Demon Hunters

Casus Belli VI

The journey lasted for a few days, at least according to what Gabriel could tell. He had lost his grasp of time not long after his conversation with his guard. He was only allowed to leave the cart a few times a day to relieve himself – under constant supervision, of course. Furthermore, he was soon gripped by a frighteningly high fever, which only served to make his grasp of his surroundings slip even further. Through it all, the guard watched on, his expression unchanging, never offering any help. All Gabriel could do was pray. Perhaps someone did indeed listen to his pleas, as by the time they reached their destination, Gabriel had returned to a state where he could walk again.

"Right, then. Here's the deal. You will be walking in front of me and obey my every command. If not, I will put a crossbow bolt through your chest," the guard grunted, tapping the crossbow on his lap.

Gabriel didn't bother saying anything and merely nodded. He got up, made sure not to put too much weight on his right leg, and started to move according to the guard's instructions. As he got out of the wagon, he realized that his chances of escape were negligible: the group had arrived at a fortress, and one still very much in use. Dozens of soldiers were zipping back and forward the courtyard, seeing to their various tasks. What confused Gabriel was the fact that the range of uniforms on the soldiers formed a wide spectrum – according to his calculations, at least three separate armies were currently present at the fortress, not to mention large groups of what he presumed to be mercenaries wearing plain outfits. Unsurprisingly, the pure white outfits worn by the church's army were absent.

"Keep moving. Toward the large entrance to the right."

Gabriel complied and started hobbling forward. Though the injuries in his leg did make moving somewhat difficult, he made sure to exaggerate the uncertainty in his gait to allow himself as much time to observe his surroundings as possible. Though it was difficult to say from where he was standing, the fortress appeared to be designed in a modern style, according to which it had a design like a five-pronged star. The few gates that led out of the courtyard were shut tight and under seemingly constant supervision. As if sensing his worsening mood, small raindrops started to fall from the steel-grey sky, and a distant rumble could be heard not too far away.

A rainstorm might be the perfect cover for my escape, Gabriel thought, though he was fully aware of how unrealistic such a scenario would be.

Nevertheless, he didn't give up. All his life, he had tried to live according to the church's teachings, and whenever he had strayed from the path, it had been to advance the interests of the church in some way. He had been in difficult situations before, and he had always prevailed. As such, he was convinced that a way to salvage the situation would soon emerge, so long as Gabriel's faith held firm. But to give this divine intervention a chance to materialize, he would need to keep himself alive. As soon as Gabriel and the guard had crossed the threshold to the fort, the rain started pouring down. However, the sound of the downpour was soon drowned out as the men walked deeper and deeper into the underground part of the citadel. The people under the ground were every bit as busy as their aboveground peers, though these people weren't wearing uniforms, and rather seemed like servants – an odd sight at a military installation.

Soldiers don't need servants. Officers do, of course, but there are far too many attendants for just them... No, it is clear that some rather wealthy people must have gathered here – and this has, no doubt, quite a bit to do with my capture.

After descending multiple staircases and walking through increasingly narrow hallways, Gabriel and his captor ended up at the prison of the fortress. None of the dozen or so cells were occupied – hardly surprising, given that he wasn't aware of any ongoing wars nearby – and Gabriel was led to the cell furthest away from the staircase.