Elite gnomes. The combat-effective kind, not the aristocratic kind.

“Who are you? This is our find! Get your own.” yelled a female gnome surrounded by guards.

Gary stood himself up “Ah sorry I’m Gary. Just excuse me, I'll get out of your way. ” Gary started walking away. The surrounding gnomes tried to stop him.

He swung out around himself preemptively. "Back off! I'm sensitive, and deadly!" He glared at them.

The noble gnome got angry. "Listen here idiot, if you step on the wrong place this place goes kablooey, and a daemon gets. The Sunrise queen granted US the right to loot this place, not some hobo!"

This angered Gary. "Who the hell are you calling an idiot!?" He stepped towards her, and the guards prepped themselves to defend her.

He stepped on a tile, and heard a click.

The floor opened up, and they began falling.

Gary began levitating, and slowly descended. He considered catching the gnomes, but they were too far away, and he thought they would be too much trouble anyway.

As he got to the bottom of the pit he saw no sign of the gnomes. they had disappeared.

At the bottom, on the floor there were runes. Gary avoided landing and levitated towards a small door on the wall. There were no runes on it or directly in front of it. He landed and opened the door to find what looked like a dungeon. There were cells and a guard room with what looked like a teleportation array. The runes he had seen were also connected to this.

Gary heard the clanking of chains in the distance. He approached a large wooden door. It was slightly ajar. As he opened the large door he saw a human figure held in place by two chains connected to the walls. One on each wrist.

An old worn out soldier. He had a powerful body, and was missing both arms and legs. He wore nothing, and could be fully seen.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Gary looked him over. "Holy fuck!"

Goo dude appeared behind him. "Yeah.."

Gary realized that he recognized this guy!

Arrin was a child blessed by the heavens, yet despite this he faced this terrible misfortune. He had been betrayed by those he had trusted the most, and been locked up here on the isle of ghosts for the last hundred years.

Worst of all he even lost the whole of his cultivation! Fortunately for him the shackles that were used to hold him were infused with the will of an immortal daemon who had also been left to die in this dungeon, because of course it was. The daemon was dead, immortality comes and goes you know?

Now Arrin was the inheritor to this will, and would surely ascend to the heavens once more. If only he could actually break free from the shackles. Perhaps his luck has turned as Gary is here! Gary could easily free Arrin from his shackles.

He’d found a set of keys in the guard room, and he assumed they would release the shackles.

However, Gary had once seen this man split another man in two. Not to mention the lightning powers. Gary shivered. Ever since the torture incident with the confederacy, he hasn’t been too comfortable with the thought of anything shocking.

Arin opened his eyes, and saw Gary standing there. A young wizard covered in a lot of hair. Space has few barbers. He looked familiar, but Arrin had seen plenty of people in the last hundred years.

“Help me please.”Arrin spoke hoarsely. He didn’t know how much longer he had. He had maintained his body this long with the residual mana from his cultivation. He had been near Archwizard power level at the time of his betrayal.

Gary thought about it, and decided that it was in his best interest to help what was likely a walking calamity. He knew that this man would escape somehow, and if he did, he would hunt Gary down and kill him for leaving him here.

Gary attempted to release Arrin from his restraints. The keys were for the doors in this place, and not Arrin’s shackles.

Gary looked closer, and saw tiny, complex runes on the shackles. He nodded, grasped the chains, and the runes began to dissipate.

Goo dude’s eyes covered most of his form. “Boss, WTF?”

Gary looked back and shrugged. “Natural aptitude.”

With the restrictions lifted, Arrin roared, and tore off the chains. Gary jumped back, and the forward, catching him. He then carried him. He sat him down in the guard room and pulled out food, and water for him.

“Thank you.” Arrin exhaled..

“No problem.” replied Gary.

Gary fed him the jerky, and water. Arrin's mood improved quickly, but, despite the clear look in his eyes, he seemed genuinely exhausted.

Gary shared some of his knock off coke with him, and his mood rose higher.

"Where did you get this?" Arrin's eyes lit up.

"Midworld." He responded.

Arrin did not know where that was, but he mentally thanked them. He looked at his broken body, and wondered what he would do about it.

His true thoughts were focused on vengeance. A killing intent filled the room.

Goo dude grew a sharp smile. "He he he he. Hey there, bro!" He floated up to Arrin and extended a levitating goo hand.

Arrin looked at the hand, and then gave goo dude an annoyed look. "What is this thing?" He looked towards Gary.

Gary took a long moment to process that. He then looked at Goo dude. "Subject?"

Goo dude saluted.