The following will be a mix of past and present narration. "I am captive, my goals are tethered, yet my spirit is hefty...." I said this in repetition. It had been over several nights since my capture. I have been, somewhat strong, though broken. I can't change it. The least I can do is honor my friend and his last wishes. I still feel the emptiness of loss; the regret of missing what could have been, or would have been, wholesome. I have been robbed. A knife no longer tugs at my heart. I've grown tired of myself, alone in this place. I was resolute to push to anger rather then tears, but then I remembered his family: Aleir, Adair, Samar. I can only hope they're enjoying themselves in the afterlife. I wonder if they have a sort of looking glass there, to see how we're doing down here. People have tried getting up there before, but then they just bumped into the same rock from below. Maybe what's up there is the first realm, on account of the purported rockless heavens which our ancestors dwelled under. As I thought to myself with what little strength I could muster, the door creaked behind me. In came another man entangled in my thralldom. I wasn't bound anymore, and I had been handed some sustenance. I thought about pouncing on the lad and making a run for it, but I thought better of it. I now had the seal of a slave, and so I would be easier to locate, and magic can be used against me more nimbly. I had to opt for obedience. This shack is certainly not going to be the place of my subjection. From what I gathered, my previous captors left me in this coteries care to bring the task to fruition, and that happened at the hunters guild, in some town we've long departed. The man told me to follow in a foreboding voice. I got up from the little corner beside the door, shaking off the tense. "Would you do me a favor and break this seal on me? I sense you are a magic user," I said, just trying a polite approach. "Knock the chat. Do as told," the man said with brash professionalism and an aberrantly demanding gaze, making me feel helpless and submissive. It seems he does this routinely. I walked out the hovel, and the sight of a drizzling grotto met me. The marshland I stepped foot on was a mix of growth, mud, a rock similar to cobbled tuff; which we call creole, and it's own diverse ecosystem with mostly amphibians and messy foliage. This isn't a place many would find bounteous to travel. Together with the one who had brought me from the hut, were nine others, who then kept eye of me. Then on foot we traveled out one of the hollows crevice entryways, to a downward cliff side where I beheld the sight of a bustling city, which I saw a portion of below. The city was still off in the distance, a good forty minute trek in the terrain. I don't understand why these guys are bent on staying off the roads. I'm sure this is normal in Kivrelia. The trip off was uncomfortable to say the least, during which I plotted my next speech. To whom will I be subjugated after all the travel?
The aforementioned events, sourced from; and adapted from the notes and conversations shared from Sren, and were, in part, dictated by a previous occurrence. And so the following includes points stressed from the testimony of Ryer, and the interrogation of Shmuel, designated account One Zero Six. Thus, here is how we prepose this came about. Shmuel of House Islet, walks through a passage in his estate; following him is Centaur, who is known to Shmuel and his clients as Alpha. Soon they came to a neat bedroom. "Welcome to my bedroom. This is a great honor for you... but not the intended idea," Shmuel said, bending his arm to signal a propound want to have his way. The hunter took notice, and let Shmuel continue his monologue. In the empire, which includes states such as Kivrelia, showing one your bedroom is a means of implying your very... interested in them. This custom is especially so among the nobility, though most often, arranged marriages were practiced by the aristocrats; the exception being most notably, their royal highnesses of the Empire, its Fiefdoms and Dukedoms. With a nod from his guest, Shmuel continued. "The halls as you saw, are being guarded. The sound is kept by the fabrics lining these walls, and the sound reducing enchants in the hall. My chamber is most secure for our talks. I have but few directives, all to be determined." While Shmuel had his super villain monologue, the hunter wasn't looking at the nobleman's gestures toward mentioned objects of interest. Instead, he gazed at all the things making the place perfect for a hunt. It was good to know, but he didn't see his crew screwing counterclockwise with this guy anytime soon, so he decided it would be nice to have a tip. "Sir... uh, my lord. I do find this all very well, but if it's so secure, then who are those guys standing on the logs fastened to the beams up there," Centaur said, swiping his arm in the general direction where support beams held flat and vertical, on which there were three men dressed in non guardedly attire and armed to the teeth; because the teeth were they're most notable choice of weapon. Meanwhile, on all fours and with dazzling smirks, the lads above gazed back at the hunter. "Ah, yes. They are here to keep guard," Shmuel said, his neck going three sixty at the ceiling. The alpha male stared right at one particular beta male, his gaze piercing. "Is that so; a renowned hunter like me has competition, and many adversaries. You do not wish to test me and make judgement of my team, do you?" The wolf asked, his gaze unflinching. "You are learned for your stature, how so?" The noble one derisively asked. "I work with many. The rich and the educated are hard to impress. But do tell, are they going to attack without provocation? My neck is spraining, I'm the eldest of my peers," Centaur replied; a question for a question. "My retainers are more content with broken knees then broken feet, I'm sure. You look young to be old," the viscounts son said; the flattery of his station in tandem. "Exercise, stretching, water, clear sinuses, and breathing, did that lot for me," the renowned one stated. . . .
YOU ARE READING
A Recent Dream
Mystery / ThrillerTasked to set himself apart from his predecessors, Brian, a boy from earth finds himself in a realm of fantasy; a familiar and yet daunting world in which he questions his use. He has three unique abilities: in discovering the lore of this supposed...