Megan held her sword threateningly.

The man lunged forward and she easily deflected the attack, stepping away and spinning behind him.

"Is that the best you've got?" She spun her sword, slashing a circle through the air.

The man growled. Without a word, he charged again.

Megan did a handspring and landed several feet to the right of his attack. "I can't say I'm impressed." She taunted him, leading him to the opposite end of the basement, away from the escaping staff.

The man clenched his fists and glared at her intensely. He beckoned his three remaining guards and smirked. "Your move."

Ramon stopped at the foot of the stairs. The others were already gone.

Megan noticed his hesitation. "Go!"

As she turned her head to address Ramon, one of the burly guards charged her.

She blocked his sword as she ducked and spun out of the way. "Now!"

Ramon stared at her for a moment, meeting her pleading gaze. Then, he darted up the stairs.

Megan sighed in relief and whirled to meet her adversaries.

The three guards collided with her all at once. She fought to hold back the three blades, her arms shaking from the exertion. The man dove into the fray, striking Megan across the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.

She collapsed, blood trickling from the gash in the back of her head.

One of the guards grabbed her limp body and tossed it over his shoulder. "What about the others?"

The leader scoffed. "They're not worth the time. The rift won't stay open for much longer."

The guard nodded and blew a horn that was strapped to his belt.

The remaining men returned to the basement and reported that the staff had fled to the woods.

The leader nodded and ordered everyone back into the hole. The man carrying Megan went first, dropping into the empty darkness. The others followed, one after the other, until finally, the leader approached the hole and hopped off the edge, dropping into the shadows and disappearing.