CLANG!
Gasp!
At the sound of the shifting metal, Adrian snapped awake, his heart pounding as he caught his breath.
He had been feeling suffocated and uncomfortable, trapped in a dream he couldn't wake up from, but due to the sound, he was released.
As he tried to move, Adrian realized that his body was restricted, or rather, chained up by thick, heavy cuffs on his hands and legs.
Struggling to sit up, his brain began working overtime.
How had he gotten here?
What was going on?
And where was he?
All he remembered was finally meeting his daily quota and being able to eat the stale bread and watery soup allotted for his single daily meal.
He had fallen asleep on his tiny cot in a crowded room filled with 30 other people, and now he was chained up in some kind of rocky cavern surrounded by people.
Lots of people.
As far as his eye could see, chained up just like he was, were people of various ages, sizes, and races.
As they began waking up, Adrian glanced around while gently tugging on the heavy cuffs on his wrists in an attempt to loosen them.
No such luck.
And when he checked his shoes, his lock-picking tools had been removed.
Tsk.
But seriously, where was this?
They were in some type of enclosed cavern that was dimly illuminated by an unknown light.
On the ceilings were jagged white rocks that occasionally dripped water, while the ground beneath him was dark and firm, unlike the loose red soil found in Miyche, the city he lived in.
Towards the front of the cavern, far from where Adrian sat, was a white wall that looked like bone, and staring at it gave him the creeps.
Since the environment didn't provide much detail, Adrian turned back to stare at the people.
Among the people here, he recognized a few faces here and there, but for the most part, he didn't know who these people were and didn't know why he was here with them.
And although he wanted to know the answer, he certainly wasn't going to speak up and antagonize the person who could kidnap him and these many people without getting caught.
Somebody was sure to start raising a ruckus, so let's just sit still and figure out what's happening when that happens.
Just as he resolved to watch the show-
"Uhm...pardon me? Do you know what's going on?" A soft voice whispered in his direction.
Glancing over, Adrian realized that the speaker was a pretty girl who looked around his age.
Long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and pouting pink lips.
Wearing a pink dress with a white lace collar and golden embroidery and matching white shoes, she was clearly from a well-to-do family.
In fact, he recognized the crest, a simple wheel which indicated that she was a member of Baron Miyche's family.
How the hell had she been captured?
Meeting her teary eyes, Adrian told her two words that could save her life or, at the very least, not implicate him.
"Shut up."
The tears immediately disappeared, and a haughty expression took over her pretty face.
"How dare you speak to me that way! Do you know who I am?!"
I know that you're an idiotic moron, and that's enough.
Not one to repeat himself or willingly associate with stupidity, Adrian scooted away while thinking.
He didn't need to urinate, and he wasn't hungry, so it couldn't have been too long since he was captured, and nobody seemed injured, so it wasn't a forceful kidnapping.
Drugs?
Magic?
But why capture so many?
And how had they transported them all here?
There were at least 1000 people here, if not more.
Was it some kind of black magic ritual?
Even if public safety was bad in Miyche, hadn't anybody noticed so many people, including a member of the baron's household, had gone missing at once?
What the hell were the taxes for if the security force couldn't do their job even during such a big issue?
While he kept trying to understand, the whispering around him kept getting louder as more and more people woke up and began speaking to each other.
- What's going on?
- Where's this?
- Mommy, where are you?
As the voices began to echo, someone eventually lost their temper and jumped to their feet, shouting.
"Oiiiii! Who the hell brought me here!? If you're a man, come out and show your face right now! If you don't, I'll beat you up!"
A large man, dressed in patched laborer's clothes, roared angrily as he spun in circles. "I said who brought me here!!!!! Answer now or else!!"
When nobody responded, he roared again, his large arms straining as he spread them in an attempt to break the chains.
Clang!
Creeeakkk!!
A grating sound of metal twisting and straining rang out before-
CLANG!!!!
The chains snapped.
Smiling to himself, the man laughed confidently as he stared around. "I told you couldn't keep me chained up, heh!"
Leaning over, he began twisting the chains on his legs until they broke as well.
And seeing the ease with which the man had broken free, others began trying to do the same, while some pleaded for help.
- Please! Please help me, I have children!
- forget her! She's a useless wench! Help me!
- I can pay once you release me!
- No! I can-
As the rowdiness increased with people clambering toward the freed man, a grating voice cut through the noise, sending a chill down Adrian's back.
"I recommend you all calm down before something regrettable happens."
Click
Clack
Click
Clack
Measured foot steps sounded out, and like everyone else, Adrian turned to stare at the speaker.
4 robed figures of medium build and height slowly walked forward, their robes flaring in an invisible wind.
In the hand of the figure in the lead was a gnarled wooden staff with a gemstone on top, being used as a cane.
Walking behind the robed figures was a red-haired young man whose freckled face was extremely familiar to Adrian.
After all, it was his ex-best friend.
Tucking his head down, Adrian continued to watch the situation play out as the large man went to stand in front of the robed figure in the lead.
"You! Was it you who did this to me??"
The robed figures ignored the shouting man and continued walking toward the cavern wall as the people in their path scrambled out of the way.
"Ignoring me?! Grrrrr! I'll make you pay!!!!!"
With an angry growl, the large man dashed toward the robed figures, his muscular arms spread to grapple them to the ground.
But before he could take more than a couple of steps-
Bzzzzzzzztttttttttttttttt!
The red-haired young man pointed the spear, and a flash of lightning burst forward, hitting the shouting man directly in the middle of his forehead.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"
The man began to shake uncontrollably while screaming, and several seconds later-
SPLATTTTT!!!!!!!
His body exploded, spewing bone, blood, and flesh chunks everywhere.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
People began screaming as bones and viscera splattered all around.
A thin blue barrier briefly appeared as the robed figures continued their walk.
The barrier deflected the sudden gore, and as the scent of burnt flesh filled the air, all eyes turned to the empty spot where a human being used to stand.
Screams rang out as people scrambled back.
Some from injury caused by the explosion, some from the shock of a sudden death, and some from fear that they might be next.
The red-haired boy walking behind the robed figures slammed his spear on the ground.
"All of you shut up! Or you're next! If you try to run away…heh, in case you couldn't tell, I have good aim."
It immediately became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Click.
Clack.
In the silence, all that was heard were the footsteps until the robed men continued walking to the cavern wall, running their hands over it in a seemingly random pattern.
The wall glowed with blue light, and then, in a flash, one by one, the robed men were gone.
All eyes immediately turned to stare at the red-haired man who stood in front of it.