Unaware of their comrades' predicament, Gronk, West, and Nelir rushed further down the corridor. After some time, Nelir yelled at them to stop. He indicated a disguised exit to the surface, and insisted they go up it. He would then close the corridor completely, protecting Irongate. West, still in tiger form, bolted back down the corridor, trying to locate the other half of the party.
West quickly intercepted them, but Triben shooed him back to Nelir while he and Vali plodded forward as fast as Vali's legs could carry him. Hearing the sounds of pursuit in the distance, they redoubled their efforts, and soon thereafter reached the exit. As soon as they were safely out, Nelir began to sing. With a great, echoing rumble, the corridor. As tears continued to trace rivers down Vali's face, Triben breathlessly blurted out what had happened.
After allowing a moment for them to catch their breath, the group pressed on. They hustled and force-marched on wearly legs late into the night. Finally, even magical healing couldn't soothe the aches and pains in their legs, and they were forced to stop about ten miles from Irongate.
Their rest would be fitful, though. On the second watch, the party noticed a humanoid figure approaching camp. They quietly woke their companions. While the figure skulked at the edge of the light shed by their campfire, West snuck around behind it, with tiger in tow. Gronk, never a bastion of subtlety, screamed and leapt at the figure, who backpedaled and defended herself. The party quickly realized that the figure was not attacking, and eased off their aggressive posture.
The humanoid turned out to be a halfling named Ann, a monk of Zuoken. The followers of Zuoken have long-despised the monks of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and Ann was no exception. She was in the area to disrupt Brotherhood activities wherever and however possible. Although suspicious, the party agreed to allow her to travel with them for the time being, for mutual protection. The party returned to sleep, though Ann stayed at the edge of camp and did not hold a watch.
As dawn broke, the third watch spotted another humanoid figure near the camp. This one was much larger, though, and closer inspection revealed it to be a shaggy wolf-goblinoid cross. The party quickly roused itself, and held a conversation with the beast. It established that it was there for the stonesinger, but would only fight them if they resisted. When the party insisted it could not have Nelir, the beast allowed them to finish their rest and fully prepare. "After all, it's only sporting".
A great battle followed. The beast was a deadly combatant, and had several magical abilities as well. Every time the party thought they had it cornered, it winked into invisibility, only to reappear elsewhere. After almost a minute of fighting, the party forced it to retreat, though it promised to return. Their defiant shouts were met with mocking laughter echoing over the hills.
Bone-weary, the party nevertheless pressed on. The encounter had only renewed their determination to get Nelir safely within the walls of Irongate. They marched ten long miles back to the walls, many of them at a hustle. After reaching the walls, the party quickly identifed their charge to the guard. They were surrounded by guards, who hustled them all inside and whisked Nelir away, but not before he was able to compensate them. Golin had given him a bagful of magical rings, lest he need to bribe his way out of trouble. Now that his safety was assured, he felt the party deserved them as a reward for their efforts on his behalf.
Relieved of their great burden, the companions agreed to take three weeks off to rest, recover, get drunk, and shop. Afterwards, they would head to the Vast Swamp. Triben was very concerned that they investigate the reputed artifact, lest the Brotherhood get its hands on a weapon of great power.