Legendary: Darkness Awakes

Chapter 14- The Bandits of the North

***Warning*** This chapter contains at least mild scenes of torture, I'm not sure how my writing of the scenes ranks in extreme so I at least know they're scenes of torture and that some people may not want to read it, which is okay with me.

It was dark, but not total darkness, he could see just outside of the barred cell he was put in because of a lone candle atop a crate. His vision was blurred, but only to the point where he could just barely make out his surroundings. Daniel's chain mail and tunic were gone, leaving him with his blood-stained undershirt; the bandages over his wounds were also gone. He looked at the hole in his hand, which he could still see through, but it looked better than before because it has started scabbing over, his back and side still hurt, but he dealt with the pain and tried to look for a way out of his cage. Across from his cell he saw another; he figured he was in a dungeon of sorts. Before he had time to get up and roam his small room, the doors leading to the hall of cells open, shining a bright light across most of the cells, including his. Two people walked into the dungeon; after his eyes adjusted he saw the two figures were the leader of the marauding party from his encounter and Kotain, the insane mage wearing a dark red duster. They walked to a cell past Daniel's and started talking.

"You say this one puts up a fight, Kotain?" The smiling demon asks with a bit of excitement in his voice.

"Yes, he's the veteran of our prisoners; he is especially resistant to Arcaen's truth. He also helped the three of them escape in their last attempt by somehow gathering the strength to burst through the bars, that's why their welded back." Kotain explained, his grin never leaving his face. "I want to see where his spirit comes from...and what happens when it breaks..." He chuckled.

"It's just in his nature to be stubborn, but we can control him, we always do." The Grinning Demon said as he gazed into the cage.

"You bastards talk like you can kill an orc, let's see what you can do if you undo my bonds!" The Orc angrily shouted from the inside of his cage.

Kotain chuckled more "I simply love your unwavering, pointless spirit! Now shut up and go to sleep!" He giggled before throwing a stone into the cell; smoke appeared a moment after followed by a thud Daniel only assumed was the orc's unconscious body.

"I'll get the others; you drag the orc out of his cell. The Awakening Ceremony is about to happen, so we should get a move on. The one true prophet is waiting." The Grinning Demon said as he walked past Daniel's cell again and walked to the other side of the hall.

It looks like the only way I'm getting out of here is to fight my way out, but I'm not sure how skilled the masked man is, and I can't get a feel on the mage, he seems weak, but I bet his magic is off the charts. I'm not even a mage and I can still feel an intensity about him, something I can't quite put my finger on... Daniel thought as he stood on his feet but stayed in a crouched position, cautiously observing his captors. He noticed he was not in shackles or rope, meaning he could fight back, so he waited for the masked man to arrive at his cell. There he saw the man had a couple of thin humans behind him, each in a pair of shackles connected to the chain in his hand. The Grinning Demon unlocked his cell and opened it. Immediately, Daniel darted out of the cell and forcefully elbowed him in the back, knocking him down. Daniel headed for the door, but was suddenly stopped with a fist to the gut from Kotain, who appeared out of nowhere.

"Where do we find all of these rebels?" Kotain says with delight as Daniel flew back onto the hard, stone floor. This was the time Daniel noticed the foul smell of blood and rotten flesh that was in the air and the walls of the dungeon as well as the floor, it reminded him of the Fierce Battle for Obsidian, and almost made him puke. "I mean, I love it! Tearing this kind of people apart along with their spirit is like ecstasy to me!" Kotain laughed before grabbing Daniel's shirt and whacking him upside the head. Everything went black.