In the morning, Vanter provides full packs filled with provisions for everyone.

"I can never repay you for giving my daughter back to me.  And now I have an amazin' granddaughter.  I know she won't be with us long, but I'll cherish the time we have.  You boys 're welcome back here any time."  The farmer scratches at the corner of his eye, no doubt removing a bit of dust.  He shakes each of your hands in turn, puts a long grass in his mouth and leans against a post.

Hattie gives each of you a hug, which means Nessy does too since she is in her mother's arms.  Tears stream silently down her face.  Last she comes to Mairen.  "You will find Meruan and he will be safe.  These men will not let you down."

Nessy wiggles to be let down.  Once on the ground, she scampers over to Ferb.  The ferret happily lets the four-year-old pick her up and scratch behind the ears.  She lifts the animal to her lips and whispers something to its ear, then hands it to Toben.  "Phineas and Ferb are ready for their next adventure!"  She smiles and sits on the steps to the porch.

Toben smiles and gives Nessy one last hug. "I suppose next time I see you, you'll be all grown up. Thank you for everything you've done for us, Nessy." He rustles some of the fur on Ferb's head. "And I look forward to seeing normal Phineas as well. As normal as Phineas can be, anyways."

He hefts his travel pack over his shoulder. "Saris, Xar, will you be joining us this time around?"

Klale eats heartily, packs up, and is ready to travel.

Ourn clasps wrists with Vanter. "Until we meet again, my friend.". He regards Hattie and Nessy with a nod and slight smile, before pulling up the hood of his cloak on his head, and the cloth mask that covers his face below the eyes. With a loaded pack, Ourn is ready to mount up and ride home.

Xar nods and Saris grins.  "Aye, lad.  Our orders are t' see this through.  We've just begun."

Marien picks up her own belongings, including a pack given to her by Vanter with provisions.  She smiles sadly one last time at Hattie then moves over to her horse, which is somewhat close to Ourn's by happenstance.

A few seconds after Nessy speaks with Ferb, Phineas is suddenly standing there, straddling the ferret.

After a brief moment during which he looks very surprised indeed, Phineas regains his composure.

"Well-met, friends! It is an inexpressible pleasure to be able to look on each of you without seeing directly up your noses once more. I apologize for the worry I gave you, but when we faced that apparently black-hearted foe, I though it worth seeing if his heart was really as scorched as I suspect. (It was, as it turns out.) But thanks in no small measure to the ministrations of my noble steed," he gives Ferb an affectionate scratch, "I am back among you and ready to fight. Or, if history is any indicator, ready to trip over my own shoes as I attempt to fight!"

Obviously a little more affected by the reunion than he tries to let on, Phin embraces each of the party in turn, then gets himself ready to travel.

Ano smiles widely at Phin's sudden reappearance and embraces him warmly seeming like he is almost choked up.  "It is good to have you back.  It has been far too quiet lately."

After he turns to the star and her new family and gives them a low bow of gratitude.

After the embrace, Klale takes Phineas by the upper arms and lifts him high. He turns so Phineas is facing the water trough. It's still available if you now feel the need he remarks.

[Perhaps godmodding but harmless.]

"I would love to hear all about your experience. I'm sure it puts a whole new perspective on things."

He smiles warmly. "I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor in all this. I feel we'll all need a little more of that as things progress."

Toben will fill in any gaps that may have gone unnoticed to Phineas as they begin their travel.

After brief welcome backs and congratulations from the rest, the adventure heads east.  Travel is well paced and ground eating.  Even the dwarves seem comfortable in the saddle.  Ourn explains that the trip should not take more than a week by horse as he leads.

Three days in, smoke appears on the horizon.  Three hours before sunset, the group stands in the smouldering remains of a small town.  Nothing is left but charred timber stumps, ashes and blackened foundation stones.

Brief scouting reveals no survivors.  Xar shows the tracks of the marauders and indicates through Saris that they are Valaraukar of varying sizes: orcs mostly with a few swamp trolls and even an ogre.  Saris shivers at the last one.  Indications are that the attack happened the day before.  Some prisoners might have been taken, but they were carried if so.  There are no human tracks to speak of.

Klale glowers around. The first of many, maybe. We'll hear and smell them before we see them, I reckon.

Ourn speaks to Xar and Saris. "Xar, by your reckoning, how many orcs do you suppose caused this?"

The rogue scratches the five day growth on his chin as he looks at the tracks.  He looks back at the town, then up at Ourn.  He holds up three fingers on his right hand then three fingers on his left.

"Hmm. That's a hefty pack of green skins if ever. Not to make light of the circumstances, but it lends well to the Duke providing us with his aide."

Ourn addresses the rest of the group.
"I would suggest we make haste and not stay in these parts for long. There is much risk remaining here with this band of raiders about".

"Yeah, I don't know what's worse. That many orcs, or the ogre." He looks over to Ourn. "It's probably best to avoid that sort of confrontation right now. Are they headed the same direction as us, or can they be easily avoided?"

Xar points north toward the range of mountains in the distance.  With nothing else to do, everyone mounts up and continues east.  No more villages are passed during the trip.

At sundown four days later, a faint, continuous popping sound can be heard.  The ground has turned from rolling plains to rolling hills and it is difficult to see far.  However, as the group approaches, the pops deepen into booms...booms that the men in the group will remember, most from the beginning of their adventures.

It is the sound of Therion's cannons.

Toben's ears perk up when he hears the sounds of the cannons fire. "I know that sound." He spurs his horse to quicken his pace and get a better vantage on the disturbance.

Ourn races along with Toben to try and catch a glimpse of whatever is going on and causing Therion's weapons to volley.

As the group tops the necessary hill, they see the south and west walls of the city.  No portals are open or canon's firing.  However, to the north there is a dark mass, an army of some kind.  On occasion, a loud report of canon fire is followed by smoke rising above the north wall.  A moment later, a significant hole appears in the black mass, only to close over soon after.