The journey took a turn for the worse after their subsequential teleportation and impromptu battle. The team spent a few minutes recovering and tried to figure out what had happened. Rory theorized that the spell recognized too many entities on the platform, forcing them into different locations instead of their intended one. The incident left them mixed up with a group of hobgoblins, and Bidant found himself teleported twenty feet off the ground. Fortunately, he managed to land on his feet thanks to catlike reflexes, but he still twisted his ankle in the process. As it was, Rory had to heal him.

Despite the setback, they pressed on and made their way through the canyon towards the mountain pass. Frustrations were high, and by nightfall, Thepa noticed it. To ease the tension, she took a two-hour watch by herself while dividing up the remaining shifts in pairs. The other members of the team nodded in agreement, but as she awoke in the morning, she found Lily and Will asleep at their posts.

The second day was dedicated to picking up the hobgoblin trail, which proved challenging. The weather had turned, making it difficult to find any traces of their passage. Thepa searched most of the day, starting with small footprints that eventually led to large groups of hobgoblins heading towards the western side of the mountain range. However, the drifts in the snow constantly covered the tracks leading them on a wild goose chase. When they came across a split in the path, she decided to set up shelter for the night having accomplished nothing.

Thinking of the incident from the night before, Thepa changed the watch order. She put Lily and Will on the first watch, hoping they would be able to stay up long enough to wake the next pair, then prayed to a deity she didn't believe existed that nothing would go wrong. Exhausted, she went to bed only to spend a restless night of shivering in the frigid temperatures.

She awoke that morning to find Rory sitting at the foot of her bed roll. Curious to what was happening, she watched as Rory's hand moved in a somatic motion while she muttered a short chant. A warm feeling filled her and for the first time since they had entered the mountain pass, she finally shook the cold she had inadequately prepared for.

"Thanks," she muttered as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

Rory nodded in response, while Thepa took stock of the rest of the camp. Bidant and Will were having a heated argument, Lily was asleep at her post, Claudia and Sister Vivian were nowhere to be seen, and she was just now getting up.

Did I sleep through my watch?" she asked Rory.

"No," Rory answered.

Thepa frowned and tried not to assume the worst in her teammates. It was only the third day and she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but her experience was quickly telling her at this rate, things would continue to go poorly. Already knowing the answer, she asked Rory another question, "Did someone cover my watch?"

Sympathetically, Rory shook her head.

Thepa groaned. "This is getting ridiculous. We're lucky we haven't been attacked again."

Rory nodded in agreement. "I know. Everyone is tired and stressed. We just need to keep pushing through and hope for the best."

Thepa let out a heavy sigh as she rolled out of her bedroll and began packing up her belongings. She mulled over the steps that needed to be taken to keep Will and Lily from falling asleep.

"I'll have to split them up," she informed Rory, gesturing towards the heated argument between Will and Bidant. "Can you keep watch with Lily? I'll have Claudia keep an eye on Will. Somehow, I don't think it's a good idea to put those two together."

The exhaustion etched on Rory's face didn't go unnoticed. "Only if you promise to get more rest tonight," she replied.

"I will," she answered before continuing, "You're a good friend."

"And Sister," Rory answered.

"My one true sister," Thepa said gesturing towards her bow.

"Always," Rory answered, giving her half a smile. There was a pause, a moment where something was off. Thinking about Rory's earlier mention of her given name, she took the opportunity to ask her about it.

"Why did you tell the team to call you Aurora?"

"Oh, I just...I thought maybe it would be better to be professional. Flagship team in all." She stood and turned towards Claudia and Sister Vivian who had made their way back to camp, but Thepa could see the tips of her red ears. For the second time in a week, Rory had lied to her.

Despite her fatigue and her increasing worry over her friend, Thepa remained hopeful the mission would be smooth sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, she still struggled to find the hobgoblins. The winding paths and constant slopes left the group disoriented and lost. It was difficult to discern the correct route when many of them seemed to be frequently traveled by hobgoblins moving in all directions. They even accidentally doubled back to the previous camp spot, much to everyone's increasing frustration.

It was on the third night she noticed her team members pulling out their diplomatic pouches, a clear indication that the situation had escalated. The mood was solemn and grim, with each writer scribbling passionately. As she looked around at her team, writing of her failure, Thepa knew she would have to find the hobgoblins fast.

Unfortunately, she failed. For three more days she and the team trudged through the mountains, colorfully commenting on her inadequate leadership. Each day, the complaints grew more pointed and each night the scribbles grew more furious. It wasn't until the evening of the sixth day, did they finally arrive at the cliffs above the hobgoblin camp. What they saw next left them all speechless. The sight before them was so astonishing, so unexpected, that even the most vocal of Thepa's critics fell silent in disbelief.

Thousands of hobgoblins gathered in the valley below, their muscular frames towering over the goblins that scurried between their ranks. Their eyes glowed with a fierce, almost feral intelligence, and their weapons—massive axes, serrated swords, and wickedly curved spears—were sharp enough to tear through flesh and bone with ease.

The goblins, though smaller and more agile, were just as menacing. They darted around the camp with a frantic energy, chattering in their guttural language as they sharpened their blades and prepared crude, jagged metal plates and spiked helmets that gleamed dully under the pale moon's light.

In the midst of the goblin camp, the air suddenly cracked and twisted. Without warning, a swirling purple void tore open the space, filling it with an eerie, pulsating light. From an unnatural rift emerged a goblin of immense size, towering at least three times taller and five times bulkier than any they had seen before. His grotesque form was a monstrous blend of raw power and terrifying presence, covered in armor forged in the very fires of shol.

Across the clearing, the goblins and hobgoblins erupted in deafening cheers, their war cries echoing off the rocks in wild jubilation at the sight of their leader. The ground itself trembled with the force of their collective frenzy. It wasn't until the massive goblin held up a hand, his clawed fingers curling with authority, that the tumult gradually subsided into a tense, expectant silence. When he finally spoke, his voice rumbled through the camp in an unfamiliar guttural language.

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"Does anyone know Goblin?" she whispered.

Lily sat up and leaned forward. "I know a little." She tried to translate in hushed whispers, but at best she was only able to catch every fifth or sixth word. "Time... trap... Goldale... turning... chosen...betrayal... evil..., Sainta's defeat."

Quickly, Thepa scribbled the words in her notebook. At the conclusion of the speech, the goblins and hobgoblins celebrated and cheered. Their leader gave a wicked smile and as the celebration continued on around him, he looked in their direction.

"Does he see us?" asked Bidant.

"Use your head, elf," Will scoffed. "We're too far away, and we have given him no reason to look in our direction. He must be watching something in the crowd."

Thepa wasn't so sure. She watched as the goblin leader continued to stare in their direction until a hobgoblin bumped into him, causing him kick the offender before disappearing back into the purple void.

"Time to go," Thepa said, knowing there wasn't much more they could do. Still, she was glad the mission was over. Thirty seconds later, they were gone before any of the beasts below were none the wiser.

If Thepa thought that the next few days would be stress free, she was wrong. As soon as they got back to the ionic crystal, half the representatives decided they needed to get back to their home territories to describe what had happened. Thepa insisted they stick to the original plan, and while Claudia and Rory did their best to support her, there was no persuading the others. By the time they made it back to Wildehaven, Sister Vivian and Lily were already on a boat back to Esha, while Bidant and Will would leave to board a boat to their respective nations in a few hours. Deciding Wildehaven should not be the last one to know what had transpired, Claudia rushed to the Ministry of Venya to tell Mistress Deeprabbit, barely making it back to the boat as it was pushing off the docks.

Upon their return to Goldale, things were no better. The Archduke was disturbed to hear the news of the massive army and the cryptic message of the enormous goblin. Even worse, he had chastised Thepa for not taking better command of the team reminding her a laissez-faire approach wasn't the mark of a true leader. With a stern gaze, he repeated his earlier command, reprimanding her about the imperative success of the team. Frazzled and frustrated, Thepa sought solace in a hot bath, but even that was denied to her due to plumbing. Defeated, she left, thinking it was a crummy ending to a crummy day to a crummy week.

As Thepa walked into her private quarters, she found Rory sitting on her bed reading a book, The Age of Beasts. She sighed and flopped down next to her, clearly exhausted.

"Rough day?" Rory asked, setting the book aside.

Thepa grunted in response. "Apparently... Our comrades think I'm a failure at leading them. I would think that they would be more grateful I didn't push them into the massive army and leave them there."

Rory looked at her curiously. "Do you think they were right?"

Thepa paused to consider it. She thought she was ready. She had taken time and effort to plan out the mission and divide the responsibilities, but when it came right down to it, the mission revealed her lack of self-awareness, lack of personal development, and relied too much on the others to be professional.

Thepa hesitated, but then shook her head. "No, not exactly. But I do think I could have done better."

Rory nodded in understanding. "That's all that matters. You'll learn from this and be better next time. Why don't you get some rest for now? You look like you need it. In the morning, I want to talk to you about what the goblin said."

They bid each other good night and Thepa turned in. Sleep came quickly, but not easily. Her failure haunted her dreams in the form of a tribunal as each of the nation's representatives pointed out all her flaws decreeing banishment as her own mother cast her into the sea. Then, she found her dream-self washed ashore near the Goldale docks and was forced to beg for scraps as merchants and travelers ignored her.

When she awoke, she was drenched in sweat, her heart racing. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. It was just a dream, she reminded herself. But the feeling of failure still lingered, even in her waking hours. She got up and splashed some water on her face, hoping to shake off the feeling, but when that didn't work, she thought a long walk would do her good.

Finding herself back on the wall, Thepa walked allowing the wind of the ocean current to guide her. When she finished, she found herself a quiet spot near the city gate and watched the sun rise for the first time in a long time. As it rose above the clouds it occurred to her that she had taken it for granted. Each day it did its job without fail and, while she was not the sun, she knew she too could do her job and resolved not to let the things she could not control get her down. It might have been a small comfort, but it gave her hope for her situation.

The new day continued to smile on Thepa. She managed to find running water in the army headquarters, where she drew a warm bath that provided some much-needed relief. Feeling better, she made her way to her personal study, where Rory was waiting with a teapot and teacups. Without hesitation, Rory poured her some tea and all but shoved it into her hands. She was glad she did, as the tea's herbal fragrance further improved her already uplifted mood, soothing her soul.

"Better?" Rory asked in hopeful anticipation.

"Much better," she said with a content sigh. "Now, tell me about this goblin."

Rory reached down into her bag and pulled out the same book she had been reading the night before. She opened it up and flipped to a bookmarked page chaptered The Goblin King. Thepa eyed her curiously, but waited for her to continue.

"The Goblin King," Rory read. "In the third completion of King Elaro of Goldale's reign, a survey of the land was commissioned. A squad of scouts were sent west past the Meric Mountains deep into the Deadwoods. Of the eight members to make the journey, only one returned alive found by Wildehaven Scouts in the southern canyon six months later. Medical examiners pronounced him malnourished and crazed, as he raved of a being with magical might named the Goblin King."

Rory paused, to take a breath before continuing, "A platoon of warriors was sent into the Deadwood, but no trace of the Goblin King or any goblins were found there. All the warriors were able to ascertain was the destruction of the scout camp by an unknown force. While many concluded the Goblin King a fabrication of the scout's broken mind, this entry was recorded for posterity."

Thepa considered Rory's words. "That's not really a lot to go on. When exactly was King Elaro's reign, more than a few hundred completions ago? It sounds like more of a legend or myth the scout latched onto in his delirium."

Rory looked down at the book. "And yet, it makes sense. None of the bestiaries include anything like the creature we just saw. The creature was in the same general area, he spoke goblinoid, and he had magical power I've never seen before. I mean, how could he even teleport into the area without an ionic crystal?"

Thepa took another sip of her tea, "What do you suppose it all means?"

Rory trembled a bit which she knew wasn't a good sign. "Well ... if Lily's translations were correct, it's definitely a plan. Though, I think it was also a prophecy."

"Prophecy?"

Rory took some tea herself and sipped it slowly.

"In the last completion, I've been having tea with the prophetess a few times a month. At first, it was just her checking up on me, but as time grew on, she became more concerned. She kept telling me she was seeing scattered visions of the future full of evil and uncertainty unlike the ones she was used to seeing. As she put it, "a tide was turning." On our last meeting, she told me that she felt a great evil was coming to Sainta and it was imperative I get to Goldale in time to join you."

Rory paused and laughed a little bit. "Poor Gamma. She's so sweet and never asks questions. I told her what we had to do, so we ran back to the Gate of the Moon, grabbed some stuff, and caught the first boat out of there. But I keep thinking about those words Lily translated, 'Time... trap... Goldale... turning... chosen... evil ...Sainta's defeat' and how much they reminded me of what the prophetess said. We don't really think about the beasts having the same powers as us, but what if they did?"

This was well beyond Thepa's comprehension. Give her a target for her bow and she would hit it every time, but magic, mystery, destruction, and prophecy were well outside her expertise.

"Well, I guess it's something we will have to keep an eye on. Perhaps, the prophetess can help but I think given the attitude of the others, she might be as dismissive of it as the writer in that entry."

Rory nodded and they agreed that she would write the prophetess to consult, but for now they decided they would keep the matter to themselves. As Rory sat at her desk composing her thoughts, it occurred to Thepa there was at least one word they hadn't discussed. In fact, Rory hadn't mentioned it at all. Quickly, she pulled out her own notebook just to be sure, but found in her writing the single word Rory had failed to mention.

Betrayal.