A frustrated hero

Experiment

I returned to the guild shortly after everything I saw, I was quite sad and arrived with my face down. It was a bit irritating to go back there. I saw many people just like me, no one could explain what had happened in the halls of that place. Suddenly I saw Alfred sitting at a table, but I didn't talk to him. I preferred to go to the head of the guild. That man was talking to other people at a table. When he saw me, he looked at me and concluded that I had agreed to participate in this experiment. He immediately stood up and made several gestures to get everything ready.

I knew it would hurt a little whatever they did to me, but I wanted to help avenge the death of all those people. Several elves took me to a remote and quite lonely place. It looked like a training camp, as there were bows and marked areas. We were about a kilometer away from the houses and buildings of the city, so we would avoid anyone getting hurt by this, however I did not like what I saw, but I volunteered for this myself and I could not refuse at this point.

The sky was wide open, there wasn't a cloud anywhere near, it was maybe seven o'clock at night already. It looked like they were going to do some kind of ritual. They left me standing in a certain place and started to make strange circles on the floor of about 4 meters or so. I was impressed by how they were calculating the lines of the place. I preferred to close my eyes and not feel shivers for what I was doing at that moment.

I heard a lot of footsteps and elven chanting around the place. It was a bit stressful, I regretted it several times, but I kept thinking about what I had seen earlier. All those people who died were still in my mind. That scene was too raw and I didn't want to see something like that again. As I remembered everything that had happened. Alfred spoke to me to give me a little warning for what I would have to endure.

-You know this is going to hurt a lot...they did it to several traitors to see if it worked, but nothing happened, they lasted for days in pain. You are the first person with a rare weapon to do this experiment and you could die.

-It's not a good time to talk about it. You know I might regret it and leave here.

-I'm telling you because you should know, just because of that. I wouldn't want everyone in my group to die. You are the last one.

I wanted to continue talking about it and I got a little curious about my other partner and I asked him about it.

-Tell me, did you talk to Oscar before he died?

-No, I only saw his body. I don't know how he died. 

The sad look on the elf's face made it clear that he knew something else, but he didn't want to tell me, and I couldn't force him.

While they were still making preparations for the ritual, I decided to close my eyes and wait for that strange ritual. I felt that the wind was a little stronger than before, as if it was part of everything. The weather was quite strange, there was not even a cloud to announce that it would rain and it was a bit cold. I was in my usual clothes and the ones I started the trip with. I was wearing brown tights and a white shirt. My only weapon was my sword.

While I was in my trance. I heard more footsteps coming from somewhere, that terrified me a lot. From one moment to the next the ground got a little warm. I was a bit disturbed by that, but I tried to calm down a bit. Apparently I had already started without realizing it. I opened my eyes and saw that man approaching. The guildmaster looked at me and started talking to me.

-I'm sorry you have to go through this, well before we start the ritual, please tell us your name. 

I answered him immediately, I wanted to finish everything fast.

-Matheus...

-Okay, Matheus...you will have some kind of spell to control you. It is similar to the one used by the person who caused this misfortune, if you can get out of it. Then you will be cast the other one with which all those people were controlled. It is only to train your mind. You will have your sword in your hand all the time, several wizards and elves are analyzing your weapon and the link that exists. Maybe your weapon can get other people out of that spell.

I didn't really like participating in two of their experiments, but I was already there and it was hard to say no to them. For the third time I closed my eyes and felt strange. As if I was leaving my body and going somewhere else. It was very strange, it made me want to vomit. 

When I opened my eyes I was in a totally dark place and there was nothing there. I was a little scared, I thought I had died from the experiment. I felt someone touching my right hand and out of nowhere I went back to the place where they were doing the experiment on me, but I fell to my knees on the floor.

All the people who were there were looking at me. The head of the guild did not hesitate to speak to me. 

-Well, you took almost twenty minutes to come back. Tomorrow we will do the second experiment more calmly.

-No...let's get it over with. It's stressful to be like this.

-It's dangerous, your mind hasn't recovered from this yet...

-It doesn't matter now or tomorrow, this experiment is unstable. I prefer it to be now. Tomorrow the moon will start to rise and there will be some interference.

The man, at my insistence, began to give orders.

-You heard him, so please start getting organized. Nothing can go wrong. We have a ritual going on. Now we must prevent a situation like today's from happening again.

The elves and wizards began to remove the traces of the previous spell and were preparing for the next one. They were quite fast and disciplined for this. They removed the chalk circles they were making. I could never understand why despite having powers they did something manually like this.

[...]

About half an hour passed and the area was ready for the next experiment. This time I didn't close my eyes, I kept looking at the place and the circles that were slowly being made in the place. It was quite disconcerting, but I was calm. However, everything became dark and I saw a person that caught my attention. It was a strange human wizard with a staff. He was in a dark place and was making a lot of circles.

He was the guy who had caused all this. I was totally terrified when I saw him, it was like he knew what was going on right now. He had some kind of cassock on and I couldn't see his face. Maybe he had a spy or someone he was doing all this with. Because of the state I was in I didn't try to do anything. I was just in a kind of dream and my role was to watch everything that was going on.

I started to feel a tingling in my right hand in which I had the sword. I remembered that I should go back to the place where they were doing the ritual to learn more of this spell, but my body started to burn and I stopped feeling the tingling in my hand.

Everything went dark and I became aimless. 

[...]

Out of nowhere I woke up in a strange room, it looked like a hotel, but it wasn't like that. 

I had my hands chained and some bandages on my body as if I had been burned. The room smelled like forest flowers. 

I tried to get up, but I was chained on my feet too. So I had to wait for someone to come and explain to me what had happened. I lay down again and my neck ached a little, apparently something had happened the day before.

I kept waiting for someone to come and explain, but apparently it was very serious. Because I felt like I spent more than an hour like that.

All of a sudden someone entered the place without hesitation, but he was fully armed and scared. It was an elf with some kind of armor on his head. As if he was trying to prevent someone from hitting him in the head.

-Hey, what happened?

-Yesterday you attacked all the elves participating in the ritual. Despite the efforts we all made, you managed to hurt several of them. It was frightening, so some of them attacked you with various spells and managed to immobilize you. You seem to be back, that's good, now you must stay tied up for everyone's safety.

He helped me out of bed and took me to the guild hall. There was a meeting between several people. They all looked at me pretty scared, apparently I had done a lot of things.

I sat down at one of the tables there, away from everyone and somewhat confused. I was still chained up like a criminal. Little by little some elves arrived and started to watch me. Even Alfred appeared in front of me and finally told me everything.

-Yesterday you almost killed several elves. Even though you had your sword in your hand. You didn't listen to us. We called you many times, but the good thing is that you came back. We cast hundreds of spells on you. Until you stopped. It was concluded that the sword you have has a connection with its owner, but it is not possible that it helps to return from that trance to others, so that option is discarded and we will continue investigating some spells that apparently did have an effect on you.

The explanation convinced me a little, but I did not understand why he was still chained, if he is already cured, so I decided to ask him.

-And are you in chains?

-We will take them off, don't worry, but not now. You must wait a month. Since you are the first one to come back, we don't know if you can be like this again and become dangerous, this is for your safety and ours. You still have green areas on your arms.

-I don't think it's fair. I have other things to do. 

-Do you have family or someone waiting for you?

-I have a personal mission to accomplish, I would be delayed if I stayed here.

-I see... Well, you'll have to wait.

-I don't understand why you're the one to talk to me, isn't there anyone else?

-Many of the important elves died, and I'm the only one who knows you.

It seemed that he had been promoted in his position, he went up a little. He looked like the leader of the elves. He was even dressed in a red clothing of red color, but in a simple way. With a shirt and long johns.

-How much do you see me? This is awkward.

-Eh... it looks like you got promoted or something.

-Don't change the subject...you can train here, while a month goes by. I see you joined my group because you wanted to get more combat experience. So the guild will take care of helping you. They can't give you money, you will understand that they are not in a position to help you financially. There were a lot of losses here.

-Ah... it's okay... I understand.

He crossed his arms a little, he looked too serious. 

[...]

A little later I came out of the room where I had woken up. I saw how little by little they were trying to rebuild the houses that were damaged. The people of the city were somewhat calm, as if nothing had happened.

I was still chained up, so I preferred not to go out, I didn't want to scare anyone. The air was strong at that hour, although it was quite sunny. The breeze was very soothing. I just hoped the spell wouldn't work on me. I knew something they could do to me. And the most worrying thing is that maybe they could execute me, if they couldn't do it to me.

From the place where I was I saw a caravan coming towards this city. About ten carriages were heading this way. From what little I could observe they all seemed to be adventurers. Perhaps they were coming to look at the dungeon that had caused so much movement, but it was already too late. The place had been closed and left hundreds of dead who were buried in that place.