His eyes opened to a blinding light. Something held him down. He shook off the urge to struggle and took a breath. Ok. Focus. He thought. He used his powers to feel around for any minds nearby Nothing…? No guards? No one at all? The last thing I remember is running for the Altar. He squinted against the pain as his eyes adjusted to the glowing haze. There was a dull constant hum. The air held strange odors, mixed in with a faint feminine scent.

How long had it been since he had seen light? He could not remember. Slowly shapes began to form. Metal stands covered in small knives and other strange objects sat nearby. He was bound to some kind of table by thick straps. The walls were square and smooth stone, no tool marks at all. There were only faint traces of rust and discoloration in the walls and furniture. The most wealthy tribe leader could only dream of having a room like this. So this is what the ruins used to look like before the fall. Maybe some of the ancestors still live.

A light crystal glowed in each corner. If a village had a single light crystal, it was their prized possession. This room had four and built into the walls. Another light crystal was above him hanging on a strange metal arm, but thankfully it was off.

He felt someone’s thoughts focus on him. How is he awake?! The female’s thoughts were urgent but soft, and a little weary. I gave him a double dose. I swear, every generation of remnant gets more resistant. Well, whatever. He can wait until I finish my lunch.

In all his years he had never heard anyone’s thoughts so clearly without making a link first. Fortunately she did not seem to notice. He caught other fragments of thoughts from this female as he waited. He resisted the urge to focus his powers on her. He had to keep his ability hidden.

The clarity returned when she refocused on him. Shit! I left the lights on high. The glow dimmed to a more comfortable level. She was much closer now, maybe just outside the room.

Her voice came, now firm and practiced. *You have been chosen. Are you a true believer?*

Is she mind-speaking to me?! He had never met anyone else who could do that. He waited in silence. He needed to know his enemy first.

After a long pause, she sent, *If you perform well you will receive great rewards.*

No response given.

That is odd. He heard her think. I can’t read any of his thoughts. Is he brain damaged? Maybe that double dose had side effects? She sent, *Use your voice to speak to me.*

He waited.

He is such a good match. Don’t let this one be brain damaged. I just spent half a day putting his dumb ass back together. He heard her think. Then she sent, *Do not be afraid, child of darkness, I mean you no harm.*

He needed a plan, soon.

*Speak child of darkness. Admit your sins and maybe your soul can be cleansed. Then you can be released into the light. I am your salvation.*

Salvation? Seriously? She is going to bore me to death with all this preaching. A little laugh escaped his lips. He hoped she didn’t hear.

He felt a wave of frustration from her. There was a quick tingle then a sharp pain shot through his body. She sent, *You would do well to remember your place mortal!*

He had found a pressure point. He let out a long chuckle.

Her thoughts shone as a string of colorful words and phrases that eventually ended in a long groaning sigh. After taking a moment to collect herself she sent, *You dare laugh at the gods?!*

He had managed to hold anymore laughter until she spoke but now it rolled out of him.

The best candidate ever! The culmination of millennia of work! And he is laughing at me! She sent, *What is so damned funny?*

“You are bad at this,” he said.

*I have been doing this since long before…*

He cut in, “That doesn’t make you good at it.”

Pain crackled through his body as lines of jagged blue energy danced across his skin for an instant. Then she sent, *Do you feel more cooperative now, sinner?*

“Not really.” He shrugged, “I’m hungry. Come in here so I can hack your arm off and eat it.”

This got an almost painful laugh from her. He was unsure if she meant to send it or not so he didn’t respond. She sent, *I’m sorry to disappoint, but I would not make a good meal for you.*

“I’ve eaten all kinds of creatures. I’m sure I can stomach you. Just release whatever is binding me.”

*Such defiance in the face of the divine. You really are a wicked child.* The table tingled with the threat of another dose of that painful energy.

“Feed me or let me go. This is getting boring.” His teeth chattered as his body shook with searing pain. The moment he was able to breathe again he said, “That tickled.”

A torrent of nearly incoherent rage flowed from her thoughts. The words, ignorant, primitive and child were repeated several times. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He was sure she was banging her head on something. All the lights in the room shone with a new brilliance as he felt the woman storm off.

Time was meaningless under the glowing haze. Even shut, his sensitive eyes throbbed. He caught fragments of random thoughts of the woman, but little context. He used this time to carefully probe around with his mind. He should be able to sense any mind within a couple hundred paces. He only felt the presence of the female. He avoided probing anywhere near her direction.

He had been forced to piss himself and it had dried long before the female returned.

When she returned the lights turned low and she sent, *Do you wish to cooperate now?*

“I’m very hungry now. I think I will take your leg instead.”

He felt a mental groan from her as that familiar tingle returned. *If it wasn’t for me, you would be dead. I think you should be more appreciative.*

“You saved me for your own reasons. I owe you nothing.”

*Why do you insist on being so difficult?*

“I find annoying you amusing and because you are no god.”

*You dare defy…!*

He cut in, “Stop lying.” He kept his tone calm and firm. Showing no emotion. “Tell me the truth. Kill me. Or let me free. I would rather go back to the wild tunnels than have to listen to any more of this nonsense.”

The tingle in the table faded. She finally sent, *What do you think is a lie?*

“All of it. The Gods, the Altars, ascension. The tribal leaders let you get your pick of the young tribe members in exchange for supplies and protection.”

I would eventually have to deprogram the religious stuff anyway. Maybe he is saving me some work. *Since you seem to know everything. Tell me what you think the truth is.*

Time for him to roll the stones, “In a mostly collapsed ruin, similar to this room, I found a golem. It told me tribes in the Deep Dark used to live on the surface, among other things.”

A . . . golem? She mentally groaned. That explains the glitches with the Altar’s teleporter pad. *Since you know the gods are a lie, why would fight your way through a village to get to an Altar?*

“I think you are survivors too and are using left overs of the ancient technology. This room is proof that you have far more technology than the tribes. I want to know what really happened.”

*No. You don’t.* She sent.

“Tell me what you are hiding.”

*Maybe the truth is that we just like the taste of remnant flesh or maybe we put you through tournaments to the death for our entertainment. Did you think of that?*

“You are stalling. Are you going to give me answers?”

*You’re not going to like my answers.*

“Anything is better than dying alone in the wild tunnels.” He regretted revealing that thought the moment it came from his lips.

After a long pause she sent. *I have something to take care of. A drone will be there soon to take you to get cleaned, clothed and fed. I will talk with you afterwards. Can you do that much without causing any more trouble?*

“Food sounds good. I will play nice, for now.”

*Keep your side of the deal or you will be punished.* His bindings released with a series of thick metallic clicks. He stood and saw that his clothes were in bloody ribbons in a bucket on the floor. His bag and weapons were nowhere to be seen.

He spun at the sight of someone. It was a tall slender male with pale white skin, matted black hair and long slender ears. The man looked filthy and boney. He wore some large bruises and had several marks from wounds sealed with arcane on his nude body as well. It took him a moment to realize that the hollowed out person was just a reflection of himself. He examined the object for a minute trying to figure out if it was some kind of complex illusion magic.

He jumped when the door slid open with a hiss and a grinding noise.