[@Luminosity] [@geminironin] [@Ryona Zako] [@alexfangtalon] [@Typical]
[center][color=de2f46][h1]Aubrey Hughes[/h1][/color][/center]

[color=de2f46]"Freya!"[/color] Spurred on by adrenaline, Aubrey clambered forward, but the damage was done. A dark red cloud billowed in the water around Freya, while the goblin... She wasn't imagining it. Its wounds from earlier began to close up, its grin even revealing the two teeth it had lost earlier starting to grow back. [color=de2f46]"Shit... Guys! Do something!"[/color] Flailing at the creature, Aubrey stared wildly at the rest of the group, the newcomer in particular, who let loose an arrow.

Aubrey stumbled back. A split second later, a yelp went up, followed by a splash as the goblin toppled. Frog-like eyes bulging, it clawed at the sharp branch jutting from its side. In a flash, the little girl was upon it, jabbing a knife into its back. It screeched again, its legs going slack, which allowed the girl to drag it off of Freya as easily as she would a rag doll. Aubrey watched, open-mouthed, as the child drove the knife into it again and again until its mangled body stopped twitching. For all her gratitude, the sheer ferocity of this girl startled her - it was clear she must have had to do this before. Many times before.

Panting, she crawled away from the unmoving form, towards Freya and the forest child. [color=de2f46]"Three. Three of them,"[/color] she gasped. [color=de2f46]"Well, two now, hopefully... Another of those frog freaks, and a shapeshifting water horse."[/color] She cast a glance towards the entrance, and frowned.

The entrance was gone. Aubrey found herself facing a rocky wall, as if the tunnel had never been there. [color=de2f46]"Ugh, can't even the geography be simple around here?"[/color] she groaned. [color=de2f46]"Everyone?"[/color] Wet hair whipped her face as she glanced from side to side. Once she saw the group hadn't been separated, she sighed in relief. Well, at least that solved the issue of the pursuers, but presented another slight issue. A cave that kept changing would be just a tad difficult to navigate. 

First things first, she told herself. The relative safety made now as good a time as any to treat the injured. Rising to her feet, she stumbled towards Freya. [color=de2f46]"Brenton, quick!"[/color]

[hr]
[center][color=cc9331][h1]Brenton Ackerley[/h1][/color][/center]

Through the panic-induced exhaustion, Brenton staggered forward, but the girl sprang into action right away. He gaped at the flurry of jabs - ok, this girl had to have been here a while, and been through some messed up shit, to fight like that. [color=cc9331]"Remind me never to get on your bad side,"[/color] he said with a weak smile. [color=cc9331]"Let's go, before anything else gets through."[/color]

As Aubrey furrowed her brow at the entrance - or rather, what had once been the entrance - it became clear nothing else was going to get through. Which possibly included them. Brenton's mouth went dry, terror resurging. [color=cc9331]"W-well, not like we wanted to backtrack anyway,"[/color] he said, voice shaking as he scanned around desperately for any hint of an exit. Tunnels stretched ahead of them, some of which he could have sworn weren't there earlier, but there was no telling where they'd lead.

Not that now was the time to let panic get to him. Hand pressed to his ribs, he put away the pocket knife and headed over to Freya. With a grunt, he crouched and took out the medical kit. [color=cc9331]"It's ok, it's gonna be ok,"[/color] he said, hands clammy and trembling despite his words, making him fumble with the disposable gloves and gauze. [i]So very comforting,[/i] he scolded himself as he pressed the gauze to the wound. [color=cc9331]"You'll be alright, and we've got to find a way out soon enough..."[/color]

He turned to the wild girl. [color=cc9331]"Thanks there. I take it you know the way out, right...?"[/color]

[hr]

The group wouldn't have had to worry about their pursuers anyway.

Outside of the cave, the lake's surface rippled as the kelpie retreated, casting a pale-eyed glare behind him before diving down. Several feet away, the second goblin lay sprawled and motionless in the grass, its throat a wreckage of gouges.

A figure hunched over it, clawed fingers dripping blood, fur matted with his own. With a pained growl, the creature limped towards the cave. His eyes narrowed. He'd lost them. It was a veritable maze in there, space twisting and turning on itself, but he'd have to find his way around enough to get to them, before anyone else did.

His form shimmering and shrinking, he scurried into the cave, along the ever-shifting routes while keeping alert for the true path through the complex.

The teens, several chambers away, wouldn't know yet, but either someone was looking out for them, or they had another enemy on their trail.