"I've got myself into a real mess this time."
Ren sighed as he headed towards his cell in D block. Nothing turned out as planned, who would have thought that the gang he believed to be filled with nothing but muscle heads was actually home to such a terrifying man. Ren still got shivers when he thought back to that piercing gaze of his.
There was only one reason that Ren accepted that task along with all the problems that came with it, that reason was simple, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. If he could somehow rope the boss into his schemes then life would get a lot easier. Although until then, he had made his life a great deal harder.
Ren only had until the end of tomorrow to put that man out of his misery, he had no other information other than that his grime covered face meant that he worked in the mines. Ren had no clue if that was the best place to assassinate him, however enticing the idea of mines might seem, he had to do some recon and assess the location first.
As Ren was pondering the delightful topic of ending a man's life, he realised that he had arrived at D-Block. It was a simple three-story structure made out of stone bricks, built into the caves wall Ren could see a trio of identical buildings next to it, which he assumed were blocks A through C.
The structure had no windows and only two large oak doors. When he walked up to them, he felt his badge buzz and glow faintly with a red light, almost immediately afterwards the doors creaked open by themselves.
Mildly impressed by this, Ren made his way inside and quickly determined that his cell number 10 would be on the first floor. After walking through the stone brick corridor which was scarcely lit by torches, Ren counted nine doors before finding the one that would be his new home.
CLICK.
Like before, his badge began to buzz and Ren heard a mechanical noise that could only mean the door was unlocked. Ren pushed on the heavy steel door, which took quite some effort on his part but he eventually got it to open, letting Ren lay eyes on his cell.
The room was dark and cramped while remaining just as feverishly hot as the outside, there was a bunk bed and a small partition containing the lavatory, that was it.
Ren raised an eyebrow, not because of the room's simple appearance but the sound. Ren could unmistakably hear a loud snoring. Instantly his gaze shifted onto the bottom bunk and sure enough, there was a scrawny dark-skinned man, with a scraggy unkept beard sleeping peacefully.
Ren sighed, he didn't expect to have a cell mate but right now, he was far too exhausted to deal with it. Ren climbed into bed and made himself comfortable, but just then he heard a rough voice from below him.
"Where are your manners fool, introduce yourself."
The voice was strangely magnetic and charming. Ren who was about to drift off to sleep sat up in surprise, he thought the man was fast asleep but clearly, he was wrong.
"I'm Ren your new cellmate."
Ren said lazily, he really wanted to sleep right now, but it would be stupid to cause problems right now.
"hmm, I think I'll just call you fool… so you damn fool, how the hell did you survive that fall."
Those words were shocking enough to make Ren's tiredness disappear and he immediately jumped off the bed and stared at the man with wide eyes.
"Who… Who are you, how did you know that?"
Ren asked doubtfully, no one in this kingdom should have been aware of that, especially in this prison that was completely cut off from the rest of the world. The man who was still in bed with his eyes shut smirked.
"I thought I was asking the questions."
The man said casually, Ren was gobsmacked but he remained vigilant, this man smelled of trouble.
"I'm not saying a thing until you answer mine."
Ren said, fully preparing himself to either run or fight. The man chuckled loudly and sat up, staring deep into Ren's eyes. That gaze of his was powerful and mysterious and made Ren feel like an ant in front of an elephant.
"Stubborn fools don't live long, especially in front of me… but I'll let you off the hook just this once, bullying kids leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You can call me Headmaster, nothing escapes my eyes."
As he finished that sentence his beady eyes seemed to light up, adding to his charm. Ren took a step back, this man was fishy to say the least, his eyes see everything, what did that even mean.
"What are you waiting for, tell me how you lived."
The headmaster asked again once he saw that Ren wasn't responding.
"If you truly see everything, then you should know the answer already."
Ren retorted, there was no way he could tell him about Roxy, who knows what this man was capable off. The headmaster laughed heartily and took out a pair of black spectacles with wire like frames, putting them on slowly.
"Seems like you're reckless and stubborn… but interesting."
The headmaster said while standing up and walking closer. Ren had enough, he had to get away from this man and quick, he tried to back away but realised that his legs wouldn't listen to him, he was frozen in place. The headmaster drew closer and placed a palm on his forehead. Ren who was panicking felt his head heat up and he blacked out.
***
"What the hell did you do to me."
Ren shouted as soon as he woke up. He was in bed on the top bunk again, like nothing ever happened. The headmaster voice came from below him.
"Quit yapping, a fool like you wouldn't understand if I explained it… Just know that I'm interested in you and that's a good thing."
Ren was taken aback by his frivolous attitude. This man was really pulling his leg but out of curiosity he still asked.
"How is this a good thing."
Ren was trying to see if he could get any benefits, Yes, this man was dangerous but right now he could use all the help he could get. There was a short period of silence before Ren heard the headmaster speak again.
"I'm prepared to offer you a deal. I'm bored, I've lived a ridiculously long time and seen everything there is to see… If you manage to show me something fun, I'll return the favour."
Ren thought about it for a while, and something struck him.
"Have you ever seen someone break out of an unbreakable prison."
Ren asked, since this was his plan to begin with, he didn't lose anything, Ren's response caused the headmaster to burst into laughter
"Deal."
***
When Ren woke up, the sheets were drenched in his sweat, with this heat, he didn't even need a blanket. While yawning and rubbing his eyes, he rolled out of bed.
CRASH.
Ren had forgotten that he was on a bunk bed and fell to the floor. Somewhat embarrassed, Ren picked himself off the floor and looked around the cell. The headmaster was already gone but the memories of last night were still present.
"What the fuck is up with this prison."
Ren cursed, since arriving here nothing went as he expected. He didn't linger on that thought too long because today he had a mission. His eyes turned cold, that blue haired man had to die today. Ren didn't know what that man had done but he would do whatever it takes to escape this hell.
Ren exited Block-D and headed over to the mines while yawning, when he got to the entrance he stopped and closely watched the people entering. They all had glum faces and dull eyes, Ren patiently waited for around an hour until he was rewarded with the sight of a blue head of hair, naturally it was his target. Ren waited until the man had entered and followed him into the mines.
Ren merged in with the crowd while keeping track of his target and walked through the dark cramped tunnel, eventually reaching the end of a long que, the people seemed to be lined in front of a wooden stall with a huge sign that read "INFERNO MINES". The que moved quickly and Ren soon reached the stall.
"Ah, a fresh face, give me a bit."
A husky voice came from behind the counter where a huge muscular man riddled with scars was standing, he turned around and presented Ren with a brown bag and a small pick-axe with an iron head and wooden handle. The pickaxe seemed to be engraved with some sort of markings, Ren assumed it somehow prevented the inmates from mining their way out.
"This size should be about right, a kilo of crystal for five hundred sparks. Good luck now."
The man shooed him away after an inadequate explanation, despite its small size the pick axe felt unnaturally heavy in his hands, with an equally heavy heart Ren continued down the tunnel and reached a large dark open space that was extremely hot.
Ren could see many other tunnels leading out of the open space, he scanned the area and quickly caught sight of his blue haired target.
***
"Why so glum Diego"
A bald man asked the blue haired man walking alongside him.
"Aint that obvious, working in these fucking mines all day long."
The blue haired Diego grumbled causing the man to slap him on the back and chuckle.
"If it's that much of a problem, why don't you ask that rich brother of yours to send some sparks your way."
The bald man asked, causing Diego to frown.
"As if, working here may be hell, but I still have my pride."
Diego spoke with a firm tone causing the man to sigh and shake his head.
"I hope you realise that we're in prison, that pride of yours is worth jack shit and will only get you killed."
The bald man said bitterly, these words were not what Diego wanted to hear and he immediately lost his temper.
"My prides the only thing I've got left so sure as hell I'm going to hold onto it, if you gonna keep throwing shade at me you can piss off."
Diego shouted angrily, causing a small amount of spit to spray out of his mouth, the bald man shrugged his shoulders and turned around.
"Don't say I didn't warn ya."
The bald man said while walking off, Diego sighed and turned around just as he was about to venture deeper into the mines, he caught sight of a little black-haired kid with unnaturally perfect face and charming red eyes staring back at him. The kid was struggling to hold up a small pickaxe and his hands were trembling under the weight.
"The fuck you looking at kid."
Diego growled causing the kid to panic and avert his gaze, after a short while the kid slowly approached him.
"Sorry sir, I happened to overhear your conversation, I… I just wanted to say that it's not a bad thing… to keep your pride. I only got here yesterday, but I can already say that it's a rare thing among the prisoners."
The kid stuttered nervously but the content of his incoherent rambling made Diego warm inside, he then took a better look at the small weak looking kid, who was struggling to even hold a small pick axe. Diego sighed and walked over to him, grabbing the pickaxe out of his hands.
"Come with me kid, if we work together, we should be able to get enough crystals to feed us both."
Diego said, causing the kid to freeze, a tear began to roll down the kids' cheek and he bowed his head towards Diego.
"Thank you, sir. I knew that even in this hell-hole there would be at least one good person. I will definitely repay you, even if it takes my life."
Diego smiled and patted him on the back, making the kid raise his head.
"Your life is something I don't need… you can give me your name though."
Diego asked since he couldn't call him kid forever. His question made the child pause and a sad expression come over his face.
"Before coming here this lowly one was a slave, a name is something I was never given."
The kid said bitterly. Diego felt a twinge of sympathy for him.
"Dammit… kid, how about I give you one myself, how does Sid sound, it was the name of my father."
Diego said hopefully, the kid's eyes lit up after hearing those words and he once again bowed his head.
"Thank you, sir. Sid will never forget your kindness."
Sid spoke gratefully causing Diego to chuckle heartily.
"If you don't raise your head soon, you're gonna hurt your neck. Follow me, I happen to know a good spot for mining."
His words made Sid quickly lift his head and rub his neck in fright with a terrified expression. Diego laughed, sometimes it was nice to be in the company of someone so simple.
Diego led Sid down the tunnel where they passed a few inmates hammering away at the walls loudly with their tools. Diego who was somewhat bored decided to make some small talk.
"So, Sid, how did a kid like you end up as an inmate, especially here… you must be a breaker right."
Diego asked, curious why such a young child ended up in the I.M.S., to be locked up here you would need to be a breaker.
"Sir, do you know about traits"
"Yes, I'm aware, they're extremely rare abilities that don't rely on aether so even the anklet doesn't stop them."
"That right Sir, I awakened one when I was four, my parents were from the villages so when they found out they immediately sold me to a slave trader. Then about a week ago, I was sent on an errand and got lost, I ended up on the lands of a noble and they arrested me for trespassing."
"That's rough, but traits are extremely rare, if you didn't end up here, I'm sure you would have become a great person."
Diego sighed at the misfortune of the kid. Sid just gave him a bitter smile in response and they continued walking in silence.
"This is my secret spot my brother discovered, not many people know about it but this area is rich in crystals. Sid what do you know about mining."
He asked once they arrived at a secluded cave, Sid looked up at Diego and there was a clear look of hesitation on his face.
"It should be alright if I tell you sir, I don't know much about mining, but my trait makes me extremely sensitive to Aether, meaning I can also sense where the crystals are located."
Sid said slowly, Diego was shocked by his words but a smile slowly spread across his face.
"That's amazing Sid… wait, first don't ever tell anyone about this, I'm sure you know this but the people here aren't like me and will definitely take advantage of you. Can you use it right now?"
Diego spoke happily but then it looked like he realised something and his face dropped
"Sorry I spoke without thinking, I may not know much about traits but I'm aware that using them put's strain on the user's body."
He said apologetically after realising that Sid was just a weak kid, how much could that small body of his handle, he was about to say something but just then Sid looked up at him with a firm resolve in his eyes.
"Sir, you are the first person to show me such kindness, you even gave me my name. If I can be of any assistance to you I would gladly do it."
Sid said with a firm tone almost like he wouldn't take no for an answer. Diego sighed even though he wanted to stop him, he couldn't help but marvel at the kid's character.
Sid closed his eyes and started to concentrate, after a few seconds he opened his eyes and collapsed to the floor. Diego immediately rushed over to him and caught Sid before he hit the ground.
"Sid, are you alright"
He asked with a concerned expression, helping him to the ground. After Sid took a few deep breaths he pointed at a spot on the ground a short distance away from him.
"Over there. About a meter below I sensed something big."
Sid said weakly causing Diego to smile softly.
"Thank you, Sid, rest here for a while, by the time you recover I should be done."
He said walking over to the spot Sid had pointed out.
***
Around an hour later Diego wiped the sweat of his brow, his face and clothes were smeared with a mixture of sweat and dirt.
"Hey what are you doing, I thought I told you to rest."
Diego exclaimed when he saw Sid climb into the hole with his pick axe in hand. Sid smiled brightly at him and flexed his thin arms.
"I'm fine now. Plus, the quicker we find the crystals the quicker we can eat."
Sid stated convincingly. Alex who was against it at first, changed his mind when he saw that Sid looked perfectly fine.
"Fine, but if you feel tired make sure to take a break"
Diego said, once again swinging his pickaxe but on that swing, he felt something hard causing him to look down and see a shiny red surface below his feet.
"Would you look at that, turns out I didn't need your help after all."
He said turning around and giving Sid a smug look. Sid just stood there looking at the crystals with shock.
"Why are you so surprised, you're the one who told me they were here."
Diego chuckled after noticing the cute look of surprise on Sid's face. When he realised what he was doing Sid snapped out of it.
"I was just… we ran into them so quickly, I thought they were further below."
Sid said quickly, the hole Diego had dug was a bit shallower than a meter. Diego continued to laugh and slapped Sid on the back.
"Seems like you have room to improve then. Give me a sec, as soon as I get these, we can finally fill our bellies."
Diego said while salivating, he bent down and began to clear away the dirt revealing a glittery red gem the size of his fist.
THUD.
Just as he was about to grab the crystal, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, the pain was so overwhelming that his whole body slumped to the ground. When he looked up, he saw Sid staring down at him coldly, in his hands was a small pickaxe splattered in blood.
"Whoops I missed."
Sid said lazily causing Diego to stare back at him in confusion.
"Sid… why."
Diego asked weakly, Sid didn't answer and raised his pick axe above his head.
"Sid, who's that? My names always been Ren."
SPLAT
Ren sunk the pickaxe deep into Diego's skull causing blood to splatter everywhere. Ren sighed and put his hands together in prayer. He wasn't the least bit religious but somehow, he felt obligated to.
"You truly were a nice person… too nice. It wasn't personal but I won't blame you if you hate me from the afterlife. It's just that I have a goal that I don't mind spilling blood to achieve. I hope your soul will find peace now that you've left hell. Amen"
Ren cleaned the blood of his pick axe and smeared some dirt on his face and clothes, if he walked out of this place clean it would raise suspicion. He glanced at the red crystal that was on the floor and pocketed it.
That whole story about sensing the crystals he had fed to Diego was a load of crap, which was why he was so surprised when they actually found them.
The reason Ren made Diego dig the hole in the first place was so he could hide the body easily, he thought he would have to continue mining to earn his meal, truly a blessing in disguise.
After grabbing Diego's badge, Ren climbed out of the hole and began filling it in with the heaps of rubble to the side.
***
Ren rubbed the sweat of his brow, since it was easier to fill a hole then dig one, Ren finished in around twenty minutes, but the sweltering heat in the mines meant that he was still exhausted by the time he had finished.
Not wanting to stick around to admire his handiwork, Ren headed for the exit. The place Diego had brought him to was deep within the mines but Ren's memory was good enough for him to navigate the twisting tunnels with ease.
"Oi peasant, spare this great one some crystals and I'll make it worth yo- fuck it's you."
A familiar voice made Ren stop and turn around. Slouched against the wall was a sweaty Pedro III covered in dirt, Pedro didn't look the least bit happy to see him.
"I don't mind sharing some of my haul with you but what could you possibly give me in return."
Ren said walking over to him. Pedro frowned, he had been mining for hours on end but all his hard work resulted in a small thumb-sized crystal worth only fifty sparks' when he saw a small kid walking past, he thought he could scam some crystals out of him, but it turned out that the kid was the scary one he had vowed to avoid, still crystals were crystals.
"Information, like me you just got here and probably know nothing about the inner workings. I happened to be stuck with a chatterbox of a cell mate, he kept me up all night but in return I learnt a few things, so how does a hundred sparks sound."
He said hopefully, Ren gave Pedro a scary smile.
"twenty or I'm leaving."
Ren said much to Pedro's dismay but he eventually relented, the information wasn't exactly a secret so Ren was pretty much the only one he could sell it to.
"Fine."