The two kept watching the strange man, and then, a crack echoed from above. Before they could look up, a branch with a termite's nest broke off from the tree and fell right on Cindeen's head.

"AIEE!" she yelped.

"SHH!" Elma snapped, pulling the girl's head down behind the bush.

"Ahh! There's something on me, Elma!"

"Shut up!" Elma frantically yelled back. She saw the termites and quickly covered Cindeen in a cloud of Withering Magic. It wasn't so much that it would harm Cindeen, but it stunned the termites enough that Elma could smack them off.

"WHO GOES THERE?!"

Elma covered Cindeen's mouth before the girl could yelp and stayed perfectly still, hoping that somehow they could remain undetected.

He whistled, and then Elma heard the sound of something leaping from branch to branch.

Elma cursed her misfortune as her eyes darted around. Where is it? What's coming?

A hot breath tickled the side of her face. Cindeen's muffled squeal followed. Elma, cursing her luck, glanced to her right.

A monkey with the face of a drooling goblin was staring at her. 'Goblin in a life-like monkey suit' might have been a better descriptor at this point.

"Damn it," Elma said, blank-faced.

The goblin snarled as drool poured from its mouth and splashed onto the ground between them. The smell that accompanied its breath turned Elma's stomach more than she thought possible.

She breathed out, and then in a flash, pointed her hand at it and released a cloud of Withering.

The goblin monkey screeched as it fell backward, and Elma dragged Cindeen out from the bushes. Elma and the strange cloaked man made eye contact, and she immediately raised one hand.

"Hold on!" she shouted. "We just had a terrible day and ended up here!"

Cindeen, meanwhile, was beneath Elma's arm, still clutching that arm while Elma kept muffling her.

"Huh?" the cloaked man said. His eyes were barely visible beneath his cloak's hood. Otherwise, he looked pale and sickly. The man twisted his lips. "What's going on with you? Why are you restraining her?"

Elma looked at the girl whose mouth she was still covering and then groaned. "Uhh... I'm not confident that I want to let her do anything right now."

"Pardon me?"

"Sir, please. I've had a long day. Just let us be on our way--"

"MMMMMFGH!" Cindeen said, protesting.

"I..." The man narrowed his eyes at Cindeen. "It looks to me like something suspicious is occurring here."

"You're one to talk!" Elma barked back.

"Release that young lady!"

Elma was offended--so much so that her mouth fell open. "To who? You? Some creep in the woods?!"

"I'm not a creep," he replied, taking his turn to be offended.

"Yeah? What do you think a shady guy raising goblins in the woods is?"

"A misunderstood trailblazing visionary," he said matter-of-factly.

"You know what? I heard "Crazy Creep" just now."

The man stood with his hands on his hips. "Well now. You're unpleasant."

"No, no, no. You don't get to tell me that."

The podium of branches' continued to glow ominously behind the strange visionary as he and Elma exchanged words.

"Miss, just who hurt you?"

"People like you."

"Me?" he asked, looking around. "Miss, I get it. The world is unfair and cruel. I, too, am angry at those who ridiculed me and barred me from my passions, but that does not give you the right to lash out at anyone who might happen to remind you of unpleasant times."

"What?" Elma shook her head, rattling Cindeen a little. "No. No, no, no. We are not doing this--"

"Miss, I think you should calm down and consider calm discussions of the therapeutic variety. I know a good therapist and life coach--"

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to listen to any of your recommendations!"

"Miss, that is hurtful. I have good recommendations. My friends all think so."

"Sir, do you have a response for everything?"

He shrugged. "Well, I try to be prepared for all circumstances, though..." He stared at Cindeen, who was just silently staring back. "I did not think I would have to be a hostage negotiator."

"She's not a hostage!" Elma snapped back.

"Then release her and let her speak."

Elma stared at Cindeen as she stared back. Then she looked at the man. "There is no way in Fainn's name that I am risking letting her go right now."

"Then..." The hooded man removed his hood, revealing slicked-back white hair, a pronounced brow, bags beneath his eyes, and ashy skin. "I will have to be a hero on this day."

He raised his hand, and a parrot--scratch that--a parrot with the head of a goblin landed. It let out a screech that could not properly be described as anything other than unsettling.

"The fruits of my labor... they'll show the world..."

The sound of footsteps came from all around the clearing. Slowly, more and more goblins and goblin amalgams arrived. Hairy goblins, goblin rabbits, tortoise goblins, rocks with goblin heads that dragged themselves along the ground with skinny hands--all types of goblin creatures arrived and surrounded Elma.

"Holy crap, there's goblin beavurriels among them," Elma said as she and Ciondeen stared at the one beavurriel goblin amalgam, wide-eyed.

"Progress is neither good nor bad. It is simply progress!" the man shouted. "Its nature is decided by he who uses it! And today... I choose to help that damsel in distress."

Elma snapped back to attention. "Hold on--you've got the wrong read!"

"Go, my friends! Show them the fearsome power of the tenacious and virile goblin!"

"Don't you hear yourself?" Elma shouted back as the goblin amalgams swarmed her and Cindeen.

"We shall be the best versions of ourselves on this day!"

Elma held out her free hand and released a cloud of Withering magic from her arm. The goblins coughed and squealed, but they didn't stop. They leaped onto Elma and Cindeen--

"Hey, stop that! Where are you punks touching?!"

"Elmaaaa!"

--and they separated Cindeen from Elma, "rescuing" Cindeen. The goblins pushed Elma around, until they could drag her toward the ground. She was now being drowned in an ocean of goblins.

The man overseeing the chaos winced. "That magic you used earlier--it is antithetical to life itself... What kind of monster are you?!"

"I'm no monster!" Elma screamed as she burst out from beneath the bodies of goblins, releasing her mana in all directions and slashing at any goblin that came too close. "I'm Elma! A Hero--gah!"

The goblins were tenacious. They kept leaping onto her back and biting a few times before falling due to the magic.

"Elma, no!" Cindeen screamed as the tiny goblins--practically a wave--carried Cindeen over to their master.

"Miss, worry not. My friends and I saved you--"

"No!" she said, slapping the man across the face. "I wasn't in trouble!"

"Huh?" he said, holding his stinging cheek. "But she was restraining you--"

"No, that was a lover's embrace--ack." Cindeen covered her reddening face.

"A lover's... embrace?" he replied, confused.

"Noooo!" she said, pushing the man's face away. "It was a loving embrace! No--never mind! You're the problem!"

"Me?!"

"Yes, you! You're messing around with the mana here! You're not supposed to do that!"

"I'm not," the man's shoulders fell listless, "supposed to do that?" He narrowed his eyes at the pouting Cindeen. In an instant, the warmth disappeared. "You... are you a Mountaineer?"

"You better believe I am!" she said, neglecting to mention that she was still in training. "And that's why I can tell you that you shouldn't be doing this here--"

The man's gloved hand flew out and grabbed Cindeen by the throat, lifting her up until their faces were only inches apart. Her breath came short; fear choked her words from her mouth.

"Let... go..."

Cindeen gasped for air and thrashed about violently inside of the man's hold, but there was no use—his strength was unreal.

"You Mountaineers... Who gives you the right? You! It's people like you who impair progress--"

A tiny black mass flew through the air and straight into the man's eye. He let out a pained scream as the mass gouged his eye and released a black mist of magic. Cindeen fell back onto her feet as he stumbled backward while clutching his eye. She caught sight of the mass--a floating finger, and followed it back to Elma.

"Elma!" Cindeen yelled.

Elma had never once stopped slashing at the goblins that kept finding the strength to stand up. Her hands were preoccupied with holding her daggers, and the angles didn't let her just throw a dagger at the strange man. In situations like this one, a maneuverable finger was the best choice. And Elma, though she was still imperiled, was happy.

I did it! I did something new! I can still progress! I won't be left behind!

She, with a smile on her face, kept slashing. But she still had limits. The rate at which her mana poured out was decreasing, and the damage she was accumulating was slowing her down.

Goblins leaped on her once more. The sight was too much to bear for Cindeen.

"Elma!" Cindeen screamed as she ran toward Elma and the mass of goblin amalgams.

"You!" the man roared. "Don't you dare hurt my friends, Mountaineer!" He tried to move, but his eyes went to his hand immediately. "Huh? What is this?!"

He looked back to the Mountaineer as she ran into the mass of goblins.

"Don't let her touch you!" he yelled. "Separate!"

His goblins were slow to react.

"Elma! I promise I'll help you!"

A magical light erupted from Cindeen. Goblins squealed while others gagged and cried. The lucky ones had listened to their master's orders and parted from the two just in time to avoid the first wave of magic.

Elma, who was in the center of all this, turned her eyes toward Cindeen.

"Holy... what the heck are you, Cindeen?"

"Huh? I'm just me."

Elma pointed at Cindeen's body, and she looked down.

"Huh?"

She had changed. Black wool was growing from her hips, chest, arms, and legs. Wherever there was clothing, the wool grew through it. Wherever was bare, the wool showed off just how fluffy and cloud-like it could be. Her hair, too had changed, becoming as black as the wool and becoming infinitely more curly.

Cindeen looked at Elma. "I have no idea what's going on, Elma!"

There was only one question in Elma's mind. Was this a stroke of fortune? Or misfortune?