The air stank with the fumes of dissolving monsters.

‘Do not stop!’ Primus wheezed, evidently himself exhausted, mad obsession shining from his blue eyes. ‘They’ve slowed us down, but we’re still closer to Olivia than we’ve ever been! I will double all of your payments if we catch up to her and rescue her today! I will even reward those of you who I never promised a reward to in the first place!’

That got everyone up.

‘Even Ouzo?’ said the wolf clanner.

‘Even Ouzo!’ yelled Primus over his shoulder, already running again.

‘Even me?’ said Silvia.

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‘Yes!’ Primus snapped as he got increasingly further away, his orange robes billowing out behind him. ‘Now follow me!’

‘Look there!’ said Helen. ‘More monsters!’

Another pack of monsters was running towards them in the distance, coming in at an angle to their path.

‘That changes nothing!’ said Primus, already gaining ground on them all. ‘We still pursue, and if they pursue us, then so be it!’

Horatio dug deep, gritting his teeth and setting his jaw as they resumed the run.

Huff, puff, breaths coming in and out like a pumping bellows, chest now constricting from the exertion, fire running up and down his legs.

He overtook Primus again, but it wasn’t long before the new pack of monsters began to close on them.

The sun was into the last leg of its drop towards the hills on their left now, and dusk was beginning to descend, so it was harder to pick out what the monsters on their heels were, but soon enough they caught up to the party, and battle was upon them.

Battle 3