Every human pair of eyes turned to Michael with eyebrows raised.“I don’t think he’s speaking of one of my gods.”The chief chuckled. “Your gods could not cause the kind of havoc that separates one half of a mountain from another.“I disagree,” replied Michael simply, “but you’re saying that one of your gods is preventing travel through the mountains?”The chief nodded. “For nearly a year it has made the central pass it carved impassable. It roars and shakes the caverns, writhing and flailing. It makes the tunnels unstable, and those of us who approach too closely are driven mad by our connection to it.” The Chief paused. “It has even kept the other gods from reaching us, as it is the eldest of them within these mountains.”“So the reason you asked about how many we needed to bring through was because small groups may be able to pass, but not large ones?”The Chief nodded.“What are your gods? Dragons or something?” asked Ollie.He scoffed. “Nothing so foolish as to soar above the Earth would receive our worship. There is nothing like our gods, they are unique. They carved the first tunnels we moved through, leaving sustenance and minerals in their wake. They guided us down the darkest paths and defended us from those horrors that writhe in the deepest dark. We learned the art of mining and tunnelling from them, and even now we receive their wisdom through our whisperers, those who can hear their voices and receive their visions.”“Do you know the cause of your god’s madness?” asked Michael.“Before our whisperer blinded and deafened himself, he claimed that it was pain. It is the pain that is driving him to madness.”Michael frowned. “I had a vision in my sleep last night. A deep darkness and gems that shone like stars. I heard a scream of agony that woke me up… I think I can help your god.”Chief Mardock scoffed. “How? Our whisperers have attempted to take on their pain, (...)