Malroth held Lily, listening to her cry out her frustrations as they sailed. They'd been going for a few hours, almost halfway to Khrumbul-Dun, listening to Brownbeard hum his shanties as the sea carried them. He looked over, seeing Tiny frowning at the ocean behind them. "I didn't think Shane would be back so fast."

"I hadn't either." Tiny turned to Malroth, seeing that Lily had finally quieted into a soft slumber. He sighed and landed on Malroth's shoulder. "Khrumbul-Dun isss a good ssspot, Brownbeard can hide hisss ship and we can hide in the minesss for a few daysss."

"I hate hiding." Malroth idly played with Lily's hair, the feeling of the silky strands sliding between his fingers seemed to bring him down from the edge of his anger. "We can fight, and we can keep fighting until Hargon himself comes."

"That would never happen. Hargon isssn't willing to risssk losssing everything again."

"Again?" Malroth looked to Tiny, his brows knitted in curiosity.

"Uh…" Tiny tried to think of how to cover himself when the ship rammed into something, he jumped up, a small squeak leaving him before he turned invisible.

Malroth let out a snarl, yanking Lily up who was groggy now. "Sorry about that, ship-pals! Seems like we bumped into a rock or somethin' similar. Hard to tell with all this fog and the darkness." Brownbeard whimpered as he stepped up to Malroth and Lily, trying to figure out if his ship was starting to sink.

The three stared at what loomed ahead of them as the clouds slowly parted over them. A Children of Hargon ship. Brownbeard immediately dove behind the barrels on his ship, a loud cry leaving him. "Shiver me fingers! We've only gone an' crashed into a Children of Hargon ship! Oh, what 'ave we done?!"

Malroth and Lily pulled their weapons out, glaring at the gargoyles that approached. "What are pesky little humans doing sailing? You should know that your kind are strictly prohibited from sailing the open seas!" One squawked at them.

Another hit the first that spoke, eyes narrowing. "Hold on… humans – sailing the seas – one with the face of a simpleton and the other with a face like thunder… You must be the birdbrain builder and her belligerent buddy that Brother Shane told us about!"

"Oh goody. I can send your head to him on a spike." Lily growled as she took a step towards them, body loose and fluid so she could strike faster.

"Damnit. They've found us. Looks like we've got no choice – we're going to have to fight our way out of this one!" Malroth was grinning despite the tone of his voice. The two rushed the three, taking them on with ferocity.

The two froze when they heard a cry though, seeing another had appeared and slipped passed them, grabbing Brownbeard from his hiding spot. "Caw hah hah! Drop your weapons, or he dies."

Brownbeard let out a cry again, trembling against the gargoyle. "Sorry, me hearties… he took me by surprise."

"If you think we-!" Malroth turned his head, seeing two more show up behind them. He let out a growl as he turned to the one holding Brownbeard.

"Don't make me caw your bluff. Drop your weapons, nice and slow." The one that had Brownbeard watched as the two slowly set their weapons down and kicked them away. "Good."

Malroth and Lily grunted when the other gargoyles grabbed them, forcing them to the ground. Malroth struggled when the one that had Lily shoved her head down so hard that when she looked up she was bleeding from her nose. "Damnit! Lily!" He fought against the two that had him, but they got ropes around his arms quickly. The had made sure to get his upper arms as well, effectively rendering him useless.

He watched as they kicked Lily a few times even though she was being docile. He let out a howl as he fought against his restraints, wanting nothing more than to rip these stupid birds apart now. He shouted at Lily, why was she choosing now to take hits like this?

The door opened slowly, causing the shaman in the green robes to look up, a growl leaving her throat. "I thought I told you not to bother me-! Oh!" She jumped up, bowing deeply to the being that walked into her office. "Father Dracken, what brings you here?"

The being was in robes as red as blood, he wore a snow-white mask with no orb, no slits for his eyes or mouth. On his chest was just the wings of the Hargon symbol. "Inspector… I heard you have new prisoners."

"We… do?" The inspector hadn't been given word of this, but the Father had heard, of course he had. He was all knowing. "Right, yes. I just received the reports a little while ago. I haven't been to see them yet."

"You relax, finish your paperwork." The being's voice was deep and slow, and even if the inspector couldn't see his eyes, she could feel him staring at her. "I'll go check to make sure they're getting the proper attention."

"We shall both go." The inspector moved around her desk and led the way to where the new comers were stored until they had cells ready. "We just had a few cells open back up, good timing I suppose."

The two walked in silence to the holding area. They stopped, watching as two were carried unconscious while the third was still fighting the restraints on his arms. "Hm… that one should be interesting to break." The inspector rubbed her hands together, a grin in her voice.

"I wouldn't worry about him." Dracken pointed to the girl that was slumped against the far wall now. "He keeps looking at her, break her… and you'll get him to follow."

The inspector gave a nod, looking over when a monster approached. "Inspector. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we can't get the angry one calmed down enough to switch him out of the gear he's wearing."

The inspector gave a glance to the taller being but shrugged. "Don't worry about him. The bigger threat is that builder."

"She's a builder?" The monster looked up at her, eyes wide. "How can you tell?"

"Because, Brother Shane sent out scrolls with her description. All forces were on high alert for her." The inspector watched as the angry male was thrown into a separate cell. "Make sure they don't have weapons, then get them to their new homes."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Dracken turned his attention to the yelling male, a soft breeze blew through the area and when the male caught a whiff of the scent the wind carried, he swiveled to see Dracken, slamming his head against the bars. The large priest didn't seem bothered as he walked over and reached into the cell, his fingers touching Malroth's forehead. "Sleep."

"I… know…" Malroth's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he collapsed to the floor. "…you…"

"Out of bed, you bone-idle bludgers! It's time for morning roll call!"

Lily whimpered as she rolled over and off the straw bedding. A metal door creaked as she pushed herself up with her sore arms. It felt like she'd been kicked and hit a thousand times. "What…?" She looked down, seeing she was in old rags. She looked out the cell door, seeing Malroth standing there dressed in his normal clothes. "Hey… why are you in your clothes and I'm in these rags?"

Malroth gave a shrug as he helped her out of the cell, frowning at the bruises he saw forming on her arms. "Don't ask me." He looked over, seeing a group of prisoners walking up to them.

"Are you two new? You poor things." One of them whispered, flinching when the skeleton above them snapped at them.

"Silence! You know the rules! Unless you're praying for forgiveness or begging for mercy, you keep those jawbones clenched!" He faked a lunge at the one that spoke, laughing when the man flinched and fell down. "Now get yourselves to the yard for roll call or it's off to the Hole with you!" The skeleton turned to Malroth and Lily, glaring at them. "You can forget your old names – from today onwards you're numbers six-two-zero-seven and six-two-zero-eight!"

The two scoffed at the skeleton before following after the other prisoners. They left the cave, a stand with four guillotines and a skeleton standing in the middle. "Six-two-zero-seven and six-two-zero-eight, you're late! Keep this up and it'll be off to the Hole with the both of you! That's your final warning! Right, that's everyone from block three accounted for. Let another day of bone-breaking rehabilitation begin!"

"Oi, Twiggy! What are you yapping on about?" Malroth put his hands on his hips, frowning at the skeleton.

"Six-two-zero-eight! I do not expect to see that jawbone of yours moving unless you're praying for forgiveness or begging for mercy!"

"Agh! Drop the high-and-mighty bullshit! I want to know where we are, and why?!"

"Keh heh heh! You'll find out soon enough. Now away with the both of you! You've got a long day of rehabilitation ahead of you – any funny stuff and it'll be off with your heads!"

The two rolled their eyes and followed the direction in which the other prisoners ran off to, passing by two more skeletons before seeing another shaman. "Six-two-zero-seven. You're late. I've heard about you – my sources tell me you're a builder. Is that so?"

"Yeah, so what?" Lily put a hand on her hip, frowning at the shaman.

"And an honest one at that. Very well, you shall work the field."

"Wait. What the fuck?" Malroth crossed his arms, glaring at the monster. "I don't get it. Aren't you guys with the Children of Hargon? Come on, spit it out – what are you up to? Why are you making us do this?"

"Silence!" The shaman slammed one of his morning stars down in front of Malroth. "You should know by now prisoners are only permitted to speak when-"

"When praying for forgiveness or begging for mercy, yeah, yeah. I get that part!" Malroth bit back, hissing at the being when Lily grabbed his hand and led him over to the small field. "This is bullshit, why are they having us do this?"

Lily shrugged as she started to plant, glancing up at the boy who was watching them with a sad look in his eyes. "I have a feeling I know, but we'll find out later, I suppose." She led the way back to the monster, eyeing him. "We finished."

"Done so soon? Tell me, how did it feel? Was your heart not filled with anticipation for the crops to come? With the simple joy of creation?"

"Yeah, I guess? I've planted a lot of crops; I just get excited cause it means food." Lily shrugged at the monster.

"Seriously, what's your deal? There's turning over a new leaf and then there's… whatever you're doing right now? Is this a fetish for you?" Malroth narrowed his eyes, smirking when Lily giggled at his words.

The monster slammed both morning stars down, growling at Malroth. "Speak again, six-two-zero-eight, and I will cast you into the Hole myself!" He turned his attention to Lily, a smile on his strained tone. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, six-two-zero-seven. It is time for you to experience the joy of creation once more. Go and ask seven-eight-four in the storehouse for sixteen more seeds to plant in the field." He motioned to where the old woman was standing.

Lily rolled her eyes again and led the way over to the woman. "What, what, what? New fish, are you?" The old woman huffed at them; an eyebrow raised at the two. "The smile on your face gives that much away. I'm seven-eight-four. People used to call me Molly the Monster Meal Maker once upon a time… A crying shame, really. Young folk like you two don't deserve to be locked up on this rock."

"Listen, old-timer. We need to know what's going on here. Can you tell us that much?" Malroth stepped around Lily, frowning at Molly.

"But of course. This is Skelkatraz: a prison island used to 'rehabilitate' anyone who dares to go against the Children of Hargon."

"I'm getting real fucking sick of hearing that name." Malroth growled.

"Skelkatraz is surrounded by miles and miles of ocean, not to mention the steep cliffs and ravenous mermen. Plenty of people have tried to escape, but none have ever managed it… I've been here a whole forty years now. I think I got tired of staring at the sky and sea on my first day…"

"I know what you mean. I'm sick and tired of this place already. Just you watch, old-timer, we'll blow this joint in no time!"

Lily watched the two go back and forth before turning and looking around the area of the island she could see. "Ho, ho, ho! I used to be a lot like you. Yes, back when I still had hope… I suppose you're both wondering why I was locked up here. Well, it all started with my love of cooking. I used to cook for monsters from time to time, but then the Children came along and said humans and monsters can never be friends – and that's how I ended up here." Molly shrugged, sighing softly. "I swore I'd never throw my humanity…"

"What do you mean by that?" Malroth tipped his head, clearly more interested in the old woman than Lily was.

"Ho, ho, ho! You'll understand one day. Here the guards beat the love of creation out of you. And then one day you wake up without any hope for the future." Molly held out a small satchel, nudging it into Lily's hands. "But that's enough misery for one day. I assume you're after some seeds. Well, here they are. Hurry along and plant them."

Lily nodded her thanks and went back to the field. She had just finished planting when the warden came over, watching over her. "We have rehabilitated many nonbelievers. However, I do not recall ever encountering a fully fledge builder among their numbers. I look forward to seeing how your rehabilitation comes along." He left her, but not before giving her countless more odd jobs

The rest of the day went by rather quick, Lily lived for doing the small jobs, it kept her from boredom. She looked up when she heard the bell ring for the end of the day. "That will be enough for today. It is time to return to your cells! Collect your evening meal from the jailer on the way out!" Lily walked over, nudging Malroth with her foot.

Malroth stretched and yawned, looking at Lily. "Time to go?"

"Yeah. I guess so." The two made their way back to the cells, seeing the boy that had been watching Lily plant all day was talking to the jailer.

"Well, if it isn't the one and only number five-nine-three-two! Here, I've got a veritable feast for you!" The guard handed the boy his cabbage and then handed one to Lily and Malroth. "Eat up!"

"Here, I'll be fine for a while. You need to keep your energy, Lily." Malroth handed her his cabbage, smiling at her.

"Oh my. Is it possible there's not a single bad bone in your body? How nice of you! You know what being nice gets you around here? It gets you no dinner – that's the last cabbage you'll be seeing for a while!" The jailer barked at Malroth who just rolled his eyes.

Malroth grabbed Lily when they got into the cave, not seeing any guards in the immediate area. He ducked behind one of the walls and pushed her shirt up, ignoring the flustered noises leaving her. His fingers were gentle as he touched the bruising there. "Lily… normally bruises barely show up on you… but you're black and blue." He whispered as he slowly stood, not wanting to pull away from her.

"Six-two-zero-seven and six-two-zero-eight! Quit yappin' and get to nappin'! Back to your cells. NOW!"

Malroth put his forehead to hers, breathing in the scent that belonged only to her, letting it cool him down before leading the way to their cells. "Good night, Lil. If you need anything I'm one cell over."

A week passed on Skelkatraz, nothing eventful happened, just the same thing. Tending to the gardens they planted, talking to Molly and the others but getting nothing out of anyone that wasn't Molly. At one point, Malroth had perked up and had been looking around as if he sensed something nearby, but he wouldn't point anything out to Lily.

She lay in bed that morning, stealing an extra minute to herself before getting up, her ribs still ached but not nearly as bad as the first and second day. She let herself out of her cell, following after Malroth and the others to roll call and then to the fields. She looked over, seeing the cabbages were full grown and lush looking.

Her gut churned as she was handed a torch, her eyes on the bale in the center of her field. The other prisoners slowly moved to the field, frowning at Lily. "Gather round the cabbage patch, prisoners!" The warden purred as he watched Lily. "Open your eyes wide and witness the builder's first step on the long road to redemption!"

Malroth watched as Lily tossed the torch at the haybale. "Hey! What are you playing at? You spent the whole week growing those things. Why would you set fire to them?"

"Because, they want to break me." Lily gave him her signature smile, ignoring the cries from the other prisoners. They were accusing her of being a monster, how could she? She had worked so hard on that field, how could she? Were those cabbages not like children to her? How could she?

"Splendid, six-two-zero-seven! Now, come to me, my child…" The shaman reached out, touching the side of Lily's face, laughter on his tongue. "How does it feel? Does your soul scream? Does your heart ache?"

"No, not really. I can always plant more." Lily smiled at him; hands crossed behind her back.

The shaman flinched at her words. "This is the true delight of destruction! No need to hold it in, builder. You may cry out in joy if you wish. After all, this is the moment of your rebirth!"

"No, seriously. I can just plant new cabbages later." Lily frowned at the shaman.

"Wh… you can just… Bold words, indeed, child. Come, let it all out and sing to the Master of Destruction! It will all feel better when you lose yourself in Him." The shaman patted her cheek, chuckling softly. "Why don't you take the rest of the day and do just that, hm?"

Lily turned to Malroth; a brow raised at him. He was clearly annoyed with how everything was going. It was a waste to plant the cabbages and then burn them, but Lily was doing her best to just survive until she could figure out a way to get them back home. And they still hadn't seen Brownbeard. The two made their way to the old woman, seeing that she was shaking her head at them. "I see you've finally learned what this 'rehabilitation' is all about. It all boils down to this: they're making you see how futile all your acts of creation really are. Creation leads to attachment. Attachment leads to fear. Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

"If they're so keen on destruction, how about we smash their skulls in and get out of here?" Malroth growled as he leaned against one of the support beams to the storeroom.

"There are only two ways off this rock, boy. Die, or hand your heart and soul to the Children of Hargon."

"If I ever meet this Hargon guy, I'm going to have a word with him about his kids! Who the hell is he anyway?"

"The High Priest Hargon is the father of all destruction. Though, they say that no one in this world has ever actually seen him in the flesh…"

"So… you're saying these monsters are so dumb they worship someone they've never seen before?"

"That's enough! Stop asking questions and just accept things for how they are, would you?!" Molly growled and pointed to the bench nearby. "You were told to take the rest of the day, leave me be."