Hollow Henry

Day 40 notifications:

ALERT:

- Your DiHexan pool is below 30%.

ALERT:

- Your DiHexan pool has been depleted.

ALERT:

- You have exceeded your DiHexan pool’s limit. Your essence will be used in place of [DiH]

COMBAT:

- You have slain *11 T1 Mutants. You have gained *24,200[E]

COMBAT:

- You have slain *1 T3 Mutants. You have gained *19,800[E]

COMBAT:

- Combat has ended. You have gained *68,200[E] for participating in this battle.

- Congratulations! Due to the difference in tier to your opponent, your battle essence is increased by the amount of the gap. You have gained +100% battle essence.

- Your contribution to the battle was *62%. For this you gain an additional +62% battle essence.

- Your total essence for this battle is *234,608[E]

ACHIEVEMENT:

- You have successfully conducted a prison break. Congratulations!! You're the guy people cross the street to avoid.

REWARD:

- Title unlock: “Criminal” - grants +10% bonus to stealth related activities, and makes authority figures subconsciously suspicious of the title holder.

ALERT:

- Due to your actions, your stats have been modified.

- Dexterity: +1

- Endurance: +2

- Creativity: +1

Day 45,

Henry stretched his tired shoulders as they descended a long hill. Therven was visible from where they walked. It was only a kilometre or so until the outer homes of the city would meet the road. He walked with Andy and Tillie, since the dangers of the journey were largely behind them. It must have been an alarming sight to the few people they walked past on the road. All three of them were covered in mud, dirt and dried blood. Tillie hadn't been involved in the prison break, but she had been largely responsible for keeping an eye on the strangers they took with them. Her efforts had earned her a large splinter of wood in her arm, causing her armour to receive another dash of red. It was only 1 of the prisoners they needed to worry about. He was a sleeping man when Henry rescued him, but once the guy woke up he became a problem. He almost immediately attacked the Elf man, who ended up being another massive curiosity. The Elf was attacked due to racial differences, with the human man being less than pleased by the idea of an Elf sharing the same air. He screamed at him about being in the wrong world. The human man would have been livid if he could see what the players could. Floating above the suspicious Elf's head, was the usual player information.

Player: Saider Freeman

Level: 2

Tier: 1

Saider still wasn't very trusting or talkative, even after they revealed the truth of everything to him. He was from Henry's generation of players, his level made that much obvious. What they did learn from the man was almost hard to hear. He came into the world the same way most did, through a sudden and unexpected death. Since he landed in The Hollows though, he was moving from one cage to another. His first captors were a group of Goblins. He told them he was relieved to be liberated by the stoners, since their cage wasn't nearly as cruel. Henry felt bad for putting the man in yet another cage, but without knowing him better it wasn’t worth the risk. They did give the player a separate cell though, since the social dynamic of the large cage had fallen apart somewhat.

A lot of the prisoners were growing restless with their detainment. They insisted the cage was unnecessary, but they only needed to wait a few more hours. A few of their prisoners had actually proven to be remarkably useful. They were able to prove their credentials with a Tavern medallion, along with swearing an oath to cause no harm to Henhole or anyone in it. Henry didn't know the medallions stored personal and professional information like that. It was as if the little trinket was always listening, since you didn't need to record it yourself. Lee was the one to check the information with the use of a rune in her grimoire. The book was proving to be remarkably versatile. The vetted prisoners had been allowed to help out around the place, as long as a guard was keeping an eye on them. Thanks to one of the trusted prisoners, Henry had a large stockpile of milled wood. It was still fairly crude, since the tools the man had access to were limited. Having planks of timber in any condition was a good thing though. The other 3 vetted prisoners had been busy working the field and maintaining the growing number of shelters.

Henhole was starting to look a lot more lived in than it had when Henry first built his house. It was nice to see the people he travelled with relaxed and comfortable. There were even paths forming where everybody had been taking the easiest ways around. It was going to feel like a ghost town at the end of the day. He was glad to at least have Hamish and Andy. Neither of the Scotsmen planned on vacating their new homes in Henhole. It was without a doubt the safest place they could rest their head, and they were both growing rather attached to the homes they built by hand.

As they walked through the outer city, they were met by a lot more concerned faces. Tillie being with them would ease people's mind somewhat, since she wore her Therveinian guards armour. Still, ordinary folk were a little put off by the sight and the smell. On an empty part of the road, Henry sent Tillie to let the princess know they arrived. The city was impressive. The outer walls were easily 10 storeys tall. They were made of a concrete brick that sparkled with the tell-tale sign of metal. The main structures they could see were the city's stone pyre, and the tallest rooms of the castle that peaked over the wall. They could feel the pressure of the wall’s wards as they got close. It would take a significant amount of magic to penetrate whatever had been done to it. There were several people moving in and out of the city, so they had to wait in line for a short while. The guards were checking medallions. Failing the ownership of one, they were asking questions. All but 1 other person in the queue were human. The other Demai didn't seem phased by the experience, he had to have been a local. A few of the gate guards were Demai too. One in particular was even bigger than Hamish, and he was watching them very closely. Henry was feeling pre-assessed by the time they got to the front of the line. A different Demai guard along with a human colleague were the ones to stop them for the check. Henry wasn't concerned at all until the guards scanned his medallion. Getting pulled up at airport security was child's play compared to being instantly paralysed by a suspicious guard.

Both of them hit the dirt like wet noodles. He felt the fine gravel grinding into his cheek as his face slapped the ground and slid. His arms were forced behind his back with the assistance of nobody, and he was lifted to his knees. The large Demai had his hand out with a spell in it. No matter how hard he tried, Henry couldn't move or speak.

“Take them to the king,” the large Demai demanded.

Henry wanted to raise his eyebrows, but his face didn't seem to respond. If there was an issue with their medallions, there's no way it was a concern for the king to handle. There had to be more to the situation. A crowd had formed to watch the spectacle. It was embarrassing to be hoisted into the air by the invisible force, and placed into a caged cart nearby. There was already a bird tied up to it. It seemed an awful lot like the guards were waiting for them. He wanted to summon the princess to The Hollows, but his magic was being blocked by something again. With DiHexan still in his pool, he wasn't sure how to spend his essence directly on skills. He also wanted to shout at them, to tell them that Lee was fine, but he couldn't manage anything beyond breathing and moving his eyes. It was terrifying to have no control over himself. With a jolt, the cart rocked into motion and sped through the narrow cobbled streets. From his place in the cage, he could see that the city climbed a hill towards the castle. A few corners let him see that it bordered a tall cliff, and beyond that was an ocean. It would have been beautiful to see for the first time in different circumstances. It took a total of 35 minutes for the cart to make it to the castle gates. Henry was starting to think they would be in the cage forever when the door finally swung open. They were lifted magically by another large guard, and floated shamefully through the courtyard. Many finely dressed men and women looked down their noses at the captured players as they drifted by. Their chance to make a good impression on the kingdom was out the window now.

Soon enough, they were taken through a set of large wooden doors and into the king's throne room. There was a considerable number of guards lining the walls of the room, along with a spattering of people wearing unique armour. On the stairs leading to the throne stood a tall thin man in a black and red robe. Behind him was the king, sitting on a glorious throne made of ruby. It looked like the chair had been chiselled and carved out of a giant rough crystal. Henry nearly drooled thinking about how much essence that chair had to be worth. The king was a human man, but he was around Henry's size. He had jet black hair that touched his shoulders in ringlets, and his face was mostly hidden by a thick braided beard. He wore similar robes to the man on the stairs, only he left it open at the front to show his tight fitting black and red armour. Nothing he wore looked to be made of metal, yet it shimmered with the same metallic sheen as polished steel. The man had an aura of power about him. Henry made eye contact with him as they were placed on their knees. As soon as the king looked into his eyes, he felt the same sensation of resistance in his Temple that he had felt a few days earlier, but it quickly faded as the king looked away. The atmosphere was tense, with a silence so thick you could walk right into it. The king spent nearly a minute slowly looking between the two of them. His expression would have looked bored if it wasn't for the way his eyes carefully studied them. Henry nearly felt naked to the man's assessment. They were completely powerless at the feet of the powerhouse above them. Eventually, the king licked his lips and spoke.

“Where is my daughter?” He asked in a slow and deep voice.

Henry's chest rattled as he spoke, reminding him of how small he really is. He tried again to speak, but couldn't overpower the paralysis. It would have been a lot easier to cooperate if they would let him speak. The king watched Henry in particular for a lingering moment, as if he could hear the players frustrations. After another long silence, the king slowly stood. He began a slow and deliberate walk down the steps, speaking as he moved.

“The Henry, and Andy. Simple names for such curious visitors,” he said, taking the first step. “And your third, Hamish. Is he also missing?” He paused for a moment on the next step, giving them another chance to respond. When they didn't, he continued. “I have seven children, and not one of them has failed to return home to me. My young are strong and capable, it would take more than just the wilds to steal them from this world.”

The king was half way down the steps, and Henry was starting to panic. He fought with every fibre of his being to scream, but nothing he could do would overcome the spell he was under. He'd never felt so helpless, and it was making him furious.

“The only thing that might stand in their way,” the king continued. “Is an enemy they know better than to face, but then it wouldn't be their choice. So I'll ask you again. Where is my daughter, outworlder?” He asked, looking directly at Henry. He was at the bottom of the stairs, and in a few short steps he would be standing right in front of them.

Henry kept trying everything he could think of, but nothing happened. He couldn't even manage to send anything to his Temple, which at that point had become second nature. He wanted to look at Andy to see how he was coping with the situation, but he couldn't turn his head. The king took no time at all to cross the short distance between them. He looked down on Henry with an intense gaze. There was no anger in his eyes, just cold and calculated judgement. He slowly pulled his hands together and massaged his right palm, never breaking eye contact with Henry. “This is the final time I ask politely,” he said calmly while he rolled up his sleeve. “Where is Princess Leyela?”

Henry continued in unwilling silence. He wanted to swear at the obnoxious prick. If this was the man that ran the kingdom, Henry was more inspired than ever to leave. It was one thing to interrogate them, but it was just cruel to give them no chance to speak their case.

“very well,” the king sighed. Before Henry would have even had the time to blink, the king struck him across the face with the back of his hand. The ruler's rings dug in hard, adding further insult to the otherworldly sting that now occupied the player's world. Henry's temper flared. He was so filled with rage that his vision blurred. He had no way to defend himself against the man's attacks in the first place. Keeping him paralysed for the beating was a step too far. He wanted to release all of his spirit at once, and explode the entire room just to prove a point. He tried to scream his rage out, but still couldn't manage even a whisper.

He felt a change inside of himself as he resolved to burn down everything the king loved. He felt his essence shift in a similar way to when he used it for skills, but it never left his body. Instead, what had to have amounted to only a few points trickled into his DiHexan pool. He felt the two mix, and his magic pool pulsed with a clarity that it hadn't ever before. His arm was already moving before he realised what he was doing. Both of his Hyper skills activated instinctually, giving him the opportunity to see the hint of a smirk on the king's face. His swing stopped abruptly when the man grabbed his wrist. Once again, Henry never saw him move. His grip was like an iron vice. Henry knew there was no chance of breaking free. Switching tactics, he looked the king in the eyes.

“Here's your daughter,” he spat. “You fucking mungrule.”

With a considerable flex of his skill, he summoned the princess from his Temple. Along with every other human in there. The stunt felt like a punch in his magical gut. He'd never moved so many people at one time, and it made him feel weak enough to want to fall over. He managed to keep a straight face however, as the room filled in an instant with more than 30 very confused people.