There's at least four of them, thought Cassian as he slowly moved his hands behind his back. Not that knowing the number of assailants helped him any. He could hold his own in a brawl, but not unarmed and against multiple people with weapons of unknown strength. The inspector was no help, as he was on his stomach on the ground. Cassian couldn't even run. He was in unfamiliar territory and cornered on the edge of a cliff. He'd barely survived the fall once, and he wasn't about to try his luck a second time.
Faint rustling sounded behind him before Cassian's wrists were grabbed by a rough, leathery hand. The man's fingernails dug into his harm as he looped rope around his hands. Cassian tensed his wrists, intending to allow some wiggle room in the rope as it was tied. Cassian shivered as he felt the man's fetid breath on his neck. The man growled into his ear, and Cassian almost gagged from the smell, "Relax."
Has this guy ever heard of a toothbrush? Cassian thought, disgusted as he relaxed his arms and the man pulled the knot tight. He was grateful that their captors at least seemed to want them alive. They could have easily killed both of them before they had even realized they were being attacked.
As the knot was being jerked tight, Cassian said, "Any chance we could talk this out? We're not really from here, you see. I'm sure you have the wrong…"
Ice once more crept into his veins and his voice trailed off as another one moved into his field of view to give the inspector the same treatment. Now he understood the inspector's wide-eyed motions. He'd been trying to tell him that he couldn't bargain with these people. They weren't people at all.
The creature towered over the prone inspector, almost six feet tall even though its legs were bent like an animal's and its back was hunched. Its arms were covered in thick, coarse fur and ended in curved black claws below its knees, as if it were meant to be walking on all fours. Its face was long twisted into a permanent snarl, with thick white fangs curving over the protruding lips. Thick, matted fur covered its body, with several balding spots showing black, cracked skin underneath, as if it were suffering from some sort of disease.
The monster expertly tied the inspector's hands together, before pulling the man to his feet. From behind, another distorted voice ordered them to turn around and follow. The steel blade held against Cassian's neck disappeared, and he felt one of the creatures grab his shoulder, shoving him around. Almost stumbling into the inspector, who'd been shoved alongside him, Cassian's breath caught in his throat once more.
There were seven monsters surrounding them, each as ugly and disturbing as the last. They only wore simple cloths that covered their lower halves, and each carried a crude-looking sword in one hand. One, however, carried a spear, and it was this one that opened its mouth to show a swollen, purple tongue.
"Bring them," it rasped, turning on its heel and lumbering back down the slope. The other monsters followed suit, and Cassian stumbled as one roughly shoved him forward. Despite their awkward gait, the monster's were surprisingly agile as they navigated down through the forest. Cassian and the inspector had to almost jog to keep up, a feat made harder by the fact that their hands were tied behind their backs. Thankfully, the adrenaline had masked any pain in his feet, so Cassian could focus solely on keeping his balance.
He was focusing so much on his balance, that he almost didn't realize they'd come to a stop partway down the slope. The monster behind him pulled on the rope tied around his hands, jerking him to a stop.
Two of the creatures lay down their swords before leaning against a large boulder, set into the hill side. After straining for a moment, they began to move the boulder, revealing a dark tunnel hidden beneath. When it was large enough for them to squeeze through, the one with the spear motioned them aside and stepped into the darkness. The rest of the monsters followed suit, pushing and shoving the captives alongside them.
Cassian felt the temperature drop tangibly as soon as he crossed into the tunnel. Looking ahead into the yearning darkness, he imagined he could see the phantasms and outlines of horrors, waiting to capture them and torture them. He slowed, but the monster behind him shoved him forward, snarling, "Keep moving."
He stumbled along, unable to see much of anything and imagining the horrors awaiting him at the end of the tunnel. He focused on breathing steadily, attempting to calm his racing heartbeat. After what felt like an eternity, the tunnel began to lighten, and Cassian could make out the vague shapes of the inspector stumbling along in front of him and the monsters herding them along.
Finally, the tunnel widened, and got so bright Cassian had to shut his eyes for a moment as the group halted. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, Cassian's heartbeat quickened once more. They were in a cave, standing next to some boxes and what looked like an area for sleeping. Circles, lines, and symbols had been carved into the floor, but what had caught Cassian's eyes was what was in the middle of the carving. A mere ten feet from where they had stopped, stood an unassuming wooden door, on its own in the middle of the cave.
If I could only get back through that door, Cassian thought, his eyes darting around the cave. At the moment, they were surrounded by the monsters, and one even had its claws around the rope tied around his wrists. He would have to bide his time and wait for an opportunity.
At that moment, one of the monsters smacked the butt of its spear on the carve floor, and the sharp crack echoed through the cave. The grunts, growls, and snorts faded away as everyone's attention was drawn to the source of the sound.
"We have caught the trespassers," said the monster, or at least, that's what Cassian thought it had said. He had to concentrate to pull out anything resembling human language from amidst the guttural snarls and rasps of its voice.
Another monster snarled, "Can we eat it?"
At that, another round of unintelligible grunts, growls, and snorts echoed in the cave, until the crack of a spear cut everything off again.
"Silence," barked the one with the spear, "That is not for us to decide."
Into the resulting silence, Cassian asked cheekily, feigning nonchalance, "Then whose is it?"
Surprisingly, he got an answer. A clear and polished voice responded, echoing from everywhere at once "That would be mine." The lines etched in the floor sparked, pulsed faintly with a bloody red tinge.
The beasts grew still and silent at the sound of the voice, and Cassian tensed. There was something dangerous about this voice.
"And who might you be?" He asked, years of practice unable to hide the unnatural lightness of his tone.
"Unimportant," replied the voice, "Instead, I want to know about you. Who are you? Who do you call Master?"
His mind racing, Cassian replied carefully, "Isn't it common courtesy to look at someone when speaking? And introduce oneself before asking for the other's name?"
The voice let out a short, sudden bark of laughter, and Cassian drew in a sharp breath. The beasts around him shifted, but quickly fell still once the voice began speaking once more, "You have guts for someone with no power, I'll allow you that. I would love to meet you in person, but you have unfortunately made that impossible at the moment."
"Now," said the voice, all levity dropping from its tone, "I'll ask you once more. Who are you and who do you serve?"
At the shift in atmosphere, the beasts had tensed, and Cassian could feel their gazes boring into him.
"My name is Hayden," he replied slowly, "I serve no one but myself."
"Hayden," said the voice thoughtfully, "The name does not ring a bell. You wouldn't be lying, by any chance?"
"I am in no position to lie at the moment."
"Indeed, that seems to be the case." After a moment of silence, the voice continued, "But that makes it all the more intriguing to me that you are lying. What is it that gives you this confidence?"
Before he could answer, something deep within the earth trembled. Bending his knees, Cassian just barely managed to stay on his feet. The monsters around him, however, were not so lucky. Cassian watched as a crack grew within the strange, etched circle, splitting open the ground. The strange wooden door crumbled and disappeared into the hole that hadn't been there moments before.
Shuffling backwards away from the hole, Cassian tried desperately to wriggle out of the ropes binding his hands. Whatever was happening, it was best to get out and be free in the chaos while the monsters were preoccupied.
Something grabbed his shoulder, and the inspector's gruff voice sounded in his ear, "Stay still for a moment."
There was a brief tug on his wrists, then the ropes binding him fell away. With his hands free, Cassian spun around to see the inspector already slipping away, knife in hand. With no better option, Cassian followed him, the monsters paying them no heed in their panic.
The ground was still grumbling and shaking as if some giant beneath them had awoken from its slumber and was out for blood. With a loud crack, dust and rocks crumbled from the ceiling above them, crashing into the mass of panicked monsters. Cassian and the inspector broke out into a run, up the tunnel they had come down.
The earthquake had already shifted the boulder that had covered opening, and the pair burst out of the tunnel just moments before the entrance caved in on itself. Cassian stopped at the edge of the clearing, gazing at the pile of rubble where they had just been.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, he turned and glared at the inspector. "What the hell was that?"