Marco, Emmitt, and Leylin are now in some kind of loading bay, with several large crates ready for shipping set up at the back. The front of the room has a large door that retracts from the top, big enough to fit two carriages side-by-side. At the moment it is halfway open to the road out front, exposing everything to the nighttime air and leaving about half of the room under the glow of the moonlight. Marco lands next to Emmitt and Leylin crouched behind one of the large crates next to the window. They are watching what is playing out on the opposite side of the room.

  Across from their position is a small office that overlooks the rest of the space through a large window protected by a series of metal bars. Several people are trapped inside, standing at the back of the room. Several creatures are clawing at the door, including an adult brown bear, a bull, and a panda. The wolf that Marco saw earlier is walking up through the entrance to join them. Thankfully this one is much smaller than the creature Gotavv was turned into, but it still glares with glow of the moon in its eyes, just like all the others.

  “Well, this is quite something to walk in to,” Marco says. “What’s the game plan?”

  “Run up and stab them?” Leylin suggests. “Hasn’t done us wrong before.”

  Emmitt is more cautious. “Hold on, there’s a lot of them. We need to think this through first.”

  “How much time do you think those people have?”

  The bull is running a circuit around the room, bucking its head in an erratic motion as it goes. Every now and again it focuses back on the people in the office, charging directly for the window and slamming up against the bars. It is starting to bleed around the edges of its horns, but that is no source of discouragement. The other animals are similarly obsessed with their mission of bloodshed. The panda bear is repeatedly knocking its side into the door, putting strain on the hinges each time. The wolf and the brown bear are pushed up beside it, swiping with their claws.

  “If we start a fight with them, we might attract Skarann’s attention again.” Marco says. He points to the door a few feet away from the entrance to the office, towards the back of the room. “If we can get over there while they’re still distracted, we can search the warehouse without fighting anything. Emmitt can just put up a barrier to block the animals from the people inside.”

  There’s one part of that plan that doesn’t need much mulling over. This time, when the bull charges into the window, its horns do not pass through the bars, instead coming up against an invisible force. The other animals are similarly impeded from knocking at the door. Emmitt needs a moment to think over the rest of it, however. He and Leylin are eyeing the door to the next room, unsure how to proceed.

  “I’m not sure we’d be able to get over there without getting noticed,” Emmitt says.

  Leylin nods. “Same here. In fact, I’m going to say that there is absolutely no chance that we get over there unnoticed.” She notes the bull jolting around the room in a spastic manner. This time it comes dangerously close to the crate they are standing behind, and Emmitt has to duck his head to stay unseen.

  Marco as well makes sure to stand clear of the animal’s path. “Alright, then Emmitt makes a second barrier until we’ve gotten to the other side. At least we don’t have to fight any of those creatures. That’s a plus, isn’t it?”

  Emmitt and Leylin turn to each other, considering it. Emmitt nods and they shift into a standing position, preparing to run ahead. Emmitt raises a hand in front of him, trying to sharpen his focus. “Good now. Marco, you go ahead first. Leylin will be next, then me.”

  Keeping his hand raised, Emmitt watches the creatures swarming around the office. The panda is still slamming on the door in frustration, unable to make any progress. The wolf and the brown bear are snarling at the people through the window, but otherwise not doing very much. The primary issue is the bull, which seems to have a range that includes the entire room. He waits for it to pass by and slam into the window once more.

  “Good now, on your mark…”

  The bull turns around and charges back in the direction it came from, diverting from its usual circuit. Still bucking its head around like something’s pulling at it, it runs off towards the other animals.

  “Get set…”

  “WHERE ARE YOU GOING? GET BACK HERE, WE HAVEN’T FINISHED WHAT WE STARTED. STUPID COWARDS. DUMB TINY INSECT PEOPLE. RUNNING AWAY. LET ME KILL YOU!”

  The booming voice of the moon grows louder as the stars shift in the sky. A massive armored carriage runs in through the front door, pursued by laser beams fired from above. The beams strike against the side of the vehicle but leave only scorch marks. The front of the carriage is pulled by two ephemeral steeds, horses formed out of radiant orange energy. They dissipate as the carriage crashes into the animals by the office, sending both of the bears tumbling back across the room. Several more creatures are following behind the carriage, including a lion, a wildebeest, and an ostrich.

  Marco, ready to run across towards the door to the next room, is now frozen in place behind the crate. He joins Emmitt and Leylin in watching the scene play out with a look of bewilderment hidden beneath his mask.

  The door opens on one side of the carriage and several figures step into view. The first two are wearing full suits of armor, with helmets covering the top of their heads. One has a large circular shield with serrated points along the edges. The shield begins to spin at a high speed as he charges towards the brown bear. The other has a glowing blue aura emanating from each hand. He uses it to fire ice at the feet of the bull, holding it in place. As they get closer, the emblem of Copenholm becomes visible on their chest plates: two seals with narwhal-like horns crossing each other, with a single maple leaf in between them.

  “OH SURE. GO AHEAD, HIDE IN YOUR STUPID ANTHILL. SEE IF I CARE. SEE IF I’M WORRIED. I’LL JUST WATCH YOU GET KILLED BY MY ANIMALS, HOW DOES THAT SOUND?”

  There is a flash of red outside, and for a moment the building is shaking violently like the tavern was before.

  “SALT THE EARTH AND DAMN YOU ALL! THIS SHOULD BE WORKING!”

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  Two more figures step out of the carriage. One is an older woman with heavy armor from the neck down, but no helmet over her long hair that is tied back in a ponytail. She carries a massive hammer over her shoulder, walking across the room with a calm, confident expression. Following behind her is a younger woman in plain robes and no weapon in her hands. She has a burn mark across her face, and keeps her head low as the older woman swings her hammer in front of them. On impact, the wolf is sent flying across the room and smashes into the back wall, falling limp.

  Leylin watches as the battle unfolds. “Should we be…”

  “I have no idea,” Emmitt says.

  The two women continue across the room towards their location. The younger, unarmed woman takes a position behind one of the crates a few feet way, watching the fight play out from behind cover. The older woman approaches the party and reaches out to shake hands, an offer that Emmitt hesitantly accepts. “Holly Helstrom, Copenholm Republican Strike Force. You can hold back for now. We should be able to take it from here.”

  “Uh, sure.”

  Holly turns back to rejoin the fight. She finds herself facing the panda bear in one-on-one combat. As the panda charges forward with an uncharacteristic ferocity, she points her hammer at a nearby crate, which starts to shudder. She points the hammer forward and the crate is sent flying at the bear, along with various other rocks and debris that have been swept up by this supernatural force. The panda collapses to the ground. She then uses the panda as another projectile to send soaring at the wildebeest across the room, freeing up her embattled companion to step away and fire ice at the nearby ostrich.

  Emmitt glances back at the young woman crouched behind the crate across from their position. She is watching the fight with an uneasy expression, clasping the locket in her hand close to her chest. Still, she remains behind cover, waiting. Not sure what to think of that, he turns back to view the fight unfold.

  The man with the spinning shield has found himself caught between the brown bear and the lion on either side of him. He slowly steps back, waving the buzzing blade at both creatures. Holly runs in to intercept with her hammer, knocking the lion up into the air and then slamming it back down. The brown bear dashes forward and the man stumbles back as he drives the spinning saw into the creature’s chest. Holly, meanwhile, is looking over to the front entrance, where two more wolves are running over to them, followed by several other creatures.

  “In need of some assistance?” A figure in bright, shining armor leaps in through the window behind the party, holding a large sword in one hand and a shield in the other. All of his garments are polished beyond perfection, providing a blurry reflection of the party as they look over at him in confusion. He lifts up the visor on his helmet, revealing a bold, dashing smile, and surveys the situation. He then puts the visor back down and points his sword in the direction of the oncoming wolves. “You terrible beasts will all fall before me. I will always prevail, as I fight on the side of , and !”

  He charges forward as he finishes the sentence, taking a mighty swing at the first wolf in front of him. The sword slashes right through the creature, cutting it down where it stands. The second wolf rams into him, but he does not falter. Houston punches the wolf right in the snout, then jabs it in the side as he stumbles back.

  “Nice of you to join us, Houston.” Helstrom scowls as she uses the gravity from her hammer to throw the body of the first wolf at an oncoming donkey. Houston strikes a heroic pose as he braces for the last wave of animals.

  “I was performing a flanking maneuver, to take the forces of evil by surprise!”

  “You were late.”

  “Even can only travel so quickly on foot.” Houston slams his shield into an approaching antelope and finishes it off with a swipe of the blade. He then throws his sword onto a nearby crate, heaves himself on top of it, takes his sword, and leaps forward with a downward strike to take out the large iguana shuffling into the room. “Aha! I have bested you, foul creature. Another victory for !”

  As he raises his sword in the air, something is going on outside. It starts as a slight crackling noise, with no clear source of original. Gradually it gets louder until it is clear that there is something massive forcing its way through the forest, entire trees being knocked over in its path. A ginormous elephant charges onto the road, running across to the warehouse.

  Before anyone can react the elephant has smashed through the upper half of the door, sending pieces of it falling all over. Half of the room is now exposed to the moonlight, with Holly standing directly in the middle of it. She dives out of the path of the elephant, making the jump with no issue and safely landing out of the way. But as she scrambles to get to her feet, she wastes the precious few seconds she had left to get back into the shade. Her body shrinks away until there is nothing left but an earthworm lying on the floor, her final gasp cut short.

  The elephant breaks out of its charge, redirecting itself towards the man with the spinning shield. The man tries to hold up the shield in defense, but is quickly knocked to the ground and completely trampled. Houston is caught in the crossfire, knocked onto the ground as the elephant turns its head. His armor protects him from the moonlight, but there is little else he can do but scramble away towards the back of the room.

  Throughout all of the chaos, Emmitt is still focused on maintaining the barrier protecting the office. Leylin is holding her shield ready, standing in front of the others. Marco holds his swords ready, unsure whether he should intervene. He gives a glance over to the young woman behind the crate nearby. She is closing her eyes and taking deep, careful breaths, still holding her pendant.

  “Hey, over here!” Marco tries to wave her over, but she is not paying attention. Eventually he turns back to Houston Wales, shuffling across the floor.

  “Johannes! Johannes! The slip and slide maneuver, just like we practiced!” Houston pulls himself up and runs to the back of the room as the elephant starts to tear up some of the crates at the front. Standing beside the office, the one other remaining soldier from the strike force reaches out his arms and emits a spray of ice, leaving a thin sheet along the middle of the floor. Houston stands in front of the back wall, waving his sword in front of him. There is blood dripping out of his visor, but it does not seem to hinder his spirit. “Is that all you’ve got hateful beast?”

  The elephant focuses in on Houston, the light of the moon fully visible in its eyes. It charges forward. Just as they are about to meet, Houston rolls to the side, avoiding the weight of the massive creature. The elephant smashes through the back wall, tearing down the end of the building. Both the elephant and Houston are sent falling off of the cliff and into the water.

  “Justice will always prevaaaaaaaaaail!”

  His voice fades out as there is a series of large splashes.

  The woman crouched behind the crate opens her eyes, seeing the large hole left behind in the back wall. Taking one last deep breath, she looks down at the locket in her hands. From behind their own hiding spot, the party is unable to see the picture she is looking at. But for a moment, it is able to make her smile. She stands up straight, turning to face the creatures running into the warehouse.

  There are two creatures left, a zebra, and some kind of giant crab, scuttling across the floor. Leylin raises her shield and braces for impact as the zebra charges towards her, but the two forces never meet. Instead, the zebra is blown away and sent rolling back towards the front entrance. The crab as well tries to run forward, moving frantically with its many legs, but it too is blown backwards. Both creatures are sent tumbling all the way across the road and into the woods.

  The party slowly turns to look behind them as they realize what is going on. The young woman is now hovering over six feet in the air, a torrent of wind swirling around her and lifting the debris throughout the room. Her eyes are both glowing a bright white as she looks forward with newfound determination.

  A laser from outside swipes across her body, and she is cut in half, both sides dropping to the ground.