My eye sight was very dull at that moment. I felt light headed as a light bulb over me was suddenly lit. I recoiled at it, and slowly looked back up at the face that was standing over me. Glancing around, I found what I was looking for.

The sword still lay in its sheath, the beautiful golden and bronze design lit the room with a bit of royalty. Just seeing it made some of my worries go away. But then they were replaced with other worries, doubt of my friends safety.

"Hey, can you hear me yet? That truth serum seriously isn't doing the trick." The man said, looking over at another person in the corner of the room, who was rummaging through my pack of stuff.

He threw things about, water and food, my supplies. "That chemist said it was the real deal." He said, he looked up from having his head in my pack. He was bald, a long scar across his smooth scalp.

His eyes, which looked diseased and bloodshot, looked right back at me the moment he saw me staring. "Still not speaking?" He said.

"That's what I just said, you idiot. You'd think someone like him would have more money, or at least something we could barter off." Said the one in front of me, he had a hood over his head, shadowing some of his face.

Baldy looked at the sword leaning against the wall. "What about that? I had to pry the damn thing from him."

Panic rises in my chest, but I ignore it and push it back down my throat. Taking a few breaths to get my bearings together, I let a grin grow on my face. I couldn't help it, the tension was making me shake even.

The hooded one looked back at me and tilted his head. "What are you smiling about? Captured by some bandits and your smiling?" He said in disbelief.

Finally, I found enough of my conscious to speak.

"Sorry, just noticed the reason I couldn't see was the shine off that head of yours. Puts a nice shine to the room." I said, letting out a chuckle. They both grew sour faces, especially baldy, who didn't seem to like my joke.

Hood waved him off, and crossed his arms at me and got real close, leaning forward. His breath was so bad it could only be described as rancid or acidic. I pulled back from it and blinked a few times.

"Now that you have your wits about to even joke around, what were you doing there of all places?" He asked, pulling his hood back, making his face visible. It was scarred, just like the other ones head, but instead was a four claw mark across his face. Do bad guys always have scars? His dark hair was pulled back, his forehead could be seen, where a tattoo was, in the shape of an upside down cross.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying not to recoil at his breath. Trying harder not to tell him to go eat a breath mint.

Suddenly, the bald one let out a little sound of surprise, and a whistle. "Hey, check what I found!" He said, waving a card badge in the air.

The guy in my face turned to his partner and they both inspected the badge. If I didn't hurry then I'd be in trouble. I feel around my wrists with my fingers, it seems like a pretty good knot, their definitely very well experienced in the art of tying people up and stealing their things. Maybe murder also.

Slowly I concentrate and close my eyes, and imagine a small candle light balanced on my finger tip. In the next moment, I feel my finger warm up a bit. I glance over my shoulder to see a small fire had lit on my finger. Pushing back the urge to smile, I ran the small fire over the rope just a bit, then put it out as the tattooed one turned back around with my badge in his hand.

"So, your a knight? You don't look like one, and your pretty young..." he said, obviously wanting me to tell. "Unless you stole this off some sorry sod, that'd be more plausible."

I made a small over exaggerated gasp. "Me? A thief? I would never!" I said in a high and mighty tone.

"Then your a knight? You obviously have the mark also, right?" He asked, poking about my stomach as if I had buttons on me.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Mark? Don't know what your talking about scarface, but maybe you could pawn garbage off? I could always just get another. How about it? Let me go and you get a free profit." I bargained, feeling the burning of the rope spread further around my wrists.

The two bandits looked at one another then back at me in sync. "What stops you from telling the guards about us?" Baldy asked.

"You could always, I dunno, trust me? I'm not too friendly with the guards either at the moment, so I don't think you'd have any trouble." I said, but right as I did say it, I immediately realized I shouldn't have.

Tattoo guy blinked a bit. "Your wanted?" He asked, his interest piqued.

"Um, no. I mean, technically? Sort of? I guess so." I settled with that as I stuttered, my nerves being racked and telling myself in my head of how stupid I was.

Tattoo frowned, then ripped my shirt open a bit, looking at my chest above my heart. "What's this mark here? It's not a knights mark, is it?" He asked.

Above my heart, a black circle, with a line pointing downwards at the bottom of it showed itself towards the thieves. I mentally pushed the flames faster on the knots, if I didn't hurry then they would notice without a doubt.

"Feel like I've seen that symbol before, don't you?" Baldy asked Tattoo, who just shrugged in reply. As they inspected my mark, the knot came undone, and I smiled.

"Alright boys, terribly sorry for the delay, but I've gotta get going." I said, offering a smile. They both looked at me confused for a moment, but we're to slow to notice that I stood up, stepped up on the chair, and jumped.

I wrap my legs around Tattoo's neck, while I take my thumbs, and push them into his eyes. He screamed in terror and scratched and thrashed about. I tense up my legs and grab onto a piece of wooding on the ceiling, letting go of him.

While Tattoo was wailing about his eyes, I swung on the piece of wood, and kicked Baldy, who had been searching for a weapon. As soon as he picked up a knife my foot was flying into his face.

I land on my feet and kick Baldy in the hand, making him drop the knife, and knee him in the face. He fell on his back and grabbed his face. I'm about to go for the knife, but large arms wrap around me, squeezing my chest.

Tattoo couldn't see, but he had grabbed me. He grunted as he squeezed harder. Quickly, I reel my head back, and slam the back of my head into his nose. A satisfying and wet sound went through the room.

But it wasn't quite enough to make him let me go, the squeezing did lessen for a moment, but came back once he got his bearings together. There was only one way to break free of this hold other than that.

"Sorry in advance." I squeezed out of my throat, just as I swing my leg in front of me, and swing it back hard, landing a kick on his crotch.

This definitely made him let go. He wailed in despair, his hands going to his Johnny quickly and whimpering, his face going purple. I spin around as I land on clear ground again and kick him in the side of the head. He flew to the side and hit the table that was against the wall. His body slumped and he became still.

One down...

I turn back to Baldy, who is now getting up from our previous tussle. I take a step back and feel around the table top that Tattoo had hit. Some objects some into play.

First object I felt was metal, and from the feel it was a kitchen knife. I smiled and whipped it out in front of me. "Aha!" I yelled in triumph.

But we both froze as we both notice it was just a fork with dull edges, and nice handle. I let out a nervous laugh. "Well... this is awkward." I mumbled.

Baldy paid no more time for squabble, he rushed forward and tackled me, throwing me over his shoulders. I'm in the air for a moment, and I thrust my hands out at the right moment to cover my head, successfully rolling to break the fall.

Looking at the ground, I found the knife I saw earlier. I scampered towards it, but a foot slammed into my stomach, making me winded. I coughed and spat on the ground, as Baldy raised his foot to stomp on my head.

Rolling out of the way, I stopped and grabbed a bucket that was on the ground, filled with a liquid. Having no hesitation, I splashed him with whatever was in the bucket. Baldy covered his face, but as soon as he put his arms down, I slammed the bucket over his head, and punched it, making a ringing noise.

He almost fell over, so I had to help him. I grab a pan off the table and hit the bucket on his head again with all my might. This causes him to trip over Tattoo, and plummet into the chair I was sitting on when tied up.

The room fell silent. I slowly took some deep breaths and stretched. Walking around their unconscious bodies, I grabbed my bag and stuff, including the decorative sword. Relief flooded me once more, looks like I pulled through, for now.

I turned towards the unconscious captors and relished in the victory. "This is what happens when you capture the legendary Dagonet! Or that would be Sir Dagonet to you!" I said, pointing at the bucket on Tattoo's head.

There was another silence. I'm reminded that no one is watching and I can't boast. Disappointment rivers through me as I walk to the stairs that lead to the upper floor of this place.

"Here goes nothing." I mumbled.

But as soon as I started up the stairs, the door opened to the upward floor I was heading to, and there stood another man. This one was different from the others, clothed in a dark cloak and long hood. He stretched his hand out towards me, and suddenly all the wood of the stairs ripped apart, and an invisible force pushed towards me.

Then I'm in the air, spinning around like a rag doll. Smashing into the wall with a large force, I feel my vision fade a little, the world starts to spin.

For now, let's stop there. I know what your thinking, oh great, a story that starts off in the present and has to go into the past to tell the whole story of how we ended up in that place.

Well deal with it, it's one of those stories.