When the guard finally departed, I crawled back to the bed and flopped down on the stiff and scratchy service, but not before I had availed myself of the bucket in the corner for several reasons. I'll leave out the details.

This sucked. After all the work we'd put into surviving, leveling up, acquiring new skills and powers, all of it had been torn away instantly. I didn't even have my HUD to keep me company. The only thing that showed was a pitiful HP bar, and it was dangerously low after getting the shit shocked out of my body for a few minutes.

I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to me if I died here. The last place we had bound to was over the corpse of a dead dragon. It was miles from this location. Something told me Captain Al had thought of this, and I would be prevented from returning there.

The reality warp gauntlets were my best hope, but I wasn't sure how to best use them until Stretch told me what time it was. The closer to the next day, the better since they could only be called upon once per day.

Would that even work? I considered summoning a steak dinner for dinner or a good book to help pass the time. But then I'd have to explain to the over-eager to shock me guard where it had come from. They'd likely cut off my hand to get the gauntlet off.

I decided that discretion was the better part of valor here. Instead of doing something crazy like summoning a hole in the wall, all of my friends into my cell at once, or Cindi and Stretch simultaneously.

I moved to the door and peered through the tiny slit. I scanned the hallway for any sign of the guard. The coast was clear. I held my arm, focusing intently on one of the most annoying creatures I'd ever had the displeasure of fighting: a gloomhugger.

We had fought them in the snow before EchoAnilTrine had found us a traversal unit out of the area.

The best way to describe a gloomhugger is as a beast that is all fur, claws, and angry as fuck teeth. They look like mini yeti but hunched over and have four thick legs. It also possesses a pair of long, gangly arms that are usually tightly wrapped around its lower torso. When in battle, the arms attempt to grab its victim and hug them close so it can eat their face.

They also smelled worse than a wet dog who hasn't had a bath in about a decade.

With a thought, I activated the reality warp gauntlet. A shimmer of energy rippled through the air, and suddenly, there it was – a mass of fur, claws, and angry teeth materializing in the corridor right outside my door. I had trouble making out much due to the angle.

The gloomhugger appeared disoriented momentarily, its beady eyes darting around the unfamiliar surroundings. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, it uttered an ear-piercing shriek and launched itself down the hallway. Uncurling its long arms in the process.

I was filled with a mix of horror and satisfaction as the beast careened off the walls, its gangly arms flailing wildly. It slammed into doors, leaving dents and scratches in its wake. The commotion grew louder as it raced away.

A startled yell echoed through the corridor, followed by the sound of metal clanging against stone. The guard's scream for help was cut short as the gloomhugger lived up to its name, wrapping its long arms around the unfortunate soul and pulling him close.

I winced, turning away as the sickening sounds of the creature feasting reached my ears. More shouts and the thundering of footsteps signaled the arrival of reinforcements.

The clash of metal against flesh and bone filled the air as the guards engaged the gloomhugger. Roars of pain and anger echoed through the prison, punctuated by the panicked orders of the guards trying to coordinate their attack.

"Would you look at that," I grinned. My plan had worked, perhaps better than I'd anticipated. The chaos outside would surely provide a distraction, more. It had proven that my reality warp gauntlet worked here so much for worrying about this place having a magic-dampening property.

The battle raged for several minutes before a final, gurgling howl signaled the gloomhugger's demise. The corridor fell silent save for the heavy breathing of the surviving guards and the drip of blood on the stone.

Satisfied with the outcome, I retreated from the door and returned to the cot. Lying down on the hard surface, I closed my eyes, my mind racing with possibilities for my next move.

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I tensed as heavy footsteps and angry shouts echoed down the hallway. The guards were on a rampage, their fury palpable even through the thick stone walls of my cell. I felt quite guilty for being the thing that had set off the guards. I had wondered how many were in this prison because surely they hadn't been back in business long enough to hear the screams and pleas of other prisoners as the guards unleashed their wrath, cell by cell.

I tried to steady my breathing, knowing any sign of guilt could worsen things. The footsteps stopped outside my door, and I braced myself.

The small window in the door slid open with a harsh metallic screech, revealing Lord Swan's twisted face. His eyes were wild with rage, and his lips curled into a snarl.

"You!" he barked. "What did you see? What do you know about that—that thing?"

I feigned confusion, furrowing my brow. "Thing? What thing? I've been in here the whole time. I don't know what you're talking about."

Lord Swan's face contorted with anger. "Don't play dumb with me, meat!" He reached for the trigger on the other side of the door.

Before I could react, a jolt of pain surged through my body. I fell to the ground, my muscles spasming uncontrollably.

"I'll ask you again," Lord Swan growled. "What did you see?"

Through gritted teeth, I managed to gasp, "Nothing... I swear... I don't know anything."

Another shock coursed through me, more intense than the last. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out, tasting blood in my mouth.

"You expect me to believe that?" Lord Swan sneered. "That creature appeared out of nowhere, close to your cell. You must have seen something!"

I shook my head weakly, struggling to catch my breath. "I... I was asleep. The noise woke me up, but I didn't see anything. Please..."

Lord Swan's eyes narrowed, clearly not believing me.

After a few more blasts of agonizing electricity had practically made me piss my breeches, the door slid closed, and Lord Swan moved off to torture the next prisoner.

I thought of Leech and Darby, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over me. I should have seen this coming!

They would have to settle for a later apology.

At some point, the sound of footsteps approached my cell. The small slot at the bottom of the door scraped open, and a metal tray slid through.

"You lot get the shit. Good luck. You'll get better food if you have any info on where the monster came from. You worms got that?"

As I approached the tray, the stench hit me like a punch to the gut. The gruel looked like something had already been eaten, digested, and regurgitated. A sickly gray-green color, it quivered slightly as if it were alive. Chunks of unidentifiable matter floated in the thin, watery base.

I picked up the tray, fighting the urge to gag. Bringing it closer to my face, I noticed specks of what looked suspiciously like mold dotting the surface. The smell was a nauseating mix of rotten eggs and spoiled milk.

Despite my dislike, my stomach rumbled again. I was starving, and this slop was all I had. Holding my breath, I scooped up a spoonful and quickly shoved it into my mouth. The taste was even worse than the smell - sour, bitter, and with a gritty texture that made me want to spit it out immediately.

But I forced myself to swallow, knowing I needed whatever meager nutrients this revolting concoction might provide. Each mouthful was a battle against my gag reflex, but hunger drove me on.

Once I finished, it was a struggle to keep the food down. I tried not to think about what I had just eaten, went back to my cot, turned my head to the wall, and tried to get some sleep.

I was just nodded off when a familiar voice jolted me awake.

"Psst! Liam, buddy! You awake?"

I blinked in the darkness, my body still aching from the torture. "Stretch?"

"Yeah, it's me, palomino. Did you see that crazy fucking creature rampaging around? It was insane!"

I sat up slowly, wincing at the pain. "Actually, about that... it was kind of my doing."

"What? How?"

I explained the reality warp gauntlets and how I summoned the gloomhugger to test if they still worked in this prison.

Stretch let out a low whistle. "'Damn, Skippy. That's some impressive OP item you got there. And ballsy as hell."

"Yeah, well, it worked. But I got the crap shocked out of me for it."

"You and this entire wing. Might want to keep it to yourself. If you get out, one of these guys might shank your ass."

I nodded, then remembered he probably couldn't see me in the dark. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Listen," Stretch continued, "I asked around but couldn't figure out what time it was down here. You should start counting hours and test your gauntlets again. That way, you'll know when twenty-four hours are up and can use them twice close together."

It wasn't a bad plan. Knowing exactly when I could use the gauntlets again would be crucial for any escape attempt. But the thought of waiting that long, stuck in this cell, made me restless.

"I don't know if I'm patient enough to wait that long, Stretch. Every minute in here feels like an eternity. Have you found Darby or Leech?"

"Not yet, but this place is huge. Lots of floors. It's hard for me to move between them safely."

"Shit," I muttered.

"We gotta play this smart. One wrong move, and we're all toast."

"How so? What happens if we get killed down here?"

"Oh, that's part of the evil. Check this out. When they bring ya here, unconscious, they got this veilstone in a room. They force you to bind to it even though you don't know it.

He was right, of course. I sighed, resigning myself to the wait. "Alright, I'll do it. But you better keep me updated on what's happening out there."

"You got it. I'll be back soon with more info. Hang tight, Liam, and do us all a fucking favor. Don't go rogue and summon any more creatures that gets a guard killed. They might start sending us to the happy room."

"Wait. What's the happy room?"

"It's the farthest thing from happiness you can imagine. Falix got sent there long ago, and it broke his mind. Later, pal."

Stretch slipped back under the door.