The Fated Encounter

Chapter 1: Captive

The stench of mold envelopes your being as you are dragged toward your hold. Your limp body overwhelmed -- completely unable to move from todays shift. You felt each rock make their own surface wound upon your already battered flesh. However, you didn't mind. You rather liked the pain those little bits of sediment caused you. It was sweet release from the impending dislocation of your shoulders from their sockets. The men who dragged you made damn sure to handle you without care. Almost as if you were beneath them. To them, you were no better than the dirt beneath their finger nails. You were lower than human in their eyes. You were lower than worms that buried themselves in mud. Or a mosquitoes that sucked the men's bitter blood as they fended for life.

In your daze, you could hardly make out one of the men curse your being as they approached cell 3-16. His voice was like gravel. A living chainsaw. It was an extreme contrast to what one would imagine him to sound. You flexed your fingers just in time for the rusty, echoed, screech of the cell door to bleed it's way through the hallway. It was almost intolerable. Emphasis on almost.

"(Y/n)!" Komo called to you. This small, sweet, innocent creature was your exceed. He was your heart. Your soul. Your life source for lack of a better term. He meant more to you than anything else you could possibly think of. If given the opportunity, you would give your life for him. You opened your left eye to spot a heartbreaking scene. His shaky paws made your spirit burst. The pained scratches from the rocks were nothing compared to sound of his shaking voice as he squeaked your name. "Are you okay?" You flinched. Your right eye. How it ached. How you pleaded for your body to heal it. The 'Master' of the guild had ordered your eye to be marked. He had also ordered for you to be given a fresh guild insignia at least twice a week on the off chance it faded. But that is neither here nor there. He had to remind his prisoners of his power. The guild marker, the scars were a literal 'I was here' sign.

Before Komo could do or say anything else, You feel the authorities pick you up. The action, you saw, was deemed effortless for them. They tossed you past the cell doorway like a rag thrown into a dirty clothes hamper. Each time they had, you counted the seconds.

One.

Two.

Three.

You hit the wall, then fall to the ground with a painful, peaceful thud. The freezing stone was sanctuary. It was the relief you were longing for. Today had been exceptionally hot. Being well over 95 degrees. There are no trees in the work yard, thus no shade. Not that you would have expected anything different. This guild was meant to break your spirits. It was meant to be your end. Whether your end come in the form of heat stroke or otherwise. Those brought here are never meant to leave. For all intents and purposes, this is your final resting place. Death row.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" Komo hollered at the men. He was small. Too small. But that didn't matter to him. His kind heart and optimistic personality kept you from accept your soon death. Hell, he smiled even after being whipped. He smiled even after being tortured by the guild Master. He smiled only to keep you from seeing his inner hurt. Komo was, more or less, the strongest individual you had the honor of knowing or ever knowing. "You're disgusting excuse for wizards! Why can't you see that we're living beings, too! Pleas- " Komo's words were cut off as one of the men kicked him across the cell. The sound of his body hitting the end of the steel toed boot made your eyes fill with tears almost instantly.

"Shut your trap, you little shit!" The bigger of the two men spat through clenched teeth. With that, he slammed the door shut. The echo rang through the dungeon again before abruptly coming to an end. You tried to get another look at him. The second man that is. He stared at you, eyes full of regret. Each time he saw you, he looked as though he were grieving a lost soul. You always wondered what his home life was like. Why he was here. It was only when he glared at you from the end of his whip were you reminded of his dark mind. He was just like them. He didn't care just like the 'Master' didn't.