The only sound Killian could hear was his own breathing, at least at first. As the sound of Imari's continued retching began to intrude into the silence of the room, a ringing began to accompany the erratic breaths. It was Arden who shook him out of the haze of horror he had fallen into, not with a shake at all but with a hand on the shoulder. Killian thought the sounds of his breathing must have been quite loud, Arden's steady hand bringing down his heart rate and calming him, albeit slowly. Killian glanced back behind him, seeing Shan holding Imari up, the wizard only now just starting to recover.

Turning to Arden, Killian said, "Take them and stand outside of the room."

"What are you going to do?" Arden asked

"Put this thing out of its misery. And destroy everything else in this room." Killian replied.

Arden turned, pulling Imari into his arms, and quietly responded to the question Killian guessed she had asked her friend. Killian didn’t hear it, a storm of thoughts rampaging through his mind, one in particular standing front in center. Amy had told him that by the time he made his way to the "thing" at the bottom of this dungeon, he would willingly kill it. But this was only the second room, meaning it was going to get worse than this.

Killian took that horror and the building rage it floated in and delved deeply into his well. Seren had told him that sorcerers could cast spells just like other practices could, but that mostly a sorcerer used what was called "free magic." They grabbed their magic, forced it into the shape they imagined, and willed what they wanted into existence. The sorcerer in one of his books used his emotions to help guide his magic to do what he needed. Killian knew in that moment he could do the same. His mental hands pulled and pulled, reaching more ether than he had ever held ready at once to this point. He thought of what he wanted, the one natural phenomenon known by each and every culture back on earth for cleansing and destruction both. Killian poured his rage into his magic and set the room on fire.

There was no real focus to his spell. He simply poured in his anger at the person responsible for what was done to the pitiful creature on the table and his despair that this was the only thing he could do for her. The heat was incredible, instantly becoming almost unbearable from his position at the doorway to the room. Killian had to tap even deeper to will the heat to leave him untouched. As the sound of metal warping and stone cracking filled Killian's ears, he noticed as wind began to cycle around him as it entered and exited the room. It fanned the flames some but also seemed to replace the foul and burned away air. He could feel Imari's touch on the ether as her spell kept them all from suffocating.

While all of that was going on, he stared at the Hollow on the table. Killian felt that he could at least hold a vigil of sorts, to stand and witness the last moments she had before her torment was over. He tried to keep his mind empty, knowing it was too easy to fall into a loop of anger and despair. He couldn’t help but notice the mechanism that held the Hollow down to the table as it was destroyed. It was a metal circle, about as wide as Killian's hand, with what looked like an open section in the middle with hinged prongs in the top and sides of the square opening. He couldn’t help but think that something was supposed to be placed inside that opening and that it was currently empty.

--------

Arden stood in between the two most important people to him. He rubbed calming circles into his lover's back as she channeled her spell. Shan had retreated into silence, something she hadn't done in a while now. All three of them watched Killian's back as the fire he created continued to get brighter, to the point all they could see was his outline surrounded by yellow and white light.

Arden was familiar with the emotions the other man was feeling. Very familiar. He had to be honest with himself; he was seconds behind, tapping into his fury and razing the room before Killian spoke up. Even then, the only reason he abided by Killian's request was for the simple fact that his fury couldn’t accomplish the type of destruction that the sorcerers could. He knew he had been right as the sound of stone cracking under the heat thundered over them. Killian kept going.

Arden gripped his fury tightly, dug mental fingers around the pulsing crimson power within, and held it down. Now was not the time to let it loose. He needed to be calm; he needed to be solid. The girls were counting on him. Arden knew that burden could be shared with Killian now, but Arden had always been the rock that cut the current's path aside so his friends could stand on steady feet. He knew this would be the hardest challenge Blue Feather had ever faced, and that now more than ever, they would need him steady and focused.

The light from the room finally began to dim, the hear rolling around Killian, reaching a point where Arden thought he could make an approach. By the time he stood behind his new friend, the fire was nearly out. Killian continued to stare into the room but nothing worth looking at remained. The tables that had been on the sides of the room were scattered piles of ash on the floor, and the equipment in the back of the room was a twisted wreck of slag and cooling puddles of glass. The table in the middle was much the same, the only difference being a pile of carbon lightly blowing in the breeze of the spell Imari still channeled.

Arden placed a hand on Killian's shoulder once more, still feeling the tension quivering in his muscles.

"Good job, Killian." He said, "You did good."

--------

Killian let Arden pull him away from the doorway, and it's grisly remains. Turning to Imari, he began to clue them all in on what he had seen.

"There was something on the Hollow's body, a metal device or construct. I think it was made to hold something, about the size of the palm of your hand, but didn’t have whatever it is inside it." He said.

"It might be whatever holds this pale, the thing they are taking out of these people." Imari guessed.

"I was thinking the same thing," Killian replied.

"Then we know what to keep an eye out for." Arden said. "This is more than about loot and fame now, but we're going to take everything that isn't nailed down. Not just for profit, but so that the people back home can figure out anything they can from this horrid place. Whatever is going on here, I want to make sure we have a way to prevent it from happening to anyone else. Or at least to be able to reverse it."

Arden took the time to look into the other's eyes, making sure they understood what he meant while also communicating to Killian that he shouldn’t destroy any more equipment. When put into that perspective, Killian had to admit the warrior was right and so nodded that he understood. The three checked their gear and proceeded to move through the door deeper into the dungeon.

The doorway opened to a short hall before leading downward once again. Arden led the party and stepped out into an open space of branching hallways with rooms lining their sides. It looked very much like an office building, Killian realized, one made of the same strange stone and just as dark as the rest they had seen. He could picture a water cooler at the T junction just ahead; the corners looked like they should have fake potted plants trying to bring some color into the drab and dreary space, and he could imagine the walls being covered with those motivational posters with messages that just made you want to be there less. None of that was there, of course, but all of it would have belonged.

"I guess we start clearing rooms." Shan spoke into the silence. "By the looks of the place, we might catch a break in terms of seeing trauma inducing scenes."

"Agreed," Arden replied in a businesslike tone. "Stay within sight of each other and be ready for anything."

For once, Shan didn’t start up their familiar arguments, nodding and falling into a scout role for the group. Killian didn’t know if it was what they had experienced so far or if Arden usually took a leader role for their group, but Killian was glad for it. He never saw himself as a leader, and after what he just did to the Hollow above, Killian thought he was more than willing to follow orders. To not be the one making the decisions. As Shan moved ahead of them, Killian informed his friends he would use his spatial sense to get a look into the rooms as they passed, risk be damned. Killian didn’t want to open a door and be surprised by more Hollows or whatever the next horror would be, the others agreeing.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Walking forward at a slow pace, Shan taking her time to scope the path ahead for enemies or traps, Killian unfurled his spatial sense once more. It grew to the size to push into the rooms on either side of him as he walked down the middle of the hallway, about a thirty-foot radius. It was admittedly difficult for Killian to handle, but after the events so far, a little pain was more than worth it.

Killian and Blue Feather spent the next few hours clearing the floor, not opening the doors, but tracing all of the hallways to their destinations. Shan checked the outside of every door for possible traps and marked off every hallway that led to a dead end. The floor was a bit of a maze, but any hall that didn’t lead to a dead end led to a stairway in the back corner that continued downward. Killian himself spent the time marking doors that he saw something worth noting in. He has shifted out a notebook and black marker, writing down what he had seen in the room and writing the corresponding number on the door. Some of the rooms did have Hollows inside, but there couldn’t have been more than six on the entire floor. To Killian, it looked more like they had wandered in one of the various rooms or had simply been stowed away and forgotten. There were only two at most that were together and so were easily dispatched by the party before moving on to the next step. Shan took the time to set up a wire alarm at the entrance and exists to the floor, a small bit of her magic infused inside it to allow her to know if something or someone crossed it and where.

Killian stood at a door he had marked with the number sixteen, a note with "Alchemical stuff?" written next to it. His friends stood behind him, looking over his shoulder to see what was written on the page. Killian had seen Imari clearly want to ask him about the quality and style of the notebook but had held her curiosity down. The instinctual reaction from her had lifted his spirits some; even with all they had seen so far, her love to uncover knowledge was still there. Killian turned the strangely modern handle and pushed open the door.

The smell of chemicals and ingredients washed over the group as they stepped inside. It reminded Killian of Seren's lab, but without the organization or care for safety. Bottles, vials, and other glasswares covered three tables on the back and side walls, close to toppling to the floor in some places. Imari cast a spell to make sure the room was clear of any poison in the air, and when she gave the all clear, they moved fully into the room.

"If there is anything teacher has taught me, it's that you treat any unknown alchemical mixture as if it is going to explode." Imari said, sharing a grin with Killian. She continued, "Try not to touch anything; I don't have anywhere near the knowledge she has, but I may be able to spot something we could use. Worst-case scenario, Killian just shifts it all away, and we let teacher deal with it. She'll complain about it, but I know she'd love to go over everything here."

After a thumbs-up from Killian in response, the four of them spread out to give the area a look. Killian did notice through his spatial sense that Arden held his hands clasped behind his back, clearly to stop himself from touching any of the materials. Seeing this while remembering the competence he had shown thus far made Killian smile due to the conflicting image it made. Killian picked a section of table and began to scan it for anything interesting. The glassware itself was interesting; it had to cost a fortune even by earth standards. Thankfully no fires had been burning for however long this place had been abandoned, so much of what he saw was still intact.

Strange ingredients in boxes and crates were piled on one corner, the unprocessed ones at least. Most organic ingredients were long rotted or withered, save for a few things that looked like roots with marble flowing through them. A case with dozens of tiny drawers sat against the wall next to the crates. Some of the drawers were open, and Killian could see powders, nuggets, and dried leaves inside. Killian assumed the rest held processed ingredients. Tucked away to the side, he saw a wooden carrying case with a small notebook stuck in between some of the bottles that rested inside. He called Imari over, and she examined what she could see.

"Can you lift that notebook out with your magic? Carefully." She asked

He smiled but slowly tugged the notebook into the air and over to her waiting hands. The wizard began to quickly skim through it before speaking.

"Nothing about what we learned above, but it looks like this setup made potions and other alchemical mixtures as a made-to-order business. If this is correct, that case has a few of what they call long haul potions, something that allows the person who drinks it to travel long distances without needing to sleep and eat as much. Also says there are two blood purifying potions, which purge the body of foreign poisons and substances."

Killian thought those would be pretty damn useful, but agreed with Imari's following statement that they should get them checked first before imbibing anything in here. He shifted the case and notebook into a stasis warehouse. After about twenty more minutes, they determined that there were most likely more useful things in the room; they just didn’t have the expertise needed to make them out. Just like Imari had said, Killian swept the entire contents of the room away.

"That is just unfair," Shan said as she shook her head.

"All I can think about is the hundreds of hours I have lugged all of crap along on my back, and you just do this." Arden replied, waving his hand in a mockery of what he had seen Killian do in the past.

"Suffer." Killian responded, laughing at the expected look he got from the two. "Well, you have me now, bask in the glory of my talents whilst I am here."

The others shook their heads and gave each other a look he only noticed due to his spatial sense. He didn’t ask them about it; if it involved him, they would tell him. The three have earned at least that much trust from him, realistically more. More time passed as they went room to room, not finding much else worth noting. The more Killian saw, the more he thought he was right in his view of this being an office space. Many of the rooms were just that, offices, with desks and chairs for one to two people resting inside. True to what Arden has said earlier, Killian stored it all. The papers in and on the desks alone would take someone weeks to go over, but Imari had asked him to store any notebooks or folios in their camp space so she could spend some time pouring through them tonight. The pattern only broke when they came to the last room.

The door was made of metal, where the others were the same blank stone everything else was made of. Shan had told them it was locked, but Killian could see an interior lock on the other side of the door and simply blinked inside to let them in. The room was long, long enough that most of the room had been outside of Killian's spatial sense when they had made their first go around. The part he had been able to see only held long empty tables that sat against the side walls. Looking at them now, he could see many scratches, dents, and other marks in the wood. Nothing too deep, but these tables had seen many different things come and go in their time in use. The back section of the room was the interesting thing.

It was blocked off from the rest of the space, caged walls resting to either side of a barred window with a desk behind it. It looked like something that would be in a pawnshop or prison. Once again, the door leading inside was locked, but this time there was no interior latch. The party debated Killian blinking inside to try and find a key but decided they didn’t care about leaving the gate intact, and Killian just cut out the lock with his razor. Walking inside, they could see the desk section with a small ledger, which Imari nearly sprinted to get her hands on, and a small locker that only held an old uniform. Behind a dividing wall was the true prize. It was mostly empty, but five shelves rested in the remaining section. Three shelves in the middle and one on against the side walls, as well as another small locker directly by the entrance.

Looking at each other for a moment, they all grinned and began to walk through the room, looking for anything valuable or useful. Imari began to read the ledger with growing excitement, reading aloud the entries for many magical items that had been stored here for use of the workers or to be sold to clients. Most of the book showed that the vast majority of what was once in here was checked out or delivered, but what remained was interesting.

First was a box of three rings that Imari said were made to hold a spell in them. She read that someone could cast a spell by focusing on the ring as the target and willing it into the item; from then on, it would use the ambient ether to power uses of that spell in the future. So Imari could focus her light spell into a ring and give it to Killian, which would let him cast the spell as much as he wanted as long as there was ether in the environment to power it. It looked like it was possible to use overwhelm it with too much use, but you could also change the spell for a different one whenever you wanted. The group marveled at how incredible the rings were; each of them was already starting to think about the spells the others could cast, the trio looking at Killian with hungry eyes.

Backing away, trying to distract them by pointing to the next item on the list, Killian bumped into the shelf behind him. Turning to see an alabaster spike with faintly glowing runes sat next to a small notebook. Killian didn’t notice this; however, what had focused all his attention was more important. He could feel an undeniable resonance with his innate abilities and with his space magic.