Blue claws tore the door behind them off its hinges. Blue clawed feet bellowed and stamped, below it.  Just then, forms in a blur of blue scales stormed through another door and into the chamber. Haryk, heaving himself to his full height, pulled the massive ring off the chamber floor and thrust it upward with all of his mouse-sized might. It rocked and shook side to side but eventually held still enough for him to maneuver it towards the tip of the barrel of his still full-sized gun. While the minute Haryk was rocking the little ring back and forth in front of the pistol, Areia lunged at Hasai. The shard of glass she gripped in her hand sliced through the air but it never struck. For at the precise moment Haryk and his gun disappeared into the ring, and the precise moment the blue dragon warrior men burst through the doors, and the precise moment Areia was bringing her dagger down on Hasai’s neck, Andril finished his spell. Instantly Areia, and he disappeared too.

On the other side of the door, now in full form again. Areia spun towards Andril, but despite her speed, she never got all the way around. For behind her, in full form now as well stood Haryk, who gun in hand, pistol-whipped her over the head.  Haryk looked down to see the little squirrel squeeze under the door and run towards them. A blue claw stretched out underneath the gap, just missing its tail with a curved talon.

“Time to go!” Said Haryk. He leaned down and picked up Areia. Throwing her over his shoulder, he chased after Andril and the squirrel, already taking off down the corridor in the direction they had come from.  Behind the iron door, Hasai was screaming for the door to be opened.

“I hid the key!” Came Tahg’s squirrel voice.

Haryk wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. He was doing his best to keep up.  Over his backside, Areias’ lips were muttering, “Gohnakilluyoumuddafockas.”

Haryk ran on into the darkness, chasing after the Boy Wonder and the Bookworm. Behind him, a roar boomed like thunder, ringing down the hall after them. Thud, Thud, Thud. He holstered his weapon, and used his gun hand to keep Areia from slipping off. “Yes, yes, I know Ms. Nightshade. Onwards and forwards friends.”

Haryk couldn’t see it, but at just that moment, dozens of the blue dragon men were rounding the corner he had just passed. Each carried long curving swords. Their mad cries filled the dark spaces with tumultuous noise. Behind them, the giant head of a massive blue serpent squeezed itself through the doorframe, behind it came all of Hasai the ancient, breaking and crashing through the tunnel like a dam of angry blue flesh had burst open.