Standing with his eyes closed, Fellaroth concentrated as he allowed his power to flow through the entire chamber around him, sending magical shockwaves that would allow him to determine which of the beings below was the original and which was merely a copy. Sensing the probing magic, the meandering beings below stopped dead in their tracks as their heads wrenched in Fellaroth’s direction. A chorus of demonic screeches filled the chamber as dozens of hooded figures vaulted into the air, headed straight for Fellaroth and the others.

  “If you’re going to do something, Fell, now would be the time!” yelled Riegert upon seeing the horde of screeching beings that were currently approaching with disturbing speed. Undisturbed, Fellaroth continued to keep his eyes closed as the magical shockwave began to return to him. With the hooded beings bearing down on them, Riegert, Jackson, and Calvin raised their weapons ready for a fight, when Fellaroth opened his eyes and rapidly raised his spear in his right hand.

  Appearing first from the tip of his spear, a small ball of light started to expand. Growing slowly at first, the ball of light quickly exploded, sending a burst of energy that seemed to rock the entire mountain, causing small pieces of debris to fall from the ceiling above. The burst of energy sent out a visible wall of light that, upon making contact with the approaching beings, instantly turned them to dust that it then carried away.

  “What was that, Fell?” exclaimed Calvin. “I thought you said that the spell was going to disable their hive mind, not completely disintegrate them!”

  “That was my initial intention. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate the original body, so I opted instead to cast a spell of disruption that would cancel out any conjuration spells that were currently active in the area. I don’t know where the caster is, but I can say with certainty that they are still here in this chamber. We should proceed with caution!” he added, before following the path down to the lowest level.

  A deafening silence overtook the chamber as Fellaroth and the others slowly made their way down the path, hesitantly assessing the space for any sudden movements or hidden enemies. The smell of blood and decay hung thick in the air, assaulting the group's noses with every breath. The soft crunch of gravel underfoot and periodic drops of blood were accompanied only by the mournful groans and pained whimpering of the survivors who, though still, found themselves chained to stone pillars in agonising pain, could sense that something had changed.

  “Is someone there?” called a groggy voice from one of the pillars. “Do not drop your guard, this fight is far from over!” the strained voice, clearly in pain and exerting great effort to speak, was deep and authoritative as it breathed deeply before continuing. “If you have come to save these people, then you will find more survivors over by the west wall… though I do not know how to open the cell.” Rushing over to the origin of the voice, Fellaroth found himself confronted by a sight that he had not expected. There, chained to a pillar nearest to the foot of the path, he saw a short, very well-built man of roughly five feet tall. A neatly trimmed beard wrapped his face, while short, unkempt hair topped his head. Fellaroth observed a single stab wound just below his left rib that still oozed blood, before he extended his spear until it made contact with the stone pillar above the man’s head.

  A soft clink rang out across the chamber before the stone pillar effortlessly crumbled to dust, easing its captors to the ground and cushioning their landing. Without speaking a single word, Fellaroth closed his eyes and levelled his spear over the heads of the people before him. Seconds later, a large green magic circle appeared in the air, as the wounds on the people before him started to seal and vanish. “What is a dwarf doing in this place?” he asked at last as he opened his eyes and studied the man before him.

  Sitting in place, and more than a little stunned, the dwarf took a moment to assess his body, fingering the place where a gaping wound had been mere moments ago. Realising that not only had the wound been closed, but any trace of it having existed was now gone, he slowly staggered to his feet, dusted himself off, and looked at his rescuer intently. “I came to Cruwshant from Silver Peak City to trade my wares with the merchants here. Imagine my surprise when I found the city in a state of panic and people seeming to vanish into clouds of black smoke. Next thing I knew, I was down here with the rest of them, waiting to be sacrificed to whatever dark entity had brought us all down here… Is this all of you? Have only four men come to save the people of Cruwshant? Do humans care so little for their own that this is all they will send when an entire city is threatened?” he added, after looking around and realising that Fellaroth and his companions were the only other people there.

  “The world beyond this city doesn’t know of what has transpired here. The only information that has reached the rest of the kingdom was that disappearances were being reported in Cruwshant. We were sent here to investigate and report back.” Answered Fellaroth.

  “Great, then we’re going to be in deep shit once that thing wakes up!”

  “What thing? Do you know what it is that we’re facing? Do you know where it is?”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “What it is I can not say, but as to where it is…” The dwarf turned and with a single finger pointed toward the black stone obelisk at the centre of the chamber. “That is our enemy, or at least it will be once it is fully aware of what’s happening around it.”

  “I don’t understand?” said Riegert, stepping forward in an attempt to get a closer look at the strange black monolith. “How could a stone pillar be our enemy?”

  “That would be because it has simply taken that form for the purposes of this ritual. It doesn’t appear to have much awareness while it is in that form, so if it’s your intention to get these people out of here, then I would suggest we work quickly, before it reverts to its original form!”

  “Right, then let’s not waste any more time!” announced Fellaroth, tapping the butt of his spear against the ground, causing every pillar in the chamber to crumble to dust as the first had done. With all of the captives now resting in piles of dust on the ground, Fellaroth lifted his spear into the air, causing an enormous magical circle to appear, covering the entire room. Moments later, as the dwarf watched on in amazement, the wounds of every person in the room began to close and disappear, much as his own had only a short while ago. “They’ll be able to move on their own in a few minutes, for now we need to get the others out of that cell you spoke of, can you take me to it?”

  “It’s right over here!” answered the dwarf, moving swiftly to show Fellaroth the way. Crossing the chamber, Fellaroth and his guide found themselves standing in front of what appeared to be little more than the outer wall of the chamber when the dwarf turned to him and said. “Like I mentioned earlier, I know where it is, but I don’t know how to open it.”

  “No matter,” answered Fellaroth, lifting the tip of his spear to the stone wall as he had done with the pillar earlier. Once again, a soft clink was quickly followed by the sound of crumbling rock, which in turn was followed by horrified gasps from within.

  “Please, no more! What have we done to deserve this fate?” called a woman’s voice from within. “Wait, you’re not one of them! Have you come here to free us?”

  As the dust cleared, Fellaroth took a moment to look within and saw that the room was filled with hundreds of people, all of whom seemed to be in good health. “Quickly now, we don’t have a moment to waste. I’m going to cast a spell that will temporarily boost your stamina, after which each of you will need to go into the next room, where you will find the rest of your people. Take those people and follow the rest of my party back to the surface!”

  “But what of those creatures out there? How will we defend ourselves against them?” asked a person whom Fellaroth could not see.

  “The creatures have been dealt with!” answered the dwarf in a strong and commanding voice. “But you are not out of danger yet. If you would like to survive this, then I would suggest you listen to this man before you. Gather any people who cannot walk on their own and retrieve the people in the next room. All of your questions can be answered once you have reached safety. Now get moving!” With his last booming command, the people rushed forward and began to gather up those in the sacrificial chamber.

  Wasting no time, Riegert quickly called out for them to follow him as he started back up the walkway, while Jackson stood at the start of the path, ushering the people along, and Calvin made his way through the chamber, ensuring that no one was left behind. Fellaroth and the dwarf stared intently at the strange black obelisk at the centre of the room, wondering when it might finally revert to its original form, or if they would have enough time to allow the survivors to escape. With the last group of people making their way onto the walkway, followed by Calvin and then Jackson, Fellaroth’s attention was drawn away from the obelisk as he heard Jackson calling out to him.

  “That’s the last of them, Fell, we need to get moving before that thing wakes up!”

  “Go on ahead, Jackson. I’m going to stay here and wait to greet it.”

  “Are you mad?” yelled Calvin upon hearing Fellaroth’s reply. “You were the one who told us how powerful this thing was to begin with, and now you want to stay here and face it on your own? Jackson, you go on ahead. I’ll stay here and help Fell. Once you have gotten the people to safety, get Riegert and return as quickly as you can.”

  “No, you all need to stay with the people. They’re going to be exhausted after what they’ve been through. Should I fail down here, then you will be the last line of defence standing between them and whatever this thing is.”

  “So that’s it?” yelled Jackson. “Once again, you’re going to try to handle everything on your own. Are we not a party, Fell? Do you not think that we can stand at your side?”

  “Let’s not do this right now, Jackson. You are my party, and I trust each of you implicitly, but right now, ensuring the safety of the people of this city is more important than the internal politics of our party!”

  “You needn’t worry about your friend facing this foe alone. I will stay and fight at his side. Go. Help the people. Make sure they all get to safety, and we’ll see you again once this has been taken care of!”

  Jackson and Calvin stood silent for a moment as they looked from Fellaroth to the group of survivors and back at Fellaroth once more. The need to stand and fight at their companion’s side, contrasted against the need to fulfil their duty to the people of this city, weighed heavily upon them, tearing at their very beings as they knew they had to make a choice. After a few moments had passed, Jackson broke the silence as he drew his second axe from his back and threw it down to the dwarf who stood beside Fellaroth. “If you’re going to fight beside our friend, then you’re going to need a weapon. This one has served me well; may it do the same for you!” he said before pushing Calvin in the direction of the survivors.

  “What? That’s it? We’re just going to leave them to fight that thing by themselves?” Yelled Calvin in protest.

  “That’s it, Calvin. We have a duty to the people of Cruwshant that we need to uphold!”

  “Fine! But you had better not die, Fellaroth! You gave us your word before we entered this place, and I expect you to keep it!” yelled Calvin one last time, as he and Jackson ran to catch up with the group.

  “Very well!” answered Fellaroth, in a voice far too quiet for anyone other than the dwarf beside him to hear.