Leaving the clean up to Ethel's knights the party found their horses and left the city. Ash tried again to convince Ethel that Hel should ride with her but the knight refused once more. 

“She’s not leaving my sight.”  

“I wouldn’t bet on that, speedy.” Hel sniggered earning herself a light whack.

The party stayed quite until they left the city and even a bit after that. Balaz looked back to the shrinking buildings in the distance.

"Can I ask about that magic now?" The question burst from his chest, like a child asking if they could have their present yet.

Ash nodded, deeming it a better time as Hel just looked away.

“If it’s really bothering you that much then its angel magic. The kind I believe you were talking about when you told the king about that war.” Ethel spilt the beans and Hel just pulled up her hood and mask up as she leant back, casually.

Balaz glanced at the strangely quiet thief, confused and amazed.

"The angel taught her magic to mortals yes but, it was only one family that I knew of. Hel, you're from-"

"She's not from that family." Ethel stopped him, predicting the question, "I was. Which is why I know about it; and why I know this bitch has something more she's not telling us because like a lowlife like you wouldn't have used that spell if you had to pay the cost."

"I don't know what you are talking about, speedy." Hel looked away, her voice slightly muffled through the mask.

"What cost?" Ash looked concerned. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong Balaz Fai, but magic uses life a kind of life energy to cast. Using too much will kill you but the energy can be recovered with enough rest." Ethel looked to Balaz who nodded,

"Mana, yes, that is correct." The mage agreed with her.

"Well, the cost of mortals using magic that is beyond them is that the mana used for such spells is burned away and cannot be recovered. Using angel magic shortens one's lifespan permanently." Ethel stated the glanced over her shoulder at the quiet thief, "Something I don't believe Hel Chiboza would sacrifice for us."

Balaz's back straightened, a look of fear and dread in his eyes at such an idea. 

"That.." he couldn't speak.

"I...take it that could mean you could miss out on a lot of life?" Ash asked, a little unsure on the impact such a thing would have.

"Depends on the spell but repeated usage will lead to an early, if not instant death." Ethel admitted sadly, "I have seen a few wall to it."

Ash looked sad but Balaz's looked at her hard, 

"Can you use it?" He asked the knight. 

"No." Ethel said with a breath of relief, "My parents were disappointed but I can't say I'm not grateful that the gift of magic did not pass to me." 

Balaz look conflicted, he wouldn't give up magic for the world but...if it had that cost, if it killed him and his family for it's use... He couldn't help but pity the knight whoes view of magic had been tainted by that.

"That explains why he wouldn't teach me then, I suppose." Balaz sighed, finding a way to change the subject. 

"Who?" Ethel questioned.

"The Successor. He can use angel magic too but refused to teach me. It seems he was protecting me." Balaz explained.

"Smart person," Ethel noted, then shoved her elbow back at the thief,

"Anything to say for yourself?"

"Not really." Hel ignored them, seeing her back rest was unhappy she leaned forward now instead, holding the back of a saddle.

"What are you using to get around the cost?" Balaz asked her anyway.

"How do you know I didn't pay it?" Hel looked at them over her shoulder, pulling down her mask to speak clearly

The looks of doubt answered her question. Even Balaz didn't believe for a second that she would pay such a cost for them.

Hel sighed loudly,

"How do you know I didn't just want to make sure that monster didn't kill too many people? Too many people dead is bad for business." She stated and Ash admittedly started to look convinced by the cold hard logic.

"If that was the case you would have done it another way." Ethel pointed out, "I don't know how but you would have been able to think of something. Sacrificing your life just isn't something you would do for no gain."

"And you know me so well, speedy." Hel rolled her eyes, turning away and pulling down the sleeve of her glove to check their heading. 

"I'd like to know about that magic too." Balaz again asked, even though he knew he was talking to an information brick wall.

"How about you pay me for the job I did by not asking any more questions, Bal-bal?" Hel told him, a cheerful voice but a flat and somewhat threatening look. 

Balaz pouted in disappointed even though it was about the responce he expected. There was no reasoning with the mad woman that was Hel Chiboza. 

"Fine." He sighed.

"Good!" Hel chirped, beaming happily as she covered the markings she had and informed them,  "We're on track, not long now."

A few hours of travelling still and the horses came to a stop at the base of a rocky and steep mountain. 

Ash looked to Hel,

"Please tell me it's the other side of the mountain." 

“Nope!,” Hel hopped off her and Ethel’s horse as soon as it stopped and looked up the tall imposing mountain, “Hope you can climb. Oh! Or fly. Can you fly Bal-bal?” 

“No.” 

“Really?” She tilted her head, looking a little disappointed. 

“Well, not for very long,” He admitted, reluctantly, "It'll be no use getting up this mountain at least." 

He looked up and held his stomach at the sight. Ethel noticed the look of dread on the mage's face but said nothing. Ash was too busy looking down at her heavy armour, shifting her battle hammer and frowning at the idea of having to climb with it all.

Hel seemed the only one who seemed confident about the idea of climbing at all. Ethel couldn’t say she was happy about it but slid off her horse and started to look for a route up. Hel ran past the knight, gigging,

"Race ya, speedy!" She chirped, taking to the rock face and starting her accent.

"Get back here!" Ethel quickly started after her but there was no keeping up. 

Hel climbed like recklessly, she made jumps the others wouldn't dare, skipped over footholds that did not look stable. It got to the point that Ethel was more worried about the thief falling to her death before getting to the dragon. 

Somehow though, Hel didn't fall and, to Ethel's annoyance and relief she would stop and take a seat at any ledge big enough for her and laugh as she watched the other struggle. After the first time she did that Ethel slowed herself down a bit, not moving too far from Balaz and Ash so they could see what footholds she was using and make it up the mountain safer. 

"This one's big enough for everyone!" Hel yelled down when she stopped on ledge. 

Ethel got what she was getting at and called back, "We'll take a break there then. Stay where you are." 

For once she got some agreement from the theif, though I suppose she had to wait for them unless she wanted to face the dragon alone, "Aye, Aye, speedy!" 

Ethel managed to catch up with her and Hel was right, it was a large ledge, large enough for teh four of them to sit comfortably away from the edge while they catch their breath. 

Having been following her footholds, Balaz wasn't far behind, testily and happily getting away from the edge and taking a seat. 

“You can do it!” Hel cheered their slowest climber as she hung her head over the egde.

The dark skinned woman glared up at Hel with all the anger and frustration she had with this situation. She was taking seep breaths, brow glistening with sweat but the idea of introducing Hel to her hammer kept her going. 

It was a struggle and the slayer's mussels burned but she eventually managed to get to the ledge. The bliss of just being able to roll on her back and take some deep breaths made her forget about beating Hel up.

She could see why her order stopped making house calls.

Hel giggled at her as Ethel tapped the Slayer with her foot. 

"You might want to get a bit further from the edge before you rest." She advised.

As groaned loudly in protest before she managed to push herself to her feet, stumbled into a saver area the collapse back onto the ground again. 

"Here." Balaz placed a water canteen by her and Ash took some grateful swings. 

Ethel took a seat too and started getting some rations out of her bag. Hel just giggled at the scene, pulling down her sleeve to check directions.

“It’s not far now, if go straight up and it’ll be in the biiig cave,” Hel informed them.

It took a few moments to realise what exactly the thief just said and when it clicked Ethel rose to her feet. 

“It almost sounds like you are not coming with us,” Ethel glared. 

“I’m not.” She answered, simply; taking a number of steps away from them and to the edge of the ledge. 

“Yes, you are.” Ethel darted for her and Hel didn't dodge, she was already at the edge of the ledge, there was nowhere for her to do so.

Hel didn't seem bothered about that one bit. She just smiled happily at Ethel and that just pissed the knight off all the more.

“You are coming back with me after this and going to jail where scum like you deserves to be!” Ethel barked in her face. 

“Because yes, that was totally going to happen.” Hel rolled her eyes, ”I told you I’d lead you to the horde but I said nothing about helping you with the dragon.” 

“You’re not going anywhere?!” Ethel growled. 

“You, speedy, have no say in what I do.” With that Hel’s foot planted itself in Ethel’s stomach and being so close to the edge then leaning back the ground slipped from beneath Hel and with a smirk she fell.

Ethel recovered from the kick as quickly as she could; she darted forward desperately grabbing for the thief but she had gotten too far away, gravity stole away the criminal she had supposed to be guarding.

“Thief!” Ethel roared, but there was go grabbing her now, not without throwing herself off the cliff and, as much as the king wasn't going to be happy, Ethel wasn't about to do something like that for the lowlife that was Hel.

“She’s insane.” Ash had sat up and was staring wide-eyed at the spot Hel had just been and where Ethel now glared down. 

“No; by how she landed from that building in the factory district, I’d say she has some kind of spell so she can do things like that without getting hurt.” Balaz sighed, 

“Do we have to go after her?” Ash asked, reluctant to detour again.

“We have to get the stone.” Bal shook his head, “We can’t.” 

Ethel sighed, heavily. Hel's escape made the knight feel she had failed the mission despite the stone being the true objective, after all, that was the thing that could end the world, the thief on the other hand, was pretty harmless in comparison.  

“A quick rest then we move on the Dragon,” Ethel ordered. 

Ash and Bal didn’t argue, eating up some of their rations and taking a good break ready for the battle with the dragon. Ethel forced herself to take a few breaths to calm herself down. God, she was pissed the thief had run off but there was nothing she could do.  

The priority was the stone and the dragon.  

So, once they felt they were rested enough the group gathered their things, taking to the rock face once more.