1 From Darkness to Light

I open my eyes and…don't see a thing. Just a moment ago I was sitting in my room listening to music, and now I'm in complete darkness.

A normal person would be shocked or at least scared after such a surprising occurrence...but for some reason I neither feel scared nor shocked. I try moving, but, unfortunately, my body doesn't move an inch, I can't even feel my limbs.

For good or for worse this silence doesn't last. I suddenly hear loud screeching and a clash of metal against metal. As my eyes, which is the only body part I can move, get used to the darkness, I notice that I'm actually in a cave….or a some sort of cellar…? I'm not too sure. The walls and the ceiling are made of rock, but in the middle of the… let's call it a cave for now, huge pillars, bigger than I've ever seen, stand as supports.

Obviously my eyes go towards the sound that I hear.

In the far corner of the cave a dark red light appears followed with a lot of clunking metal sounds. Am I dreaming?

That's what I thought as I saw a group of heavy armored people come out into the opening. When I say heavy armored I don't mean the usual armor military or the police wear…its real armor, if you can call it like that. The type used by people in the late middle ages…

A man, wearing luxurious looking full plate armor, presumably coated in gold, shouts out his orders.

"Keep your guard up! You two go look for traps and any signs of monsters, and you stay here and watch the entrance!"

One person wearing leather armor stays where he was and lights up a lantern, other two people with dark cloaks suddenly start running into different directions. Their moves were so smooth I could not hear them run at all, and then they completely disappeared into the darkness.

As they moved towards the middle of the cave-room I heard sudden gasps from two people who were wearing something that resembled priest clothes. They stared intently towards my direction for a second and then shouted so loud that everybody could hear them.

"Someone's there!" "Hurry cut them out!"

As they said that, four heavy armored people ran towards me. When I was wondering whether it was tiring to run while wearing such heavy armor, I noticed something. They said "them" didn't they?

As I was pondering whether I was the only one in this kind of situation the soldiers started cutting…something.

It looked like white cocoons that spiders made, except these were the size of a human.

Finally, after half an hour or so, I was freed, although, I still couldn't move an inch. The two priests ran back and forth until one of them finally came to me. As he was checking my pulse and whether I was breathing or not, I focused on his appearance. He wore a white priest gown, and had multiple necklaces on. He had four rings on his hands, two for each, and a book with pouches attached to his waist.

"Praise the Lord, he's alive! Bring the stretchers!"

It'd seem that I was saved. Two soldiers ran back and forth, after they unequipped their armor of course, and brought a stretcher. They slowly placed me on top of it and carried me outside.

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I open my eyes, and this time above me is a wooden ceiling. I hoped that I woke up and this was all a dream, but the unknown room shattered these thoughts. Can't complain though as I can finally move.

I slowly rise from the bed. My throat is dry and I'm very hungry, but at least it's better than being stuck inside a dark cave. I still don't know if it was actually a cave, but it doesn't matter anymore.

I look around myself but there's nothing out of the ordinary. It's a simple small room with a bed, a wardrobe and a small window next to my bed. The glass of the window seems to be not pure, because what I see through it is not clear, but I still make out the important things.

I am in a city. Not a normal city. There are no apartment blocks, no skyscrapers. But that is not the only concern. What I'm concerned about is the wall surrounding this city, and a huge palace built at the highest part of it.

I've never seen or heard of such a place, but to speak the truth I didn't care about such things. I was solely focused on living my ordinary life.

As I was about to get out of my bed the door swung open and one person came inside while the other one stayed behind the door. The man in front of me had a sword attached to his belt. He looks at me surprised and says:

"You're not dead, that's good. I'm Roland, the chief of local militia, and I was tasked to question you by the authority of Duke Edward von Braggeu, I believe you understand that lying won't help you."

Before I can answer he leans back on the wardrobe and throws me a small sack. I catch it and speak:

"A-ah. Yes, my name is-"

Should I say my real name? Well, he did say that lying won't help, so I shouldn't risk it and say the truth. Or did he bluff so that I'd spill the beans? Is there even anything important that I know?

I noticed that Roland was looking at me with stern eyes waiting for an answer.

"Henry Renner. Also what's this?"

I ask and raise the sack. From the sound of it, something metallic is inside.

"Ah, that's money. Since you had nothing, I figured it might help a bit."

I nod.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Anyway, I have some questions."

I once again nod and while Roland speaks I wonder why somebody would put money in a leather bag.

"We found you in the cave. And to be honest we were surprised to find anyone alive after the horrors that dwelled there."

So it was a cave after all…

"I'll get straight to the point. Who are you, and more importantly, why were you there."

A straight question, which should be easy to answer, usually that is…

"As I said, my name's Henry Renner and I am a student. For why I was in that cave I do not know."

"A student…? Are you a noble?"

There it is. First the duke, now the noble talk. What is he on about?

"No, what makes you think that?"

"Only nobles can afford higher education…well I have heard that some people who had patrons could afford it... It's suspicious that you don't know why you were in that cave…but then again, it might be memory loss?" Roland stays silent for a moment as if he was deep in thought before speaking up again. "Hmm. Yes. You should visit the temple after this to check on whether your brain is not damaged. After all, the deadly poison of Arachne usually kills instantly or leaves people immobile for the rest of their lives."

What? Poison?!

"I-I was poisoned? Arachne…?"

Roland suspiciously looks at me and after a minute of silence says:

"Yeah, you should really go to the temple, quick. And yes, Arachne. A big C difficulty monster that dwelled in that cave… Ahh it's a pain. How will I explain this to the duke…?"

After a few intense, but meaningless, minutes of questioning someone knocks on the door. Roland peeks out the door and after a few words looks at me and says.

"My work's done here. Since there's nothing else I can ask you I'll be on my way. There're some spare clothes in the wardrobe, you can keep them. Also, this room is rented out for another 2 days so you can live here for now. After that you're on your own. I suggest finding some work fast."

With these words Roland leaves the room and I'm left alone in the silence.

Where am I? Nobles? Monsters? … What is this, a dream? Did I die and this is the afterlife? Or is it hell...? Ahhh…I truly don't know…