Grukk felt the sting of the cutlass against his arm once more. This fight against this pirate hobgoblin gave him flashback to his days as a soldier. In basic training, the instructor would do the same as this monster…parrying and side-stepping every damned strike! Grukk’s eyes looked around, the cave now well-lit with the goblin boat project now engulfed in flames thanks to the druid. The little monsters were being picked off by the rogue and druid, bleeding or burnt on the ground. Boris? Grukk saw that the minotaur had gone into a barbaric rage. His pupils were dilated, and he swung his crude iron glaive about with reckless abandon, smashing the bugbear before him with a hard swipe. The fuzzy brute was tough in his own right and was still fighting. Seeing the two of them take hit after hit, believing their next savage blow would fell their opponent, and cause them to drop dead onto the cave floor.
Behind him, Alydrezea’s starlight aura, still forming the constellation of an archer on her dark grey skin and shadow, filled her form with a beautiful power. She made a motion, pantomiming an archer drawing a bow. Around her outstretched finger, an arrow of starlight formed and was let loose, blasting the last little goblin in the side of the head with a burst of magical energy.
Both Boris’ brutish brawl, and Alydrezea’s feat of magical marksmanship were far cries from Grukk’s own battle. This hobgoblin could work a blade better than many of his old comrades. He didn’t fear dying in this battle…at this rate, Alydrezea or Boris would end his battle for him. The half-orc gritted his teeth, tusks shifting as he did so. His grip on his sword got tighter, and another heavy clang of the pirate’s cutlass against his shield rang out. The ruby-skinned swordsman was smiling, showing a set of white, dog-like teeth. “You done hiding behind that shield, mate? It’s getting rather troublesome to smack me blade into it over and over. Sure, your arms are getting tired.” The hobgoblin’s spoke in the Common tongue, his words stung like hot oil on the skin. It hurt almost as bad as the sudden low backstroke from the swordsman goblinoid. The cutlass slashing a fresh wound into Grukk’s left shin. Gods damn it all! He couldn’t stay on the defensive forever! Grukk glared at his opponent and glanced down at his longsword. Standard issue for Iroas Military, simple steel. At least, that is what most folk who saw his blade would think. The fighter unbuckled his shield from his left arm and let it fall to the ground.

Alydrezea tapped Kara on the shoulder, pointing at their solider boy. “Uh, wasn’t that shield keeping him alive?” The rogue looked at the fight on the other end of the burning cave, here eyes wider. “What is he doing?!”
The drow raised her hand to conjure up a spell to launch at the hobgoblin pirate, but Kara stopped her. “Wait! You might hit Grukk!”
“I’m not that bad of a shot!” The druid protested, then a strange sound echoed in the goblin caves. The hobgoblin cried out in pain. Grukk’s blade, which he now wielded with both hands, had cut into the pirate captain’s shoulder! Red blood trickled down the edge of his longsword. Alydrezea smiled, and Kara’s shoulders fell in relief. All expressioned changed to ones of astonishment. At the wound of a strange word, “Ildesse!” His sword glowed a red light, as magical runes like the one upon the ogre’s stone illuminated the soldier’s blade. Three large, iron shackles sprang from out of nowhere, latching onto the hobgoblin at the thighs and neck. The shackled were heavy set with iron chains that anchored the pirate in place, and they glowed red hot as if they had just been taken out of a stay in a raging forge. The hobgoblin’s skin smoked from contact, and his face sneered from the pain.
“Boss!” The hoarse voice of the bugbear cried out, and the monster tried to escape from his brawl with the minotaur. Boris, was not finished yet. Even in his enraged state, the bovine brute could see an opening and he slammed the biting edge of his glaive into the bugbear’s lower left abdomen, the blade stopped as it hit bone. The minotaur grunted and lowly spoke, “never take your eyes off of your prey.” With another burst of strength in his thick arms, Boris forced a follow through with his glaive, the blade slipping out of the bugbear’s body with a slick sound, blood splashing off the barbarian’s weapon like paint off a brush. The brutish goblinoid stumbled, dropping his weapons, both filthy hands gripping the wound in a futile attempt to keep the blood from pouring out. It stumbled all the way to the cave wall and sunk with its back scratching the wet stone. Now laying against the cave wall, sitting on the ground, Boris marched up to the dying bugbear, and finished it off. Stomping a cloven hoof against its chest! The bugbear belched out blood that covered Boris’ hoof. The sound of ribs breaking like music to the minotaur’s large ear.

The hobgoblin, the would-be goblin pirate captain, struggled with all his might against the burning chains, but he wasn’t able to break free. Grukk felt a familiar surge of adrenaline course through his body, letting him swing his longsword twice in quick succession! Two swift cuts to the left, and the hobgoblin’s head was vacated from its body, the pirate hat still attached to its scalp. As its lifeless head rolled onto the ground, the magical flaming shackled dissipated into thin air. Grukk was breathing heavily, his sword tip falling to the cave floor as his arms went limp, but grip on the handle stayed strong. And he was smiling. Despite the wounds, the smell, the cavern filling with smoke, the heavy beating of his heart…he was smiling. The small euphoric moment was broken as an energetic Alydrezea jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around the rune knight’s neck with a happy squeal. The surprise nearly sent him stumbling forward. “That was so cool!” The druid exclaimed with joy. “We did it!” Boris pulled the jovial druid off Grukk’s back and set her on her feet. The drow made no protest. Kara, to the contrary, made her displeasure known. “Okay, I’ve got a lot of questions for you, Tusks. But lets find that shrine and get out of here!” The human woman cough and covered her face with a cloth, “Before the whole caves fill with smoke!”

Alydrezea smiled, giving a giggle of light embarrassment. “My bad. I got a little carried away.” Boris, though scarred, found a shrine behind where the hobgoblin and Grukk had their duel. It was made of a polished stone that was blue as a sapphire, carved into the shave of two waves arching in opposite directions. “Is this what we’re looking for?”
“Looks like a shrine to Umberlee, alright.” The half-orc clarified, putting his sword back in its sheath and picking up his shield. Kara was already at the cavern mouth, past the boat turned bonfire. “Then can we please get out of here?!” The party rushed out of the goblin caves, careful not to trigger the traps they found on the way in. The dark smokiness of the seaside caves gave way to the fresh and open air of the beach. The sun was hanging low in the sky, and it would be sunset in a few hours. The tide was coming in, and seawater washed over their feet, shoes, and hooves. Kara breathed deeply of the fresh air. “Finally! The only thing that smells worse than goblins is burning goblins. You got the shrine, big guy?”
Boris held the shrine of Umberlee in his arms. It was roughly twenty pounds, but the caped buffalo minotaur could easily carry it in one hand. “Great! Now let’s get back to Red Wake and collect our-oh dear Gods!” Kara’s outburst put everyone on sudden alert!
“What is it?!” Alydrezea asked, putting her purple hood back up. Even the evening sun was a bit much for a drow’s sensitive eyes. The thief pointed at Grukk. “What is that?!”
The half orc picked up the severed head of the hobgoblin that had been hanging on his blet. “This? It’s the hobgoblin’s head.”
Kara had a disgusted, stunned look on her face. “Why?! Why do you have that?!”
“To show to Lady Rennard. It’ll be proof we took care of all the goblins. We must give her proof, right?”
“But why the head?! You couldn’t take an ear or something?”
Boris rolled his eyes, and began marching from the beach inland, heading back to the road to Red Wake. Alydrezea followed with a skip in her step, Grukk and Kara still arguing in the back about the severed head trophy. Tired from battle, and seeing the sun set over the horizon, the party decided to make camp for the night, they would get into Red Wake in the morning. Setting up a fire and laying out bedrolls in the dusty red soil of the road, Alydrezea put a pot of soup on the fire. Filling it with some rations of salted meats, along with mushrooms she found in the woods. Boris ate silently, and Kara looked to Grukk. He may have been larger than the human rogue, but Kara’s hazel-eyes glared in such a scrutinizing way…it made the half orc uncomfortable. “Can I…help you, Kara?”
“You were going to explain. The glowing sword. The chains coming out of nowhere. Have you had a magic sword this whole time?” Alydrezea and Boris looked to Grukk, curious as to his answer.
The rune knight chuckled. “No…not exactly. You remember that rune stone we got from those ogres?” Kara nodded, and Grukk continued. His smooth baritone voice going up an octave in excitement. “Well, Lady Rennard’s wizard told me how to unlock their power! That was a Giant’s Rune! Ancient magic from the time of Giants! It cost a pretty penny, but that wizard taught me how to speak, read and write in the giant language of Jötunn. Then, I worked to inscribe the rune into my sword. All I need to do is speak the word to activate it, and well…the magic activates.”
“Those flaming chains?” Kara asked, her voice hilting in curiosity.
Grukk gave an excited nod, smiling wide. His orcish ancestry showing in his low tusks. “Yes, yes! That rune was imbued with the magic of the Fire Giants. That’s what Edwin and I think, at least.”
“We have our very own Rune Knight!” The dark elf laughed at the name. Kara groaned, “Are we really going to call it that?”
“Oh oh! Can you do it again!?” An excited Alydrezea asked from opposite the campfire. She ignored Kara’s complaints. The druid was so interested; she spoke with a mouth full of food. The half orc sighed. “Well…no. I think the magic of the runes has limits…or maybe it’s me?”
“Do you think you could use it whenever? For as long as you wish. You know…if you get stronger?” The rogue questioned, getting herself a serving of hot soup into a simple wooden bowl. The rune knight simply shrugged.
“I am unsure. This was an ancient art that the Giants created. I doubt anyone but them could unlock all the rune’s secrets. But I’ll try.”
“Well, maybe you’ll find one. Maybe they’ll have more runes for you!” The show of encouragement came from the druid, who happily munched on her own soup. Grukk gave a warm smile and nodded. “I’m not the only one with new abilities. What was it that you did, Alydrezea?”
The druid raised her brow, and tilted her head in confusion. Silvery-white hair cascading down her left shoulder and arm. Kara clarified flatly, “You lit up like the night sky and shot a fucking star out of your hand.”
“Ooh! That! That’s just something I learned how to do. I am a member of the Circle of Stars.”
“Circle of Stars?” The rune knight asked. “I don’t know much about druids…you lot normally stay out of cities and remain in the Wilds.”
“Yeah. That’s where I met this guy!” She smacked Boris on the arm, and while the minotaur only grunted, the drow shook her hand in slight pain. As if she had just smacked a thick tree trunk. “My Circle is…kind of like a family….no, that’s not right….a cult? Or maybe a school?” Alydrezea looked up, gazing into the night sky. “We all learn the ways of the druids, becoming one with the Wilds. My Circle, we look to the Stars. The Stars give us light in the dark of night. They form constellations that tell us stories and offer guidance. Its taken years, but I’ve learned a few of these secrets. Now the Stars can give me guidance and even power when I need it.”
“…and let you shoot stars out of your hands?” Kara asked with a smirk and a raised brow.
The drow smiled big at that. “Yup!” Kara and Grukk both laughed, amused at the dark elf’s sudden shift from wise druid to playful woman. The rogue could not help but tease, “Can your stars lead me to treasure, or to a more serious druid?”
Alydrezea pouted and cried, “I am a serious druid you dumb prison lady!” The party all laughed once more at Alydrezea’s child-like retort, and one by one drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, they had returned to Red Wake. Not wanting to waste time, the party returned to the castle of Lady Rennard. The Duchess of Red Wake was sitting on her throne, fanning herself with a paper hand fan. “Welcome back, heroes.” Her tone was half sincere, half teasing. The Duchess had an expecting look on her face. “I trust you did not return empty handed?” Kara gave a bow as Boris presented the shrine to Umberlee. Lady Rennard’s face grew brighter. “Wonderful! This will be a great help to me! And to Red Wake, naturally. What of the thieves that stole it?”
“Goblins, my Lady.” Kara spoke in that soft tone. She only ever spoke that way to the rich, or to people she wanted to butter up. “They were constructing a pirate ship in a cave near the Great Ocean. We wiped them out.” Grukk held up the severed head of the hobgoblin captain. The Duchess had a look of disgust and hid her expression behind the paper fan. “V-very good. *ahem*. Your reward and bonus, as promised.” The party was presented with a sack full of gold, a grand total of 300 gold pieces. Kara took the money swiftly, and one of the guards nervously took the Sea Goddess Shrine from Boris. “Our business is concluded. You may all leave, but feel free to stay in Red Wake as long as you like.” The party was escorted out of the castle, and back into the red clay streets of the trading town.