4 The Prisoner

'Drip, Drip, Drip,' The rhythmic sound of each drop of water that splashed onto the cold stone would drive any lesser man to madness, however, he was no lesser man. Sitting cross-legged, meditating on a rock that makes up the uneven floor of this large dungeon, is a long black-haired man wearing tattered nobleman's clothes, dirty and torn, exposing lean, pale skin. A loud 'Clang', awoke him from his thoughts, his eyes, deep red and soulless, flashed open. The screams of someone's life being taken echoed throughout the stone prison. He grinned. Sounds of fighting continued from the top of the steep stairs, and a body tumbled down these steps a second later. A hooded figure glided down the path, a bloody sword in their hand.

"Master." The rescuer removed their hood, revealing a beautiful woman. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders, her eyes a distracting blue. In her other hand, she took out a large silver key and wiggled it into the large lock. 'Click.' The pin fell into place and the silver released its claw, swinging open the gate to the prison cell. Her master slowly stood and walked out of what was his home for the last few months. She bowed deeply, extended her hands, and offered the sword. He took it. Running his finger along the sharp edge, the bloody edge. A thin streak of the thick coagulant coated his finger. He licked it. His eyes rolled back in enjoyment. Placing the metal against his lips, he ran his tongue down the length of the cool steel, cleaning it of the crimson. His pale skin seemed to glow, for whatever power he gained from the life force on the sword was strengthening him. He passed the sword back to the woman.

"Thank you," As he spoke, his voice carried power. "I will reward you for this." Suddenly, he vanished in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the woman alone to escape. She gripped the sword tightly and rushed up the stairs after her master.

"My Lord." The servant addressed a colorful man viewing his city from his high-up balcony.

"Yes?" he asked.

"The prisoner has escaped." The servant slowly backed away, fearing the wrath he was sure would come.

"I know. I sensed his presence leaving."

"My Lord, if I may?" The city ruler nodded for him to continue. "If you knew he escaped, why did you not stop him? After all, it was you who put him in the dungeon."

"Because this was supposed to happen."

"But—"

A wave from his master told him it settled the matter.

Confused, the servant went to leave.

"Before you go," he began, while out of thin air, he crafted a letter and handed it to the servant. "There is a group of characters arriving in Mirville in a few days. You will know who they are. One is a demonblood. Get this to them."

"How will I--" He got cut off again by a wave from his master as a gust of air forced him from the room. The large door sealed shut. The servant stood there holding the letter. 'You'd think I'd be used to this.'

Snow clung to the branches of the trees. Every so often, a clump would tumble off as the slight vibration of their cart disturbed the fragile relationship between tree and snow. The further they got from Realt the warmer the weather became. On the second day, the snow melted, causing the road to turn to mud, slowing their journey. They took this time to get to know each other, at least as much as they wanted to share.

"So what brought you two to the remote wilderness of Realt, no way the bounty was the only reason?" Erigos asked.

Garrok and Rothox both kept watching the road saying nothing.

"Don't speak up all at once…fine I'll go first. Aliisa and I are from Avent. She -–" He leaned over checking on the sleeping Alissa, having passed out a few minutes ago. "---Is an orphan, but grew up in the palace, the Queen adopting her. She may look young but she is old enough to experience the world. I on the other hand have a more interesting past but turned my life around becoming a guard in the palace. Alissa wanted to see the world so the Queen had me go with her, somehow we found ourselves traveling to Realt before now heading to Zarcum."

"Interesting how?" Rothox asked.

"Feel in with a criminal group," Erigos said without hesitation. His hand went to the holy necklace he wore. "But I discovered my Goddess and devoted my life to her, thus devoting it to the royal family."

"I too was involved with a similar group." Rothox's hand went to the slight bulge of his own necklace under his shirt.

"What happened?"

"Got out." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the full truth.

"That's good…mind if I ask about your upbringing?"

"Can ask, I might not tell."

"Fair, maybe another time then. Back to my original question?"

"Happenstance, didn't mean to end up in Realt, but I go with whatever works, found the bounty for the Yeti and thought I'd look into it. Never hurts to have some extra gold."

Erigos nodded, understanding the lifestyle. His gaze fell on the quiet Garrok. "And you big man, how'd you end up there?"

Rothox expected Garrok to not answer but he was wrong.

"Needed a change. Felt like a good place to start." Garrok didn't break his gaze on the road.

"Where'd you come from?"

Garrok didn't answer.

"You guys sure like to keep secrets. I get that, I used to be that way too, until I met Alissa. She showed me the beauty in sharing. It's a long journey to Zarcum, plenty of time to open up." Erigos flicked the reins, keeping the horses on pace.

The traffic on the road picked up the closer they got to the city of Mirville. They surprised a few of the other travelers coming from Realt, being told that the road had been closed for two days because of the blizzard.

Mirville came into view about mid-morning on the third day of travel. A small city built on a sloping hill that finishes at an abrasion beach on the massive Frostel lake. Walls surround the city from cliff to cliff. One main road leads down through the middle of town and they build the city on either side in a semi-circle pattern. They set up a ferry system that traverses people across the lake to either the southern or eastern shore. The ferries act as a continuation of the road.

Upon approaching the city gate, two Embers, city guards in the Empire, stepped forward. Their crest was a glowing red flame. After a brief discussion with Erigos, they allowed passage. Both Rothox and Garrok shared a glance, never experiencing that easy of an entrance to a city in the Empire. The two Embers eyed Garrok as he rode by. Rothox kept his hood up.

"The guards said there is one more ferry tonight that leaves within the hour. What do we want to do?" Erigos asked while he drove the cart into town. Before anyone answered, he realized who he was asking. "I'll head for the ferry." Halfway toward the ferry, they noticed the layer of thick fog that surrounds the center of the lake. They'd all heard the legend of the fog. A magical barrier protecting something hidden in the middle of the lake.

Garrok, with his keen sight, picked up a large moving object in the fog. "What's that?" Garrok pointed and, following his hand, they noticed the silhouette of a creature moving and it appeared to come closer.

'Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding,' a loud ringing sound pierced their ears. A warning bell down by the ferries used for just such circumstances was being continuously struck. The creature made its way out of the fog, its long neck swishing back and forth. Soldiers and Embers rushed past them, readying longbows. Within a few meters of the harbor, four more heads pulled out of the water as the monstrous creature began to siege the city from the water. Arrows flew at the Hydra and as a few made contact the one head died and in its place two more grew. Springing into action, Erigos spurred the horses into a jog. Bumping down the cobblestone hill, the cart's left wheel came loose, and they tumbled out of the broken cart as it tilted to the side. Still jogging forward, the horses continued to drag the broken wagon.

In the tumble, Rothox's hood came off. Normally very agile, but too focused on the monstrosity and could not catch himself. Hoping before anyone saw, he threw the cowl back over his face. One set of eyes caught his attention. An awkward-looking human standing on the edge of an alley was watching him intently before disappearing into the shadows. Running toward the docks, they saw the hydra attack the two ferries, damaging them with each impact of its heads. It reared up as another head died, creating another pair in its place. As the archers readied another volley, the creature backed away, sulking back into the water and into the fog. The whole encounter lasted a couple of minutes. No one got injured, but there the ferries suffered grave damage.

"What was that?" Alissa had never seen a creature like that. None of them had.

"That, Alissa, was a Hydra", Erigos said.

"Why would it attack so randomly?" she asked.

"The people of Mirville know a Hydra lives within the Frostal Lake fog, but it has never attacked before," Erigos replied. "At least according to the last time I was here."

"Curious." Garrok was focusing on the fog, watching the Hydra moving into it and eventually disappearing beneath the waves

"Yes, yes, it is." Erigos; attention fell on the destroyed docks. "Well, it would seem we will have to stay until they fix the ferries."

"There is no other way?" asked Garrok.

"Unfortunately, navigating around the lake takes days, and it's fraught with danger."

"More dangerous than that?" asked Garrok.

"Excuse me," a stranger interrupted their discussion. The stranger was the same human, if it could be called that, that had been watching Rothox. Everything about it was average. So much so they were perfectly average, unlike any human Rothox had seen before. Rothox drew his dagger and held it at the ready. Seeing the shiny blade, the curious humanoid put its hands up.

"I come with a message from my master." Its voice was monotone. Slowly, they reached into a pouch and retrieved a piece of paper. Erigos reached for it and read it aloud.

"My dear travelers, I would like to invite you to my city in the fog. Sincerely T."

"Who is this T and why would he want to meet us?" Rothox said.

"He is my master, a powerful being that has a proposition for you all. If you follow me, I will take you to the city." They extended their hand in invitation. No one moved. "Either you stay here and wait for the ferries to be fixed or you can come with me and have an adventure." It winked at them. They got the sense that the Hydra and this T had a connection. With nothing else to do or a way to continue their journey, they gathered themselves and followed the being. They led them down an alley that turned to follow the base of the cliff toward an extension of the beach. There in the sand was a small rowboat. All five members of this odd group piled into the boat. Slowly, it moved into the fog, but no one was rowing.