Chapter 41: King of the Prison |
Pete went deathly pale, his whole body collapsing to the floor.
It’s over, I bet wrong, this is completely over.
Collin is dead, the guards came, he followed that black witch doctor, can he still survive in this prison...?
But before long, the guards’ strange gait and silence drew the attention of the other bullies.
“My lord... are you all right?” one bully probed, voice trembling.
The guard did not respond.
He walked straight up to Allen, then, to everyone’s shocked eyes, dropped to one knee.
“Until today...” his voice was hollow and devout, like a prayer in a chapel, “until today, I finally know what a true god is.”
He lifted his head and gazed up at Allen, his eyes filled with fanatic worship.
The bullies looked at one another, their expressions shifting from bafflement to terror, then from terror to disbelief.
“You are the sole apostle chosen by the divine.” the guard continued, each word sending chills down spines, “I am willing to give everything for you, including my lowly life.”
He carefully took out the stolen goods from his bosom, cradled them with both hands, and respectfully raised them above his head.
“Now, please allow me to return your noble possessions.”
Allen accepted the items and checked them one by one.
Dagger—there.
Ring—there.
Cloak—there.
......
Coin pouch—
He opened the purse and counted; his face immediately darkened.
“My two gold coins, seventy-six silver coins, and five copper coins—where are they?!”
The guard hurriedly produced the coins he had just embezzled, then began to tremble in panic.
He only had two gold coins and seventy-six silver coins.
Five copper coins were too few, he had thrown them away somewhere without even knowing!
He grew increasingly frantic, finally dumping the dozen or so silver coins from his own pockets as well, shoving those coins along with the gold and silver into Allen’s purse.
Everyone watched this bizarre scene without daring to move.
At last, someone stammered:
“You... who exactly... exactly are you?”
Allen raised an eyebrow. He tossed the question to the kneeling guard.
“You tell them why I was imprisoned.”
The guard lifted his head and answered mechanically:
“The God-Selected was discovered to be a black dragon covertly hiding in Stormwind, and thus imprisoned.”
Allen Prestor raised a brow and cast a teasing glance at the bullies.
Plop.
Plop plop.
One by one, the bullies fell flat onto the ground, trembling, wishing they could bury their faces in the straw.
What’s up with Stormwind? Even a black dragon isn’t sentenced to death? Just tossed into prison?
Stormwind is truly hopeless!
Pete, meanwhile, suddenly puffed out his chest with pride.
I pledged allegiance to a black dragon as my boss?
I’ve hit the jackpot! I’m really set now!
Allen ignored those cowering on the ground. He crouched down and extended a finger to gently touch a mouse crawling out from a corner.
Speak with Animals.
The mouse squeaked, and in his ear its tiny voice turned into fragmentary words.
“Hungry... hungry...”
Allen smiled faintly and said to the mouse:
“Go call your kind. Today I’ll let you all feast.”
The mouse cocked its head at him, then zipped into the hole in the wall.
---------------
Trade District.
Second floor of the Gilded Rose Inn.
Wen Lei stood by the window, peering through a gap in the curtain at the street below.
He wore a dingy coarse cloak and a battered felt hat pulled low, hiding most of his face.
He had never worn such shabby clothes before.
Morgan had taken off his armor and wrapped himself in a shabby coat clearly two sizes too small.
Stella had stuffed her signature blue hair into a knitted cap, wore an adult’s oversized old shirt with the hem dragging to her knees, and had streaks of soot on her face, looking just like a little beggar.
Wen Lei sighed.
These past few days have been rotten luck. Stormwind suddenly put a bounty on them with no explanation. They had to flee, hiding everywhere.
The only decent thing in the last few days was discovering the Gilded Rose Inn.
Soft beds and pillows, plus soundproofing—far better than the Pig and Whistle Inn.
If there’s another chance, he’d never stay at the Pig and Whistle again; from now on it would be the Gilded Rose.
They moved here mainly because they were wanted, and because their tracking of the prisoner Allen led them to this area.
Stormwind Prison sits on a small island in the waterway between the Trade District and the Mage Quarter.
The gray stone fortress rose in the river’s center, connected to both banks by only a single stone bridge, easy to defend and hard to assault.
At this moment, the three of them all looked out the window at the prison’s silhouette.
The air was tense.
Because— they were about to break into the prison.
Stormwind Prison changes guard every eight hours, and during the brief few minutes of rotation the defenses thin; they planned to exploit that window, break in, and rescue Allen!
Action start!
In the days leading up to this, Stella had been laboring to assemble several crates of smoke bombs for the rescue.
After Morgan loaded the last crate onto the carriage, Wen Lei and Stella climbed down. They quietly got into the carriage.
They exchanged a look inside the wagon.
“Thank you for trusting me and my young master. No more words, great reward awaits!”
Morgan and Stella nodded firmly.
Everything was set.
Prison break operation, commence.
The previous coachman hadn’t been wanted, but he volunteered to follow Wen Lei and the others to help. Now he held the reins steadily.
The carriage rolled onto the street in the Mage Quarter closest to the prison.
It was basically empty.
Towering mage spires lined the sidewalks, with few pedestrians.
The coachman made a hard decision and yanked the reins. The two horses neighed and bolted away.
“Oh no! My horses! My horses ran off!”
The driver jumped down and shouted, running anxiously toward the nearby guards.
The unattended carriage sat where it was, the wagon door facing the prison.
Inside the carriage, the three of them quietly lifted the curtain a little and anxiously watched the distant prison.
Finally.
The guards on the stone bridge began to move. The guard rotation time had arrived.
Wen Lei gripped his bow, Morgan held his sword hilt, Stella clutched a bundle of smoke bombs—
Suddenly.
Right next to their stationary carriage, a manhole cover abruptly opened from below.
A head poked up out of the hole.
Allen stuck his head out and looked up at the carriage. Wen Lei’s hand was still on his bow, Morgan’s eyes bulged, Stella held the smoke bombs while her lips formed an O.
Their eyes met.
Allen blinked.
“Well now.”