Sekafi followed Aspen back to the others, sneaking as silently as possible. While she could move faster than him, she couldn't be as quiet. He moved like a spirit. He seemed fine, at least. She glanced towards the others, hiding in the shadows. She'd kill that guard if he touched Aspen again, she vowed. But right now, they had more pressing matters to deal with.

Her ears flicked back and forth, noting every snap of a twig, every whisper of wind through the branches, every crackle of needles and leaves. Every footstep.

The monster didn't seem inclined to bother them for now, but she knew how fast it could move.

They huddled down beside the others.

'What now?' Aspen asked and brushed his black hair back behind his ears.

'We go home, give it to the mage, right?' Sekafi whispered.

'If we're done, we're leaving right now,' Sir Hapow grunted. 'No point in lingering here.'

Sekafi glared at him, but held her tongue.

'You got the big stone?' Mirok asked.

'Huh?' Aspen and Sekafi said simultaneously.

'I thought we were done? Aspen?' She turned to him. His already pale face had blanched to a marble-like paleness. Or was it the moonlight? No. His eyes shone with fear. Brave little elfling, scared stiff.

'The... big stone?' he breathed.

'Yes. Big stone. In middle. Got writing too. You no know?'

He cursed. Something he seldom did. A growl rose in Sekafi's throat, drawing the goblin's eyes. She stepped back and raised her hands.

'I only tell you!'

'Can you lead us to it?' Aspen asked quietly. 'We have to get them all. I think.'

'Are you sure about it?' She put a steadying hand on his shoulder. If the mage hadn't said anything about it, they probably didn't have to get it. And she'd hate to get him into danger needlessly. The big stone stood in the middle of the circle. The monster had been there last time.

He turned his pale eyes on her, wide, pupils dilated beyond normal. 'What happens if we need them, and we don't have them?'

She nodded. Why did he have to make sense? 'We'd have to go back.'

'Yes. And I really, really don't want to go here ever again.' He looked at Mirok. ' No offence.'

She grinned. 'We don't want you here either.'

Sekafi snorted, held back a grin.

'We like you too,' Aspen chuckled. Then his face fell again. 'Lead the way. Best get this over with as soon as possible.'

Finding the stone was easy, but moving into the barren, treeless glade, filled with rotting tree trunks, branches, and old remains of warriors, fighters, hunters, and soldiers was harrowing at best. Sekafi crouched, following Aspen as close as possible. The others had again stayed back, hoping it would make less noise. She only hoped the monster wouldn't notice them, or feel their presence somehow. Her lips curled and her hackles rose. The stench of decay permeated the air, making it impossible to smell the monster in the wind. The moons had climbed high into the sky and shone brightly into the glade. They might as well have come in broad daylight.

'Keep your eyes open. There's only a few symbols here. I'll copy them fast,' Aspen whispered.

She nodded. The big stone obstructed her vision, so she moved until she had it between her and their friends. They'd be able to yell if the monster came from that direction. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she waited, the scratching of the stylus on parchment grating on her nerves. Every noise made her muscles twitch. She kept a hand on her golok in case. But nothing disturbed them.

As soon as Aspen finished, they were off, ducking low to avoid detection. She felt it before she heard it. A thickness in the air. A heavy carryon stench wafting on the wind.

'Get down!' She grabbed Aspen's pack and pulled him to the needle covered ground as something big swooped over them. He gasped and rolled, got back up beside her as the monster landed a few paces ahead.

It spun around, frighteningly agile despite its size, and roared.

The loud noise rent her ears like knives after the silence. She pushed Aspen aside. 'Run!' She noticed his knife glinting in his hand but he had the wits to flee. The monster opened its jaws, and then the lower jaw split into two. Impossibly wide. The purple tongue lashed out and Sekafi sidestepped, barely avoiding it. She wouldn't let it hit her with that again. Something struck the monster from behind. It howled and spun. A black arrow sat lodged in its squirming, tentacle-filled back. The goblin.

She rushed it and hacked at its hind legs with her golok, biting deep into its flesh. It lashed her with its tail, and flung her to the ground. A knife flew past her and into the creature's side. Then promptly vanished.

'Huh?' No time to think. The monster barreled at her again, horns lowered to skewer her. She scrambled back and jumped aside. Pieces of wood, needles and dirt pelted her. Had it hit the ground?

The lizardman and the soldier roared as they joined the fray, swords drawn. The monster reared up on it's many legs, front paws clawing the air, rending armour. The long tongue lashed out, encircled Hiaashaqwi's wrist and tore the sword from his fingers. Bleeding from the attack, the samandar hissed and spat at the monster. What in the abyss? Don't think about it. She attacked it's flank but got butted aside by it's squirming body. A horn smashed into her head, and for a few seconds, it was all she could to to stagger about, blinking away the bright dots in her eyes.

'Get back!' Aspen's voice.

She reacted without thinking, vaulting back. Jaws snapped closed in front of her nose. 'Huntress' antlers,' she huffed. Again, the knife thudded into the monster, right below an eye in the side of its face. It shrieked, and clawed at it with a paw, rending it's own skin. But it had vanished again. Magic? Who?

She dared a glance at Aspen. The half-elf stood some yards back, feet splayed for balance, the knife raised for another throw. His long black hair fell around his pale face, contrasting to his dead white skin. The knife hit the monster again as Sekafi bolted, away from Aspen to not draw it to him.

The soldier hacked at the monster's legs when it turned its back. The samandar ran for his dropped sword, but got whipped by the tail. He fell like a log. Another arrow hit home in the monster's chest. It didn't seem to care. For a second, as long as a life-time, Sekafi stared in despair. The huge monster reared up, shrieking, displaying it's wide maw filled with rows or sharp, needle-like teeth, horns and tentacles and legs. An impossible creation. Sir Hapow flew back from a powerful paw connecting with his chest-plate. It hurtled towards him. It bled from their wounds, but it didn't slow. It didn't matter they were five against one. They had no chance to survive if they didn't flee. She had to get Aspen away from it. But it would catch up. She looked at its legs. Both hind legs were hurt. Maybe if they could...

She charged again. Someone screamed. Hissing and yells and crunching noises. She hacked with all her might at its leg. Again and again. She didn't even see what hit her as she sailed through the air and smashed into a tree trunk.

'Sekafi! Sek, are you alright? Get up, get up.'

She felt hands grabbing her, pulled her up. Aspens worried face. She grinned. 'Don't worry squirt, I'm fine.'

He smiled, relief filling his eyes. 'We have to go.'

She nodded. 'Soon.'

The goblin fired arrow upon arrow, hindering the monster from reaching Hiaashaqwi, lying prone on the ground. Sekafi rushed back to hack at it again. Sir Hapow came up beside her.

'Cut them off,' he roared.

'That's the plan,' she yelled back, and they both struck its hind legs at the same time.

Bone snapped, blood spurted. A high pitched shriek filled the air.

'Run! Everyone, run,' Sekafi roared at the top of her lungs.

Sir Hapow ran to the samandar's prone form, pulled at him. Sekafi hesitated only a second. Together they got the lizardman up and ran. The goblin and Aspen covered their escape with arrows and the strange knife.

'This way!' Mirok yelled, fired an arrow, and dashed away between the trees only to stop and fire again.

Sekafi followed, glad to see Aspen on his feet and moving behind the goblin. But the lizardman slowed them down, they had no time for this. She growled in frustration, and forced her legs to move faster. The human was hard pressed to keep up, but he didn't complain. He'd better not.

They fled when a small figure ahead of them appeared out of a shadow. Another goblin. Aaspaelwin hesitated, but Mirok hailed the newcomer with a gleeful yell. An ally then? He glanced back, worry and fear making his movements jerky and stiff. Sekafi and Sir Hapow pulled the unconscious samandar between them. The monster howled not far behind them, but cutting off its hind legs had slowed it down a fraction. He looked back at the stranger. The small goblin held something aloft above his head, and shouted words he didn't understand. A bright green light flashed, and the monster shrieked. An angry sound. The goblin waved at them to continue past, and they did. But not before Aspen saw the monster rear up and jerk its head back and forth as if straining against invisible ropes, front paws clawing at the air, mouth slavering and howling.

'Go, go,' Mirok called, pulling him from the visage.

'What's happening?' he yelled.

'Kassem stop it. Strong magic,' she panted, legs pumping.

Sekafi and Sir Hapow caught up with him, he'd tarried too long. Stretching his legs, he bolted forward, back to the tunnel and the cave.

The flight was a blur of stinging branches, burning breath, and panic snapping at his heels.

* * * * *

When Aaspaelwin opened his eyes, he blinked in horror at the darkness before he recalled where he was. Hard rocky ground pressed against his face. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around, wincing at the pain in his stiff muscles. He stared into silent blackness. What had happened? After a while, he heard breathing and creaks of armour around him. Were they all asleep? He fumbled for a light in one of his pockets, fished out a small candle, fire-steel and flint. After a few loud tries at setting the wick alight, it worked, and the small flame illuminated his surroundings.

Everyone lay in a pile on the floor. Someone grunted, and he looked around, meeting the dark gaze of Sir Hapow. He stiffened, unsure of what to do. 'You okay?' he asked after a while, feeling stupid.

The man nodded and turned away from him. Aspen noticed his left arm had been crudely bandaged. Hit by the monster probably. Hiaashaqwi lay beside him, battered but alive. Good.

'You awake?' a light but hoarse voice asked. Mirok.

He nodded as he met her golden eyes. She smiled, showing her sharp teeth. What an unlikely ally, he thought. Really a godsend. 'Thank you so much,' he started when he recalle the other goblin. 'Wait, is the other –'

'Kassem is here.' She pointed to a corner, away from the rest. The small goblin, an older male with only a few thin wisps of grey hair on his head, lay curled into a ball, sleeping deeply. Clad in an odd assortment of mismatched clothes and a myriad of amulets and trinkets, Aspen assumed he was some sort of shaman, or mage. He wondered what he had done to the monster.

'He protect us,' Mirok said with reverence. 'Keep Many Eyes away for short time.'

'That was amazing,' he agreed. 'I didn't know it was possible.'

'Hard. Dangerous. Can easy go wrong.'

He nodded. 'What time is it?'

'Midday.' She glanced at the others on the floor. 'We should go. Soon.'

He couldn't agree more. But he didn't want to venture out, his whole body protested at the thought, bile rising in his throat. They had to get home however. Get the runes to Master Owadro so he could banish the monster. For good.

The party rested another hour to let Hiaashaqwi come to, then readied up and left. The goblins led them on small hidden paths, away from the circle. They parted ways by the river shortly after nightfall. Kassem, the shaman, gave Aspen a small green stone, perfectly round and smooth.

'Hold it in your hand, think of Mirok, and speak. She will hear you. I will give her another stone. Tell us how it goes.'

'I promise. And thank you again for your help. We wouldn't be here without you.'

He heard a suppressed cough behind him but ignored it. He wouldn't let the guard get his spirits down now that they'd escaped the worst. He'd kept his promise to Lady Hennaja, Sekafi lived, and they were going to get this thing banished. Though Sir Hapow's attitude annoyed him. He should thank the goblins for his life. He still took their medicine.

'You're welcome. Now hurry away from here. Go safe under Narrg's watchful eye,' Kassem said and gestured in the air.

'You too.'

The journey home was hot and quiet, gloriously uneventful. They arrived at Toin Caas a few days later, exhausted but alive. Sekafi, Sir Hapow, and Hiaashaqwi got their wounds cared for, and Lady Hennaja welcomed them all in her office the very same day. As Aaspaelwin showed the copied runes, Master Owadro was all smiles and winks. He took the parchments in trembling hands, eagerly walking off without a word. Everything was done. So why did he feel like it had only just started? Aspen looked at the door as it swung close behind the mage, barely hearing a word Lady Hennaja said.