*THUNK*
The sound of the door opening wakes me up from my nap. Sleeping on such a firm surface wasn't as bad as one would think, but one definitely had to stretch their neck and back after a couple hours of laying down due to the lack of cushioning and support.
Stretching out my joints, I turn to face the door to see who's come to pick me up, but the two voices I hear make it apparent who they are.
"Did you forget to lock the door? Why was it unlocked?" [ Roxanne]
"I have no idea; you are the one that closed the doors so it's your fault if they escaped." [Brock]
"No, you closed the doors so its your responsibility." [Roxanne]
"Well there's only one entrance so it shouldn't' matter even if they left the rooms for a bit." [Brock]
Entering the room are the two (very bad) prison guards from earlier. Seeing that I'm still in the room, the two have completely different reactions. Roxanne seems to look relived that I haven't escaped while Brock seems…disappointed?
"See he's still here. There's no need to worry." [Brock]
"I'm going to check the other rooms to make sure that they are all locked. You stay here until I get back. The committee said to make sure that they are separated but safe. We can't have them all leaving their rooms." [Roxanne]
"Got it, I'll watch over him." [Brock]
Brock watches her leave the room then turns to me,
"Why didn't you get out or leave? I thought that leaving the door unlocked would help you get out." [Brock]
"Oh, so you did it on purpose! I thought you just forgot to lock the jail door like the giant useless ape you are. Thanks to that though I got to stretch my legs for a bit. I have to say that I'm not impressed by the toilets and beds in these rooms though." [Shin]
"Listen, shut up for a second. Now not the time for your dumb comments. You and friends or whatever are in a bad spot. The committee doesn't really know how deal with the accusations, and they don't have complete control over the whole group. With the announcement they made to the entire school earlier, they blamed you 4 for what happened last night and are planning on making an example of you." [Brock]
"Yeah…and? I knew that this was going to happen. I figured that since we are no longer in the empire, their influence over others would wane since there are only around 50 nobles or so for 450 commoners there are. Isn't it normal for them to use the first group of commoners as an example to the rest? Unfortunately for me, Prince Eren and Daichi seem to think that I'll be useful, so they probably won't kill me. What's the consensus?" [Shin]
"I don't know, I've been stuck here for several hours so I don't know the consensus up top. I thought you wouldn't want that so I kept the door unlocked so you could get out. I figured that you would understand that if you stay, you'll won't like the outcome. That's why I guessed you would be gone when I got back." [Brock]
"What about the Laura Kati and Bode? They'll be stuck here and be left to probably die, or worse." [Shin]
"I've known you for years and never saw you with people your age so I figured that you would just leave them be. It would be easier for you to escape alone than in a group after all." [Brock]
"Are you suggesting that I abandon my comrades? You…Dare…Suggest that I leave behind people I've fought beside?" [Shin]
Hearing this suggestion from a friend of my father's makes me furious. He of all people should know that even to suggest abandoning the people you've fought with is a mortal sin in the army. Any soldier who abandoned their post and left their comrades behind didn't last long after being found out.
{Yeah, I never had many friends, but even though we've only known each other for a little while, we've been through so much that I consider them comrades in that regard.}
"Listen, I'm sorry but that was the only way I thought I could save you. I owe your father a lot so I planned in helping you whenever I could. I see now that it was useless, you are too much like your father." [Brock]
Disappointment heavily laced in my words, I look him in the eyes and say,
"Damn right! Did you even think I would do something like that? I see that you don't know me at all." [Shin]
"I had to take the chance, even if it means stepping all over what I know. That's how much I value the promise to your dad!" [Brock]
I take a deep breath to calm down. Thinking rationally, I know that I was in the wrong. Being in the army and fighting alongside my dad for years, he must know the sin of leaving behind you comrades more than I ever could. That just goes to demonstrate how seriously he thinks of my safety. Now that I've composed myself, I feel honored to have such a nice guy watching over me, one who would step over their ideals to ensure my safety.
"You're right. I'm sorry for getting angry and yelling at you, but unfortunately I still can't abandon my comrades." [Shin]
"If that's what you wish, then I won't say anything else to convince you otherwise. However, you need to remember, you're no longer in the empire. Sticking to your ideals might lead to you dying, so be prepared to abandon what you know if you want to survive." [Brock]
"Wow… that was probably the best advice you've ever given. Nice to know that your ape brain works sometimes." [Shin]
"You know what, never mind. Forget I said anything and go jump off a cliff. Why am I even bothering to be nice to you?" [Brock]
"Because you're a nice guy, I think." [Shin]
We both look at each other and smile, which quickly turns to laughter. The laughter is still going strong when Roxanne enters the room.
"I'm glad you two are having fun. Now let's go because we are behind schedule." [Roxanne]
"What about the other's? Aren't you bringing them as well?" [Shin]
"We were instructed to bring each person separately so that each person's stories could be heard separately. Most of the members, including the Prince agreed to these conditions." [Roxanne]
"Most? What did the others suggest then?" [Shin]
"Killing you outright." [Brock]
"Okay… well I'm glad that didn't happen. Looks like I'll have some explaining to do if I want to avoid being executed. Alright, lead the way." [Shin]
Ignoring Roxanne's look of surprise, I grab my backpack and follow behind Brock, leaving my cell to take visit to this committee that will be deciding our fate.
…
Exiting the door at the end of the hallway, I entered a room that I could barely recognize. The area that I landed in when I fell down the stairs was dark, gloomy and had just a small layer of moss growing on the floor, making it seem like an actual castle dungeon. This time, the room looks like a complete ecological biome of different plants and mosses. Rows of bioluminescent moss hang from the ceiling, making natural chandelier's that illuminate the entire room. Even small trees have grown from the floor, the tips of their branches almost brushing against the ceiling. The floor which was a simple layer for moss now holds ferns and other waist high foliage which brush against us as we make our way to the stairs.
Shocked at the transformation, I ask,
"Uhm, why are there even more plants here now? Are we in a botanica garden?" [Shin]
"Yeah well, I kind of got bored again and, yeah… hahaha." [Brock]
"I fell asleep after having him promise that he would wake me up when a messenger came. When I woke up, the entire room was already like this so I would like to say that I played no role in his irresponsible behavior. [Roxanne]
Not really caring who is to blame for turning the dungeon into a subterranean jungle, my mind turns towards Brock's Skills.
Too curious to not do it, I look at Brock and Roxanne as we climb the stairs, using Delusion to see what they're capable of.
Name: Brock Harlow. Title: Druid. Equipped: Steel Knife|
Name: Roxanne Rochelle. Title: Warden. Equipped: None|
{A druid makes sense, I guess. What were those again? I think they are shamans who worship nature so him experimenting with his powers and making this forest makes sense. As for Roxanne, I can pretty much guess why she was chosen for this job.}
"You know, it really shouldn't be for me to say as one of your prisoner, but you should definitely spend more time watching the prisoners rather than messing around with your Skills." [Shin]
"But no one has tried to escape yet so it's been boring just sitting down there. You how humid it was down there when we got down there? I was sweating without doing a thing." [Brock]
"Wait a minute, did you do make these plants grow just to get rid of the humidity?" [Shin]
"H-Hahaha no way. Now, come on prisoner. You don't have the right to speak!" [Brock]
"Is that true? Did you really turn the entire bottom floor into a forest to get rid of humidity?" [Roxanne]
"Come on, don't listen to criminals. Look we are near the top of the stair, where are we going again?" [Brock]
"Don't think I'll let you off for this… We ought to go up the second floor where the committee is set up. Go up the next set of stairs and turn right." [Roxanne]
Now that we've exited the dungeon staircase, the number of people is progressively growing along the way, entering, and exiting the rooms that dot the hallway. The one thing that surprises me the most is that no one really stares at me or even seems to care.
Confused, I ask Brock why they don't' seem to care.
"Brock, I thought you said that there was an announcement where the four of us were blamed for the teacher's death? If that's true, then why do them seem indifferent about me walking here?" [Shin]
"Oh yeah. Well they did announce it but only to the nobility and a couple of others. They thought that people would panic if they heard about what happened, so they are keeping it all on the hush-hush." [Brock]
"Yeah, I guess you have a point, there's no reason to share that information with everyone. I have to say, it didn't take long for the nobility to hide and lie to the rest of the people though." [Shin]
"Ha! Yeah. Not surprising though is it?" [Brock]
"Enough. We've arrived." [Roxanne]
Coming to a stop in front of a large set of double doors, I think to myself,
{So, all I have to do is convince a bunch of stubborn, arrogant and useless nobles (teenagers) to not kill my comrades and I without offending them. Seems like an easy task. Well, if that doesn't work, there's always Plan B…}
I take a deep breathe then grab on the door handle.
"Good luck." [Brock]
"Yeah, I'll need it." [Shin]
With a turn and a push, I enter the room.