How do you search an old pub building for a potentially and unknown cursed object that's upsetting the cat with two goblins that not everyone can see without arousing weird suspicions?

Luck, I think.

We arrived back at a quiet time, and the first order of business was for Res and Zee to show us how to prepare the sapphire chives for later. Muriel easily took over a whole empty snug for the purpose, which acted as good cover for the pair of goblins to poke around looking for anything they suspected of being full of magical energy to upset Twinkle.

Once that was seen to - and that room declared clean - we headed back into the bar proper to order drinks and for Muriel to try and explain to Brian why a pair of goblins were searching his pub. Though that might've been more convincing if they hadn't been playing with Twinkle at the time.

"Part of the process," Muriel tried to play it off. "Maybe."

Brain glanced at me and I shrugged. He sighed. "Fine, only because that moggy damn near clawed to my rib the other night."

"And you - being the old softie you are - still can't bear to kick her out?" Muriel teased.

Whatever Brian might've been about to reply was lost when there was an almighty screech and suddenly we were running over to stop Res and Zee smashing the giant mirror that had previously hung over the fireplace on the ground. "Woah, woah, woah, what're you doing?" I asked as Muriel saved the mirror.

"Spirit! Spirit!" Res tried to explain.

"In the mirror!" Zee added, pointing frantically at the object we held.

"Okay, bad mirror spirit," Muriel replied as calmly as she could as we shared a look. "Is smashing it the only solution?"

"How else do you free a trapped spirit?"

"Wait, it's not a bad spirit?"

"Bad joojoo to leave a spirit trapped," Zee almost hissed. This was the most serious we'd seen any of the goblins since meeting them at the fete.

"So the only way to free it is to break it's prison?" I asked, because - honestly - I'd rather not smash the ornate mirror that had been hanging for as long as any of us could remember. And probably longer if it housed a trapped spirit.

The goblins both went quiet as they thought for a moment, then Res scrambled up onto the table Muriel had carefully placed the mirror. He traced the engraved pattern, then turned to Zee and squawked something at her none of the rest of us understood.

Zee looked at him sombrely for a moment, before nodding once. "We take outside, need glass, sage and nettles."

"Glass?" Muriel asked cautiously.

"To make fire."

Brian held out his lighter towards Muriel. "It is not a toy," he added firmly when he saw Res and Zee tilt their heads curiously.

~-x-~

I'm not sure I could adequately describe the goblin ritual to release trapped spirits, and I witnessed it. Res and Zee seemed to lay the appropriate amount of herbs along the etched pattern and then - using a mini flame-torch Muriel set alight for them - they burnt the herbs in the appropriate order. I guess they broke some kind of binding because once they were done there was a bright flash and then just as suddenly everything was back to normal.

And now Twinkle was happily purring away on Young Charlie's knee as she and Henry detailed the lair the bonnacons had set up for themselves.

"Well, the good news is that it's embedded itself good and proper, that means it's escape options are limited," Henry explained.

"That's also the bad news," Young Charlie added, fingers running between Twinkle's ears. "It's gonna be close quarters."

"No options for ranged at all?" Ethel asked.

They all shook their heads. "You scouted somehow..." Muriel trailed off.

"No higher ground," Young Charlie explained unhappily. "So even if we could guarantee that the fighting wouldn't spill towards any ranged fighters, you'd just end up shooting us."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"We can help!" Nuk piped up. "Our home, our tunnels. We can get high."

"...that would certainly help," Henry agreed and Charlie nodded. "How much of that sapphire stuff did we get? How many shields can we upgrade?"

Muriel turned to Zee who was quiet for a moment as she counted on her fingers, before lifting three taloned digits. "Maybe four."

At that calculation it was as if everyone in the room made the same decision and a heavy silence fell over the room before Mel confirmed what everyone was thinking. "Then we arm Charlie, Henry and Ethel," she said.

"And if we can fortify another?" Muriel asked.

"Spare," Young Charlie said firmly. "With that acid spray it makes sense to give us a back up for when things inevitably go to pot."

"Why not wait until we've harvested more sapphire chives so we can send more people?" I asked.

"Not sure I dare," Henry admitted. "It's laid a whole clutch of eggs and we don't know how long till they hatch."

Jimmy visibly winced. "Are you going to have room to manoeuvre without flattening any?"

Henry and Charlie shrugged without even having to share a look.

"Okay, then," Ethel decided. "I'm going to go and hug my grandkids now then."

~-x-~

Whilst the others went to prepare themselves I was with Muriel and Old Charlie to work on actually applying the enhancements to the shields.

"It wasn't clear from the discussion earlier, but if the goblins can get high, why can't they kill it with a thousand cuts?"

"It takes a lot to hurt a bonnacon," Old Charlie explained. "Arrows and crossbows will distract it, maybe help in terms of injuries too, but for the most part it'll be able to shrug those off. You need the melee."

"And goblins fight hand-to-hand in packs, to make up for their small size," Muriel added, and I couldn't help but wonder when she'd found that out. "So if it's really as close quarters as they said... they wouldn't have much chance there."

"And if it's laid eggs then just collapsing a cave on it and hoping for the best is a bad idea."

"Because the babies might survive and crawl out of the rubble?" I asked unsurely.

"Exactly," Old Charlie agreed sagely.

"Speaking of which," Muriel interrupted. "Why are you not with your baby girl when she's about to dive into this mess tomorrow?"

"She's got her own family to be with -"

"And you're part of that," Muriel scolded. "Go on, get outta here. Debbie and I will take care of this. Go be with your daughter."

Old Charlie looked set to argue for a moment, but Muriel just raised an eyebrow and he deflated. "Okay, okay... But that feels like admitting she might not be coming back this time... you know?"

"Yeah, we know," Muriel promised.

"So go, she'll be even better tomorrow with the reminder you're on her side," I added.

Old Charlie nodded to himself, before bidding us goodbye and heading out. Once the door was closed behind him Muriel rolled her eyes with a good natured muttering of "men" before setting us on the next set of tasks to apply the sapphire chive lining to the shield on the table between us.

~-x-~

Growing up in this place everyone knew what it was like to experience the occasional day when most of the old timers were on edge all day until the missing members of their little entourage returned.

Now I am one of those old timers I can promise you that it's so, so much worse when you know why they're on edge.

Even Res eating so many of Fleur's cookies out of anxiety for his kinsmen that he was literally bouncing off the walls due to the sugar wasn't that much of a distraction. Though it did at least give us something to focus on for a little while. Then helping the mite deal with the aftermath of the sugar high without putting him onto caffeine.

Not sure anyone's ready to find out what a goblin geed up on caffeine is like.

We'd just about taught him the basics of gin rummy when the door to the Mug Shot flew open to reveal Nuk shouting to clear a seat and get bandages, prompting the whole contingent of Age League to jump into action as Young Charlie helped Ethel stagger towards the chair Nuk was busy pushing towards them.

"Fleur, call an ambulance!" Muriel shouted once she got a proper look at the state of Ethel's bleeding arm and leg and the burns that were causing them. "This is beyond the first aid kit."

Henry was only a few steps behind them, limping along with Zee and another couple of goblins into another chair. Though a quick examination proved that his limp was caused by more traditional cuts and abrasions and an application of antiseptic and bandages were enough.

"Well?" Old Charlie asked.

"Got it," Henry confirmed as Young Charlie took the antiseptic from Muriel to apply to a cut near her collarbone. "Just about, but it's definitely dead. The goblins systematically dealt with the eggs."

Old Charlie nodded. "How did you set your hair on fire?" He asked as he turned to his daughter.

Young Charlie laughed. "Don't let goblins use flaming arrows on a creature that farts it's attacks."

The cafe erupted into the kind of unhinged laughter that can only come from hours of worry that's sparked off by the most ridiculous of images even when you know it's far, far more serious than the jovial tone it was said in.

"Ow, love, don't make me laugh in this state," Ethel warned as she hissed between her chuckles.

"Nah, the more I make you laugh the more likely you are to pull through just to try and kick my arse for it," Charlie replied with a far too innocent grin.

"Try!?" Ethel demanded, before regretting it with another grimace as she flumped back down. Muriel rolled her eyes at the stubborn woman in front of her. Wild strands of grey hair that had escaped Ethel's bun during the fight, lined face and slightly shaky hands, but defiant and firey eyes at the very suggestion she couldn't still kick someone's arse.

Even when she can't laugh for pain.

Once she's healed and the bandages are a distant memory, however... There aren't many people I'd bet on ahead of her. And those are the ones who just helped her take down a bonnacon with goblin back up.

And that's just one tale of monster hunting for a village that's home to at least as many magical creatures and effects as it's human inhabitants.