Rise of The Holy-Realm Rebel

By the said next day the dungeon lit up with tens of mounted torches. Torches that had been left unlit throughout our stay. Another display of "Flame-craft".

Soon after, several men trooped in, and being no less than 20 in number each one of those men stood before a cell—Their very presence generating fear in our hearts.

I looked unto the man who had been assigned to my cell. Like most of them, he looked young, but not dumb. The activities of the ongoing conflict had hardened him. He oozed the same conviction as all his other mates.

"Obey, or die," he announced with hostility married to his very breath. It stained our hearts with apprehension but also forced us to comply.

The entrance slid open and he stepped in. He was tall.

He glanced at the side, where the decaying corpse lay and a singular mass of orange flames flickered into existence before him, before shooting towards the mass of rotting flesh that barely resembled a man now.

I flinched. We all did.

'Does he not have a nose?' I asked inwardly, cringing in disgust at the sight and resultant smell of his actions.

Tossing an object that clinked at me, he tore my attention off the burning corpse. I caught it but looked at it in initial confusion before understanding dawned on me. His words further helped to clarify.

"Cuff yourselves, and be quick about it," he commanded after throwing cuffs at the others too. We each exchanged gazes but did as he said.

In no time we were cuffed.

Clad in simple brown attire and a pair of black boots, the young man assigned to us led us out of our cells and out of the dungeon in total.

A long hallway appeared in my sight. The entrance to the dungeon was teeming with other men. Armed men.

But I understood it didn't take a sword to know they were armed. Those who didn't have physical weapons were more armed to me, as that state showed they were more confident in their other abilities than in weapons.

Nevertheless, that display was required to further keep us in check.

I followed silently—we all did. The hallway was painted black with red patterns here and there. Being lit with flaming torches, we could see clearly.

At the end of the rather long hallway, the outside world unfolded in my eyes. I recoiled from daylight-dazzle. It was morning now, and the sun's light felt blinding.

"Move it!" Someone commanded from behind. I obeyed, but still blinked multiple times to adjust as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I still couldn't move quickly enough, as my lungs gasped for a breath of fresh air.

I swore air had never tasted so good In all my life, and I wasn't the only one to feel and react this way.

That breath of air filled my bones with strength, false strength though.

Directly outside the dungeon's area was a small sandy field.

My gaze landed on tens of carriages attached to horses, but that sight wasn't exactly surprising. The trees surrounding us took most of my attention.

That prison stood in the middle of seemingly nowhere. A hill stood out in the thick forest, however. It was an interesting sight, to say the least.

'How did we get here?' I wondered, still following our leader. The other two were before me.

The young soldier led us to one of those many carriages and ushered us in. We obeyed.

"You will sit and wait, or die," he commanded.

'Yeah yeah we get it,' I snorted inwardly. He left. I shook my head after. Who did he think he was?

Our carriage was capable of taking at least seven others, and Its details were rather simple.

Its roof was curved and we could only enter or exit through its rear. Two long platforms had been constructed on either side allowing us to sit facing each other.

We waited for others to join us, and they did. Surprisingly their assigned lead had been less hostile than ours.

'I guess he just has an issue with us or is having a bad day.'

It didn't take long for our carriage to be filled.

One other detail was that there were chains allocated for every prisoner and someone came in to attach our cuffs to those chains, binding us to the carriage itself. It allowed us movement but were anything to go wrong with the carriage, we'd be in big trouble.

Prisoners were led to their respective carriages, and most had been mostly docile as their fighting spirits had been crushed. Nevertheless, a commotion eventually unfolded.

One of us resisted the command and assaulted one of those soldiers.

"The empire will never prevail!" Screamed the said man dashing towards one of our captors whilst being cuffed.

"He has a death wish," I muttered, watching that fruitless struggle play out through the carriage's rear—We all did.

Of course, his assault failed. Those men played with him until the sandy ground shook and spikes shot out to impale him. His blood stained that portion of the sandy field, as somber silence hung over every prisoner who had watched it play out.

That rather disappointing scene unfolded in our eyes, casting a new wave of darkness within our hearts. I took in a deep breath. 'Sad.'

That was "Earth-Craft".

A long line of prisoners streamed out of the dark passageway, and every prisoner that beheld the bloodied picture of the impaled man for the first time swallowed hard.

In no time we all were bound within our carriages—like the filthy war prisoners we were, and were ready to be transported to our slave camps.

Each carriage was manned by one man, and pulled by one horse. A simple, nigh low-cost method of transporting us.

We set out not too long after, and the cracking of whips roared into existence as every carriage man acted to make sure his horse moved.

As those carriages trooped out of the sandy field we disappeared into the trees that hid its presence.

Now within the forest, I experienced what I'd consider the best things since I awoke In this era.

The scent of fresh air, the coolness of the forest breeze, the pleasant sounds that sprung forth from random places all around us.

Were it not for the gloomy atmosphere within the carriage and the grim significance of that large party, I'd reckon this experience to be paradise.

But of course, I cannot ignore the fact that I was now a slave of a conflict I had only woken up to.

I heaved a deep sigh as I reviewed the info I obtained the night before. I, in truth, tried to stay off the matter, but to no avail. Besides, merely glancing at the guy who had told me all I knew, further reminded me.

'I might have fallen into real trouble this time,' I sighed again.