As I awoke I found myself amidst darkness. I know I'm hurt, my side is killing me and it hurts with every exhale. I bet I broke a rib or two. Its all brutal is what it is…

Finally, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I decided to look around my prison. It was a cellar. Not too big and not to small, if I were a human a simple jump would've made me hit my head on the crusted ceiling. A gigantic Wine barrel was behind me hinting this wasn't usually a place where they put prisoners. The place was more damp then any cellar ever should have been and the chair holding me in place seemed too big for my gnomish hands to be roped on. Thus, they slid off quite easily. The Defias weren't known for there ingenuity, which is probably why they were manipulated so often.

As I started to unravel the knots on my legs, drunken footsteps found there way down the steps of the cellar. I loosened them and acted as if I was still bound by the gigantic chair, as I watched the man make his descent. He was a man not a day older than 20 and walked with a complete arrogance about him, possible brought on by the booze. He moved with a cup in his left hand and my dagger in his right. At that moment, I was pretty sure I wanted it back.

"Oy! Shortey, you awake?" He finally said when he made it down the steps despite a near fall. I pretended to still be unconscious as he inched closer. Every step he took, I wondered if he knew if his life was to be taken from him so suddenly. I didn't care too much after that though, since he prodded my injured side with the dagger in an attempt to awake me.

Just as he attempted to hit me again, I pounced onto his face holding back the pain at my side. His drunkenness contributed to his awkward tumble to the ground and I finished him with a quick snap to his neck. I looted back my dagger and authenticated it to be mine, "To Chadwick " was lovingly etched onto the handle. I stood back up and instantly hunched over from the pain, newly found bruises on my forearm added to the discomfort.

Using tattered leather straps, I took from the now deceased Defias, I made a makeshift bandage around my ribs. Breaking out of this house was going to be a pain and it became a reality as I ascended up.

I opened the cellar door and peered in. Two men, seemingly in there 30's, sat across from each other talking in whispered tones. A tauren, strapped in black and red chain mail, clunked up the steps to the second floor. I took a mental note to not be in his way and to get out as fast possible. I scanned the room some more and found the door to the outside off to the back right, a large distance but a necessary one. As I was about to leave the darkness, one of the men stood and started to shout.

"What the ell' is taken, Jacobs, so damn long!" His counterpart nodded and continued to plant his forehand onto the table to sooth his aching head. "He prolly fell down them steps", he said pulling out my second dagger. He etched forward taking the half empty bottle of ale with him. I closed the door, hid over it, and waited.

Nothing. It was pure silence as I waited in the dark, my grip loosening. I thought he had fallen over as he made his drunken advance over or fought over the bottle with his pal, but I heard no thud nor muffled argument. Though, just as I was about to drop down the door flew open.

"JACOBS! Damnit, get on up ere'." As he descended down, my grip failed me and I tumbled on top of him, unintentionally knocking him out. A low voice chuckled as I stood up and said "Ha, Phil you've fallen over again?! You alright?" I looked at the one he was yelling out to talk to and smiled. "Yea, I'll be alright." I tried to imitate the voice as best I could. I waited and I heard no footsteps, I was in the clear. This would be the third time ale has helped me today.

My second dagger in hand, I stealthily moved my way through the room, hiding every which way I could. Inches from the door, the tauren moved back down the stairs, anger on his face. He questioned the half awake man, as he stood next to the table. The man looked up and gave a sloppy salute. "What's with all the wretched commotion down here! Van Cleef needs his sleep as do I." The man put his hands down and tried to reply. "I…I…" "Where's the rest of your useless trio" he continued and the man still began to stutter his words. "They're…They're" "SPEAK!" "They're downstairs." "Doing what? They were told to watch the door, wait here well I fetch them. Your heads will be on spokes by daybreak!" The tauren left toward the door and the man dared not to sit nor move.

Easy Pickens. I tip toed my way to him and just before I took my final blow,

the floor creaked and he turned around. Startled, he swung at me and I evaded. I moved quickly and stabbed him as he attempted to pull out some of my flash powder. I regained my stolen belongings and kept my hands to my side. Large yells came from the cellar and flurry of thuds came up the stairs. I dashed for the door.

Freedom. Not quite.