The rain continued to beat down oppressively on the group as they trudged up the mountainside. The men alternated in supporting Roquewei as he painfully marched up the incline. Sofia, still carrying the sword on her back, walked in front with Harton. In one arm she held Porgi, whose feathers were too soaked to fly.

Sofia’s other hand periodically went in her pocket to feel how the earrings were directing her. Squinting to see through the rain, Sofia tried to tread carefully.

The mud, however, was slippery. Feeling herself fall, Sofia wrapped her both arms around Porgi and slid down towards the men. 

Hasil rushed to help her. The others caught up by the time Sofia got to her feet. 

“Are you alright?” asked Erae loudly to be heard over the rain.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Sofia responded as she brushed off some dirt and resituated Porgi. “Are you ok?,” she asked the Aslavu.

Porgi responded with a confirming blink and ever so slight nod. 

Sofia looked up at the rain-soaked men and met with each of their eyes for a brief moment. She held Erae’s gaze the longest, and met Roquewei’s last. 

“I think we’re close,” Sofia finally said, turning to start hiking again.

“Wait,” said Roquewei behind her. She turned back around just as he placed the hat on her head. “You need this more than me.”

“Th-thanks,” Sofia said, flustered. 

“Sofia,” Hasil called from beside her, “what exactly are we looking for?”

“And how do we know we’re going the right way?” asked Russ from beside Roquewei.

“Oh, ah…” Sofia wasn’t sure what to say. How could she explain about the gate to Lyfay to their new friends? Or the earrings, which the elves didn’t even know she had?

Roquewei watched Sofia’s face as she struggled to answer. 

“We found a sort of shelter up here earlier,” Erae said, coming to her rescue. “It will protect us from the weather until we can decide what to do next.”

Hasil and Russ looked at each other quizzically, then resigned themselves to continue. As the group continued to move forward, Roquewei leaned towards Erae.

“Is she going the right way?” he whispered. The blonde elf closed his eyes as if to sense something.

“Yeah,” Erae replied with a confused grin. “She is.” 

The lay of the land was starting to look more familiar to Sofia as they continued up the mountain. Upon reaching a small ridge, she turned to the guys, who were a few meters behind her. “I think we’re almost there!”

Sofia made it over the ridge when the earrings suddenly went cold. Just ahead she saw Harton, hackles high, growling at the forest.

A mist was gathering along the forest floor and the already cool air turned frigid. A pair of pale yellow eyes leered at her from among the trees.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

From the ridge, the men heard Sofia scream.

“Go to her!” Roquewei shoved Erae up the ridge. Needing no additional encouragement, the blonde elf quickly hurtled himself over the ridge. 

Sofia, still holding Porgi, and Harton stood facing opposite directions, attempting to keep the dark, gaseous Ymplerim at bay. Patches of a dark substance dotted the ground among them as the creature spit its venomous bile at those it was holding captive. The bile sizzled as it hit the ground, burning the soil despite the rain.

The Ymplerim nearly struck Harton with its venom, but Sofia managed to pull him out of the way. 

“Nope! Not letting that happen again!” she shouted.

When the creature reached for Sofia’s hair, Harton whirled around and bit the spindly limb. The Ymplerim shrieked while attempting to shake off the Dlam. 

Sofia, picked up a stone by her feet and thrust it with all her might towards the ugly yellow eyes. The dark face winced, then set its eyes again on her. Its terrifying, gaping yellow mouth revealed its long, curled tongue. With one last violent shake, the creature freed itself from Harton’s grip and lunged towards her.

“Sofia!” Erae cried out. Running through the mist, the elf lept to tackle Sofia to the ground. As they rolled out of the line of attack, Erae unsheathed the sword on Sofia’s back and stood to face the creature again.

“Ah, a guardian of Lyfay,” commented the Ymplerim in a cold, eerie voice. “How long it’s been since one of your kind have been here.”

Erae, gritting his teeth, gripped the sword and swung several times at the creature. It avoided the attacks, the dark gas dividing, rejoining, and billowing with each blow. 

“We are strong here. Stronger than you,” its evil laugh made Erae and Sofia tremble. “The people of Talamh have given us great power in this realm. Do you really hope to overcome us?”

The dark fog grew denser and the rain fell harder, cutting off the rest of the forest. Sofia stood with her back against Erae as the gaseous entity closed in on them. 

“How could your people ever correct this great imbalance?” There was delight in the creature’s tone, something akin to ecstasy on its dark, terrible face. 

Suddenly a flash of light flew through the air and struck the creature close to its core. Shrieking, it turned to see its new attacker.

Roquewei, standing just ahead of the two fearstruck men, had hurled a throwing knife at the creature. More filled in his hands, all sparkling with a strange electricity. The elf threw another towards the dark creature. 

The second knife hit closer to the creature's core, causing it to stumble. Harton, who had been at Roquewei’s side, attacked its limbs again. As the Ymplerim roared in pain and frustration, the rain poured down even stronger. 

Seeing an opening in the gaseous figure, Erae grabbed Sofia’s free hand and ran up the incline. Roquewei, gripping the clothes of Hasil and Russ, pushed them past the writhing creature to follow the others.

Eventually, the Ymplerim broke free again from Harton’s grasp, throwing the Dlam against a nearby tree, stunning him. Angrily, the creature raced after the group.

As they ran, Sofia felt the warmth return to pouch in her pocket. “Erae, stop!” 

The elf turned to look at her, wondering what was wrong.

“I think the gate is nearby!”

“Here?” questioned Erae, trying to make out where they were.

“She’s right!” shouted Roquewei as his group caught up with them. “It’s close.”

“Excuse me,” Russ interjected. “Would someone mind explaining what the hell you’ns were fighting back there?”

“What he said,” agreed Hasil, a look of terror on his face. 

Looking beyond the men, Erae replied, “There’s no time. Watch out!”

A sudden flow of water rushed toward the group, causing them to lose their footing. Erae and Sofia moved further up the incline. Roquewei, grabbing the two men, dragged them behind a nearby boulder. Wait a minute… he thought.

“We’re back at the cliff!” Roquewei shouted to the others. “Careful of the edge!”

The two attempted to move in towards the forest. The dark gaseous form, however, was soon upon them, once again encircling Erae and Sofia. “Ah, yes. Wouldn’t that be such a perfect ending to this twisted scenario?” the Ymplerim hissed. 

Erae held his arm protectively in front of Sofia, who hugged Porgi tightly to her chest. The sword, still crackling with electricity, made the creature hesitate. 

“You know,” it mused aloud, “we have no need for your energy. The chaos in these mountains feeds us. Perhaps…” it paused as more water began to flow down the mountain. “We should just… sweep you away.”

With a devilish grin, the Ymplerim pressed closer to Erae and Sofia. The rising water at their feet pushed them backwards and made them both stumble.

The gaseous form rose triumphantly as it pushed the two closer and closer to the cliff’s edge. Just when it thought it was victorious, something grabbed its limb again.

Harton had returned, and with all his might was pulling the Ymplerim away from Erae and Sofia. “Get. Away. From. My. Compánach!” the Dlam snarled.

Distracted, the Ymplerim turned to swipe at the Dlam. 

Roquewei, peering over the boulder, shouted to Erae. “Use it now!”

Regaining his footing, the blonde elf summoned increased energy from the leigheas stone in Roquewei’s sword. Sensing danger, the Ymplerim turned back to face him, and Erae thrust the weapon, covered in intense electricity, directly into the Ymplerim’s core. 

A bright light filled the forest, followed by a mighty crack. And then — silence.

As the light dissipated, everyone noticed that the rain had eased. What had been a downpour had become a gentle mist.  The unnatural darkness was gone and the flash flood ceased. A soft dusting of green covered the forest floor.

Sofia, trying to catch her breath, suddenly noticed how close to the cliff she and Erae were. They quickly scrambled away from the edge.

Dropping the sword, Erae pulled Sofia close and kissed her ardently. She gripped the back of the elf’s neck to bring him closer. They clung to each other for several moments, until a small, deep voice piped up between them.

“Pardon,” interrupted Porgi, “it is getting a little hard to breathe.” 

The two quickly separated. “Sorry, Porgi,” Sofia apologized.

She noticed Harton limping toward them. “Harton!” Racing over to the Dlam, she knelt down and hugged the large animal’s neck. “You were absolutely brilliant. Are you alright?”

“Nothing a little rest won’t fix,” Harton smirked tiredly. The Dlam leaned his weight into Sofia’s free arm. “Thanks for saving me.”

“Are you kidding?” Sofia said. “You saved all of us! You were amazing.”

He licked Sofia’s cheek. “So were you.”

“Sofia,” Erae called softly. She looked up to see him pointing just past the cliff edge. There was the quivering, their gate back to Lyfay.

Turning towards where the others were hiding, Sofia called out, “We’ve found the gate!”

An animated voice responded from the other side of the boulder.

“Y-your hair really is blue!” Russ exclaimed in surprise as he stood and ran around the boulder. Seeing Erae, he pointed and said, “And your ears!”

“Wha- what are you?” stammered Hasil as he joined Russ. 

“A human,” said Roquewei, making a calming gesture as he limped around the boulder. “A human being of the elven race.”

The men looked at each other, dumbfounded. “Human? Ain’t elves magical or something?” asked Hasil.

“I assure you, we are not magical,” Erae said from behind.

The men then noticed Harton and Porgi in their natural colors.

“Zonies alive!” Russ said, jumping again. “You sure those critters ain’t magical?”

“I know this is a lot to take in,” continued Roquewei. “But there is no time to explain. We must cross before the gate closes. Here, take this.” Reaching into his robe’s pocket, Roquewei pulled out a small pouch and poured out a few gems. The men’s eyes widened even more.

“To pay for the damages of your property,” he said to Russ. Turning to Hasil, Roquewei continued, “And to support your mission. It is difficult to fight family… But you understand something that so many in this realm do not. You are doing a good work, Hasil Foster.” Hasil accepted the gift, touched by the elf’s words.

Suddenly, Roquewei doubled over again in pain. 

Erae stepped forward. “We have to get him back now.”

“It looks like we have to jump…” said Sofia, inspecting the distance from the cliff edge to the gate. 

“Did you say jump?” exclaimed Hasil. “Are you crazy?”

Erae looked at Sofia and then towards the confused men. “Would you be willing to help one last time?”

Hasil and Russ exchanged nervous glances. Relieving Erae, they helped Roquewei towards the cliff edge. Erae leaned down to pick up the sword and tossed it through the gate.

To their new friends, the weapon simply disappeared in midair.

“Wh-where did it go?” Russ asked, amazed.

Erae looked at Sofia. “Are you ready?”

Gulping, she gripped Porgi tightly and nodded. With Erae’s assistance, Sofia jumped from the cliff’s edge back to Lyfay.

Returning to the others, Erae hiked Roquewei onto his back. Turning to the men, he said, “Gentlemen, thank you for everything.”

“Yes,” Roquewei said weakly. “Thank you, friends.”

“I-its is an honor,” Hasil replied, “to be a friend of elves.” Russ, starstruck, nodded in agreement.

The blonde elf turned and called to Harton. “Hurry before it closes, Dlam!”

Looking one last time at the men, Erae said, “Síocháin, friends!” before jumping with Roquewei off the cliff and through the gate. 

As the group prepared to go through the gate, Harton noticed some nearby bushes rustling. Curious, he probed through the foliage and was surprised by what he found. When Erae called, Harton looked around before gently picking up his discovery and running to leap straight into the quivering. The rippling air immediately stilled.

Hasil and Russ stood in shock and awe. Finally Russ said, “Ain’t no one ever gonna believe this.”

Hasil slowly shook his head as he looked out over the cliff. “Definitely not.”

On the other side of the gate, Harton found Erae and Roquewei lying on the ground groaning from the pull through the quivering. The Dlam turned and saw the air go still behind him. Before the elves could notice, he snuck into some nearby bushes. 

“Are you alright?” Sofia rushed forward. She reached the elves and knelt beside Roquewei, moving to open his robe. 

Suddenly, Sofia felt Erae grip her wrists from behind. She looked at him in surprise.

“Just… give him some space,” said the blonde elf. He loosened his grip to embrace her. Dropping his forehead onto her shoulder, Erae released a heavy sigh.

“There you all are!” a familiar voice chimed through the forest. Kalokim came trotting through the trees, with Porgi flying before her. All the gear and equipment was still on her back.

“It’s been hours since you disappeared! Is everyone alright?” The Ghyrz took in the state of the group. “What happened?”

“A lot…” Roquewei groaned. 

Sofia felt Erae lean more heavily against her. I should set up camp. She was slowly freeing herself from Erae’s embrace when Harton appeared again out of the bushes.

“Harton, how are you?” asked Sofia.

“F-fine,” the Dlam stammered. “Kalokim… how far is the diaberry bush?”

“Just a couple of meters back.”

“Great, thanks.” As he turned, Porgi, from a nearby branch, noticed movement in the bushes behind him.

“Harton, behind you!”

Both Erae and Roquewei instantly became alert. Sofia looked around Erae cautiously, fearful of yet another attack.

But what appeared out of the bushes behind the Dlam was a small brown and white face with large ears, a black nose, and enormous eyes.

Everyone looked at the little animal in stunned silence.

“Erm… whatcha got there?” Kalokim finally asked.

The little fawn stepped out of the bushes to stand beside Harton. Roquewei slumped a little, putting his hand to his face before saying, “We have to send him back.”

“Back to what, Roquewei?” Harton demanded, surprising everyone. “There’s nothing for him to go back to.”

“Will his mother not miss him?” asked Kalokim.

“She’s gone…” Harton replied. “Lost in the blast…” 

Moved, Sofia slowly approached the new arrival. The baby deer hid behind Harton at first but eventually nuzzled her outstretched hand. The others watched in silence.

Tenderly, Sofia picked the fawn up in her arms. It felt so fragile and light. Squeezing the small creature protectively, she turned to the others.

“Let’s set up camp.”