I was jolted awake by pounding on my cell door. Lord Swan's grating voice yanked me straight out of sleep, demanding that I get up. I groaned, my body still aching from the previous day's shocks.

"On your feet, meat!" Lord Swan barked. "We ain't done yet."

I stumbled to my feet, trying to shake off the grogginess. Lord Swan's face appeared at the small window and he was not a happy camper. I wondered who pissed in his Cheerios this morning.

God, this guy was a dick. I wanted to reach through the window and strangle him.

"Where'd that beastie come from yesterday? The one what's attacked the guards last night," he snarled. "Two of them died, and a few more were injured."

"Dude!" I lied through my teeth. "I don't know anything about that!"

I was starting to seriously doubt my actions yesterday. Why in the hell had I thought it would be a good idea to bring a random-ass mob into this situation?

I kept my face carefully neutral, though. Fewer guards were good news. At least my recklessness had counted for something.

Lord Swan's eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb with me, meat. You seen something. Did something."

"Not me, man." I shrugged, hopefully maintaining my poker face. "I've been locked up in here. How could I possibly be involved?"

I still don't know how in the hell they hadn't noticed my gauntlet. It wasn't large, more like a tight glove. Was the damn thing invisible?

Lord Swan's face reddened with anger. He reached for the button, and the now-familiar crackle filled the air. Pain ripped through my body as he triggered the shock device, causing me to convulse and drop to my knees.

He shocked me again and again, each jolt more agonizing than the last. By the fifth or sixth shock, I was beyond rational thought.

I lunged for the door, my hand gauntleted hand, closing tightly. Before Lord Swan could shock me again, I activated the gauntlet, focusing my wish in my head.

It felt like my ears popped. I found myself on the other side of the door. I looked down at myself, and found I was now wearing Lord Swan's clothing and armor. The stench of his body odor nearly made me gag.

Inside the cell, Lord Swan stared at me in surprise, his mouth agape. He was dressed in my tattered prison garb, looking utterly ridiculous. Out of his guard clothes and armor,, he was a much less imposing creature. Like a man, he was shorter, but not quite as short as Thandroot. His face was a mottled patchwork of browns and yellows, like he'd had skin grafts applied.

"Call me Lord Liam," I said. Not gonna lie. I was pretty smug.

Disgusted as I was by the smell, I couldn't resist the temptation. I reached for the shock device and hit the button a few times, watching with grim satisfaction as Lord Swan jerked and twitched.

"You like that?" I taunted.

"Please, stop!" Lord Swan begged, his voice cracking. "Lord Liam! I beg you!"

"Beg harder," I said and triggered the device again.

The blast practically lit his eyes on fire. He jumped, thrashed, came back down and hugged himself tightly.

"I beg you, Lord Liam. Gracious Lord Liam. Please. Please!"

"I thought you were a tough son of a bitch, Swan."

"No sir. Lord Liam, sir. Please, my lord!

I considered shocking him a few more times, but that would have been me sinking to his stinking level. I think he got the message.

"Here's the deal, Swan. You say a single word. I single peep. And guess what's gonna happen?" My hand drifted to the side of the door.

"I'll be quiet!"

I reached for the button.

His head shook, eyes wide.

"I'm glad we understand each other."

Slamming the little eyeslit door shut, I checked my pockets.

I rummaged through Swan's armor and clothes. The first thing I found was a set of keys, which I hoped would unlock the cells in this godforsaken prison. As I continued my search, I pulled out a packet wrapped in what appeared to be a medieval version of wax paper. Curiosity got the better of me, and I unwrapped the package, only to be assaulted by the foul stench of rotting meat. Gagging, I quickly shoved the disgusting packet back into the pocket, wondering what kind of twisted individual would carry such a thing around. I would have tossed it in the corner, but I didn't want to catch any wandering guard's attention.

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With the keys in hand, I started walking down the hallway, peering into each cell as I passed. Most of the rooms were empty, their occupants either long gone or, more likely, dead. The further I went, the more my hope began to dwindle. What if my friends weren't here? What if they'd been taken somewhere else entirely?

Just as I was ready to give up, I reached the end of the hallway and looked into the final cell. There, huddled in the corner, was Thandroot. The dwarf looked like he'd been through hell, his face gaunt and his beard matted with dirt and blood. Relief flooded through me as I fumbled with the keys, trying to find the one that would unlock his cell.

After a few tense moments, I found the right key and turned it in the lock. The door swung open with a rusty creak, and I stepped inside. To my surprise, Thandroot greeted me with a cheerful grin, his eyes sparkling despite his rough appearance.

"Liam, lad! I wondered what all the screaming was about," he said, his voice hoarse but still filled with warmth. "You look like shit, though. What happened?

I couldn't help but laugh at his blunt assessment. "You're one to talk, Droot. You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backward."

I gave Thandroot the rundown on Lord Swan. Thandroot grinned. "That man was a monster. Maybe I should go down and give him a little wake-up."

"Sure. He's." I turned and pointed. From out here, all of the cells looked the same. "Eh, in the middle-ish."

"It's not that important. Now. What's the plan?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was making this up as I went along?"

Thandroot laughed. "I would."

"We need to free our friends, and kick ass. I know who put us here. I think I know why."

"Oh?"

"Long story," I sighed.

Captain Al wasn't dead. I should have known. I did know one thing, or at least suspected. If The Ormithral was as dangerous as it sounded, I'm pretty sure Captain Al knew it had a chance of finishing the job I prevented. That of him destroying this world.

"If I were taller, I'd high-five ya."

I dropped to one knee and held up my hand. This turned into a hand clasp with both of us grinning.

"I knew you had a powerful artifact when you got us out of that scrap with the crimson reapers. Is that how you got free?"

"This," I said, holding up my hand to show Thandroot the gauntlets of reality warp and explained how they worked. I also told him about the unfortunate once-per-day use.

Thandroot and I huddled together in the cell, our voices low as we discussed our next move. We needed to find the others, but we were limited in what we could do with my gauntlets on cooldown. The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway burst open, and a gruff voice echoed through the prison. "Swan! Where are you, you lazy bastard?"

I turned to Thandroot. "I'm going to lure him over here. You wait in the cell, out of sight."

Thandroot nodded, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Aye, lad. I'll be ready."

I stepped out of the cell, trying to imitate Swan's gait and mannerisms. "Over here!" I called out, my voice a poor imitation of the guard's.

The other guard's footsteps grew closer, and he called out again. "What's wrong with your voice, Swan? You sound like you've been gargling rocks."

I suppressed a chuckle and waved the guard over. As he approached, I realized that he was much larger than I had anticipated. Built like a brick shithouse, with arms thicker than my thighs. This was going to be tougher than I thought.

The guard's eyes narrowed as he got closer, suspicion etched on his face. "Swan? What's wrong with ya, Swan?"

Before I could respond, the guard lunged at me, his fists flying. I dodged the first blow, but the second caught me in the gut, driving the air from my lungs. I stumbled back, gasping for breath.

Thandroot burst out of the cell, leaping onto the guard's back like a crazed monkey. The guard roared angrily, trying to shake the dwarf off, but Thandroot held on tight.

I joined the fray, throwing punches and kicks wherever I could. The guard was tough as hell, shrugging off blows that would have dropped a lesser man. We grappled and struggled, the three of us.

I felt like my enhanced strength was still active, even though my HUD was dead as a doornail. One particular blow almost knocked the guard into tomorrow, but he somehow shook it off.

As we fought, a stray thought crossed my mind. Why the hell don't these guards carry weapons? If Swan had a sword or even a dagger, this would be a hell of a lot easier.

After what felt like an eternity, Thandroot and I finally managed to subdue the guard. We stood over his unconscious form, panting and sweating.

"Not bad for an old dwarf and a scrawny kid," Thandroot said with a grin.

"Hey. Who're you calling scrawny?" I laughed. "Let's get you suited up. We've got friends to find."

I tried to keep a cheery disposition, but the fight hurt. My already battered health bar was approaching empty. We needed to find a veilstone and fast. Or some healing potions. What did these morons expect to happen if they shocked someone to death? Did the prisoner just disappear and reappear at their last anchor point?

Thandroot quickly stripped the guard of his clothing and armor, squeezing into the slightly too-large garments. It was a tight fit, but it would have to do.

Together, we set off down the hallway, looking for Sylara, Leech, and Darby.

We took opposite sides of the hall and checked each cell as we passed. The stench of unwashed bodies and despair hung heavy in the air. Most of the cells were empty, their occupants either long gone or, more likely, dead.

As we searched, a nagging thought crept into my mind. Should we free the other prisoners? It seemed like the right thing to do, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it might come back to bite us in the ass. What if some of these people were in here for good reason?

I turned to Thandroot, my brow furrowed. "What do you think? Should we let the others out?"

The dwarf scratched his chin, considering the question. "It's a tough call. We don't know what they're in for, and we can't afford to have any wild cards running around."

I nodded, agreeing with the wisdom of his words. We had enough on our plate without adding more goddamn variables to the mix.

"If we free our friends, we'll free the rest. Maybe there's a switch or override that will open all the doors."

Thandroot shrugged and moved on.

As we continued our search, we came across a cell that made us both pause. Inside, an old man sat hunched in the corner, his eyes glowing a faint, eerie red. A shock of white hair sprouted from his head, and a long, tangled beard hung from his chin. He glared at us with a menacing intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

"What do you think his deal is?" I whispered to Thandroot, unable to tear my gaze away from the old man's unsettling stare.

"Hey. Hey, man. Who are you?"

"Free me and find out." His voice cut through the air.

I looked at Thandroot. He looked at me.

"Probably a bad idea," I said.

"Wait." The man's voice was commanding.

"Yeah?"

"I am called Aethoros."

Thandroot took a step back, then another, hid eyes glued to the door.

"What?" I turned and asked him.

"Can't be. Aethoros is dead. Long dead."

"Who the hell is Aethoros?"