Assassin one
As she came round, the first thing she noticed was a terrible ache in her arms and shoulders. She raised my head, summoning a new wave of complaints from her neck muscles, and saw that her arms were stretched above my head, bound in manacles chained to the wall. Panic overtook her. She was being held prisoner, but what for? She did not remember any struggle or any reason why someone should want her captured. The girl rattled her chains and thought to call for help but she held her tongue. There would be no one to help her. For if she was indeed being held prisoner, then the only people close enough to hear her would be her captors themselves. She did not want to alert them until she had a better grasp of the situation.
Now that she had calmed down, the girl noticed that se had nothing but her underclothes on. She flushed red, suddenly feeling very exposed. There was no light in the room save for the few dim shafts that entered through the archway in the wall at right angles to the one she was chained to. Her eyes soon became accustomed to her gloomy surroundings so she took a few moments to examine the room she was in, for she assumed it was a room and not some gods-forsaken cave in the middle of nowhere. The girl judged the room to be no more than ten meters in length and six in width. She could just make out several torch stands dotted throughout the room. Turning her head, the girl saw a set of shelves next to her, upon which sat mean looking hooks and various other implements of-Of torture... she thought.
She dry-swallowed. Suddenly alert. The girl shifted onto her knees, partly to relieve the strain on her arms and partly to get herself into a position from which she could better examine the rest of the room. The girl became aware of other people in the room. To her right, she saw a figure slumped over but still held in place by chains. Even in the dim light, the girl could discern a dark patch of-of- She did not want to think about it.
She observed a shift in the shadows opposite her. Concentrating, she made out the shape of a Nord. He was strung up similarly to herself but had clearly been imprisoned for longer. Beneath his manacles, she could see thick scabs from where they had worn away his skin, Running down the backs of his arms and the sides of his muscular body, she spied dark ribbons of blood. The Nord seemed to notice her scrutinising him and he too lifted his head to look at the girl.
"You're the new blood aren't you?" He asked, his voice barely more that a whisper. The girl wondered about the literal connotations of his statement. Nevertheless, she nodded. "Don't worry," he continued "Sometimes they make it easier for the women."
Her eyes widened in fear. Make what easier? She thought. The girl was about to press the Nord for more information when the sudden thump of a heavy door broke the near silence. This was followed by a clatter of metal on stone. Someone throwing down a weapon perhaps? Heavy footfall followed. The girl realised that the footsteps were approaching the room. She cast the Nord a quick glance, her eyes full of worry. He looked back at her apologetically.
Suddenly, a bright flash temporarily blinded her, and the Nord's eyes quickly shut, his face contorted in pain. A bright flame flew to each of the torches on the walls and spread a faint orange glow thorough the room. Once her eyes had recovered form the sudden change, the girl squinted towards the archway...