As our Heroes step fourth, they finally notice the lair just beyond a small sand dune in front of them. It is a simple cave, emerging from the ground; nonetheless its inside is pitch black and undecipherable from the outside.
"It's certainly dark in there, Lil," Locke notes. "We're going to need your keen eyes for this one. Remember what I said: both of us come back, or we don't come back at all, right?"
Li smiles, responding, "Right. But I'm afraid not even I can see in that darkness. We're going to need some light."
After Lil finishes speaking, she withdraws her orb from her bag and waves over it with her hand. A light begins to emit from the orb and she looks to Locke before saying, "You've got the Crystal, don't you?"
"It's right here," Locke answers, tapping his coin pouch which is located on the front of his belt. "Our secret weapon is ready."
With a light source and the Crystal at their disposal, the two enter the cave. It is a straight forward cave, having only one tunnel which leads forth and downwards into the earth. As they make their way forward, they notice a bend in front of them and just beyond the bend they hear a slow, loud snore.
"Time for a rude awakening," Locke announces to Lil as he motions with his thumb pointing around the bend.
Lilanei whispers back, "Get ready.”
As our Heroes, led by Locke, slowly creep their way around the bend, they are taken slightly aback as they see the monstrous sight before them that is the Basilisk. Four arms on each side of its body, the reptile is curled on the ground, its snout resting on the floor as it seemingly dreams away.
Locke looks to Lil, and with a whisper announces, "Let's wake this thing up and make it our little pet."
Locke withdraws the Crystal and holds it up towards the Basilisk. As he does so, the Crystal starts to pulsate with energy until it begins to glow, suddenly illuminating the room in a golden light. Both Locke and Lilanei then feel a strange tingling sensation crawl down their flesh as the Crystal's magic begins to take hold and go into effect. Finally, the Crystal rapidly dims until it is simply a shell of its former self and slightly cracks in Locke's grasp. Hearing this small but sharp sound, the Basilisk's eyes slowly begin to creep open as it sluggishly takes notice of our Heroes.
"Hello Anole!" Locke shouts in a mocking greeting. "You owe some friends of ours a blood debt. Time to pay the price!"
Immediately, before the Basilisk can respond in any way, Locke charges towards him, letting out a roaring battle cry as he takes his sickle from its sheath. Once Locke is within striking distance, he seemingly disappears, using great speed and agility to then reappear at the Basilisk's side, where Locke takes the opportunity to plunge the sickle – tip, jagged teeth, and all – into the its scales. Meanwhile holding her position from across the room, Lilanei begins to rub her palms together as she starts to chant a magical spell. After successfully completing her chant, a silver orb of magical force begins to form between her palms, separating her hands as it grows larger and larger. Finally, with a strong thrust, Lilanei throws the ball forth and it collides directly with the Basilisk's snout, which upon impact shatters into many sharp silver shards of energy.
Feeling confident from her successful attack, Lil then unsheathes her dagger with a huge grin as she begins to dash forward at the Basilisk. However, Anole – now fully aware of his attackers – glares down at Lil with an intimidating gaze. She feels her legs grow heavy beneath her and she slows until she stops fifteen feet in front of the Basilisk, unable to move anymore.
"Lil, what are you doing?" Locke cries. "You got a good hit – follow it up!"
Lilanei cries back, "I. . . I don't know. I simply cannot move anymore!"
"Oh, excrement!" Locke cries in anger. "What good was that Crystal?"
"I don't think I'm being petrified," says Lil. "This must simply be another one of the creatures attacks."
As our Heroes confer over the length of the room, the Basilisk has now turned to Locke and its eyes now glow with a frightening gray light. As Anole glares down at his quarry, Locke begins to feel a tingle in his body as if the monster's attack is beginning to take effect, but before his petrifying gaze can take a hold of Locke's body, the effects of the Crystal show themselves as an aura forms around Locke's body. Pulsating with energy, the feelings that stirred within Locke soothingly wear away.
"Ah," Locke snidely says. "It looks like the Crystal has worked its magic. What's wrong, Anole? Should I be scared of you now? Oooo!"
Gaining more confidence in knowing that the Crystal protects them, Locke clutches his sickle tightly and once again makes an attempted attack at Anole. He lunges forth, his sickle pointing out in front of him as he notes that his steps seem slower than usual – reminding him of the many times Akorinn made him run around town with what he called "ankle weights" strapped to his feet. Despite being slowed down, Locke nevertheless remains unphased as he attempts his attack on the Basilisk, but Locke then also realizes that as he raises his arm, his arms feel just as heavy as Lil's feet. Being unprepared for this, his arm simply drops down to his side, his attack failing.
Feeling too heavy to move from her position, Lilanei instead settles for another Magic Missile attack. She points her dagger forth and a bright orb begins to form at its tip before blasting from the blade, colliding directly with Anole's right side. The Magic Missile hits Anole, causing a mighty burning sensation to run through its body. This feeling is one Anole hasn't felt in countless years – the feeling of pain.
Still, the monster is undeterred by the young wizard's attack and continues to concentrate its attention on the young man in front of him. Anole's eyes begin to glow once again as he attempts to petrify the human and turn him to stone, but just as before this attempt fails and Locke remains quite soft and quite unturned.
"Ha! It's not your lucky day, is it, you slimy git!" Locke spouts to Anole before this time taking his crossbow and an arrow. Even though his moments are slower than before, Locke loads his crossbow with the arrow, which clicks into place. Locke then in his own mind swiftly raises it to Anole, despite in reality his speed being considerably slowed. Locke fires off the arrow before immediately reaching back and pulling out another, and when he fires it, Locke pulls out one more arrow, allowing a trio of arrows to fly at Anole. Each arrow collides with Anole – the first arrow piercing its front shoulder girdle, the second piercing its opposing shoulder girdle, before the final arrow finds its into the center of Anole's head. The arrow digs into its head far enough to make a flesh wound and cause it to bleed, but not to mortally wound it. Due to the immense pain he is now in, Anole's eyes close as it roars and begins to shake its head as if its senses have become impaired from Locke's attack.
Pleased with her last result, Lil aims yet another magical bolt at the lizard, hoping to strike it in its injured shoulder; however, as Anole roars, he suddenly shifts causing the bolt of magical energy to pass him before it strikes the cave wall, causing the cave to rumble slightly as a few rocks drop out from the ceiling above them and raise some dust from the floor as the rocks hit the ground. Enraged and blind, Anole leaps forward, taking a bite at anything he can find. By a matter of luck, it manages to strike Locke in the side of his lower torso as its teeth puncture his attire and bite into his flesh, causing Locke to scream out in dire agony. Wanting to get away from Anole and its crushing jaws, Locke, as quickly as he can, limps away from Anole to its side before he takes another arrow, loads his crossbow, and fires – this time the arrow plunging into Anole's side as the wound immediately draws blood from between his scales. After seeing the Basilisk's massive bite strike Locke, Lil attempts to come closer; however her feet are still too heavy and so she comes just shy of five feet from the creature. With an angry snarl, she thrusts her finger forward, concentrating her magic as she begins to chant. As she chants, she is surrounded by a glowing aura, and in moments, Anole bursts into deadly red flames.
Anole's vision gradually returns as the first thing he notices is Locke at his side. With a massive roar, the creature rears its sharp fangs and thrusts its mouth towards Locke in an attempted bite. However, as it is engulfed in flames, the Basilisk hisses in pain. Just as it is about to strike Locke, it withdraws and raises its head as if he cannot take the burning that pulsates through his own body. At this point, Locke takes his sickle again and raises it above his head before then trying to slam the blade down into Anole's back, but as he tries to pierce Anole's back, it flicks his tail – catching Locke's heels and sweeping him off his feet so he lands on his back beside him.
Lilanei, her finger still thrust forward, then raises the palm of her opposite hand and thrusts it into the air as a violent crackle begins erupts from the ground around her. However, just as it peaks, the spell falls flat and the crackling ceases. Anole, stubborn in its attacks, once again lunges at Locke with a massive snap of its jaws, but as it attempts a bite, Locke quickly rolls to the side and makes his way to his feet. This causes the bite to once again miss as its teeth snap together, causing the creature further discomfort. Locke then clutches his sickle tightly and dives towards Anole, bringing his arm back as he then snaps it forwards in a thrust. The sickle is sent plunging into Anole's already wounded shoulder girdle which causes more blood to pour from the wound.
Lilanei, taking a deep breath, thrusts this time both of her palms into the air as she concentrates and attempts her magical attack once more; nevertheless, Lilanei can't seem to appropriately focus her mind on her magical spells due her weariness from the intense heat of the desert. Anole, enraged and exhausted, musters all his energy as he attempts to spin in a circle and whip his tail at our two adventurers. Locke sees Anole's tail whip towards him and determined not to be caught by it jumps into the air, hopping over the tail as it swings under him. Lil, however, is unaware and is immediately caught in the back of her heels. The tail sweeps her feet out from under her and knocks Lilanei down onto her backside.
With a sense of urgency as he sees Lilanei in a prone position, Locke calls out Anole's name causing it to hiss and look towards Locke. As Anole turns, it is met with Locke's right boot slamming against its snout. It hisses and shakes his head as Locke uses this time as an opportunity to leap towards Anole, taking his sickle in both hands as he raises it up above his head. With all his might, Locke thrusts his arms down and causes the sickle to plunge deeply within Anole's skull, killing the Basilisk instantly. As the Basilisk lies dead and his tongue droops out of its mouth onto the stone floor, Lilanei rises to her feet, patting her clothes down of sand and dust as Locke lets out a sigh of relief and exhaustion. Sheathing his sickle, Locke looks to Lil.
"I'd say that was a job well done," He says with a smile before then looking down at Anole and allowing himself a triumphant spit on his fallen adversary; Locke then kneels down beside Anole and withdraws his sickle. With a smile, he pokes the sickle against Anole's head and says, "Told you I was going to make you into a pair of boots."
Locke jabs the sickle tauntingly at Anole's head before he slices off a few scales, which he takes in his hand and stands up.
He looks to Lil and then announces, "I want the people of that village to see this, so that they may feel some vindication for their loved ones who have perished before them."
Just as Locke completes his touching monologue, the dead Basilisk's body suddenly spasms, its head knocking Locke in the shin.
"Ack!" Locke cries as he steps back, his sickle poised and ready to strike.
Lil chuckles as she approaches Locke in front of the Basilisk's head, "It serves you right for being so spiteful."
"I'm not spiteful," Locke replies. "I did this so that Esra's people will no longer feel in fear of this thing."
Lil nods before removing the glass vial from her bag and announcing, "Now we just have to fill this bottle and our mission will be complete."
"Outstanding," Locke says, raising his thumb in approval. "Let's do it quickly and get back."
Lil gracefully kneels down in front of the lizard's head, placing the vial just beneath the area where Locke had hacked some of its scales off of. Although slowly, the blood trickles steadily from the monster's wound and into the vial. Moments pass before the monster's blood begins to congeal; however, by this time, the bottle is successfully filled, which Lil plugs with a rubber stopper. Then bidding a triumphant farewell to the desert and making their way back to the village with great speed, our heroes feel a great sense of pride over what they have accomplished. Soon, they traverse the savanna successfully to their own surprise and relief as well as make their way through the forest. They return once more to the giant wall of growth which blocks Willow's Keep from the rest of the world. Barely a moment passes before the large wall parts for our Heroes, allowing them entry as Esraniel awaits them on the other side – her smile wide and gracious.
"Lilanei! Locke! You've made it!"
"As if there was any doubt," Locke says with a chuckle. "The fearsome Anole isn't so fearsome anymore. The beast is dead." Locke announces before holding up a handful of its scales. "Your people have nothing to fear anymore."
Esra's smile grows wider by the minute as she exclaims, "Wonderful! Was the Crystal of any assistance to you?"
"Yes," Lil begins, before glancing at Locke, who still holds it in his bag. "But I'm afraid during our fight, the Crystal cracked and doesn't seem to be emitting anymore power."
At this point, Locke retrieves the Crystal from his bag with his free hand and hands it to Esra, "It seemed to die as soon as it somehow shielded us from the Basilisk's powers. I doubt you'll need it anymore, but as it's still the village's treasure, we brought it back."
Esra observes the Crystal in her hands before simply placing it in her pouch and smiling up at our two Heroes, "You are right. It matters not now, as the Basilisk has been defeated. What's important now is restoring the people. Let us not waste time – quickly now!"
The trio then make their way back quickly to the tree house. As they enter the main chamber, Esra immediately darts around the tree trunk in the centre of the room and into the back. She stands before a large wall, but with a wave of her hand, the seemingly sturdy planks which form it simply shift to the sides quietly, revealing a hidden room. As they enter the room, they notice many bookshelves lining the walls, full to the brim with old texts. Lil's eyes bulge out in pleasure upon seeing the books.
"This is your idea of Nirvana, eh?" Locke asks Lil quietly as he notes the wide eyed expression she wears.
Not able to hear his question, Lilanei darts into the centre of the room, looking around at the many books in a daze as she exclaims, 'There's. . . so many! Where do I begin?"
Locke walks up to Lil and takes her by the shoulders before pulling her away from the shelves.
"You don't, my little book worm," Locke announces. "Let Esra do what she needs to do without hindrance."
With a frown, Lil crosses her arms across her chest and shuffles her feet in frustration. Meanwhile, Esra has already made her way to a lone desk sitting in the back which bares a single open tome on its flat surface. Reaching into a drawer in front of the desk, she retrieves a small pot which she places on a Bunsen burner on top of the desk before lighting a small flame underneath it.
"I will need the blood. I will also a few more things from the bookshelves. Locke, Lilanei – if you could, I would appreciate it if you would hand me these items as I describe them from the text of this book," Esra explains, quietly concentrating on the text.
Lilanei immediately hands her the vial of blood which Esra now pours into the pot, before the young half-elf inquires, "This is a pretty elaborate room. I did not realize elves put much faith into alchemy."
"Normally, we don't," she says, the duo sensing a slight smile grow on her face as her back is turned to them. "But our father was a peculiar man. Though he may sound cruel for ridding our village of humans and half-humans, he was an open minded man nonetheless. He explored the arcane as well as experimented in the ways of alchemy. It was this very reason that he was able to forge the Crystal in the first place and return the villagers to their true forms. Now, if you would be so kind, the blood has begun to boil. I now need. . . Oh no!"
"What?" Locke cries, withdrawing his sickle. "Are we under attack?"
Esra simply shakes her head in disbelief.
"The text. . . It's scrambled! I can't make out any of these words!" She cries.
". . . Hm," Locke murmurs. "Bit of a faux pas there. Have you never read these books before?"
Lil interrupts, "Why would she have? She doesn't live here.'
". . . True!" Locke finally says, seeing Lil's point.
Esra, turning to our Heroes, states, "We are just going to have to make do. The first item on the list says 'EON HOYL WAETR.'"
Locke strolls over to the table and peers down at the book. While indeed the words are scrambled, Locke is thankful that the letters are written in common. He brushes his long hair out of his face with his palm as he thinks of a possible answer.
". . . Eon. . . Um, one?. . . Yes, one. . . Ho—ly. . . Yes, Holy. . . Water. One Holy Water!"
Lil, who at this point is standing behind them, looks quickly around the room, spotting a single vial of Holy Water on one of the lower shelves.
"Got it!" She exclaims as she rushes to Esra, who pours the water into the pot.
"Okay," Esra says. "The next ingredient is 'EON AILV FO NIACOCRD ADCI.'"
Locke once again looks at the book to try and solve the puzzle.
"Well, that word is one," Locke says, noticing a pattern as he eyes skim to the next word. "This is vial, since we've had things in vials already, I think." Locke then pauses to think. "The last word is acid, so what could this third word be?. . . Hm." After a few moments, Locke snaps his fingers. "Okay. Lil, try looking for One Vial of Draconic Acid."
Hearing these words, Lil instantly responds as she spots the vial she needs across the room, snatching it up and bringing it to the pot which she then pours in.
Esra, feeling slightly more confident, exclaims, "Next, we need 'TOW RHUICN ELPASR!'"
This time, Locke grabs a scrap piece of paper as this ingredient seems a bit more difficult to decipher. He immediately writes down the word “two” which is what the first word is. Locke begins to scribble various words under the second word until he gets what he feels is the logical answer, “urchin.” Finally, after much thinking, Locke finally writes something that is associated with an urchin – “pearls.”
"Lil," Locke finally says. "Find Two Urchin Pearls."
Lil immediately complies, noticing just a few shelves away from where she stands a jar of glittering pearls. She reaches into the glass jar and withdraws two of these pearls before she places them into the boiling mixture on the desk.
As she does so, Esra reads out loud, "This next ingredient has a sketch of a flaming bird drawn next to it, and it states 'RUOF NEPXOIH ETEHSFRA.'"
Lil suddenly exclaims, "Phoenix!"
Locke looks at the scrambled words once more, "Four, perhaps?. . . Yes, four. So, Four Phoenix. . . Feathers!"
Lilanei then steps to the centre of the room as she thoughtfully peers at the surrounding bookshelves. She is almost prepared to give in when she finally spots four glittering feathers sitting on a high shelf in a jar. She takes the jar after reaching for it on her toes and swiftly takes it to Esra, who gently dips the feathers into the mixture.
Esra then begins, "This one also has a sketch. It appears to be a chubby bird with a cold glare."
Lil immediately recognizes the description and exclaims, "That's a Cockatrice!"
Esra continues, "The text says 'UORF EOCIATCKC AETREFHS.'"
"Four Cockatrice Feathers!" Locke immediately announces, and just as he finishes his final word, Lil appears beside him, already holding the jar which contains the feathers. Esra then removes four of the feathers and dips them into the potion as well. As the final feather makes contact with the boiling liquid, it turns an eerie green as it begins to emit a glow – the potion finally complete.
"Whoa, I think that's brewing," Locke announces.
Esra nods as she blows out the flame from underneath the pot, allowing it to cool for a brief moment before she carefully spoons the mixture into another vial.
"Be careful with it," Locke notes. "I don't know if you have enough ingredients to make another batch!"
Lilanei, obviously enjoying herself, exclaims, "We can always run out and get more!"
"I haven't seen many Phoenixes. . ." Locke mutters.
Before our duo can begin another petty argument, Esra turns to them with the glowing vial and asks, "Shall we restore the village now?"
"Do let's!" Locke answers, taking and clutching the vial in his hand. "Let's wake up your people."
Esraniel, Locke, and Lilanei then return to the village to administer the potion to each of the petrified elves. As their bodies begin to slowly morph back into flesh and bone, moans echo throughout the village – moans of both soreness and of sadness for those who they do not find alive. Satisfied that the village has been restored, the trio return to Adiel's tree house, finally administering the final three drops of potion to their elven leader and her two consorts. Their faces contort as their bodies turn from gray stone to their natural pale hues. As her vision adjusts, Adiel slowly begins to speak, at first stumbling over her words.
"What is the meaning of this?" She slowly begins before her eyes begin to focus on Esra who now stands before her. "Esraniel. . . Esra! The Basilisk! I remember it all clearly now. Where am I? Are the people safe?!"
"Your people are fine, madame," Locke announces as he steps forward into her line of sight. "The Basilisk you and your people feared is dead by the hands of myself and my cohort here." Locke then holds up the scales of the Basilisk as he did to Esra earlier. "Your people no longer have anything to fear."
Despite his explanation, Adiel's face suddenly contorts to an angry one as she glances at Locke and to Lil who stands behind him.
"Humans!" She exclaims. "Surely you jest, Esra! You know the rules of this village!"
Esraniel instantly takes the defensive, "These humans saved both mine and the village's life! Even yours, Adiel. So no, I do not jest!"
"Yes," Locke puts in. "I, a human, who you seem to hate so much took it upon myself to venture into the dangerous unknown to slay this fearsome beast. My only reason for doing so was to help your sister and your people. Surely, despite your rules, you can overlook who I am and see the goodness I have done. The same is said for Lil; she risked her life – not for profit, not for glory, but for the satisfaction of doing a good deed for some one who needed it."
Adiel merely rolls her eyes as she turns her back on the adventurers to face her consorts who now stand staring in awe at the first human male they have ever seen.
Their leader mutters, "I care not about what you may have sacrificed or why. You are humans all the same and humans have no place in Willow's Keep. However, I am not heartless. I will allow you to stay for just one night. But if you are not gone by sunrise, my men will show you where we keep. . . your type."
"Pfftt," Locke mutters. "So that's it? No. You know what? Forget it. I don't need your token one night in Willow's Keep. I'm not staying where I'm not really welcome. I left a place that made me feel that way for a long time. Lil, you can stay if you want, but then you can meet me out in the forest in the morning. Madame, I said before you are beautiful. Truly you are, but you have a tongue as sharp and as venomous as the Basilisk you feared so. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered and just let Willow's Keep stay as stone-like as the Caretaker of the Temple. By the way, he requests some company every now and then. He's a nice man. . . well, pillar of stone. You could probably learn something from him—"
As he begins to ramble on, he feels a small pressure on his upper left arm as Lil grasps it from behind him as a sign for him to stop talking.
As she does so, Adiel scoffs, "You may do as you like, human. In any case, I have no more time for your trivial banter."
Adiel then steps fourth, pushing her two consorts to the side, and makes her way between them, retreating to her bed chamber. For a moment, her two female consorts eyes remain locked on the young male rogue in front of them; however with a giggle they soon take each other's arms and run into the back following their leader.
"Of all the stuck up, putrid. . ." Locke growls, clenching his fist tight. "We shouldn't have bothered. I should have just let these people stay as stone statues. Maybe I could've sold one. A pretty one – not that witch!"
With a somber tone, Lilanei's voice begins to speak from behind him, "I used to know somebody just like that witch."
On that note, Lil loosens her grip on his arm and walks out of the tree house, leaving Locke alone with Esraniel. For a moment, Locke watches Lil leave, dumbfounded as to what could be the matter. He looks to Esra and his gaze softens a bit.
"Esra, I have no quarry with you," He announces. "You are a lovely young lady, and if what I've said offended you, I apologize. But I didn't expect such a harsh greeting, considering I put my life on the line for your sister's village and her people."
Esra smiles as she looks towards Locke, explaining, "My sister just cannot come to accept the fact that a race she has hated for so long has finally destroyed the one thing this village feared most. If I know my sister, she has retreated for the night to prevent having to admit to this fact. I am sure that the rest of the village will be thankful for what you have done for them. And if you would do me one last favour, I would love it if both you and Lilanei stayed for the night."
"Well. . ." Locke sighs before smiling. "Since you put it that way, how can I refuse? Very well; we'll stay. But I suppose I'd best go and find Lil to tell her we'll stay with you."
With that, Locke gives Esra a small wave and walks out of the tree house, as he immediately scans the deck for Lil. He sees Lilanei, sitting with her back to him on the edge of the wooden deck, her legs dangling off the deck and in the air. Locke quietly walks over to her and crouches down beside her.
"You know, Esra has said we can spend the night with her," He announces. "I'm up for that; how about you?"
Lil stares forward before responding simply, "Yes, why not? It should be nice."
Locke notes the slightly blank state of her eyes before he frowns and simply asks, "Lilanei, what's wrong?"
"What you said inside there about Adiel," she slowly begins, "I used to wonder that every night when I was a child." Lil then looks to him with a feeble smile and says, "It just brought back a lot of bad memories."
Locke looks at Lil, his eyes wide as his lips remain as straight as an arrow; he gulps slightly before placing a hand on his chest, "Was that because of me?"
Lilanei simply nods as she again stares straight ahead.
". . . Lilanei," Locke begins, taking a gulp as guilt begins to ravage his thoughts causing a stir within his stomach. "I know I was such a heartless fiend to you when we first met, and I am truly sorry for that. I was just doing what I thought my father wanted me to do, and I merely sought his approval of me. You know, Akorinn forcing himself and his ways on me like that was the best thing that could've happened to me because it allowed me to finally see that people are people all the same. It doesn't matter what they look like, or what their background is. Because of that I stand here now with the best friend I have ever had in my life, and the only true friend I feel I will ever have in my life. You're such a beautiful soul, and not even that Basilisk's bite could pain me as much as seeing you upset like this. I'm sorry, my friend," Locke finally finishes as he places his arms around her shoulder, squeezing her in a hug.
As Locke hugs Lil, her cheeks turn a deep red; however she says nothing, instead enjoying the affection.
Wanting to cheer her up and make her feel better, Locke softly kisses her forehead and strokes her hair slightly before saying, "That was the past and I can't change it. And nothing can ever change our friendship as it is now. We bicker, and we argue, and you assault me on a regular basis – but you are my best friend and family. Forget about the past, and forget about a little boy who was too stupid to appreciate such a great person."
Lil's flushed cheeks turn even more red as Locke continues, and unable to cope, she shoves herself back, knocking Locke onto his backside as she swiftly climbs to her feet and turns to face him.
She then throws him a nervous smile before extending her hand to him and blurting, "Apology accepted."
Locke looks at Lil's hand before giving her a wide smile and taking her hand, standing up as he is assisted by Lil.
He squeezes her hand a little and pats her on the back, before he looks to the entrance of the tree house and says, "Make no mistake – Adiel makes a more photogenic statue than she does a person. We could've received some serious coin if we left her as she was and sold her on, eh?"
Lil instantly frowns, narrowing her eyes as she states, "Photogenic, eh? You're so predictable. . . Men! All the same!"
Locke brushes his hair with his palm before emitting a slight chuckle, "I bet all the men in Willow's Keep would've agreed with me there. Surely you feel a little dejected that after risking your life for her, the best she can do is say that to us. You know, it scorned me that she didn't thank you either."
Lil's face now turns serious as she glances into the tree house, "Well, if you know racists like I do, you'd know that they are cruel and unapologetic. When we're gone, she'll never think twice of us, but. . ." she pauses, now looking down off the deck and into the village. "I'm sure the rest of them may feel differently now."
Upon hearing this, Locke rubs his hands together and lets his tongue flick his canines, as he says in a slightly gritty voice, "Well, let's get down to that local tavern and find out. A good heroes' reception is always welcome!”
Lil glares daggers at him before punching him in the gut and walking towards the tree house to find Esra, muttering, "All the same. . ."
Locke holds his stomach for a moment, watching as Lil walks back into the tree house; he takes some air in, helping him get over the feeling of being winded before his lips curve upwards into a smile as he says to himself, "That's better."
After finding Esraniel, the elven archer brings our Heroes down to the village and they are treated to a great elven feast as the elves celebrate the duo's success – as well as quietly mourn and celebrate those lives which were lost to the Basilisk. Although Adiel does not show herself throughout the night, Locke and Lilanei are admitted into her reception chamber where they once again make their bed on the soft carpet and cushions. At last, our Heroes finally lay their heads to rest in the comfort of the elven tree house – their minds now completely at rest after having defeated the evil beast which plagued their ally's home. With the satisfaction which comes upon completing a good deed, they drift into sleep, vague smiles permanently etched on their faces as they dream into the night. Although their future is a mystery, they know at least one thing with certainty – they were making the best of the time they had now, and soon they would set off once more, together facing the many dangers of the world with a blooming sense of confidence.
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