《The Uprising》


 Prologue

    This place¡­just how badly treated are these people?


    No matter how you look at the area, you just can¡¯t seem to see any sign of hope left. The huts were full of holes and the streets were blackened with muck of all sorts. Moans and groans sounded from every nook and cranny of the street as the deranged citizens frantically scramble back and forth.


    So this is how people outside the kingdom lived their lives¡­it may be a fool¡¯s errand, bur perhaps I can do something to change things¡­as frail as my current standing is in The Court¡­


    ¡°Ah, Prince Darex! My, my, my it¡¯s good to see you here! You are a very refreshing sight to behold in this filthy, sub-urban cesspool of crawling beggars and whores.¡±


    A plump, white figure exclaimed whilst bounding towards me, his voice filled with eagerness and brimming with friendliness ¨C but the glow in his eyes speak of other tales.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°...Who are you?¡± I asked, hoping to avoid his continuation of the flamboyant fa?ade. It was obvious that this was a false display of affection towards royalty in hopes of gaining some sort of favor.


    ¡°Oh, of course, of course! How could I have forgotten to introduce myself? My sincerest apologies, milord. Ah ¨C my name is Porodius de Fone. But before you, I am but a simple man so feel free to call me Poro.¡± He paused for a second before continueing, ¡°I presume you are here for the problem of the riots, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am. Lets proceed to a better place for further ¨C ¡°


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that now, is there?¡± Interrupted the stout man as he motioned for a brightly coloured carriage behind him.


    ¡°All due preparations are in order, Prince Darex.¡± A man sitting on the horse in front saluted as Poro beckoned me to board the carriage.


    The moment I approached the carriage, it happened all at once. A blinding light consumed the area followed by a roaring explosion which sent me flying backwards. A deafening sound rang through my head as I grasped around blindly for a weapon but before I could focus my vision, a sharp pain surged through my skull andall senses halted.

 Chance

    ¡­How many days has it been since I was trapped here?


    Resting my dry, coarse palms on the cold floor of the hollow cell, I glanced wearily around me for the umpteenth time. Hair draped over my eyelids like curtains, obscuring what little vision I had. The sight before me, however, never changes. A bucket filled with a couple of days¡¯ shit sat before me, tempting me to grace its presence with the moulded bread I had yesterday. The walls were, as usual, scarred by my markings.


    Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been here for about a year now.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, though, I didn¡¯t dread that. After all, unlike the poor fellow that got dragged out by a few brawny men after losing his sanity, I was anything but mad.


    ¡­Guess it¡¯s time to start my daily routine.


    Pushing myself off the binding comfort of the iron-hard mattress, I forced myself onto two limbs ¨C then four ¨C as I proceeded with my disciplined physical regime. That¡¯s right. Every minute, no, second wasted is an opportunity to hone the body lost. And time was the one thing I couldn¡¯t waste in this god forsaken place.


    ¡­53¡­54¡­55¡­56¡­57¡­


    As my hardened muscles did its work, I quickly took a few glances at the mangled corpse hung in the cell opposite me.


    Were the guards so lazy now that they couldn¡¯t even bother to clear a few bodies?


    The stench attracting the swarms of sex-crazed flies preparing for mating season fit right into this picturesque hell hole. Pungent as it is, nothing I¡¯m not well acquainted enough with, though.


    Readin a book once about how when a man¡¯s sense of taste and smell get accustomed to something, everything tastes delicious...makes sense.


    Suddenly, I stopped. Something was wrong. No, something was too right. Sure enough, at night when the tired ghouls stopped tormenting my poor neighbours, silence was of the norm. But it wasn¡¯t night time. Yet I could hear the fleeting wings of flies a few metres away from me. It was too quiet. Letting my body fall naturally to the ground, I pressed my ear against the floor.


    No footsteps. Strange.


    I sat up again, this time, staring straight at the floor of my cell¡¯s door.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The patrols should come around this time. I¡¯ll wait.


    Seconds passed, then minutes.


    An hour passed and still no sign of life save the hungering insects.


    Very strange.


    I checked the small light flittering from the small gap they call a ¡°window¡±. I wasn¡¯t hallucinating.


    Good. But what is this then? Where are the guards? In fact, where are all the ¨C


    A thunderous crack followed by the sound of a door being blown away resounded through the cells as countless hurried footsteps made their way into the chamber. Instinctively, I fell flat on my front and listened intently to the footsteps. Play dead. It¡¯s a tactic used by idiots in front of idiots. At least that¡¯s the kind of impression it gives off. But when you¡¯re a half-naked man, incapable of magic, strapped in nothing but a semi-torn cloth around your waist, playing dead could be your ultimate move. It¡¯s what that got me this far, after all. Every time the guards came to show me some ¡°love¡±, they would see a motionless body lying on the ground.


    Probably killed their interest.


    The approaching footsteps snapped me out of my retrospection. Hearing the weight of their footings and the clanging of their armour, they are probably well equipped. Depending on the situation, this may or may not be the chance I¡¯ve been waiting for.


    No jumping the gun yet.


    Reminding myself of the countless possibilities these unwelcomed guests may bring, I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing.


    Well, if worst comes to worst, I still have that. No need to be hasty for now.


    Remembering my backup plans refuelled my confidence. The footsteps gradually grew louder, now almost comedic, like a baby¡¯s first steps ¨C messy but concentrated.


    Thud, thud, thud, thud. Thud.


    They stopped.


    Right outside my door were a couple of nincompoops standing completely still.


    Bam!


    The door slammed onto the floor as the hinges snapped, making me slightly flinch.


    Shit!


    Anticipating it and having it happen are two different things. Knowing that didn¡¯t change anything though.


    Did they find out?


    I waited nervously.


    A few seconds passed before¡­before the movements resumed its routine march.


    Huh.


    While that was an unappreciated experience, it did show they were after something. After all, they didn¡¯t stop by any other cells, only mine, and they sure as hell wouldn¡¯t be interested in a corpse.


    Questions clouded my mind as I waited a few more minutes for the footsteps to distance. No need to be hasty now. The last thing I needed was a sorry mistake made at the start of my grand plan.


    That¡¯s right. I mustn¡¯t forget the torture I went through to survive. The pain, shame and disgust they put me through ¨C those fucking swine. I¡¯ll make sure to carve my name into their skin, no, not Laventus Darex ¨C that man is long dead. Darx. Four simple letters engraved into their very soul. But I mustn¡¯t let this hatred blind me. Fools throughout centuries have made the mistake of letting their emotions get the better of them ¨C I need to constantly remind myself: Feelings are good servants, but, like fire, can be very playful and dangerous masters.


    Alright, enough of the self-pity and fumbling around my own emotions. Time to move.


    Picking myself off the floor as silently as I can, I manoeuvred around the fallen door and peeked from behind the wall.


    Left ¨C check. Right ¨C check. Good.


    Whatever my would-be assailants were after are none of my business, but this is a chance I can take ¨C a chance I may never receive again. A chance to start anew.

 Desolation

    Turning left was indeed the better choice. After all, that was where my visitors came from.


    Since they decided to head further into the prison themselves, no need to bother them now, do I?


    Keeping myself close to a wall and running as fast as possible, I finally saw what seemed like a speck of light at the end of this murky tunnel.


    Picking up the pace, I sped forth, every step bringing my hopes of escape to greater heights.


    Ah.


    A different speck of light sparkled a few yards in front of me


    The view before me as I burst out of the damp flea¡¯s nest was¡­unpleasant, to say the least.


    ¡°Hey¡­you¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me¡­¡± I whispered in irritation to no one in particular as I took a few seconds to take in the scenery before me. Well, ¡°scenery¡± is too nice a word to use, more like ¡°where-the-fuck-am-I¡±.


    Strange markings and wordings decorated the walls of the dimly lit tunnel. This new area was certainly brighter than the shit-hole I came from, but the light illuminating the place was¡­strange. There were no other words to describe the prospect before me. Aside from the fact that my vision was clearer than before, nothing seemed even close to ¡°natural¡±. Purplish, glowing rocks were jutting out from the walls and the air smelled thick and musty. While those were off-putting enough, there were more pressing issues at hand.


    As my eyes adjusted itself to the new lighting, I noticed a few oddities.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡­6¡­7.


    Staring back at me were 7 pairs of soul-less eyes, their bodies scarred and limp. Judging by their clothes, they were probably my friendly captors that I missed. Or not. Draped in simple, grey cloths, those fellows looked more like apostles of monks than soldiers.


    There are a couple of questions I really need answers to.


    But first¡­


    Dropping to the floor, I listened intently with my left ear kissing the soothingly cold earth.


    Good.


    Life was far from close.


    Priorities: Food, water and shelter.


    After carefully examining the sandy cave-like walls, it seemed that the rocks were natural gemstones that gave off the funny lighting. Pondering my options, I finally settled on trying to pry them out with a small dagger looted from one of the poor fellows.


    ¡°Snap!¡±


    Despite putting in every ounce of my strength, I only managed to chip off a small shard of the large lodestone.


    Pity. Well, better than nothing I suppose.


    Having a portable light source will surely come in handy. Putting the stone aside, I moved on to my next task.


    Time to get some food.


    I could try to eat a few parts of the corpses before me, seeing how only some parts of them were starting to rot.


    Must be due to the lack of warmth and sunlight¡­poor fucks can¡¯t even rot properly.


    But that would also increase the risk of me contracting all kinds of diseases. Not wise. Especially for someone who can¡¯t even use magic to heal or cure illnesses.


    After plundering their satchels, I only managed to find some dry meat, a make-shift stone knife (?) and a half-filled canteen.


    At least they have decent clothing.


    Your average Mr. Sane would probably wince at the thought of groping around a corpse¡¯s body let alone actually do it. But living surrounded by death can really condition your senses, huh.


    After a few minutes of making sure that I could salvage every bit of useful item I could find, I pocketed the gemstone, took a few glances into the hole where I left and sighed.


    Better not linger around.


    Moving as stealthily and as quickly as possible, I started towards the only path to take: Forward.