"You sure this is gonna work, Finn?" Henley looked over the gathered prisoners, as we waited in silence. It was nearly time for the food delivery. After about five years, I'd figured out the timing. Now we just had to wait patiently in the dark.

"Only if we work together. We can do it, Henley. I need you to believe in me just a little bit longer." I eyed the hole in silence, taking a deep breath before a heavy hand pat my back. Looking back, I was greeted with the sight of a smiling Ginger.

"You ok, Tiny. We get out soon, go home."

"If only it were that easy." I tried to smile but looked away before my face fell. "What will you do, Ginger?"

"Me?" The ogre contemplated the question thoughtfully before nodding. "Go home to Bellowing Slopes. Find Pepper. Hunt dragon who burn Ginger."

"Pepper?" I tilted my head, looking back to the ogre, who nodded with a hearty grin.

"Pepper, Ginger mate. He strong, stronger than Ginger. Tough, proud."

"I see. Well, after we get out and you find him, come find me sometime, and we'll get show that dragon a thing or two."

"And what will you do when you get out?" Henley asked, kneeling down to my level.

I wasn't sure how to answer. I'd pushed my family and Frida to the back of my mind for so long that remembering them actually took effort in that moment.

"I-" There came a shout, sending my thoughts away. "It's here!"

My mind swerved away from painful memories, refocusing on the task at hand as a platform lowered from above us. "Alright, everyone remember the plan. We only get one shot at this. Ginger, get ready."

Ginger stood closer to the spot where the food would be dumped from the platform, holding his hands together in preparation.

"Wait until they dump the food. Henley, you ready?" I turned to find the human woman glaring defiantly upward.

"You know it." We had only a few moments. I began to wonder if this would work. I wondered if we could escape, overpower our captors, and go back to the mainland. I wondered about going home, seeing my parents again, hugging my wife. I wondered if they were all dead, and our country taken over by some new culture or if there was any other change. I wondered if I should just start anew...

"Tiny, Henny, get ready!" Ginger lowered his hands, still folded together to provide a boost. Henley propped a foot up in Ginger's hands, and I hopped up. Taking Henley's hand, I waited for the right moment. Any second now.

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The platform turned over, dumping food nearly thirty feet to the ground. "Now!" I shouted, and with Ginger's great strength, Henley and I were tossed upward at the still swinging platform. We flew through the air, each grabbing hold of the highest side with our free hand. Once we had a good grip, we let each other go and used our other hand to hold tight. The platform wobbled, but the ropes held steady. We were on. I looked down and nodded. "Four more! There's plenty of room!" Ginger tossed others our way. Murgo, Gorthok, Baldur, and Rei, all successfully grabbed hold of the platform. After that day, I swore to remember their names.

After a few seconds, the platform began to ascend. "Let's hope six is enough." Henley watched the dark veil edge closer and closer. "Gorthok, you're up first."

Gorthok, a full blooded orc, put his feet to the platform and leaned back before jumping straight up to grab the rope holding the platform. He proceeded to climb quickly, faster than I'd ever seen someone climb before. Within a minute, he was at the top and disappearing through the veil. There was a short pause in the rope's ascent, and we hung almost a hundred yards in the air. If we fell now, there'd be no getting up probably ever again.

I turned to the half-elf beside me. "Baldur, provide backup." He nodded, swinging his legs acrobatically above himself to wrap around the rope. Like a circus performer, Baldur then flipped himself around, snaking his way upward and vanishing from view.

"We're almost there. Everyone start heading up. We can do this." I wish I'd been better at the pep talk. Or maybe more honest.

One by one, we ascended the rope, Henley helping me up first before she came up behind me. The veil came closer and closer, before we finally burst through. The rope appeared to be attached to a pulley I hadn't noticed on my way in, or maybe I forgot about it over the past decade. The sun was burning bright, blinding me for a long moment as a familiar hand lay on my shoulder. "Take it all in, Finn. The smell of the sea, the open air.

Holding the rope was Gorthok, and across the ground lay a broken body, neck twisted backward. The orc slowly lowered the rope back down as we looked about the area. "Not sure how many are out there. The ship's probably still anchored out, waiting for the boat to return."

"We've finished them off." Baldur held one of the guards by his collar, punching him square in the face before dropping him. Around the small island, other uniformed men and women were kneeling or sprawled out. "Now to get ourselves on that boat."

"Take the uniforms and get dressed. Gorthok, lower the rope all the way and tie it down so it doesn't drop out of the pulley. We'll come back for the others once that ship is ours." We got ready fast. By some miracle, the outfits of our food deliverers fit us almost perfectly, right down to the hats. Except for Gorthok, that is. He couldn't fit into one and had to stay behind.

The route we took to get back to the ship was...not pleasant. Even after interrogating a few men as to how to navigate the treacherous waters, we still had trouble. More than once, we almost crashed into the sharp rocks and ended our escape before we even reached the vessel.

Luck was on our side so far. The vessel was crewed by civilians, unable or unwilling to fight back against five armed men and women once they realized the ruse. We kept them calm as best we could while some of us went back to the island and retrieved more people. Ginger was the hardest, as every available person still there had to use the rope to haul him up.

It was a simple, if time consuming process. It took eight hours, well into the night, but we managed to get nearly everyone on the ship...And then the thunder rolled in. I'd failed to account for sea storms.