Two days went by since the cruelty of the prison cell swallowed Kanito whole. Kanito had no admiration for life at this point, but at the same time, he wasn't able to kill himself because of his bound hands.
The long hatch above the dungeon suddenly opened, shining light into the interiors of the dungeon. Kanito was agitated by the illumination, he turned his head away with parted eyes.
A few guards descended down into the dungeon with a prisoner who seemed to be chatting with the guards and annoying them. He was redundantly loud and made quirky, pointless body movements, his hands were still pressed together in shackles.
Kanito, peeved by the raspy voice, looked away in annoyance.
"This path beside this cell leads to the prison's control room? Are you sure that it is safe here? Alongside malicious criminals like these?" That newly brought prisoner continued to talk in a grating voice.
"Alright, enough of your nonsense." one of the guards said.
Exasperated by his questions, the guards finally grabbed his arms hard, the prisoner still didn't turn around, he didn't let the guards see his bound hands behind him. He retro-walked to a distance.
Kanito was trying not to pay attention to the scene infront, but his eyes became disturbed when the prisoner walked a little more and finally stood infront of Kanito's cell, with his back pressed against the portcullis.
Kanito saw that the prisoner's bound hands were holding a flask containing a yellow fluid inside it. The prisoner quickly turned and signaled.
Kanito still confused, moved towards the gates instinctively. He extended his feet, in a way to catch something.
Very quickly, the prisoner dropped the flask while Kanito caught it within his toes.
The guards noticed something was off about the prisoner's behaviour, they delayed no more and dragged him away.
Kanito swiftly maneuvered the flask using his thighs and hid it behind him.
Poker who was seated by the cell noticed the scene. He was unaware of the flask.
"Do you know him?" Poker inquired with slight interest.
"No." Kanito replied.
Poker unconcerned about his job, strolled away giving Kanito a quite menacing look. Kanito acted neutrally, talking less, maintaining a cold and undecipherable face.
-----
At night, when the jailors were sleeping, Kanito finally mustered up the courage to take a look at the flask he was hiding for a pretty long time.
He held the body of the flask between his two feet very carefully, he then craned his neck down and bit the stopper on the mouth of the flask, he lifted the stopper held in his teeth and even more carefully and quietly, placed it on the dark ground.
As the stopper lay inverted, Kanito saw a small scroll attached to the inward side of the stopper, folded to the size of a stamp. Along with it was a small and thin key.
Kanito rested his feet on the ground and turned towards the stopper, his hands were bound so he couldn't pick out the thin paper out of the stopper.
Kanito gave the situation a little thought. He then lowered his head, bringing it towards the stopper and blew air, it made the paper flutter and get a bit distorted from its fully folded state. The paper rose upwards.
Kanito used his left leg's fingers to stabilize the stopper firmly on the ground. He then reached for the paper with his right leg's fingers and very diligently positioned the upright part of the paper between two of his toe fingers.
He then using his toe fingers, successfully extracted the paper out from the stopper's interior, making the secured key fall off.
Kanito saw the sheer number of folds and creases on the paper. He inserted his toe's finger nails inside the gutter margins of the paper and undid the folds on the paper and evened it's surface with his knees.
'How am I even doing all this?'
Kanito saw writings on the paper in a very different script. It was grim dark and his pupils dilated in order to read the writings on the paper. He first was uncomfortable and hesitant with the new script, but slowly the words made sense as he was able to decipher them.
'Prisoner, your name is unknown to me. But if you are lucky enough to find my message, read it till the end. I'm aware that you are held captive unjustly and hence allow me to help you for reasons you may or may not find out soon....' he read the first paragraph in his mind.
Kanito squinted his eyes, he gave the first paragraph a thorough and careful read again as he thought that he was misreading the words because of his unfamiliarity with this new language, but everytime he read, the paragraph stayed the same.
He continued to read the next passage quietly, "The liquid inside the flask is a potent acid which can can melt iron, use it to break free from your chains. But while doing so, exercise caution. You can imagine what a substance that can corrode metals do if they touch your skin..."
Kanito while reading the initial words was a little restored emotionally, but as the paragraph continued, his face reverted to it's original form.
'Why is there always a price to pay?'
He read the letter further,
'And the key is specially designed to open both the gates of your cell and the lid over the dungeon, the cell's lock might be attached to the wrist of your jailor. All of this help feels too convenient, isn't it? Don't worry, this help will not be for free. You looked not of this country, I hope you understand Agloic.' The letter ended.
'Obviously I am not from this country, not even this world.'
Kanito looked at the flask anxiously. He tried to move towards the flask a couple of times but stopped when he thought about the risk.
'Well, great payments also lead to great outcomes.'
He used both of his legs as a tong to tilt the flask down on the floor. The viscous yellow acid carrying a faint sharp odour, fell on the floor while some of it seeped down the ground.
'Come on now ! Was I really thinking that freedom would cost nothing? All it will cost me is a few scars?'
After thinking about his safety and looking at the burning texture of the substance warily, he gingerly dragged his wrists and immersed them into the acid's surface.
Kanito felt his hands slowly being freed from the bound of the shackles. The metallic restraints slowly dissolved into the acid's surface.
Kanito moved his wrists in random motion and a feel of ephemeral relief crept into his heart only to be hit by an almost instantaneous realization that he poured the acid over the key.
Kanito looked down at the seeping acid and the key between, it was safe. But now, inorder to extract the key, he has to dip his hands directly into the acid.
'It's just a liquid.'
Kanito very fearfully inserted two of his fingers into the acid and swiftly picked out the key.
He gripped the key steadily in his hands and very cautiously crawled towards the portcullis.
Poker was sleeping with his back against the wall of the cell.
'Now look at him, so not a poker face !'
Kanito mocked his sleeping face. He saw a lock attached to his wrist as it was written in the letter.
Kanito extended his arm outside the lattice and gently held the lock attached to Poker's wrist. He pushed the key inside and rotated it.
After that, when he slightly touched the wooden barrier, it slided upwards.
'All of this feels awfully convenient. As the letter read 'this help will not be for free' a huge price is awaiting me perhaps.'
He held the gate and very slowly raised it upwards, the gate didn't make any noise fortunately and it folded into it's recess.
Kanito peered out of the cell, it was slient and wrapped in dark, faint vision being allowed by the virtue of a few firesticks.
'How primitive is this world's technology? The fact that even an amateur like me can break free from their prisons speaks a lot about the merit of this world and the people.'
Kanito's heart beat accelerated when he tiptoed outside the cell and peered into the murkiness. Jailors and prisoners were asleep and he thought no one saw him.
In that darkness, he recognized spatial patterns and created his own path and followed it and climbed the staircase.
'Should I take off my sandals? Should I turn and take a look at Poker's face? Should I take the letter with me? The flask? What about the prisoner who gave me this flask? Who is that? Is this letter from him? What if the jailors are secretly monitoring me and are waiting for the correct moment to strike? What if my foot slips and I fall crashing down? If I fail, what awaits me?'
He carefully walked to the top of the staircase to the hatch and saw another lock hanging from the base of the hatch. He unlocked it with the same key.
He turned back and looked at the sleeping jailors, suspended in darkness, perhaps for the last time and with his both hands lifted the hatch.
It made a very faint creaking sound and slowly turned over. Kanito's pupils constricted as he finally made it outside the dungeon.
'It's just that I've transitioned from one dark and hopeless dungeon to another dungeon. This time, with the luxury of freedom. Other than that, this dungeon and the world outside, both are almost the same.'
His knees became heavy when he stood tall facing the night sky.
'Huh, someone might watch me right now, but that won't stop me from savouring the air of freedom. I must take a moment to pat my own back, hehe.'
He opened his arms and took a deep breath.
As he did, he smelled a faint odour of oil and ashes which slowly grew stronger.
Then, he didn't waste a second and with maximum speed ran from the base of the dungeon, in an attempt to escape it's premises.
He sprinted as fast as he can, zigzagging through different pillars, while suddenly, his foot caught loose on a cobblestone. He fell, scraping his forearms.
A jailor was patrolling the premise, he saw a slender, male figure lying on the ground. He got intensely alarmed and dashed towards the big alarming bell and rang it vigorously.
The ringing of the bell broke the silence of the night, filling the air with noise. Guards from all around the premises in a disorganized way picked themselves up to catch the running prisoner.
Kanito's face became pale. He increased his speed unbelievably and started running again in a desperate manner while gasping for air.
After running to a distance, he entered the swampy and dark forest that covered the prison. The marshy petrichor stung his nose and the thorny vines on the forest floor pricked his bare feet. He didn't stop and kept on running with a pounding heart, panting heavily.
After rushing through the congested and thick forest, he hid beside a tree while guards behind chased after him. A few of them possessed lanterns and were searching for him desperately in that the murky forest.
'I.. I can not run anymore. My.. chest..'
Kanito froze in fear, sure he escaped the prison but in doing so, he attracted unnecessary problems. He saw a guard holding a bright lantern come in his way, it clouded his thoughts.
At that instant, he saw an eroded rock strike through the air and hit the guard's lantern with deadly accuracy. The lantern shattered, and the only light source in his direction extinguished.
The crackling of the glass drew the attention of all the other guards. Soon, from all directions, guards concentrated at that region of the forest.
Kanito was addled by it. As he peeped from beside the tree, he suddenly felt a cold and firm grip on his left cuff.
Before he could turn back, that grip pulled him to the side and he felt a cold and soft hand press his mouth in a way to not let him speak.
"You could've ruined my plan !" A quite shrill voice whispered strongly.
The lights from the guards slowly started scanning more wide areas in the forest and it slowly started reaching them.
"We have to run." the voice told him.
"Where?" Kanito asked, the hand from his mouth lowered.
"Ah, probably back to the prison." the voice's ironic tone made Kanito's lips twitch.
"Now !"
The firm grip on Kanito's cuffs dragged him in a direction away from the forest.
Kanito turned and started running with no thoughts other than escaping.
What he only saw was that an agile figure with long hair was holding his wrist promisingly and was running forward, leading the way out of the forest.
After running for a distance. They reached the periphery of the woods and stood overlooking a lowland infront.
"A bridge and a little walk and that's it."
They slid into the low areas and scurried towards a tranquil canal, coloured in shallow moonlight, but something was missing, a bridge that was supposed to connect the prison with the city was missing.
The figure grasped it's head.
Kanito was consumed in fear when he turned back to see the eerie forest behind slowly opening up into numerous pores of light, the guards from behind will be here anytime !
The figure didn't waver, it turned around to face Kanito.
"Can you jump to the other side?" The figure asked,
'Sir or ma'am, I am not a long jumper.'
"No. The gap is too much !" Kanito exclaimed.
Kanito went up to the edge of the land after which, it scooped down into a canal. He felt very wobbly and immediately pulled away.
The figure turned around and offered a hand,
"We will jump together."
Kanito saw the obscure contours on the face, lit up by the faint moonlight. It was a feminine, short face with a flat jaw.
"I cannot jump that far."
The figure made an annoyed sound and forcefully grabbed his hand, "I will pick you up if you miss by one or two steps."
Kanito noticed that the sound of footsteps were becoming clearer and the lights were coming closer but he hesitated.
'This is so ridiculous. I don't care if I am sounding like a coward, I can not jump that far !'
"Come on !" the figure angrily pulled his hand, making him step on the edge.
"Argh, fine !"
Kanito fixed his gaze on the land on the otherside.
"Are you ready?" The figure looked at Kanito's face for the last time before jumping
"I'll manage." Kanito replied.
After a count of three, Kanito and that figure made a giant leap forwards, flying over the canal, creating an arching pattern in the sky.
They landed on the other side successfully. They were now in the city !
'We did it... I did it !'
A subtle feel of euphoria and relief was seen in Kanito's face.
The figure got up and held his hands again and ran again to a distance, this time in a comparatively lower pace.
Kanito saw a bull-drawn carraige with a closed roof waiting nearby. The figure went up to the carriage and asked Kanito to get in.
The driver at the front seat turned around at the figure.
"Oh finally you are !.. wait someone else too?"
The figure replied to the driver's astonishment, "Yeah, a messenger of the prince told me that there might be a prisoner hiding in the forest. I heard that he was unjustly held captive, and he tasked me with saving him."
The driver immediately pulled the reins and started the carriage. Inside it, the person lit up a candle, "But still, how were you able to escape the prison and enter the forest? That's impressive !"
In the flickering candle light, the obscurity of the person faded. It was a young woman with a round and short face with polished features. She had a pale brown complexion and had waist-reaching pale brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a brown himation like a jacket over a white linen cloth, it was held together with a thin blue belt at the waist.
She slowly calmed the expressions in her face and leaned back to lead out a sigh. She caressed her hair and took out a mirror and a puff from her pocket, "Argh, I don't even want to think about the amount of damage these missions do to my skin !" She looked at herself in the mirror while arching her brows.
Kanito just noticed a striking feature about her, she had long pointed ears.
The young woman noticed that Kanito was gazing at her with a concerned look, as if he was about to ask a question or make a comment about something.
She quickly made a serious face and said,
"Yes, you are thinking right about my ears. I am a refugee. An elf."
Kanito did remember Yuriel mentioning about the demonic invasion of the Elf World.
'Now how do I tell her this without sounding like a predator.'
"No, I did notice your ears but it's not that. Your robe... it's a little scratched in the... private area. Please cover it."
The girl was mortified and gave her cloak a hitch, she looked away, "Thank you."
Kanito replied with a polite and transient smile. The driver of the carraige turned a little to tell the girl something, he turned the wrong side and looked at Kanito, "Wait, aren't you?"
The driver looked at Kanito with a big smile,
"Sir ! I never knew I would meet you again, you, most esteemed gentleman, despite being young, you foresaw the disaster that day and saved me and my chariot from those goons and yet you were wrongly arrested, I saw it all."
Kanito looked at the driver with curiosity,
"Umm, aren't you..." he observed him closely.
'Wow, what a small world, this is clearly that charioteer from that day when that terrorist attack happened. The one who got into a slight bicker with Yuriel and the one whom I saved. I do remember his face. I also remember that I acted all grandoise and eloquent infront of him. But won't it be too wierd if I instantly recognize him? No, I can't let them think that I am a jobless and purposeless person who goes around remembering the faces of random people. I'm not a creep ! I need to think about eloquent words, think !'
"Ah, yes, that egregious act of terrorism on that fateful day still induces a frission of horror within me whenever the memories resurface. Tarry, the contours on your countenance now send sparks of recognition within me. However, I am perplexed - weren't you once a stalwart auriga expertly guiding equine steeds? Why, then, do I behold you now incongruously paired with a modest carriage? A mockery of your antecedent association with chariots?"
'Hoosh, those were some words.'
The driver turned back and flashed a proud grin, "Well you see sir, that was a past business, or you can say that now, it's a side business. Name's Barrett by the way, and you sir?"
Kanito then looked down at the flickering candle's flame, uncertain whether he should be proud while introducing himself. He took his name softly, "Kanito Aramishi."
Barrett seemed a little taken aback by the phonetics of the name.
"I've never heard of that name before, but again, I am a small man, It's not like I know everything."
Kanito smiled at Barrett's words, he turned to the girl infront of him who also had a faint smile, while also patting her face with the puff.
"And you?" Kanito thought the exchange of names between him and Barrett might have made her feel excluded.
The girl was taken aback by the question and her gaze widened. She stopped looking at the mirror and took her name, "Fiona Glorian."
Soon, Barrett stopped the carriage and let go of the reins.
"We reached sir, this is the place from where you and Yuriel hopped into my chariot that day."
In a way, he told him that they have reached where he is supposed to drop. Both of them had no idea that he was a refugee so they expected him to atleast know his way from the chariot stand.
Kanito looked a little nervous when he got off the carraige. He tried to speak something but restrained himself
'I can't tell them that I don't know the way ! My secret as a refugee might be revealed, hence whatever Yuriel is concealing might be exposed. These people don't feel like they will be cruel to me just for being a refugee, given that Miss Fiona is a refugee as well. But still, no one knows who harbours belligerence towards whom. Playing it safe is always the better option – that's what this world has taught me.'
Fiona looked at Kanito with slight concern, "Wait, will it be safe to leave him alone? What if the prison guards had entered the city? I will be safe since they haven't seen me, but him?"
Barrett nodded at her words but replied, "Well it is concerning, but I need to make sure you get home first, I'm sorry." saying that, he drove away without waiting.
Kanito turned to the dark alley, flanked by buildings, after he waved a goodbye. He tried to remember the path which lead to Yuriel's house.
As a teen, he wasn't scared to walk in the dark; however, who would not want a well-illuminated path? Added to that, this place was unfamiliar, with every step being laced with uncertainity.
Kanito felt uneasy as recognizing the patterns in the night was becoming more and more difficult.
'Only if I had a torch or my phone..'
After walking to a distance, he found a candle lying by the edges of the streets, and along with it was oddly an unused match. He picked them up.
'Why would anyone spend so much of time in decorating a match? It is silver plated and has intricate red and black designs on it, only if they spent more time on tailoring such designs on their bland white tunics..'
He was about to strike it on the wall of a building to ignite it, but just as he held it merely with two fingers, it ignited on its own. Kanito was taken by sheer surprise.
'Okay, maybe it's a chemical thing or some tech exclusive to this world. I have more pressing concerns.'
Kanito brought the match near the wick of the candle and slowly ignited it, when the flame was set, he removed the match. The candle burnt in an elegant yellow flame.
He stretched his hand forward for the candle to illuminate his way.
When the candle's flame fell on the ground, Kanito arched his brows as something seemed off. A mild quake seemed to ripple under his feet.
Soon, unclear but loud sounds wear heard.
Kanito suddenly found that the entire dark enviroment around him drew apart like curtains as he came to a warm and windy, boisterous atmosphere with lands basking in the yellowish-orange hue of the setting sun.
He looked around to find traces of the dark alley but found none.
Kanito stood stupefied as he found himself amidst a crowd of cheering audience who were sitting in a colosseum, people looked down at the arena.
An androgynous voice which came from an unknown direction spoke up in an echoing tone, "The final round of the Golden Souls Elite League is about to commence !"
Two young men came forward from two sides of the arena.
"Maxim Flores and Aerian Hoffman, show us what can be done by mythologers in the Sixth Age. But remember the holy words..."
A collective slogan came from the audience and the voice, "Ignite the candle and it will you grant you it's light. But put it's flame to test and it will burn you with fright !"