Lily and Magrog emerged from the smithy, a bundle of swords in the blacksmiths arms as they ran around, handing them out to those that wanted to fight. Lily ran over to Malroth, looking to him for words of encouragement as Madusa grew closer to town. They could all feel her power, her anger. "I can sense other monsters too; she's sending a small troop to try and weaken us." Malroth gave Lily a nod, smirking as he turned to the others. "Time to send these bitches packing!"

The group of fighters all ran over to the edge of town, meeting the monsters head-on. Lily parried with one of the skeletons, she tried to keep herself upright as the monster swung wildly at her, pushing her back and down. Lily felt eyes on her, she risked glancing over, seeing Tiny watching her from their room. The tiny dracky gave a nod.

Malroth's attention snapped to Lily, feeling her ask for strength. He sneered, giving her all that she wanted and then tenfold. He watched as she ripped the sling away, the hand that was stone was slowly changing as her magic swarmed around her. He froze, seeing what no one else was paying attention to. Lily reached out, magic causing her eyes to glow as she grabbed the blade of the skeleton's sword. The metal all but dissolved at her touch, the magic lapped up the skeleton's arm, turning him to dust.

Lily collapsed to one knee, panting from the magic that was now settling down. When she looked to her hand, the stone was gone, giving her back her range of motion. Movement to her right had her swinging her blade up with her dominate hand, a skeleton had thought her easy prey. She ducked under the blocked blade, slashing away at the skeleton.

Malroth joined Lily, helping her take out the skeleton within a few slashes. The two were fighting as one, blocking and attacking in each other's stead as they fought off the rest of the monsters. Goldirox worked with Ordelia and Serge, knocking some monsters down into the pit that led to the lava lake below.

When the underlings were defeated, Goldi moved over to Lily, tipping his head to the side. "ME SLOW. TIMING NO GOOD… LILY MUCH BETTER. YOU CLIMB ON BACK AGAIN. HELP BLOCK MADUSA'S STONY GLARE."

Lily gave a nod as she quickly climbed up Goldi's back, eyes locked on everyone below. "When I saw to, you all need to get behind Goldi so he can block the attack, no one gets turn to stone, and no one dies against Madusa. She won't be an easy fight, but we have to fight her! To win back Khrumbul-Dun! To save Babs!"

Malroth walked over to Malroth, his gloved fingers digging into the golden arm as he glared up at the golem. "Looking good, Goldirox. Just make sure you take care of that human you're wearing. Got it?"

Goldirox growled at Malroth. "YOU THINK I CANNOT?" Malroth didn't answer, just stepped away and watched as the land changed, giving Madusa plenty of space to attack as she emerged from the ground.

"It's funny… how everyone was so afraid of the Children when we first got here, but now… they're all willing to lay their lives on the line for this kid. What was that feeling called again? I can't remember…" Malroth flinched when Lily jumped down next to him, kissing him on the cheek as she smiled.

"Love, Mal. It's called love." Lily winked at him as she climbed back onto Goldi's shoulders, the two turning so they could see Madusa appear.

Madusa slowly emerged from the ground, a ball of magic forming in front of her. "Goldi! Now!" Lily cried out as Goldi slammed the gauntlets together, readying himself for the attack. The two slid back as Goldi threw the attack back at Madusa, sending her to the ground as she turned to stone.

Goldi was on her in moments, slamming his fists into the stony body as the others slashed away with their swords. Madusa didn't stay down long though, she vanished into the ground as monsters swarmed from around them, but Goldi beat them back. He and Malroth were dealing equal damage as they turned to one of the snakes that popped up from the ground nearby.

The two rushed over, attack the snake before it could get a stone spell off. Madusa roared as she appeared again, clearly angry with Goldirox. She started another spell that Goldi easily blocked again, causing her to fall to the ground.

The others got to her before Goldi and Lily could, but they still got a few good hits in before Madusa disappeared. The battlefield became a cluster after that. For every one human fighter, there were three monsters. "LILY, ME APOLOGIZE. BUT MUST HELP PEOPLE." Goldi let out a roar that called the monsters to him. He knocked back several, able to keep Lily safe on his shoulders as he beat the monsters down.

The next time Madusa appeared, she split into two, trying to confuse the group. "PAY ATTENTION, ONLY ONE IS REAL." Lily made Goldi back up as much as possible, keeping her eyes on the two Madusa's. And then she saw it, one had magic that was dark while the other was lighter. She turned Goldi to the lighter magic, getting ready with his block. "This one!"

Everyone gathered behind Goldi, hiding as Madusa fired, only to get shot with her own spell again. The group was on her again, attacking as quick as they could. Another round of monsters had Goldi pulling the attention of the monsters on him, so they didn't gang up on the humans.

Madusa appeared again, roaring in outrage. "You should ssstand down while you have the chanssse!" She split into three this time, not calculating that Goldi and Lily were staring down the one with the lightest magic gathering. "Now!" Lily roared as Goldi through up the gauntlets, blocking the attack and sending it back at the beast.

Everyone rushed up, taking Madusa out with a few more blows. Lily jumped off, catching a shiny stone that fell from where Madusa had once been. Malroth ran up, arms wrapping tight around Lily. "We did it! We defeated the Madusa!" He pulled back, looking down at the stone in Lily's hands. "What is that? It seems pretty special if she was carrying it with her."

Lily turned to look at Goldi, smiling when Den ran up. "Lily! Thank ya's! You defeated the Madusa for us! And soon enough I'll 'ave me darlin' daughter back!"

Goldirox came up to Lily, looking down at the stone. "MADUSA DEFEATED NOW. ALL THANKS TO YOU TWO. BUT STILL NO FULL POWER… TOLD YOU ME NEED METAL TO GET STRENGTH BACK. COPPER. SILVER. GOLD. TO TELL TRUTH, NEED ONE MORE THING… NEED THAT. HEARTSTONE. MADUSA STEAL FROM ME. NEED GOLDEN GLOW BACK."

Lily grinned as she ran into the smithy. She worked quick, using her magic and the power that Goldi gave her to create what he needed. She walked out, bouncing the glowing golden orb in her hand. "Are you ready for the Golden Age, Goldi?"

"GOLDI READY. HIT ME BUILDER! HIT ME HARD!" Goldi readied himself as Lily readied to throw the orb. "SAVE BABS. ME READY. TIME HAS COME. BUT ONE THING YOU MUST KNOW… WHEN YOU USE ORB… ME DISAPPEAR."

Lily stopped herself from throwing it. She felt her heart sink as she looked to Babs' frozen form. She couldn't make that call. What would Babs say? She gnashed her teeth, feeling tears prick in her eyes. "You're lying!"

"ME NO LIE… LILY PLEASE…"

"What, you mean, like…" Malroth's hands were fists at his side as he glared up at Goldirox.

"DISAPPEAR. BUT NO DIE. BECOME PART OF GOLD BAR. FILL MINE WITH METAL. LIFT CURSE FROM BABS. IT ONLY WAY. BUT WE MUST HURRY."

Lily squeezed the orb, feeling it cry beneath her angry hold. Babs would be heartbroken. "YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO MARRY BABS!"

"ONE DAY, LILY. ONE DAY I MARRY BABS." Goldirox held a hand out to Lily, a smile in his voice. "MY CHOICE. DO NOT FEEL BAD. WANT TO DO. FOR EVERYONE. FOR BABS. HAVE NO REGRETS."

Before anyone could stop her, Lily stepped into Goldirox, tears burning her eyes as she held the orb up. "Maybe… maybe I can lift the curse."

"THAT TAKE TOO LONG. YOU HAVE NOT POWER NEEDED JUST YET." Goldi gently patted the builders head. "DO NOT MAKE THIS HARD. I WILL STILL BE HERE. MANY GOOD MEMORIES. MANY HAPPY TIMES." He took the orb from Lily and jumped up to the bar. He held the orb over his head as he slowly became one with the statue that Lily made of him.

Magic shot through the town and into the mines. Everyone could feel it, the Golden Age was back. Lily turned, seeing a single drop fall onto Babs's head. The girl started dancing, unaware that her surroundings had changed at all, or that everyone was crying around her. "Eh? W-Wot am I doin' 'ere?" She looked around, eyes pleading with Lily. "Wot 'appened?!"

Den ran up, hugging his daughter tight. "Babs! Oh, my days! Are you a sight for sore eyes or wot!" The old man wailed, holding her close as she struggled for a moment.

"Da! Wot in the 'ell is goin' on?!"

"You were turned to stone. By Madusa, when you saved me from the blast." Lily hugged herself, she didn't want to tell Babs. She didn't want to see the betrayal in the girls' eyes. But she lifted her chin anyways, meeting Babs' confused look. "Goldi… used his power to bring back the Golden Age, and to turn you back."


That night, the town exploded in celebration and the miners danced away, swinging and spinning Babs around. But each spin had the dancer looking up at the golden bar, her heart ached each time she saw the statue of Goldirox looking over her home. She was finally able to free herself, her feet taking her up to the spot beneath Goldi, her lip quivering as she sipped at the Digger's Jigger.

"Babs?"

Babs flinched as Lily slowly came up, checking on the dancer. "Wot?"

Lily shook her head and sat across from Babs, shuffling the cards so the two could play a quiet game as the night carried on without them. "He wanted me to build a church, so the two of you could get married."

"'E was stuck on that idea." Babs whispered, eyes sullen as she looked back, seeing the Goldirox above her looking down on her. "Lily…" The dancer turned to Lily once more, her eyes puffy and red from the tears. "'Ow can I love a monster? 'Ow is this possible?"

Lily turned in her seat, looking down and seeing Malroth brawling with Dougie. "Because not all monsters are bad." She gave Babs a warm smile, letting Babs know in that one look that Lily knew exactly what she was going through.

"Mal ain't no monster, Lil. 'E's just rough an' tough!"

Lily shrugged, sighing softly. "Right."


The next morning came far too soon for Bab's liking. She sat in the spot that Goldi normally sat in, a sigh leaving her soft lips as Lily and Malroth came up to her. "Thank ya, for everythin' you've done for us, Lil."

"You know, I think I get it now. Why Goldirox did what he did." Malroth crossed his arms as he thought to the girls. "He sacrificed himself so the person he cared about most could survive. That's… that's what you call love, right?"

The two girls gaped at Malroth, surprised by his words. "Yeah… that's exactly it, Mal." Babs smiled, only to glare at him when he spoke again.

"He would have been better off without any, if you ask me… but I suppose it all worked out okay in the end."

"Tell us 'ow you really feel, why don't ya!" Babs rolled her eyes and leaned back, smiling at the sky. "All I know is that thanks to 'im, this town is about to dive into a new era. I just wish 'e was 'ere to share it wiv us…"

DO NOT BE SAD, BABS.

"Goldi?!" Babs jumped up and whirled around, eyes tearing up as she looked up at the Golden Bar.

ME PART OF GOLD BAR NOW. ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS WATCHING. ALWAYS WATCH OVER PEOPLE OF KHRUMBUL-DUN. ALWAYS WATCH OVER BABS.

Babs swiped the tears from her eyes and giggled. "Awww, thanks Goldi. I feel 'eaps better now! You'll always 'ave a special place in me 'eart." She gave a jolt, eyes wide as she turned to Lily and Malroth. "Oh! I almost forgot something super important! And if I nearly did, that means you two lunkheads definitely did!"

Lily and Malroth gave each other a confused look before looking back to Babs. "You two are a big part o' this. O' Khrumbul-Dun's revival. But somewhere along the way, I think ya forgot wot ya really came 'ere for – to find new mates an' materials to back 'ome wiv ya." She let out a loud laugh when the two paled.

"LULU IS GONNA KILL US!" They both shouted, fear creeping in their voices as they stared at Babs.

"Why don't you go chat wiv the others, see 'oo wants to go back wiv ya, hm?"

Lily ran around the town, gathering Den, Magrog, Ordelia, Digby and Dougie before returning to Babs. "I turned your dad! I never thought I'd see him leave Khrumbul-Dun!" She laughed.

Babs smiled, shrugging at the group. "I didn't think I'd see it either. But… I don't think I'll be goin' wiv ya. I thought that was wot I wanted. But then I thought about Goldirox an' 'ow lonely 'e'd be if all 'is mates took off wivout 'im…"

BABS… BABS… DO NOT HIDE TRUE FEELINGS. BABS WANT TO GO WITH LILY, YES? THAT OKAY. ME UNDERSTAND. KHRUMBUL-DUN SAFE NOW. NO NEED TO WORRY. YOU GO. BUT PROMISE ME SOMETHING. BABS COME BACK TO KHRUMBUL-DUN ONE DAY. TELL ME STORIES ABOUT LILY'S ISLAND.

"Oh… Goldirox…" Babs hid her face as she tried to hide her tears. "Thanks. Of course, I promise! Cross me 'eart an' 'ope to die!" Babs turned to Lily, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, Lily. Goldirox 'as given me 'is blessin'. I don't feel so bad about goin' wiv ya now! So, when do we set sail?"

Lily looked around at her friends, grinning as she took off for the docks, laughter as everyone cheered their excitement to see their new home. Lily cast one last look back at Goldirox, seeing a glint in his eyes as she led his people away.

As the ragtag crew pushed off, the lot of Khrumbul-Dun ran onto the docks, waving goodbye one last time. Lily ran up next to Malroth, enjoying the way the salty air blew through her pigtails. She was excited to see the Isle again, even if that meant a lecture from Lulu when they got back.


Lulu and the Furrowfield farmers were awaiting the crew as they climbed off the boat. "Lily! Malroth! You've been gone for so long!

"How's the hairy hermit doing?" Malroth stretched, a yawn on his lips.

"Funny you should ask! He was staring at Lily's handiwork one day and his memory started coming back! He's been a whole new hermit since!"

"Lily! Malroth! Welcome back home." A voice purred as a shaman and two spellcasters came up behind Lulu.

Malroth ripped his ax free, snarling at the three. "What the hell are these guys doing here?"

Lily looked to Tiny, a puzzled look coming to her eyes when she didn't see him. He had just been napping in Babs's hair. Then she saw a faint outline of him next to Lulu. She looked to the three monsters, Tiny didn't want to be seen by them. She walked up to the shaman; her nose pressed to his mask as she breathed in deep. "Who are you?"

"Give a guy some space, Lil." The shaman chuckled as he took a step back. "My name's Shane, man, and I'm a shaman. Cool to meet you, man." He patted Lily on the head, a grin in his voice. "We're missionaries for the Children of Hargon, man. We discovered this island purely by chance, man. Don't mind us, ma-an!" Shane let out a cry when Lily grabbed his arm, easily snapping a bone somewhere when she pinned him to the ground. "Wh-What the hell, man!"

"Lily! They're our guests! Once I found out who they were, I tried my best to get rid of them, but Bonanzo insisted the stay…" Lulu went to pull Lily off of Shane, but the builder only twisted the arm harder.

"Good thing this is my fucking island." Lily hissed as she leaned down to Shane's ear, red speckling in her eyes again. "Get. The. Fuck. Off it."

"But Lily! They seemed interested in building, just like our dearly departed Pastor Al!" Bonanzo gasped, stopping where he stood when Lily turned the dark gaze on him. "Lily…?"

"My island! You don't get to decide who stays here! Not when the threat is still at large!" She snarled as she grabbed the back of Shane's hood. "What do you really want?!"

"Nothing! Nothing, I swear! I only want to learn about building, man!"

Lily slammed the monsters face into the dirt, hearing the mask crack some. "Try anything funny… anything! And I will personally see you turned to dust. Do you understand!"

"That seems a little har-"

"Do you understand!?"

Malroth couldn't help the smirk on his lips, maybe it had been a bad idea to give Lily some of his power but seeing her like this… he would do it again in a heartbeat. "I would agree to the terms, Shane. I watched her turn a skeleton to dust with a single touch. Man."

Shane tried to look at Malroth, the green orb on his head growing. "She… what?"

"You heard me. I know you aren't stupid; you can feel that power coming from her. I wouldn't fuck with it." Malroth touched Lily's cheek, letting her know she could let the Shaman go. "We suggest you prove yourself. That you've given up Hargon and his fleets, only those that have done that are allowed to live here."

"Wh…what?" Shane stared at the two, the arm that Lily had twisted lay limp next to him. "You're insane…"

It took everything in Lily to not kick Shane while he was down, but she only snarled and left, leading the group towards the temple. She glanced back, seeing the casters weren't following them. "Tiny, keep an eye on them."

"I cannot do that, Lily." Tiny landed on the builder's shoulder, frowning at her.

Lily glared at Tiny, her hands balling into fists. "Who are they?"

"I know that Shaman, he is an underling. He is a scout first, missionary second. He is not good news."