Torrin's muscles were taut, his eyes roaming the faces before him. The faces before him a tapestry of emotions, each elf adding a different thread. He saw anger on some, as if him escaping were some great betrayal. Some looked worried, unsure of the situation or themselves. But the most blatant and easily seen emotion was fear.

As he looked at each of the elves setting themselves against him, his shoulders sagged. He no longer felt these people were a threat to him. His muscles relaxed. The building rage dampened slightly, his sword returning to his ring. He held his shackled hands up, palms facing the elves as if to show he had no ill intentions. The emotions arrayed before him changed slightly. He could see some were relieved, and others confused.

"So you surrender?" The elf in the fore of the group asked, his angry tone making it sound like more of a statement. He was tall and thin, holding a spear forward in a white-knuckled grip. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Torrin thought of how to respond. His mind whirled as everything in his vision slowed.

Seeing the expressions of the elves arrayed before him made him realize that he didn't want to fight them anymore. They were either one and all terrible people or had been manipulated into the situation somehow. Fighting them wouldn't get him any closer to a resolution.

He wanted more information before he made any decisions. His eyes landed on the speaker, one of Yawnel's original lackeys. Torrin couldn't for the life of him remember the elf's name. The look on the elf's face made Torrin sure that a simple conversation wouldn't work on him, but intimidation just might.

"Not quite." Torrin spoke, his words slow and deliberate, "I've decided that I need information. Dead bodies can't tell me what I want to know, so I would prefer to avoid you becoming one."

The front elf scoffed, his head turning to the elves nearest him to get their reactions. Two of the closest ones sneered, another blanched. Torrin watched the words roll through the crowd of some fifteen or so elves. There were various reactions, and low murmurs of hushed words could barely be heard. With his enhanced hearing, Torrin caught most of what was said and it sounded to be in his favor.

The elf saw this as well, possibly catching some of the whispered words, his face turning livid. He turned back to Torrin, his mouth opened to speak, but Torrin continued, "I see some of you understand what I mean. I haven't decided how to handle this situation, so I have a proposal. All of you return to your rooms, and I'll start speaking to each of you in turn, try to get a clearer picture of who did what, right? That way, we can avoid all of you dying."

There was a quick shuffling as many of the elves made a better decision. Six of them went away, scurrying into the nearest rooms. A frown tugged at the corner of Torrin's lips. He'd expected this tactic to perform a little better.

"Where's Yawnel?" The words brought Torrin's gaze back to the speaker.

"Preoccupied in the dungeon, or whatever you idiots call it." Torrin replied distractedly.

Should he just kill these elves? Surely he could get information from the others. Was it his place? Was it right to do so? That was debatable. Should he capture them all and imprison them as they had done to the others? Would that be fair or would that make him just as bad? But, if they were involved in Yawnel's machinations, they surely deserved no less... His thoughts circled, trying to chase down a decision.

But was it his place to decide this? Once he left the pocket dimension, he would surely have to explain the events that happened here, and his response to the situation. Grams was a powerful authority, so he didn't really fear any reprisal from the elves. If he had to, he was confident in escaping Cellinia. However, he also didn't want an entire race to hate him or hunt him. He wanted to recruit them into helping him, so he needed to be tactful.

"What do you mean?" The elf spoke up once more, distracting Torrin from his musings. He was getting nowhere. His mind was whirling with thoughts. If he were in this exact situation when he first arrived at the pocket dimension, he was unsure what he would do, but he knew it would have been violent. But now, he knew the elves that were previously held prisoner. Some of them were his friends. Spending time with them had changed his perspective on a lot of things.

Torrin sighed, "Listen. I'm trying to piece together a plan of action and you're really not helping. This will be the last time I offer a chance to explain your actions. Go to a room and wait. You can ask me whatever you want then." Torrin was weary. Frustration and annoyance mingled together with the last dregs of his rage. His mood was dour. His patience thin, his tone stern.

He'd been found out faster than he'd wanted, causing him to need to rush to a decision. He needed to check on his friends again, make sure they were okay. He needed to figure out why this had happened, and who was responsible. He needed to find Dawn, the fire mages, and the group they took with them. He needed answers. The elves in front of him were stopping him from making any progress on these fronts.

Whether they were scared, or just not feeling a fight was worth it, two more of the group left to rooms. Torrin's eyes swept over the seven remaining elves before him. Six of them stood paired on steps, side by side. One held back behind them all. They wore varied, but hard expressions. The leader's face flushed from rage as his eyes returned from the backs of the retreating elves.

"Okay, so I guess we'll do this the hard way." Torrin rubbed his hands on his face, his chains clinking together. "I don't suppose one of you has the key to these things?"

Something seemed to snap within the leader. He roared, his body shooting forward, his spear point thrusting at Torrin's chest. Torrin moved quickly. As the tip of the weapon approached, his feet slid to the side, his back to the wall. His arms shot out.

As the attack missed, his hands wrapped around the spear and he tugged. The elf was thrown off balance and fell forward, nearly tripping down the steps. Torrin helped him out, kicking his back as he passed, causing the elf to fall into a rolling tumble, taking to the steps face first.

Torrin's gaze returned to the six remaining elves. Stances eased to a resting position, and mana dispersed like smoke as they realized the futility of the situation. One elf backed away slowly, his eyes searching the others as if pleading for them to follow. As he went, he never spoke, as if he was afraid Torrin might take offense if he did.

As the elf passed the last doorway set into the walls of the stairwell, he turned and ran. Another elf watched him go, a look of regret turning to fear as he noticed Torrin's gaze on him. The stairs were silent, but for the mewling at the bottom of the steps.

Torrin kept his face firm. His hard eyes stared down each of the elves, his will pressing down on them subtly. The show of force and his subsequent manner seemed to do the trick. The elves one and all turned and entered one of the rooms, none of them attempting an escape. Torrin was thankful that part of his current situation had been made simpler.

Torrin was unsure if the elves would stay put or run, but in the end he decided it didn't matter. They would either stay in the pocket dimension for the rest of their undoubtedly short lives, wandering and running from beasts. Or, they would return to Cellinia, where they would have to face whatever justice the elves doled out for such crimes as the ones committed here. Either course served Torrin just as well as the other.

After thinking it through, Torrin didn't plan to personally exact revenge for the treatment the elves suffered. He would collar those that he knew were closest to Yawnel, for sure. He would then help the imprisoned elves recover, and let them choose a punishment for those who had wronged them. It seemed the most fair thing he could think of at the moment, and it would allow him to possibly avoid trouble after leaving the pocket dimension.

Torrin sat on the stairs for a long moment, allowing himself to think about that. If what Yawnel alluded to was Virtus' plans, how many other elves were already working with them? Surely not the king and queen, right? Ollivel at the very least couldn't be, unless he was the best actor Torrin had ever seen. The gruff elf's actions and words spoke of a deep seeded hatred of Virtus, so Torrin expected to gain at least one ally. He shook the thoughts away. He needed to focus on helping the elves recover and discovering as much information as he could about how and why this happened.

Torrin traversed the steps, slowly approaching the defeated elf, his chains jingling with each step. His feet landed on the ground next to the crumpled, groaning elf, "Hey, do you have the key to the shackles?" An irritated grunt was the only reply, before groans of pain continued.

Torrin looked at the elf, noticing legs that bent at angles they shouldn't. The elf rocked slightly, some attempt at comforting himself. Deciding information on the key's whereabouts was worth it, Torrin crouched beside the elf and allowed Saen to flow through his pathways to seep into the injured elf's body. The groans turned into shouts as bone crunched and reformed itself, skin knitting itself back together.

The process took a few minutes, and the elf lost consciousness from the pain. Torrin patted the elf down, checking everywhere for the keys. He fully expected to find out that only Yawnel carried the keys, but to his surprise, in a sewn inner pocket of the elf's robe, Torrin found them. Freeing himself of his chains, Torrin felt like a new person. He stretched his arms out wide, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation.

All too quickly, reality set back in. He had things to do and was wasting time. He snapped a collar in place around the unconscious elf to prevent further trouble and toted the body back to the dungeon like a sack of vegetables on his shoulder. His eyes roamed the former prisoners as he passed, assuring himself that they would get their justice. He set the elf down and unlocked the door, lifting the stone bar out of its holding place.

Torrin opened the door. His eyes met Yawnel's and he scowled. The elf looked as if nothing had changed since Torrin left. A grim, strange, demented smile stretched the elf's face into a thin veil of skin, his lips pulled so far they were cracking. The smile was completely unnatural. Torrin turned and grabbed up the unconscious elf, setting him in the room and making him a nice block of earth to match Yawnel.

Torrin didn't plan to keep them imprisoned for long, just until he got confirmation on everything that had happened and the prisoners awoke from their drug induced haze. Once he did he would question them and try getting more information from Yawnel. First he needed to get a clearer picture. It would obviously be pointless to keep asking the same questions, so he needed to know what he didn't know. He needed to know the right questions to ask.

Torrin turned his attention back to the sleeping elves. He locked Yawnel in with his new companion. He crouched by the elves, one by one, releasing their shackles and storing them away. Some awoke, their eyes less cloudy than before, but still not normal. Torrin gave those who awoke a drink of magical water, hoping it would somehow help them return to normal quicker. Torrin also noticed the elves weren't in terrible shape now that he'd healed their wounds.

He couldn't speak for their minds, but their bodies seemed almost the same as the last time he'd seen them. They weren't gaunt or emaciated, speaking to either fair treatment at some point, or a short time spent imprisoned. Torrin was unsure of which, but he planned to find out.

Torrin finished his rounds with the former prisoners and made his way up the staircase to Ellien and Yettien's room. The elves sat on the beds, their faces showing relief at Torrin's return.

"How long were the elves held prisoner for?" Torrin asked as soon as the elves turned their attention to him.

"It's been a few days..." Ellien almost whispered, her voice small.

Torrin's brows furrowed, "Wait. How long has this whole thing been going on? When did Yawnel go crazy?"

Yettien spoke up, his eyes holding some sort of resolve, "Dawn and the others left about a month ago. Like I said, the fire mage had some sort of meeting or something with Yawnel just as they were about to leave. Since that day, Yawnel started acting crazier than usual."

'What am I missing here,' Torrin thought, his face contorted with concentration as he tried to piece everything together, 'If he went crazy a month ago, what made him escalate to this point?'

"But, it was a slow process at first," Ellien spoke up, seeing Torrin's expression, "We had all left the wind temple by that point, and were using the upper level of this place as a sort of base. The living room-type area, that is. It was made by a former group of mages who came here."

Torrin nodded, and she continued, "We were all trying to figure out what to do next, since we still have a year left in here. No one could agree on what to do, some thinking it best to wait for Dawn and the others to return, some wanting to go out on their own, with small groups, that is."

Torrin nodded along. Torrin had led the elves by the nose to the earth temple, training and watching over them all. Since then, they'd said Dawn was. Since Dawn was gone, there was a void of power, waiting to be filled, 'But, how did Yawnel convince everyone to listen to him, to allow him to be some sort of lord over them?'

The elves watched Torrin, allowing him time to process the words. Torrin looked up, inclining his head, "Go on."

"That lasted about a week, and by that point some of the earth mages had already begun extending the upper level, making the stairway and bedrooms, as well as a sort of simple sewage system for a bathroom." Ellien continued.

Yettion's head bobbed along with her words, adding, "Everyone was getting pretty comfortable, it seemed like we would just meditate, train, and wait for Dawn to return. Then we'd either head toward the portal or go fight beasts as a group, or something. It was rather nice for a while."

"But what about Yawnel? How did he take control of everyone?" Torrin asked.

"He was growing more agitated by the day. He would lash out at people, even his own little group. Most of us were just annoyed by him, but as usual, we let it go," Ellien's lips curled down, "But, after the second week, he claimed that he was going to be in charge of everyone, and that we needed to prepare for your arrival, or something like that."

"My arrival?"

Yettien nodded, "Yeah, something about how we needed to stop you from following Dawn. I don't remember exactly what he said, because a lot of what he was saying during that time was nonsense. He was raving mad, constantly shouting and causing problems."

"Why did no one do anything? Surely you could have all stopped him?" The words he was hearing weren't making the situation any clearer.

"He... He bribed, I guess, a few more people into agreeing with him. Offered them jobs with his family, offered them money, or power. He got about another five elves to join him, making his group the largest of everyone's. He spoke of a grand plan that would change the elven race in a short amount of time..." Yettien trailed off uncertainly.

"What about this plan? What was it?" A hint of desperation crept into Torrin's voice. Finally, he might get some answers. The elves both shook their heads, causing Torrin's hope to deflate slightly.

"He wouldn't tell anyone. Just said that someone outside the forest planned to help change everything, for humans and elves alike, that we would no longer be bound to the forest like we are now. That we would have a place in this world again." Ellien's voice held a hint of wistful longing as she explained.

"So that's why the two of you joined Yawnel in hurting Tillien and the others? Was Orel's life so cheap to you? You wanted money and freedom?" Torrin asked, a hint of malice leaking into his voice.

"No!" Ellien said quickly, shaking her hands before her in a placating manner, "We... We joined because we didn't want to end up like the others... We didn't know he'd take it so far, though."

"But how could he have forced you to join him? Weren't there still more of you overall? Why did you not stop him from doing what he did?"

"There were," Yettien spoke, that look of resolve returning, "But like I said, we were all getting pretty comfortable here. There were no beasts that approached us, there were no real dangers here. We felt safe. And Yawnel took advantage of us letting our guards down and got his group of fifteen to lock those damned collars on everyone one night. About two weeks ago. That was when everything changed." Torrin's eyes widened in shock, a piece of the puzzle sliding into place. He finally understood how Yawnel had taken over.

"H-He... He told us that we either joined his group and followed everything he said, or we would be prisoners. That we would eventually die. He said he needed a way to make sure that you wouldn't fight, and we would be just that. He spouted nonsense about how anyone who didn't join him would be an enemy of the elven race, halt our return to greatness, coaxing a few more to his side out of some misplaced sense of pride, or like us, fear." Ellien said, her voice shaking and tears welling in her eyes. Yettien got up from his bed to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she softly sobbed.

Torrin grimaced as his mind whirled. Did Yawnel just spiral out of control once he gained power? Or was there actually something to the story about one of the fire mages meeting with Yawnel? Was it some sort of compulsion that drove him to do this? Would that even make a difference? Torrin still didn't have a clear picture on that, but he was relieved to have just a bit more information.

Torrin watched as Ellien slowly calmed down. Once she had regained her composure, the two elves on the bed turned their gazes back to Torrin. Their eyes held a dim flame of anger.

"He has to pay for what he's done to his own people. To imprison and threaten his own kind for no reason... It... It's just unforgivable. He's a traitor." Ellien said, her voice struggling to hold a steady pitch.

Torrin nodded thoughtfully, "I agree... Yawnel will pay for what he's done after I get more information from him. He's secure right now, so he can't harm anyone else." Torrin paced around the small room for a few moments before turning his attention back to the elves.

"Would either of you be able to point out exactly who willingly helped Yawnel? I have the collars he used on the others, and plan to lock up the traitors." Torrin's voice was soft as he asked.

Yettien and Ellien looked at one another for a long moment, some unspoken conversation passing between them. As if they had come to a decision, they returned their gazes onto Torrin.

"I think they should all die." Ellien spoke frankly, surprising Torrin.

Yettien nodded, "They betrayed us. Their own people."

Torrin's brows shot to the top of his head. He hadn't expected such a direct and bloodthirsty response. He took a long moment to compose his thoughts on the matter before he spoke.

"I..." He paused, "I... Agree that what they did was terrible. But..." He held up his hand to prevent the coming interjection.

"But..." He continued, "I think that the people who were most directly involved deserve a voice in this, as well. I want to wait until they are healed so they can decide what to do with the people who betrayed them."

"But, why not just go ahead and kill them? Being a traitor holds a sentence of death." Ellien spoke.

"Though I helped you all, even led you for a time, I am still just a human. I can't agree to such actions myself. Not only do I lack the knowledge of your culture, I have to make sure that I don't become hated by the elven race."

Ellien looked thoughtful. Yettien seemed confused. Torrin sighed, deciding to explain further. He may as well start sewing seeds of interest, preparing for when he tried getting help against Virtus.

"You remember the grand plan that Yawnel mentioned? Something about humans and elves and everything changing?" Torrin asked. The elves nodded, prompting him to continue.

"I believe it's being orchestrated by Virtus," Twin gasps escaped the elves, "They plan to take over a human kingdom in order to restore a dimensional pathway to another world, so they can take over that entire world as well. I now think that Virtus has infiltrated the elven race somehow, possibly those two fire mages you said showed up a few years ago. If Virtus did, and somehow convinced Yawnel to join them, it would make slightly more sense as to why he doesn't fear reprisal for his actions."

Both elves nodded in turn, their faces scrunched up as they thought of the implications. Torrin was unsure if they understood fully, but it was a start nonetheless. Holding his cards close to his chest had not been helpful, so maybe being truthful would. He still didn't know if Virtus was behind this specific event, but it seemed to be the only logical suspect. How many groups could there possibly be that had some grand plan for both humans and elves? Torrin suspected the group that had taken away an elven princess in the past.

Torrin was thinking through everything, when Yettien suddenly stood. "I'll show you who willingly followed Yawnel. I'll point them out for you, and as you said, the others can decide what to do with them when they recover."

Torrin nodded, glad that he now had someone to assist him. Two someones, he revised, as Ellien stood and nodded sharply, a look of determination on her face.

Torrin smiled slightly, "Let's go, then."