CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 43 - Bane's Torture Chamber

"Wakey, wakey," a voice growled.

Soon, I felt something tickle the bottom of my right foot. The sensation took a few moments to register in my mind before I suddenly remembered! I opened my eyes and tried to get up. But I couldn't. I found my limbs tied down and spread out wide. I lifted my head and saw Bane in his demonic form holding a giant feather. I looked at my body and realized that I was naked but for a small piece of loincloth. My wrists and ankles were bound by leather straps. I looked at my surroundings and saw that I was inside a cavern. However, hot air flowed around me and I was not cold despite my nakedness. Also, something was glowing on the ground and this was the source of the illumination inside the cavern.

"Where am I? Why am I tied up?" I asked while tapering down my rising panic. I was such an idiot for confronting Lord Bane in front of his lackey, the bishop. But the milk had been spilled and I needed to figure out how to convince the demi-god to release me and return me home.

"Kekeke. You should feel honored that I decided to invite you to my home," Lord Bane replied.

"Home? Where would that be?" I asked calmly.

"We're on the plane of fire, you silly boy," the demon waved the giant feather at me and grinned.

"Why did you bring me here?" I continued to press him.

"So that we can talk without interruption," Bane replied. "You are an amusing little human. In all my centuries of existence, I have never met any human like you. You have the guts to confront me in front of the bishop. But you also have the wisdom not to reveal my identity to anyone else within the Church. I could use another helper besides that stuffy old bishop," he remarked casually.

My heart sank. I had my suspicion that the demon wanted something from me. Otherwise, he would have killed me already.

Lord Bane took note of my disheartened expression and shook his head with exaggerated sadness. "Is this how you treat someone who saved you?" he asked coyly.

I blinked my eyes for a moment; I quickly realized that he was referring to my fight with Ebenthal. "Yes, I guess I do owe you my life for your assistance during my fight with Ebenthal," I admitted grudgingly. It hurt my pride knowing that my first kill in this world had required divine assistance. "Why would you interfere, though? I thought the were-pack were your servants."

"Kekeke," the demon smirked at my limited understanding of his intentions. "I am a god of Chaos and I used Ebenthal's pack to sow chaos within Tregome. However, when the presence of the were-pack was revealed to the town, their usefulness had come to an end. You, on the other hand, can help me sow chaos—not just in a small frontier town but over the entire continent of Britannia. You have far greater potential to disrupt the existing order than the were-pack and thus, it was important that you survived your encounter with Ebenthal," the demon explained.

"How can one mere nobleman be more important than a were-pack?" I was still not convinced.

Lord Bane's eyes glowed for a moment and then he shook his head. "As a player character, your life is worth more than even the entire town of Tregome. You are an agent of change with the ability to achieve greatness and influence the continent of Britannia."

My jaws dropped. I hadn't expected the demi-god to know that we were inside a gaming world. At the same time, I worried that my captor was suffering from some grand delusion of grandeur.

The demon smirked at my reaction. "As a demi-god, I have access to information regarding the inherent nature of my world. We exist solely for the entertainment of the gamemaster and nothing more."