A few days passed, and before they knew it they were back on the road. Akahsha and Quinta had grown a bit closer since the other day, exchanging stories of their times in the Feywilds. Stenson and Ordna would laugh to themselves at how different it was to see the two of them getting along so well. They left the town and entered the oddly-warm plains of the Divide.

The Divide was mostly barren, with the landscape rising and falling in certain areas. Where the ground was shattered, cavernous entrances seemed to enter the earth. Stenson warned them all to tread lightly, and he kept his eyes on his map. Ordna kept her eyes peeled for some strange entities that could be in the area.

Akahsha and Quinta kept talking and walking at a brisk pace along with the others.

“Your mother and father had this.. Augergarden, as well?” Quinta asked in a voice of awe.

“Yeah,” Akahsha said in a matter-of-fact tone. “They also saved me from a woman one time who tried to kidnap me through my mind and take me away to the Feywilds forever.”

Stenson looked back with a curious, but concerned look. Ordna laughed, as if she understood that sometimes these things just happen.

They came to a strange path, where a strong scent of iron lingered in the air. Stenson held up a closed fist and pointed to a nearby burned down structure, which he moved to. His armor clanked when he was trying to be stealthy, but it wasn’t so loud that it could draw attention from more than five or ten feet away. Ordna, Quinta, and Akahsha followed quickly behind. When they reached cover, they saw a group of a dozen goblins, with a hobgoblin at the forefront. The Goblins looked the same as the ones that had ambushed them on the road the other day, but the hobgoblin looked to be taller and stronger. It had more human-like facial features, with a goatee to complete his look. His skin was more purple than the goblins’ green.

Akahsha looked to the others, who turned to each other and started to formulate a plan. Stenson took one of his blank map sheets and laid it on the ground, and began to feverishly depict the environment. He drew the cover that they had available, and the amount of enemies that laid before them. Ordna dug into her materials pouch and grabbed some seeds, then smiled to herself. Quinta unclipped her book from her bag and opened it to a specific page, and refreshed herself with a spell so that she could use it. Akahsha unsheathed his blade, and held it with both hands. He could sense that there was a battle he would have to ready himself for.

“Akahsha and I will lure them in close, then Ordna and Quinta, you two will fire upon the enemy as they close in.” Stenson drew his sword, and unclipped his shield off of his back. He turned to Akahsha, who looked back at him with vaguely worried eyes. “Are you ready?” Stenson smiled.

He nodded.

Stenson rolled up his map and placed it in his bag. They all took their bags off and placed them behind the cover, and Stenson closed the plate on his helmet. He looked at Akahsha through a tiny slit.

“Let’s go,” Stenson said.

Stenson leapt over the cover of the stone wall and yelled heartily at the goblins and hobgoblin. They turned towards him, and Akahsha jumped over at the same time. He saw the dozen goblins grab their weapons and the hobgoblin bark orders in a language that Akahsha wasn’t privy to.

The old fighter went first, charging into the crowd of goblins with zero fear. He spun around and delivered a mighty blow to one goblin, cutting its arm clean off. He spun around again and cut the head off of a different goblin. He held his shield up.

A goblin nearby had its dagger ready and went to strike Stenson, but his shield deflected the blow. The other goblins flanked Stenson, virtually surrounding him. Two others tried to slash at him, but he was too quick. Another goblin came in and slashed his ankle, and he fell to his knee.

Akahsha charged in while the goblins were focused on Stenson, but a couple noticed him and prepared for his assault. He slashed at one, but it jumped back, and the one next to him made a slash that cut across his arm. He saw the blood come down his arm and onto his hand.

Ordna saw her opportunity and cast a blast of moonlight to take out half of the goblins. A quick flash occurred, and a twenty foot beam caused a radiant damage to the goblins. Four fell over, dead.

Quinta focused her magic into her hand, and cast an eldritch blast. The energy hit the hobgoblin, who was directing the goblins in combat. He was hit in the side, and reeled back in pain, cursing in his foreign language.

The hobgoblin ran around the perimeter of the conflict and attempted to charge at the two women behind the cover.

“He’s going after Quinta and Ordna, Akahsha! Stop him!” Stenson shouted. “Don’t worry about me!”

Stenson cut down two goblins with one slash; the goblin he cut the arm off bled out on the ground. He cut down another goblin.

The 7 goblins that remained focused entirely on Stenson, but their blades weren’t strong enough to pierce the armor. Still, they battered against the old fighter’s armor, throwing him around.

Akahsha felt that he had to stop the hobgoblin’s charge, since Stenson ordered him to do it. The beast was surely taller and stronger than he was, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He’d stood down a mind flayer, so this should be a piece of pie. He moved into position, and when the hobgoblin was close, he swung his blade wildly, screaming as he did.

The hobgoblin was struck in its side, and gave a wicked cry of pain. Akahsha could see wretched blood poor from the wound on its stomach, as the two of them were both injured. It raised its disgustingly carved black blade to the air about to strike. An eldritch blast took to the air and blasted its hand off.

The hobgoblin looked at its stump where the hand was and cried out again. It couldn’t riggle off of the blade, and as it struggled, it bled more and more.

Stenson shook his head and did a spin, cutting and shield bashing the 7 goblins away from him. Three were cut in half, and the other four were sent to the ground. The ones who laid on the ground were dazed, and Ordna quickly came upon them and used her quarterstaff, sending it on top of one of their heads. It popped, and it was dead.

Quinta shocked the other three using lightning that she could control. She looked up at Stenson and Akahsha and smiled wide, feeling confident and proud of what she had accomplished.

They gathered the bodies and placed them against the stone wall that they had hidden behind. The grabbed their belongings and looted the goblins. They found a few gold pieces, some silver, and a lot of copper. The weapons were basic, but the hobgoblin had a shoulder pauldron. Stenson handed it to Akahsha.

“Put this on your shoulder,” he said. “It’ll give you some extra protection.”

Akahsha did, and felt his shoulder weigh a little heavier. It would be some time getting used to, but he could feel that this was the progression that he needed.

Stenson pulled out his map and looked it over, and then looked back to the new party member. “Do you know how to read maps?”

“Not yet,” Akahsha rebuked. Stenson laughed and patted him on the back.

“That’s the kind of attitude we need around here,” Stenson eyed Quinta, who simply whistled and walked away.

“Look at this,” Stenson laid the map before Akahsha. Beautiful drawn out vistas and easily identifiable landmarks were drawn on the canvas. “This is where we are. These images are to help us find out where we are in the world. I copy them down whenever I see them to assist in our travels. You can even sell maps to people who wish to travel through otherwise unknown territories.”

He watched the old man explain the entirety of his craft. He figured it’d be too much of a hassle to try and get him to stop, but he didn’t mind. It was like listening to father about hunting, or his mother about crafting. Akahsha smiled, and let the emotions get to him. He couldn’t stop thinking of his parents. Their memories flooded the map, and washed it away down a river of his past. His smile turned into a smirk, until it furrowed into a frown. He saw the blood stained ground around his mother’s corpse, and his father’s expression as he was cut down.

“Akahsha,” Stenson turned to him. His face showed concern, and then he said, “Are you alright?”

Akahsha knew he wasn’t, but he wouldn’t worry his companions if he needed to. He felt tears had been streaming down his face, but he didn’t make them come. They came on their own, from the memories he’d survived. He nodded and wiped the tears away.

“I thought of something troubling, but don’t let it bother you now.” Akahsha forced a smile back to his face. “I think we can keep moving.”