WHAM!

The sound echoed through the cellar as Abraham slammed down a freshly emptied keg. He wiped his wet mouth dry with arm and let out a contented sigh. Instead of actually drying it off, all he really managed to do was smear the liquid around between his arm and his face.

"Done already?" Azrail asked as he gently swirled the rum in his mug.

"I gotta say," chuckled Abraham with slightly red cheeks, "this stuff is pretty darn good."

"Are you sure you aren't losing control to the alcohol?"

Abraham let out a haughty laugh. "Trust me. You'd know if I lost control."

As he continued to laugh, Abraham turned around and lifted a sloshing barrel up onto his shoulder. He twisted his neck from side to side and looked down at the hollow king.

"Mind giving me a hand here?" Abraham asked as he tossed the barrel into the hollow king's lap.

Azrail raised an eyebrow. "Ignoring the fact that you seem to think you can put that poor creature to work, but what exactly are you planning to do with that barrel?"

"Ah ah ah," Abraham mockingly chided as he wagged his finger.

With his other hand he grabbed the rim of a barrel and practically threw it up onto his shoulder. "What am I going to do with these barrels."

Azrail carefully set down his mug and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back. "Alright then. What is your plan with those barrels?"

Abraham put his hand over his stomach. His clothes were still in tatters from the fighting earlier and his hand managed to avoid the few bits of fabric that still made up his shirt. "For someone who acts like he's so smart, you'd think you wouldn't be so oblivious."

Azrail shrugged. "I don't claim to be any sort of genius. Why, I'd say that my escapades frequently show I am no more than a fool driven from place to place by the hand of fate. You see, I had a mission to save this politician's daughter. Or, I should say that is what I was led to believe that my mission was. In fact..."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Abraham strolled out of the room full of barrels and through the archway into the great void with the line of dim lanterns that led to the stairs back up. "If you're going to monologue, can't you wait for me to be gone first?"

Azrail let out a small chuckle. "Your firm desire to never learn a thing is truly astounding."

Abraham waved his hand dismissively as he continued to walk away.

Azrail smiled warmly and let out a short sigh as he turned his sight to the hollow king. The emaciated creature was still sitting with his legs splayed out and his back up against a pillar. His arm was up and holding a mug tipped up against his lips. Even with the barrel on his lap, he hadn't moved an inch.

"Ah, it hasn't even been that long, and yet this feels almost like old times now, doesn't it?" Azrail mused.

The hollow king made no response.

Azrail smiled. "Seems without him here to instigate, you're rather passive again."

The frail man looked down at his half full cup and leaned forward. "So, I'm guessing you still won't tell me where I could find some food?"

Silence was the only answer he received.

The air was a little musty and stale. Like a room that hadn't been opened in years. Azrail turned his eyes upward and ended up focusing on a subtly rocking lantern.

"You know, there were rumors of these druids, back in my world of course." Azrail grabbed his mug as he kept his eyes on the lantern and took a small sip. "They said that after their initiation they never had to eat again. That the energy from the sun and a bit of water was enough to sustain them indefinitely."

Azrail smiled as there was no interruption. "During my travelling years, which were after my rebellious phase where I set the capitol ablaze, I went in search of these druids. After all, the idea of never having to eat again was quite appealing you see. But, like most people with supposed abilities, they were closely guarded. Even their location seemed unknown to even history."

His eyes shifted towards the archway and narrowed slightly. "There were no records, only rumors and old wives' tales. Nothing...concrete."

Azrail stood up in one swift motion and walked over to the stones that made up the arch. He reached out his hand but hesitated right before his fingers connected with the structure.

After a moment he pressed his hand down onto the surprisingly warm stone and continued his story. "But that had never stopped me before. Every story, no matter how absurd has some root in facts. Reality is strange in that way."

He turned to look at the hollow king as he kept his hand on the archway. The unbelievably thin man was still in the same position as before. The barrel was comfortably on his lap.

"So, all I had to do was sift through the parts added and tug at that original string." He sighed as he shook his head. "It didn't take long. After a couple of months, I had found the true origin. It was almost funny. You see, these druids had not only found a way to survive off of nothing but the sun, but they also had discovered immortality."

He turned to the hollow king with a sad smile. "Across this one island were these massive stones. Far from any potential quarry, and no one knew where they came from. Well, these druids found a way to call out for help. They reached out beyond the very stars themselves and found someone who would listen."

Azrail walked over and plopped down next to the hollow king in a similar position. He just kept his mug at his side instead of keeping it pressed to his lips.

"There's a reason stories about wishes always end terribly. The wish itself is always the real curse. They are given exactly what they want and suffer for it. These druids wanted immortality. They wanted to abandon the need for sustenance. Both were given to them."

"The stones were not some magical focus they used to contact these greater beings. No, they are what became of the druids. Their bodies were broken down and rebuilt as pillars."

Azrail smiled, as the shimmer of what was almost a tear pooled in his eye. "Their minds were there still. Their feelings too. Frozen in place. Forced to bear the elements, the ravages of time, and poking and prodding by people. Fully awake, and yet unable to act, to speak, to do anything but suffer in silence."

"Food's important my friend, but so is being content with what you have. Reach out too far, and you will inevitably fall."

As Azrail turned to look at his companion, the hollow king was nowhere to be seen. He had seemingly vanished.

"Heh. Talking to yourself again Azrail? That's just asking for people to question your sanity."