“Oh shit,” someone muttered as the colossal form of the Terrordactyl descended through the fog.

The twang of Ab’s crossbow was followed by a grunt from Dur as the pair fired and hurled their bolts at the creature a moment before Stigr started his bardic performance. Both bolts flew wide, neither having quite enough time to aim properly.

“Oi, come at me ya piece of flying shit!” Ragnar yelled, moving into its flight path on the ground, banging his warhammer on his shield before settling into a defencive stance a moment before it landed.

The massive wings beat back, the air force blowing Dur from his feet as the Terrordactyl struck at Ragnar with its beak. Seeing the strike coming, Ragnar deflected it with his shield, standing firm. The Terrordactyl, seeing Zagthaan moving up behind Ragnar, struck her, drawing a sharp gasp from the tiefling as she cast spells on herself and Ragnar, bolstering the dragonkin and healing herself.

Ducking through and under bushes, Abs moved into a flanking position with Ragnar, his rapier lashing out but missing as the creature hopped forward, still moving from its flight.

Rolling to his feet, Dur struck at the creature, distracting it for just long enough for Ragnar to strike, causing massive wounds with his warhammer and shield spike as it hopped forward with its momentum. Abs struck it before it flapped its wings, knocking over Abs, Stigr and Zagthaan before it pecked Ragnar, slipping past his guard and hitting him in the chest. The huge talons struck at Dur, missing the dwarf by a hair's breadth.

“Shield,” Zagthaan muttered as she lay on her back under the creature. Her aura sprung up around her, solidifying before she attempted to cast another spell. The energy sparked from her fingers but fizzled out before being able to form into the barbed chains she was intending it to be.

With a squawk, the Terrordactyl struck at Abs as the gnome stood and struck back, drawing blood. As Stigr drew on his magic, screaming at the creature, Ragnar and Dur struck, Ragnar from behind and Dur from underneath, all hitting and wounding the creature.

Squawking in panic, the creature flapped hard, lifting off the ground. As it did, Dur struck again, drawing a line across its belly as it passed him.

Zagthaan, standing and brushing herself off, heard a twang as Abs's crossbow fired at the fleeing creature, the shot just missing.

“Get back here!” Ragnar roared at the creature, taking his shortbow from his back and firing it. The arrow hit the Terrordactyl, making it squawk and start to fall from the sky as it vanished into the fog. “Fucking birds, fucking bullshit, fucking fuck!” as Ragnar dropped out of his rage and sat heavily, the sound of trees breaking followed by a massive thud came through the fog.

As Zagthaan healed Abs and Ragnar, the gnome pulled out a healing potion, chugging it down, grimacing. “That potion was off. I still got one more cure light wounds potion, I’ve no idea if that’s off too.”

“Better not be stealing mine," Ragnar stated.

“I haven’t resorted to that, just yet.”

“Mhmm.”

“The context there is ‘yet’," Stigr said as he tucked his drumsticks away before heading to the gondola.

~

"I suppose this would be a rather scenic ride, if it weren't for all the fog," Stigr said, leaning on the glass, making the gondola rock, causing Zagthaan to squeak and grip the seat leg she was sitting on the floor next to.

"Better than being attacked by that creature," Abs grumbled, checking over his equipment.

Zagthaan whimpered. "Not another one please," she murmured, clutching the seat. "I don't like heights."

Dur patted her shoulder. "You'll be okay lass, just hold on."

~

Zagthaan stumbled off the gondola after the others and into the cool darkness of the upper landing building. Abs shushed her as he peered through the grimy glass on the other side of the building.

"There's a bunch of little fuckers out here," he whispered, glancing back at the others. "We have an advantage, we could surprise them."

Nodding, they moved to the double doors and prepared themselves. As Stigr beat the first note, Zagthaan began casting and Ragnar shoved the door open, charging at the nearest enemy, a demon dog. A javelin from Dur flew past him, hitting a lasher as Ragnar's warhammer smashed his targets skull in, killing it instantly. Abs, using the distraction of Ragnar, ducked into a bush behind the Viking.

As Dur turned and threw another javelin at a different lasher, their enemies started to react, a croaker near Ragnar moving in and trying to hit him, its spiked hand being batted away by the warhammer. “I’m going to wreck your shit boy," he growled, receiving a croaking groan in reply.

Finishing her spell, Zagthaan summoned Victor behind Dur's target. The elemental saluted, Zagthaan reading its icy demeaner as determined or pissed off as it dropped into its combat stance.

As the lasher moved towards Dur and Zagthaan, Victor struck it in the back, the creature taking the hit, but ignoring it for its focused target of Dur, its tendrils lashing out and hitting him. The lasher nearest Ragnar also struck, but only one of its vines connecting with the dragonkin.

As Stigr casually sassayed out from the building, his music swelling to fill the busy courtyard, Abs snuck behind the croaker that had attacked Ragnar and struck, his attack dazzling the croaker a moment before Ragnar struck.

The warhammer crunched into the creatures side, drawing sappy blood and a grin from Ragnar, who followed with his shield. The croaker, dazzled and severely injured, flailed with its spiked hand, impaling the shield before being impaled itself, damaging the offensive defensive item.

Victor, focused on the lasher, followed it, trying to hit it but only connecting with a vine, causing no damage.

The remaining two dogs leapt for Ragnar and Victor, resulting in Ragnar shoving his away while the one attacking Victor managed to rip a chunk of ice off the elemental.

Glaive spinning through the air, the head of it plunged through the lasher, Dur twisting and ripping, his target dying and dropping to the ground. “Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough!” he yelled at the nearest enemies, a croaker and a dog.

The croaker Dur yelled at followed Victor, missing its hit while the one with its spikes in Ragnar's shield slipped past his guard, striking him in the chest.

"I got ya," Zagthaan said to Ragnar as she moved in behind him, drawing on her own energy to heal him, her red grey aura erasing part of the earlier damage taken.

The lasher's struck out, everyone taking damage, a wound opening on Victor, icy water bleeding out. The croakers spikes exploded, hitting Victor, Abs and the dog attacking Ragnar, killing the dog.

“Victor, you need help?” Stigr called out, getting no response from the small elemental. “Rude," he muttered, moving to Abs, casting a cure moderate wounds spell on him.

Shoving his rapier deep into the chest of the croaker, Abs twisted and ripped, the creature dropping as he and Ragnar stepped towards the lasher,Ragnar's hammer impacting its side.

Victor and the dog struck and bit at each other, both missing as the other dodged.

Dur glanced over to the other side of the battle. “They got that side covered, let’s do this Victor,” he said, his glaive swinging over the slightly smaller elemental, hitting the dog.

The croaker's mouth opened,the blooming flower spitting on Victor, only for the gunk to freeze almost instantly and be completely ignored by the elemental.

Moving past and around the lasher, Zagthaan flanked it as she ignited the head of her warhammer, fire coming off the head as it connected with her target.

The lasher's struck out again, a vine hitting each of the party and the remaining dog. The dog, for a moment, remembered what it’s like to be a real dog as the lasher caressed it accidentally.

Annoyed at the lasher near Abs and Ragnar, Stigr charged at it, biting one of its vines as Abs ducked and rolled around it, killing it as Ragnar pummeled the remaining lasher on their side of the battlefield.

A help of pain punctuated the air as Victor finally defeated the demon dog in front of him. “Go Victor, go for the victory!” Zagthaan cheered, prompting Stigr to play a little louder. Victor paused and posed. “Little poser, you’re going to get wrecked," Zagthaan added as she stepped to the lasher, taking a vine hit, but retaliating with another flaming warhammer strike.

Dur and the remaining croaker exchanged blows before the last lasher struck out at everyone again, this time only hitting Dur.

Stopping his music, Stigr ripped a javelin from the dead lasher before taking a few steps towards the remaining combat. "Incoming spear!" he yelled as it missed his intended target and barely missed Dur. “Thought you could use your weapon back!” he bluffed, receiving a nod of thanks.

Charging across the pathway, Ragnar slammed his warhammer into the croaker with Victor moving around it for flanking, but missing his attack. Taking the javelin from the ground next to him, Dur stepped into the lasher, skewering and killing it.

As Dur turned back to the croaker, the creature followed the dwarf, slamming a spiked hand into his shoulder. As it struck, ice formed over the head of Zagthaan’s warhammer before she slammed it into the croaker.

Abs and Stigr moved closer to the combat, the trollkin letting loose a flare, the bolt missing the croaker’s head. Moving past them, Ragnar roared at the croaker, charging into it and slamming the head of his warhammer into it, drawing sappy blood.

A moment after Ragnar’s contact, Victor slammed the croaker with his two fists before saluting Zagthaan. “Bye Victor,” Stigr said, saluting as Zagthaan tapped her warhammer to her chest.

“Fucking goddamned stupid croaker,” Dur cursed as he stepped back, swinging his glaive down, missing the croaker and embedding it in the firm soil of the overgrown lawn.

The croaker focussed on Ragnar before shaking, spikes erupting at everyone, but only catching Zagthaan. She grunted and swung, the leather thong catching on a spike and untying, her hammer flying from her grasp past her leg, almost hitting herself.

Stigr and Abs joined the combat, Stigr missing a bite attack while Abs moved around into flanking, striking with his rapier. Dur, drawing a javelin, moved back into combat next to Ragnar, the pair striking, but missing, only Ragnar’s shield spike hitting the creature a moment before its spikes burst out again, hitting Stigr, Abs and wounding Dur.

Drawing her battleaxe from her back, Zagthaan grunted with effort, the weapon embedding itself into the creature's torso, sliding out as the creature expired and fell to the ground.

“Fucking finally, it lasted a while,” Stigr grumbled, tucking his drumsticks away.

“That’s the first thing you’ve killed in ages,” Abs said, looking up at Zagthaan.

“Mhmm,” she replied, noncommittally as she sheathed her axe and retrieved her warhammer.

“Kill stealed,” Ragnar said.

“And?” Zagthaan replied, feeling herself getting irritated at him.

“Hey guys,” Dur said, drawing their attention. “Maybe we should get inside.” Pointing to the side of the building where a few lashers and croakers, their moaning and croaking sounds preceding them, were coming into view. The sounds of more dogs could be heard from the other corner.

“Leg it!” Ragnar yelled, leading the way to the door, which he held open for the others before slamming it shut. As he went to lean on it to hold it closed, a big red rune appeared, sealing the door in the same way they’d seen a few times already.

Looking around, the room, an antechamber or waiting room, was deserted, the few couches pushed aside from where they’d likely been before.

“God, I could sleep for a week,” Zagthaan grumbled as they started moving couches to block doorways, giving them a, hopefully, safe place to rest.

~

“So guys,” Zagthaan said as she finished taking off her armour. “You know how Lucy said it’s been about 3 to 4 months since the shattering?”

“Yeah… oh,” Stigr replied, the next question already starting to dawn on him.

“Like, how long is outside time to Hushed Mountain Estate’s time?” she asked. “It must be like, close to 20 years already.”

“Shit,” Stigr said quietly.

“That’ll be funny coming out,” Ragnar said before biting into his rations.

“My parents are going to be fucking worried.” Zagthaan said, the realization dawning on her. “I send them letters weekly, they’re going to be worried.”

“So, it’s about 4 years per day here? 5 years?” Stigr asked.

“We’re young, we stay young,” Abs said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“That’s not quite as old as I think I am,” Stigr added.

“So we’ve been here for 3 days?” Ragnar asked.

“Fourth day now,” Zagthaan replied.

“So at least 20 years has passed,” Abs calculated.

“That is longer than I am old,” Stigr said.

“Lucy said 3 to 4 months,” Zagthaan said to Ragnar, ignoring Stigr’s commentary.

“So up to 25 years,” Abs said, counting on his fingers.

“But we’ve passed the 500 year anniversarry of the initial shattering,” Zagthaan said with a shrug. “If that’s a good or bad thing, who knows.”

“Or we go back and nothing’s changed, it’s normal time,” Abs said.

“Or there’s like demons everywhere,” Zagthaan said glumly.

“Yeah, everything has gone to shit,” Ragnar said.

“No, you know what would make everyone panic?” Stigr said, going wide eyed. “Badgers.”

“Eh!” Zagthaan exclaimed in horror. “There will be fucking badgers everywhere!”

“But the planet will be clean, spotlessly clean,” Ragnar added.

“And no one but Zagthaan can see them,” Stigr said, drawing an evil chuckle from Abs as Zagthaan shook her head worriedly. “It’s okay, I believe you about the badgers,” he said, patting her on the shoulder.

☆~☆