Razhik stared at the aperture before them, seemingly uncertain of himself.

After an uneventful jaunt down this hallway, the group discovered a small cubicle awaiting them beyond an arched doorway. Two intricately crafted steel grates met in the center of the entrance, and a vibrant blue carpet veritably filled the chamber before the doorway, limning the column of darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly upward beyond the latched gate.

No lock adorned the gates, which seemed designed to collapse upon themselves, the intricate, fragile-looking design closing the gaps in their construction, reminiscent of clamping shears. Neither ladder nor foot holds were evident within the small room, nor any other means of ascension.

No torches graced the walls of the entrance hall where the three of them stood; rather, the room was illuminated by a crackling, inconsistent energy that leapt between metal bars embedded in the walls, reminiscent of storm-tossed skies. The bars glowed with a warm heat even after the energy abandoned them, continuing to exude a palpable sense of danger.

The group had walked cautiously down the length of this cobalt hallway.

"Guess it's my turn then," he said, "Eh? I guess you two did your stint alone, though, and a King never subjects his subjects to anything to which he would be reluctant at subjecting himself, after all."

The tone of his voice did not convey confidence in this matter, undermining the veracity of his speech somewhat.

"Nobody says we have to do these on our own," Anilith said gently. "We could always try going in there together, although it might be a bit tight with you."

Glancing between Orion and Anilith with a doubtful look, Razhik replied, "Yeah, nobody is saying that, but if I know you two as well as I think I do, neither of you would let me live that down. No. Thanks. I'll just take my chances with unknown peril and death; how bad could it be?"

Anilith smacked her palm to her forehead and slowly dragged it down her face.

"When are you gonna learn, bud?" Orion asked. "It can always get worse, as if this whole place ain't been clue enough to that. Now I'm definitely sittin' this one out."

Anilith's expression pinched and puckered as if she'd just experienced "sour" for the first time, then she spoke. "Against my better judgement, I'd still go with you, if you asked."

"Nope nope nope!" Razhik said cheerfully. "Can't have you stealing all the fun stories, can we? What would I tell the little Razhlings?"

"…what little Razhlings?" Confusion, touched with no small amount of concern for the world at large, danced behind her eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Razhik said with a sneer.

As he said those words, he disappeared into the shadow of the doorway, leaving them in the chamber without even opening the gate.

Orion shook his head slightly. "Show off. Always gotta be showboatin', as if anyone cares enough to pay attention, damn fool."

"Ori," Anilith said, "There aren't actually more of him, are there?" The thought of a brood learning the ways of the world from Razhik, of all personalities, wracked her with a shuddering unease.

"Ah," the hunter replied, "can't be too sure of that. Wouldn't be surprised, he's certainly old enough, physically anyway, but I'd hazard a guess at not. Don't know if you've caught on to this, but Razh is a bit odd. That goes double among his own kind, I'd imagine, what with his familiarity with folks they'd all consider 'food' an' all."

"Razhik? No, can't say I've noticed anything odd about him. He's the regular picture of sanity, that one," Anilith responded.

"Sure, sure. Best not to worry too much about what you can't control, I've learned. Especially where Razh is involved," the man said, pulling out his prize from the last chamber. "You have any idea how to use this thing?"

In his hand, he held an ornate flute. It seemed far too delicate to have seen much use, yet it gave off an uncanny sensation of sturdiness, as if it would take singular focus to do any real damage to the instrument. At its base, it was set with an amber colored stone, somehow fashioned into a ring so that any sound the flute made would pass through it.

"Can't say I spent much time learning about music, in my life, not beyond an appreciation for its wonder," Anilith replied, "but I'd rather you keep that thing away from me. Still a bit shaken from experiencing that music. Damned mistake, it was, taking a peek through the Earth. Couldn't even see the room, but those vibrations knocked me senseless, left me so rattled I couldn't tell down from up."

Orion twirled the flute around for another moment, examining it from a plethora of angles before it to his mouth. Blowing gently, he toyed with it, covering various holes. After no small amount of bumbling and unpleasant noise, all of which Anilith frowned openly at, his thumb found a larger hole that caused the instrument to emit a resonant, remarkable tone, even as his other fingers covered no holes.

It was just a single note, held for a single breath, but Orion gazed at the instrument with newfound wonder. "Well, well, little thing. Guess that's one secret uncovered…but what are you for?"

Still frowning, Anilith said, "Well, I'd hazard a guess that it makes music."

"Eh," the man shot back, "feels like there's more to it, but I could be wrong. Ain't like it'd be the first time."

He chuckled to himself as he fingered the only other trinket he'd found in Maestro's possession: a storage necklace that proved to fit him unnaturally well.

Stolen story; please report.

The necklace had contained objects ranging from remarkably useless to utterly disturbing, and he had, of course, gone through the contents before even leaving the room, leaving a majority of them—he just couldn't stomach the thought of possibly carrying around something dangerous and not knowing—in a macabre pile on the floor of the body-strewn floor of his battlefield. None of the illusion-bound had survived, largely killed by their master in the crossfire,

Now, only a scant few objects occupied the small space of the necklace, most importantly, his sundered bow.

That had been a real blow. His bow wasn't enchanted or irreplaceable in any concrete way, but it was the intangible that hurt most deeply. He had been through more than he cared to admit with the weapon and had forged a unique connection with it, one that snapped as cleanly as the wood, leaving disconnected halves of a whole that refused to join, despite his efforts.

"Play with your toys if you like, old man," Anilith said. "I'm gonna rest my eyes for a minute while you keep watch. Ain't much more we can do out here while we wait." She caught his eye. "Wake me if that changes."

"Alright, kid," Orion affirmed, "Some rest would do us all good. I'll be right here if you need anythin'."

In only a sparse handful of moments, soft snoring made its way to Orion's ears. He twirled the flute a few more times, admiring the curves of its artistry, and focused inward, trying to make sense of the strange feeling he got when he held the instrument.

As his hands discovered new combinations and his mind mapped the sounds of the instrument, Anilith dozed off to the sound of her friend playing his flute.

Razhik ascended the shaft, swimming through the shadows like water. The darkness left him comforted. Where some might feel ill at ease, he thrived in places like this, where the umber touch of night lay claim; this was his domain.

Not sure how anyone else was supposed to get through here, Razhik thought, but that's a problem for those far less special than me. What a shame it would be to have to do things as intended.

The pillar of sheltered shade didn't climb nearly as far as Razhik would have liked, the end coming into sight what felt like only heartbeats later. An arch of light marked the terminus of the vertical tunnel, the silhouette of a gate that mirrored the one below visible where light failed to penetrate.

Razhik merely bypassed that as well, though, stepping into a…stranger room than he expected.

What in the names of the gods is this place? He wondered, glancing around at a room that seemed altogether more disturbed than anything he'd yet bore witness to in this pocket realm.

The walls were lined with oddly shaped tools, none of which he greatly liked the look of, least of all the long, thin razors. Those looked sharp enough to part even his toughened hide, and chills ran down his length. The other instruments weren't much better.

Razhik, still cloaked in shadow, could only guess at the purpose of a majority of the devices, and none of his guesses led to a pleasant mental image, images that weren't helped by the other contents of the room.

Cold, stone slabs were spaced around the room, each with that strange, arcing energy guided towards it by strips of metal that positively thrummed with power. Many of the slabs he saw were occupied, if one could call it that, by creatures in various states of dismemberment. Most were Grokar, their presence evidence of the long-standing war between the factions, but others were goblins, sprinkled with a scant few wolverines. There was even a human or two, if his nose wasn't deceived, although the acrid, ozone scent of the room did a very good job of hiding that from even his sensitive sniffer.

His eyes certainly couldn't make out the details. Smooth-skins were hard enough to differentiate when their outsides were outside and their insides remained in their proper places.

Large vats of unknown liquid housed other, stitched-up creatures, their eyes milky and bulbous.

What kind of depraved sicko makes a room like this?

The culprit, he realized, lurked in the center of the chamber in plain view, tinkering with the strange tools and lines of metal, hunched low over something Razhik couldn't see from where he stood. It was clear the figure hadn't noticed him yet, although whether that was more due to its intent focus or Razhik lingering in the shadows, he couldn't say.

Against his better judgment, something Razhik was ever reluctant to listen to, if for no other reason than because the best stories always came from ignoring his better sensibilities, he moved away from the gate to investigate the room further. He hadn't taken more than two shadow-steps into the room when the hum of energy intensified, summoning light from great glass orbs he hadn't noticed hanging from the ceiling.

The shadows were dispelled across the room, dropping Razhik onto the floor, his talons scraping loudly—not that his bulk landed noiselessly.

The figure at the room's center looked jerkily, his focus disrupted. Quickly, it zeroed in on Razhik's location, not that a beast of his size was hard to miss.

"Uh," Razhik said sheepishly, "Hi. Just here to check and make sure everything is…going well. Seems like you've got everything you need, though, so I'll just go ahead and tell Pip you're all set!"

The creature's eyes narrowed. "Who the fuck is Pip?"

"Huh, somehow I figured they were just missing something," Razhik muttered under his breath, momentarily amused by the novel curse, "Turns out I can understand you just fine, and I never even got one of those primer things!"

"Of course you can understand me," the creature said, "I'm not some idiot to waste my breath guessing what language something like you might speak. The words of the god of this Realm are timeless and heard by all. Now I asked you a question?"

"Ah, figured you'd know who that was," Razhik said, scratching his cheekbone with a long talon. Seemed like he was your leader. Shoulda known no leader actually went by 'Pip'. Guess the fish is out of the sack."

A bemused look overtook the creature for a moment before understanding awoke in its analyzing gaze. "You've met the Champion of Consuming Flame, curious to find you alive, but he has always been infuriatingly fair to his challengers."

"Well, I didn't exactly meet him, but I did get to watch his fight with the one who did. Pretty cool stuff, that. Or I guess it was hot…" Razhik trailed off.

The creature's face sneered with a look of disgust, one even Razhik couldn't miss, despite its alien expressions. It dusted off its dark clothing, then said in a grouchy, clipped way, "That's about enough talk, then. You're here for the Challenge, then let's get to it. My time is valuable."

"Guess you aren't going to give me a name, then," Razhik replied, "Eh?"

The creature didn't honor him with a response, other than suddenly exuding an air of danger.

Pretty rude behavior toward a King, Razhik thought. Guess I'll have to show him who he's dealing with.

A bolt of brilliant, blue energy erupted from the creature's outstretched arm, striking Razhik square in the chest before he could react. To his shock, it seared straight through his scales, leaving a nasty burn that did not feel great.

Not willing to stand around and wait for another attack, he went to move, and found that, to his increasing dismay, his body didn't want to move like he commanded it. Instead, he spasmed on the floor.

"Now," the creature said, walking toward Razhik as its eyes glowed with glee, "I'm not sure what you are, but I sure am looking forward to seeing how you work. There's only so much I can learn from creatures I've dissected so many times. Even the few humans I've acquired are disappointingly similar to goblins, and I've already thoroughly examined the differences I found. It's been so long since I've had a new specimen. Best get you all chained up; and do tell me when something is particularly unpleasant. I do like to make a note of those things."

It was at that moment, Razhik realized Orion was right; things could always get worse.

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