Chapter 7 - Captured

Chaos erupted everywhere at the camp. Vissus grunted as he spit a mouthful of blood and fell to one knee on the ground, breathing harshly. Soldiers milled about in frenzied activity as they sought to help those wounded, while others moved to work on the now inert rift.

After a moment, Vissus slowly rose to his feet and issued a set of commands which were too low to be overheard by Skyle, but which further spurred the soldiers into action. Then Vissus seemed to recall something as his eyes went back to Skyle.

Motioning to another soldier standing respectfully behind his shoulder, Vissus motioned towards Leon and then in Skyle’s direction. The soldier saluted smartly before gathering a half dozen soldiers and bringing Leon over to Skyle’s side at swordpoint.

“Put them in one of the cages by themselves. Lord Vissus will interrogate them later,” the soldier ordered, and the rest of the men saluted, their armor echoing loudly as they struck their fists against their chests.

Rough hands shoved Leon and Skyle together in the direction of the cages, where the milling masses of human prisoners stared at them in a pitiful mixture of fear and desperation.

Skyle couldn’t wait any longer and purposefully put his weight on his injured leg. It instantly gave out under him as he let out a low cry of pain, and Leon was quick to step forward and catch him before he fell onto the ground. The soldiers looked on with an icy expression, but didn’t seem to care overmuch as they once more prodded the boys forward. Still, the soldiers kept enough of a distance from them that Skyle felt it would be safe to talk.

“What happened out there?” Skyle asked under his breath, glancing sideways at the guards to make sure they were not being overheard, while slowly moving towards the cages under their watchful gaze. The guards didn’t seem to care about their conversation at all, as though they were merely herding unruly sheep towards the slaughterhouse.

This didn’t bid well for Leon and himself, Skyle realized.

“One moment the troll was rushing towards me, then the next you got sucked into that rift and a bizarre shockwave of elemental energy rippled from it. A couple seconds later, the troll was almost on me and I was desperately trying to release one more fire blast to hold it off when I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye and the troll simply turned into minced meat. Its upper body just exploded in front of my eyes and the legs collapsed to one side. Then I saw it.”

Skyle raised an eyebrow at the other youth’s tone.

“It?”

“I don’t know how to describe it, I’ve never seen its like. It was a golden furred beast at least twenty feet tall, surrounded by a berserk aura that froze my blood just to look at it for a moment. Fortunately it wasn’t paying any attention to me, or I don’t think I would have been able to bear the pressure of its gaze even for a second.”

“It still saved you,” Skyle whispered, his eyes narrowing in thought.

Leon scoffed, “More like the troll was on the way and the monster couldn’t be bothered to swerve around it. It just charged at the rift and the shockwave from that impact was enough to nearly send me toppling backward. It didn’t even look at me twice.”

“What happened next?”

“The beast went berserk against the rift, swinging its paws and charging against the rift over and over. I saw discharges of energy that were entire levels above anything I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around some of the top elemental mages out there my whole life. It was insane, that thing was ripping apart those defenses like they were made of glass, and it didn’t even seem to care about any of the backlash from its attacks,” Leon muttered grimly, still helping Skyle along. “It was blood and explosions all over the place. Whatever it wanted, it wasn’t about to let anything get in its way.”

“Then how in the world did you manage to get in here?” Skyle asked in a low, astonished tone.

Leon cleared his throat slightly.

“Ahem, well, when I saw the beast driven back from the rift just as it was about to cross over, I was stunned. That’s when I spotted that huge red energy slash light up the night and send the beast hurtling back a hundred paces or so. I knew the beast was about to go berserk and I wasn’t in any shape to take cover anywhere else. So, I sought refuge in the only place I could think of.”

Skyle eyed the other youth with a disbelieving stare. “So you just jumped into the rift? Right, right. I know we haven’t had the most brilliant run so far, but I think we both know better than that.”

Leon simply shrugged, avoiding Skyle’s gaze.

Skyle sighed, letting out a tired breath.

“You know, you didn’t have to come after me. I was the one that chose to get close to the stupid rift. After all, we wouldn’t have lasted much longer against the troll without that focus sword. Which you still managed to lose, I see.” Skyle added while looking down at Leon’s empty scabbard.

Leon’s ears grew slightly red as his face flushed, but he grumbled, “It was ripped from my hands by some strange power when I jumped through the rift. I.. I must admit I thought your earlier warnings were just some superstitious peasant nonsense. I never would have imagined it was actually a rift. That’s spatial magic! Asides from a few rare storage artifacts, that sort of magic has been extinct for the past few hundred years! Do you realize the implications?”

Leon stopped abruptly as he saw the withering gaze Skyle was directing at him.

“Eh, right. Well, any idea where we are and who these soldiers are?”

“No idea, I was hoping you might have an idea. Their armor is unlike any I’ve seen, and I don’t see any pennants or banners anywhere,” Skyle muttered.

“They’re monsters, of course they wouldn’t fly any banners,” Leon interrupted, as he almost but not quite rolled his eyes.

Skyle started, and looked back at Leon in surprise. “Monsters?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you can act this calm. To be honest, I’ve been around monstrosities all my life and even I feel rather.. ahem, unnerved by these beasts,” Leon muttered, glancing around at the soldiers escorting them.

Skyle followed Leon’s gaze, studying the soldiers around them.

“What monster are you talking about?” Skyle asked slowly.

“Are you blind? You take your pick, the goat-headed behemoth to our right, the purple skinned bastard with tentacles extending all under its gigantic maw, the two-headed blue crow with three eyes.. The list just goes on. What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Skyle silently shook his head as he recalled his first experience upon crossing the rift. He had seen the same terrible visions, but when his true sight had opened, the world had changed completely.

The dreary, desolate landscape filled with red sand and rocks had vanished, to be replaced by a a lush, verdant landscape filled with trees and plants of every imaginable shade, from purple to green to red, each more vibrant and beautiful than the last. Even the skies were no longer black, filled with ominous clouds. Instead, they were clear and bright, with flashes of colors constantly illuminating it, though no sun, moon or stars were present.

Even the monsters were gone, replaced by soldiers who looked human, though taller and much more formidable looking than most men Skyle had ever seen, even by the standards of the Crimson Guard, back at Redemption Keep. The dreadful armor filled with dark symbols was gone, replaced by gleaming metal skillfully embossed with intricate designs.

“Can you understand what they’re saying?” Skyle murmured.

“Of course I can. Can’t you?” Leon still stared at Skyle as though he had gone insane.

“So, it only affects the sight. I wonder if its time, or some other effect.” Skyle murmured to himself. Then he promptly shook his head. “No matter. Leon, can you summon your elemental power?”

Leon’s shoulders visibly sagged, and he wore a vulnerable look that Skyle had never seen on the other youth’s face, even when the troll had been about to rip him to shreds.

“No, I can’t feel the elements at all in this dreadful place. I don’t understand,” Leon muttered, and there was a shudder that ran through his voice. “It shouldn’t be possible. The elements should be ever present, they should be everywhere. Yet, I can't feel a thing! I feel smothered, trapped. I hate this place.”

Skyle narrowed his eyes as he recalled the item Vissus had crushed in his grip before releasing that terrifying attack. Obviously, the commander had been reluctant to use the attack, and there had been quite the backlash after he had unleashed it.

However, what puzzled Skyle was that while the true sight had left him, for the brief moment he had been immersed in it, the world had seemed to be filled to the brim with raw, untapped elemental essence. It had felt as though he merely had to stretch out a finger, and he could have unleashed all that power at his beck and call.

“Listen Leon, I heard them mention a sacrificial ritual,” Skyle whispered, leaning heavily on Leon’s shoulder while staring ahead at the cages in the distance. “Unless I’m mistaken, the captives in the cages ahead of us might be people like us who have been captured when crossing the boundary of the Forbidden Forest.”

“Human sacrifices?” Leon hissed, his grip on Skyle’s shoulder tightening unconsciously.

“I would guess so. Either way, it doesn’t look as though those prisoners are being used for labor or other purposes. They look too clean, in spite of the lack of clothes.

“All those naked people.. It is almost like they’re rounding up cattle,” Leon agreed, his face twisting in disgust.

“I doubt they’re going to put us with them, at least not for now,” Skyle pointed out.

“They did say that, didn't they? Why are they so interested in you?”

“Because I gutted one of their soldiers like a pig, and managed to catch their commander’s attention,” Skyle answered honestly. “He specifically charged these soldiers with my safety, at the cost of their own lives. They wouldn’t risk anything happening to me while I’m in with the other prisoners.”

Skyle intentionally left out the dagger. He didn’t quite know what to make of Leon just yet, and while he appreciated the fact that the other boy had risked death to follow after him in order to help him, the whole scene where the dagger’s terrifying power had been revealed, as well as Vissus’ vehement reaction, had simply been too shocking.

Skyle shook his head to clear it, returning his attention to the current conversation.

“Besides, it’s not like they’re short of cages,” Leon was saying bitterly. “From our reaction to each other, we obviously know one another. So, they will keep probably keep us separate from the others, at least until their commander comes around.

Skyle nodded, “This is an opportunity.”

Leon quickly agreed, “Escape will become a lot more difficult once we’re put in with the rest of the captives. They’re under constant surveillance and we won’t be able to make a move without drawing attention. The other option would be a mass break out but that sort of thing takes careful planning. Otherwise, it will be crushed by these monsters.”

Skyle sighed. “Still, what about all those people?”

“What about them?” Leon growled, staring holes through Skyle. “I’ve got a broken arm, you have a busted leg, surrounded by an army of nightmarish beasts, and you’re still thinking of being the hero?”

“Not a hero. I just.. We can’t just ignore all those people,” Skyle murmured.

“Look, you have to look at this logically. We need to save ourselves first if we want to save others. Besides,” Leon said in an exasperated tone. “We are under a deadline, remember? We need to make our escape good within the next three days. Agreed?”

Skyle nodded slowly.

“I.. I suppose you’re right. Alright,” Skyle agreed haltingly, but his voice gained confidence as he kept going. “Yes, we need to take advantage of this momentary chaos in the enemy forces.”

“But you’re wrong about one thing,” Skyle’s hand gripped Leon’s shoulder forcefully, all the while staring at the guards who wore indifferent expressions as they slowly, inexorably led them towards the cages ahead.

“What’s that?” Leon asked.

“Tonight.”

“What?”

“Tonight,” Skyle repeated slowly.

Skyle could still feel the fire burning fiercely in Vissus’ eyes as he’d demanded to know about the dagger. He had lied to Vissus as best as he could about its origins, saying he had merely found it in some nearby ruins. However, for some reason Skyle was sure that the enemy commander had not believed him in the least. He would be back for answers, and Skyle wasn’t sure if he was more afraid of what Vissus would do in order to get his answers, or what he would do once he did find them.

“We need to make it out tonight, or I have the feeling we never will.”