Session 8: Return to the Hollow

Lendrig's cackle echoed in their minds as bestial roars echoed from the hall. The echo did not help pinpoint distance, but it did solidify Lendrig's threat.

Time was short, but Argent did not hesitate. His eyes met the monk's, "Hamish, we need to get the doors shut. Now."

Hamish nodded.

As the two rushed over to either side of the open doors, Selene could now see the group clearly. Three columns of beasts charged down the hall. At the front were the massive thralls, barrelling forward with a sopping slap of tentacles on the floor. Behind them were the Merrow, sliding forward on fish tails. Their torsos and heads were covered in a strange coral armour with faces more shark than human. Each carried an ornate trident.

Following them were the Sep'tha on palanquins carried by the fish-men servants, dressed ornately in robes and finery similar to what Lendrig had worn.

The force increased its speed as the closing doors came into view, but they were still too great a distance to prevent it.

With a great heave, Hamish and Argent managed to shut both doors.

"Now, get back!" Argent bellowed, turning to Ari, "You know what to do."

Ari nodded, closing her eyes as she fell into a crouch. She placed her hands outstretched on the ground. Ice began to form around her finger tips, growing and crossing the threshold until it covered the door in a frozen sheen. Her incantation complete, Ari's eyes opened. With a fierce shout, Ari shot up from her crouched position, with her hands high up in the air. As she did so, a massive wall of ice, starting from the floor by her fingertips, rose to the rafters of the ceiling.

From behind the ice, a loud thud could be heard, followed by repeated slams. Ari's hands dropped as her feet gave out from under her. Breathing heavily, she announced, "That will hold them, but not for long."

"It'll be enough, thank you," Argent said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Turning to the rest of the party, he continued, "Now then, let's find another way out here."

The party searched around, but it seemed their only exit lay encased in ice with an army beating down upon it.

Looking around vaguely in search of some way out, Selene's eyes fall upon the grates above them. They clung to the edges of the ceiling where it met the wall, and Selene remembered that the water for Lendrig's throne came through them.

Might be a room up there…or at least some network of tunnels we could use to get out?

"Hey!" Selene called out, getting everyone's attention before pointing up at the ceiling, "Could we get out through those grates in the ceiling?"

Argent eyed them for a moment, "Perhaps…"

His eyes scanned where the ceiling met the wall, following the path of the grates around the room. As he turned to the ice-encased door, he smiled as he spotted one of the grates near the ice.

In the blink of an eye, he rushed toward the ice. Drawing two small axes from his belt, he leapt at the wall. Using the axes, he found grip on the ice's surface. Then, as if climbing a massive cliff's edge, he scaled the wall. Argent moved with an alacrity befitting his race, reaching the top in minutes. Near the top, he grabbed a hatchet from behind his back and slammed it into the wall, using it as a foothold as he leaned out to study the grate.

"Good work, Selene," Argent said after a moment, "It looks like these lead to another room."

Grabbing the grate with both hands, he checked to see if it could be pulled free or moved. After a few minutes of pulling and tugging, then hitting it with the morningstar he sighed.

"Too strong," Argent said, "I can't even dent it. We'll need to think of something else."

A thought came to Jezran. His eyes widened as he leapt in excitement.

"Wait!" Jezran cried out, "I can get us through that with the Passage spell!"

Everybody stopped for a second, taking in such an obvious answer.

"Great thinking, my friend!" Hamish cried, slapping Jezran on the back softly. It was still enough for Jezran to let out a pained yelp.

However, it was not enough to strike the smile from the wizard's face.

"But how are we getting up there?" Selene asked, "I don't think the rest of us can climb like that."

"We don't need to," Ari said, having regained enough strength to rise to her feet. She placed her hand on the ice before her. Instantly, edges shifted as steps took shape large enough for footholds to the top of the room, "We'll still need to be careful not to slip, but this should be enough to get us up there."

"Uh," Jezran stammered, suddenly a shrinking violet, "I'm not sure I can climb that. I'll probably slip and fall…"

"No problem, my friend, " Hamish declared, scooping up the tiny wizard in one hand, "I will carry, so you will not fall."

Jezran was about to protest when he suddenly thought better of it, "Thank you, Hamish."

"Is no problem," Hamish laughed, "Once carried twenty children 'cross big river. This much easier."

Again, Jezran appeared about to protest, but thought better of it as the Half-orc began his climb up the steps.

They each made their way up the steps. Hamish, carrying Jezran, went up first, followed by Ari, then Selene at the back.

Everyone seemed to handle this matter with a fair degree of competence. Selene, on the other hand, slipped and fell on the first step.

"Oww," Selene called out as she rose back to her feet, massaging a bruised bum.

Ari heard her land and turned around, concerned. That quickly turned to mild amusement as she realized what happened.

"Careful, Selene," Ari called back, trying to keep a serious tone.

Argent, seeing the whole thing from up top, added, "If you take a tumble like that up at the top, you might not make it up again."

"Yeah, yeah," Selene muttered, biting back a bitter tone.

"Need assistance, friend?" Hamish, who was actually already carrying Jezran, called down as well, "Have extra arm for you."

Selene took one look at the visibly uncomfortable wizard and quickly shook her head, "No, I…I would rather climb this myself."

Hamish sighed, but nodded, "Then please be careful."

She nodded as she dusted herself off and began again. This time, she put her weight on the step slowly, making sure she was prepared in case she slipped again.

As both her feet sat on the first step, she grinned. Easy.

It was, in fact, not easy.

Every step seemed uncertain as she felt her feet shift and slide beneath her. Her tail was outstretched behind her, desperately trying to help her balance. She could not tell if it did. As she reached around the halfway mark, she was beginning to get the hang of it. She no longer slipped as much, anyway.

Fear is, as always, an excellent motivator, she thought as she stared down at the floor below.

Looking up, she frowned as she realized the other two were having far too easy a time. Ari practically melded with the ice as she floated up each step. Hamish, on the other hand, seemed to simply have enough size and mass to him that the ice could not move him, even if it tried.

Or maybe it's his…Brackva…ness? Selene wondered.

Regardless, the rest were nearing the top at a comfortable pace.

Sighing, she tried picking up her pace. Only to nearly slip off the end. She gasped loudly as she steadied herself once more.

Okay, Selene. Focus. I cannot die here. If I die here, this will be the worst adventure ever. My face got attacked by tentacles, my brain got attacked by freaks, I ran around in the dark all alone, and then I die by falling from an icy staircase? No way. That story would not work.

Psyching herself up, Selene found a way to use her natural abilities to her benefit. Instead of waiting to get her bearings on each step, she would leap onto it. Keeping her feet close together, she found herself sliding forward. Using the momentum, she leapt again and landed on the next one. Keeping up this rhythm, Selene managed to gain some ground with her friends.

Then the foothold shook.

Losing her balance, Selene slipped and landed on the step. This did little to slow her momentum. Still sliding forward, she only barely managed to grab the icy step in front of her before she could slide off. Her fingers began to sting as they clung to the ice, and she soon found her grip slipping. With a flick of her hand, she drew her dagger and slammed its edge into the ice wall beside her. She did not know if it was deep enough to hold her weight, but there was no time to check. She used the dagger in the ice to leverage herself up on the step.

She gave out a sigh of relief as she found her footing once more.

Looking up, she saw a massive fissure now cut through the center of the ice. Time was swiftly dwindling.

Using her two daggers, Selene instead jumped to the furthest step she could. Slamming her daggers into the wall and step, she would use the hand holds to pull herself up. Once stable, she repeated the process. She managed to leap a few steps each time, but the process was draining.

Another slam hit the wall, deepening the fissure.

A few moments later at a far quicker pace, the remaining party sprinted up the stairs to meet Argent.

"Okay." Selene panted, catching her breath a few steps below the rest of the party, then she called out, "No time like the present, Jezran,"

"Oh! Right," Jezran held his focus and prepared the spell. A moment later, a Passage opened in the ceiling directly above them.

Argent sheathed his tools, then positioned himself so he could loop his legs through a portion of the nearby grate, "Give him to me, Hamish, I'll pull him up."

Hamish nodded, lifting Jezran up so he could grab Argent's hand. Once Jezran was safe inside, Hamish grabbed the nearest side of the Passage and pulled himself up.

Ari was only a step behind. She looked back at Selene, who was still struggling up the last few steps.

"Everything alright, Selene?" She asked, concerned.

Selene nodded, "Yeah, just…having some issues."

"Is this your first time climbing so high?" Jezran asked as he peaked back through the Passage, confused.

"No!" Selene yelled back, visibly offended. She then muttered, "Just not used to thinking I might fall. Especially from so high up..."

"Don't think about it, then," Argent stated bluntly as he reached out for Ari, "Keep moving, we don't know how long this will last."

Ari looked back, not fully convinced. "Are you sure you don't need help, Selene?"

A mixture of feelings rose up in Selene. Shame. Guilt. Helplessness. Each one had sunk their claws deep in her at one time or another. This time, however, a fire roared to life, burning them all away.

"Just…go," Selene said weakly, frustration and fatigue straining her voice, "I can do this."

I'm tired of needing to be saved—

—I don't want to be a burden—

I can't let this stupid ice beat me.

Each thought added further kindling to the flame, the grip on her daggers tightened as her jaw locked in place. Selene did not understand this feeling. All she knew was the fire burned at her weakness, and left an aching need to prove it could not beat her.

Ari's concerned gaze was met by Selene's determination. Finally she sighed, giving in to Selene's desire, "As you wish."

Argent grabbed Ari's hand and pulled her up through the gap. The elf now met his student's gaze. He saw her fire, and nodded. A smirk tickled his face as he grabbed a portion of the grate unaffected by the Passage spell, and pulled himself up. A moment later he peered down through it. He would allow her the attempt, but he would save her, should she need it.

Now only Selene remained on the stairs.

Without Ari's touch, the ice was actually beginning to melt, making the task all the more difficult. So close to the top, Selene shifted tactics from leaping to crawling. She would create handholds by planting her daggers in the ice, then lifting herself up to each step. She used her sleeve to dab sweat from her eyes as she caught her breath for the last time.

How do they walk so casually on ice? I feel like I'm going to fall off any second.

Another tremor travelled through the ice, deepening the crack. As the ice settled again, she began her final ascent. Each step was a victory unsung as she continued her crawl. There was no time to bask in success. The tremors increased in frequency, and icy chunks now freely fell to the ground.

Body in constant motion, nothing deterred her until she was met by the final step. A genuine smile touched Argent's lips as Selene stood at the top. She beamed up at him through heavy breaths. This victory, so hard fought, was sweeter than any she had tasted this whole journey.

Argent reached out to her, ready to pull her up. She returned the gesture, fingers inches from his grasp.

A chorus of guttural bellows echoed through ice as the thralls slammed into the wall in unison. In her weakened state, the tremor in the ice was enough for Selene to lose her balance. Joy gave way to panic as she felt her feet sliding out from under her. Too late to react, she lost her footing and began to fall.

"Selene!" Argent cried out.

Thinking quickly, she stretched her tail out toward the nearest foothold. Quickly, she wrapped her tail around the foothold as tight as she could. Her descent was halted, but the strain on her tail made her cry out in shock. A shiver ran down her spine as she stared at the ground far below the step. Another shiver came as her sensitive tail gripped the ice firmly.

"Oh, that ice is cold," she muttered to herself.

Her reprieve was short lived, as the next strike by the thralls exacerbated the fissure. The room was filled by the sounds of massive shifts in the ice.

It was beginning to fall apart.

In a flurry, Selene swung herself to a nearby lower foothold and managed to pull herself up in the chaos. No time to waste, she leapt up to the highest step. As she reached to pull herself up, she saw the ceiling stretch further and further away. The wall was crashing to the floor below. In a rush, Selene scrambled to her feet. She reached the top with outstretched fingers to grab Argent's hand, but the distance was too great.

She sighed, sheathing her daggers. Only one way this will go, then.

Crouching, Selene prepared herself for a leap.

Legs don't fail me now. It's a long way down and I'd really rather not end up smashed against the floor.

With a cry, Selene leapt from the foothold as the ice collapsed underneath her. For a moment, she felt as if she were floating in the air.

Then came the sudden lurch of descent.

Time slowed as something from above grabbed her wrist, bringing the descent to a sudden halt. Looking up as she swung helplessly in the air, she saw Argent, swinging by his legs from Hamish's grip.

With a heave, Hamish lifted them both up through the Passage.

Looking down, they could see the army searching for them below. Before they had a chance to look up, Jezran snapped his fingers and the Passage closed behind them.

As they collapsed in a heap, Selene could not help but say, through gasping breaths, "That…was…too…close. T–thank…you."

"You're welcome," Hamish said, "But next time, you let me carry you."

Selene wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

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Everybody took a moment as they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"So…that went well," Selene said, staring up at the ceiling as she fought against a strong urge to sleep for a week.

Looking around, she saw they found themselves in another strange chamber. This one appeared to be the inside of some kind of cistern. Based on the mists dancing by her cheek, it was designed to funnel and capture mists instead of water. After another moment's respite, she got up and looked around. This structure seemed to stretch off in all directions as far as the eye could see, with rows upon rows of ornate pillars and columns holding up the ceiling high above them.

As Selene marvelled, Argent rose to his feet.

"We should keep moving," Argent said after a moment, reluctantly, "I know we are all tired, but there's no guarantee that the enemies chasing us can't find a way up here."

Everybody moaned and groaned, but there was no disagreement.

"Besides," Jezran added, "We need to get back to the Hollow. If Lendrig plans to invade we need to warn them, maybe even plan an evacuation."

Everyone fell silent at that.

"…are we sure we should be heading back there?" Selene asked, "I mean…I don't want anyone to get hurt, but this Lendrig guy seems to be a step ahead of us every time. I'm not sure there's anything we can do."

Jezran's head swung toward her, eyes aghast. The rest looked on silently, not sure what to say.

All except Argent, who simply nodded, "You're right, he has been a step ahead this whole time. Unfortunately, the same applies to our escape. I doubt any of us would make it far if we tried."

"Yes," Hamish added reluctantly, "And what of his scheme? He will not stop at Hollow, so we need to stop him from bringing back Igryss, yes? If not here, nowhere will be safe."

"I know…I just—" Selene swallowed, "I want to help, I just don't know what we can do."

"That's fine," Argent said, placing a firm hand on Jezran and Selene's shoulders, "We just take it a step at a time, we solve one problem, then the next. We repeat until we get through to the end."

"Argent is right, my friends," Hamish chimed in, "Little stones send many ripples in water. We may not know how to stop this thing, but our actions will make ripple in destiny, just like stone in water. This change may lead to those answers."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Argent continued, "Now with that out of the way, the best thing for us to do would be to get up and find a way above ground. From there, we'll head back to the Hollow, and anything else can be decided once we get there. Okay?"

Selene and Jezran nodded solemnly. As the group got ready, Selene approached Jezran.

"Listen, Jezran. I—" Selene started before Jezran cut her off.

"I know. You're scared, and I don't blame you for feeling that way," Jezran said, then he chuckled weakly, "Honestly, I'm terrified. I've never seen anything like Lendrig. His knowledge is practically endless and he's been playing this game since before the Collapse, if his words held any truth to them. And the stuff he showed me…"

Selene stared into the wizard's eyes as his words trailed. It was the same fear she felt. Staring into those eyes, his grip on their minds and thoughts. Nothing escaped his notice, nothing could be hidden from him, at least intentionally.

"Right," Selene whispered.

"But," Jezran continued, a determination filling him, "that doesn't mean we can run away. Right now, we can help these people, and, if we're lucky, we may even stop Lendrig's plans."

Selene nodded.

With all that said, it was quickly decided the best course of action was to eat a quick meal before they departed. None could remember the last time they really had a chance to rest, but they only gave themselves a few more minutes to scarf down some dried meat before departing.

With no clear end point in sight, the party decided to distance themselves from the room below. That way, even if the monsters below them realized how they escaped and found a path up here, the party would have some warning as they crashed through the floor. From there, they would continue straight until they hit a wall. Hopefully, they would then find a path out as they followed it.

After a few minutes walking, they came upon a hole in the ceiling high above them. It leaked a steady stream of mist into the room.

"Could we use that to get out of here?" Selene asked.

"I could use Passage on it, if we had a way up there," Jezran added.

"Whatever we do, I don't think I can help," Ari said, looking worse for wear, "I'm completely spent."

They all discussed possible options, but could not come to one that would be safe in their current state.

"Let's keep looking around, there's likely multiple holes like this to fill the room," Argent reasoned, "If we can't find a more conventional way out, we can always rest up and then try something on the next hole we see."

Everyone agreed and they continued on.

More time passed, but they could not find a wall. No matter how long they walked in a singular direction, there was no end in sight.

More mist pooled, rising up to the point it rose above their heads.

Must be night outside, Selene thought as she inched closer to the rest of the party. Thankfully, the mists, though voluminous, did not appear to swallow them. Instead, it surrounded them in a milky fugue, similar to their time aboard the Admare.

After another hour of walking, there was still no sign of a wall or exit.

"Could this thing go on forever?" Selene wondered aloud.

"Probably not," Jezran said, slightly out of breath, "But it may cover this whole layer of the city, meaning it might stretch on like this for miles."

As Jezran said that, Selene noticed something strange. A current of mists, bending and circling around them, flowing from their left. Curious, she found herself following it back to its source.

The search for the source led her off into the mists alone. There was a figure draped in white cloth, standing in the distance. Without thinking, she approached the figure. The closer she got, the more ethereal it appeared. The white cloak draped over its body was so brilliantly white, it appeared almost translucent as white mists swirled within it. The face was obscured by the same cloth that covered its body. No human characteristics could be seen. Most surprisingly, mists seemed to flow from the hem of their robe. Selene could not shake the feeling that this figure was somehow the source of the mists all around them. It remained motionless, but somehow she knew it was watching her.

Examining her every move with an eyeless gaze.

"Selene, where are you?" Ari's voice echoed in the distance.

As she turned to Ari's voice, the mist seemed to fade, allowing her to see the party several hundred feet away from her. Did I really walk that far?

"I'm over here!" Selene called back, "I think I—"

As Selene turned to look back, the figure was gone.

In their place was a wall with an opening for a staircase. Its steps, covered in mists, lead upward.

Hamish and Ari both were the first to run up to Selene.

"What made you decide to—" Ari stopped mid sentence as she saw what Selene saw.

"A staircase," Hamish said, dumbfounded.

Ari called back to Jezran and Argent, "Guys! Selene found a way out of here!"

At that, the other two raced over to rejoin the party.

Selene continued to stare dumbly at the stairs. She rubbed her eyes with her palms, then looked again to see they were still there.

…am I going crazy? Selene thought as she could not get the figure out of her mind.

The stairs appeared to climb upwards without end, but as they approached, they could see the faintest hint of moonlight peeking from the top.

Argent hushed them all, "It appears to be night out right now. So we need to be careful."

"Why don't we wait until morning, then?" Selene asked, remembering the nightmare that started all this.

Argent shook his head, "We can't wait. We don't know how much time is left before the invasion of the Hollow. We'll stick to the shadows where possible and we do not stick around to fight if we can escape. Is everyone ready?"

There were a number of sighs, but everyone drew their weapons or prepared their spells and nodded.

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Shrouded in mists, the streets of Lendrigol were quiet. No beasts stalked the streets, no Umbralivants loomed overhead. It was as if the whole area was silent, hushed in anticipation.

Selene was the first to break the silence.

"So," she began, "Spooky nothing's here."

"Yeah," Ari said warily, "Normally, nothing would be a good thing, but Selene is right."

They looked around a bit, but could not see or find anything. Nothing but mists and ruins.

"Perhaps they are simply elsewhere?" Hamish suggested.

"No," Argent disagreed, "I think they're waiting. Lendrig's power gives him command over all the beasts of the Abyss. I imagine he likely allowed them to run rampant until now, as there was no need to hold their leash tightly. But now…now he's preparing for war."

"Wait," Selene squeaked, overjoyed as a thought occurred to her, "He's only attacking the Hollow because he knows he doesn't need to let it stick around right? That's only because Argent is here. He needs his blood for a ritual or something, right? If that's the case, we just need to get Argent as far away from here as possible, then he'll have to call off the attack, right?"

While Selene was already patting herself on the back for her own brilliance, the rest of the party seemed doubtful.

Hamish started, "What you say is correct, my friend…but…"

"But consider this…" Jezran added.

"If Argent is so important…" Ari continued.

"Why am I here?" Argent finished.

Selene's head swivelled as they each said their piece. Did they practice that when I wasn't looking?

"Huh?" was all Selene could muster to say.

"It's simple," Argent explained, "Lendrig knows where we are, he knows what we're doing. If he thought we could escape this place, he would not have allowed our escape in the first place."

"Wait, so you…" Selene said, trying to get what they were saying, "You think Lendrig let us go?"

"It's a possibility," Jezran sighed, "He's been leading us in circles this whole time, we can't assume we can outwit him. Or at least, if we do, it would require something he could not predict."

Selene sighed, defeated, "Okay…"

"It was not bad plan," Hamish said, delicately placing his giant hand on her shoulder, "In other case, might even be best plan, but Lendrig control this city. He would know if we try to leave."

"He might even have a trap waiting for us by the time we got there," Jezran added solemnly.

"But don't fret," Ari said, placing her hand on Selene's free shoulder, "That is exactly the kind of thinking we need right now. If you have any other ideas, please let us know."

Hamish nodded enthusiastically.

Selene chuckled, then nodded herself.

"With that out of the way," Argent said, "We should keep moving until we find some shelter for the night. We have no idea if this silence will last all night, so we should take advantage for as long as possible."

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Before travelling anywhere, they needed to get their bearings. In order to get their bearings, Ari volunteered to transform again.

"I can see a lot from the sky, I should be able to tell what way we need to go," Ari declared.

"Are you sure you have enough mana?" Argent asked, concerned.

Ari nodded, "It's not hard. I can handle this much."

Quickly, she shifted into her great snowy owl form and took flight. Unlike her attempted flight below, where she was trapped and struggling to fly, here she was free and the full scope of her speed could be seen as she flew on silent wings. A lone white bird amidst a black sky above and grey mists below. A few minutes later, she returned, confused.

"Uh, hm," she said after transforming back.

"Something wrong, friend?" Hamish asked.

"Yeah, uh…where was the Hollow supposed to be?"

"Three days travel east of us, give or take," Jezran said, simply, "I did all I could to keep us on track down there, but it's hard to say what changed after our separation."

Ari nodded, "That's what I thought, then why…then why…." she then pointed Westward, "Is the Hollow that way?"

Jezran eyed her finger and the direction she pointed, then his eyes grew wide, "Wait…we're now…east of the city?"

Ari nodded.

"I—impossible!" Jezran sputtered, grabbing his Orb to check for himself. After a moment he gasped, then whispered, "We are east of the city. How the—?"

"Was this Lendrig's doing?" Selene asked, cutting off the wizard.

"It's most likely the case," Jezran said, scratching his beardless chin, "Hard to keep track of where things are in those tunnels. We could have gone in a circle and not known it."

"Didn't we go in a straight line?" Ari asked.

"That's what we thought," Argent said, "But we know Lendrig can manipulate our senses quite easily. So it's possible he manipulated our movements without our notice…"

"Wait…" Selene said, her heart dropping, "Doesn't that mean his lair, or at least the catacombs we crawled out from, is practically underneath the Hollow?"

Everyone was silent at the realization.

Argent took a breath, his eyes brimming with moonlight, "We need to get there. As soon as possible."

There was no argument.

The party travelled through misty streets unhindered for several hours. Adrenaline from the revelation was enough to keep them going.

Eventually, though, exhaustion caught up with them.

So little opportunity for real rest came during their time beneath the city, that now the party was forced to rest in spite of the race against time. Refuge was found in short order that night in a hovel within a collapsed building.

Silence was all they heard as they set the runes and peacefully went to sleep. Argent once again kept watch at his own insistence.

"I don't need rest as much as everyone else," was all he said.

Ari gave a disapproving huff, but was so quick to collapse she was unable to put up an argument.

Before dawn, while the mists still clung to the streets, they continued their journey.

As the sun began to rise, and the mists lifted above them, high walls could be seen in the distance.

"No mistaking it, that's the Hollow," Jezran muttered.

Hamish frowned, "Suspicions last night were correct, it seems."

"Then we have not a moment to lose," Jezran said, steeling himself, "Come on let's go!"

Before Jezran could take another step, Argent spoke.

"A moment, please."

Everyone stopped and turned to stare, waiting for the warrior to continue.

"I know we are rushed, but this is important, I promise," Argent said, his head bowed, "…I am sorry. I failed you all."

Jezran and Selene shared a look.

"What do you mean?" Jezran asked.

"I—" Argent began, but was cut off as Ari stepped forward.

"We knew there was a possibility that Lendrig had returned," she finished.

Jezran eyed them both, "How?"

"It's…" Ari began, trying to find the right words.

"It's complicated," Argent finished for her, "But we knew from Master Kal that Jezran was planning an expedition and why. From there, we knew it was likely he had returned."

"Wait, if you knew why I was going, why didn't you tell me?" Jezran asked, eyes narrowed.

"Kal said not to tell you," Ari said, nonchalantly, "He would never admit it, but he's quite the sentimental guy. Told us he wanted us to keep you safe, if we could."

"If you knew all that…then why were you caught off guard?" Selene thought aloud.

Argent and Ari both frowned.

"We…thought it was similar to another type of magic," Ari explained, "But it turned out the magic was very, very different."

"In what way?" Jezran asked.

"It's…" Ari began.

"Complicated?" Selene finished.

Ari and Argent both nodded.

"So are we completely defenseless against his power?" Jezran asked.

Before the two elves could answer, Hamish stepped in, "No. We are not."

Now it was Ari and Argent's turn to be confused.

Argent recovered quickly, a smirk suddenly touching his lips, "You can share your immunity?"

Hamish shook his head, "No, but I can help with the resisting. Spirit flows through all, I can channel flow to strengthen resolve and will. Good for morale as well."

"That could have been helpful," Jezran said, "Why didn't you offer this earlier?"

"Simple. Channelling is…difficult. Cannot fight and channel at same time. Also needs lots of Arbettin Cedar. Everyone under protection needs it in order to work," Hamish explained, turning to Argent, "If we make large bonfire in Hollow, I can channel through everyone."

Ari smiled, genuinely relieved, "That should be enough to give us a fighting chance!"

Argent nodded, "Yes, thank you my friend. That's one less thing we have to worry about. Now with all that out of the way, let's keep moving. We can talk more strategy with the Governor once we arrive at the Hollow."

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The continued march toward the Hollow was uneventful. The walls of the Hollow rose ever higher as they approached. In the darkness of their first night, Selene had not realized just how massive they were. In the sunlight and through the haze, she could see them standing high above all but the nearby tower Jezran claimed for his study.

From a distance, it all seemed peaceful, until they heard the sounds of bestial roars and cries of pain echo in the distance.

With no hesitation, the party drew their weapons and readied spells as they raced towards the sounds.

Are they already under attack? Selene thought, her grip on her daggers tightening.

It was not long before they saw a swarm of Drowned led by a thrall attacking a small group of armoured men. They seemed skilled enough to keep the Drowned at bay, but the thrall's brutish force was more than they could handle as it grabbed a random guard and slammed them into the wall as an ally slashed feebly at its tentacle limbs. Above, archers peeked through holes in the wall, firing upon the beast with careful shots.

None fazed it.

The sound of their approach was drowned out by the clash, so none noticed save those on the wall. Two arrows flew in their direction, but failed to make their mark.

"They're firing at us?!?" Jezran cried out, running awkwardly in a zigzag pattern, hoping to avoid their shots.

"No time to consider friend from foe. A fight's happening at the gate and more people are coming," Argent explained coldly, "It's their job to try and wound us so we're less of a threat to their men below."

Another few arrows were shot towards them, one about to bury itself in Jezran's chest before a flash of Argent's steel parried it mid-flight. Hamish caught another as it flew through the air and threw it deftly toward the enemy. The arrow flew with a speed and force as if shot from a crossbow into the flesh of the large thrall.

The damage appeared negligible, but it got the massive humanoid's attention.

It let out a bestial roar before turning and charging the party. A volley of arrows targeted the thrall as it surged toward them faster than a cavalry charge.

"There," Hamish said, self satisfied, "Now they know friends approach!"

"Great, now we'll get smashed instead of skewered," Selene muttered.

Once the thrall was in range, Jezran stopped and cried out, "Arcus!"

A cascade of lightning shot from his open fingertips toward the thrall. The beast let out an agonized cry, but it did not slow.

"Get out of the way, now!" Ari cried out as she slowed to a stop and crouched down. Fingers touched the ground as ice began to spread. Her eyes turned icy blue as she whispered her incantations.

Everyone moved quickly out of the way as ice shot toward the beast's path. Upon touching the bulging, fleshy tentacles of the thrall, the ice seemed to grip and cling to the creature. It slipped and crashed to the ground a few hundred feet ahead of them. The thrall was temporarily dazed, and did not immediately spring to its feet.

Once Ari stepped back, then Argent surged forward.

He leapt onto the small patch of ice on the ground, using the slick surface to propel himself forward. Reaching the collapsed thrall before it recovered, he thrust his shortswords into its exposed torso. Both swords sank to the hilt in the creature's flesh thanks to the momentum.

It let out a cry as it made to grab the elven warrior. Ducking, Argent managed to dodge the blow, but was forced to retreat before he had a chance to pull his swords free.

Enraged, the beast slammed its fist down, hoping to crush Argent. He dodged, but it gave the thrall time enough to rise back up to its tentacles. Leaning back on half its limbs, it used the remaining tentacles to release a flurry of ground strikes in front of it.

Argent managed to stay one step ahead, but he had no room to draw another weapon. Every time he tried to retreat did nothing as the thrall kept advancing on him. Even with all his skills, it was only a matter of time before the elf was crushed beneath the blows.

Jezran tried casting Barrier to help, but the thrall's strength and flurry broke through with ease.

Pulling one of her hands back like a bow, Ari shot an ice shard at the Thrall. It landed in its arm and ice bloomed around it. The creature looked at the ice, then shattered it with its free hand. The barrage of tentacle blows never slowed.

Selene grabbed a throwing knife, but after seeing how ineffective Ari's ice arrow was, she decided to put the blade back in its place. I don't think I have anything that can hurt this thing unless I get really, really, close.

Meanwhile, Hamish was getting ready to charge in. Whether that was to save Argent or attack the Thrall, Selene could not tell.

Jezran, seeing the failure of his Barrier, decided to try another tactic.

"Arcus Maxim!" He cried, the bolts flew from both his hands toward the beast, then seemed to arc midway towards the swords in the creature's chest.

Due to the increased voltage, or perhaps the lightning rods in the beast's chest, its flurry was finally halted as it shook violently from the lightning shooting through its body.

The smell of cooked flesh soon filled the air as the beast finally collapsed on the ground.

It did not rise again.

"Great work, Jezran," Argent said, half out of breath. Wrapping a cloth around his hand, he delicately pulled the swords from the cooked corpse.

Jezran simply beamed. Hamish slapped the wizard on the back, straining the smile, but it never faded.

Ari, meanwhile, went to check over Argent, who let her fuss for a moment while stating repeatedly he was fine.

After that was handled, the party continued on until they reached the gate. By the time they arrived, the guards were finishing up with the remaining Drowned.

Seeing their approach, one of the guards ran up to meet them.

"Thanks for taking out that big one for us," he said. By the look of him, he was Malenai. His skin was an ocean blue and coral grew out of his temples.

The nearby guards did not appear to have much of a set uniform, save whatever armour could be scrounged up.

His uniform, on the other hand, appeared professional. It was only simple chainmail, but it was clearly of a finer quality, meant for prolonged battle, and well polished. It also had the marks to prove its effectiveness.

The guard reached a hand out toward Argent once they were a few feet away, "Name's Sebastian, Sergeant of the East Gate, but most folks have taken to calling me Bastion these days."

"A fitting name, you defend this place well," Argent said, taking his proffered hand, "Most call me Argent. This is Jezran, Selene, Hamish, and Arifrenya."

"Pleasure to meet you," Jezran said, shaking his hand as well, "I don't know many of the officers over on this side of the wall."

"Likewise. Pleasure to meet you all," Sebastian smiled.

"Bastion!" one of the guards called, "All finished here, we should head back in."

"Oh, what about the squid thing?" Selene said, remembering the last time the party faced Drowned.

The guard gave her a weird look, "Squid…thing?"

"You know…the thing that controls the Drowned," she tried to explain.

"She means have you taken out the thing controlling them?" Jezran tried clarifying.

The guard just frowned, "Thought they was jus' undead."

"No, we had a run in out there with Drowned that seemed to have some kind of squid inside. It attacked us shortly after we 'killed' them," Argent explained.

Bastion frowned, "No, I don't believe any of us have seen that. Then again, we never thought to check," he turned back to the guard, "Percy, keep an eye for any…squid things coming out of the corpses from now on."

The guard nodded, eyeing the nearest Drowned corpse with suspicion.

"Thank you for letting us know. I'll make sure everyone knows in case it happens again. For now, though, you all should come in. I have no idea how you survived out there, but we can get you some food and rest."

"That would be most appreciated, thank you," Argent said.

The gate, compared to the wall, was remarkably small. It was only large enough for the party to enter single file.

Must not be a lot of trade caravans going through crazy fish town, Selene thought as she entered behind Hamish.

The gate shut behind them with a resounding thunk. The interior of the wall was strangely foreign to the ruins and Hollow around it. Utility and function took precedence here over form and aesthetic, it was also far newer than any dilapidated ruins from within or without its borders. Instead of the glowing algae, torchlight lit the large room.

As Bastion was about to ask them something, three guards approached. These guards, unlike the ones Bastion commanded, were dressed in full plate mail, and seemed to have a strange symbol on their breastplate. One of them, a middle-aged human male with a bushy moustache, stepped forward.

"Ah, there you are, Ser Jacob," Bastion said, sardonically, "Enjoy your view from the wall as we fought for our lives?"

The man he called Ser Jacob ignored him. His face was grave, turning to face the party. He asked in a low voice, "These are the ones that came from outside the wall?"

"Yeah, they saved our lives, taking out the Thrall on their own," Bastion said, grinning, "I know I don't have command, but they should be up for some kind of reward for their service."

Ser Jacob sighed, grabbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "Normally, I would agree. Such bravery could be of use in the coming days. Unfortunately, we have our orders."

One of the guards next to him spoke out, "You are under arrest, please do not resist or we will have to use force."

Bastion's eyes grew wide, shocked, "Wha—why? They saved our lives, that should be enough, right?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ser Jacob said. It was hard for Selene to read his face under the moustache, but he appeared reluctant in his duty as he continued, "We cannot go against the Governor's decree, no exceptions. We'll need to lock them up until we know who they are and what they were doing out there."

All resistance faded from Bastion at the mention of the Governor. He hung his head and looked to the party as he said, "I'm sorry, Ser Jacob is right. We have our orders, please don't resist."

"Wait, there must be some misunderstanding!" Jezran cried out as all the guards in the room, Bastion included, quickly surrounded them and began binding their hands, "Let me speak to the Governor, I'm sure we can get this cleared up."

"Calm down, young man," one of the guards said, placatingly, "You'll have a chance to speak with him once we confirm you're not a threat."

Another guard guffawed, "Fat chance. The Governor keeps cooped up in his room all day. Nobody's seen him 'cept those who know 'im personally."

Jezran stopped struggling at that, "Then this is quite simple. I do know Governor Merus. We meet once a month to talk about the state of the Hollow over Dunbaran tea for the last five years!"

The guard gave him a funny look, "Why would the Governor be talking to you?"

Jezran's face went beat red.

"Because I'm Jezran! You know? The wizard? I own the tower outside of town!" he fumed.

The guard shook his head, "Nuh uh, I seen the wizard. He got a big ole bushy beard."

Selene barely stifled a laugh at that, earning a sharp glare from the wizard.

Jezran pleaded with the guard, "But—I—I am him! My—my."

"Enough!" the guard yelled, silencing any further debate.

"Can we at least know what we are charged with?" Selene asked.

"Suspicion of fraternizing with enemy forces. You were found outside Hollow walls, likely were out past curfew, too. We'll take your testimony to the Governor and then he'll decide what to do with you lot."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Selene was tempted to resist as the guards surrounded them. She had never been caught by the guards in Izan'larai, but she knew the price for capture and she was not ready to lose either hand. However, no one else resisted, so she followed suit.

Huh. Weird. First time I've ever been captured, and I didn't even steal anything. Not that I was planning to… just never thought I'd be caught for nothing. Selene continued her pondering over this peculiar circumstance as she felt ropes bind her hands and all her visible weapons taken.

After they were properly bound, Ser Jacob and his guards, alongside Bastion, led them through to the Hollow. They passed onto familiar city streets with the glowing algae strung up along the buildings. It was only for a few minutes, however, as the prison was unsurprisingly quite close to the wall. Unlike the walls, the prison appeared to be a structure from the ruined Lendrigol. They entered to find algae hung up on the interior walls, casting their green sheen over everything, including a descending staircase at the end of the room.

Great, back underground we go. Selene thought dourly as they were escorted inside.

The stink was the first thing to hit them as they approached the stairs. It was a foul rot of a smell from aeons of crime and capture marked these halls. All the usual odours of containment could be found here, mixed with decay and dusted viscera.

Past the door, they descended several flights of steps, with the stench only increasing in potency. The slurry of smells grew to a point that even Selene found herself gagging.

Finally, they reached the bottom. From there they entered a long, dark hallway. Rows upon rows of cells lined the hall as far as Selene's eyes could see. Pockets of mist could be seen in several of these, and small streams flowed over the floor. The guards wasted no more time before shoving them into the first free cell in the place and leaving.

Bastion lingered as the other guards walked away.

Jezran, as soon as the door was shut, grabbed the bars with bound hands and leaned close to the Sergeant. He then whispered, "What's happening? Why is the Governor acting like this?"

Bastion sighed, "I don't know. They don't tell us much, but the Governor has been having bad dreams lately. It's made him far more suspicious than usual. Honestly never gave the new decree any mind, as nobody ever seems to leave the walls. Unfortunately, it seems that means you are the ones who have to pay."

"What can we expect?" Argent said, leaning back against the prison wall.

Bastion shrugged, "Hard to say. I know there'll be some interrogations to make sure you folk aren't traitors to the Hollow, but I don't know if that means they'll let you out if you prove your innocence. May be easier to just leave you to rot."

A strange look flashed in Argent's eye, "I see."

Bastion then added, conciliatory, "I don't know if it will help, but I'll put in a good word for you. I'll make sure they don't forget about you down here."

He then left without another word.

The door at the end of the hall shut with a metallic clang. There was no algae down here, so the room was pitch black. Not a problem for most of the party, but it would still take some time to adjust.

Selene stepped toward the bars and looked around, trying to get her bearings, when a familiar voice called out from the adjacent cell, "Surprised to see you here, horngirl."

"Yeah, me too. I really thought I'd never see—" Selene stopped as she turned toward the voice, "Captain Renik? Is that you?"

Selene rushed to the door and grabbed the bars, eyes meeting the Admare's captain. He was more than a little worse for wear, and looked like he may have been here a while.

"Aye, it is," he said, sighing.

Hamish and Ari leapt to the bars.

"Captain?!?" Ari asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Yes," Hamish added, "Thought you would be long gone. Why are you in cell and not out at sea?"

"Well, it's a long story," Renik explained, "Few days ago, dockmaster told me the ship was not allowed to leave port, said it was orders from the Governor. Asked to see 'im and get this figured out. Unfortunately, he said some things I didn' quite like."

"What did he say, my friend?" Hamish asked, concerned.

Renik huffed, anger reignited by the memory, "Said the whole ship was seized due to 'security risks.' Somethin' about an oncoming attack and that they'd need all available ships. I called it hogswallup, and…a few other things. Told me to cool off in the brig. Hard to say how long I've been here, now."

"Sounds like things got worse shortly after we left," Argent said, massaging his hands after freeing them from their bindings.

"How did—" Selene asked, shocked.

"Not the first time I've been bound, and they didn't tie it very well," was all Argent said.

Selene felt her own bindings, finding them simple enough to remove after a few minutes wiggling around. She did not even need to cut them with one of her hidden knives.

"See? Not that hard," a smirk touched Argent's lips, "Help me get the others free."

While she and Argent helped the rest of the party with their bindings, Jezran appeared lost in thought.

As they finished cutting his bindings, he suddenly said aloud, "What if the reason Lendrig didn't care if we came here or not is because he already had the Hollow well in hand?"

"What do you mean?" Selene asked, grabbing the rope from his wrists and tossing it aside.

"Simple," Argent answered, "Lendrig led us around by the nose out there, no reason to assume he wasn't doing the same here. That was likely what the dreams were."

"Dreams?" Renik said, confused, "You know something about these dreams?"

"Yes, we found the cause out there," Ari explained.

"What ya mean, ma'am?" Renik asked, eyes raised.

Ari shrugged, "We found out what's causing the dreams. It's Lendrig."

Renik's brow furrowed, "You mean the guy who named the place?"

"Not just named," Selene jumped in, excited at the prospect of sharing this information, "He built the whole city. Lendrig is some kind of immortal monster that can mess with your head with magic."

Renik took the news about as well as you might expect, being given from Selene. He knew she was quite the storyteller and had a vivid imagination.

Looking to Argent, he asked, "This true?"

Argent nodded gravely.

"Huh, never was one to care much for stories like this. Hard to believe I'm in one now," Renik mused, taking it all in stride, "So the Governor was right. We are expecting an attack. Guess that explains all the dreams, then."

"Those were there already," Jezran said flatly, "Been a problem here for the last couple years. Surprised you don't remember them from the last time you were here, Captain."

Renik shook his head.

"No, they changed." Renik stated bluntly, "Heard some folk out about before I ended up here. Say they're far worse now. And folk remember 'em better."

"What do they dream?" Jezran asked, scrambling for his bag before remembering the guards had taken their belongings.

Renik scratched his beard, which had become even more grizzly during his time here, "Well, can' say they said, but I can tell you what I dreamed last few days."

Jezran searched his pockets frantically for another moment, muttering all the while, "Could have sworn I had a quill and paper in here somewhere."

Upon finding nothing, he finally sighed, "Go ahead, I'll compare it once I have access to my notes again."

"Well, I'm in town. Think I just docked and heading to find the dockmaster to get some help with the supplies we brought." Renik said, matter of fact, but then he hesitated, " Only…I can't find him. Can't find anyone."

Their whole time on the Admare, Renik seemed unflappable. A mighty stone against the tides. Now, his voice wavered and his breath grew shallow, "Then I hears something bubbling from the waterbed. I try not to look but…I can' stop myself. Then I see…it's coming from something beneath the shallows. Suddenly, the ground shifts beneath my feet, the ground quakes and rises up under me, knockin' me off me feet. Then I look up and I see two green eyes glaring down at me from the mists above. It laughs as the ground beneath me breaks and I fall into the black abyss below. I wake up screamin' every time."

Jezran thought for a moment, "Until I have my notes back, I won't be able to confirm, but yes, that definitely sounds more lucid. Guess Lendrig's next move is to scare everyone into a frenzy?"

"Perhaps," Argent said, "Or perhaps only one person was his aim, but he can't pinpoint the target here."

"Like the Governor?" Selene asked.

Argent shrugged, "Maybe. He would make the most sense."

"That would explain why he's acting so paranoid," Jezran said, "He was always a suspicious fellow, but I felt that was more a benefit than a detriment, considering where we are."

"Wait, what about the key?" Selene said, everyone looked at her confused, so she explained, "You know, the one Lendrig said he needed for the ritual to bring the Igryss back? He said the Hollow found it."

"If something was found," Jezran said, "We can at least say it was never sent to the college, since there is no record of any 'key' anywhere in my research on the city."

"Perhaps the Governor would know?" Ari asked.

"Maybe," Jezran said, "The Hollow settlement is several hundred years old now, but there would be records he had access to that might tell us about it."

"Then we know what we need to do next," Argent stated, his voice calm but his eyes bled intensity, "We'll need to find the Governor, try to talk sense into him. If we can, we'll begin preparations for the assault. If not…"

Argent let his words hang in the silence, they all knew what he meant.

"One way or another, we will stop Lendrig and we will save this city," Argent stated.