Vigil's consciousness returned slowly. His head throbbed like drums were playing and his throat felt dry. He tried to move but his legs and arms refused to obey. It took him a while to notice the tight ropes that strangled his movements.
"This brings back bad memories" he mumbled.
He slowly opened his eyes; it took a few seconds for his vision to clear. Vigil found himself in a small cell. There was a window above him that allowed the moonlight to peer through, illuminating the iron door in front of him.
"Master, your finally awake" said his familiar. Vigil looked around to see his physical form but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Did you see what happened after I passed out?"
"After you passed out, our connection was cut, I was only able to see that bastard Torba rushing inside the tent, after that I went back to your soul core" answered the bat, his voice dejected.
"Troba wouldn't have acted without the Elder's command. What do they stand to gain from this?" Vigil clutched his hands hard, feeling a deep sense of injustice.
His familiar was about to open his mouth when a sweet but cold female voice interrupted them.
"They brought a lunatic this time" she paused her tone mocking "Speaking to yourself out loud elf?"
Vigil squinted his eyes, trying to find the direction of the voice. It looked like it was coming from the cell directly in front of him.
"I'm no lunatic. And who are they that u speak off?"
"Those red eyes tell a different story" She added while playfully chuckling.
How can she laugh in a situation like this? Vigil thought to himself.
Noticing his silence, she talked back to him. "We all have our little secrets, but fine I will let you entertain me. You were captur—" She was then suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone opening a door, and almost like instinct she retreated back into the corner of her cell.
The light from the torch slowly illuminated the prison cells and Vigil could finally see the girl across. She was holding her knees with her face tucked between, her long purple hair curly touched the very ground. The maid outfit she was wearing suited her small figure well, though it looked like it had seen better days. It had patches of dirt and remains of what looked like dried blood.
The torchlight grew even brighter as the guard approached. He looked inside towards Vigil, his eyes reek of superiority, and with a grunt, he slowly reached for the right key.
The guard was an orc. Though this one looked vastly different from the villagers, his body radiated raw power, packed with big defined muscles as if they were carved from stone.
"Master, you can take him down and escape" said the bat, his voice was both confident and rushed.
"Not right now" he replied while assessing the situation. He needed to know more. What else might be waiting for him if he made a move?
"I need to figure out more before we try anything".
After a short while, the guard finally managed to find the right key. he headed inside and grabbed vigil by an arm and dragged him outside. Vigil felt humiliated and anger shortly coursed through his nails, but he decided to control himself and wait patiently for the right time.
'They will pay for this' Vigil thought to himself.
The guard brought him into a small room. There were no windows and the walls looked like they were made of clay. At the corners of the room were 4 orcs standing guard, they're eyes looking directly at Vigil, studying him and watching is every move.
Sitting in the middle behind a wooden table was another orc, his figure was so large that it towered over Vigil and the rest of the orcs. He was clad in what looked like combat armour, His left shoulder was adorned with small animal skulls and on his right arm was the head of a small boar incorporated into the armour, like it was some sort of trophy.
Before Vigil could react, the guard threw him forward with a force that sent him stumbling across the room. He tried to steady himself up but the momentum was too much. He crashed into the wooden chair that was placed directly across the table. Vigil remained quiet; he refused to give the orcs the satisfaction of seeing him struggle.
With that, the guard turned and left the room, the heavy wooden door slamming shut behind him.
"The elder promised and he delivered. What a fine specimen we got this time" the voice was loud enough to eco through the room. It came directly behind the table.
Vigil lifted himself up and sat on the chair. His whole-body tense up with rage, he was being treated like cattle.
"Now tell me elf, what are you doing here, so far from home? Don't tell me you actually believed you tricked the old man." His voice was filled with mockery "That sly fox has been playing these games longer than you've 'been alive".
"Now that's none of your business is it pig?" Vigil answered while he spat towards the table, almost hitting the large orc.
His familiar voice chipped in. It was tinged with worriedness. "We don't have anything to gain here, please don't make this worse".
Vigil remained silent, his eyes beaming with defiance set on the orc.
"Oh! Aren't you full of energy" the orc answered, his voice filled with sarcasm "Let's see how long does it last". He nodded towards one of the guards who then approached Vigil.
The guard swung against Vigil's face with such force that it launched him against the clay wall with a heavy thud. The impact left a shallow dent in the surface, a web of small fissures sprawled outwards from where his body struck.
Vigil bit down hard on his lip. Not a single sound escaped from him, no gasp no sound, no sign of weakness.
The orc rose from the chair with a low grunt. He approached vigil and stopped inches away, casting a shadow over him. His cold dark eyes looked from above with indifference and superiority, as if he was daring Vigil to mutter another word.
"So much defiance and for what? You will break, just like the others" he paused, his expression remaining unreadable ."You will be our slave until we find someone that's willing to buy you, or what's left you". A cruel smile formed on his lips as the thought he thought amused him
"What do you think of that, elf?"
"You will regret this, mark my words pig" retorted Vigil.
The orc's boot slammed his feet into Vigil's gut with brutal force, enough to drive the air from his lungs. Vigil doubled over, he gasped silently and his body curled instinctively against the pain. The orc continued to look down on him, his voice was full with disdain "You lack the elegance of an elf" he spat as if the very sight of Vigil disgusted him. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he ordered the guards. "Take him away"
The guards moved swiftly and coordinated, hauling Vigil by his feet and arms, his legs dragged across the floor as they pulled him towards the cell.
They threw him towards the ground and closed the door. The group laughed in pure mockery as they left the prison room.
It was silent for a while, vigil cursed himself over and over. If fate existed it was being far too cruel on him.
"That was quite the show you put there elf, I'm starting to like you already" said the girl, interrupting the awkward silence.
Vigil placed his back against the wall and looked towards the girl
"If your so impressed" he said, his voice dry "How about save me from the theatrics?"
"Don't be like that come on!" she said, her voice teasing like she was having her own fun with him "We are going to be here for a long time". The last words coming out of her mouth seemed to loss a bit of energy.
"I don't know about you but I don't plan to stick around here for longer" answered Vigil while his mind flowed with ideas for a plan.
The girl didn't answer, she remained quiet.
The white moon was tall up in the sky, its shade imprinted on the prison floor. Vigil's eyes beamed with defiance and anger. He couldn't afford the luxury of waiting. He didn't know how long the essence from the rune bear would last. Time was against him.
The bat assumed his physical form, it spread its wings wild in the air as it flew over its master.
"The moon will be red tonight" said Vigil while flexing his sharp nails. He nicked one of his fingers with it and a small drop of blood flew out.
A slow and dangerous smile started to form across Vigil's lips while his dark crimson eyes shined brightly in the darkness.