How to separate the mc?

[CheertheSecond]

I have been having a real hard time thinking of a natural-as-possible way to separate mc from his companion but couldn't.

To sum up, the mc is pretty weak and timid. The other characters had to support him from the shadow. They didn't really dare to push him to do anything big because he was just that incompetent and slow to improve.

I want to put him into a strange place without his allies and let him do thing to either live and grow or fail and die, else this story will stay like that forever. However, I couldn't find out a good way to separate him. The other support characters knew that somebody else will be getting to him due to his relation to them. They kept a very tight leash on the mc. It would be unnatural if the mc could stray away from them.

My setting does have an irregular phenomenon called rift which is a portal to a different place. However, I have no idea how to push him through. The other characters will not let him anywhere near a rift. They have access orbital observatory to keep track of him. There is always someone very competent besides the mc to fence off kidnappers and assassins or to pull him out of an ambush.

The only thing I can think of is a sudden large opening of a cluster of rifts on the surface of the planet and many strong monsters come through which forces the orbital defense force to glass the vicinity of the rifts despite it being a major residential area. This can lead to the mc having no other choice but to run through a rift to avoid the bombardment. However, whoever is in charge of the mc at that time will definitely come together with the mc through the rift. That, I do not want. I want complete isolation of him from those he knew and was familiar with.

 

[HelloHound]

get them blackout drunk and on separate travel paths, now they gotta find each other

 

[l8rose]

Make him fall off a cliff, land in a river and be swept downstream.

 

[fluffypie374]

Make him and his allies all enter the rift, but make the rift have a unique rule of separating everyone, either by splitting them into individualized dungeons or randomly throwing them into their own place within the large rift world...

 

[Nahrenne]

I have been having a real hard time thinking of a natural-as-possible way to separate mc from his companion but couldn't.

To sum up, the mc is pretty weak and timid. The other characters had to support him from the shadow. They didn't really dare to push him to do anything big because he was just that incompetent and slow to improve.

I want to put him into a strange place without his allies and let him do thing to either live and grow or fail and die, else this story will stay like that forever. However, I couldn't find out a good way to separate him. The other support characters knew that somebody else will be getting to him due to his relation to them. They kept a very tight leash on the mc. It would be unnatural if the mc could stray away from them.

My setting does have an irregular phenomenon called rift which is a portal to a different place. However, I have no idea how to push him through. The other characters will not let him anywhere near a rift. They have access orbital observatory to keep track of him. There is always someone very competent besides the mc to fence off kidnappers and assassins or to pull him out of an ambush.

The only thing I can think of is a sudden large opening of a cluster of rifts on the surface of the planet and many strong monsters come through which forces the orbital defense force to glass the vicinity of the rifts despite it being a major residential area. This can lead to the mc having no other choice but to run through a rift to avoid the bombardment. However, whoever is in charge of the mc at that time will definitely come together with the mc through the rift. That, I do not want. I want complete isolation of him from those he knew and was familiar with.

*questions why this MC is so important despite being a complete weakling with no backbone to the point he is basically like a pet they are keeping*

They don't really sound like allies...

Maybe a magical item with a timer that activates after a period and opens a rift or teleports the holder into a rift?
Before this timer goes off, the item just seems like a regular item - so it could be a ring or a bracelet or something else that the MC might like the look of and wear on his person - and it doesn't emit any magical waves until it activates from the timer going off.
Cue the MC being on the toilet or having a shower, or simply sleeping in bed, and the item activates and sends him into a rift.
'-'

Otherwise...you either go down a route where the allies are killed off, arrested, or they have to deal with a whole load of stuff that requires their attention resulting in them being unable to properly 'monitor' their 'captive' ally.

X

 

[2wordsperminute]

A kidnapper that can overpower the allies. As long as they have a reason to keep the mc alive, of course. Or maybe betrayal from one of the allies.

 

[Jaymi]

I have been having a real hard time thinking of a natural-as-possible way to separate mc from his companion but couldn't.

To sum up, the mc is pretty weak and timid. The other characters had to support him from the shadow. They didn't really dare to push him to do anything big because he was just that incompetent and slow to improve.

I want to put him into a strange place without his allies and let him do thing to either live and grow or fail and die, else this story will stay like that forever. However, I couldn't find out a good way to separate him. The other support characters knew that somebody else will be getting to him due to his relation to them. They kept a very tight leash on the mc. It would be unnatural if the mc could stray away from them.

My setting does have an irregular phenomenon called rift which is a portal to a different place. However, I have no idea how to push him through. The other characters will not let him anywhere near a rift. They have access orbital observatory to keep track of him. There is always someone very competent besides the mc to fence off kidnappers and assassins or to pull him out of an ambush.

The only thing I can think of is a sudden large opening of a cluster of rifts on the surface of the planet and many strong monsters come through which forces the orbital defense force to glass the vicinity of the rifts despite it being a major residential area. This can lead to the mc having no other choice but to run through a rift to avoid the bombardment. However, whoever is in charge of the mc at that time will definitely come together with the mc through the rift. That, I do not want. I want complete isolation of him from those he knew and was familiar with.

make his allies be the one in trouble for once

 

[QuercusMalus]

He goes to the bathroom and stumbles through a random portal.
His minders lose sight of him in a crowd and then spot 'him' farther ahead. Takes a minute to get to him and they then realize was not him, just someone dressed the same. Can make that other person an intentional plant or just a coincidence.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Carefully.

 

[Praybird]

If you can't separate the MC from his allies, you could always try separating his allies from the MC, and use that window to introduce a separation event. If they're strong, surely they have some kind of responsibility that would make them look away for a second.

 

[J_Chemist]

there's a magic thing called...

kidnapping.

 

[CheertheSecond]

*questions why this MC is so important despite being a complete weakling with no backbone to the point he is basically like a pet they are keeping*

They don't really sound like allies...

Damn! I thought it would take people longer to guess his occupation.

make his allies be the one in trouble for once

Like... what?

If you can't separate the MC from his allies, you could always try separating his allies from the MC, and use that window to introduce a separation event. If they're strong, surely they have some kind of responsibility that would make them look away for a second.

That's the thing. MC was designated as first priority by the group if he went outside of their estate. Basically, there is nothing more important than that. They covered every base.

 

[BlissyMKW]

That's the thing. MC was designated as first priority by the group if he went outside of their estate. Basically, there is nothing more important than that. They covered every base.

Why is he such a a priority, though? The way you talk about him, he sounds like dead weight to the point I wonder why anyone would bother trying to capture someone who is "incompetent and slow to improve."

As for a situation, maybe he finally grows a pair and has enough of being treated like an object to guard instead of a person, storms off, and ends up in some situation that leads to being separated from his "allies." As said by someone else, they sure don't sound like allies. The way they have this dude on constant watch is more like they're prison wardens than allies.

 

[Jaymi]

Damn! I thought it would take people longer to guess his occupation.



Like... what?



That's the thing. MC was designated as first priority by the group if he went outside of their estate. Basically, there is nothing more important than that. They covered every base.

while he is away, they get in danger, or because of him, they end up getting sucked in one of those portals (they tried to protect him)

 

[CheertheSecond]

Why is he such a a priority, though? The way you talk about him, he sounds like dead weight to the point I wonder why anyone would bother trying to capture someone who is "incompetent and slow to improve."

Emotional bond.
People will kidnap him because they know they can use him as leverage against the group since they valued him.

A dog may not be able to do office work or anything useful but ask John Wick what he did to his dog's murderer.

 

[AYM]

Emotional bond.
People will kidnap him because they know they can use him as leverage against the group since they valued him.

A dog may not be able to do office work or anything useful but ask John Wick what he did to his dog's murderer.

Why is he valued by the group?

 

[Praybird]

That's the thing. MC was designated as first priority by the group if he went outside of their estate. Basically, there is nothing more important than that. They covered every base.

Unless the story is supposed to be about illegal levels of imprisonment by untouchable beings, I personally don't think characters should be able to cover "every base." If there's nothing in the setting that can threaten these side characters in the slightest, then it might be time to introduce something that can?

 

[TheEldritchGod]

MURDER EVERYONE ELSE BUT THE MC.
If you say, "But that would suck too much."
THEN YOU MURDER THEM HARDER AND IN A MORE PAINFUL WAY.
You want people to read your story, that will do it.