[Himaran]

Bali watched in amazement as the Rhunians simply spread away from him. Deciding not to look surprised, he walked to the room's center and collected his weapons and gear in a leisurely manner. As he walked towards the party, the savages stepped back, giving the dwarf a clear path. He strode through the widening gap with an air of command, but when he reached his group became his old friendly self again. The dwarf patted Dwalin on the back, and gave him a smile that his younger brother had always longed for; one of respect. "Nice move, lad. Now let's get out of here. Oh, and Haenir, may I see that for a moment." The dwarf handed the crystal ball over, and Bali examined it.

"Beautiful. Rare and exquisite. It must be incredibly valuable. Keep it safe!" After handing it back to Haenir, Bali looked around the company.

"Thank you all for coming after me. Hand you not, I would surely be dead. And, more importantly, we would not have found this!" They all chuckled.

"I wonder why they care about it so much," said Gortek. The Rhunians were still standing, as if frozen to the ground. They made no move in any direction, but simply stared at the shining light Haenir held.

"I have no idea, but let's not stay and find out," said Durin. Bali and the others agreed, and they left the cavern peacefully.
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Several hours later, they had left the caves, and headed north up the canyon. And they knew that they would all make it home.