Victory.<br/><br/>Nobody was dead (though Ambrosia was half-melted and still laboring under the burden of curses and various afflictions that made her feel half-dead, even after her wounds had been fully taken care of, one was blind, et cetera) and, at least as far as they could tell, all the children were present and accounted for. The cult had been eliminated, with only a few prisoners remaining; smirking slightly, Myria allows herself to be bound by the hands and another section of rope used for an impromptu leash. The rest of the rope goes to the children, lashing them together to avoid losing any at so late a date. The altar was a wreck, full of dead ooze, and the caves below ground promptly attended to by Kaheksa and declared inert- and indeed, those of magical inclination can sense a definite lack of power belowground where there had been a faint feeling of mental pressure squeezing their minds on all sides.<br/><br/>Victory- and it wasn't even midday yet.<br/><br/>With the threats eliminated, the road should be open for the return to Kajaani; after the storm the day before, the scent of rain hangs heavily in the air even though the sky is a beautiful cloudless blue. The procession of fighters, hostages, and prisoners sets off, able to make excellent time along the logging road without all the impediments of heavy undergrowth. More than once, there's a sense of being<span style="font-style: italic">watched</span>by things inside the treeline, but nobody dares attack the group even in their diminished state and even with the temptation of helpless children to goad them onwards. It's an easy hike, one that eats the hours away with little impression made. The first time they even see someone else is when they're almost back to the town, a loud piercing whistle coming from a tree a dozen or so yards away followed by the form of a camouflaged woman dropping from the lowest branch.<a class="postlink" href="http://i.imgur.com/psvQocS.jpg">Lyla</a>, the half-elf who'd taken them to the mayor when they arrived, now looks over the group while counting under her breath- then smiles. "You did it!" She exclaims, all but hugging herself with excitement. "It's been quiet near town since you killed the rearguard; nobody else has come by to investigate that I've seen, and I see a<span style="font-style: italic">lot</span>." She laughs, more out of relief than humor. "And you're all here- and with a prisoner! ...Sir Moss will be giddy."<br/><br/>The remainder of the trip takes on the air of a more triumphal procession; as soon as the town's in sight, the children begin clamoring to be let free of the safety rope and soon enough parents trickle from the town limits themselves to rush forward and claim their kids. Dozens of tearful reunions take place in and around the procession, one by one- Myria surveys everything with a faint grin, but seems to have a good sense that if she were to speak up the party may not be able to keep her from being torn apart even if they were inclined to. Soon enough, a few guards take charge of the prisoner- "Town jail's not much, but we'll keep her in there for now. Don't expect the mayor'll leave her there long," the short fat one says with a piglike snigger. Lyla coughs, and then adds, "My... the mayor's probably waiting. He'll have heard the commotion by now through his window." And sure enough, as the children melt away one by one into the crowd and impromptu parade, they approach the mayor's office; when they enter, there are six sacks full of what look to be coins on the mayor's desk, and<a class="postlink" href="http://i.imgur.com/CL8eZX9.png">the man himself</a>appears slumped back in his chair- but smiling, for once.<br/><br/>"I wouldn't have believed you could do it." He says bluntly. "But I had to hope. Would you mind introducing me to..." he nods at Kaheksa, who's staying near the back of the room with a stone-faced expression. "Anyway, there'll be a party to thank you past the pay tonight. I do hope you'll all attend before you rush off to..." he pauses. "Wherever it is you have business next...?"<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">There! more apologies for the delay. Which brings me to something else: My work isn't going to get any lighter (in fact, I have a 10 day business trip coming up starting Tuesday with the usual patchy and uncertain availability), and while I'd be happy to keep running the game I know full well how irritating it can be to be in a play-by-post game that's slow even by the lethargic standards of the format. And there's the fact that it's taken over 6 months to do this simple introductory adventure, and we *are* at a very good stopping point. Put simply: Anyone who doesn't want to go on for any reason, this is your easy off-ramp, no hard feelings on either side!</span>