Silence met Eldrin’s words as everyone strained to listen to the street outside their door. From Eldrin’s behavior, it was obvious the best move to sit still and not make a sound.

The rumbling of the floor had ceased, and the silence stretched. Justin held his breath, hoping that the trolls had moved on.

He exchanged glances with the others. Bohemond had his sword and shield ready, his jaw clenched in grim determination. Kargan clutched his Staff of Aegis, its smooth wooden finish glowing with Elven runes. Justin remembered the treasure he’d earned from Eldareth, which would cast a Ward of Aegis as soon as it sensed danger. Eldrin had an arrow nocked on his Bow of Eagle’s Sight, while Lila’s fingers danced over the hilts of her silver Echoing Knives.

Justin, for his part, gave his cane a practiced twirl.

Then, without warning, the wall in front of them exploded.

Kargan’s ward activated, protecting them from the dust and debris, but not from a hulking mass of brown, gnarled flesh. A troll barreled into the room with a deafening roar, swinging its tree-like arms wildly. Its bark-like skin crackled against Kargan’s ward, immediately obliterating it. Its ghastly, eyeless face turned toward them, nostrils flaring as it sniffed.

Justin twirled his cane, and the whistling of the weapon was enough for the troll to lunge at him with another roar. Its long claws swiped as Justin dodged in time, rolling to the side and coming up with his cane ready. He swung his cane in a wide arc, aiming for the troll’s knee. The stag’s head carved through the air as he extended the blade, which connected with a deep gash. The troll staggered a bit, causing its knee to buckle. But it didn’t fall.

“Bohemond, to the front!” Eldrin’s voice rang out. “You’re supposed to be tanking!”

The knight charged forward, his face a mask of fear, but at least he had been shamed into action. He screamed as he raised his shield high, bashing it into the troll’s chest. The strike forced the monster back a step, some sort of bashing skill. He followed up with his sword, slashing downward in a powerful arc, cutting deep into the creature’s bark-like armor. The troll bellowed, but Bohemond held his ground. He raised his shield to absorb the force of a retaliatory strike. As he gave a battle cry, the Knight’s fear seemed to dissipate, becoming a wall of steel and faith.

Eldrin shot an arrow, the projectile flying true and striking the troll square in the chest. The impact barely seemed to faze it, but Eldrin didn’t stop. He fired again, each arrow aimed with expert precision at the weak spots in the troll’s bark-like exterior. The Ranger’s steady focus was a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. With each shot, the troll’s movements became more sluggish, more pained.

Lila’s voice cut through the din of battle, clear and melodic. As in the arena of Eldareth, she was singing the Hymn of Elyndra, As Quick As Sunlight. Justin felt the effects immediately. His movements became sharper, faster, as if a guiding hand were leading him. The others felt it, too. Bohemond’s strikes became more precise, Eldrin’s arrows flew truer, and even Kargan moved with newfound agility. The Blood Warden landed a pivotal heal on Bohemond, who had taken quite the clobbering.

Once things felt under control, that was when another troll lumbered from the side. It flanked the party, its massive bulk sending broken masonry flying. Kargan slammed his staff into the ground with a roar, creating a shimmering circle of blue light. The troll roared in frustration as it tried to enter, only for the ward to knock it back. But the barrier wouldn’t hold forever—already, Justin could see it flickering at the edges. The second troll’s relentless attacks were weakening it.

Kargan’s face was tight with concentration as he channeled more of his Life Force to refresh the ward. “Stay inside the circle! I’ll keep it up as long as I can!”

The second troll snarled, slamming its fists against the weakening ward. Kargan’s magic faltered for a moment, but he didn’t let it fall. Instead, he raised his hand. With a pained expression, a blue shimmer enveloped him as he went to stand between the troll and the party.

Justin’s cane spun as he ducked beneath the first troll’s wild swing, intended for Bohemond. The Knight was doing a respectable job of commanding its attention. Justin aimed for its ribs this time, driving the blade of his stag’s head deep into the creature’s side. The troll howled, crumbling to its knees, its bark-like armor cracking and splintering. It swiped at Justin, but he dodged to the side, his movements swift and precise thanks to Lila’s song.

“Finish it!” Eldrin shouted as he shot another arrow, this one embedding itself in the troll’s throat. The creature gurgled, its body convulsing. Bohemond struck the final blow, his sword cleaving the creature’s neck, severing its head from its shoulders. The troll collapsed, its massive form disintegrating into a pile of earth.

The second troll, now enraged, charged at them with renewed fury. It slammed into the ward, each blow causing the barrier to flicker. Kargan’s face was pale. Despite the enchantment of his Blood Warden’s seal, blood still covered his skin. “I…can’t cast another one!”

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Lila’s knives flew, each one finding its mark in the troll’s tough hide. The creature roared in pain, its movements becoming more erratic. Two of the knives loosed themselves, stabbing the troll again. Eldrin fired another arrow, this one piercing the troll’s chest, but it wasn’t enough to bring it down.

Justin knew they needed to act fast. He darted forward, using the ward’s protection to get close to the troll. The monster was focusing on Bohemond, so Justin drove his cane into the back of the creature’s knee, forcing it to stumble. Bohemond raised his sword high and brought it down in a powerful overhead strike. The blade cleaved through the troll’s bark-like armor, cutting deep into its flesh. The troll let out one final, agonized roar before crumbling into a pile of dirt and dust, like the first.

For a moment, there was silence. The only sound was their heavy breathing. The ward flickered once more before finally dissipating. Kargan sank to one knee, exhausted but relieved.

“We did it,” Justin breathed, his voice barely louder than a whisper. His heart still raced, the adrenaline of the fight surging through his veins. He looked around at the others—Bohemond, Eldrin, Lila, and Kargan. They were bloodied, bruised, and battered, but they were alive.

Bohemond’s eyes were fixed on Kargan, his expression darkening. The silence stretched on, until finally, Bohemond broke it.

“That magic…” His voice was tight with barely controlled fury. “You’re using Blood Magic, aren’t you? Speak truly!”

Kargan grimaced, his tusks protruding as he met Bohemond’s glare. “Without it, you’d be dead, Knight.”

“Blood Magic!” Bohemond spat the words as though they burned his tongue. His voice, normally steady and commanding, was now laced with disgust and revulsion. “That’s the power of Nyriss, the Demon Goddess of Chaos! You’re an abomination!”

Lila stepped forward, placing herself between Bohemond and Kargan. Her voice was calm but resolute. “Kargan saved your life, Bohemond. Without his magic, none of us would be alive right now.”

Bohemond’s face twisted in fury, his hands gripping his sword so hard his knuckles whitened. “I don’t consort with followers of Chaos! This is an affront to everything I believe in! I should have known better than to follow you down here. I’ve compromised my faith, my honor!”

“Bohemond, listen to reason,” Eldrin said, his voice calm but with an edge of urgency. “We’re all in this together. The Baron is the real threat here, not Kargan. We need to stick together if we’re going to survive.”

But Bohemond wasn’t listening. His face was a mask of righteous fury as he turned toward the street, in the direction they had come from. “I won’t stay here with an adherent of Nyriss, even if it means taking my chances with the Baron. I’d rather face death than consort with Chaos.”

Justin knew he had to act fast. If Bohemond left, they’d lose their tank—and he might not make it far before the Baron found him. If he didn’t die first. And assuming he survived, Valdrik could find the Knight and manipulate him. Or worse, turn him into an undead thrall and used against them.

Justin had to say something that would cut through the Knight’s blind anger. Already, he was stalking toward the rubble of the collapsed wall.

“Bohemond, wait!” Justin called, his voice strong despite the pounding in his chest. He had to risk being loud, given the stakes. “Think about what you’re doing. You’re not just walking away from us—you’re walking right into the Baron’s hands. He can use Death Magic. He has the power to turn you into a perversion of everything you believe in. Do you want that? If it’s Morvath or Nyriss, which would you choose?”

Bohemond hesitated, pausing in his steps. Justin pressed on.

“You’re a Knight of Arion, a defender of justice,” Justin continued. “But justice isn’t about slaying monsters and demons. It’s about protecting the innocent, standing with your comrades. Even when it’s hard, even when you’re conflicted. We need you, Bohemond. If we’re going to make it out of here alive, we need to stay united. If you leave now, you’ll be playing right into Valdrik’s hands. Into Morvath’s hands. And more than that—you’ll be abandoning the mission Arion has set for you. Arion sent you here for a reason, and I don’t believe that reason was for you to walk away.”

The silence that followed was tense, each heartbeat echoing in Justin’s ears. Bohemond’s face remained contorted with anger. But when he turned his head, something in his eyes flickered—uncertainty, hesitation. For a moment, Justin thought he might still walk away.

Bohemond let out a breath, turning to face the group, though his eyes remained cold as they settled on Kargan. “Fine. I’ll stay. But know this—I’ll be watching you, Orc. If the Ranger has any potions, I’ll take them, but I won’t have any more of your Chaos Magic touching me. I feel… defiled beyond words.”

Kargan’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, nodding in acknowledgment. The relief Justin felt was fleeting. Their group was still together, but the cracks in their unity had been exposed. And with the dangers of Drakendir still looming, those cracks could prove fatal.

Eldrin gestured for them to move on, his eyes scanning their surroundings. “We need to keep moving. The sounds of that battle could have drawn attention.”

One by one, they filed out of the ruined home. Their steps were cautious and quiet as they made their way through the abandoned town. The buildings loomed around them, a ghost town of hewn stone and forgotten lives. Shadows clung to the crumbling walls. Every sound seemed magnified in the oppressive silence.

Justin kept close to Eldrin, his eyes darting around. The battle had left him on edge, and every crunch of stone underfoot, every flicker of movement, sent a jolt of fear through him.

They moved further from the heart of Drakendir, following the road surrounding its outskirts. They had been walking for five minutes when Justin thought he heard something. Something that sounded like the faint flutter of wings above them.

He looked up sharply, his eyes scanning the darkness, but there was nothing. Just the endless shadows of the cavern.

“Did you hear that?” he whispered to Eldrin.

The Ranger glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “Hear what?”

Justin hesitated. “Sounded like wings, is all.”

Eldrin’s face paled under the light of the blue crystals hanging from the ceiling. “I pray it was your imagination, lad, because I heard nothing. Either way, we need to keep moving.”

The Ranger’s attention was already back to their surroundings. Justin hurried after Eldrin, forcing himself to focus on the path ahead. If Eldrin had heard nothing, then maybe it had been Justin’s imagination.

But as they continued onward, Justin couldn’t help the feeling that they were being watched.