Astrid pulled her cloak closer as her horse crunched in the half-thawed summer mud in uneven, hastened rythm. It was, like so often in these parts and times, unusually cold for the time of the year, but they could not wait. Menas had discovered goblin tracks, only a few days after they left the plagued village and then, much more troubling, those of a merchant caravan, only a few days older. And with each day, the distance in time between humans and goblins shrank. They had to act fast if they wanted to prevent both sides from massacring each other and the grim necessities of the last weeks were a dark cloud on her mind. She had to do better. She was a hero. She was supposed to save the empire, make it a better place for everyone. They rode almost day and night while she forced her mana into the animals. The beasts couldn't understand the human power, pranced and threw their heads when the adventurers pushed them beyond exhaustion, through rivers, across impossible climbs and forewent food and their bodies still continued. Astrid, in her ride, bowed her head, watched her horse and those of all the others. With great care, she probed their eyes and reactions every idle hour. What the empire demanded was enough to drive man and beast mad. It was her task to ensure the beasts would not fail before they could. She knew how dangerous a rabid horse was, how much power was in these hooves, how they were a hierachical, frightful species of being, easily startled. If her magical stimulation went on long enough, they could lose track of their limits, of who they were and what they wanted and then, all they could do was race, race, race and sometimes, fight and kill a the command of their betters, for humans-

  But still, she was a human girl and thus she liked ponies, she knew that, naturally. The horses were holding. She was holding. Menas had potions to help them when the time would come. Her reserves would be needed for the battle then. When the adventurers made camp, she cooked their soup and washed their clothes and heated the bathing water. It was that way that the days went past.

  They saw their quarry chase its prey on fields turned nothing but an expanse of mud and stone; the carriages, the fleeing humans and the pursuing goblins, on badgers grown tall and calloused, with holey fur and eyes like malicious red garnets, hot on their heels. Menas stirred his poney between the steeds of his allies, shoved rare and useful herbs into their feedbags. And the animals brayed and foamed with rage, their speed redoubling.

  "Alright, everyone! Let's put in a performance for our clients!" Gryffen yelled. Klorb and his dark mustang stormed ahead, his spear blazing with the radiant energies of the wild. The goblin horde shrieked in an alien tongue as they too spotted the heroes. A single fiery volley shrieked forth from their mounted archers towards the merchants' wagon. Wails and commands filled the ruined expanse as the riders, dark and swarthy as they shifted their mounts to intercept the human defenders. Gryffen already caught up with Klorb's charge, but Astrid knew they would not reach their foes ere another rain of arrows came. She darted behind and begann to mumble, her free hand clawing together and releasing, the rest of herself pressed to an animal pushed beyond its natural limits, a grey dart in the brown wastes. And when their enemies unleashed their wrath, she impelled aside their arrows with a stroke of her arm.

  "Astrid's got our back! Seize the initiative!" Menas cried as he strung his bow with a pouched arrow. When it hit true, a flaming cloud engulfed the first of the monsters and flung their line about. The Demesian laughed. "That's how you worship the Lady of Death!"

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  "And some for mine!" Gryffen raised his hand and spears of light shot out, chasing the Goblins no matter where their cowardly flight took them.

  "Hoh! Looks like Gryffen made Klorbs day brighter!" Klorb laughed as he charged now into the disorganised bulk, his great axe carving left and right. The bulk of their foes splintered and turned, in wild flight now.

  "Don't gawk! Kill! Don't let them escape or our wards can't ever be save!" Menas cried and Gryffen darted off to intercept and laughed as the setting sun of the east gilted his armor. No matter how fast the sinister villains were, Astrid yelped in pain as she gave her entire energy to his horse and overtook them before they had even reached the next hill. Those who wised up and did not surrender immediatly, he captured in chains of dazzling light. The imperial wizardess smiled as she found her trust in her fellow heartlander paladin justified.

  The demesian rogue then jumped of his horse in a spiralling sombersault, the white mana mist exploding out of his flanks. He landed on a beast in iron armor and pierced it right through the eye, then darted between each foe still standing in an explosion of gray mist, each move calculated, mechanical precision and the rabble fell before him like flies. Their numbers, their experience, their commander, their ferocity did not matter when the human reached the warrior and they stood in the eye of the miscoloured storm, parrying every blow with unstained brows. He and Klorb were men and victory was their birthright. When they darted away from each other, the fight was over in minutes. Only a single, cringing goblin survived and Menas clapped him in chains.

  When all was said and done, they hurried to the merchants, the criminals in tow. Astrid's mood darkened when she saw them huddled around a burned-outwagon, mourning and crying. She cast icy glances to the wretches who Gryffen and Menas dragged along. Gryffen gave her a nod.

  "I am sorry we could not safe them."

  The merchant face was steel framed around a silken mantle. "Her. My little girl. And her dog."

  Astrid nodded. "I am sorry we could not safe her."

  The head shook inside the cloth's confines. "Don't be sorry. You did what you could. Just make sure that no child-killing, thieving goblin escapes your just punishment."

  Astrid nodded. "We do what we can."

  Some people left the wagon now, two bundles in their arms. Astrid was startled by how small they were. His voice was steel. "No. Do what you must. Protect the empire. Protect its people."

  Astrid paused. There was a frightful fierceness in the last words. Thankfully, Menas aided her.

  "Good men, i must talk business with you. We have another task ahead. If you would please, could send word to mobilize a demesian company? Just deliver a letter to the next Adventurer Guild in my name, really. My contacts will know what to do from there. A necromancer most vile is afoot, raising the dead and perchance building an army. Who knows if he gave armor and evil plans to these goblins? We need to be prepared." The men quickly erupted into details and Astrid stumbled away. Gryffen was there for her.

  There was something in her eyes. "Do we really have to do it? Really kill them without regret?"

  "Be unworried my loved. Ye, we must be hard and strong. There must be no mercy for those who abuse their freedom and our tolerance to end all freedom and tollerance. And being free means the freedom to take consequences. The goblins have to pay for their decisions. But we can be with mercy. There is a place in the empire for those who see the Light and those who see Progress."

  She held his hand, gently. She smiled, renewed of purpose.