Silently, Dean tracked Bastian’s band through the darkness, inwardly cursing the non-hunters that formed part of his group. Yes, he needed fighting support, but they sure did not know how to tread lightly. Of course, they were doing their best, but to his hunter’s ears every one of their steps sounded like warning gongs ringing out over a city about to be attacked. Not that he had ever been in such a city, but he could imagine it well enough.

Rather than trying to pick out Little Harry’s trial from all the other kids running and spilling out from the clearing, Dane opted for a more certain outcome by tracking the outlaw band instead. It hadn’t been that hard to pick up their trail. He simply went to the site on the road where the attack on Lily had occurred and followed them from there. His stomach felt queasy at the thought of what had been done to Lily, and he thanked the Gods that those ruffians did nothing worse to her. A girl by herself caught by a group of mostly men – classed individuals to boot – he couldn’t even bear to consider it.

Focused on his prey, he kept stalking, following the different imprints the three men and one woman had left on the ground. Each set of tracks told their own story. One set was firm, with long strides and prints that told him the person didn’t mind much about how or where he stepped. These feet stayed on a ruthless course, not caring whether an unfortunate plant got squashed or whether there was a slight variation in the laid-out path. The second set, following the leader, also treaded firmly. The difference was apparent in subtle variations in length of stride and nimble steps that avoided small inconveniences. Someone like Dane himself, likely the group’s rogue.

Then came the last two sets. One set of heavy steps – a large person carrying heavy things. This was the group’s warrior, whom Agnetha told him was a female. And, of course, the summoner. The summoner struggled to keep up with the pace of the rest of the group, following in weaving, unsure steps, bumping and breaking the foliage as he went along.

These tracks were easy to follow. They followed the road until entering the Baron’s lands and then broke off, passing relatively close to the manor and by the side of the village, heading out in the direction of the coast.

Dane and his group followed.

<>

“This is not very dignified,” Agnetha said from Layne’s arms as he carried her while he and Lily ran. The little dungeon creature ahead of them zipped forward in urgency.

Lily said nothing. She was focusing on keeping pace. She could’ve easily outran the both of them, but she needed Layne and Agnetha. She might be fast, but the brawn and brain had to come along too.

She did envy Agnetha though. Being carried in the young master’s arms had been the fantasy of many a girl her age from their village. It was part of the fantasy that one day the young master would spot a girl from the village. Their eyes would meet, and he would irrevocably fall in love with her. She would become the new lady of the manor and they would live happily ever after. It was a fantasy that Lily may have shared with the other village girls. Only, she had imagined a more sedate pace as she was being carried in her daydreams.

They kept running through the night.

<>

Claire observed Bastian’s campsite through Carlie, from where Carlie was sitting on the ground by Hillah and Little Harry. Hillah had nodded off a while ago, and it looked like Bastian and Stanley were also fully asleep. Perez was out on the perimeter, keeping watch.

“I don’t know what you are,” Little Harry said softly.

“That’s good because I don’t know what you are either,” Carlie softly replied.

Little Harry kept quiet and stared at her.

<>

“Stop,” Agnetha whispered at the same time as Dean lifted his hand, indicating to his team to stop.

“Dean?” she called, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the surf. They were getting close to the coast, and close to the anomalous core's other entrance too, if Agnetha was any judge.

“Here,” he replied softly. Agnetha motioned to Layne and Lily, and they trod over to join up with Dean’s group, the dungeon bug humming slightly as it hovered with them.

“Have you found them?” she asked.

“Yes, the camp is about 200 metres that way, just past the hill and against the cliffside. They’ve got their rogue on watch. Little Harry is there, and another girl I don’t know. She looks like she might be a noble.”

“Pink dress, dark hair?” Agnetha asked darkly.

“How did you know? And who is she?” Dean replied.

“My cousin,” Layne jumped in, shrugging slightly at Agnetha’s look. “We’ve been looking for her too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but at least we also know where she is now,” Dean said. “And I see you’re here too, Lily. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Lily shuffled her feet, feeling a bit sheepish. This hadn’t been how she’d wanted her father to find out about her primary class.

“She’s fine,” Agnetha came to her defence. “She’s my protegé and under the protection of Layne as well.”

Dean just nodded. Later there would be a conversation to be had between him and Lily, but for now they had to focus on the immediate problem.

“All right,” Agnetha said decisively. Here is what we’re going to do.

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“Sooooo,” Carlie said. She wanted to keep Little Harry occupied, and there was something she was curious about. “When we were out in the clearing, did you gain enough skills for a class? You did, didn’t you.”

Little Harry just pressed his mouth shut, crossed his arms and shook his head.

“Okay,” Carlie said as Claire watched all the pieces get into place.

<>

First, Perez gave a little grunt of surprise as he smacked his neck. Then his eyes widened as he felt the metal and feathers, plucking a little dart out and holding it in front of his face. It had delicate yellow fletching. Dazed, he opened his mouth to raise the alarm, but before he could make a sound, his knees buckled, and he fell back into Dean’s waiting arms, who gently and, most importantly, quietly laid him down.

“Nice,” Layne said in a low tone. Agnetha nodded in satisfaction. She might be old, but her dart-throwing skills were still there.

“Will he be okay?” Lily whispered, worried. Perez was part of the band, but he hadn’t been too bad to her. He hadn’t helped anyone catch her, and he hadn’t beaten her. In fact, she was pretty sure the time the band had almost happened upon her, he had deliberately ignored her presence, letting her escape.

“He’ll be fine,” Agnetha replied. “But we do need to move. The effect of these darts isn’t very long-lasting.”

In the next phase of the plan, Dean’s villagers and Agnetha’s adventurers fanned out around the unsuspecting sleeping band, silently getting into place. Three of the village men had been assigned to deal with Stanley and his dogs. Dean and Lily each held corners of one of Dean’s nets to contain Hillah with the other two village men as backup, and Layne had been assigned to confront Bastian while Agnetha’s job was to get a dart into him from behind. With Claire keeping an eye on the procedure, Carlie took Little Harry’s hand and motioned for him to come with her. Noiselessly, they started creeping to a spot that would be out of the way of the action, stilling once as Little Harry slid on some pebbles. No one in the camp stirred. They continued crawling away.

Seeing everyone in place, Agnetha started a silent count-down from three, getting ready to give the signal to commence. Suddenly a dog started barking viciously, moments before a villager screamed as teeth tore into his flesh.

“Go, go, go!” Agnetha and everyone rushed into the camp. But it was too late. The element of surprise had been lost. Stanley had been easy to subdue, but Bastian and Hillah, experienced from many battles and ambushes, came awake instantaneously. Hillah grabbed for her axe as Bastian pulled his sword. Seeing the two children within arm’s breadth of him, he wildly grabbed for them. Screaming, Carlie shoved Little Harry out of the way as Bastian’s free hand fell on her arm, yanking her towards him.

“Stop,” his voice rang out in a stark command.

Everyone froze under the light of the white moon, that moon which presided over sleepless nights where its light illuminated past wrongs for all to see. It was the time of night in the early morning hours when one would lie awake, wrestling with one's conscience, unable to hide that which one was afraid of looking at. Only those of good conscience slept through the light of the white moon, free of guilt and regret.

Then Hillah murmured in dismay, “Oh Bastian, no. Let’s stop this. Please.” She was watching him, with his brutal grip on Carlie’s arm.

“So this is the kind of coward you truly are,” Layne added his voice into the electric atmosphere of the campsite. “Someone who hides behind children to avoid getting caught. To escape the consequences of their actions. Lily, Little Harry, and now Carlie. Your kind are the lowest of the low.”

“Oh please,” Bastian sneered in return. “The ‘young master’ hiding behind the big baron’s britches. It is your kind that is truly pathetic. You think you are so much better than me? Why don’t you send all of these men around you away and challenge me yourself? Let’s see who the truly pathetic one is.”

With all eyes riveted on the scene in the campsite, Lily almost jumped out of her skin when Agnetha tapped her on the shoulder. She had a finger on her lips, beckoning Lily to follow her. Silently, the two of them melded backwards into the forest foliage, Lily taking the net with her.

“You go to that side,” Agnetha mouthed into Lily’s ear. “As soon as you see me in position, create a distraction.” Lily nodded and slipped away in the direction Agnetha had guided her.

Back in the campsite, Layne loudly replied, “Sure, I’ll tell my people to stand down and I'll fight you one-on-one as soon as you let go of Carlie. Why don’t you let her go right now, and we’ll get started.” He waited a moment and watched as Bastian didn’t respond.

“You can’t do it, can you? You play the tough one, but as soon as it’s your life on the line, you hide behind others. Children, for the sake of the Gods.” Layne spat to the side on the ground in disgust.

Meeting Layne’s eyes and holding his stare as he turned his head back to Bastian, Bastian wordlessly shoved Carlie at Hillah. “You hold on to this one,” he said as he stepped towards Layne.

And then Lily saw Agnetha stepping into her spot, partially behind Hillah and Carlie, dart at the ready. The moment was there, and Lily jumped out of the foliage and rushed into the campsite whirling the net towards Bastian, surprising everyone. But Bastian had the instincts of a cat, and while everyone swivelled to look at her, he jumped to the side and into a crouch. The net missed him completely, and so did Agnetha’s dart, flying over him, where his neck would’ve been if he had just turned to also look at Lily.

Seeing the dart, Bastian twisted his head in the direction where the dart had came from, raising his sword at Hillah and Carlie. Agnetha being hidden in the dark, he did not see her, but he did see Carlie standing where the dart could’ve come from.

Everything happened at once.

With a violent scream, Bastian charged at who he thought his attacker was, intending to run the offending child through with his sword.

“No!” Layne screamed diving through the air, putting his body between Bastian and Carlie.

Lily watched it all, the world slowing down as it happened. The slow arc of Layne’s body flying between Carlie and Bastian, the blade of Bastian’s sword disappearing into Layne’s body.

“No!” she screamed too, lifting her knife and rushing Bastian, who turned a moment too late to defend against her. She was too inexperienced and too rushed, but she managed to implant her knife right into Bastian’s shoulder from the front before his fist caught the edge of her head and she fell to the ground.

And then another dart sunk into Bastian’s neck, this one fletched with feathers of black, and he collapsed.

<>

Hillah and Stanley ran for their lives. They knew what Bastian had done and to whom. They knew what their lives were worth at this point. Coming around a corner on the cliffside, Hillah saw the mouth of what looked like a small cave. She grabbed Stanley and pulled him in.

<>

“Leave the sword in him,” Agnetha commanded. “Lily, use your shirt. Staunch the bleeding at his back. Dean, I need your shirt, you do the same at the front and hold the sword steady. Layne. You do not move. Do you hear me? Not a single inch. You stupid boy. It was the dungeon construct – she would've been fine."

"Yes, Layne, I would've been fine," Carlie echoed, while Claire worried about all the blood she was seeing.

“Oh, it’s okay you all,” Layne laughed shakily, in shock himself. “I have a healing potion in my bag. Can one of you grab it quick?”

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