Closed.

Perhaps she intended to have a short nap, but as soon as she placed her sleeping bag on the floor, got in and closed her eyes, she fell into deep slumber.

--

Dhea awoke some five hours later, in the afternoon, and continued her journey. Trekking back all the way to the North Gate made it so she arrived in the same fork in the road in the middle of the night again. She had lost a considerable amount of time, but at least she was not so tired any longer.

The road to the Gate led through a thick forest, between clawing trees and snagging bushes. The North Gate was finally in sight and she could see its imposing, ornately carved wooden doors over the tops of guard huts and low buildings stationed at the end of the road. The huts looked quite still. One had a hole in its roof. Weed grew through the chimney of another. Perhaps they were abandoned. But between the spot she was on and the huts was still a long road, a patch of wild forest like she hadn't seen since the Hills.

- Go quickly.
- Go cautiously.
 
Dhea looked at the out of place wilderness, her eyes narrowing again. She rested her hand casually on the hilts of her blades and started walking cautiously through. She didn’t know what was going to happen and she wanted to be sure she didn’t miss anything or give her location away to whatever was lurking in the shadows.
 
Something caught her eye as she moved slowly forward - movement in the shadows on both sides of the road. Torchlight. She had seen it the previous night from the Ziggurat as well.

As she moved on, so did the shapes in the trees around her, until one finally jumped out on the road in front of her. A Werewolf, clad in metal armour. It looked the same like the one she had seen in the hull of the ship.

- Ready a weapon.
- Cast a spell.
- Wait and see what happens.
 
She held her ground, waiting. The Werewolf did not seem crazed or maniacal. There was no full moon to drive it wild. There were Vik's Werewolves, or at least that was what Dhea had learned in Khare. More of them padded down from the shadows around the path, forming an arc in front of Dhea. Then a man in a hooded cloak stepped forward.

"Friend or foe?" He demanded.

- Friend.
- Foe.
- Neither.
- Demand to be let to pass.
 
Dhea let her hands drop to her sides, letting her breath out as she examined the situation. They weren’t attacking and she wasn’t about to attack them.
“Friend.”
It seemed like the most accurate thing for her to say. She did fidget, because she was nervous at being so easily outnumbered.
 
"Wait..." The man spoke as if surprised. Then he stepped forward, taking a torch from one of the Werewolves and approaching Dhea. "Is that you, Magic?" He asked, his words slightly growled. Dhea now saw it, not a man, but an Orc with a mask over his mouth. Shank. He let out a raspy laugh, before giving her a friendly smack across the back. "Still not out of Khare, Magic! How come?" He seemed to be in a generally good mood. That was a good sign for Dhea.

- Greet him.
- Hug him.
- Ask about the Werewolves.
- Demand passage.
 
Dhea let out a short laugh, shaking her head. Of all the people she’d see...Shank was not one of them.
“I wanted to see the sights, meet some people.”
She was smiling.
It’d been awhile since she’d smiled.

Without really thinking, she hooked her arm around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze, before disentangling herself.
“What are you doing here and...what’s with the werewolves?”
 
When she hugged Shank she could hear him sniffing her as he did before. "You still smell like luck." He said, and there was a hungry look in his eyes as he leaned a bit closer to her. "Your luck help me get into Khare. These are my brothers and sisters." He gestured at the Werewolves. There were scores of them gathered now and more were coming out of the forest. "Though they are still young and untrained. But feisty and eager!" He growled raising a clenches fist in the air and the Werewolves all together let out a howl that could freeze your blood. "We are Vik's Wolves and we are taking over Khare tonight."

- Ask about Vik.
- Ask about the take-over.
- Say you need safe passage to the Gate.
 
Dhea looked over the werewolves, her eyes widening. Again, it was another twist. She was not surprised that she met these werewolves again, but to hear that Shank considered them his brothers and sisters...that was a shock.
“You’re taking over Khare?”
Her voice was low and her brow was raised. She stepped closer to Shank, her hands resting on her hips.
“Tell me more.”
 
"Can't, Magic. Orders." Shank shrugged. "But know that Vik's a dangerous and strong bastard who will make this city able to resist the shadow of Mampang. And know that as long as I'm here, you'll be welcome in the City! Hear that, Wolves!" He turned to the pack again, shoving Dhea forward not very gently. "Remember her scent! Don't ever lay a paw on her!" The Werewolves growled and whined in a language that she did not understand, but Shank seemed satisfied with their answer.

The Orc stepped to her again, casually wrapping a hand over her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Wish I had time to refill on luck again." He said and then laughed coarsely. "Visit Khare again and seek me out!" He said, before letting her go.

The Werewolves in front of her parted to let her pass, carefully sniffing after her.

- Say your goodbyes and proceed.
 
Dhea had expected as much, but it never hurt to ask. She looked Shank over, her lips turning up in a soft smirk.
“It is too bad.”
She walked backwards for a moment, before walking past the werewolves, her hips swaying softly as she walked away.
“I’ll certainly visit, don’t worry.”
She looked over her shoulder and smirked, this time showing her teeth.

And then, she focused on proceeding forward.
 
the_great_gate_by_kingcloud-d3bs7wi.png

Finally, after all those days of strife in Khare, Dhea had reached the North Gate. The ground before it was wide and clear, lit by blazing torches set into brackets either side of the enormous sealed doors. If there were archers hiding in the shadows, they would have a clear sight of her. Off to one side was a well, but there was no other cover.

If the guards were patrolling the Walls Dhea should be able to see and learn their patters. However, there seemed to be no guards here at all. She was free to approach the Gate and as soon as she did it, a phantom voice addressed her coming directly from the Gate.

"Hail, stranger. Do you know the spell which controls the Gate?" The doors were magical, that they also spoke should not be that much of a surprise.

- Recite the spell.
 
Dhea looked up at the doors, before inhaling. She needed to get this right.
“Tumblers two sealed deep inside
One lock made out of Golem's hide
By Courga's grace and Fourga's pride
I bid you, portals, open wide.“
She crossed her fingers in the hopes that she had gotten right.
No.
Dhea shifted, her whole mindset changing. She needed to stop being so unsure.
 
"Correct. You have the control." The Gate sounded, but the doors did not open. Before Dhea could command them to do so, she heard shuffling behind her.

Out of nowhere, a group of a dozen Goblins had appeared and all of them were now looking at her with interest, holding their weapons at the ready.

e2bb030be6ae3f5bb2530990754b2f12.jpg

She could see the source of them now - the well close to the Gate, they were clambering up it, swarming out of it like rats from an open sewer, a seemingly endless stream of creatures. They have surrounded her completely. And in their midst, a small figure was being pushed forward. He was wearing a dull metal circlet on his brow which he was clutching like it kept him safe. Their King, perhaps? Did the Goblins have a King? He certainly was a human, though.

- Hang back.
- Shoot the figure.
- Cast a spell.
 
Dhea hung back, her fingers tight around the hilt of her blade. She didn’t want to engage this many goblins, not until she was sure what was going on. Even if she did feel threatened. She could still get the Gate open and leave, but she was waiting on Rhain.
She couldn’t leave him behind just yet.
 
The moment she thought that, a body slammed into her, sending both of them tumbling over the ground, into the shadows unlit by torchlight. Rhain rose slightly above her, though did move, covering her body wholly with his own.

"That's Sansas." He whispered to Dhea, motioning at the old man with the circlet on his head.
"I saw you tampering with the Gate, woman!" The First Noble addressed her, looking toward them, though not managing to exactly pin their location in the darkness. "Open it, now!"

Suddenly she could hear scratching behind the Gate, like thousands of claws were scratching on it. And then the screeches. It sounded like even more Goblins were waiting on the other side, to join their brethren. To do what?

"I suspected as much. He's insane." Rhain whispered. "See that on his head. He never wore it before. This smells like some foul business of the Archmage."

- Open the Gate.
- Attack Sansas.
- Run.
- Stay silent.
 
Dhea let out a soft curse, her eyes closing. She didn’t want to open the gate yet. Nor did she want to attack anyone. There had to be some way to get the circlet of Sansas.
She looked up at Rhain, her hand gripping his forearm. She had to do something, but she wasn’t sure what.
Would magic even work?
She wasn’t sure.
 
While Dhea debated on what to do, Sansas waved ahead a couple of bulkier Goblins and they scurried toward their hiding spot. Rhain jumped up quickly, unsheathing his twin blades and muttering a mantra, ready to engage them. There was no way out now. The Goblins were at the Gate and more of the Goblins were outside of it. The only thing they had left was to fight them and hope to drive them off, however, they were only two people against the whole army.

- Fight with the bow.
- Fight with the sword.
- Cast a spell.
 
Dhea unsheathed her sword, ready to fight if her spell didn’t work. She got out the brass pendulum again, wrapping the chain around her hand as she cast a spell of sleep.
She prayed that it would work. It was all she could ask.
 
The spell worked. On two of the Goblins out front. They collapsed into the dust and Rhain quickly slit their throats as they fell. Two more were on the assassin then. He dodged to the right, circling around the creatures and backstabbing one of them, while catching the other one across the belly. Blood spilled on the dry ground, yet more Goblins followed.

"Get them!" Sansas shrieked, motioning the whole group to rush forward and capture the two of them.

The assassin fought his way beside her, falling more and more of the creatures as they came on. But, eventually some of them slipped past him, reaching Dhea.

"Analander!" Rhain called, turned toward her, seeing her surrounded by Goblins. There was something in his eyes. Fear.

- Fight!
 
It was his fear and her anger that spurred her on to fight. She slashed and hacked, letting out growls of anger as she fought. She did not understand why another person would be afraid for her again.
She didn’t understand.
She couldn’t.

But it helped her to fight.
Athdhea’s mind was clear from her grief. Which was good, especially now.
 
They fought in that bloody mess, with the Goblins pressing on, making them take a step backward with every passing moment until they were standing back to back, barely keeping the Goblins at bay.

Dhea's arms were covered in tiny nicks and cuts, her ribs were bruised and she was out of breath. Rhain looked to be in a better shape, but his movements were getting slower with each Goblin he took down. He would lose his strength soon.

"Never... thought... it would end... like this..." He gave her a bloody grin, eyes filled with battle rage. The Goblins were all around them. They were against the Wall now, no space to maneuver.

"Die!" A battle cry filled the air, echoing over the battle. The Goblins froze, turning toward the sound of the voice. Howls filled the night air. Werewolves! They burst into the Goblin lines from the forest, a huge muscular beast in the front, growling with anger. Everything burst into chaos.

The Goblins hurried to rally and cover their back, their King soon forgotten, trampled beneath their feet. Their numbers were dwindling. They were no match for the Werewolves, even though they had the numbers. They were disorganized and soon their lines were breaching, the Wolves wrecking chaos among them, tearing the bodies up. Dhea saw limbs flying as she and Rhain pushed on from their side, the Goblins now wavering, frightened, breaking the line and turning to flee back into the well.

"Hear that!" Rhain shouted near her. "Nothing from the other side of the Gate. They must have fled! Now is our chance." He said and turned to make way toward the North Gate.

- Command the Gate to open.
- Stay to see what happens.
 
Dhea pushed Rhain behind her, her eyes wide as she watched the werewolves. She had to see what happened, if only for a moment.
But the words for the Gate to open were on her tongue, resting there for when she needed them.

The werewolves had been a blessing. Admittedly a furry and violent blessing, but one nevertheless.
 
The Goblins were now almost all gone, leaving behind their dead comrades and their King, trampled and unmoving on the ground, the circled rolled off his head.

"Go, Magic!" Shank's growl reached her and she saw the huge wolf at the lead turn back into the, also huge, Orc she knew. The other Werewolves were picking u stragglers. Well, if Khare had anything against the Werewolves taking over before, now that they had saved them from an invasion, there was little that would stop Vik ascending to the throne.

"We have to go." Rhain said, clearly not wanting to linger any further.

- Open the Gate and leave.
 
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