07-08-2011, 01:20 PM
The water and bread had given me some more strength and resolve. I was not going to surrender to these bastards!
Two days later I wasn't so sure about that anymore. I had slumped down and was hanging in the chains. My hands were numb but my shoulders felt like they would break apart.
This time the door opened slowly. The same man who had given me water and bread came in. He stopped two steps away and simply started laughing.
"Not so tough after all eh? Well thatâs what i thought."
He lifted my head up and put a bottle of water to my mouth. I could barely swallow the water as it slowly filled my mouth.
"Oh come now its water. I can't be here all day to wait until you finish drinking"
It became steadily easier to drink as my throat became moist and once again used to water.
"Well there little man wasn't so hard now was it?"
My head slumped down again as soon as he let go. I felt him fiddling with the restraints around my right wrist and suddenly my arm fell down my side. The pain in my shoulder became five times worse along with a sudden hard throbbing in my hand. He released my left hand as well and I dropped down on the hard stone floor.
I woke up in a cot next to a small window. I could feel the ingredients of a healing potion in my veins and the sun shining on my face.
Just as I started getting up to have a look around the door to the small room opened and a man stepped in.
"Good morning" He said with a smile.
"I trust you are feeling better?" I could neither hear nor see any malice in him. Although he didn't seem as concerned as his words could lead one to believe.
"Yes, thank you." Was the reply I decided on. I could have been more aggressive but for now I would play along and jump unto the inevitable "itâs all been a bad misunderstanding" that I was sure would follow soon.
"As you may have guessed it seems that there has been a misunderstanding in what your intentions were when you came here." He said with a slight smile on his lips.
"Yes it would certainly seem so. Who are you and who did you believe I was to warrant the treatment I've undergone?" I was playing along as best I could but pain is not forgotten as fast as this fellow seemed to think.
"To the second question, we believed you to be an agent of chaos. The first I will let my master explain. He will see you after you have been given a good breakfast." This man was hard to read. He was certainly used to hiding his true feelings and intentions. This was most likely not the first "misunderstanding" these people have had.
"Ah I see. I can appreciate the position you would have found yourself in with my capture although I would suggest that you simply ask the next guest who he is and why he is here." I smiled up at him waiting for his next excuse.
"Well people can lie." Apparently I had struck a nerve. His anger and mistrust shone through his friendly attitude even if he hid it quite well.
"True enough. Now I am very hungry and would very much appreciate the breakfast you were talking about."
"Of course I will bring it here in just a few minutes. Do you have any preference for drinks?"
"Water will do fine"
"Very well then. There are clothes right here." He pointed to a chair next to a small table. "I will be right up with breakfast." He gave me a big smile and left the room.
I got up and quickly got dressed in what had been laid out for me. It was quite nice clothing. Certainly not the cheapest around so it would seem that funding isn't a problem for this group.
My backpack was on the floor next to the table and I gave it a quick look. A handful of runes but no reagents. They probably didn't want me simply recalling out.
After a few minutes the man returned with a large trey of mixed breakfast foods and a pitcher of water.
"Thank you." I said as he put the trey down on the table in front of me.
"The master will send for you in about an hour. I will come pick you up then." He said with another of his fake smiles.
"Oh I seemed to have missed your name?" I looked up at him expecting an answer like it had merely been a small oversight from him.
"I am Heru." He said as he headed out the door which he locked behind him.
I plunged into the food with no regard for table manners.
Heru returned an hour later as he had promised and took me into the main room of the first floor.
At a small table sat a well-built man. He was flipping through a book as Heru took me over to a chair across the table.
He looked up as I was walking over and closed the book with a small thud.
As I reached the table he stood up to shake my hand.
We both sat down with a nod.
"I am the master of this keep and of our little group. My name is Tekaran Toi."
"My name is Venos and I seem to be the victim of a misunderstanding according to Heru here."
"As you can imagine we don't get many visitors out here so our reaction to your arrival may have been somewhat out of proportion. I hope you won't take it too hard out on us but privacy and secrecy is two things that are highly valued here." Tekaran said with no hint of emotion on his face.
"Well I can appreciate the need for privacy and I do apologize for my stumbling unto your keep. I was merely trying to-"
"Yes yes Iâm sure you have a good enough explanation as to how you ended up here." Tekaran interrupted. "Problem is however, that you did come here. And since you are not a part of my group I can't let you leave."
"Can't let me leave? Do you expect me to stay here for the rest of my life?" I can't say that I was all that surprised at his statement. Secluded groupings of people tended to want to stay secluded or they wouldn't be out here in the first place.
"Well I was going to suggest that you join my group." A smile appeared on his lips.
"Join you?" This suggestion was somewhat unexpected so I couldn't hide my surprise by the offer. "I'd have to know a lot more about you and your group before I could make such a decision."
"I realize it's a bit of a jump to make but I really can't tell you anything about us until you accept my offer." Tekaran was still smiling.
"So you want me to join your group, knowing only that you are a group that lives somewhere in the deep woods and that you highly value privacy?" I was well aware at this point that should I not accept his "gracious" offer of what would basically be servitude I would not leave this keep alive.
"The choice is yours. Join us as a full member or live out the rest of your days here in the keep as a guest." He lifted his hand up towards Heru who was standing a few steps away. "Please take our guest back to his room so he may consider my offer in depth."
I got up and walked alongside Heru towards my room.
"What should I do Heru?" I asked him.
"I choose to join; I suggest you do the same." His answer was straightforward and seemed genuine. And of course confirmed my suspicions that there were not a lot of members in Tekaran's group that were here voluntary.
As I lay in my cot that night I made my decision. I would join Tekaran's group and first of all figure out what this was all about and second find a way to escape.
Two days later I wasn't so sure about that anymore. I had slumped down and was hanging in the chains. My hands were numb but my shoulders felt like they would break apart.
This time the door opened slowly. The same man who had given me water and bread came in. He stopped two steps away and simply started laughing.
"Not so tough after all eh? Well thatâs what i thought."
He lifted my head up and put a bottle of water to my mouth. I could barely swallow the water as it slowly filled my mouth.
"Oh come now its water. I can't be here all day to wait until you finish drinking"
It became steadily easier to drink as my throat became moist and once again used to water.
"Well there little man wasn't so hard now was it?"
My head slumped down again as soon as he let go. I felt him fiddling with the restraints around my right wrist and suddenly my arm fell down my side. The pain in my shoulder became five times worse along with a sudden hard throbbing in my hand. He released my left hand as well and I dropped down on the hard stone floor.
I woke up in a cot next to a small window. I could feel the ingredients of a healing potion in my veins and the sun shining on my face.
Just as I started getting up to have a look around the door to the small room opened and a man stepped in.
"Good morning" He said with a smile.
"I trust you are feeling better?" I could neither hear nor see any malice in him. Although he didn't seem as concerned as his words could lead one to believe.
"Yes, thank you." Was the reply I decided on. I could have been more aggressive but for now I would play along and jump unto the inevitable "itâs all been a bad misunderstanding" that I was sure would follow soon.
"As you may have guessed it seems that there has been a misunderstanding in what your intentions were when you came here." He said with a slight smile on his lips.
"Yes it would certainly seem so. Who are you and who did you believe I was to warrant the treatment I've undergone?" I was playing along as best I could but pain is not forgotten as fast as this fellow seemed to think.
"To the second question, we believed you to be an agent of chaos. The first I will let my master explain. He will see you after you have been given a good breakfast." This man was hard to read. He was certainly used to hiding his true feelings and intentions. This was most likely not the first "misunderstanding" these people have had.
"Ah I see. I can appreciate the position you would have found yourself in with my capture although I would suggest that you simply ask the next guest who he is and why he is here." I smiled up at him waiting for his next excuse.
"Well people can lie." Apparently I had struck a nerve. His anger and mistrust shone through his friendly attitude even if he hid it quite well.
"True enough. Now I am very hungry and would very much appreciate the breakfast you were talking about."
"Of course I will bring it here in just a few minutes. Do you have any preference for drinks?"
"Water will do fine"
"Very well then. There are clothes right here." He pointed to a chair next to a small table. "I will be right up with breakfast." He gave me a big smile and left the room.
I got up and quickly got dressed in what had been laid out for me. It was quite nice clothing. Certainly not the cheapest around so it would seem that funding isn't a problem for this group.
My backpack was on the floor next to the table and I gave it a quick look. A handful of runes but no reagents. They probably didn't want me simply recalling out.
After a few minutes the man returned with a large trey of mixed breakfast foods and a pitcher of water.
"Thank you." I said as he put the trey down on the table in front of me.
"The master will send for you in about an hour. I will come pick you up then." He said with another of his fake smiles.
"Oh I seemed to have missed your name?" I looked up at him expecting an answer like it had merely been a small oversight from him.
"I am Heru." He said as he headed out the door which he locked behind him.
I plunged into the food with no regard for table manners.
Heru returned an hour later as he had promised and took me into the main room of the first floor.
At a small table sat a well-built man. He was flipping through a book as Heru took me over to a chair across the table.
He looked up as I was walking over and closed the book with a small thud.
As I reached the table he stood up to shake my hand.
We both sat down with a nod.
"I am the master of this keep and of our little group. My name is Tekaran Toi."
"My name is Venos and I seem to be the victim of a misunderstanding according to Heru here."
"As you can imagine we don't get many visitors out here so our reaction to your arrival may have been somewhat out of proportion. I hope you won't take it too hard out on us but privacy and secrecy is two things that are highly valued here." Tekaran said with no hint of emotion on his face.
"Well I can appreciate the need for privacy and I do apologize for my stumbling unto your keep. I was merely trying to-"
"Yes yes Iâm sure you have a good enough explanation as to how you ended up here." Tekaran interrupted. "Problem is however, that you did come here. And since you are not a part of my group I can't let you leave."
"Can't let me leave? Do you expect me to stay here for the rest of my life?" I can't say that I was all that surprised at his statement. Secluded groupings of people tended to want to stay secluded or they wouldn't be out here in the first place.
"Well I was going to suggest that you join my group." A smile appeared on his lips.
"Join you?" This suggestion was somewhat unexpected so I couldn't hide my surprise by the offer. "I'd have to know a lot more about you and your group before I could make such a decision."
"I realize it's a bit of a jump to make but I really can't tell you anything about us until you accept my offer." Tekaran was still smiling.
"So you want me to join your group, knowing only that you are a group that lives somewhere in the deep woods and that you highly value privacy?" I was well aware at this point that should I not accept his "gracious" offer of what would basically be servitude I would not leave this keep alive.
"The choice is yours. Join us as a full member or live out the rest of your days here in the keep as a guest." He lifted his hand up towards Heru who was standing a few steps away. "Please take our guest back to his room so he may consider my offer in depth."
I got up and walked alongside Heru towards my room.
"What should I do Heru?" I asked him.
"I choose to join; I suggest you do the same." His answer was straightforward and seemed genuine. And of course confirmed my suspicions that there were not a lot of members in Tekaran's group that were here voluntary.
As I lay in my cot that night I made my decision. I would join Tekaran's group and first of all figure out what this was all about and second find a way to escape.