"How did you guys end up here and get locked up?"
Seeing the two goblin muscleman walk away, Alonso, who was naturally impatient, asked first.
"Well... there's no point in saying it. It's too embarrassing."
The man in tattered robes wanted to say something, but the words choked in his throat.
"Alright then."
Since the other party didn't want to talk, Alonso didn't intend to force him either. After all, revealing the reason for his own imprisonment would be quite embarrassing. With the light, Alonso gradually got a clear look at the appearance of his two cellmates.
Seeing the man up close, Alonso realized that he seemed to be around the same age as himself. However, his long, unkempt beard made him appear older, and there was a sense of weariness between his brows. The red robe he wore, though worn out, hinted at his profession as a mage from the pattern and material.
As for the timid girl he was protecting, despite her dusty face, it couldn't hide her beautiful appearance. Alonso could confirm one thing: the girl who had just brought the last light to the dying goblin was her.
It was simple—the only female in this prison!
"My friend, judging from your attire, you must also be an adventurer, right?"
The mage smiled and extended his right hand towards Alonso.
"Yeah, I'm Alonso·Baird, a warrior by profession."
Alonso nodded, shook the mage's hand, and gave it a firm shake. He usually greeted people with a fist bump, but since the other party extended his hand, he awkwardly chose to go along with it.
"Braus·Ambrose, a mage by profession."
Then, he pointed with his left hand towards the girl behind him and introduced her with a hint of apology, "She's my friend, Karla, a priest by profession. She's a bit shy by nature, and combined with her weakened body and just casting a spell, she's a bit exhausted. It's not intentional coldness towards you."
Alonso waved his hand; he was a rough man and didn't care about such trivial matters.It was Braus, the mage, whose surname piqued Alonso's interest because "Ambrose" was a surname he had encountered for the first time in his memory.
"My friend, would you like to escape from here?"
Just as Alonso was curious about the surname, Braus leaned close to his ear and unexpectedly asked.
"Huh?!"
Alonso had just thought about planning an escape after asking how they ended up here, but he never expected the other party to bring it up first. Although it was sudden, Alonso, who had the same idea, didn't hesitate and immediately responded, "Of course! Who wants to spend their whole life in prison?"
"That's great! I..."
Braus was overjoyed, but before he could say more, he suddenly felt dizzy and fell backward.
"Huh?! What's wrong?!"
Alonso was startled by the sudden collapse and hurriedly caught him. He wondered if the guy in front of him had been thrown into prison for scamming...
"He's hungry."
The middle-aged man in the opposite cell, leaning against the corner with a haggard face, spoke coldly, "Girl, you better cancel the spell in your hand quickly. In this prison, you should conserve your strength, or else you'll soon starve to death."
"Listen to him, Karla."
Held by Alonso and not collapsed on the ground, Braus weakly advised the girl. She obediently dispelled the spell, and the whole cell returned to its previous dim state.
"Young man, listen to uncle's advice. Forget about escaping. When we first came here, we were constantly planning how to get out. In the end, not only did we fail to escape, but most of us also starved to death."
In the pitch-black darkness, the voice of the middle-aged man from the opposite cell came again.
"Thank you for your concern, but I won't give up hope of leaving here."
With a firm tone, Braus explained in a weak voice in the darkness.
"Alright, alright! I got it, big brother, just keep quiet for a moment..."
Hastily covering the man's mouth, Alonso feared that he might say something that would permanently alienate this potential ally in their escape.
"You rest for a while. Let me tell you how I ended up here and got locked up. Listen quietly and think about how the information might help us in the future, okay?"
Feeling the other nodding, Alonso knew the man hadn't passed out yet, so he breathed a sigh of relief and began recounting his experience.
"I came here because I accepted a mission to exterminate goblins..."
Alonso recounted his experiences in a calm manner, revealing a strong sense of regret. He regretted entering the goblin-inhabited mine for the sake of a meager reward.
As he recounted, Braus's expression gradually became animated.
"So, you were also captured by goblins after accepting a mission!"
Karla, who had almost lost consciousness due to hunger, expressed her surprise after hearing Alonso's story.
"Huh? So, you guys were also brought here like this?!"
Alonso was somewhat surprised.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
Braus, whose mouth was covered, seemed to have something to say, but being muffled, he could only make some muffled sounds.
"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to let go!"
Alonso quickly raised his hand.
"The one who assigned you the mission, was he a fat guy with a red beard, and he liked to curse a lot!"
Excited, Braus, as soon as Alonso let go, asked the question he had been wanting to ask since he heard that Alonso had accepted the mission.
"Uh, when I accepted the mission, I only noted the location and didn't pay much attention to the person who assigned it. But, it seems similar to your description, and yes, he did have a foul mouth." Alonso recalled.
"That's him! We, like you, also accepted the mission he issued!"
Braus said indignantly, dispelling the dizziness in his mind.
"I didn't expect that you guys were brought here like this too. Huh? But wait, with your combination, you should have been able to handle two teams of goblins, so how were you captured?"
Alonso suddenly had a question. A mage and a priest, plus they both looked strong, should have had no problem dealing with a dozen goblins! How did they get caught if they weren't blocked by dozens of goblins?
"Um..."
Braus said awkwardly, "To be honest, after we entered the cave, we had just killed two teams of goblins and then found ourselves lost..."
Alonso: "..."
"The underground world is composed of many caves dug by goblins, along with their tunnels. Some are as large as human towns, while others can only accommodate a single goblin's dwelling. Humans accustomed to the surface world are easily lost in these complex passages, and the same goes for goblins accustomed to underground life... Their way of avoiding getting lost is to directly dig new tunnels, but these new tunnels only increase the possibility of them getting lost..." — "Marlin's Underground Dungeon Exploration Diary"