Shadow in captivity

He felt an explosion and radiance of fire all over his body and right now was fully awake. Nick check his surroundings and was well aware of what is happening. He had already been in similar situations where his life is at stake and many years in prison so the feeling of imprisonment didn't make him uncomfortable at all. He didn't even flinch and was smart to observe first and gather information about the place where he's been and then decide and make a move.

Nick listens carefully to mixed voices of different topics from bandits that are commenting explosion that Sieghart caused and the whole conversation between the captain and him.

He was well aware that needs to stay silent and pretend that is unconscious if wants to escape and eventually survive. If he shows signs that is awake now, they are not going to send him with Sieghart on the mission, they will probably kill him just for an example and it is obvious that in their eyes girl named Allanoya is a far more valued prisoner than a him.

Understanding and accepting the whole situation didn't surprise him at all, he was the same as Sieghat and Allanoya, he was from a world where is easy to accept such a situation, and Nick especially didn't care. This world or another is the same, he needs to survive and live enough to enjoy the pleasures of life. If this is really another world then maybe this is a chance for him to start a new life.

After he felt a knife under his throat and hear that Sieghart departed he was a little sorry for him. They are going just to use him - he thought. They are going just to use him and send him on a suicide mission. If they all didn't manage to kill that monster, what chances did he has even with that magic? Captain clearly said that he still doesn't know how to use it yet. He is just a sacrificial pawn, go there, challenge a monster, and if he manages to wound him and defeat him it will be good for them, but if he dies, they are still okay with that. No loss for them. Knowing that he was now sure that the lives of him and Allanoya are also worthless and that they will not fulfill the deal that they made with Sieghart. Even if he succeeds somehow, they will kill them. He needs to escape as soon as possible - Nick thought.

He spends some time thinking about what to do and then notice that Allanoya is starting to wake up. Right now it was very late and almost all the bandits in the camp were sleeping. Just a couple of them outside was on the guard. It was dead silence all over and just the sound of a forest full of crickets, owls, and a nearby river. Smoke was still going from the tree that Sieghart destroyed and the campfire was long ago extinguished so no bigger source of light was there, only moonlight that was reflecting sparkles from a nearby river.

Allanoya looked at him and he silently explained to her the whole situation. They conclude that no matter what happens they need to escape by the morning otherwise they are all dead. But how they are going to do that? Tightly tied ropes leave them not too much space to move.

Then in the middle of the night, Allanoya noticed some familiar figure how it coming to her. It was a dog that help them. She was happy. The dog comes near her and looked at her while panting.

"Good boy, but please stay silent, I can't pet you right now. I'm happy that you are okay" - she said while in the background Nick was trying to release his ropes.

To their surprise, the dog comes behind her and started chewing and biting ropes trying to release her. But no hope. He didn't manage to do anything. Then Nick slowly said "Hey doggy, good boy, come here and try same with my ropes." and moved with tied hands behind the wooden fence trying to show the dog what to do. The dog obediently did what Nick asked and started to bite, chew, and try to pull the ropes and this time it was a success.

Nick knew how to escape and release the bondage of ropes but he was not able to do it without a little help. Dog manage to make ropes wetter and loosen them a little which was enough for some experienced like him to do the rest. He was free now.

"Good boy, very good boy" - he said while patting the dog on the head then he moved with very caution and come close to Allanoya and released her.

"Thank you Nick" - she said and Nick nodded to her then replied in a very silent voice "We need to escape now and try to move between tents without someone noticing us. The guards there are not moving so we have a chance to escape".

She took a dog in her hands and together with Nick while crouching started to move into the middle of the camp so they can escape. Bandits were sleeping in their tents and many of them fell asleep outside, just lying in a chair or on tatch bed that was lying down on the ground. One wrong move that causes a noise and they are done. There will be no way to escape and defend against of horde of bloodthirsty soldiers. So they proceed very carefully and managed to come near tents.

Just a couple of meters ahead and they will be able to escape. Nick saw a rag with weapons full of swords, spears, and axes and decide to take on it before he escape.

"Go ahead with the dog. I will just take some weapon while we have a chance and come to you. We will need it if we want to survive in the forest." - Nick said while starting to go in another direction. Allanoya nodded and continue its way while Nick quickly take two swords and one spear and returned to her.

The passage between tents was very narrow and ropes that held tents to the ground were almost invisible due to night so they had a hard time making a way. Nick had to offer one sword to Allanoya to hold so he can move more easily and avoid obstacles without making a noise and the moment she took the hilt of the sword in her hand mixed with her desire to see more clearly in the dark trigger unintentionally magic in her and bind it to the sword making a sword full of light.

The whole sword started to glow with white light like a big lamp. Making it visible across all camp. The light rays at night hit each sleeping bandit like a needle making them fully awake and on their feet. They immediately saw and figure out what is happening starting to yell and take their weapons making it so that even others that were sleeping in the tents become awake.

Nick and Allanoya didn't realize how that happened but quickly accepted the situation and started to move very fast and they were almost near the exit.

One bandit that was in the tent near them saw the light and cut the tent with the sword making it a passage and coming at them trying to kill them. She heard a gunshot that almost makes her def and the bandit was lying on the ground dead. Nick was quick and took one down with his gun to buy a time so they can escape. But one of the guards that were near the exit jumped behind Nick and started to strangle him. Allanoya was scared and try to fight it and took it off Nick to help him but the pressure was too high because all others were just a couple of meters near and were coming at them.

She wanted to help but didn't know how nor she had the strength to do it but also didn't want to run alone and leave Nick behind even if she was able to do it. At that moment while she places her hand in front of her in the defense position a fire started to burn in front of her, a fire so intense that was more like lava than fire. All bandits took a step back and everything was so quick and heat so high that tents caught fire and started to burn, even chairs and other wooden stuff.

Bandits change their pursuit and started trying to put off the fire and rescue resources while they can and their heads. The smoke was so intense and the sound from a blazing fire make a great opportunity for them to escape. Nick managed to defeat his opponent and stab him with the spear in the stomach, taking the rest of the weapons he had with him, and together with Allanoya they started to run to the forest and managed to escape leaving a burning camp full of bandits behind them.

It was almost morning, they were moving without rest, trying to put as much as they can greater distance from the place they escaped. They manage to find the road and blindly follow him but this time more cautiously than before. They didn't want to be captured again. After some time they felt that they managed to go very far and slowed down. Right now they were going slowly, taking a break like that and the dog was with them. They discussed the whole situation and couldn't believe that they can use magic and that this is another world.

"Is there any way to go and help Sieghat, I feel a little sorry for him, he went out there because of us." - she said and Nick replied "I would like to help him but unfortunately we have no clue where he went. Captain gives him a map and without it, I doubt we will find him, and returning closer to camp and waiting for him is suicide. In the end, I doubt that he will be able to survive alone."

Allanoya felt a little sad about that and her depression return a little but just as the Nick said, they were no way to help him or find him.

While they were going Nick try to practice the sword hits and it was almost a none. They both were thirsty and hungry and with no food or water with them. All they were able to do is to continue and try to find some people. This time that is not bandits.

"Look it is a house, actually I can see a lot of them, I think we found a village" - Allanoya said with a very happy tone in her voice.

"Definitely a village, but be cautious, we don't know what we are going to find there." - Nick said.

When they entered the village, they were all surprised. It was actually full of people and very lively. People that looked like medieval peasants were all around, working in the fields nearby, some of them moving trees in carriages and a lot of others of them wearing clothes similar to like from the victorian age. There were also a lot of animals, even on the streets, like a chicken. Houses were made of wood and clay and a couple of them were made from brick, and some of them had red roofs full of green mold made of clay but some of them had simple hay roofs. They saw a lot of houses where people live but also a lot of shops like taverns, blacksmiths, and people selling vegetables and fruits. A big mill was also there moving slowly on the wind making a huge noise and a lot of people waiting there with sacks full of grains. Also, a smaller river was there but it was deep enough for a couple of people to fish there.

"I'm so hungry after seeing all this food, but we don't have any kind of money with us" - Allanoya said and the dog started to mingle and just run away.

"Well while I was in a bandit camp I took a little extra, not just weapons" - replied Nick with a smile on his face putting a hand in his pocket he take a couple of silver coins. He didn't know how much they are valuable but probably can buy something.

They decided to go to the tavern that was there and try to see if they can get food and collect more info about the world they were in.

"How much food can we get for this money" - Nick said while putting money on the wooden desk in front of the bartender.

"It will be enough for you two." - said the bartender while cleaning the glass and looking at Nick and Allanoya then started yelling at the staff in the kitchen to bring the two lunches then said again "Your fashion is very strange. Are you from some other country?"

"We are travelers from another country and bandits caught us so we lost everything. We don't even know where are we now because we lost our map" - Allanoya said.

"Sorry to hear that. Those bandits are big trouble recently. We noticed the guards and hope that they will get them soon. By the way, this is a Bellmare and you are in Andovia kingdom" - the bartender said then one old woman bring two plates of food and put them in front of them.

Both of them started eating immediately like they never saw food before and the food was tasty. A full plate of a stew full of various vegetables, roasted meat, cheese, and bread plus the bartender poured two cups of wine and said that it is on a house.

Bellmare was a small village in central Andovia more to the southwest and it was mostly a village full of farmers and peaceful but recently as more monsters started rampaging across the land, seeing adventures from another country was not a rare sight. However, people here are welcome and will always try to help people, and bandits that made a camp near it started to be a threat to them so they tried to be nice and polite to any stranger as they can, to try not to provoke bandits accidentally. But the bartender was able to see that these two are not bandits and that they are clearly not adventures so he believed in the story that they traveled from another country and got robbed by them.

They finished their meal and were satisfied. Hunger was not present anymore and they felt relaxed then Nick asked the bartender a question "We are coming from a place that does not have magic users, can you tell me something more about it, I'm curious."

"There is not too much to tell, magic is everywhere but not everyone can use it, I do not know too much about it, and I didn't see anyone here in a village can use it. If you want to know more I suggest to go in Fairgrove, it is a little bigger city not too far from here. I know that there they have magic users for various kinds of jobs. In end, if you can't use magic I would suggest not dwelling too deeply on it. Nobody wants that dangerous thing that can kill you, so it's better to avoid it" he replied to Nick's question.

"Why do you think it is dangerous?" - Allanoya asked with big curious eyes and Nick looked also interested in that answer.

"It's no wonder that you don't know too much about it, not everyone does. What everyone knows is that magic is not something that humans can use freely. There is a cost, magic takes a great toll on your body and eventually will kill you if you overuse it. Many people died because they didn't know how to use it correctly. People that can use magic spend years, even their whole life studying and practicing just to learn some simple speel. It is a thing that requires great knowledge and practice if you want to use it in combat or other practical things. If you are a tourist I suggest visiting Mizumagu, it is a big school for everyone that wants to become a mage and learn how to use magic." - the bartender answered while continuing to remove empty plates from their table.

The bartender was not surprised at all why they are asking about the magic. In this world magic was reserved only for elves, humans could not use it. But some of them managed to find a way and started practicing it. It is something very hard to achieve and many that can use it are using simple spells. People that wanted to become royal mages and work for a king to defend a country can try to apply to a big academy called Mizumagu. They would spend years there to train and become students, and in the end, many would fail and return to work as usual adventurists. It was rare for to someone actually graduate and become a royal mage. But it was the only place where you will be able to find any useful books and tuition about magic.

"Is there any way to earn money here in the village? We would like to apply for some jobs if we can" - Nick asked.

"This is a small village, if you want to work in fields for meals and a place to sleep we would be able to find you something, but if you want to earn money, no, here you will not find any job for that. There is one actually but I think it is not for you, it requires monster hunting. It is for adventurers." - the bartender replied then moved with plates to the kitchen.

Allanoya and Nick agreed that if they want to find a way home and learn more about this world they will try and visit that Mizumagu city, but they need also money otherwise they are not going to survive. They were aware of how dangerous it is, especially because they have no idea what kind of monster it is, but they need to try. Nick still had a gun with 11 bullets left which he thought will be enough to take down one monster and finish the job, and they had with them a couple of melee weapons, not to mention if Allanoya manage to pull again that fire magic like in a bandit camp, there is no way to fail. How hard can it be to kill one monster.

The bartender returned and Nick asked a question again - "What is that job you mention about monster hunting, I think that maybe we can give it a try."

"It is dangerous but I you want to try I'm not going to stop you. You see, this village had a mine, and we were able also to mine ores and sell it in the winter times when we can't do farming, but recently monster got into a mine and make a nest there. People here that are just simple farmers and miners cant return and fight it back. We send requests to adventures, but because of those bandits near they probably avoided this area, and still, nobody come. The village chief will give a large amount of money in gold to anyone who manages to get rid of it and clear the mines. Mines are also over 150 years old and very unstable and not suited for some bigger fight inside it, so you must be careful to not get stuck forever there." - the bartender said.

After a short conversation with a bartender about the job, they managed to get all information that they need and direction on where to go. They asked him if they can rest a little on the table and chair to take nap because it was long ago the last time they managed to sleep, and they wanted to prepare for a hunt. Since the job is essential for all in the village and if they manage to do it, even bartender will have an easy time. So he didn't see any reason to refuse the request and let them rest.

After a long nap, they decided to leave the place and go to the mine.

"If you manage to kill that monster, the next time you return here, you will be village heroes. You will have a launch on the house." - the bartender said with a smile while they were leaving the tavern.

While they were moving on the streets they saw a strange girl. Her black dress with red decorations was all torn and ripped. Like she was in some fight. With her on her back, she had a big sword, her long black hair with a procealune like face was very scary and beautiful at the same time. They were surprised because as she walked on the street people would move and let her pass and many around were praying to her. She was well respected by the people for some reason. At that moment she stopped and slowly make a tilt in the direction of Allanoya and Nick. She started to watch them for some moment and smiled. Allanoya and Nick feel uncomfortable and try to move as fast as they can, leaving the village very soon.

Mine that they were looking for was actually not so far from the village, they had no trouble finding it. It was on the smaller mountain on the other side of the village. The entrance was old and very large but they were able to see that most beams were replaced and fixed later which tells that this mine was in use until recently. The bartender didn't lie. Allanoya take a big spear and had one sword with her while Nick kept the sword with him also but had a gun in his hands. Mine was dark and it was hard to see. The smell of something dead was intense as they moved more and more deep telling that whatever monster was inside it was probably eating animals and making a mini graveyard inside. Dust with the earth was falling from the ceiling from time just to mix with the air making him dustier.

Allanoya was cursing about why she didn't have a cell phone with her to use a flashlight and Nick didn't have it either, so they try to use the trick they manage to pull in the bandit camp and it was successful. Nick try to make a sword glow with light but no matter what he did it was no use, on the other side Allanoya didn't have such a problem. She takes the sword, even the spear that was holding it, and just thought about making it glow and the whole weapon would start to glow. However, she noticed that each time she tried to do that it would make her nauseated and she remembered the bartender's words that magic can hurt you, so she decided to not play too much while they are on the job.

The whole spear was radiating light for a couple of minutes then slowly started to cease and she would repeat that process making it glow again. White light rays were penetrating the dusty air creating lines and making it visible.

They didn't know how deep they were and the exact route because there were a couple of intersections but they decided to follow the rooted smell of dead animals and very soon they started seeing more and more bones. Some of them were old and white and some of them still had bloody flesh on them. It was clear they are near the nest of the monster. Their hearts were pounding and awaiting every moment of what can appear in the dark.

Then they heard a big scream like a growl that was penetrating their ears and the closed claustrophobic space made a sound bounce around making it eerier. Allanoya moved the light source in that direction of the sound, then they saw it. A long big creature with large teeths and body similar to a wolf but with no fur was there growling and looking at them with scary black eyes.

Nick didn't want to lose the chance so he shoots the monster with three hits but it was not enough to take it down. Creature started to bleed some strange black blood but now was mad and in a rage. Quickly creature started to run towards them and Allanoya tried to block a path and stab the creature with the spear but monster was to strong and just move aside making the spear to get stuck in its body Allanoya flew away and hit the wall with her back. She was not strong enough to pull the spear back and now the wild raging monster was growling and crying, and moving left and right with the spear that still radiated light.

The monster was in great pain clearly showing that spear did the bigger damage than bullets. Nick tried to shoot a few times more the creature making it bleed more but it was still not enough to take it down. The monster jumped at Nick and he dropped his gun, a mistake that he was cursing.

The creature tried again to attack but Nick quickly jumped and dodge it and take with hands spear that was stuck in the monster's body and putting him deeper in the flesh making the creature cry even more and started to jump and move quickly in the all direction to try to throw it off from him Nick that was still holding the spear and moving along the monster.

Rocks started to fall from the ceiling and the walls with each hit that monster did with its head and body and Nick was probably injured from all those hits. The chain reaction of falling rocks in the unstable mine make a new opening from other tunnels and caves but the monster still didn't stop, but it was clear that it got weaker.

"Try to light up a sword and attacked it again, it seems that is weak to light" - Nick said while still trying to hold onto the monster in one place. Allanoya that was still recovering from the previous hit, took her sword and with a little push of magic make him glow in the dark she almost fell from the ground from the dizziness because of magic overuse and she was able to stand up and with swift move ahead she stabs the monster with another weapon but this time she manages to pull the sword back and stab it once more. A big growl like scream happened again and the monster started to jump and rage even more than before.

Nick couldn't hold the monster and spear anymore and finished down on the ground in big pain while the monster's tail hit Allanoya in the chest making her unable to breathe for a moment, she down on her knees trying to catch a breath and recover not even aware of her surroundings.

The monster was weak and wounded with blood dripping from its body, but still had a lot of strength to fight back. One simple attack and both of them would be dead. Creature prepared for the attack trying to jump and bite Allanoya then suddenly a big shadow started to squeeze the monster making him more and more unable to move. It was like a big snake that catch its prey rendering it unable to move until it is dead. They were watching but didn't know what is happening and as soon the monster was bound enough and down on the ground completely unable to move Nick took his sword and stab the monster in the head. It was dead. To make sure it is dead he stabs it a couple of times again.

The shadow that was holding the monster started to disappear and move away from it, slowly returning to one of the hole in the cave that appeared after the monster was raging and hitting mine walls.

Then they heard someone coughing in there. It was human sound. Nick gives a hand to Allanoya and helps her to stand. Then together they went to check if someone is there. Whoever was there, it was clear that helped them with the monster.

When they make a step through the opening and made it visible with the light they saw a man with long black hair, and a long beard, all in dusty and ripped old clothes that were chained and cuffed on the wall with one hand down, still cuff on it. Tremor and falling rocks probably make it loose enough for him to release one hand and cast some magic the help them with the monster.

They were surprised beyond anything and the man started to talk something in an unknown language and Allanoya replied: "Sorry, but whatever you are saying we don't understand you."

"Can you help me and release me?" - imprisoned man said with a slow barely hearable voice while raising his head and giving a look to both Nick and Allanoya.