Activity

Alright, Vrahe is joining now. Let’s see how this goes.

 

                                              

Vrahe woke to his alarm blaring a familiar song.

Enter Sandman by Metallica. Today will be a good day. I love it when I wake up to a classic. 

Mentally dismissing the alarm through his implant, Vrahe sat up and looked around his room. Despite the almost total darkness around him, Vrahe could see his surroundings as though they were bathed in noonday sun.

Leaning over, he gently kissed Laguna on her forehead and then slipped silently out of bed. Dressing swiftly, Vrahe left the room and padded down the stairs. Stopping momentarily before the door, he slipped into his runners and settled his pack onto his shoulders. Sliding out of his door, he instinctively flattened himself against the wall and surveyed his environment in the faint light of the setting moon.

Content that there was no threat in his immediate surroundings, Vrahe took off into the woods that encroached on the back of tavern. Settling into an easy lope, Vrahe split his mind. He left a part of himself in charge of his body, reacting to the changing scenery as he moved through the forest like a wraith. Another part of him began to run through mental exercises, designed to make sure that he was mentally ready for any situation he might run across. A third piece of his brain began deciding what he planned to do that day.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp tug on his ankles. He stumbled and reached out a hand to steady himself against the ground. The leaf covered forest floor that he set his palm against had no substance!

They finally caught up to me! How did they know I would run this path? How did I not notice the trip wire and the pit trap? I hope Parrin never finds out about this!

All these thoughts flashed through Vrahe’s mind as he tumbled into darkness. Suddenly, he felt a strong impact against his shoulder and a bright light flashed behind his eyes followed by a wave of blackness.

 

Struggling up through the fog of unconsciousness, Vrahe began diagnosing his predicament before he was even fully awake.

Bruised left shoulder and a scraped right knee. Nothing serious and I should be able to fix them quickly, although they wouldn’t hinder me if I need to leave them. Hold up! I’m not in the bottom of that pit anymore. I’m laying on cold stone! How long was I out? Who caught me? Was it the government or the gangs? I need to make collecting information my first priority!

Keeping his breathing even so that his captors would not suspect that he was conscious, Vrahe cautiously cracked an eyelid and took in his surroundings. Quickly realizing that there was no one in the room with him, Vrahe sprang to his feet and began taking inventory of his environment.

The must have had a teleportation ring in the bottom of that pit. They can’t know that I am here, or I wouldn’t still have my tools and weapons. I don’t like that there is only one way out of here, but I guess I will have to make do with what I have. Is there anything useful I can scavenge from in here?

Drawing Eldur and summoning its blaze, Vrahe inspected every corner of the room for anything out of the ordinary. The only furniture in the room was a large oaken desk and a straight backed wooden chair drawn up in front of it. Ransacking the drawers, Vrahe found nothing. No papers, no pencils, nothing except lint and dust. Satisfied that there was nothing of interest in the room, Vrahe turned his attention back to the circular green door set into one of the walls.

This looks exactly how I imagined the door to Bag End. What a strange coincidence. Vrahe thought idly. No, I can’t afford to think of things like that. I have to stay focused!

Slipping over to the door, Vrahe sheathed Eldur and pulled his Glock from its shoulder holster. Positioning himself to the left of the door, he threw it open and then ducked behind the stone wall. When 10 seconds passed without any sound of alarm from outside the door, he peeked around the corner, prepared for anything. Seeing that there was no one in the next room, he stepped through the door. With a quick glance around, he realized that this room would tell him nothing. There was not a scrap of furniture in this place. It was just a bare stone cube. Suddenly, however, a strange noise drew his attention. Moving over to plain brown door opposite him, he pressed his ear up against the planking. He heard muffled growling. Stepping back to think for a second, he suddenly heard two sharp cracks.

There are either wolves or wild dogs on the other side of this door. Someone is attempting to fight them off, thus the gunshots. Should I help them? They can’t be the people who captured me. The dogs would obey them! I guess the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Oh well, looks like it is time to fight some four legged fiends!

Returning the Glock to his shoulder holster and drawing Eldur from his sheath, he willed it to catch fire. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he kicked the door open and charged into the next room. His first glance took in two men standing with their backs to a wall. Each had a gun in hand and was furiously attempting to keep a pack of at least 40 wolves at bay.

 

                                        

Alright. There is Vrahe’s introduction. I will leave the next part up to Isaac and Teagan.