Captured

As they kept walking, some villagers tried their luck and decided to run away, but all of them died at the hands of the bandit leader. a few hours later they finally arrived at the bandit's hideout, it was a big cave, inside there was a few cells carved directly at the cave walls.

When Luckas saw those cells his eyes dropped, there were way too many people locked here, he couldn't understand what the bandits were thinking, Luckas was locked in one of the cages, he tried his best to stay awake but he was weary, Byrth was in an even worse shape by his side.

Jothyr was looking at the lanky man with dark eyes -" Ballam did you recognize him?"

-" The bandit's leader? I don't think that he is from this region, god knows what he wants." Ballam was feeling down, a few hours earlier he was scheming to gain the favor of Luckas, and right now he didn't even know if he could escape alive.

-" I think I recognize him, he was famous years ago in this region, he was part of the duke army but suddenly disappeared."

Ballam looked at the lanky man with pensive eyes. "Crazy-eyed Dale?" Ballam was surprised he didn't think he would meet such a figure in this situation.

As Ballam and Jothyr, the bandit leader smiled wryly, it was clear that he could hear the conversation even meters away. His reaction confirmed Jothyr suspicion, it looked like the bandit's raids weren't so simple of a matter now.

Jothyr mood was awful, he tried to understand why Dale would capture so many people at the same time, this was bound to attract the attention of the Duke's forces, and even with a fraction of their manpower, the duke army wasn't something that Dale and a small group of bandits could win against.

But what caused Jothyr even more dread was the clothes of the man who arrived not long after, he donned a long dark red robe with three fangs embroidered in his chest, Jothyr instantly recognized the attire.

-" Heigong? What is a Heigong cultivator doing here?" Jothyr was petrified, all hope he had vanished instantly. "Is the Dark Palace trying to meddle in the affairs of Iqecia?"

A few other people around Jothyr heard him and looked as terrified, the Dark Palace was a sect that was located in the Thessajour Mountains. This was a name that brought terror for everyone in the Duke's region. Even the duke himself needs to give them face.

-" Quite a good harvest this time around. Such a pity that the Stafhampton brat is closing on this location." The Dark Palace cultivator spook with a coarse voice. "We cant take more of them to complete the ritual so if he finds this place just take care of the villagers, we don't need to worry about wasting them, very soon the country will be way too chaotic for those nobles to take care of a few country bumpkins."

Dale was serious as he faced the man. "Why don't he Heigong move their forces so he can destroy the rest of the Duke's force? This is the time they are the weakest." Dale didn't want to waste the work of the past few months.

-" If we fight with the kingdom forces right now, even the king's opposition will move, besides that still need time. And I need you to understand, this isn't my opinion is an order coming from up above, I don't think you're qualified enough to question that." The man looked at Dale with disgust in his eyes, clear contempt showing.

-" I ask senior for pardon, I didn't think that this would be the council order." Dale was usually careful when he talked to this person, but losing so much effort suddenly was really hard for him to accept.

When Dale called the young man senior, Jothyr started to piece things together, Dale actually joined the Heigong, if this leaked this news would chock all of the Duke's officials.

When Jothyr came back to himself the young man already was leaving. He kept looking back at the door that the man exited and Dale. After a few moments, Dale suddenly smashed the table in front of him.

-" Bastard, using his authority to keep me down, what he expects me to do? Clean up and leave just like that?" Dale looked at the crowd in the cells.

-" Put more people on watch and fortification the entrance of the cave, we will hold this location." Dale was dead set on securing the offerings he gathered.

As the bandits moved in and out of the prison in the deepest part of the cave Jothyr spoke -" They most likely are keeping us for some type of sacrificial spell."

"Yeah, the Dark Palace sacrificial rituals are famous all over the strafhampton region." Ballam eyes were sullen, he was clearly trying to not cry. " What a dammed end."

Luckas who was standing next to Maria and Jonathan saw their face lose all colors, Luckas gulped and said. -" But looks like the Dark Palace will not make a move right? And the Duke's force is close by maybe they can save us."

-" I'm not sure, the Dark Palace is just too strong and the Duke's main force is out of the territory, if just a few Foundation Establishment cultivators came to help the bandits I don't think they would lose ." Byrth who was lying down in pain explained. " Besides that, even if the Duke's force came, the bandits would kill us all before they are defeated."

Luckas calmed himself and started to think, he tried to approach the locks of the cell, after studying it for a few seconds he was sure that he could lockpick it, Maria was using a hairpin that he could use, but there were still a lot of guards in the cells room.

Luckas came back to the group after looking for Dale around the room and making sure that he wasn't there he whispered. -" I can use Maria's hairpin to open the door."

When Luckas said that everyone in the group looked at him in surprise, especially Byrth, since he was a cultivator he thought if he rested he could break the cell but as he looked at the material he lost all hope, the metal bars were made of cold iron material so hard that even 8th level body cultivator has trouble bending, so a 3rd level like him stood no chance.

Before anyone could speak Luckas continued. "i will need a few minutes to open the lock, so I need you guys to cover me, pay attention to a good opportunity so we can break out of the cell."

-" If the Duke's army comes, we need to move, if Dale is pushed too much i fear he would kill us all as the cultivator ordered ." Jothyr suddenly interjected as he gazed at Luckas, he didn't expect that the young man would be the one to help them.

Byrth who was slumping in the corner of the cell steadied himself and started to cultivate to alleviate his injuries, he need to be in a better condition to help in the escape plan.