After being forced to hand over all of my belongings, the group of six had me mount up on my horse and guided me back to their hideout with me in the middle of their group. I thought I felt naked before facing down the tips of two nocked arrows aimed at my face without a shield in my hand but now I’m surrounded on all sides without even a sword at my hip. All I can do right now is follow along with everything they’re doing and hope for the best. I made sure not to mention Candle at all because I was afraid they’d think the hassle wasn’t worth it and stab me through the gut before dumping my body in a ditch.

Candle’s name only holds a little bit of sway back in Midriver and I’m not expecting it to mean anything here in the middle of some unknown forest on the complete opposite side of the kingdom. I’d rather they think I’m completely by myself, helpless at their mercy than think I might end up bringing trouble to their doorstep. I’m not even holding out hope that I’ll get rescued since the rest of Candle probably thinks I’m dead. The only thing I didn’t account for and was surprised by was how enthusiastic these guys were at bringing me with them. It feels as though they- well, at least for the man with brown hair, it seemed like he was happy to have found me which I thought was weird.

Even stranger was when they took my things. Even though they took my things, they didn’t go through them at all and instead the brown haired man told me they’ll keep my belongings safe and if I’m able to survive in The Pit, my belongings would be returned to me. A growing sense of dread fills me every time the man says, “The Pit,” because it almost sounds like he's referring to it with reverence. What have I gotten myself into this time?

As we’re riding along under the moonlight, the brown haired man sidles up next to me and starts speaking candidly, “My brothers and I came this way looking for stragglers while keeping an eye out for guards that came storming through the outer edges of our territory a few days ago. We weren’t expecting to find you here. You just said you escaped from Ocean’s Rest and that’s why the guards came all this way, right? What’d you do to cause such a huge ruckus?”

Looking him in the eye, I replied calmly, “Killed a noble by the name of Roderic back in the city. Wasn’t how it was supposed to go but you know how things are sometimes. Barely got myself out of the city and then I grabbed this guy here before fleeing into the southern woods. I thought I was safe when I didn’t see them after riding for awhile but all of a sudden I heard arrows whistling through the air and took two of them in my shoulder and my leg before getting away. I was barely hanging on for the past two days but I managed to patch myself up.”

The man looks surprised and there’s a hint of interest in his eyes when he looks at me now. I learned this trick back in Abermock. Sprinkle in some truths to your lies and some lies to your truths and everyone will be eating out of your palm especially when it’s information they can confirm themselves. I assumed Torban’s role in Roderic’s death because I’m taking a gamble on these guys disliking the kingdom’s nobility. The man even referred to himself as an outlaw so I don’t think he’ll be shedding too many tears hearing a noble died.

On one hand I’m building rapport with my captors while at the same time I’m demonstrating my value to them. I also have to suppose if their outfit is large enough to send out patrol groups, then they might also have people inside Ocean’s Rest updating them on the latest happenings inside the city and they should be aware of Roderic’s death. With how chaotic things were during our escape, the only really reliable information would be someone killed a noble and his entourage before escaping the city. We had a lot of people with us but that doesn’t mean we were all working together and rumors would further distort that information. This is a gamble I’m willing to take.

It looks like it paid off however. “So that was your handiwork. I’m impressed. We’ve been hearing murmurs of a noble being assassinated publicly in the middle of an inn but the city’s guards have been clamping down on what exactly happened and it has been hard for our men inside the city to gather information. You did seem to know how to wield a sword back there and we could use all the help we can get right now with our war.”

This could be my chance. “I’d be more than happy to help out. I’m not originally from Ocean’s Rest but back where I came from, I rolled pretty frequently with different outfits and took part in quite a few fights.” As long as I can get in their good graces, I can find a chance to slip away in the middle of the night.

Smiling at me, the man responds, “Though you look a bit young, The Fold welcomes any and all brethren regardless of what they’ve done in the past. As long as you can climb out of The Pit and overcome your trial, you’ll be one of us and we can fight side by side.”

My heart sinks hearing that. I thought I could maybe skip the whole Pit thing if I made myself look valuable enough but even that’s not enough. “What’s your name, little friend? My name’s Gavin and I’m one of The Fold’s search captains.”

“My name’s Isaac.” Countless ideas and thoughts swirl around in my head as I search for something, anything that can get me out of this.

“Isaac, is it? It’s nice to make your acquaintance. Tell me Isaac, have you seen a young man around here perhaps accompanied by a black dog?”

I hide the surprise in my heart and keep my face blank as best as I can. “No, I haven’t seen anybody except for a few guards. Is it someone I should be careful of?”

“No, no. Like I mentioned before, I’m a search captain and my main role in The Fold is to find and bring back my brothers. You see, although emerging from The Pit should be a magnificent and illuminating experience, much like being born anew, some of the brothers can't forget about their past and seek to return. I personally don’t understand why because when I left The Pit, it was like I became a new man and I looked upon the world with newborn eyes. But sometimes my brothers can’t help themselves and forsake our Savior’s love. It’s my job then to bring them back home and have them undergo the Trial of The Pit once again.”

Oh fuck. This is sounding increasingly bad for me with every passing word. These guys sounds like fucking lunatics. How the fuck are they allowed to set up their base this close to Ocean’s Rest. What is the kingdom doing?

Before long, we reach the outskirts of their base and I can spot tall wooden walls in the distance. Holy shit. This isn’t just a base, this is godsdamned wooden fort in the middle of the forest. When we crest a large hill, we come to a rest and perch on top of it, taking in the entirety of the stronghold.

This is… madness. The fort is larger than two or even three ordinary villages combined and stretches at least a mile in length from one end to the other. The whole thing is completely circular because in the center of the fort is a massive hole in the ground. Don’t tell me that’s The Pit.

The wooden walls encircle the entirety of the gigantic chasm and protect the buildings built around the topside of the hole. There’s people milling about all over the place, either on guard duty on top of the walls with torches in hand or going about their day on the ground. There have to be hundreds of people here. This isn’t going to be easy to get out of here.

Seeing my astonishment, Gavin beams with pride and exclaims with spread arms, “Welcome, Isaac, to the birthplace of The Fold, the Rebirth Haven. You will step into our utopia, covered in the filth of the outside world and you will be tossed into The Pit, where your inner light will fight to cleanse your soul. Once your soul is spotless, you will have the courage, bravery, and the perseverance necessary to climb out of The Pit where you will be warmly welcomed into the fold as a brother. Now, let us waste no time and commence your trial.”

“Okay, that sounds fine and all. When you say tossed, what exactly do you mean by that?” If they’re going to chuck me into that hole where I’ll fall to my death, I’ll fight them right here, right now. I’ll at least go down fighting.

Chuckling, Gavin says, “I apologize for my clumsy words. Don’t be alarmed, of course you won’t actually be thrown into The Pit. There’s a simple pulley system next to The Pit where we lower newcomers as well as send supplies to the other inhabitants of The Pit to keep them satiated during this crucial trial of theirs.”

Sighing at the slight relief, I follow Gavin and the others down the hill until we reach a large wooden gate. Seeing our small group, the wooden doors open for us and we dismount before handing over our horses to the guards. The guard handling Gavin’s horse greets him, “Welcome back, Brother Gavin. I’ve never seen that boy behind you before, is he a new Initiate?”

“Yes, Brother Walker. We found Isaac here wandering the woods lost as we searched for Brother Ruben. Although we still haven’t found Brother Ruben after his escape two weeks ago, we chanced upon Isaac instead. Like the Savior constantly reminds us, fate works in mysterious ways and we might have found a new brother to join us in place of Brother Ruben.”

“Alright Brother Gavin. May the Savior bless your way forward.”

“May the Savior watch over you in the dark night, Brother Walker.”

I have to force myself to keep the grimace off my face. That entire exchange has only solidified my initial thoughts of this place, it’s filled to the brim with lunatics. As we make our way through the fort, I look around, checking the whole place out. The walls are properly built and seem pretty old as well. It’s not like Millson’s encampment that we infiltrated with a short climb. There’s no way I’m getting past these walls and my best bet is the front gate which is impossible unless I become a brother it seems.

The wooden housing lining the topside of The Pit looks shoddy at best and downright abysmal at worst. But I shouldn’t be criticizing since I doubt I could build a better house myself. Most of the ground within the walls is made up of dirt but the immediate vicinity of The Pit is made of stone. Actually, now that I think about it, The Pit itself looks like it was carved from stone. Is this fucking thing manmade? How?

Don’t tell me these fanatics somehow made this place. Instead of heading straight to The Pit, we stop at a well lit wooden house where they have me strip off my armor and hand me a set of oversized, dirty linen rags to put on. They won’t even let me keep my boots and hand me a set of dirty footwraps instead. Apparently they’ll store my belongings for me at the house awaiting my triumphant return. I try to convince them to let me keep my pack because there’s medicine inside that keeps me alive but Gavin only looks at me confidently and says my own soul will cleanse my illness inside The Pit, allowing me to achieve total rebirth. Oh fuck, I’m going to have to get through all this without my Schon.

After I get changed, we keep moving toward the chasm and where we have to cross a huge wooden bridge suspended above the middle of The Pit. At the center of the bridge is a large wooden platform with a wooden contraption that looks like the bottom half of a huge wooden box suspended over a big hole in the middle of the platform. The wooden box looks big enough that it can probably fit at most 20 fully grown men at the same time. Seeing it, it reminds me of a wooden bucket hanging over a well but instead of a single rope holding up the bucket, this box has over a dozen ropes attached to it. Gavin goes over and has a short exchange with the box’s operator. When they’re done, he leads me over to the box and has me climb inside, my knees going weak with vertigo at the intense height.

Smiling at me like he’s seeing me off for a long journey, he says, “Isaac, I believe in you. When I first saw you, I saw something special in you. You’ll make it out of there and when you do, I’ll welcome you into the fold with my own two arms. Remember, this is an opportunity for you to cleanse your soul. Make that your utmost priority and you’ll overcome your trial in no time.”

Swallowing the curses in my mouth, I smile back at Gavin and say, “Thanks for the advice, Gavin. I’ll be sure to remember them.”

The wooden box I’m in slowly descends into the depths of The Pit as Gavin watches me with a smile on his face while the rest of his team stand stoically behind him like statues. Staring at the full moon above me and seeing how my surroundings are gradually growing darker, I’m overcome with desolation as this might be my final resting place. Looking around at the stone walls covering the inside of The Pit, it really does look like this whole place was carved out by human hands. But why and for what purpose?

I notice there’s numerous caves dug into The Pit’s walls and occasionally someone will stick their head out, watching my descent with curiosity. After what seemed like an eternity, the box finally reaches the center of the bottom of The Pit and settles down on the dirt ground with a noisy thud. I quickly come to the realization that the box is surrounded by a small crowd of burly, wretched looking men, staring at me hungrily. One of them with several scars on his face says, “Well, look at what we have here. I was hoping for a woman but he’ll do just fine.”