They traveled north for several days, on through shady woodlands, grassy glades, and the occasional group of talking animals gathered for a Friday night RPG session, until they arrived at the foothills of the Forbidden Mountains. Olga had read of them and often dreamed of seeing them up close. The ring of towering crags formed an impassable wall around the elven heartlands; over the rest of the land the sky was a clear blue, but the peaks of the mountains were concealed amid a line of angry storm clouds. Even the most experienced of dwarven mountaineers shuddered at the thought of climbing them, and that was without taking into consideration the elves' magical defenses. It was said that stone golems guarded the high passes and the slopes were laid with intricate magical traps that even wary mages could not detect.

As fearsome as these defenses were, it was simple exhaustion that was defeating Olga as the group began their ascent up the forested foothills. Her legs ached like crazy and she resented the looks Malcomn and Bogdon gave her every time she stopped to catch her breath. Her only solace was that Roxie was struggling just as much (albeit with a better attitude).

“Times like these, I wish I was an ice wizard,” Roxie gasped, trying to smile. “I'd love to be able to magic up a cold drink right now.”

“Come on, girls, we have PE for a reason,” Malcomn was not sympathetic to their plight.

“PE never prepared us for this!” Olga retorted, stopping to rest against a tree. “How much farther is it to this stupid cave?”

“We're almost there!” Bogdon grinned, turning to look up the slope. “I recognize some of these trees. Yes, we're definitely close!”

They continued on for another half an hour, following Bogdon until he came to a sudden stop and leaped five feet into the air. He turned to the wizards and gestured proudly towards the mouth of a cave, sheltered by trees and almost hidden behind shrub and vines.

“What did I tell you, it's right where I left it! This baby will take us straight to the capital.” He paused, staring expectantly at Malcomn. “The job's done now, right? Can I get these off now?” He held out the clasps on his arms.

“Not until we actually reach the city,” Malcomn replied. “That was the deal.”

“Aw, please!” the faun threw himself on the ground, clasping his hands and looking around at the wizards beseechingly, attempting to look as kawaii as he possibly could. “Haven't I proven I'm a good guy by now?”

“Unfortunately, your reputation precedes you,” Malcomn's tone was dry as ever. “But I promise, as soon as we reach the Fountain, the key is yours.”

“We live in a society...” Bogdon muttered as he got to his feet.

“Can't we have a rest first?” Olga put in, still trying to catch her breath. “You promised!”

Malcomn rolled his eyes. “Fine, ten minutes, then we go in.”

“You've only been through here once, right?” Roxie asked nervously as she inspected the cave mouth. “Are you sure you can remember the way?”

“Like the back of my hand!” Bogdon replied with far too much confidence.

“Is there anything dangerous in there?”

“I think we can count on that,” Malcomn said.

“You're all powerful wizards,” Bogdon assured them, “we should be fine.”

The ten minutes passed all too quickly for Olga.

“I'm sure it will be cooler underground,” Roxie tried to encourage her.

“I need some light,” Bogdon said as he stepped into the cave. Roxie lit a flame in her palm, holding it out in front of them as she walked beside the faun.

It had been thirty minutes since the party of wizards had entered the cave, when all of a sudden the quiet forest was disturbed by heavy stomping footsteps.

“Aha! They must have gone in here!” Timothy Turnover cried, stopping outside the cave. He paused and winced, stroking his face that had been disfigured by Roxie's fire attack. “This still stings!” he whined.

“Hurry!” Necrodemius snapped. “We can't be far behind them!”

The two men stepped quickly, with great boldness, into the cave and hurried down the damp, stony tunnel.