Chapter 116:

Anton awoke to the early morning rays peeking through the wooden slat window above his bed. It had been some time since he had slept in a bed, with some actual privacy to boot. His body wasn’t sore from sleeping on the hard ground, with a relatively thin rucksack to protect him from the elements, rather from the long and arduous night before. Verona and Kal slept soundly in his arms, totally exhausted from the night before. It had been their first night together as a married…not exactly a couple, but whatever they were now. And none had stopped until they simply collapsed into a gasping and panting mess.

“What a night.” Anton chuckled.

Kal, still asleep, lazily scratched his chest with her Beast-kin clawed hands. His back was probably a mess from last night and not all of it was from Kal. Normally Kal would be splayed over his chest but this time she was curled neatly up like Verona. Had something changed within her? Not that he cared, while her fur was very soft he didn’t miss having a clawed finger trying to invade his nose every morning.

He lay in silence, feeling their warmth flow through his body. While he wanted to enjoy it forever it simply wasn’t possible. Time wouldn’t wait for them, and they had commitments at dawn. If anything they were probably already a bit late.

“Hey.” Anton squeezed their rears gently. “Hey, wake up.” Anton squeezed harder. “My beautiful wives. We need to get up.”

Both girls slowly roused from their slumber. They squeaked and groaned, gently stretching their bodies. Anton let his hands drop away and admire their naked and unblemished forms. Verona’s white skin, contrasting with the many red glyph tattoos that ran over her toned body, were an instant eye-catcher. So to were the voluminous mounds that stuck out from her chest and the soft curves that adorned her hips and rear. She remained on her back as she flopped onto her stomach and pushed her chest out. With a final squeak, she flopped around and landed her face on his arm. Kal’s mocha tanned body was equally alluring, especially the way the tiny beads of sweat shone against it, as she pushed her rear up and chest out to stretch her tired and sore body. Her tail rose into the air while her ears flicked back and forth, the claws on her hands and feet gripped hard onto the sheets. She too moved over Anton’s body before relaxing onto him. It was their normal morning routine, at least when they were alone.

“Morning,” Verona mumbled, her face still on his arm. She laughed as she pulled herself up so her cheek touched his. “Weren’t you an eager man last night?”

“I was.” Anton kissed her deeply as a set of annoyed claws dragged across his chest. “Who wouldn’t be when they have the both of you to bed every night?”

Verona chuckled and gently caressed his face. “Even if it’s only for a few nights I want to enjoy these times. Once we’re on the road again it’ll be back to sneaking our little trysts during the night.”

“That was annoying.” Anton reached out and pulled Kal close to his other side. “For almost a month that’s all we could do.”

“I pretty sure they knew what we were up to.” Kal directed her tail to his chest while a Beast-kin foot teased his own. “It would be difficult for them not to.”

“Someone here can make a bit of noise.”

“You just need to kiss me then.” Verona stuck out her tongue. “Easiest way to keep me quiet. I don’t make those sounds by my own choice.”

“You kind of do.” Kal teased. Verona lightly swatted her hand but they both quickly broke into a smile.

Anton reached around and gently held their waists. “What a night. I’ve been thinking about something.” He moved his hands to their flat and toned stomachs. “Have you given any thought to a name?”

“Not…” Kal’s green eyes flicked to Verona. “I think it’s a bit early to be worrying about names.”

“But have you?”

“Yeah.” Kal tried to hide her embarrassment by pulling the fur covers over her head but Anton didn’t allow her. “For a while now.”

“Are you going to tell us?”

“It’s a secret,” Kal mumbled. “I want to know if it’s a boy or a girl first. Then I’ll tell you what I’ve thought of.”

“I’m keeping the names a secret too.” Verona moved his hand up to her breasts.

Anton gave a hard squeeze. “I can’t imagine those getting any bigger.”

Verona laughed. “Maybe I’ll go back to being the biggest in Atros again. I’ve got a lot of competition right now. Now I’m what…fourth or fifth now?”

“Do you really care about that?” Kal asked, raising an aqua brow.

Verona hesitated. “Not really, I suppose. I’m only showing them to a very special few. It’s just really annoying seeing your mother, Rasha and Loretta bouncing around all the time.”

“Really?” Anton kissed Verona gently.

“I know both of you look.” Verona thumped his chest before playing with Kal’s tail. “Everyone looks, it’s kind of hard not to see it.”

No one said anything and they simply lay in silence. Kal nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, within a few seconds their limbs weakened and were already drifting off back to sleep.

“Come on.” Anton slapped their thighs, a sharp echo ringing throughout their bedroom, followed by an alluring purr emanating from his two women. “We need to get ready.”

“Where did we even drop our clothes?” Verona asked as she rose from the bed.

“Most of them are still in the corridor.” Kal didn’t rise without giving Anton another deep kiss.

Anton chuckled as he stroked behind her ears. “We weren’t exactly worried about where they were landing.”

“You mean, you weren’t worried.” Kal kissed him again as they both hopped out of bed. “You were the one that couldn’t wait to get into even our bedroom before you attacked us.”

Verona sighed as she looked along the floor, raising her arms in exasperation before letting them drop against her side. “I can’t believe everything’s still outside. Do you think that Luna could have taken some to sleep on?”

“I…Well, it’ll be full of our scent.” Anton approached the door, Verona was shadowed by his size. She giggled and patted his stomach.

“This brings back some memories.” Verona opened the door.

All of their clothes were waiting just outside, a tangled pile just tossed randomly over the floor. Verona leant down and began sorting through the pile, Anton and Kal had a generous view of her rear. Kal playfully pinched his side as she shook her head. Verona started tossing their clothes back at them.

“Is Luna outside?” Anton asked as he finished putting on his shirt.

“She might still be asleep.” Verona kept her collar open. “Though I don’t know how.”

“I’m glad we’re still not in the Main Hall.” Anton chuckled as he helped Kal with her armour. “Otherwise Bertram and Sybil wouldn’t get any sleep.”

“They’ll definitely have said something.” Verona gently trotted towards the door to the garden.

“I think the only reason they were quiet our first night was that it could have very well been our last.” Anton held Kal’s shoulder tight. “If those eight thousand Goblins attacked now we’d probably be fine, so long as we three are here. It was really touch and go that time. And it wouldn’t have worked if Verona didn’t leap into the fray.”

“Touch and go?” Kal cocked her head. Anton saw her tail sway freely behind her, a small gap had opened between her armour to allow it freedom. She flushed as he stared at her rear. “Stop that.”

“Why?” Anton cupped her pert rump. Kal jumped. “You’re one of my wives. I can stare and fondle your butt whenever I want.”

Kal rolled her eyes but didn’t object.

“Are you two done?” Verona said back. She had stopped halfway to the door and watched them in silence. “If you two are going to flirt I’m going to force us all back into that bedroom so we can work it out.”

She was trying her best to appear annoyed but it was clear she was anything but. If they didn’t have to go and deal with the Goblins she would have pushed them back into his bedroom only to emerge sometime in the afternoon, definitely after having another wash.

“Is Luna there?” Anton asked, wrapping an arm around Verona as he reached her.

“She’s outside.” Verona spun around in his grasp. “I left a crack in the door so she could get out. I think she prefers the outdoors over being inside.”

“We might want to get some sort of flap installed into the door.” Anton reached the garden and looked out. “That way she can get out of the rain and enjoy the outside while we keep the place locked up. Especially if she needs to go to the toilet.”

Outside, hidden in the dawn light covered grassy garden, Luna sat in the middle of a large clump of weeds and grass. While it was easy to see her, thanks to her white coat, he thanked she wasn’t camoflauged.

“Do we wake her?” Verona asked.

“Probably.” Anton stepped onto the grass. Instantly Luna’s ears pricked up and her head darted towards them. She ran towards him and leapt into his arms. “She can’t stay here when we’re going into battle. Not to mention that she needs breakfast and lunch. We probably won’t be back until late.”

Verona laughed. “Oh well. Once we’re back then it’s straight back to bed for us.”

Anton ruffled her hair.

“What about your new weapon?” Kal asked Verona. Kal already had her bow and idly checked the string. “You were talking about changing it the other day with Cetina.”

Verona scratched her head. “Not this time. Cetina’s probably right, I’ll need training in it first. Otherwise, I’ll just be swinging it about wildly. Like a child swatting at flies.”

Anton smiled at the mental image. He waved it aside as Verona turned to him. “I think it’ll be just best if you stick to your spear, for now. I don’t think a Goblin’s going to go for you because he thinks you might be rich. Though I think that they’re going to be put off by the hundreds of blood shards flying about.”

“Ha! That they will. I’ll get some blood just before we start fighting. I wonder if there’s a way to keep the blood for longer?” She looked at Anton, expectantly waiting for an answer.

“Well, the reason the blood goes off is that it rots.” Anton began. “It degrades. Very quickly too, when it’s at ambient temperature. Or at least fast enough so that you can’t use it. And we have the way to deal with that. But first, we need to deal with this little lump here.”

“Who do we give her to?” Kal asked.

“I was thinking Shawn and Jocelyn again, since they already know how to treat her and she’s comfortable with them. Maybe Marion if that fails. So long as she gets some milk and some pats I don’t think she’s going to have a problem.” Anton scratched Luna’s head. “Are you?”

Luna sneezed and happily beat her wings. She was still too young to fly but it was cute to see her try.

---[]---

With a final check over their weapons and armour, they stepped outside and into the street outside. It was all but deserted, a few armoured guards patrolled some distance away alongside a few early risers, still yawning and trying to dispel the drowsiness afflicting their minds. As he watched and waited he saw and heard more movement with the buildings.

“Everyone’s always an early riser here,” Anton mumbled to himself, stretching out his arms. “Not that you’ve got much of a choice.”

“Your…” Kal glanced along the street and found no one within earshot. “Your world sounds really strange where people can get up in the dark, go to work and live without seeing any light, and then sleep through the day. That’s what criminals do in the larger cities.”

“Breaking into a place might be easier during the night.” Anton frowned lightly. “Or maybe not. That’s when everyone’s asleep in their homes. Perhaps for warehouses and businesses.”

“That was the easiest time for me.” Kal turned and peered towards the central plaza. “Homes were during the day and businesses during the night.”

“We need to work on that for our home as well.” Verona ensured the door was shut. “I wonder if there’s magic for that.”

Verona looked at Anton and Kal once again with an expectant look. She continued to feel that Tethra’s power could do anything. It probably could, so long as a massive amount of mana was applied.

“When we get back.” Anton kissed her head. “After we’ve got the portal working properly we’ll see if we’ve got any mana left over for it.”

“Great.” Verona turned to the central plaza and started walking. “I don’t want someone walking in on us when we’re asleep. By the way-”

“Hold up.” Anton grabbed her shoulder hard. Verona’s legs continued forward, her body almost fell backwards before jumping back into Anton. She didn’t miss the opportunity to get close to him, not that he minded. “We should probably check on Cetina. She was pretty hammered from last night.”

“Hammered?” Kal raised a brow, so too did Verona.

Anton sighed. “Tonight I’ll have to teach you two more about some of the phrases that I use without thinking. It’ll help you make sense of some of my ramblings.”

“I don’t know about that.” Verona skipped across the deserted street to Cetina’s new home. “I don’t think we’re going to be good for much teaching tonight. At least not…”

She trailed off, a wild smile on her face as she tried to hide the tiniest flush creeping up her face.

“You should do it, Anton.” Verona bowed out of the way. She didn’t give a reason but Kal appeared to agree.

Anton shrugged and knocked on the door. “Cetina? Are you still in there?”

He pushed on the door. It didn’t feel like there was anything blocking it. While it would be improper to peek on someone sleeping or getting dressed they needed to know. Besides, Cetina was going to be an important piece in showing that everyone was welcome in Atros, being the only Bebbezzarian present. A quick peek inside revealed an empty room, the furniture pushed to the side with the single bed freshly made. Anton didn’t know whether or not Cetina was messy, like his women were, but apparently not. Her training would not allow her to turn slovenly. At least not in the short term. Her time with the sword, the cuts and scars and covered her face and presumably her body, were reminders of better times. Though how losing a part of one’s nose could be considered good was beyond him. Anton glanced down at his missing finger. That still hadn’t returned, and for some reason, he hadn’t healed it back. It had been over a decade since he’d lost it and he was just fine without it.

“She’s gone.” Anton peered in further. “And it doesn’t look to be in a bad way either. She’s probably waiting with the others.”

Anton took the arms of Verona and Kal, pulling them close. They walked in silence, except for Luna’s occasional squeaks from Verona’s arms, until they reached the Central Plaza. Anton had expected there to be a few takers but not this few. Perhaps having them drink and expect to turn up in the morning was a bad idea. Still, he saw about thirty Seocurians and the same again of Beast-kin, with one hundred and fifty Atros villagers, giving the expedition a total of two hundred and ten people, roughly. One Beast-kin was particularly large and stood above the rest, a blue Minotaur. Around her he recognised three other Beast-kin. And a Bebbezzarian.

“And I thought that they might not make it,” Anton said aloud.

“Oh. Yeah.” Verona chuckled as they approached. “I thought they’d still be too drunk to move.”

“I think Marion might have had something to do with it,” Kal smirked. “I don’t remember all that much but I know my mother can be pretty stern when it comes to fulfilling promises…I wonder why that is?”

“I guess that in a slave society a slave can’t exactly pay someone,” Anton replied. “Not it coin, anyway. Only in favours. And if someone breaks that then everything could start to fall apart; you couldn’t trust anyone and it’ll only turn you more against each other than against the slavers.”

Kal slowly nodded. “That makes sense. No money. Only trust.” She laughed. “Kind of like Atros, isn’t it?”

“It kind of is.” Anton kissed her forehead.

Jeff stood in front of the gathered guards, arranging the newcomers into lines with the villagers. He appeared to be having trouble with the Beast-kin. Many were larger than a human and their shapes varied wildly.

“Has everyone got a weapon and a shield?” Jeff loudly asked those gathered. Many raised their hands, devoid of everything. Jeff sighed. When he saw them approach his face lightened. “Thought you three wouldn’t be coming. Well, that’s a lie. But I kind of wish you came a little bit later. We’re having a bit of trouble getting everything ready.”

“People still fighting off last night’s feast and drinks?” Anton asked.

Jeff smiled bitterly and nodded. “Yeah. Basically. Quite a few of the men I rely on decided to keep drinking long into the night.” He pointed to three standing some distance away. They used each other for support as they swayed on their feet. “They were supposed to get everything ready but they can barely stand. They’ve already been sick twice.”

“They won’t be doing that in the future then,” Anton said. “Moderation is key.”

“Oh, they’ll learn it alright.” Jeff snarled at the three. “Once they’ve run a few laps of Atros, even with their head screaming in pain from last night.”

That might be a little harsh for being drunk. Then again this is a military matter and any failure could mean death. Especially if the soldiers aren’t properly equipped because they’re too sick.

Avery, wearing light armour with a large bow attached to his back, approached with a flat face. Anton tried his best to judge if he truly thought ill of the Beast-kin or not. It was hard to tell but he was taking great pains to not look at them.

I can’t expect them to just accept the Beast-kin the moment they see them. They’ve had all their lives being told they’re terrible creatures, the man that wanted to shoot Kal was evidence enough of that. And some of them do look a little odd.

“We’re ready,” Avery said calmly as he stopped a few meters away. “I’m only bringing ten of my archers but that should be enough. Especially with our mages here.”’

“Should be.” Jeff pursed his lips and shook his head as several guards arrived pulling a large cart filled with weapons and shields. “Now we just need to give these out and we should be ready to go.”

“And supplies?” Anton asked. “It’s not a small journey.”

“We’ve got that covered.” Jeff pointed to the rear of the group of guards. Two Ix drawn carts waited there, filled with barrels of water and boxes of food.

“Excellent. I think that’ll be more than enough. We should be back before nightfall, right?”

“Should be,” Jeff replied.

“Did you expect this many?” Anton asked. Verona and Kal nodded to his question.

“Honestly,” Jeff scratched his head. “I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe a few more, but I also thought that there might not be any turning up. Telling someone we’re going to fight those nasty little bastards, on their first day here, is a bit much to ask.”

“Yeah. But it needs to be done. And doing it this way should, I hope, help in the long run.”

“I hope so too,” Avery added, again his voice flat.

Jeff pointed to the weapons cart. “I’ll see about getting these distributed and then we’ll be on our way. Avery, make sure you’ve got enough arrows and whatnot, I don’t think your archers are going to be much use if they run out.”

“Could you get a big bundle for Kal too? Her quiver is looking a little empty.”

Kal ran her hand through the few arrows in her quiver. The few rattled about loudly. Avery gave a curt nod and left. Jeff began shouting at those pulling the cart for being late. The guards looked more afraid of Jeff than they had been of the Goblins, even at the worst times in Atros’s history.

Anton leant close to the two girls. “We should check that Eider and Ulyaa aren’t being forced into this. Just in case.” Verona threw up a silver brow. “It might be difficult for a former slave to refuse an order, especially if it’s said with some authority.”

“Yeah…” Kal scratched her ear.

As they approached the girls Cetina was the first to notice. "Good morning, Anton." Cetina bowed her head. A slight frown graced her face. "Was...Was I supposed to wait for you this morning? I didn't want to wake you or stand around if you had already gone."

"It's fine, Cetina. We'll work something out in the mornings. Today is a bit of an...odd day."

"What are you talking about?" Rasha asked. Even though she was a pace further away she still appeared to loom over everyone. Many glances were thrown her way but she didn't let it show.

"Anton asked if I wanted to be a bodyguard and I said...Yes."

Rasha slowly nodded, her eyes flicked to Anton then to the ground. She rubbed her chin but said nothing.

"I'm surprised that you all made it." Verona laughed, running a hand through her silver hair. "After you were last night?"

And that's after I said nothing for you, Cetina. I guess all the servers weren't told and you got lucky. But you didn't appear to be using it to drown your sorrows.

"And the rest of you as well." Kal smiled lightly. "You were all pretty drunk."

"Rasha had to carry two of these drunk fools back." Irso's voice crackled like normal. "They wouldn't have made it back otherwise. I'm strong enough to carry Irso but not Ulyaa." The Arachnid and Cobra looked slightly embarrassed, Ulyaa's legs shifted and Eider picked at the edge of her hood. "Unlike the slab of muscle here."

"Don't you have something better to call me?" Rasha's lips curled up in the faintest hint of a smirk. "After so long that's the only thing you have ever called me."

Irso's eye twitched and her clawed feet gripped hard onto the ground. "It's the truth." She said softly, looking away. Rasha couldn't help but look a little smug.

"Are any of you still feeling the effects from last night?" Anton asked.

Eider chuckled, gently rubbing her forehead. "It hurts a little bit just here."

"That's because you slammed your head into the table." Kal gently shook her head.

"Did I?" Eider grew more embarrassed as the others only confirmed Kal's words. "Well...I don't remember that."

"Not surprising."

Anton looked more closely at the Cobra's forehead. Bruises would be near impossible to discern underneath her scaled skin but it did appear to be slightly raised. Eider frowned at the attention he was giving her and grew anxious when Anton reached out to touch her head. He spoke the prayer aloud, not to completely heal but to take the worst of the swelling down. Eider laughed as he withdrew his hand.

"Thanks, Anton. I feel a lot better now." Eider gently massaged her forehead. "It still amazes me that you can just touch a Beastkin like me without any hesitation."

Anton only smiled in response. His sides didn't want another battering, especially after Eider's short tail began swaying happily.

"And the rest of you?"

"I feel fine." Rasha slapped her arm. "A little bit tired though. Are we going to actually get some armour for this?"

"I think a shield will be enough, but we'll get to that in a sec. Ulyaa? Irso?"

Irso scratched her neck. "Fine. Can't complain."

"Compared to how we used to be treated..." Eider trailed off.

Anton clapped his hands, Eider jumped a little at the sound. "I should have asked you all this first but how did you sleep?"

"Did you get any?" Kal asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "I know I didn't sleep well for a long time."

"A bit." Ulyaa received nods from the others. "I kept waking up thinking...I don't know where I thought I was. Then I felt the bed and then I remembered." Ulyaa chuckled. "We never used to have beds."

"Not all of us," Kal mumbled. The Beastkin's faces grew dark, Irso's angry, leaving the humans baffled. Cetina and Verona shrugged at Anton.

"On the way, when we have a bit more privacy, I'd like you to tell me about that."

Kal gave a nod as the darkness lifted from her face. The others took longer before they were back to normal.

Yet another horror? So what is it this time? If it's about beds then it'll be comfort, and the only way you could get something like that is by currying favour from the masters. I think I know where this is going.

“How about you, Eider?” Anton asked softly. “Did you sleep alright?”

Eider smiled awkwardly. “I got some. Not that much…But more than I thought I would.”

“That’s good.” Anton smiled back as warmly as he could. “I didn’t know if you would but I’m glad that you did.”

"Excuse me." An Atros guard spoke up loudly to their side. "Do you have weapons and shields yet?"

"No armour?" Verona asked.

"Not enough." The man looked at Ulyaa and Rasha. "At least not enough to cover you properly."

Anton frowned. "Give them everything you can but don't be silly about it. Even an old leather chest piece will be better than nothing."

"I'll get on that right away." The guard appeared more than a little scared. "We're going to have to take another run to the armoury before we go. We don't have enough for the Seocurians either. But..." He motioned to the weapons cart just behind him, everyone was taking whatever weapon they felt was best.

"Cetina? Could you go with them and make sure they get the right weapons? I know that there's no way that Rasha's halberd could be ready but..."

"Sure." Cetina waved them forward. "I'll do my best."

"When did you get something like your own weapon?" Eider asked.

Rasha smiled. "When you were chatting away with that guard. I was speaking with Cetina but you were asking some-"

Eider hissed at Rasha. She was taken aback for a second before laughing and resting her hand on Eider's head. Ulyaa watched with indifference while Irso scowled at Rasha.

"That's...Hmm." Verona shrugged. "Kal. What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you later." Kal squeezed Anton's hand. "It's not something I enjoy thinking about."

Anton wasn't going to just let it go but she had promised to talk later. Cetina returned with the Beastkin girls. Rasha held a steel-tipped spear and a large wooden shield, a metal band ran along the rim to provide extra strength. Irso and Eider had a short sword and a similar shield. Ulyaa had the same wooden shield but also had a short spear, a few feet shorter than Rasha's.

Cetina saw him looking. "If Ulyaa is going to fight then she'll want something that can keep the enemy away from her, not necessarily do a lot of damage."

"Wouldn't something like one of those maces be better?" Anton asked. "It has a good swing on it...But afterwards-"

"She'd be left open to attack, even with the shield."

"What am I open to?" Ulyaa gripped hard on the spears handle and leant forward, at least her human upper body did.

"We'll explain on the way." Anton waved her down. "And, this goes for everyone, I don't want any of you to die."

"That's a given," Irso said softly.

"I mean that we will be doing most of the work. I don't want any of you, no matter how brave you feel or how you will look to others, to put yourselves in a position where you could die or get hurt. Kal and I can heal almost any wound. But not if you're dead. So stick close to each other and keep alert. Goblins have a real knack for blending in with the environment and being an absolute pain to find. They're not smart, though those Awakened are, but they are very crafty. Very sneaky."

"Are we going to take the horses?" Cetina asked. "It's going to be a decent trip."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I...Not this time." Anton turned to Mount Aspire. "If it was just the four of us, yes, but even then we'd have to move slowly. I don't want to get thrown from my horse and crushed."

"Has that actually happened?"

"Not yet, but I don't want to be first." Cetina didn't look entirely convinced by his words. "But someone was thrown from their horse. I don't know if they just spooked or hurt it so it threw her off but it did. And then they spent the next ten or so days as a guest of the Goblins."

Verona shuddered. "That whole thing was horrible."

"Was it really that bad?" Irso asked.

"I'd rather be a slave in Seocuria," Verona said, her voice devoid of emotion. "And as a Seocurian."

They still only had the faintest inkling of what awaited them. Adara told them that Seocurian human slaves normally killed themselves rather than be mixed in with the Beastkin.

"Don't get caught then." Irso nodded. "Simple enough."

“I’ll drop Luna off soon as we get going.” Verona bounced Luna in her arms like a baby. “We don’t want here anywhere near a battle.”

Jeff ran towards them, now wearing his armour and sword and shield. "Everyone's pretty much ready to do. How about you?"

"We're fine. Just waiting on some armour for the Beastkin and the Seocurians."

Jeff grumbled as he looked at the two groups. "I told them to bring more than enough."

"It seems like they wanted us to have the weapons and shields rather than even some simple armour."

"Is it because it would completely touch a Beastkin's skin?" Kal's canine teeth were showing as she growled.

"Bloody well shouldn't be." Jeff shook his head. "A lot of people still aren't that happy with you lot being here."

"I'm sure they're not happy with just Kal," Anton said. Verona agreed with his words.

"They can't do much about it so they're being petty." Jeff patted Anton's shoulder. "I'll find out who and flog them if necessary."

"Hopefully after a few fights, and getting to know them, this nonsense will stop." Anton sighed. "At least, that's the plan."

"Worked well for Kal." Jeff chuckled.

Anton kissed Kal's forehead. "That it did. Here's hoping that it works again."

---[]---

The autumn sun slowly crept through the cloudless blue sky, not even the songs of the birds to break the calm and clear day. Anton didn't know how long it had taken, probably a couple of hours before midday judging by the sun's position, but they would soon be arriving at the base of the small mountain. Everyone moved as silently and as quickly as they could, as silent as two hundred people and some large heavy carts pulled by beasts of burden. The Ix were probably the loudest things in their motley convoy but without them they would have to carry their provisions themselves. Just like last time they travelled through this empty yet dangerous land.

"We'll stop here," Jeff shouted but softly. "I know that we shouldn't be doing much of the fighting but, if we do, I don't want to be gasping for breath or thirst. I'm sure our mages will appreciate it."

Anton gave Jeff a wave as he silently took many deep breaths. Whilst they had travelled the width of the Kar Kingdom and Graterious Empire with little difficulty this was entirely different. It didn't help that their horses had done much of the work but he had expected to do better.

There's no way that I'm this unfit. I mean, I'm usually pretty tired most mornings but I should have built up some more endurance.

Perhaps annoyingly the Beastkin didn't look that tired. They took the opportunity to rest but didn't look as bad as he felt. The worst were the Seocurians. They were broken, simply collapsing into the grass and allowing their weapons to fall.

"Really?" Cetina mumbled.

She stood in front of Anton, resting one hand on her sword. Anton didn't want her to carry her bent tower shield the whole way, even if it was far lighter than the equivalent steel shield, and had it loaded onto one of the carts.

"They're just fishermen," Anton said. "They've probably never left their village before. And our forced march wasn’t as fast as this."

"Not much point with the mountains on one side and the sea on the other." Kal stretched an arm over her head. "Though we're just as bad, really."

A silver-haired body flopped to the ground to his side. "We crossed an empire and a dead kingdom, twice, and it didn't feel that bad."

"We were riding horses." Kal faintly smiled.

"Yeah..." Anton agreed quietly. "Looks like Cetina was right. We are out of shape. Except for Kal."

Kal puffed out her chest in pride.

"It's the Beastkin in you." Verona pointed an accusatory finger at Kal's free tail. "I'm sure that's why."

"If anything that would be a detriment," Anton said, the three looked oddly at him. "Cats, felines, are stalkers. They aren't built for endurance like canines are. If what's true for those creatures carries over to Beastkin."

"It would explain why Kal can be so sneaky at night." Verona laughed. "Just sneaks up on the both of us. Pounces without warning."

Cetina shuffled on her spot, a faint redness to her face as images implanted by Verona, ones that weren't exactly false, flashed through her mind. Verona laughed before giving Anton a wink. Anton said nothing and motioned for them to sit. Anton scanned the villagers until he found Rasha, the poor blue Minotaur stood out like a sore thumb. Her skin, height and bulk made it difficult not to find her. She saw Anton looking, a faint expectant smile on her face as Anton waved them over. Verona nudged his side lightly but said nothing, even her face was blank.

"How are you four doing?" Anton asked.

Cetina shuffled closer to Verona, realised her mistake, and darted towards Kal. Verona simply laughed. The four sat, except for Ulyaa who simply let her body collapse and legs splay out. Anton felt one of his sides scream in pain; neither Rasha nor Ulyaa had bras or any kind of support. Inertia acted without impediment. Eider saw it too, a scaled hand brushed down her chest, absolutely zero resistance. No curves whatsoever. She looked up and found Anton silently chuckling, Eider returned the smile and began to scratch the inside of her hood.

"I take it Ulyaa's the only one struggling?" Verona waved an empty hand towards the arachnid.

"I'm just a bit tired." Ulyaa tucked her legs underneath her spider body. "All this walking is making me remember travelling from the ship to here. You didn't give us much rest then, did you?"

"I'm glad I didn't. And we still ran out of food a day before arriving. Imagine trying to do four or five days of that on an empty stomach."

"No thanks." Rasha allowed the spear handle to rest against her neck. "I don't like going hungry."

Rasha glanced at Irso, Anton was expecting a retort of some kind but not this time.

"Since we're going to be here for a bit to catch our breath,” Anton looked up and found Jeff resting against a nearby cart. He understood Anton's face and returned a thumbs up. "For a little while at least, I wanted to ask about what happened before we left. We were talking about beds and then...You all went very dark."

"And angry," Verona added softly.

The Beastkin looked amongst themselves but no answers came forth. Not even from Kal.

"Okay." Anton stretched out his legs. "I'll just have a stab in the dark, but is it something to do with Beastkin willingly helping the Seocurian masters."

The girls tensed, Verona and Cetina pursed their lips towards him. He was right.

"It's not that simple," Irso spoke very softly, her crackle almost overpowered by the rustling of the grass. "But, essentially yes. There are a few Beastkin that willingly work with the masters for better food, housing and work. Even doting on a favourite master. Fucking. Scum."

The four Beastkin girls nodded.

"They keep an eye on all of us." Eider continued. "So that the Masters know what we're doing. They tell the guards who’s doing what and when, and if its bad enough they beat or kill them. But they get found out pretty quickly. And then..."

"They don't see the dawn?" Anton asked.

"Yeah. They don't last long."

Anton scratched and held his bearded chin. "Snitches are never looked on fondly."

"I...Yes." Eider picked at her tail's scales.

“But I’m guessing you’re talking about something more terrible than someone who’s going to rat on you.”

“Kind of.” Eider shrugged. “Some of them barely have to work, so long as they keep giving the masters information. And if they come here…”

“All of a sudden they’ll have to start working again,” Anton said. “Properly this time. And you’re thinking that they’ll try and send a message back to Seocuria, telling them what we’re doing here so they’ll come and capture them and they can have their easy life back.”

“I…” Eider looked to the others. “I didn’t think that far ahead, but yes. I guess so.”

“Another reason to not let Seocuria know about us before they’re destroyed.” Anton smiled. “Not that I was ever going to give them the chance. But now we’ll keep an extra close eye on the Beast-kin whenever we’re doing stuff in Seocuria. Do you think that there’s any here right now like that?”

Irso shook her head. “Shouldn’t be. If they are they’re going to keep quiet about it. It might be the first Beast-kin murder in Atros if we find out.”

“Right…” Anton scratched his chin again. “Thank you for telli-”

“Not just that.” Rasha raised her large blue hand. “Some of them actually go further and become personal attendants. At least that’s what I think they’re called. They do it willingly. And without the drugs that muddled my mind. And Marion’s and Kristof’s.”

“Yeah.” Irso scratched her head, running a sharp-clawed hand through her rough hair. “I kind of didn’t want to talk about that.”

“How personal?” Verona asked. “Like a waiter or a server or…”

“Bed,” Irso grumbled. “They willingly become the master’s playthings.” Anton looked at Kal, she glumly nodded. “Sometimes it’s worse than just sleeping with them…Disgusting things, but some of the worse ones pick weak Beast-kin and have them fight each other.”

Anton raised his hand. “I think I get the idea. Blood sports…” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I suppose it’s easy to do that when you consider the Beast-kin to be just meat. Not all of them, I’m sure.”

The Beast-kin girls tilted their heads, all frowning deeply.

“I saw a few, three actually, that looked disgusted at how the Beast-kin were being nailed to crosses and left to rot.” All four were repulsed by the imagery. “I don’t know if there are lots or if it’s just a few, but there are still some there that disagree with how you’re being treated.”

“Then why-”

Anton stopped Irso and waved to the Seocurians with them. Irso’s anger subsided.

“I understand. Some already tried.”

“Everyone get up!” Jeff yelled quietly. “I hope you’ve had a decent break because we need to keep moving.”

A few groaned but everyone followed his orders.

Anton turned to Kal. She smiled bitterly. “It’s probably not as bad as they say.” She whispered. “It’s just that anyone that works with the masters-”

“No Beast-kin’s going to think highly of them. Are they?”

“Yes. I don’t know why…I suppose I do know why they do it. Doesn’t make it any easier for us.”

Anton squeezed her shoulder, Verona gently held her hand as they prepared to move out.

"That all sounds pretty gross." Verona stuck out her tongue. "Sleeping with your owners, willingly, that is."

"Some might not have a choice." Anton patted Verona's hand. "But some might. And those are the ones we have to watch out for." Anton sighed and rubbed his temple. "Hate for humans, puritans and Uncle Tom's. There a lot of things that we need to sort through with the Beastkin."

"Uncle who?" Kal asked.

"It's, um. Basically a sell-out. Selling out your own kind to keep in with the rulers. Especially with something like slaves. Though my memory says that meaning had changed.”

"It's all wrong." Verona threw her hands up dramatically. "Don’t they realise it's so much better to have the fluffiness given to you rather than taken?"

Cetina looked confused while the Beastkin girls retreated from Verona ever so slightly. Eider and Irso didn't have fluffiness, as Verona would call it, but Rasha and Ulyaa did. Rasha's legs, from the knee down, transformed into something very similar to Kal's, except with a hoof instead of claws. The same could be said of Ulyaa, her spider body's dark hair looked extremely soft, so too did the hair covering her eight legs. Verona eyed them off as the two grew increasingly concerned.

"You are...Very strange," Irso grumbled.

Verona laughed. An awkward smile crept up her face as she scratched her cheek. "Yeah. I guess I always was. Anton didn't help in that regard."

Anton gently patted her head, Verona laughed again and squirmed about so his fingers scratched deeper. The light clanging of the small clay pots around her hips jogged his memory. When he relinquished his touch he searched through the grass for a stone. Everyone remained silent until he found what he was looking for.

"Oh. Right." Verona chuckled. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"What are you doing?" Rasha asked. She leant forward but could not discern anything about the dirt covered stone. It was, after all, just a stone. At least for now it was.

"I'm about to, or rather Kal is, about to make Verona even more powerful."

"With a stone?" Rasha asked. None appeared particularly convinced. “But she uses blood, not rocks or stones. Can you use more than one type of magic like Anton?”

“Ha! I wish.”

Anton passed the stone to Kal. She held it in her hands and chanted a prayer to make the stone cold.

"Here you go." Kal passed the stone over.

"It's really cold." Verona juggled the stone in her hand before slipping it into a pot.

"Was that it?" Ulyaa asked. "I don't understand."

"I can only use blood that's fresh." Verona drew her blade and took Anton's hand. "And I can't use my own too. Anyway, Anton thinks it's because the blood rots too quickly, and when something's cold it goes bad much slower. Like the milk for Luna."

"Oh...I thought that stone was bigger than that."

"The magic we use is different to normal magic." Anton began. "I don't know how it compares but it can, at least Tethra's power, make something that small quite powerful."

"Don't forget what Shawn and Jocelyn made," Verona said.

"Magic." Ulyaa chuckled. "It all seems so strange to us. You seem like you're a hundred miles above us."

"I know that feeling." Kal smiled bitterly. "At first I could only use a bow, while they could annihilate an army on their own."

"An army?" Rasha voice and face were incredulous. "Hundreds, thousands of armed men. And against you two?"

"Five thousand." Verona beamed with pride. "Five thousand at once, Anton took out."

"Really?"

"About that number." Anton slowly nodded. "Then a few hundred more after that."

"I..." Rasha lost her voice, then her ability to reason. She blinked after a few seconds and simply shook her head.

"You see what I mean?" Kal chuckled. "But eventually I was gifted Tethra's power. And I can now make things like this."

Kal brought out the last of her enchanted arrows. Their eyes were transfixed by the swirling lights on the iron heads.

"They do look a little bit like what Jonathan's kids made," Verona said softly. "Could either of you make one like they did?"

"Probably," Anton whispered back. "But I don't need to spend my limited mana on that. I never would have thought to ask for the effects that the lightning and fire weapons have. What they have is a lot more interesting than just setting things on fire or giving them a nasty shock. I can do that already."

Verona, satisfied with his response, gave a curt nod and looked back to the arrows.

"These are what I made." Kal looked very happy to show them off. "This one explodes in a blast of lightning and this one of fire."

"That's insane." Ulyaa shook her head.

"If I had a bow could I use one?" Rasha asked. Eider nodded in earnest.

"I don't think you could, Rasha," Anton said.

"Why?" Anton flicked his eyes down to her chest. "Oh. Right."

"But Eider certainly could."

"What?" Eider's eyes twitched violently. She looked between all the women, her distress only becoming more evident, before stopping on Irso. Irso gently patted her shoulder.

"Don't you pity me!" Eider shouted. She shrunk low as everyone's attention was drawn to her. "Great. So I can be an archer, and I don't need armour there because..." Eider cried fake tears as she slammed her feet on the ground.

Compared to everyone here you did lose the genetic lottery.

Once everyone was ready the convoy slowly moved to the base of the mountain. Since the Goblins had a keen sense of smell and hearing, while their eyesight was relatively poor, Anton was less worried that they would be spotted than simply felt or heard. Kal had moved to the top of a cart, her bow drawn and an arrow knocked. Out of everyone present, she was the best scout they had. Every so often she would raise her hand, everyone would stop, before allowing the convoy to continue. Anton heard some grumbling but he trusted her instincts.

"I don't see where they could be," Verona spoke softly to Anton. "How do we even know they are from this mountain and not just some hole in the ground?"

"Good question." Anton found Jeff's back a few meters in front. "Let's find out."

Anton and Verona quickened their pace and caught up to Jeff. From underneath his steel helmet, his eyes constantly surveyed the grasslands around him for anything. With his sword and shield drawn it would be difficult for a single Goblin to kill him.

But there was never just one.

"Jeff? How do we know where we are going? This mountain has nothing on it worth talking about. Just grass."

Jeff pointed his sword to the middle point up the mountain. "Dana said she saw them hanging around a cave up there. It's not a big one but we both know they can go very far underground."

"Yes. That they can."

Anton wanted to try the eye enhancement again but they had to keep moving. The bouncing with him walking alone would have made him violently ill. He had to trust them.

The convoy slowed even more as it began to climb. The Ix weren't struggling yet but their speed has slowed to a crawl. Kal bailed from the top when some of the crates and barrels shifted beneath her feet. None were lost but she didn't want to take the chance. Eventually Anton saw the cave entrance in the mountain. A perfect place to hide a Goblin nest; barely a meter tall and wide, covered in grass and a few hanging vines. If the Goblins hadn’t been lounging outside when Dana rode by they never would have found it. Jeff brought everyone to a halt with about a hundred meters to go.

"This will have to do," Jeff said. "We can't bring them any further without waking up the whole mountain. Or just falling over. So, Anton, any ideas for this? I was, originally, only going to bring the Atros guards..."

Anton's head darted about. "We shouldn't take too many people. Most should stay here with the Ix and carts, just in case. It'll do them some good. We three, Cetina, you and a handful from each group should be enough."

"What about us?" Avery asked. As per usual he had remained silent during the entire trip.

"You and the archers should stay here, inside the perimeter of guards. You can pick them off before they even get near the carts."

"Right." Avery waved sharply and the archers took up their positions.

"Any Beastkin from your little gathering?" Jeff teasingly asked as Cetina approached.

"I, I'm not too sure just yet." Anton saw them standing a few meters away, looking up at the mountain. "While I know that you two, three, know how to handle yourselves I'm not sure about them. Especially..."

"Especially?" Cetina asked softly.

"Since they're women," Verona replied. "They might just try and drag them down into the depths.” She shuddered at the memories of Mount Aspire.

"Oh."

"This time I'll have them stay with the carts," Anton said. "I can hardly show favouritism. Besides, Jeff, you should be leading this, not me."

"It's a good idea to hear other people's ideas," Jeff said proudly. "And I wanted to know that the person that could burn Atros to the ground with a snap of his fingers would say. And who is going to be doing most of the work. But I kind of agree with you. Besides, none of us can fit in there anyway."

"So what was your plan in the first place?" Verona asked.

"I..." Jeff scratched his head and looked away. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. Bang some shields outside the cave and wait for them to come to us? I don't know, you have no idea how frustrating it was to remain inside the walls watching them wander just outside. Roaming about like they owned the place, smashing and trampling everything we had worked so hard to make."

"I don't," Anton admitted, Jeff was a little surprised by the admission. "And I never hope to know. I was thinking that I throw some big...No."

"No?" Kal raised a brow.

"No. The Goblins might just run away if I use my most powerful magic, and show myself to be something they can't beat. If I make a small fireball but use my magic right I should be able to make it give off tonnes of thick smoke."

Anton held out his hand and summoned a small fireball. He smiled at Cetina's surprise and focused everything he had on creating smoke. Slowly the shimmering waves of heat were replaced by an increasingly thick, black smoke. It grew so thick that he couldn't see the flame anymore. A cough from Kal was enough to tell him to stop. He withdrew the flame but the smoke remained, slowly drifting and dissipating into the clean air. Anton heard a cough from Eider. Her hands scratched at her tongue, trying to scrape away the taste of the smoke.

"That should work." Kal coughed and waved away a tendril of smoke. "I could barely breathe."

"This should be fun." Verona chuckled.

"When I do start any Goblin near the entrance might come running out to escape the smoke. Cetina? I want your shield between me and the cave entrance. There's a chance one might have a sling or a javelin."

"Can you use your magic when you can't see it?"

"Yes. That's not a problem."

Cetina took her shield off a cart and rested the edge on the grass. "You can count on me, Anton."

"And us?" Verona smiled as she leant forward, quite a sleazy smile at that.

"I want you to keep your shards ready to strike down anyone or anything that comes out. The same goes for you, Kal." Both girls nodded seriously. "Maybe not a lightning or fire arrow...As for everyone else, they should hang back and be ready for any attack, from behind or above. There's a chance there's some wandering about outside, and if all our attention is focused on the cave..."

"Got it." Jeff looked to the cave. "Shouldn't be a problem. If one them manages to sneak up on us I'm going to whip the person that let it."

Jeff said his last sentence a little louder than the rest, the nearby guards took note and gripped their weapons and shields tighter.

A minute later and those that were going to the cave were ready. Rasha and Eider looked a little concerned they were being left behind but Anton did his best to calm them. It appeared to work and they remained near the carts, their weapons at the ready. Kal took the lead, instructing everyone to crouch low and move upwards as silently as possible. It was a difficult task, the loose grass gave way in many places sending dirt and rocks towards the person behind. Anton caught several heading for his mouth and didn't want to know what he was sending down behind him. Kal signalled a stop. She stood on her knees and fired a single normal arrow. A thunk, of piercing flesh, followed. Another arrow flew the moment the first had landed. Kal waited a few moments before moving everyone forward. Tow Green Goblins lay dead at the mouth of the cave. Neither would have known what was about to happen to them. Kal gingerly retrieved her arrows, always keeping an eye towards the dark and foreboding cave before returning to his side.

"I only saw them." Kal wiped the blood off the arrows. "But it certainly smells like there are Goblins in there. Judging by the stench there are a lot."

"How many?" Jeff asked.

"I...Maybe five to six hundred?" Kal shrugged. "I'm just guessing but the Greens don't build up to those sort of numbers without a higher ranked goblin controlling them. Probably the yellows that attacked Atros alongside the Greens."

"Six hundred?" Jeff rubbed the sweat from his brow.

"Probably more," Kal said. "If that many could attack Atros without retreating then they have a lot more to spare."

Jeff grumbled loudly. "And to think I thought I could take them with a hundred."

"So long as they only came through this one spot I think you'd be fine." Anton smiled. "We'll start in just a moment. So if you want to get everyone else ready?"

"Half of you, keep your backs to the cave and look out there," Jeff ordered. "I don't want even one of these things able to sneak up on us. The rest will keep watch around the cave, and that means above it too. I don't want anyone to die on this outing so make sure you do your job."

The men silently spread out and followed his orders. The few Beastkin and Seocurians they had brought needed a little guidance but they too quickly fell into line.

Cetina readied her shield. "I'm ready whenever you are, Anton."

Verona's body glowed and the blood shards floated before her. Kal knocked an arrow and aimed towards the black cave. After standing behind Cetina and her shield he summoned another fireball, slightly larger than before, and gently pushed it into the cave. The inside of the cave was thankfully devoid of Goblins but not of bones. Too large to be human, probably Razor-pigs or rabbits, maybe even some of the large brightly coloured birds that ran through the plains. Regardless of what they were the bones were almost stripped clean. Beyond the bones, the cave quickly branched into five tunnels of different sizes. Two looked big enough for a child to crawl through, judging by scuff marks on the edges they were used regularly. The other three were also used heavily with a dusty trail leading deeper into the cave.

"Good thing we aren't going in." Verona chuckled. "Even I couldn't fit in those small ones."

Kal sniggered. "Especially if you keep eating the way you do."

"What?" Verona patted her stomach. "Does that look fat to you?"

"They do."

Anton laughed as Verona joined in. Cetina smiled awkwardly and looked back into the cave.

"I can't see anything moving in there but it's definitely been used recently. Some of the bones look wet."

"How can you...Right. The eyepatch. Are you ready?" Anton only received nods. "Let's begin."

Anton focused and the ball of flame began to leak copious amounts of the thick black smoke. Some of the smoke began to leak out the cave, Anton had expected it to, but very little travelled down. Anton groaned as he realised his obvious blunder; smoke was hot and slowly rose into the sky. It wouldn't just fall of its own accord.

"I miscalculated." Anton withdrew the flame and stood up, kicking at the ground.

Kal lowered her bow and he'd his arm. "What's wrong?"

"Hot smoke doesn't sink." Anton turned to Mount aspire. "Cool smoke will but I’m still losing a lot. The only reason it worked before was that we set the fire off in the lowest sections. Now we're at the top. And unless we can seal the cave, yet still have my flame, smoke ball, on the other side, this isn't going to work. At least quickly."

Kal held her chin. "I...I might have an idea. You've made enchantments that run out after some time has passed?"

"Yes. Quite a few. In fact, I'm sure the poison immunity is still there."

"So you could make a smoke stone that'll last a day."

"And then I blow up the cave entrance, trapping it all inside." Anton kissed Kal. "And you're the one always accusing me of being sneaky and manipulative."

Kal flushed, not before sneaking in another kiss. "You are. And you still are, even if you don't realise it."

Verona chuckled as Cetina watched on helpless. Jeff approached with a deep frown.

"Is something wrong?"

"Kind of." Anton pointed to the thin trails of smoke rising into the clear blue sky. "I'd forgotten that we're at the top of the caves and hot smoke rises. Thankfully, Kal had come up with a solution."

"Only because I watched you." Kal's tail wagged happily behind her as she held a small stone in her hand. “When I'm done I don't want to hold it, I could barely breathe with the smoke last time."

"Right. Everyone needs to move back. Collapsing the cave is going to throw up a lot of rocks and dust."

Anton turned away and stopped a few meters back, more than enough distance to avoid the blast. Cetina followed, her shield hanging loosely by her side. Anton looked over her shoulder and his face drained of colour. A Green Goblin crawled out of the lowest tunnel. Its deformed humanoid face looked around, quizzical, wondering why light had shone deep into the cave when it wasn't morning. In one hand it held a crude sling, a stone already in place. He grabbed Cetina by the shoulder, surprise plastered over her face, and spun her to face the cave and raised her shield arm. Her shield clanged as a rock struck the metal and dropped to the ground.

The Goblin screeched, unintelligible but it's meaning clear.

Intruders.

Red shards flashed past his head, eviscerating the Goblin before it could breathe again. But it was too late.

"Sorry I had to grab you, Cetina. But I didn't have time." Anton held her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Cetina's body was shaking. "I'm okay." She swore under her breath. "Fuck. I'm sorry I didn't keep my shield towards the cave. I'm a terrible bodyguard."

Anton patted her shoulder. "It's fine. Just keep your shield up and your head low."

"Yes, Anton." Cetina gritted her teeth and braced her shield on the ground.

He knew that expression, she was kicking herself internally. Anton patted her shoulder again and turned to Kal. She mumbled words furiously. Smoke had yet to emerge from her clasped hands.

Anton heard scratching and clawing coming from within the mountain. Even the air began to tremble. Kal had been far too conservative with her numbers. The guards began to panic, especially the new ones, as Jeff tried to hold their nerve. He too began to look very worried. Small bursts of light cut through the darkness, bobbing and weaving, flickering in and out as the horde swarmed past the torchbearers.

Any time now, Kal.

Verona drew up blood from the dead Goblin and hid it around the edge of the cave in a large hoop. He didn't know what she was planning but it would undoubtedly keep them safe. There was never even a moment of doubt in his mind.

The two small tunnels began to flicker with light. Shadows danced over the stones as hundreds of hands scrambled towards them.

"There's a lot more than a thousand in there," Anton said quietly.

"Yeah." Verona and Cetina agreed quietly.

The mountain gave birth. Birth to horrors.

Green and Yellow arms burst out of the small tunnels clawing and grasping at the stone. None could get through but it wasn't stopping them from trying. The green arms retreated and a Yellow Goblin squirmed through, its face bled from the rocks but it didn't care.

Prey waited patiently before them. As the first Goblin raced towards them Kal shouted.

"It's done!"

Thick acrid smoke leaked from her hands in cascading flows. Anton wanted to know what she had done but there was no time left. He summoned four lightning bombs, tethered together, and readied to throw them into the cave's roof. Kal threw the smoke stone with all her might, foul smoke trailed behind like a comet’s tail. The stone bounced between the legs of the first Yellow Goblin who barely noticed its passing before it travelling to the lower tunnels. Through the shadows, Anton saw the Goblins stop and investigate the strange item. Almost instantly the light vanished, consumed by smoke. The cries from the darkening depths became frantic and panicked.

The first goblin passed underneath Verona's blood arch, only to receive a blood spike through its head throwing it to the ground. Behind him, a tide of Goblins emerged from the lower levels as more squirmed out of the upper two. Anton took the chance and threw the lightning balls into the cave, Verona retracted the blood pinning the Goblin, and into the roof. Everything disappeared in a flash of blinding white light. Though his sight was temporarily blinded he could still hear. Just. Tumbling stones and rocks echoed over the increscent ringing in his ears. When he opened his eyes again the cave had completely collapsed.

"Did that work?" Jeff asked.

Anton raised his hand to his lips. While their side fell silent he heard the panicked screeching emanating from behind the collapsed stones. Claws scratched at stone's blocking the Goblins escape. With every passing second they grew dimmer and dimmer until they ceased completely.

Verona threw a large rock at the cave in. Nothing.

"I think they're dead now."

"My eye," Cetina grumbled.

"Oh shit. Did the enchantment hurt you?"

"No." Cetina kept her shield facing the collapsed cave. "But I saw it break apart and make all that light and noise. It was...strange to watch."

"So long as it didn't blind you." Anton patted her shoulder again, and the faintest hint of a smile crept up the corner of her face. "Kal. What did you end up making?"

"I asked Tethra to make the stone emit thick, heavy smoke until midday tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Anton looked at midday sun. "That's a long time."

"I had to change halfway through since I didn't ask it to stop." Kal smiled. "I thought it would be bad if it did that forever."

"That would be bad." Anton chuckled and kissed her forehead. “How much mana did it use?”

“Almost everything.” Kal’s hands shook. With a light thump to her side it stopped.

"I should get something too." Verona butted in. "I made that circle thing around the cave."

"I was wondering what that was going to do." Anton kissed Verona as well. Her face beamed with pride as she gently rubbed the spot where his lips touched.

Cetina made a noise and nodded to the cave. Black smoke began to leak out of the rubble.

"Time to go, everyone."

Anton waited a moment before retreating, just to make sure the smoke did dissipate. When he was certain he followed the guards as they descended towards the carts. This time Cetina kept her shield raised facing the cave. She hadn't forgiven herself for her lapse just yet. He hoped she wouldn't beat herself up too much.

The other guards waved at them, it was hard to miss Rasha's large form, when Kal stopped and drew an enchanted arrow. Before he could ask where Kal loosed to the right of the carts. Fire exploded and inhuman shrieks pierced the air.

"More?" Verona asked, flaring her power.

The new people panicked. Atros guards pulled the others back into a tight formation as the archers scanned the burning grass for any signs of life. Kal drew another fire arrow and loosed at the other side. The grass burned and more goblins screamed.

"They're coming out of the ground!" Kal yelled at the others. "Look for the smoke! That's where they’re coming from!"

Avery directed his archers onto the carts. The distinctive thud of arrows loosed filled the air followed by dying shrieks of goblins. Out of the two burning patches, Yellow and Green Goblins hauled themselves out of the ground. This time the very ground seemingly gave birth to the monsters. Once they were free they didn't launch into the attack. It took a few seconds, a few deep breaths before they knew even where to go.

Even with Avery's archers firing as fast as they could the Goblins still reached the perimeter. Armed with only their rancid claws they were cut down by steel spears, swords and broke themselves against the large wooden and steel shields. Anton started to relax but there were so many Goblins they simply crawled over their fellows and lunged at their prey. They were already in a tight circle and had nowhere to go. Anton threw fireballs at both sites and bought some time.

"Behind!" Avery yelled. "Behind us! Another group from behind."

Neither he nor Kal could reach there, not to mention that's where the Beastkin girls were. Rasha turned away and readied her spear, he hoped the others were ready as well.

Black smoke seeped out of the ground in ever greater quantity as they neared. Though the Goblins had numbers on their side the smoke was winning. Limp arms bursting from the ground littered the burning grass, the Goblins no longer had the strength to pull themselves free. The last few could barely move, their distended bellies heaved with deep breaths of the fresh air, only to be silenced by an arrow to the head. With both sides no longer a threat Anton broke through the guards and ran to the rear. The Beastkin and Seocurians were doing well, all things considered, now that their backs were against the wall. Neither side cared when they bumped into one another, when fur and hide touched black skin, or when a sword strike saved their lives. It was exactly what Anton wanted, but not for it to be so chaotic.

Kal leapt onto a cart and joined Avery's archers. They made room for her, they weren't about to complain about an extra set of skilled hands.

Rasha, Eider and Irso fought at the front while Ulyaa skittered behind them. Eider and Irso slashed and cut with the ferocity of an untrained but determined warrior, always keeping their shields raised to receive whatever strikes may come. Rasha's sheer strength was more than enough to send the Goblins flying. Her spear effortlessly cut through the Goblin's hide and a bash from her shield sent them flying too, their deformed faces contorted in stupefaction as they soared through the air. One tried to dive between her legs, a problem due to her sheer size, but received a spear strike to the head from Ulyaa. Since Ulyaa took up so much space she had to stay behind. Her body bounced around as she stabbed at any Goblins that made it through. Though they were doing well physically their mental state was suffering. After only a few seconds of fighting they were already drained. This was their first real taste of killing, the Goblins in the small cloth storage building did not compare.

When Anton reached the front most of the Goblins were dead, a pile of yellow and green flesh drenched in blood. Like everyone at the front they too were covered in blood. Anton hoped it wasn’t theirs.

He threw a few fireballs over the front of the Goblin wave while Verona threw her blood shard into the front. The bodies piled together, impaled by blood shards and sent tumbling back. Cetina joined to the side and helped to cut the few that survived Verona’s onslaught.

An arrow flew over the Goblin mass and exploded in a wave of fire. The Goblins emerging from the ground screamed in pain but it was enough to slow their deluge down to a crawl. Now those from the rear began to look like those coming from the side, breathless and exhausted. Within a minute all were dead. Only arms and half emerged bodies remained in the burnt patches of grass.

“Is everyone okay?” Anton asked loudly.

Everyone breathed more easily but he didn’t get a reply. A murmur quickly spread throughout the crowd.

“Sounds like we’re fine,” Jeff said loudly. “Anyone missing someone?”

He didn’t receive a reply, some good news.

“Well.” Anton rested his hands on his hips. “I think that went well. All things considered.”

“I’ve got so much blood on me,” Rasha grumbled. The Goblin blood was thickest running down her legs, soaking into her fur. She tried wiping it away but it simply spread to her hands. “And it’s even in my hooves too.”

“Blood or bits of Goblin?”

“Both. I think.” Rasha raised her leg. Small pieces of Green and Yellow flesh were wedged deep in her hoof.

“We’ll sort that out on the way.” Anton tried to pat her shoulder but had to settle with her back. She appeared to appreciate the gesture and stomped her hoof into the blood stained grass. “As for you three?”

“Just blood.” Eider chuckled. “Lots of it. I’m surprised we didn’t get cut.”

“These Goblins didn’t have weapons.” Cetina sheathed her sword. “Not even wooden spears. If they did it would have been much worse.”

“Not that their claws aren’t dangerous,” Verona added.

She picked the bodies out of the way and made a pathway back down the mountain. The further Anton looked the more smoke emerged from the ground. Was the entire mountain porous? And had they almost kicked up a nest even worse than Mount Aspire. He was glad the smoke was undoubtedly filling every tiny little nook and cranny with thick black smoke.

“Jeff? Do you think it’s time we went back home?”

Jeff gave a serious nod. “Yeah. I’ve had enough of Goblins, and I’m sure everyone here has too. That smoke thing that Kal made…that will keep working until tomorrow?”

“It should.” Kal slinked down from the cart, barely making a sound or disrupting the load. “I don’t have a reason to doubt Tethra’s abilities or what I asked of her.”

Jeff turned back to the collapsed cave. The black smoke leaking from the rocks was growing at an alarming rate. The entire mountain’s cavern system was probably already flooded with smoke and simply couldn’t contain any more. He doubted the Goblins were smart enough to be ready to seal their tunnels off, to be fair they wouldn’t be either.

“Very well.” Jeff smiled warmly. “In that case, the first suppression of the Goblins has been a great success.” There were no cheers, only the look of those satisfied their home was safe. And those still reeling from the mental strain of bloodshed. “Let’s go home.”