"Run!" Jamie shouted.

The bard didn't look back to see what horror was unfolding behind them. With adrenaline surging through his veins, he sprang to his feet and sprinted towards the exit. His only thought was escape.

Thomas and Holz stood paralyzed, eyes wide at the sight before them. But as Jamie approached them, he shoved both forward, snapping them out of their stupor.

The three raced frantically down the corridor. Thoughts of aiding the prisoners they had passed earlier flickered briefly in their minds, but survival instincts eroded any hesitation. As they sped past the iron-barred cells, a chilling realization struck them. The cells were empty. The men, women, and children they had hoped to save were gone. In their place lay only grotesque remnants, tangled heaps of entrails, pools of blood, and shattered bones.

Holz felt a visceral surge rise from his stomach, a burning acid that clawed its way up his throat. The gruesome sight was more than he could bear. He staggered to the side, retching violently as everything he had eaten spewed in a torrent.

Jamie and Thomas, though shaken to their core, pressed on. Each of them had someone waiting beyond this accursed place. They couldn't afford to die.

The path that had taken them several minutes to navigate earlier now seemed to blur as they retraced their steps in mere moments. The narrow stairwell that once descended ominously into darkness now served as their lifeline. They squeezed through the tight passage, scrambling up the uneven steps two at a time, the rough stone scraping against their hands.

Behind them, they could hear something breaking the masonry and forcing itself to the point of shaking the mansion's foundations.

Bursting onto the second floor, they were met with a scene of chaos. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. From the east wing, a wave of blood was spreading everywhere.

Without exchanging words, they knew they had to keep moving.

Jamie led the way, navigating the corridors with a practiced eye. His heart hammered against his ribs, not just from exertion but from a burning rage that grew within. He had promised to free the mage. Now, witnessing the extent of Lucius's atrocities, a resolve hardened within him. This was no longer just about helping Holz; it was about exacting justice, his justice.

"Jump!" Thomas shouted. Without hesitation, the three of them leaped from the mansion's balcony. They hit the ground hard, rolling over the lawn. Pain shot through their bodies, but there was no time to assess injuries. Adrenaline surged, compelling them to their feet.

As soon as their boots pounded against the earth, they felt the tremors intensify beneath them. Ahead, near the grand entrance of the estate, stood Alonzo and Thyra, their faces etched with confusion and mounting fear.

Jamie tore at the remnants of armor clinging to his body, metal plates clattering to the ground. The weight hindered his movements, and every second counted. The ground quaked violently, nearly throwing them off balance as they sprinted toward the two newbies.

"What's happening?" Alonzo demanded, eyes wide as the earth shuddered beneath them.

"Which of you knows more about monsters?" Jamie barked, ignoring the question. Urgency strained his voice.

"What kind of monsters?" Thyra responded.

"Demonic or something like that," Jamie replied hastily.

Alonzo and Thyra exchanged a quick, uneasy glance.

"I think I know a bit more," Thyra admitted, stepping forward.

"Good," Jamie said, words tumbling out in a rush. "They've summoned something. A huge arm, pitch black like onyx. Hundreds of people died underground. There was a half-demon performing a ritual, beating a drum. Any idea what it could be?"

Thyra's eyes widened, her face paling as the weight of his words sank in. Alonzo's mouth dropped open, his usual bravado stripped away.

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"What do you mean, 'any idea'?" Thyra asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

"What's it likely to be? How do we kill it?" Jamie pressed, glancing nervously toward the mansion. The earth's tremors grew stronger, cracks snaking through the lawn. "That thing is going to surface and tear the city apart if we don't act fast!"

Thyra took a steadying breath. "I need to see it. I can't be sure without more information."

"Right, right," Jamie muttered, his mind racing. He turned sharply to Alonzo. "Alonzo! Get to Maria's mansion as fast as you can. If you pass any estates with soldiers or guards, tell them to come here. The attack won't start in the Lower Quarter this time; we need all the help we can get."

"Yes, sir!" Alonzo snapped to attention. The ground lurched beneath them, and he staggered before sprinting toward the gates.

"Use everything at your disposal!" Jamie shouted after him. "If you need to unleash lightning and thunder, do it! Just bring back an army. Inform Maria that someone performed a dark ritual; she must know and investigate!"

As soon as Jamie finished speaking, Alonzo was sprinting toward the Hafenstadt Mansion, his silhouette quickly disappearing in Noble Quarter's winding streets. The greatest issue was the distance; the mansion lay on the far side of the district, and time was not on their side.

'Until then, it's just us,' Jamie thought.

Jamie glanced around, searching for any sign of Jay. But to his confusion, the cat was nowhere to be seen. 'He should be by my side... Where could he have gone?'

Unsettled by Jay's absence and the looming threat, Jamie turned to the next course of action. "Thyra," he called urgently. "I need some kind of defense, like you did with the giants. We have to raise walls, create any barriers we can to keep that monster from reaching the streets."

Thyra paused, her brow furrowing as she surveyed the best places to raise an ice wall. After a moment's contemplation, she nodded decisively. "I'll do what I can," she replied.

Stepping forward, she stretched out her hands, palms facing the earth. Whispering an incantation, the air around her shimmered with arcane energy. The ground trembled slightly as ice walls started to freeze in mid-air. Within moments, a series of barriers of varying heights and thicknesses formed a defensive labyrinth within and around the garden.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Holz collapsed onto the cool grass, their breaths ragged. Exhaustion weighed heavily upon them. Holz wiped the remnants of vomit from the corner of his mouth, his stomach still churning from the horrors they had witnessed below. Tears streamed down his face.

"She... she wasn't there," Holz murmured shakily, his voice barely above a whisper. "Gods, please. Let Nik not be among them." Clasping his hands tightly, he bowed his head in desperate prayer. His fingernails dug into his palms, drawing thin rivulets of blood, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.

They had no time to reflect further. The ground beneath them began to shudder, a faint tremor at first, rapidly intensifying.

"Is it already on the surface?" Thomas asked, pushing himself upright, his eyes wide with alarm.

Before anyone could answer, a deep, rending sound tore through the air. The sound of roots snapping echoed like bones breaking, and the ground split open with a violent crack.

From the ruptured earth, a massive hand emerged. It was inhumanly large and dark, as if it absorbed any light that touched it.

Thyra felt her breath catch in her throat, a chill coursing down her spine as she beheld the sight.

The creature pressed its gargantuan hand into the earth, leveraging itself upward. The ground quaked under the weight, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact. As the creature rose, more of its form became visible. A hulking torso with broad shoulders, clad in what appeared to be armor made of shadow. Its elongated skull bore two immense horns with rounded tips, curving menacingly toward the sky.

It was as if darkness had taken physical shape, an embodiment of the night's deepest terrors.

When it finally stood fully upright, the creature loomed over them like a living tower, almost as tall as the city walls. Its sheer scale was staggering, dwarfing everything in its vicinity. Time seemed to slow as it turned its head.

Jamie felt its gaze. Cold, invasive, and piercing straight into his soul. Paralyzed, he could do nothing but stare back, his body refusing to obey his urge to run.

Slowly, the creature raised one colossal hand, extending it toward him. Its long, slender fingers unfurled, pointing directly at the bard.

Jamie's heart pounded erratically; each beat was more strained than the last until it ceased. A crushing sensation gripped his chest. His eyes widened in terror as he realized he was dying, not by blade or spell, but from the mere gesture of this being.

A wisp of glowing white smoke began to drift from his parted lips. The very essence of his life force was drawn out. His limbs felt leaden, his vision dimming. He could not move, could not cry out. The world around him faded, sound and color draining away.

But then, a sudden impact jolted him back to reality. An immense slab of ice struck him from the side, knocking him clear of the creature's line of sight. He tumbled across the ground, the cold searing against his skin but breaking the perilous connection.

"Run!" Thyra's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Don't let it get close to you!"

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