As soon as Thepa had delivered the finishing blow, chaos erupted all around them. Matrons on Zelphina's side of the battlefield begun to lay down their weapons and put their hands up in the air. Zuna and some of the Sisters of Skirret ran to untie the Matriarch and Sister Vivian. The rest of the Skirret had converged on the surrendering Matrons, forcing them into a smaller circle, collecting weapons in the process. She herself staggered grasping at the dagger still lodged in her shoulder while blood oozed from its opening. At first, she tried to remove its steely blade herself, but stopped as Wilran and Onna ran to her side.

Wilran studied the dagger in Thepa's shoulder. "Captain, you're hurt."

Thepa smiled wearily. "I'll manage," she lied. "Think we can heal it here? We need to get to the outpost quickly."

"May I, Matriarch?" Sister Onna asked, gesturing towards the dagger.

With a nod of her head, Thepa closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain. Sister Onna's steady hand worked swiftly as she removed the dagger, causing only a small cry of discomfort to escape from Thepa's lips. Wilran, standing close by, quickly jumped into action and expertly closed the wound. As relief washed over her, Thepa opened her eyes and focused on her surroundings. Despite the absence of the blade, a small discomfort lingered in her shoulder. Determined to alleviate it, she rolled her shoulder until she heard a small pop; eliciting a satisfying sigh from her lips. Glad that her arm still functioned properly, Thepa retrieved her quiver and bow from Sister Onna, slung them over her back, and raised her voice to address the crowd.

"Sisters of Skirret! First of all, I want to thank you for your support. You have shown true loyalty to my mother and for that I am eternally grateful." Thepa paused a bit to catch her breath. "Continue to secure Zelphina's followers and place them in the Meeting Hall. We will deal with them when I return later today. Do not abuse or disrespect them in anyway. They are still Matrons of the Beachwick. Second, take care of my mother and Sister Vivian. Make sure they get the best care possible."

The Sisterhood bowed with outstretched hands and replied as one eliciting the call of the Beachwick.

"Our loving mother

The Matriarch of all

We the sisterhood serve your call."

When they finished, Thepa bowed back and repeated the call.

"I will serve my duty; I will give my sacrifice...Elite Team One? Quickly back to the outpost."

"Wait!"

As the Matrons parted, a familiar voice called out to them from the crowd, causing Thepa to turn and look. She saw two satyrs who had propped up her mother, who struggled under the weight of her wounds. At first, Thepa hesitated, her lip quivering and hand flexing tentatively towards the woman who had given her life. But as her mother started to bow with outstretched hands, Thepa did not wait any longer. With a sudden burst of emotion, she closed the distance between them and warmly embraced her mother, whom she had sorely missed. It was a bittersweet moment, filling her soul with both joy and sadness. As Thepa realized the extent of her mother's injuries, she tenderly rubbed her nose into hers.

"I'm so sorry—" she tried to say but her mother cut her off, not allowing her to speak.

"I'm proud of you, Bean," said the Matriarch trembling as she spoke. "You have shown such bravery and strength in the face of danger. You have answered the Call when it mattered most. You will make a fine Matriarch. I know the Matrons will be in good hands with you as their mother. Now go, but come back quickly. Your people need you...I need you."

Thepa nodded, gave one last hug, and took off in the direction of the outpost, too afraid to look back. The moment was one she desperately craved, but as much as she desired its comfort and longing, the rest of her heart was pulling her to Rory.

It wasn't long before they were out of the jungle and into the clearing where the outpost soldiers were putting out fires. Smoke and fire trailed into the jungle leading away from the front gate, now left in shambles. Pandemonium surrounded the large outpost, but what caught Thepa's eyes was a medic attempting to revive a pink-headed figure on the ground.

As Thepa rushed towards Lily, her heart pounded with fear. She called out her friend's name, hoping beyond hope that she was okay. Upon reaching Lily, she tried to help her up, but before she could, Wilran appeared behind her and gently lifted Lily into her arms. Thepa let out a sigh of relief as Wilran's magic enveloped Lily in a blue light, blending with her pale hue. When the light faded, Lily coughed and sputtered, but managed to sit up. Thepa's concern was palpable as she questioned her friend, "Lily, what happened?"

"Cough ... It was him. The Goblin King. He came out ... cough ... cough ..., out of nowhere while Rory and I were talking in the courtyard. I fought him ... cough. He was just too ... much for me."

Thepa encouraged her to take some water, but didn't wait to ask the question she desperately needed to know.

"Where's Rory?"

"I ..."

"You mean the red-headed elf?" answered the medic.

"Yes," said Thepa. They both turned to him. "Have you seen her?"

The medic's face turned red and was disgusted. "That thing was only interested in her. Came right for her. Said he would let us all live if she went peacefully with him. She might have saved all our lives."

"Did she teleport out?" Thepa inquired.

The medic shook his head. "No. She followed him into the jungle."

He pointed in the direction of the smoke trail and Thepa followed it with her eyes until it was lost in the foliage. When she could no longer follow its path, she turned her attention back to the medic. "Take care of my friend. Lily, when you can manage it, go to the Beachwick. Take anyone from the outpost who needs shelter and tell them you have my permission to do so. If they have a problem with it, they can answer to me."

"Aye, captain. Go save our friend."

Thepa took off again towards the smoke-filled jungle. As they ran through the trees, Thepa noticed the trail going cold as most of the fires had all but died out. Soon there wasn't even any burn marks to signify anyone had been there, but that didn't slow her down. She kept moving at record speed through the twisted the paths following Rory's well-known footprints, etched deep into the soft earth. The other struggled to keep up and it wasn't until Zuna asked for a pause about an hour later that Thepa finally took the time to catch her breath.

"I don't know this place, Matriarch. It has a very strange feeling. It tingles the horns."

Panting she agreed. It might not have tingled her horns, but it gave her the willies. More to the point, something was off. As the others continued to catch their breath, Thepa pointed down to a small indentation on the ground. "These are Rory's prints. I'd stake my life on it. But ..."

"What?" asked Julius.

"There are no goblin prints or any other prints and haven't been for some time," Zuna answered. "No one has been here in many weeks; months even."

"That doesn't sound good," said Yenry.

"No," Thepa replied. "But it's best to keep going. Everyone ready?"

They moved forward, slower than before but still at a brisk pace. The jungle continued to get denser the further in they moved, to the point where even the sounds of wildlife disappeared. Her worry started to grow and the whole thing reminded her of a bad dream. Just as they turned a corner, they came into a small clearing where the undergrowth was disturbed by a rather large crystal.

"Is that an ionic crystal?" Tash asked.

"It must be," replied Yenry. "I thought there were only three. Captain? Zuna? Julius?"

"I didn't know it was here," said Thepa. "What about you two?"

They shook their heads, while Wilran studied the crystal. "Something's off. It lacks the power of the other two. My guess, is its old. Much older than the others."

Yenry walked up to the crystal and pulled out a refinement glass to get a better look.

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"I see what you mean," he said. "I wonder if this means the crystals won't always be around in the future. Think it's safe to attune to?"

"I don't see why not," Wilran replied. "I can test the crystal if you like but the energy the Goddess has granted me is almost gone. If I use it now, I won't have any more until later."

"Better keep it then," said Thepa, attuning to the crystal. "We don't know what we're going into and we're going to need all the power we can get. Once we get Rory back, I can have my people investigate. At the very least we can teleport back here."

The group nodded and continued to follow Rory's tracks through the dense jungle. Foliage blanketed the canopy, blocking sunlight from the ground. Yenry lit a small torch to guide them, and although Younglings of the Mountains could see in the dark, it was still a small comfort in the bleak surroundings.

For ten more minutes, the only noise was that of their items shifting around and their boots crunching the leaves and roots beneath them. If there was anything alive, they would have certainly alerted it to their presence. In the stillness even the slightest sound would have been louder than Goldale's alarm bells. Soon the path turned to stone, emerging in front of a rather large ancient temple.

The temple was in a decrepit state. Spires and peaks which must have been grand in their time stood in heaps of rubble below. trees, moss, and shrubs littered the ruins, breaking through stone walls. In the courtyard laid a broken statue having found its final resting place some time ago, its handcrafted engravings and facial features lost to time. It was by far the oldest structure she had ever seen.

Again, her horns began to tingle, sending shivers down her spine, as feelings of panic and dread intensified. she approached the broken statue unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Glancing around at her team, she saw that they too shared the same sentiment, except for Wilran. Wilran, looked almost gleeful. Curious to the elf's reaction, their eyes uncomfortably locked, until they both turned away in embarrassment.

To distract herself, Thepa cautiously approached the entrance, quickly scaning inside for any signs of danger. Finding none, she gave the all-clear and the group proceeded cautiously into the temple, the unease still lingering in the air.

Pictographs lined the walls. Images of Sainta, the beast, and the different races told a story Thepa didn't quite understand. At its center, a small mismatched family consisting of two female elves, a halfling, and a disfigured male human were joined happily hand in hand around a tree. The pictographs continued to show a struggle between the two elven sisters until one appeared alone in a moment of triumph. It was then Wilran spoke with the same fear and reverence Thepa had witnessed outside the Pearlview.

"Lilith, my love, my divine..."

"What was that?" Thepa asked, not quite sure she had heard what she heard.

"Quite!" Tash hissed. Something's up ahead.

Indeed, a soft voice echoed across the stone hall leading them deeper into the tunnel. The closer they got, the louder the sounds echoed. The noise was difficult to understand but occasionally Thepa caught little bits and phrases.

"Goddess ..."

"Destiny ..."

"Chosen one ..."

"Defeat ..."

"Death ..."

It didn't take them long to reach the room where the noise was coming from as the hallway opened up to a large sacrificial chamber. On the altar lay Rory's body, being manipulated by a purple ray of light cast from the Goblin King as he sat on the throne above it.

Thepa wasted no time. Quickly, she abandoned all forms of stealth and fired two shots, both landing into the Goblin King's shoulder, disturbing his spell. She reloaded while the others moved into action, but before they could act the Goblin King smiled, opened a portal with a crack of thunder and disappeared.

"Rory!" yelled Thepa. She ran to her friend, but before she could get there, an unknown forced threw her back into the wall. Thepa struggled to get up and when Wilran went to help her, Rory's eyes opened. Her once green eyes had become a violent purple. Electricity pulsed from her fingertips to the room and as she spoke, shivers flew down her spine.

"Not Rory; only Adreanna."

Slowly Rory got to her feet as waves of energy pulsed around her. For the time being, she ignored them and took the time to study her appearance as she grabbed disgustedly at the sleeve of her robe.

She repeated this process with her hair and she traced the scar down the side of her face with a long finger.

"No...This won't do," she said to no one in particular and rose her hand high in the air sending cracks of energy all around her.

As she brought it down her appearance changed. Her tattered mess of red hair became purple and sleek. The scars on her face and arms vanished without a trace. The most notable difference was a long black dress that trailed behind her. Thepa managed to recover, this time with more caution. She took a few more tentative steps toward Rory doing her best to seem non-threatening.

"Rory, you're safe..."

Thepa winced as Rory's magic hit her, sending her crashing into a nearby pillar with even greater force. The impact sent a searing pain through her body, causing her to cry out in agony. Every bone in her body screamed in pain, and she struggled to remain conscious as it threatened to overwhelm her.

"Not Rory, only Adreanna." She readied her hand to send another blast, but Wilran intercepted the bolt using her shield to block the blow. The force pushed the elf back but fortunately she was able to avoid landing on Thepa.

Wilran recovered to see a smiling Rory staring at her with a darkly pleasing look. "Ah, the awakener. You have my thanks."

"Awakener?" Wilran asked as the rest of Elite Team One moved into position. She kept her shield up and attempted to distract the entity from using her magic against Thepa for a third time. "Ror—Adreanna? What's going on here?"

Adreanna held up her hand again, but this time instead of another blast, the black mask with swirls appeared.

"Just the end of Sapiens, Sainta, and Chandeidra," Adreanna said.

Thepa managed to make it back to her hooves, but as she did, Adreanna put on the mask and a force blew them all back, again knocking the wind out of her. She tried to focus on Adreanna, who had transformed into a vessel for the dark magic that now possessed her. The pain in her side was excruciating, and she struggled to breathe as she found a wooden plank lodged in her side. She tried to move, but her body refused to obey, and she felt herself slipping into darkness.

Feet from her, purple light pulsed from Adreanna's chest, and Wilran fell to her knees in prostration. Around them a sweet song echoed across the room moving Wilran to the point of tears.

"How can I be alive and standing before the goddess incarnate?" Wilran sobbed and pleaded. "All my life, I have been your faithful servant, but it has never been enough. Please, oh merciful Lilith, forgive me. Have mercy on this poor wretched elf. Instruct me your will, and it will be done."

The song continued to echo around the chamber, but with it, Adreanna spoke with the voice of a god. "Faithful servant ... obey your priestess, destroy the others."

Wilran's eyes widened even further, and she nodded fervently, as if in a trance, ready to do Lilith's bidding at any cost. "Doubt..." she spoke, mostly to herself. "Often comes to those who follow the divine path. However, I have spent a lifetime preparing for this moment. From the moment the great Lilith lifted me off the streets to the time I cast my first spell, she has been with me. I will be faithful, as she is faithful. Rejoice in Lilith's path."

With determination, Wilran picked up her mace and charged at Tash, but Julius moved to intercept, blocking the blow with his short sword. Wilran swung her mace in a wide arc, forcing Julius to step back. Tash took advantage of the opening and lunged at Wilran, but she spun on her heel and brought her mace down on Tash's shoulder, causing him to stumble. As he regained his footing, Julius launched a swift attack, but Wilran blocked his strike with ease. The fight continued, with the three combatants moving in a frenzied dance of blades and blunt weapons. Wilran was like a whirlwind, striking out at both Julius and Tash with lightning-fast blows, while the two males held back, a weakness Wilran exploited gaining her the upper hand.

Thepa felt her consciousness slipping away, and in a desperate attempt to save herself, she turned to the moon-shaped pendant, willing something, anything to happen. To her surprise, something did, but not from the pendant. Above her, a small spark pierced the darkness, and as she focused on it, rocks and stones began to fall from the ceiling. Suddenly, a halfling warrior dressed in white blinding plate mail came crashing through, landing on both feet with a resounding thud. She quickly adjusted the wooden mask fixed to her face, before laying a healing hand on Thepa and with a smooth motion, pulled out the plank. After she finished, the halfling warrior grabbed her sword, gave her a familiar salute, then charged at the imposter Rory almost whacking Thepa with a small metal object fixed to her braid.

"Edlyn," Adreanna said coldly. "You think your petty paladin warrior can stop me? You know your power is no match with mine. I will destroy your champion as I destroyed the one of Chandeidra."

The two goddesses began to spar while Thepa breathlessly made it to her hooves. On the other side of the room, things were still going poorly. Wilran turned to Tash faking a feint. As he moved to counterattack, she tripped him, knocking him down. She was about to deal a fatal blow, but unexpectedly dropped her mace. For a brief moment, the two males stared at her and Thepa realized she could no longer hear Adreanna's song. She gave a quick glance in the imposter's direction revealing Zuna flanking for the masked paladin, Yenry, casting a protection spell, but more importantly a smashed mask gracing Adreanna's face.

"Get them out!" shouted the paladin. Instinctively Thepa covered down on Wilran, as the elf started to cast. Around her, she could see the males moving back towards her position, but nothing registered in Thepa's mind. Without thought, without feeling, with only the instinct to protect, Thepa picked up the green bow ignoring its words, and loosed a single arrow into her friend.

Shulk. Sank the arrow. The noise echoing around the room couldn't have been more than a whisper, but to Thepa it might as well have been a loud gong. Adreanna turned in her direction and hissed, but focused her attacks on the paladin.

Shulk. Sank the second. A lone tear dripped down Thepa's face. Adreanna's purple eyes flared and her hair glowed a purple fire. Powerful energy started to build around the creature, but still she focused her attacks on the unknown savior now radiating her own green glow.

Thepa started to prepare a third arrow, but as she did, several things happened at once. Wilran's chant began its final rotation. Adreanna disappeared and reappeared behind the paladin. Purple light struck the warrior and a bloody heart appeared in Adreanna's hand. The defeated paladin fell over, her wooden mask disappearing into thin air, while Adreanna's black mask had started to repair itself.

No! Thepa's heart cried at the sudden realization of the unknown savior. The blonde halfling gave her a weak smile as she stumbled to the ground long enough for the light to fade from her eyes. As Thepa watched her die, she screamed anger and vengeance across the room.

"Claudia!" she yelled.

However, it was too late. There was nothing she could do. Adreanna had already started to sing, and Wilran was desperately trying to stop her own teleportation spell. Despite her efforts, the magic had already worked its way out. A magical explosion rippled across the room, sending everyone flying in different directions and slowly fading from existence. Thepa felt a sharp pain in her chest as if her insides were being ripped apart. She jerked in agony, but the pain became too much to bear, and eventually, she gave in and succumbed to the darkness.