"Finally," Aiden sighed.

Behind the defenders, the sun was starting to sink as an orange haze blanketed the sky. The terror of those woods were far behind them as each looked in relief at their home.

Before them stood the resolute, birch gates of the capital city, Hailgrad. They were forged with iron carvings that showed a great host of Hailgalad knights. The gate was parted to make way for the droves of venders coming in and out of the capital.

As they came through the capital’s entrance, the defenders parted ways with the caravan they met on the road the day before. All the fears of the spiders and the forest melted away as they arrived to the safety of the city. The woman that had asked for their aide stood up in her wagon.

“Thank you again, brave Defenders of Sol!” she said with a smile.

The group nodded as Graham steered the cart past them, further down the main road.

“Be safe,” the old man said with a smile.

Just ahead, a group of soldiers sat at the side of the road. Whatever their task was meant to be, they were idle. They simply sat on the side of the road watching the people passing by. Then, they spotted the defenders approaching them.

“Hey boys, look at the freak hunters,” a voice cut through the din.

“I forget, do they hunt the freaks or are they the freaks?” another jeered.

The group stared at the soldiers with contempt as they laughed and pointed. Aiden stood up and tried to shout back, but Desmond grabbed his arm.

“They aren’t worth it,” he said loudly enough for the royal soldiers to hear.

After a sort wagon ride, the defenders made it to a large building in the outer city. The white, brick structure stood three stories from the ground and was connected to homes on the left side. On the other, there was a tight alleyway. Over the door, the sun symbol of their order hung proudly, casted in black iron.

“Home at last,” Cynthia said as the wagon came to a stop.

“Greetings,” a rough voice rang out.

“Hello Farnuk,” Graham said. “How was the home in our absence?”

The short, green figure grabbed the horses reigns as the group got off of the wagon.

“Quiet, as usual. We are happy to have you back. Requests are in your office, Master Graham,” the goblin bowed.

“How many times must I tell you, you have no master,” Graham said as he padded Farnuk’s back.

“Yes,” the old goblin bowed as he unhooked the horses.

Graham grabbed his satchel which held the pyramid artifact. As he did, he looked over to Maeve who was staring at it. He pulled the leather bag away from her gaze and she shook from the trance.

Desmond noticed her shake and he grabbed his sister’s arm. She instinctively pulled away in an angry jolt.

“Come on Aiden,” Cynthia said as she elbowed the ranger. “Let us get an ale and see what we have to eat.”

Aiden elbowed her back as he ran toward the front door, “I better get to it before you drink and eat everything!”

As they went stomping inside, Graham and Desmond stared at Maeve uneasily. She has been silent ever since she awoke in that strange room.

“Are you alright, Maeve?” Graham asked hesitantly.

“Fine,” she replied and rubbed her arm.

“Do you remember anything?” Desmond asked.

Maeve said nothing. She simply bowed her head and walked inside at a hurried pace. Desmond shook his head and started to go after her, but Graham grabbed his arm.

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“Give her some time,” Graham said calmly.

Desmond looked at the door shut and then down to the mage’s satchel. They both felt the strange power radiate from the bland, leather bag.

“What happened down there?” the paladin asked.

Graham thought carefully, then he spoke, “We may never know. One thing is for certain, this artifact must not fall into the wrong hands. Our order should take some time to see if we can find out what this thing is and, most importantly, what we should do with it."

The two men then entered the home of their order to be greeted by a warm fire and the cheerful sounds of Cynthia and Aiden. It was evident that they had found some ale at the very least. Graham immediately retreated to his room with the artifact while Maeve quietly walked up the stairs to her own room.

"I don't think it is a good idea for you to be alone right now," Desmond said uneasily.

Maeve paused a moment, but continued walking away, without turning around. Her slumped shoulders and head tied her brother's stomach in knots. They had always shared everything. Now, she was shutting him out.

"Desmond, get over here!" Aiden's voice called.

Desmond gave a heavy sigh and went into the back of the house. There, the large kitchen was buzzing with noise. Another goblin was busy cooking and serving food, while Cynthia and Aiden refilled their tankards.

"Join us," Cynthia commanded with a loud slap on the table.

The weight of their last mission still hung heavily on him, but the paladin forced a smile. He pushed down the anxious thoughts in his mind as he sat with his companions at the old, worn table.

"What are we drinking?" He asked with an upbeat tone.

"Some good ol' Riverbrook Red," Aiden said as he filled Desmond's cup.

"The wagon has been unloaded and your gear is in the armory," a raspy voice came from behind them.

"Thanks Farnuk," Aiden said. "Want an ale?"

He goblin raised his green hand and shook his head. "No, thank you. I think I will be off for the night."

"Do you need anything else from me?" the other goblin asked as they finished cooking a fragrant meal of meat and potatoes.

"No, thank you Griesnak," Cynthia said with a smile as she gulped down her ale.

"Then I will be off as well,” the goblin said with a slight bow.

The creatures silently walked through the kitchen towards the backyard. Across the way, a small, guest building was their quarters.

"Do you ever feel bad for them?" Desmond asked as he watched them walk away.

Cynthia shook her head, “Especially after what they did, they would have ended up dead if not for our mercy. Now they can pay off their debts by helping us.”

“Besides, it is not as if we treat them terribly,” Aiden chimed in.

Desmond shrugged as he took another swig of his ale. The bitter taste was comforting as he sat back in his chair. He took in the aroma of the meal and nearby, crackling fire.

“So what happened with Maeve down in the hole?” Aiden finally asked.

“We aren't sure yet.” Desmond said with a shrug. “She has been pretty quiet ever since it happened.”

“What did she find down there?” Cynthia asked as she refilled their tankards and grabbed some food. “Graham has been a bit shifty ever since he came out as well. Come to think of it, he was acting strange ever since we stopped to help those people.”

Desmond shuddered as he thought about the ominous, circular room. Graham and him seeing the horrific sight of dead bodies and spiders littering the ground, and Maeve laying unconscious. Then, the pyramid-like object one of her hands. In the other, her bloody mace.

“I don't know exactly what I saw down there. Everyone was dead. Everyone except Maeve,” Desmond said slowly. “She was holding this strange artifact that seemed to hum with an odd power that Graham and I had never experienced before. We do not know who made the thing, or what power it drew from. All Maeve could remember was entering the room and everything went red when she touched the artifact.”

The group sat there in silence as they nursed their ales and ate the meal Griesnak had made for them. The warm, home cooked food was comforting, but the ominous words of Desmond weighed heavily on them.

Finally, Aiden broke the silence, “Maeve is a good person. I could never imagine her killing people for no reason. If that is in fact what happened down there, is it possible this artifact made her do it.”

“That is what Graham is trying to find out,” Desmond said. “He took the artifact away to his room. At this moment, he is probably pouring over every book in his library to find out whoever he can.”

“If the artifact is dangerous, should any of us have it?” Aiden asked nervously. “What if it turns Graham? We would be no match for him.”

Desmond shook his head, “That old man has been through more than any of us. I trust he can resist, if eve for a night. Besides, who else could be trusted if that was the case? The royal army?”

The group laughed as they took another sip of ale.

“Well,” Cynthia started. “If anyone can find out what this thing is, it is Graham. He's the smartest person that I know and he's the strongest mage I have ever met.”

After some more time in silence, they had all drained their cups and finished their plates.

Then Aide said, “Well I for one am happy to be home. Hopefully, we can get some more time here before another mission comes knocking on our door.”