It felt like time stopped. I tried to look around, tried to get my bearings, but there were no landmarks to orient myself. The two of us were floating in an endless white... space? Void? Eternity? I didn't have the words to describe it. Everywhere I looked, everything was the same. Endless white. Endless nothing.

  I looked down at my body. That was there. I took stock. Aside from the endless white, it was just me holding a goblin in one arm and a rapier in another. The space in front of me flashed with blue energy, and the scroll appeared. It was on fire.

  "Is that supposed to..." My voice barely traveled. It was like being in a soundproof room. I really hoped that was supposed to happen.

  I watched as the paper smoldered, blue-white flames burned at its edges. As the paper burned away, the white space around us rippled. The more the paper burned, the more everything shifted. As the last scraps of paper ignited, my senses expanded. For an instant, it was like I could see a thousand different places in my mind.

  Some were familiar, like the cabin of Harrick's ship or the room Tristan and I had stayed in back in Galden. Others were completely unknown to me. One looked like the back end of an armory, and another looked like a bedchamber of some noble. I swore I could even see my old Pathfinder dangling from a crane's thick cable, but the image was blurry. What I did know is that it was all too much for my mind to hold in. I was sure my head would split.

  Then, as the final scrap of paper burned away, a loud hum echoed through the whiteness. My vision rippled, and the smell of herbs, mildew, and smoke assaulted my nose. My eyes blacked out, then my feet touched down on hard stone.

  "Where..." Vral groaned in my arms.

  I realized my eyes were closed. I cracked them, but I couldn't make anything out. Everything was a faint impression. My eyes burned as they slowly adjusted to the dark space around us. When I could finally make it out, relief flooded my heart. We were back in Farvad's workshop.

  "Old man!" I shouted in the hut, but there was no response. Setting Vral down on one of Farvad's workbenches, I darted to the desk that he always worked at, the one that still had his stool sitting next to it, and started rifling through his things. I'd spent enough time with him to recognize a healing potion.

  However, it was clear that, whatever had happened, he'd taken off in a hurry. Most of his potions were missing, and several vials were broken on the ground. His ink pot was wide open, and a half-burnt candle lay haphazardly on its side in a large puddle of wax. It sputtered in the dark room, still lit. Shit. "I really need you now, old man..."

  Vral moaned on the table. "Alex..."

  I whipped my head around and found Vral's eyes on me. "Hang in there. I've got you."

  She said nothing more, but I could tell she wanted to.

  I didn't know what to do. Her leg bandage was completely soaked through. She'd die if she didn't get care. In my desperation, I started speaking. "I don't care who's listening, Goddess, the universe, fate, whatever. Please. Send me help. Let me save her. Please..." My voice broke.

  Vral's eyes met mine. She was smiling at me.

  As my prayer faded away, the sound of something colliding with Farvad's door filled my ears. I drew Embermist, its pommel gem barely flickering.

  "This way! Come on!" A familiar gravelly voice said in hushed tones. The handle rattled once, twice, and the door shuddered before groaning open. On the other side of the doorway was Farvad. Behind him were a dozen other familiar faces from the temple, one of which was Arden's. He took a step into the shack, looked up, noticed me, stopped mid-step, scratched his head, and said, "Boy?"

  "Farvad! I need—"

  "Where's my daughter?" The old gnome marched up to me. Behind him, the others filtered into the workshop. All of them looked like shit. Their armor was covered in blood, and most were nursing wounds. Two of them were carrying someone. Looking them over, I felt the air leave my lungs. In their arms was Renard, his head lolling and his tabard soaked in blood. Na-Ya and Ro-Saleh walked in last, backs to us, mace and sword drawn and ready as they walked backward into the shop. When they were through the doorway, they shut the door and barred it.

  "My daughter." Farvad's voice was strained.

  "I..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. I lost her.

  My face must have given me away, because his jaw set in a grim line, and a vein near his temple just about tripled in size. His fists clenched, and his eyes narrowed into little slits. "A shame."

  I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. All I could say was, "I'm sorry."

  His face softened. He patted my arm. "I know you did your best, boy. I know." He took another step. "Is she alive, at least?"

  My throat caught. "She is."

  "What happened?"

  "We battled one of the cultists outside Elna's hut. We nearly won, but Baelgrim showed up and took them both away."

  At the mention of Baelgrim's name, Farvad's face dropped.

  I added, "But they'll keep her alive. He said they need her."

  A small measure of relief washed over Farvad's face. "Then... then there's hope..." He raised an arm and laid his palm on my chest. "Thank you, boy. I appreciate all you did for me."

  "Can you..." I looked over at Vral.

  His eyes followed mine over to where Vral was lying. He gasped, rushed past me, and nearly skidded to a stop by her side. "Why didn't you say the little devil was so injured! Enough about my problems! She needs me!" He left her side and ran into the back room.

  I walked up to my little goblin partner and took her remaining hand in mine.

  She murmured. "Is that my man?"

  "It is."

  "Good, because if someone else tried to take my hand..." Her growl was less husky and more chihuahua.

  "Help's here, love."

  She cracked an eye. A small smile spread across her face. "You've said that twice now."

  "What?"

  "You called me love again." She grinned. "Big softy."

  I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "That's how I feel."

  Her smile grew. "I am pretty great, aren't I?" She squeezed my hand, but her grip was weak. Her face fell. "Listen. If I die—"

  "You won't."

  Her red eyes found mine. "If I die, you better hunt down every one of those bastards and give them hell for me. I'll haunt you if you don't."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "You won't die."

  She looked like she wanted to say more, but someone put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Na-Ya at my side.

  The elf spoke. "Where is she?" Her jaw was set.

  She meant Tristan. "Back at the grove in Llyn, safe with both of your moms and a friend."

  Relief washed over her. She threw her arms around me in a hug. "I'm happy you're safe. And I knew you'd never put her in harm's way."

  I hugged her back. "Never."

  Pushing off my chest, she looked down at Vral. "Tristan's going to kill you two, you know."

  "I know." I looked down at Vral. A wave of emotion washed over me.

  I must have looked pitiful, because she got close and whispered, "She's going to be okay. Step over for me, alright?"

  I gave Vral's hand a final squeeze and moved a few feet away.

  Na-Ya looked Vral over. "The fight must have been terrible."

  Vral grinned. "You should have seen us." She tried to puff herself up, but she hissed and grabbed her leg instead.

  "You've been badly injured. Is it just the leg and the..."

  Vral scoffed with a bit of her usual spunk. "What? This?" She waved the stump of her arm where her elbow should have been. "I've never been better." She tried to sit up, but only managed to get partway up before wincing again and falling back down.

  "Don't move." Na-Ya placed her hands on Vral. She muttered a word, and that same white light that healed me what felt like a lifetime ago emanated from her hands. However, unlike all the times she healed me, the light seemed weaker today. She must have noticed me scrutinizing her, because she said, "I've pushed past my limits today, but I'm not about to let anyone else die." Na-Ya began running her hands up and down Vral's leg, causing the goblin to make sounds eerily similar to what I imagined a dying cat would make.

  "Vral, I'm here."

  I tried to get closer, but Na-Ya shook her head. "I've got this. She's going to be okay."

  Trusting in her, I stepped back.

  As the priestess worked on Vral, the recruits cleared another workbench and placed Renard on it. The old dwarf was soaked in blood, and a wicked gash was opened up along his face and neck, but he seemed stable. Ro-Saleh disappeared back out the door once Renard was laid down.

  Arden appeared next to me. He had more than a few books in his arms and a large camping pack filled beyond capacity with more on his back. "A fine time to return home, my friend," the scholar said as he started offloading his books.

  I shook my head. The man really did love knowledge more than anything. "What happened here?"

  He sighed. "They attacked shortly after the Tower's light died out last night. The recruits heard a ruckus outside the temple and investigated. That's when the howling started." He pulled his pack off his shoulders and found the nearest chair to sit in. Once he had his belongings settled, he removed his spectacles and began cleaning them with his shirt. "Renard heard the commotion and got outside in the nick of time. Our resident paladin fought off dozens of the beasts while Lady Varga escorted most to the catacombs."

  "Did any die?"

  He sighed. "Yes. However, most escaped with the Mother."

  "And them?" I gestured to the twelve or so people in the workshop.

  "Some of the recruits and a number of templars stayed behind to fight. Many have now passed on, may the Goddess preserve them."

  That's why they were so torn up. I looked back at him. "Why didn't you go with the others?"

  He gave me a sheepish look, then glanced at his pack.

  "Arden, you didn't..."

  "I couldn't leave all of my work behind."

  "You could and should have."

  My teacher sighed again. "By the time I'd packed the most important works, a fire had broken out, and the beasts entered the temple."

  "Beasts? I was under the impression the attack was led by one man."

  Arden frowned. "I only saw the man from a distance, but Renard fought him for many hours. They were nearly evenly matched."

  "And the monsters?"

  "No, not monsters. They don't break down into mana when they die."

  "Then what are they?"

  He shook his head. "I've never seen anything like them in the texts." He put his glasses back on.

  "What do they look like?"

  Arden shuddered. "During the fighting, I got a close look at one of them after it was cut down. While more misshapen, the closest thing I can compare it to would be from our myths back home."

  From back home? "Which is?

  His face twisted. "Do you know the movie Werewolf in London?"

  "Don't think I've heard of it."

  Arden shook his head. "I suppose you wouldn't. It's quite old in your time." He wiped his face with his hands. "The creatures are all humanoid, but they seem to be mixed with a variety of different animals. However, they're far larger than the animals they resemble, and they're much, much stronger."

  "So they're like werewolves?"

  "Yes and no. They don't seem to transform, and I don't think they require the moon. They retreated from the Tower's light, but they didn't turn into humans or anything. They're more like... beast people than werecreatures."

  "And they're strong?"

  "Very. They have hides that can't be pierced. Claws and teeth that cut through armor. It was as horrifying as it was incredible."

  The experiment Farvad did before we left to get Elna came to mind. The beady little gnome-rat's eyes were seared in my memory. This had to be the work of the cult. Had Elna's potions advanced so much further beyond her father's? Or had Farvad given the cult enough potions for them to create more than a few of these monsters? "That's what Farvad was working on back in Galden. And that's what his daughter was working on in Llyn."

  Arden's mouth hung open, then he snapped it closed, deep in thought. "I didn't realize. The gnome hasn't been the most forthright in our conversations together."

  Farvad chose that moment to waltz back out from the back room. "I've got it!" The old alchemist marched up to Vral, pushed Na-Ya aside, and said, "Open up, girlie."

  The goblin groaned. "Kiss my—"

  Farvad leaned forward and crammed half of the vial into Vral's mouth. The latter squirmed and sputtered as Farvad uncorked another. When the first vial was empty, he pulled it from her lips.

  "What in the Abyss?" Vral croaked. Her pale lips twitched. Then, her whole body started to shake. A yellow-green foam started pouring from her lips, then her skin grew bright red. Her eyes darted around the room. She sucked in huge, labored breaths as her body jolted and convulsed.

  "Vral!"

  Farvad held his arm out to me. "Just give it a moment."

  Sure enough, after a minute or so, her breathing slowed back down to a normal rate. The strange foam and the discoloration cleared, and her redness disappeared.

  When the red glow faded, Vral's brows knitted together. "What. In. The. Fuck?! Farvad!" She spat some yellow spittle. "That tasted like pure vom—"

  Her head snapped backward as a second vial got shoved into her mouth.

  "Farrrghm?" She gagged but didn't spill the contents of the new vial.

  "This one's going to take it out of you long enough for you to heal. Night, night, little imp." Farvad patted her matted hair.

  She spat out the vial. "I'll show you an imp!" She started to swat at him, but before her hand even got halfway to his face, she collapsed onto the table, unconscious.

  "You can continue your work, priestess."

  Na-Ya nodded, and the glow filled her hands again.

  "What did you do to her?" I asked from across the room.

  Farvad marched up to Renard next. Shoving a vial into the dwarf's mouth, he said, "Magic restores the vita. Alchemy restores the corpus. Together, healing is far more potent. And with that sleep potion, the little devil has a far better chance of surviving the night than if she were awake. Same with the dwarf here."

  As the potion poured into his mouth, Renard's body began to jerk. Then, the dwarf sat up, his eyes wide and wild. "Goddess alive!" Renard shouted, his deep voice rumbling throughout the room. His arm shot out as if he were defending himself, tearing a chunk of stone out of the shop's stone wall. "I haven't drunk anything that bad since... before... the..." The paladin's head lolled, and he fell back onto the table.

  "There, there. Now, it's sleepy time, Mr. Paladin." Farvad popped the second vial into his mouth and poured. The dwarf coughed, his chest heaved, and he immediately began snoring.

  Wiping his hands on his apron, Farvad turned and walked up to me. "You have any of those potions I gave you left?"

  I opened my belt pouch. With everything that had happened, I'd mostly forgotten about them. "Just these."

  Farvad rifled through my pouch. One by one, he pulled the three remaining potions out and looked them over. Two, the brownish one and the black one, were still intact, but the final one had cracked at some point and only had a few drops of liquid left. "I'll be taking these." He turned on his heel and walked to his bench. With a grunt, he sat on his stool and began uncorking the potions.

  I looked in my pouch. I still had the three tanglefoot bags and a dust of disappearance. I didn't know how I'd use them, but I knew they'd come in handy. I really wished I still had those stamina and health potions, though.

  A horrible screech sounded from outside the shack, followed by a clap of thunder and the sounds of battle. A moment later, a wet gurgle from a monster I'd never heard before died. A second or so after, the door to the workshop opened. Ro-Saleh appeared.

  "Alex, I need you." The sun elf was looking at me intently, a severe expression on his face.

  I looked back at Vral, then at Na-Ya. The grove elf's blue eyes met mine. They looked so much like Tristan's. "Go. We will care for her."

  Arden grabbed my arm as I turned back toward Ro. "Be wary, my student. As far as I can tell, the creatures are mad with whatever dark magics are powering them. They don't have reason, but they're cunning. Do not underestimate them. A single lapse in judgment is a mistake you will not recover from."

  I nodded to my teacher. "Okay."

  "Alex." Ro had his sword drawn, and his eyes were glowing.

  I nodded to him, then looked back at Vral. The little goblin was breathing softly, and a peaceful look was spread across her face. "Stay safe, all of you. We'll be back soon." When this was all over, I'd make sure we had our day together.

  I committed the sight of her to memory, then turned and stepped out the door.