Chapter Nine

It's cold and dark. There's a soft murmuring sound in the distance and the sound of dripping water plopping onto concrete echoes. A pulse resonates like a heartbeat; the vibration tightens every time it throbs.

Eleanor cracks her eyes open only to see darkness, but there is a dim light ahead. Her vision is blurred, and the world seems to shake. Her consciousness begins to fade once again. Behind her, she can hear quiet murmurs behind her as if there are ghosts here, whispering.

Suddenly the world around Eleanor shakes violently like an earthquake; the throbbing tightens like a knot in her skull. As her senses slowly recollect. The taste of iron dripping from her mouth and an ear piercing ring deafens her as she groans. She holds her head to mitigate the pain, but the aching will not stop.

"Are you okay?"

A shaky voice alarms Eleanor, making her quickly turn toward it, a woman sitting next to her with a worried look. But the lady isn’t the only one here with her. The darkness in the room slowly lights up as Eleanor’s eyes adjust, revealing more; men, women, children, and iron bars. Rows of cells separated by walls of rubble are full of people in tunics and hide clothing, the townsfolk of Greenbourge. child-like whimpers echo combined with low groans from people lying on the floor in fetal positions and sitting up with wounds.

Eleanor slowly rises from the dank cobblestone floor, her arms trembling and feeling her head flipping. She turns to the only source of light leaking in the room from beyond the cage she’s in; the barred windows of the wooden double doors. "Where are we?" Eleanor frantically asks.

"We are in some kind of fort in the north of Greenbourge," a man replies.

"How could this happen?" A woman weeps. "My children, they’re..."

"For now, let's calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I witnessed my own children slaughtered before me!"

The woman’s cries seem to make others sob a bit louder while huddling and holding each other like animals keeping warm. For Eleanor, every word is like a blow to her head, making the aching tighter like it’s being crushed.

"Please... You'll alert them," a man begs with his hands clasped together.

The large wooden double doors suddenly slam open, making the townsfolk shriek.

"You guys are a noisy bunch." A masked man stands in front of the open doorway and glares. This one is different from the others that are wearing animal hide; massive different colored fur is sewed in a messy way around his body like armor, practically making him look like a beast himself. A steel shoulder plate on his left and below hanging on his waist is a sword. The masked man enters along with a small group of underlings then nodding to one of them to shut the door behind them.

"Wh-who are you people!?" A man from another cell demands.

The masked man in front takes off his mask and smirks. He has a long greasy beard, a scar on his eye, and moldy skin like bathing didn’t exist. "We're bandits, of course. Me and the boys just want to go over some of our findings." Waving his finger at one of his followers. They toss a large bag in the center of the room, landing in a heavy thud and clinks.

The bandit leader pulls up a small stool then reaches into the bag. He pulls out a pouch and pours out some coins and jewelry then waves it like a child getting their hands on some candy.

Eleanor darts to her hip. The book and satchel are missing. Her heart sinks as she looks back at the bandit reaching in the big bag.

"You already have our riches, so let us out!"

"Shut up!" The bandit bellows; his voice shaking the room, scaring children to tears and causing him to laugh. "Tell your kids to shut up, or I'll do it for you!"

The parents around Eleanor all hold their children close, covering their whimpers while telling them that everything will be okay.

"I have you people locked up because we're not done with you lot yet." There’s a pause to his words and continues digging through the bag, not glancing back. Another pouch gets pulled out and drops more gold coins onto the cobblestone floor, clinking and rolling around the bandit’s feet.. "We still have to sell all of you off to become slaves," he finally says, sneering.

The townsfolk gasp, then there’s silent sobs in every cell while the group of bandits just laugh at them.

More bags and purses are dug out, and every coin and gem that the bandits can find are piled together. With every sack that the bandit leader pulls out, Eleanor’s heart beats faster into her ears, and the throbbing headache gets worse by the second.

"Oh, would you look at this!" The bandit leader pulls out a book.

Eleanor gasps.

"Woah! It's a Five Star Armament!"

On the cover of the book, there’ five rainbow stars; four on each corner and one slightly larger size in the center with a golden design around the edges. The bandit leader flips through the pages, but his expression quickly darkens. "The pages are all empty!" He clicks his tongue with ice cold eyes. "No matter. It still can fetch a good price." The bandit tosses the book in the pile of riches.

The beating gets louder and louder like Eleanor’s heart and mind are about to burst. Then a brown bag gets pulled out, her satchel. Eyes widening as the bandit unbuttons the bag and takes out all of her coins. Then out comes the black skull.

"Oh, would you loo-"

"Don't touch that!" Eleanor snaps, clinging onto the iron bars and reaching out her arm. "Give it back!"

The bandits all laugh at her. The leader sticks out the brooch and waves at her while snickering. "What's this? A gift from a lover?"

"Give it back to me!"

"Wait, maybe this is a memento!"

Eleanor goes dead silent and pale.

A flash before her eyes of a man with white hair wearing a red and black robe standing next to a black-haired woman in a black and white dress, smiling warmly at her then disappears as Eleanor blinks. She bares her teeth and shouts at the top of her lungs, "You can keep my grimoire for all I care; just give me back my brooch!"

"That book was yours?" The bandits laugh at her again.

The leader picks up the grimoire and holds it up. "This Armament is a joke to the Five Stars!" He slams the book back onto the stone floor. "Our boss's Four Star Armament is stronger than yours!"

"Boss? You mean you're not?" An elderly man asks in a trembling voice.

"Of course not." The bandit leader stands up and raises both his arms up. "I'm just leading our little brothers. Our boss is the most terrifying bandit of the western lands of Dwelleen!"

"Hey! I told you to give me back my brooch! Says Eleanor.

"Oh, right." The bandit leader shakes his head and shrugs. "I'm sorry, missy; you're just so forgettable."

Eleanor grinds her teeth and violently kicks the iron bars repeatedly.

"You want this little gem that bad? Then come and get it!" The bandit leader nods his head toward his lackeys. The group of masked men open the cell door and drag Eleanor out. She wriggles about with little strength she has left but it’s futile. Then they toss her onto the ground.

Eleanor grunts, head throbbing severely; her vision shaking as if her eyes are trembling.

"Get up and fight, kitten!" The bandit leader holds up the skull brooch in front of Eleanor and sticks his tongue out, mocking her.

With the remaining strength that Eleanor has left, she steadily stands back up.

"You're foolish, girl!" A lady cries from behind

"Stop this madness!" says a man from the left side. Then other townsfolk join in yelling.

"She's just a kid!"

"Leave her alone!"

"Shut up!" The leader's voice booms.

Silence fills the room.

"Let this girl be an example to all of you."

Eleanor glares at the sneering bandit in front of her. After taking a deep breath, she charges, raising her fist up. But a nearby bandit extends his foot out, and trips her.

More hysterical laughter fills the room.

Rising back up and knees trembling, Eleanor pushes herself off the ground and lunges. Her fist soars straight at the leader, but he catches it in his hand.

"Weak." The bandit leader grins and hurls a blow to Eleanor’s gut.

The air inside of Eleanor bursts out then falling to her knees and coughing. Her breathing tightens, and her head pulses like ripples. She extends her arm out, reaching for the brooch in the bandit’s hand, taking every bit of her strength to even lift her arm. "Give... it... back..."

The bottom of the bandit’s boot meets her gaze and slams into Eleanor’s face, falling back to the damp stone floor. Pain tramples all over her, feeling crushed under the rain of stomps and the sounds of snickering. Eleanor covers her head with her arms and shuts her eyes, not strong enough to do anything. Not strong enough to fight back. The throbbing worsens like it’s about to explode and her breathing feels like daggers piercing into her lungs. The taste of iron, all in her mouth. Hot tears stream down Eleanor’s face and soak her arms. She wants to run from this place; she doesn’t want to be here any longer. Her head is going to explode. Please... someone... just make it stop.

Bang!

Multiple shouts and loud crashes ceases the pain. Eleanor looks up from the ground. The door to the entrance of the prison is wide open, two bandits lying on the floor, and a stranger with black hair, in a brown leather jacket, wielding a sword and shield, standing tall and valiantly.

"Who the hell are you?" The bandit leader demands

The young man glares like a beast with those dark brown eyes then jabs his thumb to his chest. "I'm Eden Alistar, and I'm here to kick your ass!"