Alfar kept gazing at Casper with a confused expression behind the mask. He started to wonder how things turned to be like they became, and then he linked the points.
"I should have had suspected that something was off in the exact moment when they told my ex-cellmate that he would move… Did you armed this whole scheme?"
Casper leaned his back on the wall, stretching his arms, with a proud smile on his face.
"Yes. That Olaf helped me with it. He is a pretty useful person if you know how to deal with him."
Alfar thought for a little while until he seemed to remember something.
"Aah, I see, that Olaf. He is not from my Faction, unfortunately, but I know that he has many connections among the Ridire. I tried to make him join us… But it seems that the Neutral faction doesn't want to let him go.
"Anyway, letting aside the bullshit, things will be more interesting now that you are here. I will bet that you have a lot of things going on your mind now."
"Hehe, you guessed it. I do have something in mind, and it will happen soon, maybe today, but first I need to make sure that Anton will do his part in the plan."
Alfar seemed very interested in how Casper would handle all that situation they were in.
The factions were clashing with each other every single day. The nursery was even collapsing after all the injured prisoners. The Ridires always thought that it was fun to watch the brawls, and never did much to stop, but now they were as busy as never before.
"You already know, right, Casper?" Alfar asked for him, looking in his eyes. "The reason for this prison to exist?"
"Yes." He nodded. "The experiments."
"It can seem pretty dumb because of this goal I have to reunite all the factions, but… Some time ago, I realized that the suffering that all those people were passing through was meaningless in the end. It was worth just for the scientists, and the Jarls, but for them…
"I know that they aren't the best people in the world, but they are humans. And I can't bear to see these people acting like real guinea pigs. I can't handle the sight of those scientists filling their pockets with money and prestige."
Casper heard attentively to what he had to say. Indeed, he was always wondering why Alfar had such idealist objectives as to unite a bunch of prisoners into a unique group, forming some sort of democracy. Now, everything was clarified.
Everyone who looked to Alfar would judge him as a dangerous person at first. But he was more human than anyone else.
He was more human than Casper because the soldier never thought once about those prisoners. He couldn't care less for them. All that mattered for him was to escape.
Alfar not. And that was what made him a good person in the end.
Casper hated to admit it, but he felt that that guy was a bit more trustful than Anton or Olaf.
"I will not get carried away, though. I just met him. He isn't dumb at all. If he wishes to fool with me and use me, he will surely be able to do it. But I will keep his ideals in mind."
Casper started to take off from his clothes some papers, a pencil, and the cube. There were more items he wanted to bring from his cell but he could not pick everything.
The less important things stayed there, and Anton was taking care of them.
"Ok. It's good to know more about this, Alfar."
"Don't get me wrong there, Casper. It was not just sentimental bullshit, but a condition." He crossed his arms, looking coldly to the soldier.
"Don't worry. I get this matter as well. It will be difficult to not do this without harm the prisoners, but… I think there is nothing to help it…" Casper was trying to be sympathetic until now, but his voice changed in the next sentences. "However, I will not bring them, Alfar. If what you meant was to help everyone to escape, forget."
Alfar didn't reply. Instead, he just stood up and went to wash his face. Casper followed him during all the route, then drew his attention to his notes.
"Anyway, what are you planning and what I need to do?" He asked after some minutes of uncomfortable silence
"We will start in the next outdoor activities. The next steps of the plan consist in raise our influence at the top, and take control of all the factions here, convincing everyone to take part in the escape.
"The first group we will aim for will be Ragnar's group. So… I need you to mobilize who knows to fight better among your men."
Alfar pondered about that matter. He was probably reasoning as to why Casper would aim to the most dangerous group first.
"Hmm, I suppose that you are willing to first pick the most powerful and dangerous one to make it easier when we start to speak with the other factions, right?"
"Yes, that's about right. It also economizes resources, men and time."
There were some motivations to it, indeed, and the one that Alfar appointed was just the first. The second was because Casper knew that the pitch-black-haired man would never accept that they used violent and harmful methods against any other faction except Ragnar's.
As they were the most violent ones, the soldier was sure that Alfar would find it reasonable to resort to violence as well.
"I am starting to know why his comrades questioned his ways of action and leadership. This kind and good-willed idealism is good in theory, but for this environment, it's nearly sabotaging…" Casper believed that, sometimes, coercion was more efficient than persuasion and diplomacy.
Unfortunately, there was no way to be totally civilized against people who were not.
Bit by bit, he was planning to weak this will of Alfar and made him play his game just as he pleased.
"Ok, if that's how it is, then I will mobilize some men for you." He spoke as if it was a huge hassle for him.
Obviously, he was unwilling to hurt his comrades, but Casper cared the least for it. There were some situations where the ends justify the means. People could even die there, but the soldier was sure that it would be worth it.
"You need to stop to think of this type of consequence. We are at war now. Blood leads to peace sometimes. Our efforts will pay off." Casper tried to persuade him, and those words seemed to make him calm down a bit.
"We will need to make it happen until the dinner time from this night, got it?"
"Sure, sure."
Casper was a bit tired because of the pressure he needed to pass through in the previous hours. His anxiety raised when he found himself searching for Olaf like crazy, persuading him the best way he could to make him find a way to convince the Ridire to help.
After this, he could just hope that the Ridires would vacate a cell for him and intercept his transference.
Because of all his exhaustion, he slept for a while, waiting eagerly to the dinner time, when a big step of the plan would be accomplished.
…
When the hour arrived, Casper reunited with the group of Alfar. Everyone there knew what would happen that day, and they seemed to be in high spirits.
As it seemed, Alfar's faction was the faction that influenced the majority of people in the prison, and also the one who fought less.
Alfar would avoid battle whenever they find an opening, and if not, his men would always win.
It was a pretty curious standard for a faction that held such power. If they wanted to dominate all the prison by force, they would be able to do it for sure.
That probably was why they were the most hated by the others.
The canteen was filled with people as always. Now that Casper was new there, he did not find anyone familiar, except for those that he saw in the outdoor activities sometimes.
In Block D, there was a huge concentration of people from Alfar's faction, but also Ragnar's.
That was the perfect scenario to keep up with the plan perfectly. All they need to do was wait.
"Hey, Casper, what will we do now? We can't just go ahead and start a fuss now. The Ridires currently are turning to be more strict and they will not let a huge battle happen in the middle of the canteen without interrupt on it."
Casper nodded. He had already reasoned about that matter even before he went to Alfar's cell.
"Just keep patient. The signal for us to act will appear soon… Or so I believe…" He muttered the last part for himself. Alfar did not seem to hear anything.
When the pitch-black-haired man was about to ask something else, the alarms started to sound. A grin suddenly appeared on Casper's face.
"Good job, Anton… Good job…"
The Ridire started to panic, and soon the communicators were emitting desperate voices asking for reinforcements.
They soon started to run out of the canteen.
Casper slapped Alfar's back.
"Let's go for it, man. I want the payback from that time in the courtyard with that tattoed idiot."
"But, he isn't here…"
Casper started to walk outside the canteen as well.
"Then, let's find that man!"