A part of Teshak wanted to stay in the battle market and find his way to Kardswann. He couldn't tell why but he wanted to confront the leader of the gnolls himself. The sorcerer had never been much to seek out violence but there was something different about Kardswann and he couldn't explain why that was the case. Despite his strange desire to confront Kardswann, Teshak didn't bring up the idea with his companions. He knew that making sure that the Lions of Senara made it out of the battle market was their top priority, and to ensure their safety, they would have to return to the Monastery of Saint Vardishal. He wouldn't be able to face Kardswann by himself so it was best to put off that confrontation. Still, Teshak promised himself that when it came time to face the genie, he would be there for the fight.

The adventurers made their way out of the battle market before running into any of the gnolls inside. Belash led the way, clearly not in the mood to talk, with Arguk and Teshak following behind Andrus and Oxvard to protect the two in case of a fight. Fortunately, the only sign of hostile gnolls they found were the gnoll corpses they found along with a fallen warthog. Some of the gnolls had been cut down by a blade or broken by a blunt force, most of the gnolls had been killed by arrows. Teshak was worried when he didn't see any of his friends that distracted the gnolls until he realized that they were alive since he didn't see their corpses.

Teshak and his companions looked over the battlefield for a few moments when Melkia emerged from one of the nearby buildings, bow in hand. She gave a quick report to the other adventurers, informing them that Emra and Zalerian had already left to return to the monastery given their injuries and that she stayed behind to keep distracting the gnolls. With little reason to stay in Kelmarane, the group made their way out of the ruined town as quickly as he could. Teshak wondered if the gnolls would follow them and figured that they were too busy at the battle market for an immediate chase. In time, the gnolls may find their fallen warriors, but by then, the adventurers would be long gone.

The journey back to the Monastery of Saint Vardishal was uneventful aside from Arguk informing Andrus and Oxvard of their task to take Kelmarane back on behalf of Almah and the Pactmasters of Katapesh. Teshak thought about their efforts and believed that they had done more today than yesterday. Not only had they killed more gnolls but they were able to kill a peryton. The alliance they forged with Undrella proved to be useful as well as she gave the adventurers the keys they needed to enter the battle market and rescue the remaining Lions of Senara. Almah may have told the group to hold off on going into the battle market, he thought that she would see they were capable enough to act on their own and share any information she kept from them.

It was late morning by the time the adventurers made it to the Monastery of Saint Vardishal. Dashki, who was serving as lookout, informed them that Almah was waiting for their report in the monastery's chapel and that they shouldn't keep her waiting. Andrus and Oxvard accompanied the adventurers to the meeting, reasoning that they could speak with Almah before finding Felliped. Arguk left Trax outside of the monastery to help guard it while he met with the merchant princess. Entering the chapel, Teshak could see Almah frown at the group while Garavel stood behind her, his face emotionless as he kept his hands clasped behind his back. Even though they had brought back the Lions of Senara, the merchant princess crossed her arms, clearly not pleased despite the group's success.

"Welcome back," Almah said, her tone tense. "I can see that you didn't come alone."

"We've rescued the remaining Lions of Senara, Lady Almah," Arguk reported and bowed before her. "We were provided with an opportunity to sneak into the battle market and couldn't have wasted it."

"I've heard great things about you, Lady Almah," Andrus said and stepped up to bow alongside Arguk. "As the leader of the Lions of Senara, I would like to extend my thanks for you freeing us from the prison the gnolls kept us in. I wish that we had more to tell about the gnoll's defenses but we didn't learn much from our cells."

"You need not worry about that given what you've endured," Almah assured Andruswith a tense smile. "You're both allowed to stay at the monastery as long as you need to recover. My majordomo can show you where our healer is so that he can tend to your injuries?"

"What of Felliped?" Oxvard asked, concerned. "We heard that you were able to rescue him as well."

"He is here as well," Almah said and turned to Garavel. "After you've brought the Lions of Senara to Father Zastoran, please inform Felliped that his companions have been rescued."

"Of course, Lady Almah," Garavel nodded.

Garavel stepped forward, beckoning for the Lions of Senara to follow him with a wave of his hand. Andrus and Oxvard nodded back to the adventurers that saved them before following the majordomo out of the chapel. Teshak and his companions found themselves alone with Almah, who didn't look pleased with their efforts. The sorcerer had hoped that her mood would have improved after meeting with the rescued adventurers but such hopes were dashed completely. Teshak found himself standing between Melkia and Arguk with Belash behind the trio, his eyes closed in thought. Although Teshak didn't know who Haleen was to Belash, he figured that they were close and that the warrior would need time to himself.

"Emra and Zalerian told me what you were up to," Almah said, shaking her head. "What were you all thinking? Did I not tell you that you weren't ready for the battle market?"

"We all made it back, didn't we?" Melkia pointed out with a shrug. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Lady Almah, we had a plan that made it so we didn't have to fight the gnolls at the battle market," Teshak said, stepping up. "Half of us snuck into the battle market to rescue the Lions of Senara while the rest distracted the gnolls by attacking their patrols."

"And by splitting up, Emra and Zalerian were badly injured distracting the gnolls," Almah told the group harshly. "Father Zastoran tended to their wounds but they were in terrible condition when they made it to the monastery."

"Where are they?" Teshak asked. "Shouldn't we have this conversation with them?"

"I thought it best to let them rest and have you tell them that I'm very much displeased with their actions," Almah said.

"Lady Almah, in our defense, we were provided with an opportunity unlike any other," Arguk told the merchant princess calmly. "We had cut a deal with the harpy that worked with the gnolls after killing the peryton. She's agreed to betray the gnolls and help us if she's allowed to stay in Kelmarane."

"And had you considered that you should have told me about that deal before accepting it?" Almah said, stepping closer to the adventurers. "Did you think about what would happen if that harpy tricked you and reported back to the gnolls to lure you into a trap? Have you thought about what the gnolls would have done if their prisoners had been rescued?"

It was then that Teshak realized the reason why Almah hadn't wanted the group to rescue the Lions of Senara. While she did have a point about the battle market being dangerous, she was also worried about how the gnolls would react when they found out their prisoners escaped. A few gnolls turning up dead could have been the work of bandits or other threats in the area. Now, the gnolls likely knew that their enemy was coordinated and that they wouldn't stop fighting back. The gnolls at Kelmarane could try to defend themselves or they could try to press the attack.

It would be a bloody battle if the gnolls did try to attack the Monastery of Saint Vardishal. They had a good defensive position and a lookout to inform them of a gnoll raiding party but there were numerous gnolls in Kelmarane. Teshak saw that there were plenty of gnolls in what little of the battle market he explored and there were likely more elsewhere. Then, there was the matter of Kardswann, who was powerful enough to keep the gnolls in mind. Teshak realized that by rescuing the Lions of Senara, they gave the gnolls more reason to look into who was attacking them, which put everyone at the monastery in danger.

"I see your point, Lady Almah," Teshak admitted and bowed his head. "We were so eager to rescue two lives that we didn't consider that our actions put the lives of everyone here at risk."

"Maybe if you had told us there was a genie leading the gnolls, we wouldn't have gone to the battle market," Melkia frowned. "We felt that you were keeping something from us and now we know."

"A genie?!" Almah gasped. "This is the first I'm hearing of a genie! How did you find out about this?"

"Undrella, the harpy, told us," Arguk answered. "Despite what you may think, I believe that she was honest about the genie leading the gnolls and about honoring her end of our bargain."

"Hold on," Teshak held up his hand and pointed at Almah. "You didn't know about the genie leading the gnolls?"

"Not of that, no."

"What of whatever it was that corrupted the genie in Kelmarane's crypt?" Melkia questioned sharply and stepped toward Almah.

For a second, Almah hesitated, then she sighed. "The Pactmasters have told me that there is a dark force trapped beneath Kelmarane, and before you get any ideas, we'll deal with the crypt after we drive the gnolls away from Kelmarane. I realize now that I should have been more open with all of you and I apologize for keeping secrets. There's a lot that we have to do and I was worried that you would overextend yourselves."

"I see," Teshak bowed his head. "You have my apologies for going against your orders, Lady Almah. I assure you that we will focus on the gnolls before dealing with whatever's in the crypt."

"We will be more considerate in the future as well," Arguk joined in. "We'll continue to whittle down the gnolls until we're ready to attack the battle market."

"Well, given that you've already been to the battle market and escaped with your lives, I see no reason to forbid you from going back," Almah told the adventurers. "Go wherever you would like except for the crypt. I will help you with that when it's time."

"And what about the genie?" Melkia asked. "Are we really sticking with this plan when we know there's a genie leading the gnolls?"

"I do not believe that the genie is too powerful or else we would have seen more signs of its power in Kelmarane," Almah assured the group. "I trust that you can handle this enemy yourselves, and if I'm wrong about the genie, we can decide what to do from then."

"If we're still alive afterwards…" Melkia muttered under her breath.

"Belash, are you alright?" Almah asked, looking at the warrior. "You've been very silent since you've arrived."

At the mention of his name, Belash snapped back to attention. "I'm sorry, Lady Almah. There's a lot on my mind right now about what we discovered. I might get a breath of fresh air to help me think."

"Of course," Almah nodded and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry if I was harsh but you have to understand that I have to think about everyone's safety. You're dismissed for now unless you have anything else to talk about. That's all I had in mind for meeting you."

With Almah dismissing the adventurers, the group made their way out of the adventurers. Belash headed toward the monastery's exit without speaking a word to his companions. Teshak stepped after the warrior, worried about his friend, only for Arguk to gently grab his forearm and shake his head. It was difficult but Teshak stepped back, agreeing with Arguk to give Belash time alone. In time, Belash may open up to his companions, but for now, the best thing they could do was give him the peace he needed to think. Teshak could only hope that Belash would overcome his feelings on Haleen staying in Kelmarane.

The remaining trio didn't speak to one another, but as part of a silent agreement, they made their way to their quarters to catch up with Emra and Zalerian. After their meeting with Almah, the adventurers realized that they may need to come up with a plan before they attacked Kelmarane again. The last thing they wanted to happen was to provoke the gnolls enough that they launched a counterattack on the monastery. Teshak, Melkia, and Arguk stepped into their assigned quarters to find Emra and Zalerian seated on their respective beds. Aside from cloth bandages covering Emra's legs and Zalerian's shoulder, the two appeared to be in good health as they turned to face their companions.

"Welcome back," Zalerian greeted with a wave. "Did you manage to rescue the Lions of Senara?"

"And where's Belash?" Emra questioned. "Did you run into any trouble?"

"We were able to rescue the Lions of Senara and Belash lives," Arguk told them reassuringly. "He needs some time. He'll explain when he's ready."

"It's a relief to hear that everything went well," Zalerian nodded as Emra smiled. "We were worried after we had to retreat."

"I wouldn't say everything is well," Melkia said with a shrug as she made her way to her own bed. "Almah isn't too pleased with us."

"We heard Father Zastoran mention that when he was tending to our injuries," Emra said. "I'm not sure what we can do to make up for alerting the gnolls."

"I might have an idea," Teshak said, stepping up. "We can't let the gnolls find out we're at the Monastery of Saint Vardishal. We need somewhere else to stay when we're not attacking Kelmarane."

"An excellent idea," Arguk said with a nod. "If we can draw attention away from the monastery, we can help ensure that the others will be safe."

"Maybe, but this is the most fortified position in the area surrounding Kelmarane," Melkia pointed out and took a seat on the end of her bed. "Where else could we go?"

"The Lions of Senara might know of a place," Zalerian suggested. "I could ask them if they found anything while exploring the area."

"Good thinking," Teshak said. "We'll need a spot between Kelmarane and the monastery. That way, we can intercept any attacks as well as stay in touch with Lady Almah."

"Until we find out more, we should rest up and prepare for tomorrow," Arguk added. "There's no telling what tomorrow will bring so we'll need to be ready for anything."

There weren't any objections among the group. They had accomplished a lot during the day between dealing with the gnolls' allies and freeing the Lions of Senara but Teshak knew that they wouldn't be able to free Kelmarane until they confronted Kardswann. Teshak's hand instinctively reached for Tempest's hilt as he made his way to his bed to put away his backpack. There was a part of him that didn't think he was strong enough to deal with a genie but he couldn't deny the pull he felt toward Kardswann. Even if his magic wasn't powerful enough to defeat Kardswann, he knew that he had to be there when it came time to battle him.

A/N: With his chapter, Howl of the Carrion King is at 100 pages on the document I write on. That's a milestone I feel is worth celebrating.

Until next time.