Somewhere deep within the Umbral Depths was a dungeon. It was hidden well, and known by few, making it the perfect place for illegal activities. If one were to enter and venture down its long, eery halls, they would find something truly horrifying. There, people were being held captive in cells. Some were tortured, some beaten, some sold to underhanded buyers and some were killed. None of them were taken care of well, for their bones showed from lack of food, their skin pale from not having been exposed to sunlight from long periods of time, and bodies crippled from beatings or being forced into harsh positions in their tiny cells. It drove many to the brink of insanity, and some put their lives to an end so that they could escape the torment. It was an awful place indeed.

However, this day was an unfortunate one for those whom mistreated the poor people and held them captive. The caterwauling could only be heard from within, echoing down the narrow stone halls. The guards attempted to run, some even tried fighting their hunter, but it was useless. With an outstretched hand from the one bringing forth their doom, their souls were ripped from their bodies and devoured, then they fell to the stone ground as lifeless lumps.

Hythys, the Queen of the Abyss, eyed the corpses a moment longer before stepping over them, making her way further down the dark halls. Every cell she came across that contained a prisoner, she let them loose and allowed them to run free. Though the Queen of the Abyss she might be, she only took the lives of evildoers like herself. She did enjoy watching the innocent cower in fear and plead for mercy, but this day she wasn’t in the mood for it. She was angry, and honestly in a bit of a hurry to get to the owner of this horrid place. Only they had the information she was seeking. She did, however, briefly interrogate the guards, but the moment they claimed they didn’t know anything she took their souls. She really was in a bit of a hurry.

Upon approaching another guard, she raised a hand, preparing to steal his soul. But she stopped herself short, taking notice of his uniform. It was far fancier than the rest, which only meant he had a higher position. Those with a higher position always knew more than lower ones. Her bloody red lips slid into a sinisterly pleased smile; this was precisely what she needed. She swirled a pale finger, muttering the incantation for a spell. At this, ethereal tendrils reached out and curled around the struggling guard like a constrictor. There was no way he could escape her grasp, despite his pitiful attempts. The more he struggled, the tighter they got. Yet she was careful not to let them get so tight that he couldn’t speak. She needed information.

She stepped forth and caressed his jawline in an almost loving way, as if she were trying to calm his nerves. But it only seemed to worry him more, for he froze completely as if the slightest movement would kill him, his eyes widened with terror. “W-what do you want? I’ll do anything! Please…spare me!” He pitifully pleaded, to which she responded with a quiet shush. “Tell me what I need to know and I shall allow you to live.” He nodded his head vigorously, desperately. “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Very good,” she cooed. “I’m looking for someone whom goes by the name Thelron. I know he was here recently, so don’t lie to me and say you don’t know anything.” The guard’s eyes grew more fearful as he lightly shook his head, causing her smile to become a displeased frown. “I…I never met anyone by that name, I swear. If he was ever here, then I wasn’t made aware of it.” She sighed with slight frustration and pulled away, turning her back to him. “Please, let me go. I swear I won’t breath a word of this to anyone. I…I have a family…a wife and three children.”

Hythys was growing ever closer to losing her temper. She wanted so deeply to quickly end his life right then and there in a fit of fury, but she had a better idea. She spun on her heels to face him again with a soft smile. In that moment, she could see his eyes fill with hope; clearly he thought she would show him mercy. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Then you should have thought about that before you got yourself involved in this business.” Pleasure flooded her at the look of despair on his face when the tendrils tightened themselves around him. Quickly, they cut off his air supply and he began to choke, desperately trying to catch air. And soon enough, his body jerked as a chilling crack sounded, echoing down the hall. His body fell limp with death, and she took his soul just as it slipped from him, devouring it.

The tendrils vanished and his body landed on the stone ground with a loud thump, which she stared at blankly for a moment before stepping over him, continuing her search.

Cerberus plopped down on the floor. He had been sitting in this cell for who knows how long. It was a normal day, and he had been exploring the caverns for who knows what reason. Perhaps it was just his feline curiosity. While he was checking out one of the smaller settlements he came across the rumor of a dungeon, of what purpose it existed was known. It was rumored that a powerful dark wizard used it for experiments. Others spoke about how the saw large amounts of people carried in by chain, and armed guard. Sounded like some kind of prison, but he wasn't aware of any kind of authority existing in the caves. Certainly a prison for the Kingdom of Adeluna wouldn't exist this far down.

The eery halls spooked the cat as he strode cautiously through across the stone floor. Torches were spread around the area, but it was still dim throughout. Screams, and pleads of mercy bounced off the cavern walls, and reverberated to his ears. This was definitely not the place he would want to be. He glanced in horror as a person, bloody with broken legs was dragged from a room. The men shouting at him to shut up as they pulled him further into the dungeon. All of a sudden the cat was grabbed up by the scruff of his neck. “Lookie what we got here, little blighter,” said his captor. He was a big threatening man, with a bald head. The stench radiating from him nearly made Cerberus gag. He took the cats, glasses and chucked him to one of the guards, “Find him a new home,” he giggled as he returned to a side room with the glasses.

Unsure of how much time had past, the cat laid there hopeless. Every time he awoke he was greeted by the screaming of the poor souls who were held captive here with him. He shivered every time he heard boots marching up and down the hallway. What exactly would they do to a cat? He hasn't heard of any being tortured, but he knew these people were insane. They also probably wouldn't be above anything, probably even torture their mothers if ordered to. A scrawny man was taken from the cell next to him, he body covered in bruises, some still fresh. A decent sized chunk of his ear was missing too. Gods, these people were sick.

“Why is there a single cat in this cell,” asked a fancy dressed man one day, “ Move it somewhere else so we have room for more prisoners.” Well lets just say his clothes were fancy compared to the guards outfits. The guards also stood up straight when he entered the room, and listened when he spoke. Cerberus was picked up, and carried into another area further down the hallway. They passed by some kind of meeting hall, a bunk room. They arrived in what looked like a kitten. A chef was bust cooking a meal for the guards when they burst through the door. “Any place I could toss this cat?” the guard asked, annoyance in his voice. The chef looked the cat over, “In the pot if you want cat tonight.” The guard shook his head. The chef motioned to a crate next to the oven.

Sometime later there was a commotion. Cerberus sat up, and tired to peer through the small holes in the crate. He could hear the sound of boots stomping around, like the entire army of guards were getting ready for some kind of battle. Then came the screams, further way at first, then they started getting closer. He heard the voice of their leader again as he stormed into the kitchen. “You have to hide me, someone is here, and they are killing all my men.” The chef let out a sharp laugh, “oh no we can't let that happen now can we,” He pushed the leader back toward the opposite side of the kitchen. “What ever happens, I'm not back here!” he proclaimed. The chef nodded, and went to find a hiding place of his own. Cerberus started scratching at the inside of the crate, and meowing very loudly. Hoping someone would find him.

    One after one, guards were killed by Hythys as she forced her way through the dungeon halls. And with every one, her patience grew shorter and shorter, and her frustration gradually grew to anger. Did they honestly fancy her for a fool? She knew the one which she searched had been there. Someone knew something. And why exactly was she so set on finding this man? Well, let’s just say he angered someone that he shouldn’t have. One by one she searched the cells for the drow-looking man, all attempts seemingly in vain.

Eventually she found herself in what seemed like a kitchen, and she stood in the doorway, slowly gazing around the room with a scowl. These people were sick. Making themselves at home whilst innocent people were being tortured, starved, and killed just down the hall. Of course, she was no better than them if she was honest with herself. In fact, she quite enjoyed killing and causing destruction. But the man she was searching for was all she was interested in now. If she had any hopes for usurping the king, she needed to find Thelron!

“Hey! You shouldn’t be here!” Shouted the chef, causing Hythys to glance his way in time to see him charging at her with a large knife. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t even get close to her before her ethereal tendrils wrapped themselves around him, squeezing him mercilessly. Gently caressing his cheek, she proceeded, “Where is he? Tell me where Thelron is.” Pitifully, the chef shook his head with a desperate look in his eyes. “I…I don’t-” his voice was cut short when the tendril tightened dangerously around him, making it harder for him to breath. As she was preparing to finish him off, he attempted to speak again. Curious, she made the tendrils loosen enough for him to speak. “What was that?”

“Colborn…” he croaked. “He spoke…of a man that looked like a drow…they met a couple weeks back. He knows where he is…” At this, Hythys smirked. “Where is Colborn?” The only response the man gave was a glance to in the direction of where the man hid. Her smirk only grew. “Sacrificing the life of your superior to save your own skin,” she said mockingly. “You aren’t a very loyal one. And those whom aren’t loyal to those above them are scum.” The tendrils tightened and tightened, until they completely crushed the man, and dropped his limp body to the floor.

But, before making her way to find the one she was looking for, she took a minute to look around the kitchen once more. And in a cage that was almost completely hidden, she heard the cries of a small creature. Hythys walked over to it to see a cat caged inside. So they even captured animals? Such lowlives. With a small smile, she opened the cage to let the cat out. “Why are you here?” She asked, though she wasn’t honestly expecting it to give a reply. Animals were far more wholesome than any person, so she was more fond of them, and held no desire to hurt any.