always did once he got to the foggy downhill. The line felt longer knowing he was waiting for the last truck. He jumped on and then hitched a ride down the mountain to the ore station.

He was faster on his feet once he lept off the truck, and made it to the pair of gas stations by a stop light before he saw Mister I's truck come puttering up the road. The jovial monk, hunter, and doctor had a truck that looked like it was moments from dying, but had proven to be a reliable way of getting around the city.

Corvayne saw that Wick wasn't inside, but it made sense. They'd have to figure out some way of keeping separate, assuming that the split was still happening. Corvayne admitted that he missed her, but did not miss the headgames involved with her fractured personality.

Mister I himself looked troubled when Corvayne opened the front door, which dampened his own smile. "Hi Mister I, I got my head chopped off... what's up? Did everyone else wake up okay?"

Icariii tapped the wheel. "Wick is sleeping and has not woken up in several hours since the time loop started again. I can't wake her up, at least. Also, before anyone else blurts it out, our group made it a few more months before Wick was shot by an Illuresi hooligan using a high powered bow build."

"Is she doing any better? More stable?" Maybe they wouldn't have to split the group, and he could get some of his friends to help him gang up on that 'Bride'. He didn't think of himself as vengeful, but he did want to chop her head off as a way of evening the score.

Mister I shrugged as he drove them over the six lane bridge into Cascadia, switching lanes to avoid a backed up right lane. "She has been okay since you left. Hari was unhappy and missed you, especially since she blamed herself for your death."

Corvayne thought about it. Mister I's wording suggested they must have persisted for more then just a few months after he fell. "I don't think I'll die like that twice. Not unless the Bride I fought is a time traveller too. Did the warehouse guards remember going on an adventure?"

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"Steel, Bearer, and Reaper?" Corvayne didn't correct that Bearer-of-Burdens was not an employee, as it was a minor quible. "Yes. Bearer said she has to talk to her 'mother' and ran off. But we'll probably be ready to do a dungeon run or go pull Spears out when we get back."

Mister I got them onto the freeway and had them gliding over the city. Corvayne felt like the months away gave him a fresh set of eyes. Cranes dotted the docks in arrays he had forgotten, some of them unloading much newer looking boats. The skyline seemed fuller, with at least three or four layers of train tracks looping high into the air, and it felt like more of those train tracks were hemming the roads in. He spotted the icon of the Cascadia skyline from the road as they passed by a large park. The Silver Corndog towered over the gleaming city. He couldn't recall it's real name, just that it wasn't Corndog and everyone called it the Cascadia Corndog. Looking forward, he saw Mare island and two bridges connecting it to Dolphin island. The black tower jutting from by the bank screamed to Corvayne 'literal Tower entrance'.

"Did Nyxion and LBC show up?"

"Grunt was going to pick them up on his scooter." Mister I smiled as he took them over three market streets for Koban, then drove them through the train station and into Old Town. Corvayne saw home, again, and smiled. He could see the apartment towers from here, thought it looked more crowded then he remembered. Looking down Copper Mill Road he could spot the warehouse peeking over surrounding buildings. That made him smile.

"If I didn't have a date with Raven, Bell, and Hylal, not to mention Diamond..."

Mister I nodded. "Ah! What fun. Instead of regrets, you've harvested this time a few months of pleasing tasks, ones you will surely triumph at!"

Mister I pulled the truck up to the building and rolled down his window and swiped a card, which made the gate and garage open with a start. Corvayne had his window down and took a big whiff of the smell of engines and old parts.

"It's good to see you though, old friend, it felt like we hadn't met in a long time."

Mister I laughed. "You must be eager to start building your bike, no need to hold back!"

Like a kid in a candy shop, Corvayne got out and started picking up tools.

Grunt was the first back in a few hours, with Nyxion and LBC in tow. Nyxion waved with both hands and wiggled his fingers. Lady Blood Claw just ran up to Corvayne and hugged him, then set about making herself useful in spooling A-gravs.

Corvayne was just getting comfortable spooling things when Bearer-of-Burdens came in, Brines being half dragged behind her. Bearer looked around, then moved up to Corvayne. "What actually got you?"

"That Bride was camping the exit."

"By the time the rest of us got out, she was gone as were you."

Nyxion raised a hand. "Cultists with the three burning eye masks, but mostly mis-healed wounds."

Lady Blood Claw shrugged. "Made it until Wick died, or I died so fast I didn't know what got me."

Bearer nodded. "Me and Brines made it until Wick died. So we need to fill Corvayne in on what happened after the loop finished. Still, that can wait."

She dragged him to standing, then grabbed his hand and started striding out the door. Brines looked confused but followed them, activating an aura that made them move much much faster down the street.

"Bearer I'm not sure what your trying to show me but I don't see the hurry."

"I have a theory that as the first person who died you're going to notice it."

She stopped in front of the warehouse. Corvayne thought it looked taller, maybe because the wall looked bigger when he wasn't up on a walkway, but besides that it was the same slightly rusted building with 'BRINES BROS' on it.

"I don't see it." Corvayne admitted.

"Look around. Take your time." Bearer said.

Corvayne looked over at the bay and parking lot, and stopped. There was a gas station now between the empty lot and the view of the orange lit factories across the water.

He started walking to the gas station. "Did I forget this was here?"

Brines looked over. "It's always been there. I think Grunt's keeping the place running."

Bearer looked serious. "What else have you noticed Corvayne?"

He thought about it. Some of the roads were wider. There wasn't a freeway he could see the Corndog from before, was there? You could see it over buildings but not framed in it's own complex. Mister I had a key card for opening a garage he had manually helped the man open and close. The apartment had a third prong starting to grow across the street.

"Brines... how old is Cascadia? The Colony, city, whatever."

"Two hundred years. Well, maybe a few short of that. Like, one ninety?"

Corvayne looked at Bearer, who was nodding. "I think I'm immune and you are less effected because you bit the dust early or are cursed... but that's just the surface."

She pulled out a phone and showed Corvayne a picture of the Nel'Ferral Imperial Palace.

"Yeah, okay, how did you get a photo of it to save going back in time?"

"I didn't. Look at it again."

Corvayne glanced at the screen and felt his eyes widen. He could see the Cascadia skyline beyond it. He turned to Bearer.

"What the hell is going on?"

She shrugged, her usual impish demeanor gone as she punched in directions to the Palace. "I don't know, but I got some ideas where we should ask."