Chapter V: Behind Bars
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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.