“Augh, so itchy...” I mutter half asleep.
I roll over from my back to find a more comfortable position without success. Why does my bed feel so prickly?
!?!
I stiffen, now wide awake.
First, this is NOT my bed and second, I was not naked when I fell asleep.
I do not scream, I do not panic.
Opening my eyes, I take in my new surroundings.
My “bed” was a pile of dried yellow vegetation and I was alone in a strange small room. The room was strange because it was not made of concreate, but primitive stonework. The sole source of light for the dim room was what leaked from underneath a large wooden door. The door was the only thing in the otherwise featureless room. The primitive stonework made-up the floor, walls, and a vaulted ceiling.
Next, I assessed the condition of my body. The first thing I noticed much to my concern, was that all my wounds and injuries were completely healed. My skin didn’t so much as have a single scar or blemish and my red hair had grown out down to my hips. The Legion brand was gone too, much to my dismay.
Who would spend a fortune to fix me? I was on my last legs before this, but now I feel good as new.
No.
Now is not the time to worry about such things. I need to get out of here, there's no help coming for me and I have nothing left, not even a shirt on my back.
Standing up, I make my way to the door to test it.
Locked.
Figures.
Heavy wooden construction reinforced with metal studs and no knob or lock visible from my side of the door.
That’s just fantastic.
Wait...
Footsteps... somebody is coming.
There is unfortunately nowhere for me to hide or anything to use as a weapon. My only option is to rush who ever opens that door and win.
I get into a sprinter's stance, ready to rush forward and now I wait, listening to the approaching footsteps.
A nearby door opens and closes, I tense as one of my captors draws closer.
The footsteps stop behind my cell’s door, a moment later I hear the mantellic click of the lock. Just as the door opens an inch, I rush forward and shove the door into the man behind it. The door strikes the man in the face with a wet crunch sending him stumbling backwards, I rush forward.
“Augh! You elven whore!”
The goon hissed at me between clenched teeth as he grasped at his face. I payed no heed to what he said as I moved in to the side of him before he could recover and delivered a swift kick to his right knee, bending inwards from the blow.
“Aggh!
The man gave a short yelp in pain and surprise as he fell towards me onto his side. Just as he hits the stone floor, I wrap my arms around his neck and gave a sharp twist. The goon’s neck gave a wet snap and went still.
Just as I was about to sigh in relief, I caught a glimpse of the room I found myself. It was full of primitive devices of torture surrounding a four posted bed with shackles fixed to it.
I shivered.
Bending down to the goon I sent on holiday, I quickly swiped a knife along with a key ring from his belt and made my way to the door on the far side of the room. Wishing not to spend any more time in this place than I needed to, I opened the door and peered out to find the coast was clear.
I moved out into the short hallway silently on my bare feet and up a flight of stone stairs upward, the way lit by strange torches that burned with an unwavering blue light. At the end of the ascending stairs it connected to a large hallway lined with a red carpet and was lit by natural light from narrow windows set high in walls richly decorated with murals and tapestries.
I wait and listen at the top of the stairs for signs of any activity in the immediate vicinity, I hear somebody humming softly to themselves. Risking a glance, I peered down the hallway to see a man in white shirt... or was it called a tunic? Anyway, he was wearing a light-colored tunic, brown trousers, and leather shoes. He was shining a gaudy set of ancient looking armor standing in the hallway and looked rather engrossed with his task.
I stalk forward silently into the hall, slipping behind the oblivious man cleaning the armor and press my blade against his throat. He stiffens at the blades contact and before he could react, I whispered into his ear.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
“Do as I say and you just may survive, now let's go for a little walk.”
He whimpered pathetically in response to my declaration, he didn’t resist as I guided him back down the stairs. Once at the bottom, I started to interrogate him for information.
“Where am I, what is this place?”
The man shudders in fear, but remains quit until I push him into the wall and press the knife further into the skin of his neck.
“Uhm! Th-this is th-the home of my m-master, the gr-great Archmage Volin!”
Uh? What?
“What the fuck is an Archmage? You better not be screwing with me!”
The man was confounded at my response for a moment before catching himself.
“Um... A-a-a archmage is master of sorcery... Ah... of magic!”
I tilt my head at the answer, could he mean a psionic? I've heard people refer to them as space wizards or sorcerers before... I’ve also heard some crazy shit about their supposed powers. Enough that I wouldn’t want to meet one without a sniper rifle and at least a mile’s distance between us.
“Is this master of yours home today?”
“N-no! He’s away!”
Good, that's a relief.
“Hmm... Now do you know anything about who is kept down here?”
I remind my new friend to keep talking with the edge of my blade.
“Ah, th-the Master’s p-pleasure slaves a-are kept down here. I-I ca-caught a glimpse o-of th-the one brought i-in last w-week, a-a si-silver haired wo-woman! Sh-she was ca-causing a co-commotion, f-fighting wi-with the gu-guards!”
Ok... my presence here must be a recent development. What this worm just shared is sickening, he knows what this “master” of his has been doing down there and did NOTHING. What is worse is that someone tried to condemn me to that fate. Once this is all said and done, the ones responsible will die by my hand.
I continued the interrogation, getting the basic layout of the “manor house” which was a wheel shaped single story building and got a rough number of security. About 23 guards not counting the one I already taken out, all equipped with primitive melee weapons and most of the normal manor staff followed the archmage to wherever it was he went. Once I got what I needed from the manservant, I knocked him out with a sharp strike to the temple. The slight man immediately went limp as a corpse and I quietly lowered him to the stone floor, it was time to get some new threads.
I stripped the man, killed him, and donned his white blouse and brown trousers; the fabric was course and felt tight across my chest and backside, but it’ll have to do.
As I was getting dressed, I formulated a plan. The most pressing issue at the moment for me was my hunger. I felt absolutely ravenous and I have no idea when it was the I last ate. My first stop was to be the manor’s kitchens.
Staying barefoot to reduce noise, I moved quietly as a specter back to the grandly decorated hallway. The manservant’s absents had done unnoticed and the way was still clear, I moved to a side passage and entered a less decorated hallway. The manservant called it a servant's access, I followed it a few doors down before I got to the kitchens. The door stood ajar and I could hear signs of activity inside.
I risked a glance into the room and saw the back of a large man in a leather apron. It looked like he was busy with a wood fed stove. Staying low I moved into the room and using tables as cover. As the he continued to fiddle with the stove, I swiped an empty sack from a counter and quickly stuffed it with a couple loafs of bread and small wheel of what I think is cheese. Just as I finished gathering some food, I watched from under the tables as the man walked away from the stove and across the room. With my task completed I retreated from the room, my next destination was the armory.
I stalked the halls on my bare feet until arrived at a heavy wooden door, the only difficult part was slipping past patrolling guards in the hallways. Luckily, they were oblivious to my presence as I hid in shadows or slipped into unoccupied rooms as they passed.
The key ring in my possession luckily held the correct key, I carefully opened the door and slipped inside and locked it behind me.
I’m not totally sure what I expected of their armory... but... despite my lack of expectations it was still disappointing. Not a single firearm, but rack upon rack of primitive weapons and armor. It seems I'll have to make the best out of what I got.
Searching through the armor racks I pulled on a pair of more comfortable form-fitting leather trousers, a pair of soft soled knee-high leather boots, leather bracers, belt, bandoleer, a gray hooded cloak and a simple leather cuirass. Once dressed in my new duds I selected two balanced daggers, tying one to my belt, the second to my bandoleer, and stored my trusty naked blade in my left boot. The next weapon I selected was a thick bladed short sword which I attached horizontally across my lower back and a short-bow along with a quiver of arrows slung over my shoulders on top of my cloak.
It's been years since I held a bow in my hands, when I was a teenager my father was adamant that I familiarize myself with all manner of weapons during my training as a Legionnaire elite. Once I’m free of this place I’ll need to refamiliarize myself with the common weapons of this world. When I held them, they felt awkward in my grip, along with my movement so far, like I had lost most of my muscle memory.
With another task done I torn a chunk of bread from the bag I grabbed from the kitchens and had a light meal before tying it to my belt. My final stop was the “achmage’s” study, I crept along the hallways until I arrived at the heavily engraved wooden door of the study.
I press my ear to the door, hearing nothing I push the door open wide enough to slip in. The study was lined with shelves and books. In the center of the room stood a large wooden desk and on that desk was something that interested me greatly.
A Gun.
It looked something like an energy rifle plated in a bronze colored alloy, the wear on the weapon gave me the impression that it is VERY, VERY old.
Still... I want it.
So, I gingerly picked its components up and placed them in my bandoleer with great care. Though loot was always nice, I came here looking for a map.
In the first five minutes of searching I noticed a rather large problem, I can't read a single fucking thing in here. They speak imperial, but have a totally different writing system from anything I've ever seen before. Even if I find the maps, I won't be able to find the right one without interrogating another person and putting myself at increased risk of discovery or being fucked over by a lier.
It looks like I'll have to do without one, I leave the documents where they lay and walk over to the desk. I search through its drawers for pens, but I find something better for my purposes. Two vials black ink, which I insert into the poaches of my bandoleer.
Getting what I could, it now was time for me to leave and disappear.
I walked back to the door and much to my surprise it suddenly swung open placing me face to face with who I assume to be a maid. I reacted by reflex just as the young woman took in a sharp intake of breath, I punched her square in the jaw before she could utter a sound. Her head rocked back and she fell backwards and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. I then quickly grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her into the study, causing her skirt to hike up around her in the processes. I stared for a moment at her strange frilly “undergarments” before I snapped out of it.
I mean seriously? What the fuck was she wearing? Granny panty’s granny panties? I pray that isn’t the standard for underwear on this world or I'll be going commando the entire time I’m here.
Stepping out of the study, I quickly closing the door behind me and vacated the area, the woman had made an audible *thump* after I introduced her to my fist and I’d rather not wait and see if anyone else heard it.
I made my way down the hall to another servant’s access and followed it to a secondary entrance, or in this case exit, to the building. I had encountered very few along the way, only having to cold-cock a single manservant with a quick strike while avoiding the others and killed a guard stationed at the door by cutting his throat. I stepped on the dead guard to avoid the pooling blood and pushed open the double doors to the outside world. The natural light blinded me for a moment before the sight of what lay beyond hit me like a blow to the head.
It’s... so green... and beautiful.
Maybe, just maybe I’ll stick around awhile and take in what this planet has to offer, despite it being a backwater.