Clair cringed at the blinding sunlight as she walked out of the dark forest. As she blocked out the sun with her arm, she rapidly blinked her eyes in attempt to readjust them. Being blinded by the sun, to her, was an oddly humorous sign that she was in the forest for far too long. Within time, vision returned to her and she quickly made out the expanse of green hills before her. Aside from a few boulders and a lone oak tree, there was nothing else to be seen.

"Gods damn it. I hope I'm not lost." She muttered to herself in frustration. Willow meowed as if he knew what she was talking about. She then drew out the map Atal gave her and spent a long five minutes reading it. If they remained on the path they were supposed to take, then the River Skai should be visible, but it wasn't. The thought of being stranded in gods-know-where was disheartening, but quickly dissipated when she examined the suns position and discovered she was still going North-East like map indicated. Logically, the hills must be hiding the Skai somewhere.

Clair surmounted the nearest hill and began scanning the uneven horizon. She caught a glimpse of a shimmer in the distance. She squinted and could faintly see the gentle waters of the river. She smiled and pointed towards the Skai. "That way." She said as if there were other English-speakers with her.

Three hours later, she stood on the bank of the Skai again. She had not realized how exhausted and dehydrated she was until she began swallowing handfuls of water as Willow began drinking as well. As she moved about, the pain running up her back made her remember that she had been pierced with several tiny arrows. She reached back, grabbed a few, and slowly pulled them out. The brief burst of pain forced a scream out of her, spooking Willow and a few glowing-koi nearby. She looked at the bunch of bloody arrows in her hand and figured they went no deeper than a centimeter and a half, which was good. She tossed the arrows in the water and watched them drift away with the current, happy that that chapter of her quest was over. She then pulled out the rest, screaming in pain as she did so and throwing them out likewise.

After cleaning her wounds and scrubbing the blood out of Willow's fur, she took a short nap. When she awoke, the sun was in the 4:00 position. She thought it would be best if she continued moving before it gets dark, so Clair and Willow continued walking along the Skai as she had done a couple of days prior.

Nightfall had come and the river was aglow with a school of glowing-koi and fireflies. By the light, she consulted the map. It was hardly bright enough to actually read, but she had become familiar with the faint images and symbols enough to get the gist. The map indicated that the port city of Thran was nearby. If she simply followed the river then it would take her right to its gates.

A disturbing thought crossed Clair's mind as she walked. She was tormented by the Demon Sultan and his son, but her childish naivety was still intact. She thought the journey could be a fun and harmless one, much like Carter's Dream-Quest, but she was quickly proven wrong during the Zoog's battle. Willow had almost died there and Clair could have been gravely injured. Not to mention they had blood on their hands now. It could have been worse, she knew that, but obviously, it went wrong. What if she comes across something worse? What if instead of coming across warring Zoogs, they came across warring Gugs…or worse! Reality had finally set in and Clair realized that her and her cat were in serious danger, and that, of all places, she was going to KADATH! Most would undoubtedly call her a fool for embarking on this journey.

…come…

She heard Nyarlathotep once more. She hoped, for her sanities sake, this quest wasn't for nothing. For a second she considered…

Clair looked down at Willow, the cat she had loved and cared for all her life. She has to be there for him - or him for her - no matter what. "No. Death is not an option." She whispered. "We'll survive."

Another hour passed and Clair began seeing a faint light across the horizon. She pondered what it could have been for a moment, but realized she was an idiot for not knowing any sooner. She quickly climbed another hill, Willow darting behind her in attempt to keep up. When she reached the top, she froze. Her eyes widened and jaw slackened as she beheld the distant lights of Thran standing out against the night sky like jewels. It's Spires and towers sat perfectly on the now flat horizon like a crown and, as promised, the Skai flowed directly into it.

She stood mesmerized for uncounted moments before a non-Thran related thought passed through her head. I think it's time for me to get some sleep. She thought as her head craned upwards towards the gibbous moon. She quickly found a soft patch of grass and almost instantly fell asleep in it. Willow curled up by her side.

Needless to say, Nyarlathotep and Azathoth were there.