***


    Henry missed Nyx.


    It was the morning after the ones who had locked him up in a cage camped by a fire and they seemed to be preparing to get moving again.


    As Henry crossed his legs and tried to find some iota of serenity in his current situation, Nyx kepting back to mind. He wondered where she was. Had she run away before Maude Aleric arrived at the ck Manor? Or had she fought to stop him from getting carted away?


    Henry remembered how Maude Aleric had reacted to Nyx being capable of Magic and found himself nursing the thought that the Lord of the ck Manor could have captured her as well.


    ''I mean, if he thought to sell me, who knows if he thought to do the same to her.'' Henry thought sullenly.


    He tried reaching out to her through their telepathic connection but he received no response.


    ''Likely too far away,'' he realized as he let out a sigh and then reached out to the System to call forth his horse''s Status screen;


    —————


    [Name: Nyx]


    [Creature: Shadow Mare]


    [Breed: Veren Night-Mare]


    [Level 7 (1140/3500 Exp)]*


    [Hit Points: 125/125]


    [Mana: 135]


    [Strength: 65]


    [Speed: 120]


    [Stamina: 60]


    [Skills: {Shadow Dash Lv.1} {<ShadowScape>}]*


    —————


    "Oh," Henry said as his eyes went over Nyx''s stats, "With Stats like those, surely she can- Hnghh!"


    As usual, the slightest bit of his thought moving to the idea of escape rewarded Henry with powerful jolts of electricity into his brain. However, as though the Control-cuff wished to be lenient, the pain was not powerful enough to send him to the base of the cage, and after a few pained winces, it eventually passed.


    "Fuck—" Henry let out in a breath.


    He took better caution to avoid the idea of escape and simply focused on admiring his Horse''s stats. Wherever she was, Henry was d he could at least still call up her Status screen. It kept their connection alive.


    And then his eyes fell on the Skills tab.


    "Hmm? <ShadowScape>… That''s new…" Henry mumbled as he reached out and clicked on it for its description;


    [<ShadowScape>


    Description: At the cost of Mana, vanish into shadows.]


    Henry raised a brow at the considerably short description and he was almost tempted to ask, ''That''s it?!''


    *ng!*


    With the sound of a heavy bolt being pulled, the p from before was pulled open and another parcel of food was dropped into the cage along with a cup of water.


    "Eat," the man said and walked away.


    A few minutester, the Carriage began to move again with the man riding beside it on horseback.


    Henry grabbed the cup of water before it fell and spilled from the jostling of the carriage and after eating the vish'' meal of stale bread, he began to meditate.


    It was the only activity he could perform freely in the small space of the cage and also, he had really gotten into it since the System had made it a series of Daily Quests for him toplete.


    At nightfall, the carriage came to another stop within a clearing but when the Man returned with yet another parcel of stale bread, Henry called out to him,


    "Hey, how about letting me out?" He asked.


    The man paused and let out a chuckle,


    "Why would I do that?"


    "Ohe on," Henry said with a slightly exasperated sigh yed out for effect as he raised his hand to show the control-cuff on it,


    "You said already that I can''t get too far away from you so what are you worried about."


    "I''m not worried about anything," the man said, "I just don''t see any reason why I should let you out."


    "It''s cold in here," Henry said.


    "I don''t care," the man answered.


    "Well you *should* care," Henry said and adopted his most brazen expression yet


    "If I don''t get a certain level of warmth, I could die."


    The manughed,


    "You survived four days—" he started to say.


    "Exactly," Henry interrupted to say, "I''m long overdue for some heat."


    The man''s face was looking through the p and he held Henry''s gaze for a full minute before he rolled his eyes,


    "Alright," he said, "But you''ll sleep in your cage still."


    "Fine," Henry said with a nod.


    The p mmed shut and after some jingling and nging of bolts, the door of the cage pulled open. The man stepped aside and held out a hand as though graciously inviting Henry to step out.


    "Thank you," Henry said and walked to the camp the men had set up.


    He got very close to the fire and held out his hands to it as if to warm them. While it had been a lie that he would die if he stayed too long in the cage, Henry did miss the warmth.


    He noticed the cage felt colder than it had when he first woke up and the degree continued to drop by the minute. His meditation made him so attuned that his Perception could pick it out clearly.


    The man came over and sat by the fire while the two others —The ones who drove the carriage Henry''s cage were on— just kept staring at him.


    "What''s this?" One of them asked, "Why''d you let him out?"


    The man shrugged not at all bothered by the usatory tone,


    "He wanted warmth," he said, "It''s not like he can run away."


    The two men said nothing to refute that point but they continued to re at Henry who met their res calmly and took that moment and the fact that he was so close to them to study their features.


    The two wererge and dressed in tight fits that seemed aimed to purposely show it off. Both had bald heads and were sporting simr scars. A nce at them and one can be forgiven for considering they might be rted. They both had bald heads. Just shiny bulbs that reflected the firelight.


    "So—" Henry said with a smile on his face,


    "Tell me about yourselves."


    The three just stared at him as silence stretched on. A silence that was only ever interspersed by the cracking of the fire.


    "What?" They asked almost as one with incredulous expressions on their faces.


    Henry didn''t seem to notice the expressions,


    "My name is Henry," he said slowly, "What are yours?"


    The two bald men were still staring at him when the Man Henry had spoken to the most since he had woken up in his cage, let out augh.


    "You can''t be serious," he said.


    "I''m very serious," Henry said.


    "Alright," the man said, "Alright I''ll bite. My name is Jonas."


    "Alright, Jonas. But there''s nothing to bite," Henry said with a frown, "I just want to know your names."


    "Why? To track us down when you ''eventually get free''?" Jonas asked with a smirk.


    Henry shrugged,


    "You''re thinking too much. It''s just good manners to introduce yourself to strangers you''re journeying with."


    Jonas burst outughing again,


    "''Journeying''? You''ve been locked up in a cage for over four days," he said.


    "So what? We havebeen traveling, haven''t we?" Henry asked and then looked at the bald men,


    "So, what of you guys? What are your names?"


    The two shared a look but said nothing.


    "Al and Eli," Jonas said suddenly as he pointed each of the bald men out for Henry.


    "Hey!" The one called Al called out.


    "What are you doing?" Eli asked in a deep voice.


    Jonas waved off the outbursts,


    "What are you worried about?" He asked and chuckled,


    "They''re just names. Scared he''lle for you?"


    Eli looked outraged by that,


    "Scared? Of him? Please!"


    "Good," Henry said and mmed his palms together with apparent delight,


    "Now that we''ve gotten names out of the way. How about you tell me where you''re taking me."