Alex woke in the cell under his blanket. He begins to contemplate what has happened over the last twenty-seven days he has been held captive. For the last twenty-four of those, it had been essentially the same routine, which was run, run, and run some more. He was uncertain how many miles he had covered but it’s a lot. His cardio endurance had greatly improved, enabling him to run faster for longer and this helped to train him to stay focused during long sessions. Additionally, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and lifting Candy had also helped him improve his strength. He had as a result built more muscle than ever and was the fittest that he had ever been.

As the overseer indicated he had worked hard and earned the name Eilaes, which was Elven for Alex. He had also earned several tunics, blankets, a thin mattress, and his prized possession, a woolen skull cap to keep his head warm. His willingness to get his head down and just focus on improving his capabilities was also rewarded with the occasional meal consisting of real food, instead of the bland basic he was given every day. He had also learned that if he didn't do as he was told or to try his best, he was sent to the pool. On occasion, he would also be on the receiving end of a prod with a baton.

As part of his daily sparring, he had been taught basic Elven sword skills covering strikes, thrusts, parries, and counters. He also continues to improve his own martial arts and had earned grudging respect from the guards when using two batons. When he was wielding a single weapon he used the other hand to disarm, control, or trap an attacker’s weapon and the guards assisted him in improving this. They did inflict a bruising as a way of emphasizing when he had made a mistake. He then had to endure the pain for the rest of the day, especially during his prana training, which was distracting. He had noticed that the nanobots caused bruises to heal overnight and the scar on his chest was now only a thin white line.

He had also made distinct progress in learning Elven with Candy. After a week he had managed to learn sufficiently to state his needs, such as asking for water, and use basic courtesy. At this point, he was forced by the guards, to use Elven all the time and if he reverted English he was punished. Talking with Candy improved his confidence and flow as she would give him the words he was looking for. He was now able to speak Elven sufficiently to participate in most day-to-day conversations. Not being able to fall back on English had forced him to work around his language gaps and rapidly expand his vocabulary.

Candy had managed to get the guards to relax during the Elven lessons and they had been able to talk. She had described her life as a ‘spoilt rich kid’ before she was kidnapped and what her duties were now she was a slave. Alex had in turn detailed his life on his grandparent's ranch and his love of the wilderness and hunting. He had also told her about his mother's indoctrination into a cult lead by a defrocked priest. And how when his grandparents died, they turned up at the ranch with his mother and took up residence.

Candy had also told him that the elves were trying to learn as much about Earth as they could and were now kidnapping more girls than ever. She had also discovered there was an area used for some form of transportation. However, it was unclear what it was, as only high ranking elves used it. He had asked her to collect everything she could, especially anything metal, and to hide the items. He requested she find the location of additional clothing, food, water, soap, and especially any maps. Candy had said she would try, but her movements were strictly controlled and she was always accompanied by guards.

Alex continued to wait for the guards to come and collect him to begin his twenty-seventh day of captivity. He thought about the only face he had seen during his confinement, which was Candy’s. The guards had never removed their helmets. Getting abducted, then being thrown into another world, had caused him to feel despondent and he had by necessity developed a relationship of mutual support with Candy. They had sustained, encouraged, and expressed concern for each other, and that helped to keep them both sane.

It wasn’t too long before he heard the footsteps of the approaching guards and so he knelt on the floor. He saw the guard open the door and nod. Alex stands and walks out of the cell without further prompting, following the first guard whilst he was trailed by the second. He instantly became alert when they began to move into corridors, he did not recognize, and into a different area. After a few minutes they move towards a large door, he didn’t recognize, which opened at their approach. As soon as he steps through the doorway, he knew exactly where he was, as his gaze fell on the chair that had been used to test his prana.

Alex stands frozen as he regards the chair that has brought him so much pain. His attention suddenly snaps back as the guards kneel just beyond the doorway placing their hands flat on the floor, as they bowed, and then sat back, waiting. As he began to kneel he momentarily perceives three men standing by the pedestal, there are the two who conducted the first prana test and the overseer. Alex promptly kneels locking his gaze on the floor and bowed his head low, waiting in that abject position. He realizes that he has made a grave mistake by not kneeling quickly, and a bead of sweat rolls down his temple, as he contemplates what punishment he will receive. As he waits, he feels the sweat trickle down his cheek to his chin. He tries to breathe slowly and wills his body to remain still and his face calm.

Alex tenses as the silence grows more evident and uncomfortable, but he remains perfectly stationary. After what seems like time without end, a voice speaks in Elven. “Eilaes, I am Master Syllen. I have been told that your Elven is good enough for you to understand what I am saying. It seems however that your manners still need some improvement. It is a prudent thing to be well-mannered; so, it is a bad thing to be rude. I will need to think about how best to fix this paerololia in you. Now the reason you have been brought back to this room is to test your prana core. I’m sure that you have some concerns about having to sit in the chair again. I would, however, like to keep this civil, and not have to resort to force, so I’ll ask you to sit in the chair.”

Alex leans back, with haunted eyes, and looks at the chair. There were now more beads of sweat on his forehead and he could feel the chill in the air. Did he feel fear? He admitted to himself that he did, as he remembered the intense pain from the first time. He was trying to summon the courage to get up and move to the chair, but he was trapped in his own head, after hearing the words. The words that made it clear what his life here now entailed. The words that stated if he resists, then he would live in a world of pain or even die. The words that gave only one easy solution, which was to obey.

Alex braces himself and gets stiffly to his feet. He stoically straightens and with great determination walks over to the chair. He pauses briefly and swallows before lowering himself into the seat. Looking up, he notices the impassive faces of the three elves who are observing his every move. The guards stood and follow him and then two secure him to the chair.

Master Syllen briefly nods and says, “Commence the test.” It was the same voice that spoke the words.

The man next to Master Syllen is holding the device that controls the chair and he taps it. A hum issues from the crystal and the arms of the chair glow. Alex braces himself for the pain that is about to come. He flinches when the tingle in his arms starts as the hum and the glow slowly intensify. He grits his teeth in anticipation of the pain, but the pain never arrives. He remains tense for the next few seconds waiting, before he sighs inwardly with vast relief, and sags in the chair. He looks at the three elves and Master Syllen smiles and he again notices the sharp teeth.

Master Syllen speaks cheerfully. “You were expecting pain and you were surprised when there was none? All you need to ask yourself is why would I deliberately damage such valuable merchandise? House Quinala has invested heavily in you so far. It would be a waste to use you to just grow cores, or even have to render you, after the three tendays we have spent improving you.”

Alex looks confused as he realizes that he has been captive for thirty days and not the twenty-seven he was aware of. This could only mean that he had been unconscious for three days when they implanted the core. Master Syllen notices Alex’s confusion and continues, “You probably do not know about being rendered. There is a machine, which reduces things we put in it, to the desired level of parts or materials. This would allow us to recover the core and nanobots in your body without the necessity of having to butcher you. There are some who believe that you getter better results if you leave the merchandise conscious during rendering.” He said, smiling broadly and showing even more teeth.

Alex felt the sweat trickle down his face as the tingling grew in his arms and the elf next to Master Syllen fiddles with his device. He felt the rushing of his blood in his wrists and then goosebumps appeared on his arms. He was getting more concerned when his lips and tongue began to tingle the same way. Then the crystal on the pedestal begins to glow. Nonetheless, nothing untoward happens and the crystal continues to get brighter. As this happens Alex begins to feel exhilaration and rapture, sensing the form the prana takes as it flows through him and into the crystal.

He sat faintly smiling whilst looking without focus above the heads of the elves, being carried away by overwhelming emotion. He is not aware of how long he is in this state, but eventually, the sensations stop. As he regains his senses, he focuses on the three elves; he realizes that the crystal is now pulsing with a dull glow in time with his heart rate.

Master Syllen turns to the elf beside him. “What are the results?”

“The core is fully integrated with all of the channels within his body. His prana generation rate of two hundred and seventy-five and his prana output capacity of six hundred and eighty-seven have been confirmed. His new core prana volume is higher than I was expecting at ninety-two.”

Master Syllen then turns to the overseer. “Can you explain his core prana volume?”

The overseer gives a slight bow. “Master Syllen. When I discovered who this merchandise is intended for I took the liberty of using a higher grade core. It was a core that we unexpectedly acquired when we rendered a cross-breed who died during training. I deemed it prudent to use this core rather than send it to the appraisers.”

“What was the cross-breed?”

“It was a human-goblin cross from our stables. We tested the core and discovered a ninety percent match to the one that the assessors had allocated for implanting in this merchandise.”

“Did you seek approval for this?”

“No Master Syllen, I did not. With the merchandise having such exemplary results I deemed the risk to be small and the potential benefits prodigious.”

“That is of course entirely within your remit and I trust your judgment when it comes to merchandise.” Master Syllen turns to the elf with the device. “Any reason we should not remove the nanobots?”

“No, Master Syllen. I will commence the extraction if that is acceptable?”

Master Syllen nods and the elf again taps on his device. Alex then senses a piercing pain in each of his wrists. He tries to jerk his arms back, but fails due to the restraints holding him to the chair. He feels that something is being embedded in each of his wrists, causing him extreme pain. After a few minutes, he notices that he is beginning to feel cold and his skin is clammy. Then he begins to feel weak and he wants to be sick as his breathing becomes shallow and rapid.

Just as he is about to blackout, Alex begins to feel better as his energy returns and his body again feels warm. The overseer walks over to Alex and extracts a small metal device from his pocket, which he places on the back of Alex’s wrist. The overseer turns and nods to the elf with the device, and Alex feels whatever was in his wrist retract. The overseer then touches the metal device and Alex senses prana enter him through it making his wrist feel hot. The overseer repeats the process for the other wrist before retrieving the device and stepping back to the pedestal.

“How was the recovery?” Master Syllen asks.

“Less than a thousand nanobots remain in his body. We will recover these when we filter his blood again at the end of the training, or if he fails by rendering his body.”

Master Syllen nods, then turns to the guards. “Take him to Mistress Lyrei.”

The guards approach Alex and release him from his restraints. He looks at his wrists straightaway and notices that each has a small wound that is scabbed over. The tall guard moves towards the door and he quickly stands and follows.