MatchlessMinion glanced at Aishin and started to object, but stopped when he glanced back. He squinted at Quin's shoulder and then said with surprise, "I could see you fine until I looked away, but now I have to look really carefully."

"I didn't use my invisibility yet," Danika agreed. 

Aishin frowned for a moment, but then shrugged and said, "I can detect her easily, but my skills are skewed toward that. I do think one of our party should accompany him, if only because the ones in the room will be able to monitor their health and energy in case something happens and there's not enough time to message." He hesitated a moment and then added, "I'd probably be the most useful in a fight, and MatchlessMinion would probably be less detectable, but ZipZing probably has the most mobility?"

Sea Song Tione commented from where he lay beside Shrubbery, "She can also call the Dragon to clear the way once!" 

Shrubbery spoke uncertainly, "But that's supposed to be our last resort?"

The traveling merchant approached from a crowd of players nearby and called out cheerfully, "Do any of you need supplies before your adventures this evening?"

MatchlessMinion and Quin were the first to respond. Danika waited until everyone had completed their trades before approaching. The first thing she asked was, "Do you have any advice on our quest to move the staff and do you know how many other players have the same quest?"

Everyone looked at her in surprise, but the traveling merchant replied cheerfully, "You might take a good light along? Of those who headed north, only a few others reached the black Turtle, and none of the survivors had the necessary resources left to accept the quest." He glanced at Sea Song Tione and smiled. 

Danika blinked and said, "I see, thank you. How much would a good light cost?"

SaltySiamese spoke up, "You can take the light stone Justin lent me."

The merchant smiled and agreed, "That would probably be sufficient." Danika bought some more candy and potions with her few spare coins, and then the traveling merchant hefted his pack and said, "Good luck to you all. If you don't succeed, there is little doubt that the coming year will have a dark beginning." He strode off.

Danika huffed a dry laugh and Quin commented, "Well, that was a bit ominous wasn't it?"

"If we are successful, the goblins are going to think the year has had a pretty dark beginning instead," MatchlessMinion pointed out. 

Aishin asked Sea Song Tione, "Can you sense the staff from here?"

The dolphin closed his eyes a moment and then exclaimed, "Ooh, I really can! It feels like the sea is a little way to the west of here, when really it's far to the north!" 

They all turned and looked up at the frosty wooden palisade ringing the fortress's exterior. It was stained red in the fading light. "Ok," Danika said, "then I guess we should carry you a ways into it and have you check again?" 

SaltySiamese pulled out a mirror and spoke into it, "I think they're about ready!"

"Ok," Justin's voice replied. 

Aishin took the stone and held it down to the dolphin, and then followed him into it. Shrubbery and MatchlessMinion hurried into the stone room a moment later. Danika snatched it up and settled herself on Quin's shoulder and dug her little claws back into his armor before activating her stealth again.

SaltySiamese put away the mirror and raised her bow and Quin nodded. In the distance a great thud sounded, and it repeated again a moment later. "Battering ram," SaltySiamese explained, "since fire doesn't work." 

Quin raised his rapier and slashed at the nearest log. Nothing appeared to happen, until Ranma trotted over. He spun neatly, and kicked the log with both hind feet and the log shattered and fell away. Ranma jumped out of the way and SaltySiamese shot the startled goblins the gap in the palisade suddenly revealed. She hit each one in the eye, and they dropped back.  

Quin dashed through the gap, leaping over the debris, and dodged another goblin who'd been hidden by the wall. Another pair of arrows shot through the gap, and he darted toward the entrance in the fortress wall that faced the log they'd chosen. The thin blade of his rapier slid accurately into the gap in between the armor fastenings of the door guard, and he barely slowed down as he shoved through the doorway and twisted it free again.  

The guard just inside the door got half a shout out before Danika's wind slash tore his throat open. Quin stabbed him a second later and then turned and slammed the door closed and dropped the bar across it. The goblin was still alive, despite everything, but Quin ignored him and dashed along the hall and darted into a staircase. 

He bounded upward, taking several stairs at a time. Even inside the fortress the heavy boom of the battering ram could still be heard, and feet thudded nearby as goblins rushed through the inner corridors of the fortress.

Quin paused and pressed against the wall at the top of the stairs. The thudding feet grew louder, and Danika tried something new, she targeted Quin with her invisibility spell, and he vanished from view. A dozen goblins pelted past, and none of them appeared to notice the stealthy fairy dragon clutching tightly to a dark stone and standing frozen in mid air against the cold wall of the stairway.

As soon as they'd passed Quin reappeared as ZipZing's spell expired, and he darted silently into the corridor. He did something to the handle and then opened the second doorway from the stairs and then shut and bolted it again. He turned and picked his way silently through the stacks of rough crates, to a narrow window, and began shifting things enough to clear a bit of the floor.

"Tell the dolphin to come out and check that it's still to the west," Quin instructed softly. 

Danika dropped to the floor with the stone, and whispered the entrance word. "We're in, and Sea Song Tione needs to check now," she said quickly. Aishin nodded, MatchlessMinion grinned, and Shrubbery smiled. The dolphin slapped his flipper against the center stone and vanished. Danika followed him back out.

The dolphin already had his eyes closed, and after a moment he reported, "It's closer, still west, and kind of below us?"

"Thanks," Danika said, and Sea Song Tione returned to the stone room. Danika reached for the stone and Quin said, "Wait." 

She looked up at him and he beckoned her to the window. She activated her wings and rose high enough to see out the narrow opening and then gasped. 

Quin said quietly in a grim voice, "I thought I'd be able to take you farther than this, but that is crazy. There were only a dozen guards patrolling the inner court before."

The fortress's tall narrow central tower was completely separated from the outer square of the building by a paved stone space, and that space was crowded with goblins pressed elbow to elbow. After a moment Danika asked quietly, "Does it look like they're trying to move toward the battering ram?" 

As though speaking of it had jinxed it, the rhythmic thud stopped. Quin said suddenly, "Grab the stone, use your invisibility, and fly into that opening directly across from us! If those goblins were all inside the central tower, it'll be empty for a bit."

Danika narrowed her eyes in calculation, and then nodded. She landed beside the stone, tapped her inventory open and withdrew an energy potion and gulped it down first. Then she grasped the stone, used her featherweight and launched herself at the window before casting her invisibility. 

ZipZing streaked like an invisible bolt of lightning toward the narrow opening, and then only her evasion skill saved her from smacking into the spiked helm of the bored goblin with a heavy crossbow who was watching the commotion below. Danika zipped over his head and then the weight of the stone tripled as her spell wore off and it pulled her to the floor. 

Danika didn't even bother to recast it, she simply rolled across the freezing floor, lifted the stone over her head and scurried forward on her hind legs. She darted through the goblin sized doorway into another staircase. Another heavily armored goblin climbed laboriously upward toward her, but fortunately it was looking at its feet. Danika bounced against the far wall, reoriented herself, then set the stone down as quickly and quietly as possible and whispered, "darkheart".

She let all her air out at once as she appeared in the stone room, which felt quite warm in comparison. She heaved in another deep breath as Aishin and MatchlessMinion shot to their feet, and then she nodded. "We're inside the central tower, Quin is back in the outer fortress." She quickly described the two heavily armored goblins and what she'd seen of the room and the stairs, and explained that she'd left the stone lying on the stairs. 

Aishin dropped his hand from his sword and tapped his own storage band, and then withdrew the dagger Danika had withdrawn from his chest almost a month ago. He grinned at her and said, "Then we'll block the stairs a bit," set his foot against the center stone and snapped, "exit!" 

MatchlessMinion and ZipZing appeared a moment later on the cold stairs below him. Aishin had already stabbed the stoning dagger into the goblin's back, leaving it mostly blocking the stair with the bulk of its heavy armor. It must have passed the stone on the stairs while Danika had been inside.  

Aishin turned, bent and snatched up the stone, looked at MatchlessMinion and murmured, "Scout downward?" 

MatchlessMinion turned and blended into the wall as Danika watched, and only a ripple of motion showed his progress as he scurried downward. Aishin and ZipZing followed more slowly, moving as silently as possible. Aishin froze at the next doorway, and when Danika turned to look, MatchlessMinion was there again, tugging on Aishin's sleeve.  

Aishin had to drop to a crouch, but they both followed MatchlessMinion into a little room that looked identical to the one above as far as Danika could tell except it had a door and had no window. MatchlessMinion shut the door softly and whispered, "Dolphin check." 

Aishin nodded, and set down the stone, vanished, and then reappeared beside Sea Song Tione a moment later. The dolphin closed his eyes, and then exclaimed excitedly, "It's right beneath us!"

There was a great hissing response as all three of them scolded, "Shh!"

Danika snickered and Aishin grinned at her and shrugged.