Jake Harper was experiencing one of the worst migraines of his life. The last thing he remembered was getting his weekly groceries and being forced to walk home as nothing could justify the rising prices. Muffled yelling jolted his sluggish mind into awareness.
The soft light from a torch welcomed him as he blinked his eyes open. The room, cellar to be precise, was lined with grey stone. Underneath Jake was a sagging heap of straw and filthy rags, prickly and thin, offering little more than insulation from the cold floor. His foot knocked over a bowl of some black, watery substance as he moved towards the door.
What the fuck is this! Smells like sewage...
Fortunately, the door was already unlocked. He peeked outside to a narrow, poorly lit corridor.
Jake closed the door and sat back. Deciding to wait for the migraine to cure itself, he looked around once again. Inspecting himself, he ran his hands on himself and found no injuries. On his upper body was what looked like some sort of shirt made of linen or cotton. A padded leather vest was over it that looked like it had seen better days. A belt hung at his waist, fitted with loops for what he guessed were vials and daggers. His pants and boots were made from the same rough leather as the vest.
Only now did he notice a crude wooden rack of weapons beneath the torch, its light making it seem almost suspended in the air.
Besides been infested with cobwebs, it had a rusty single handed mace. It looked very much used with rotten flesh sticking on the spikes.
Jake blinked at the weapon, his skin had started glistening due to the sweat. The place had horrendous ventilation. The severity of the situation finally dawning on him. Here he was, stuck in some decrepit old cellar wearing gladiator clothes and no recollection of who he was except his name.
He clenched his sweaty hands and took deep breaths to stomp down the panic and dread building up.
After five solid minutes, with a bloodied mace and a wooden shield, Jake Harper stood in front of the corridor. He had made a list in his mind...
How did I end up here?
Where to now?
What is this fucking place?
Who am I?
Jake looked into the pitch black corridor as he decided to explore and find some much needed answers.