Orrin hit the cell bars in frustration.

Sanerris had him escorted back after dropping that little bomb on him. He’d straightened his shirt sleeves and talked more at Orrin but the words had fallen on deaf ears. Orrin had been thrown back into his prison and nobody had returned for two days.

That was two days of no food or water… or so his captors would think. Orrin had enough food and drink in [Dimension Hole] to stay alive for months.

Not that he planned on waiting that long. Orrin didn’t think Sanerris was lying about the execution but Daniel and Madi were smart. They’d figure out it wasn’t him. He just had to be patient and ready for when they came for him.

In preparation for his rescue, Orrin trained the few internal skills he could. He used [Analyze] on every item he could find. The information he gathered wasn’t useful but it kept him from going crazy. [Map] worked well but only on the floor he was on. Nobody came down the stairs while he was watching. He meditated a lot, using the skill to calm his mind more than for any need of a mana regeneration increase.

He thought about using [Obscure] on all his spells and skills. His friend, Tony the mind mage, had instructed him to purchase the skill ages ago. Orrin had originally used it to hide [Blood Mana] and [Mind Bastion] on his Status screen. If anyone tried to use [Identify] or [Analyze] on him, they wouldn’t find those two skills. He didn’t hide everything for one reason. A lack of powers would be suspicious.

Orrin spent the first three hours of his imprisonment pushing his mind to the limit, picking what skills he could afford to eventually give up. He didn’t know if Sanerris would torture him. He picked bright lines of things he would not reveal and selected a few more of his abilities that he figured he could hide. [Dimension Hole] was quickly greyed out on his Status. The ability to keep food or weapons hidden was a perfect card to keep up his sleeve. [Merge] was his second pick. Madi had warned him about the skill’s history and he did not want to become a spell farm for Odrana.

He also hid [Through the Ages], the [Hero] skill that Daniel’s predecessors used to send notes to future [Heroes]. He left most of his spells discoverable, as he was sure Sanerris had paid attention during the two fights they’d had. The only exception he made was [Way of the Water]. He felt strangely protective of Styx and his fighting style.

He didn’t try leveling [Way of the Water] for now. He had no clue of what schedule they would keep him on. The last thing he wanted was to be catatonic in his training when they came for him.

[Merge] would still work on the spells he couldn’t access with the slave collar around his neck but making more spells that he couldn’t use didn’t appeal to him. Instead, Orrin played with the skills he could use. Nothing matched up into anything useful. [Way of the Water] was still not complete. He thought [Analyze] or [Identify] would mix well with [Map] but he was given the extra [Map] options that he’d already purchased. Nothing new appeared.

[Analyze] did give him a new piece of information.

[Slave Collar]- [In Use]

Orrin pushed through until a full description appeared.

[Slave Collar]- blocks access to the System and mana use. Made in Odrana. [In Use]

Orrin frowned when he read it. The collar wasn’t blocking his access to the System completely. He’d felt the mana that the [Healer] had used to heal his broken bones, so it also didn’t block access to mana. He didn’t know if his skill was acting up or if something else was at play.

Orrin pulled snacks out of [Dimension Hole] and scarfed them down while watching [Map]. He was sitting on the edge of his mattress. Two days had passed. He bounced his leg and counted the holes between the bars again.

He wore nothing but his pants and the small blanket they’d left him did nothing against the cold wind that blew in from the outside at times. He’d taken to walking in circles after waking with pain in his joints after his first fitful sleep. He had to keep warm. He could see his clothes right out of reach but hadn’t tried to retrieve them. He was worried they might punish him and the thought of being left down here wet or beaten was enough to keep him from trying.

At least it had been before now. Orrin checked [Map] before pulling a spare spear he kept for Madi out of [Dimension Hole]. Reaching his arm out, he snagged his cloak and shirt with the metal end and pulled them back. He took the risk of grabbing his potion belt and hiding it away in his [Dimension Hole]. He hadn’t seen anyone take an inventory of what was in the pile.

The armor he left for now. They might let him get away with some extra clothing but if he put his armor on or it disappeared… He didn’t want to get beaten again. A few potions they might overlook. The intricate armor that he’d been wearing was harder to ignore.

A glint of metal under his shirt caught his eye. It was his guild ring. Orrin had long ago forgotten he even wore the tiny copper band on his pinky. He spent another few minutes pinning it to the far wall with the spear and walking the haft backward at an angle to get it. He slipped the beaten metal into his pocket, letting his storage skill take the jewelry.

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With his shirt on, he sat down with his cloak around his shoulders. He closed his eyes and tried to [Meditate] again. He’d found that he could pass a few hours if he let his mind go with the skill. It beat pacing around the small cell.

When he came out of his meditation, Orrin stood to stretch his back. He groaned as multiple body parts cracked. He moved again and felt his body fall into Formless, the base stance of his fighting style.

Orrin instinctively moved through a few katas, letting the warmth of the movement spread into his joints. He moved around the room for another twenty minutes before pushing two hands together in one of the final moves he’d learned.

A bead of water gathered and splashed to the floor when he lost his concentration.

“What the… how?”

Orrin sat in the corner, letting the drop of water move between his hands. When Styx, the shadowy figure that taught him how to fight, had shown him how to do this during the last training session, he’d assumed it was some sort of mana-using spell that would be incorporated into his fighting. With the collar on his neck and after a lot of practicing, he knew for sure. There was no mana use in moving the water around. It was magic…but unlike anything else he could do.

It makes no sense. I’m not using any mana. I can’t track my stamina but I’m not tired after doing this for half an hour. Orrin let the water drop again. It has to be using stamina, right? But a slave collar would block the skills of a non-mage too or only magic-users would be able to be controlled. What is going on?

Orrin’s thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of a key rattling in a lock. He smiled. His friends had finally come to rescue him. He pulled up [Map] and felt his heart drop.

The guards who arrived a few minutes later were different than the ones he’d seen before. They wore different colors than Sanerris’ other guards had as well, with a subdued blue and dark grey mottled in. It reminded Orrin more of army camo from his world than the showy outfits the Lords had their retinue wear.

“Put this on your head,” the shorter one said, throwing a bag at Orrin. He caught it on reflex.

“If I don’t?”

The taller man pulled a cudgel from his side and slapped it on his hand menacingly.

Orrin gave one last glance at his armor in the corner. It had served him well. He should have tried to hide it as well but it was too late now. He pulled the bag over his head.

The cell doors swung open and Orrin was frog-marched out and up the stairs. The next few hours were spent in a carriage. His two new ‘friends’ made him get out and walk at one point before they got into a second carriage. The hood was likely to prevent him from finding his way back or knowing where he was going.

[Map] kept track of everything.

Orrin watched the thousands of dots of Mistlight disappear as he was moved further east. He was transported mostly along the coast. That was something that his nose told him. The sea air was crisp the entire time, with one of the guards keeping him company in the carriage while the other drove.

The destination held three additional people but Orrin’s hood was not removed until he’d been taken inside whatever house or castle he was in now. He blinked hard as the light stung his eyes.

He stood with the short guard in a decently sized room. A bed with a few sheets was in the corner. A long chest of drawers sat beneath a window that looked out over the ocean. Orrin didn’t know how large this house was, but it was high up on a cliff. If he tried to go out that window, he would fall a long time before hitting the water.

“Where am I?”

The shorter guard that had been with him in the carriage answered by slugging him in the gut. Orrin let the hit connect. He could have dodged it with [Way of the Water] but the more surprises he could store for later, the better.

“You are a prisoner of the Sanerris house and will not talk unless directed to speak. If you speak without leave to do so, you will be punished. You will keep this room clean and do as the Mistress of the house demands or you will be punished. You will wake at first light every day and be ready to work or—”

“I’ll be punished. Yeah, I get it.”

Orrin dry heaved on his knees and spat the blood out of his mouth after the guard stopped hitting him.

“You are not in Mistlight. This is not Dey. Nobody who cares for you knows you are here and you will likely be dead in a month,” the man squatted as he whispered to Orrin. “I know you were part of the kill squad that took out my brother. Give me an excuse and I will gladly end you.”

Orrin was spared having to ask what a kill squad was or why he thought he took out his brother by the door opening. An older woman but still regal in her posture and clothing entered so quickly that if Orrin hadn’t been facing the door, he would have assumed she teleported in.

“Jann, you can return to the city. Your services are no longer required.”

“My Lady, I apologize if I overstepped. I was given clear instructions by yo—”

“Leave at once or in pieces. These are your new instructions. Choose.”

Orrin kept his eyes on the ground. The coldness that seeped into the room from that open door chilled him more than the sea air had in his cell. Jann, the short guard, didn’t say another word as he scrambled from the room.

The cold wafted out with him and warmth replaced the chill air. Orrin kept his eyes on the floor.

“You are made of sterner stuff than that. Get off the floor.” Her voice didn’t demand, she simply spoke what would be. Orrin raised his head and caught her eyes.

Emerald eyes that glittered with silver specks caught him back. The Lady of the house raised an eyebrow as her golden hair bounced over her shoulders in long curls. She wore a dress that Orrin was sure by just looking at it must have cost dozens of gold pieces. Her fingers rested lightly on a small wand holstered on her side, letting him know she was a magic user. From the righteous expression on her face and the haughty way she carried herself, he saw one more thing about her. A clear family resemblance.

“Lady Sanerris, I’m guessing?” Orrin said as he stood.

“You are the one who came with the [Hero] and bested my son?”

Orrin put a finger under his collar and flicked it. “Didn’t really win that fight, did I?”

The mother of the leader of Odrana laughed. “You had your party make a tactical retreat after brazenly walking into a trap. A trap that cost hundreds of gold and two now-useless spies. You intrigued and upset my son so much, that he has sent you to me. Do you know what that means?”

“I didn’t know he was such a sore loser.” Orrin didn’t know where his mouth was coming from but something deep inside him told him that showing weakness to this woman would be a mistake.

Her broad smile showed too many teeth. “I think we are going to have a lot of fun together.”