The large shadowed beast with the workman’s hammer swung at Friedrich, who threw himself backwards to avoid his face being severely altered. The nightmarish creature reached up high and roared a horrible, echoing roar as it swung the hammer once more through the air, but Friedrich scrambled out of the way just in time.

“What do you want?” he called out in terror as he rushed to his feet. “Who are you? What are you?”

The beast merely growled and twirled its hammer menacingly. As Friedrich backed away, the hammer grew in the beast’s hand to a full-sized war hammer, capable of crushing even the toughest of foes. With a snarl, the shadow-cloaked monster walked towards Friedrich.

Friedrich turned and ran, desperate to escape to safety. He willed himself to turn into a fox, but found that he was unable. What had happened to him? Where was the power of Kitt’s soul? He reached underneath his tunic and found that there were no masks. No minotaur and no goblin, waiting to be embodied. All he had was his sword and shield.

Choosing to face his stalker, Friedrich turned and readied himself. As the beast charged, it swung the hammer and Friedrich raised his shield to block the attack. To his shock, the hammer smashed his shield, but Friedrich had an opening. He thrust his sword forward and stabbed the beast in the chest, but it did not fall; it merely stumbled backwards.

Before his eyes, the beast was suddenly engulfed in fire and screamed the most hellish scream Friedrich had ever heard.

“Help me!” called a human voice from within the monster. “Save me, Friedrich!”

“Who are you?” Friedrich called out as the flaming beast curled up. “Tell me your name!”

Suddenly, a swarm of demons rushed from out of nowhere and leapt on the beast who was writing on the floor. The beast screamed as the demons cackled while striking him. Friedrich caught a glimpse of grey hair and a beard as the demons tore the shadows away before tearing the beast’s flesh. When there was nothing left but bone, the demons turned to face Friedrich, smiling sinisterly.

The young man bolted upright in a cold sweat. He looked around and found himself in his bed in the inn. Much to relief, he was still in Port Balsia and he was safe. There was no beast to fear and there were no demons either. Friedrich wiped his face on the blanked and swung his legs onto the ground. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands, the sweat still dropping from his fringe where it landed on the floorboards.

He had never had a dream so visceral; so real. Even the dreams of his mother and father that he had many times over felt different to this. He lifted the minotaur and goblin masks from around his neck and took one in each hand.

“Was this one of you?” he asked the masks, but they did not react while their soul stones swirled their usual ethereal vapour through the air.

Wanting to be free of them for a moment, he set them on the bed and walked over to the window. He opened it and let the breeze roll over him, cooling him down. It was the nicest breeze he had felt in a long time, but perhaps it was because he felt so terrible.

Friedrich wanted to turn into a fox and run freely through the town, but he could not do it. The goblin mask, he could leave behind, but the minotaur…no, it would not let him. He felt compelled to retrieve it, feeling almost naked without it. He walked back over to the bed, threw both masks over his head and let them hang upon his chest once more.

“What could it all mean?” Friedrich muttered to himself. “The hammer…Elketh’s tale. It has to be, doesn’t it? What do you think, Kitt?”

Friedrich turned into a fox and stood silently, half expecting Kitt’s words to come from his mouth, but he said nothing. He waited for a minute before turning back into a human and shaking his head while laughing quietly.

“I must be going crazy,” he said. “Of course, you can’t talk to me, Kitt. Maybe I’ll need to pay old Branric a visit. Perhaps he can let me speak to the minotaur and the goblin too.”

There was a sudden knocking on the door, making Friedrich jump. He threw on his tunic quickly and then walked over to answer it.

“Are you alright?” asked Marina standing in her nightgown and rubbing her eyes.

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“Me? Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Friedrich asked, not wanting to burden her with his dream.

“I heard you scream a few minutes ago,” she said. “You’ve been quiet since, but I…I was worried and thought I had better check on you.”

“Ah,” sighed Friedrich. “I’m sorry I woke you. Is Teleri still asleep?”

“She woke up first and then went back to sleep when you fell quiet. She said you were probably just having a bad dream.”

Perhaps he ought to talk about it, Friedrich thought to himself. After all, if there was anyone he could trust in this world, it was Marina. He nodded inside and led her over to his bed where she sat down while he started silently pacing back and forth.

“You’re worrying me,” said Marina after a while of this.

“Sorry, I’m trying to straighten out my thoughts,” said Friedrich, stopping and looking out the window.

“You’re not going to ask me to marry you, are you?”

“What? No. I…I wasn’t planning on it.”

Marina laughed. “Then why would you be nervous? You can talk to me about anything, remember?”

Friedrich sighed. “You’re right,” he said before explaining everything he had seen and heard in his dream. Marina listened attentively the entire time, her expression difficult to read and giving only nods in response.

“That is strange,” she said once Friedrich had finished. “What do you think it means?”

“I wanted to hear what you thought before I gave any of my own theories.”

“Hmm,” said Marina, placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. “Well, the hammer is interesting. It immediately made me think of Elketh’s tale, but it also leaves me wondering if it’s a trick he had played on you to sway your mind or if you had this dream of your own accord because of what’s been going on with you lately.”

“What do you mean by that last part?” asked Friedrich with a frown.

“You know exactly what I mean. When we first met, yes, you had your secrets and we both respect that about each other, but you weren’t so…tormented. Sharing your body with other souls is taking its toll on you. It’s as I’ve said before, while Kitt may not be a problem, you cannot tell me that the minotaur and goblin were not despicable creatures when they were alive.”

Friedrich leaned against the wall and then slumped down onto his rear. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s not easy…any of this, but I need to do it. I need to find a way to unlock their power.”

Marina walked over to him, sat on the floor in front of him and took his hands. “I’m going to ask you now,” she said while looking into his eyes. “Why?”

Friedrich did not avoid eye contact. He stared into her eyes that sparkled from the moonlight shining through the window. He felt his heart soften for the first time since he awakened.

“I want to tell you,” he said, “but I’m fearful that if I do, you will want to help me and I can’t risk your life like that.”

“I’m already helping you,” said Marina. “We risk our lives almost every day.”

“Not like this,” said Friedrich, looking down. “Where I need to be, an army could not penetrate. Every single kupon I earn, it goes towards the boat, weaponry and armour. I have to sail far to get to where I want to be and I need to be enchanted, blessed and lucky to have any hope of achieving my goal.”

“Friedrich,” said Marina, putting her delicate hand underneath his chin and tilting his head back up. “What is that goal?”

Friedrich had to fight to stop himself from welling up. “I need to rescue my father.”

Marina planted a soft kiss upon his forehead and smiled. “Whatever it is you want me to do, I’ll do it. You don’t need to tell me anything else, and I don’t even need to come with you when you set sail to wherever it is that you need to go, but you can count on me to be by your side until the day comes when you tell me not to be.”

The two sat quietly, looking into each other’s eyes. Friedrich’s expression was solemn, while Marina’s was the faintest of smiles. She waited patiently for him to say something, knowing that he had a thousand thoughts running through his head.

“I need to do what Elketh wants me to do,” Friedrich said, breaking the silence. “The last tale he told led me to the minotaur mask, and I believe that this one will lead to something great too. Terrifying, perhaps, but powerful. I do not know who he is or why he does what he does, but I believe following his guidance will give me the best chance I have of finding my father.”

“Then that’s what we will do,” said Marina, climbing to her feet. “I’m going to get some sleep because I suspect I’ll need it and this will be my last day in a comfortable bed for a little while.”

“What about Teleri?” Friedrich asked, concerned that the high elf would object rather strongly to his intent.

Marina stopped and let out a quiet laugh. “She would do anything for you, you do know that, don’t you? Cold as she can pretend to be, she would follow you to hell and back if you asked her to. She would complain the entire time, of course.”

“You really think so?”

“She would never admit it, but I think we’re her only real friends. There’s a reason she never talks about her life back in Alauria.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course, I am,” said Marina. “Aren’t I always?”

“Thank you, Marina,” said Friedrich. “I know I’ve said it before, but I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“And you’ll never have to find out,” said Marina, looking around and sticking her tongue out at him. “Now go back to bed, mister. You need some proper rest too.”

Marina departed from Friedrich’s room, closing the door behind her. Friedrich stood up, walked over and turned the key in the lock. He then walked back over to the bed and lay back down as the breeze from the window continued to flow in. He had so many thoughts about what he was going to do, so many concerns, but none of them mattered. He had to find the hammer from Elketh’s tale.