Everett was not too happy about the way the treasure had been divided once they had gotten back to Specularum. Not only had Marina and Greegan insisted that he take twice the amount of treasure to give to Kage’s family, but the kid who had suddenly just shown up was to get a share of the gold they received in selling the black pearl also. Gandalph also got to keep all the items he found in the temple, which Everett had begun to suspect were magical, and had sincere doubts that Greegan was really going to use the extra money to help Kage’s family.

Gandalph met up with a cleric named Whata in the city, who was a former acquaintance of the young mage. She and the party exchanged few words, but after a long farewell, Gandalph parted from the company and began traveling north with her, towards Kelvin.

That night, after Stalfor and Marina had fallen asleep in the inn rooms they had rented out, Everett picked up his sword.

*Where are we going?*, it asked him telepathically.

*To take back what’s ours*, he replied.

When the city gate was behind Everett, he cast a spell of haste on him and began running. He knew he could catch up with them that night.

Gandalph the mage and Whata the cleric were still traveling when they heard a strange sound behind them. Everett unleashed a lightning bolt at the female cleric traveling besides him, but the woman blocked the bolt with her shield. Gandalph then cast a spell a giant web shot out and wrapped around Everett’s legs. The elf fell to the ground, dropping his sword. The cleric then gave a whistle and two green beast-men with giant claws and long fangs leapt out from the underbrush. They had been following their mistress, Whata, but always kept far enough away from her when they traveled so that they didn’t scare anyone she crossed paths with. The two monsters jumped on top of the elf and began to bite into him. One chewed on his leg, while the other put the elf’s head between it’s jaws and was about to crush his skull when Everett yelled out, “I give up! I surrender!”

Gandalph stood proudly over the elf, feeling quite vindicated now that the roles that they had played at their first meeting were suddenly reversed.

“Why are you doing this?”, Gandalph asked.

“The treasure and the magic items you took, they were ours! We didn’t ask you to come along with us.”

“It was I who saved your party by closing the temple passage up. And if it wasn’t for me, you would never have gotten any of the gold ore.”

“The ore was nothing compared to the gold we got from the pearl, or the magic items you kept!”

“Is this how you treat your compatriots who risked their lives to drag your limp body around the volcano temple? Sneak away from them and try and kill me for a few extra gold pieces or baubles?”

Gandalph took some pieces of gold ore, the rhythm sticks and the statuette from out of his backpack and threw it on the ground next to Everett. “There you go,”, he said, “since they’re so important to you. You could have just asked, you know.”

And with that, Whata signaled the beast men to get off him, and the four departed. Everett just stared at the ore and the trinkets Gandalph had left behind.