Chapter II: Traverse the Mists

Everybody took a moment as they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"So...that went well," Selene said, staring up at the ceiling as she fought against a strong urge to sleep for a week.

Looking around, she saw they found themselves in another strange chamber. This one appeared to be the inside of some kind of cistern. Based on the mists dancing by her cheek, it was designed to funnel and capture mists instead of water. After another moment's respite, she got up and looked around. This structure seemed to stretch off in all directions as far as the eye could see, with rows upon rows of ornate pillars and columns holding up the ceiling high above them.

As Selene marvelled, Argent rose to his feet.

"We should keep moving," Argent said after a moment, reluctantly, "I know we are all tired, but there's no guarantee that the enemies chasing us can't find a way up here."

Everybody moaned and groaned, but there was no disagreement.

"Besides," Jezran added, "We need to get back to the Hollow. If Lendrig plans to invade we need to warn them, maybe even plan an evacuation."

Everyone fell silent at that.

"...are we sure we should be heading back there?" Selene asked, "I mean...I don't want anyone to get hurt, but this Lendrig guy seems to be a step ahead of us every time. I'm not sure there's anything we can do."

Jezran's head swung toward her, eyes aghast. The rest looked on silently, not sure what to say.

All except Argent, who simply nodded, "You're right, he has been a step ahead this whole time. Unfortunately, the same applies to our escape. I doubt any of us would make it far if we tried."

"Yes," Hamish added reluctantly, "And what of his scheme? He will not stop at Hollow, so we need to stop him from bringing back Igryss, yes? If not here, nowhere will be safe."

"I know...I just—" Selene swallowed, "I want to help, I just don't know what we can do."

"That's fine," Argent said, placing a firm hand on Jezran and Selene's shoulders, "We just take it a step at a time, we solve one problem, then the next. We repeat until we get through to the end."

"Argent is right, my friends," Hamish chimed in, "Little stones send many ripples in water. We may not know how to stop this thing, but our actions will make ripple in destiny, just like stone in water. This change may lead to those answers."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Argent continued, "Now with that out of the way, the best thing for us to do would be to get up and find a way above ground. From there, we'll head back to the Hollow, and anything else can be decided once we get there. Okay?"

Selene and Jezran nodded solemnly. As the group got ready, Selene approached Jezran.

"Listen, Jezran. I—" Selene started before Jezran cut her off.

"I know. You're scared, and I don't blame you for feeling that way," Jezran said, then he chuckled weakly, "Honestly, I'm terrified. I've never seen anything like Lendrig. His knowledge is practically endless and he's been playing this game since before the Collapse, if his words held any truth to them. And the stuff he showed me..."

Selene stared into the wizard's eyes as his words trailed. It was the same fear she felt. Staring into those eyes, his grip on their minds and thoughts. Nothing escaped his notice, nothing could be hidden from him, at least intentionally.

"Right," Selene whispered.

"But," Jezran continued, a determination filling him, "that doesn't mean we can run away. Right now, we can help these people, and, if we're lucky, we may even stop Lendrig's plans."

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Selene nodded.

With all that said, it was quickly decided the best course of action was to eat a quick meal before they departed. None could remember the last time they really had a chance to rest, but they only gave themselves a few more minutes to scarf down some dried meat before departing.

With no clear end point in sight, the party decided to distance themselves from the room below. That way, even if the monsters below them realized how they escaped and found a path up here, the party would have some warning as they crashed through the floor. From there, they would continue straight until they hit a wall. Hopefully, they would then find a path out as they followed it.

After a few minutes walking, they came upon a hole in the ceiling high above them. It leaked a steady stream of mist into the room.

"Could we use that to get out of here?" Selene asked.

"I could use Passage on it, if we had a way up there," Jezran added.

"Whatever we do, I don't think I can help," Ari said, looking worse for wear, "I'm completely spent."

They all discussed possible options, but could not come to one that would be safe in their current state.

"Let's keep looking around, there's likely multiple holes like this to fill the room," Argent reasoned, "If we can't find a more conventional way out, we can always rest up and then try something on the next hole we see."

Everyone agreed and they continued on.

More time passed, but they could not find a wall. No matter how long they walked in a singular direction, there was no end in sight.

More mist pooled, rising up to the point it rose above their heads.

Must be night outside, Selene thought as she inched closer to the rest of the party. Thankfully, the mists, though voluminous, did not appear to swallow them. Instead, it surrounded them in a milky fugue, similar to their time aboard the Admare.

After another hour of walking, there was still no sign of a wall or exit.

"Could this thing go on forever?" Selene wondered aloud.

"Probably not," Jezran said, slightly out of breath, "But it may cover this whole layer of the city, meaning it might stretch on like this for miles."

As Jezran said that, Selene noticed something strange. A current of mists, bending and circling around them, flowing from their left. Curious, she found herself following it back to its source.

The search for the source led her off into the mists alone. There was a figure draped in white cloth, standing in the distance. Without thinking, she approached the figure. The closer she got, the more ethereal it appeared. The white cloak draped over its body was so brilliantly white, it appeared almost translucent as white mists swirled within it. The face was obscured by the same cloth that covered its body. No human characteristics could be seen. Most surprisingly, mists seemed to flow from the hem of their robe. Selene could not shake the feeling that this figure was somehow the source of the mists all around them. It remained motionless, but somehow she knew it was watching her.

Examining her every move with an eyeless gaze.

"Selene, where are you?" Ari's voice echoed in the distance.

As she turned to Ari's voice, the mist seemed to fade, allowing her to see the party several hundred feet away from her. Did I really walk that far?

"I'm over here!" Selene called back, "I think I—"

As Selene turned to look back, the figure was gone.

In their place was a wall with an opening for a staircase. Its steps, covered in mists, lead upward.

Hamish and Ari both were the first to run up to Selene.

"What made you decide to—" Ari stopped mid sentence as she saw what Selene saw.

"A staircase," Hamish said, dumbfounded.

Ari called back to Jezran and Argent, "Guys! Selene found a way out of here!"

At that, the other two raced over to rejoin the party.

Selene continued to stare dumbly at the stairs. She rubbed her eyes with her palms, then looked again to see they were still there.

...am I going crazy? Selene thought as she could not get the figure out of her mind.

The stairs appeared to climb upwards without end, but as they approached, they could see the faintest hint of moonlight peeking from the top.

Argent hushed them all, "It appears to be night out right now. So we need to be careful."

"Why don't we wait until morning, then?" Selene asked, remembering the nightmare that started all this.

Argent shook his head, "We can't wait. We don't know how much time is left before the invasion of the Hollow. We'll stick to the shadows where possible and we do not stick around to fight if we can escape. Is everyone ready?"

There were a number of sighs, but everyone drew their weapons or prepared their spells and nodded.