Open Chronicles Trapped

[Arius]

Almere

"THE KING IS DEAD!"

The words were shouted from every corner, every dais, every window. They seemed to resound through the streets of Almere like thunder. Within minutes every man, woman, and child knew of the fate of their sovereign. The rumor swept like a tidal wave, rushing over the people ahead of a cadre of soldiers and Knights that moved like an occupying army.

They marched in gleaming armor, in old dirty uniforms, with raised spears and drawn swords.

Soldiers of the Good King Verren, now slain, marched through the city of Almere and locked it down. Gates were sealed shut, the market city was emptied, and Inns were quickly filled with people trying to get out of the way of the justice seeking army. People were thrown against the walls, taken to the Keep for interrogation, thrown in prison without a second thought.

There was no law, no reason, not in search of the criminal who had slain the King. Panic set through the people of Almere as the military widened it's search, even good citizens fearing what might befall them were they not careful.

"So uhh..." Arius coughed slightly as he looked down at the mug of what passed for 'wine' here in Almere. "Does this sort of thing happen often around here?"

The tavern keeper raised an eyebrow at the young lad sitting at his bar, his head shaking as he looked around the room as though he were searching for someone who could take the boy off his hand. When he found no one in the crowded room his head shook, a loud sigh escaping him as though he couldn't believe he had to even answer such a question.

"Lad, our King was just killed. Of course this doesn't happen often."​

"Oh." Arius said, opening his mouth to ask something else when the man spoke over him. As if he knew whatever Arius would ask was going to be stupid.

"In fact I never seen anythin' like it. They must have no idea who did it."​

The Innkeeper shook his head, a shrug rolling over his shoulders.

Arius frowned a moment, rolling the mug on it's side once or twice as he considered the swill inside. He could have done a thousand times better, making wine was an art many said, but he knew otherwise. It was just a form of alchemy, or at least a very very far derivative. He had made his own back in Althhaven, mostly to appease some of the other students.

He frowned for a moment. "When do you think they'll open up the city again? I kind of need to get back to scho-home."

The Innkeep raised that eyebrow again, and then shrugged.

"Probably not until they catch that Assasin. Might be a while though, they used Poison."​

Arius froze in his seat. His stomach dropped slightly, his mind flashing to what lay in his satchel upstairs in his room. Lips thinned, and he smiled slightly before stuttering.

"Poison? Who carries a thing like tha-" Before he could finish the door to the inn slammed open. A man in brilliant silver armor stepped inside, his face half obscured by a Helmet.

 

[Honey]

"I swear gentlemen, that's all I know," Honey tried her best to stay calm as she sat in the grubby little cell, physically shaking with fear as she heard the screams of other prisoners in nearby cells while they went through their own 'questioning'. Despite being absolutely terrified, she still made an effort to be as polite as she could. Always be polite to guards. That was the number one rule she'd learned in her line of work. She knew that the ability to sweet talk the guards could mean the difference between being let off with a warning and spending the rest of her life behind bars. Tonight though, it looked like it was her very life on the line.

"All you know?" One of the two guards raised his voice accusingly. "You were in the King's bed when they found his body!"

"I know," Honey replied hopelessly. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear anybody come in, but that doesn't really help much. I was asleep when he died. The assassin could've snuck in while I was sleeping. Or the wine could've already been poisoned before we even entered the room. I don't know, I didn't drink any." Luckily for her the King hadn't offered her any. If he'd been a little more generous, the guards would probably have discovered two dead bodies in the room that morning.

"And you expect us to believe that?" the rather intimidating guard asked. "Doors locked, guards at the door, nobody inside the room but his majesty and you, and you're saying you had no idea what happened to him That you just woke up in the morning and he was dead?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying!" Honey insisted. "I screamed, didn't I? Isn't that how a normal person would act if they woke up and found a dead body? Listen, I know it looks bad, but surely, if I'd had something to do with it, I wouldn't have just stayed in that room all night and waited till morning to alert the guards myself. Surely I would've tried to escape, or made up a story to implicate someone else. And besides, what possible motive could I have? The King was paying me well for my... Company. I had no reason to hurt him."

"Oh, I'm sure he did," the guard said mockingly. "And tell me girl, since you're so willing to do absolutely anything for a handful of silver, what's to stop someone paying you even more to put a permanent end to your little contract?"

Damn. He had her there. People in these parts didn't exactly think much of women in her line of work. And if she were willing to accept coin for her body, most people would expect that she'd accept coin for murder contracts too. "... I would never do that," she pleaded, though she already knew how pointless her words were.

"No?" the guard asked petulantly. "We have you, alone with the King all night. No one else entered or left that room until his majesty was found dead. The wine bottle was full when you entered that room and empty in the morning, and you're telling me you drank none? How exactly do you explain that."

"I can't," Honey said hopelessly. She had absolutely no explanation to give. What was worse, when she wiped the frightened tears from her eyes and looked up at the guard who had been interrogating her, she didn't see accusation, she saw pity. The guard actually believed her... Well, of course he believed her. If the man had genuinely thought she was behind the murder, she'd already be strapped to some kind of torture device by now. The fact that she wasn't meant that the guards didn't think there was any more information that they could force out of her... But, of course, whether she were guilty or innocent wasn't what mattered.

The King was dead. Someone had to pay. She had been the last person to see him alive and the first to discover him when he died. She was the only suspect. She would have to take the blame... Perhaps she would get lucky. Perhaps the guards would discover the real killer. Perhaps it would be an enemy of the crown that the people despised. Someone they would love to see punished. But if not, well, a monarch had been assassinated and the guards needed to save face. They needed to show the people that they had caught the killer. After all, when it came to calming the public and reassuring the nobility of their safety, what did one dead whore matter? Nothing at all.

Damn. It looked like this was really it. Unless the guards found another suspect, she was going to hang.

 

[Arius]

The...incident within the tavern did not go smoothly.

Turns out when a city was turned on it's head by the army in search of an assassin the first people targeted were always foreigners. One of whom was Arius.

Within fifteen minutes of the Knights breaking down the door the young apothecary found himself tossed up against the wall of his room. Soldiers were combing through his possessions, throwing around clothes, instruments, and whatever else they found. "Please be careful with that it's very expe-"

There was a loud crashing sound as one of the metal weights was tossed onto the floor, Arius wincing as he saw it crack.

"Shuttup, Lad."

It was the Innkeeper that spoke, standing besides him even as the soldier held him in place. He knew the man was trying to be encouraging, but...well Arius wasn't exactly getting that vibe. His stomach was already low, but when one of the soldiers pulled out his travel satchel it dropped even lower.

The leather flap was tossed inside, and a bandolier of filled vials of every color slipped free. Three heads turned towards Arius.

"I can explain." The Student said, his voice shaky.

Apparently though, it wasn't enough of an explanation. Not even an hour later, Honey wallowed within the castle dungeons she would hear the heavy metal door to the prison be pulled open. The scratching of boots resounded, and chains clattering against heavy stone.

"This is a mistake!" Arius called. "I told you, I'm an apothecary! A student. Not a killer! I don't even know what the King loo-"

The words were suddenly cut off as one of the soldiers struck him hard in the stomach. Arius fumbling and nearly falling to the ground before the other man at his side caught him and continued to drag him in front of Honey's cell.

 

[Fera]

Fera busily wrote on the walls of her cell.
It wasn't very clear writing. Her 'chalk' was a bit of rock she'd found in one corner, and it did nothing but leave a faint trail of white on the stone walls. But it was the closest thing to entertainment she had in here. She had to keep her mind fresh.

"Four ex plus three multiplied by three ex minus three..." she said, stepping back to consider the problem when she heard voices down the prison hallway.

"This is a mistake!" Arius called. "I told you, I'm an apothecary! A student. Not a killer! I don't even know what the King loo-"

She winced, not having had to have seen to know exactly what had happened. What a horrible place this was. No place for an intellectual like her. How long would it take for Vince to stop this petty form of punishment? She'd certainly learned her lesson. Vince wasn't interested in leaving his criminal life behind.

When the footsteps came closer she took the opportunity to peer out of her cell and see who they were dragging in. Appearing as large brown raccoon with an oddly purple nose, Fera could fit her face between the bars, though her fuzzy paunch was another matter entirely. On all fours she was two feet tall and easily two feet wide. Certainly not an outdoorsy type by any stretch of the imagination. Despite being in the cell for a few days her fur was still well-groomed and her coat healthy. Its bright colours made her stick out like a sore thumb in the dingy interior of the prison

"Who's that?" she said to the girl opposite, her voice husky and scratchy. She hadn't spoken to the girl much, given the girl had only just arrived herself. She heard one of the guards calling her Honey, but guessed that probably wasn't her name.

 

[Honey]

"This is a mistake!" Arius called. "I told you, I'm an apothecary! A student. Not a killer! I don't even know what the King loo-"

Honey moved to the edge of her cell, pressing her head up against the iron bars to see what was going on. Damn, poor kid. She knew very little of his situation, but considering he was trying to insist that he knew absolutely nothing about the King, he was most likely here for the same reason she was. A King was dead and the city guard needed suspects. And it looked like foreigners were the prime targets for their little investigation.

"Who's that?" she said to the girl opposite, her voice husky and scratchy.

Honestly, Honey was a little taken aback. She had seen the strange, raccoon like creature in the opposite cell, but had assumed it to be an animal of some kind. She did not realize that it could talk. In fact, this answered quite a few questions. She had wondered why in hell the guards had locked an adorable little animal up in a jail cell instead of keeping it in a cage or a kennel. She had actually suspected that maybe this were a wild creature that had managed to squeeze through the bars in an attempt to steal the prisoner's dinner.

Well, now she was at a loss... How in the world did one communicate with a talking animal? Well, the same way one communicated with any other sentient being, she supposed. After all, she'd seen her fair share of strange creatures in her day. Goblins and kobolds and tiny little fae creatures. She supposed this talking raccoon wasn't so different. "No idea," she replied in a hushed tone, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Looks like he's in some nasty trouble though."

One Arius was confined to a cell, Honey waited until the guards were distracted by other prisoners before making an attempt to talk to the new arrival. "Rough day?" she asked casually, trying to make light of the situation. While she certainly felt sorry for the man, Honey was also a little relieved that there were other suspects concerning the King's murder, besides her. Perhaps this meant there was a slightly smaller chance of being executed.

 

[Arius]

Arius let out a long, somewhat dramatic sigh.

His fingers wrapped around the bars of his cell, forehead leaning against the opening. Eyes quickly darted from left to right, watching the corners as one of the Guards walked back in his direction. His lips thinned and he called out. "Hey! Don't I get an attor-"

A hard thwack of a truncheon struck his fingers against the bar, Arius withdrawing his hands quickly as he let out a loud yelp. Fingers curled back almost instantly, and the apprentice drew himself back further into the cell.

"SHUTTUP!"​

The man called, batting the cage one more time before pointing a finger at Arius.

For a moment it looked as though the Apothecary would say something more, and then his lips snapped shut. His other hand came up to rub at his injured fingers, and he let out a sigh as he wandered over to the bench in his cell.

Then he heard Honey's voice besides him.

He glanced over besides her, somewhat startled at the beautiful woman in the same dungeon as him. "I uhhh."

Arius swallowed. "Yeah."

 

[Honey]

Honey gave a little smile despite the nasty situation they were all in. "Same," she replied, leaning against the bars and looking left and right to check if the guards were nearby. Then she lowered her voice and spoke in a very hushed tone so that only prisoners in the closest cells could hear. "From what I gather, the guards have no idea who killed the King, so they're just grabbing random people off the streets. If they're that desperate, I'm guessing that means they don't have any solid leads. And if that's the case. Well... It doesn't look good for us," she said regrettably. Probably less so for her than this unfortunately traveler, considering she was actually found at the crime scene.

Trying to keep her mind off things, Honey turned to the strange raccoon like creature. "I'm guessing you're in the clear though. You were locked up in there before the guards dragged me in. Being already locked in a prison cell sounds like a pretty solid alibi to me... What did they get you for?" she asked out of sheer curiosity.

Shortly after asking, a loud scream rang out through the prison. Some poor soul strapped to the torture rack. Gods only knew what they were doing to him. From the sound of that scream though, it must've been something horrific. The sound made Honey practically jump out of her skin in fear. Her already pale skin was almost ghost white as she backed away from the cell door, pressing her back against the cold, stone wall and hugging her legs tight against her chest.

Tears started to stream down the girl's cheeks as she realized that it would probably be her next, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. Somehow the thought of being tortured was even more terrifying than the thought of dying. Death only lasted until the execution was over. After that, it was up for the Gods to decide. Torture though, that cold last however long the sick bastards wanted it too. And from what she heard, these palace guards could get very creative with their torture methods. Very creative indeed. It was something a tender soul like Honey didn't even want to think about.

 

[Fera]

"Hey, it's alright," Fera said to the weeping girl, whom she could see more clearly than the fellow slightly further down. She would have liked to have gone to her, taken her hands in her own paws and reassured her with a friendly hug. But the bars wouldn't allow that. Instead she sat down, poking her stumpy legs out between the bars and wriggling her toes. "You're young and you're beautiful. They'll treat you better than most. Just be honest with them. They're harsh, but they're not bad men."

Not all of them, anyway.

"What's your name? I'm Fera. I like books." She smiled gently. To the gentleman further away she said, "You a fellow book-lover? You look like an intellectual. Not to judge a book by its cover!"

 

[Arius]

They're not bad men.

Somehow Arius doubted that.

The way they had treated him hadn't exactly been kind, and he was almost entirely positive he could expect more of the same down the line. Of course he wasn't enough of a monster to tell Honey that. In fact he kept his lips all but sealed until Fera turned her attentions to him.

He frowned for a moment. "Y-yeah I am."

"Arius, is my name." He glanced to Honey, perhaps trying to make her feel better by the simple act of offering some familiarity. "I'm an apothecary...well an apprentice."

Settling himself on the bench at the back of his cell Arius considered for a moment. If Honey was right, they were well and truly...fucked. There was no other way about it, no other way of putting it. These guards meant to string them up, probably claiming it was some sort of conspiracy.

His head leaned back and he whispered to himself. "Have to get out of here."

No matter what it took.

 

[Ferelith Scathach]

She stumbled out of an alley with a sigh. Like most of her days..She looked rough..She...She..What was her name again? Ferelith wasn’t it?

Her mind prickled slightly at the effort but calmed as it came to her..Ferelith..Ferelith was her name...Ferelith looked rough. Her hair was short and matted. Her clothes smeared with dirt and blood stains.

A small sleeveless top showed an array of glistening tattoos. One in particular across her back. Obscured by her shirt.

She was in the fog again..It happened now and again. She felt nothing..Like she was on the outside looking in..The doors.. Suddenly she was slammed against the wall. The fog lifted as her thoughts came into focus. A king..slain.

The words bounced around in her head. Was that blood on her clothes? Where had she come from? All questions she had no answers to.

They took her with out hesitation. She remained silent. Briefly struggling on instinct but allowed them to take her. Soon she stood at a desk. Blank eyes staring ahead.

“Won’t answer us. Found her dead eyed and bloody. Tight lipped little thing. Got a weird look in her eye. Some kind of drug maybe? Gang tattoos as well. I’d thought I’d be dead before we saw an old member of the wolves turn up.”

“Throw her in the cell that’s least full.” The man responded as they drug her away.

“Empty enough.” One said to the other as the cell door creaked open and Ferelith was tossed inside. Landing in a heap she would pull herself up to her knees.

“We bathed her first with some buckets of water. Your welcome. Smelt like she was sleeping in a corpse.” One guard said to the prisoners causing the other to chuckle as the door clanked shut once more.

Ferelith silently crawled to the corner and placed her back to it drawing her knees to her chest. She ignored the others as her eyes closed.

The fog begins to finally fully lift. It was like waking up from a waking dream. It happened on occasion. Her mind skipping a step in the dance.

How long had it been sense she had been herself?

Days?

Hours?

It didn’t matter.

She felt cold stone.

A small room.

Others in it.

A cell most likely.

Great.

Her eyes remained closed but she listened intently. If they thought her asleep or ignoring them let them. She was going to make sure things were safe before doing anything.

 

[Honey]

Honey wiped the tears from her eyes as the little creature tried to comfort her. No, it was not alright. It was definitely not alright at all. Chances were that she and the apothecary would both be tortured and killed in the next few days. Still, it didn't help to dwell on hopelessness.

"You're young and you're beautiful. They'll treat you better than most. Just be honest with them. They're harsh, but they're not bad men."

"I'm not sure about that," Honey said with a sigh. Being young and beautiful generally didn't result in 'better' treatment from guards. Quite the opposite actually. Luckily these particular guards were in a state of panic following the death of their King and didn't seem to have time for anything else. "I have been honest, but their King's just died. They need somebody to blame it on. If they can't find the actual killer, well..." he words drifted off there. She knew what would happen. She had been thinking hard about it and decided that if she made it as far as the torture chambers, she would give the guards a false confession straight away. Hopefully if she cooperated, they could skip any unnecessary unpleasantness and go straight to a swift execution. After that... Well, it was up to the Gods to decide.

"What's your name? I'm Fera. I like books."

"I..." she cut herself off there. She was about to give her real name. She wasn't supposed to do that anymore. Not that it really made any difference anymore, considering her circumstances, but habit caused her to switch to the false name her boss had given her. "I'm Honey," she introduced herself to the pair, smiling slightly when Fera announced that she liked books. Always nice for people to have hobbies that they were passionate about. "I like..." she had to think there. What did she like? She didn't really have time for books, or hobbies of any kind really, so she diverted to her favorite thing from childhood. "... Animals." She had always loved animals, of every kind. Even things like snakes, spiders and rats that other girls were afraid of, Honey had a soft spot for. "Pleased to meet you both... Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

His head leaned back and he whispered to himself. "Have to get out of here."

"That would be nice," the girl spoke rather hopelessly. "But I doubt that's even possible. Doors and windows barred. Guards patrolling the place. You'd have to be a wizard to break out of a place like this."

Honey quickly fell completely silent as she heard the guards coming her wait. Shit, who were they coming for? The raccoon? The apothecary? Her? Oh shit, this was it... A heavy sigh of relief came though when it seemed that the guards weren't coming for any of them, but rather to drop off another prisoner. The woman was thrown rather carelessly into the cell like a lifeless piece of meat. Poor thing looked like she might well be lifeless by the state of her. Honey waited until the guards were gone before crawling over to the girl to see if she was alright. "Hey," she whispered to the young woman as she drew closer. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked calmly, reaching out to put her hand gently on the girl's shoulder.

 

[Fera]

"I like..." she had to think there. What did she like? She didn't really have time for books, or hobbies of any kind really, so she diverted to her favorite thing from childhood. "... Animals."

Fera's little dark eyes widened. "Well, we should get along quite well then!" she said, leaning forward to grab the bars, which inadvertently pressed her large stomach against them.

To Arius she said, "So, what books do you read? Have you tried Practical Applications of Pytagoris' Theorum? How about, Predictions of Linear Equations? Or do you prefer fiction? If so, how about Exiles in Alliria? That's one of my favourites."

Just then a new girl arrived, and was thrown into an adjacent cell along with several unsavoury-looking fellows. The new girl didn't look very savory to Fera either, but still, something about the situation made her hackles rise.

"Gunther! Are you serious? I thought you had more heart than that."

The guard stopped mid-stride, then turned about and looked at Fera, clueless. "What?"

"Putting her in there with them? Are you heartless? And after all we've done for you, you're going to be that cruel and callous?"

Gunther looked at the cell thoughtfully.

"Put her in with this one. They're both women, see? Put me in there too, while you're at it. I'll put in a good word for you with Vince." She wiggled her eyebrows. Consequentially her ears wiggled too.

With a huff and a sigh, Gunther opened the cell again and led the bewildered stranger into Honey's cell. Then he opened Fera's cell, allowing the roly-poly raccoon-dog to waddle across the floor to the cell with the two women. "You can put him in here too," she said, pointing to Arius. "He seems harmless enough."

Gunther snorted. "Don't push your luck." Then he walked down the hallway, swinging his keys and whistling to himself.

Fera put her little paw on the new girl's cheek.

"Hey there. Are you alright?" she whispered. "You're safe... for the moment."

 

[Arius]

Arius didn't have time to answer questions, not that he was really open enough to do so in the first place.

Once upon a time he might not have been so reticent, he might even have been excited. Yet his home in Althhaven had taken that part of him away. He was more weary now, guarded about sharing who and what he was. At least in detail.

Lips thinned for a moment as the Guards dragged in a new body, the odd furry creature and Honey quickly tending to her as Arius watched from the other cell.

His gaze flickered towards them, and then into the hallway where the Guard twirled his keys and began to walk away. Arius watched for a moment more, then drew his gaze back towards the companions that had been forced upon him.

Arius opened his mouth to speak, and then snapped his jaw shut.

Quietly he slipped his fingers into the inside of his vest, working his fingers between the seams of the cloth and beginning to tear away at some of the stitching. Inside, stitched into the vest itself, was the other thing Althhaven had taught him; always have a backup plan.

 

[Ferelith Scathach]

Her eyes snapped open like a predator at the plump raccoon’s touch. She almost popped the poor thing like a ball on instinct. But the softness of its paws stayed her hand.

After taking in her surroundings it seemed that the people and/or creatures around her were of the friendly and comforting sort. Must be wrongly accused..

“I’m..I’m fine..” She would say after a few moments pulling her knees from her chest, and sitting cross legged. Rubbing her forehead she glanced about.

“What’s a group like you doing in a place like this anyway..Something happen?” She asked with a yawn and a stretch that left bone cracking and popping left and right. She had been looking mostly at the raccoon but as her eye wandered her gaze fell on Honey.

“Like maybe someone...robbed...barstool...” Her train of thought derailed in almost slow motion as she took in the girls natural good looks. “I’m gorgeous by the way...Ferelith..” She said her eyes never leaving Honey. “I-I mean. Im Ferelith..” She said finally.

The girl must be tough.

A rose sitting on top of the dung heap that were the streets around here. They were rough even by Fereliths standards but she had the right tattoos from the right people.

Got a wide berth.

 

[Honey]

"Well, we should get along quite well then!"

"Do you consider yourself an animal?" Honey asked curiously. "I mean, most animals can't exactly talk, and most talking species wouldn't call themselves animals. I hope you don't mind me asking, but I was wondering, what exactly are you? I've never seen a creature quite like you before, and the ones I've seen that were similar couldn't talk. Are you some kind of fae creature? Or are you an animal that a mage cast a spell on so that you could communicate? I mean no offense, I'm just curious."

Finally, Ferelith woke up, and the poor woman seemed slightly confused.

“What’s a group like you doing in a place like this anyway..Something happen?”

"Afraid so," Honey replied with a sigh. "King's dead. They don't know who did it, so here we are." ... Well, here her and Arius were anyway, she still had no idea what Fera was in for, but she didn't want to press the subject.

“I’m gorgeous by the way...Ferelith..”

Despite the horrible situation she was in, Honey couldn't help but giggle at Ferelith's little mix up. "You certainly are, at that. Nice to meet a woman who knows a pretty reflection when she sees one. Modesty's overrated anyway." Poor thing. She seemed very confused. Probably a little intoxicated. "So, what did those guards drag you here for?" Honey asked. "Not the same as us, I hope." Surely the guards had rounded up enough suspects for the King's murder by now.

 

[Fera]

Fera looked at this Ferelith with concern.

"You might be concussed. Stay still, don't try to get up," she said, then walked to her side and examined her head, reaching up to the girl's hair with little paws. "No blood here... did you take anything?" she leaned forward to sniff Ferelith's breath with her oddly blue nose, whiskers trembling.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but I was wondering, what exactly are you? I've never seen a creature quite like you before, and the ones I've seen that were similar couldn't talk. Are you some kind of fae creature? Or are you an animal that a mage cast a spell on so that you could communicate? I mean no offense, I'm just curious."

"I don't mind. I've been asking myself that same question all my life," she said, glancing sideways as she continued her examination of Ferelith. "I've seen creatures like me. Tried to get to know some, but they're not very bright, usually. Can't even do addition!"

Then she turned towards Arius. "Do you know medici..." she said, but stopped when she saw what he was doing. In more hushed tones she said, "What are you doing?"

 

[Arius]

Arius froze.

No one had ever accused him of being a good criminal. Hell, before he'd come to this town no one had ever accused him of being a criminal at all.

AlthHaven was something different. Something that was supposed to have broadened his horizons, but it wasn't fucking Elbion. Most of the students there weren't concerned with learning, practice, or patience of any sort.

All they cared about was outdoing each other, showing up the next student.

Arius didn't like it, didn't really understood it, but he would have been dead if he hadn't understood it. Lips thinned as the...Racoon, thing looked at him, fingers holding a small vial that was sown into his vest. "I..."

He glanced towards Honey, the only normal one nearby as far as he could tell.

"I'm going to escape." The Alchemist pulled out the small vial. "They already assume I'm guilty, and well..."

Arius shrugged. "I'm not going to die in here."

Not when he had so much left to learn.

 

[Ferelith Scathach]

"You certainly are, at that. Nice to meet a woman who knows a pretty reflection when she sees one. Modesty's overrated anyway."

Ferelith blushed at the compliment but was cut off from what was sure to be a very smooth and Non-awkward response as the fluffy raccoon piped up. Cutting her off as she leaned into her face to sniff her breath.

"You might be concussed. Stay still, don't try to get up," she said, then walked to her side and examined her head, reaching up to the girl's hair with little paws. "No blood here... did you take anything?" she leaned forward to sniff Ferelith's breath with her oddly blue nose, whiskers trembling.

“No, I haven’t taken anything” Ferelith muttered “..In a while..” Ferelith she added reluctantly tensing at the creatures examination of her. She did not enjoy being touched or examined closely.

She didn’t know why but it put her on edge...Why couldn’t she remember anything.. “I have just been struggling with my memory..Maybe I always did? I don’t know really..” Ferelith said with her gaze mostly staying to the ground.

If Fera was observant and knowledgeable, she would notice much from her examination. Firstly the large amounts of dried blood caked to this woman’s clothes and hair. It wasn’t around her ears and wasn’t fresh.

Most probably not her own.

But enough of the stains corresponded with holes and tears in her clothes to at least note that she had been cut and stabbed a good deal at one point or another.

It was her smell however that could be the most telling. She reeked of cheap drugs and even cheaper booze, blood, sweat, and generally “smelly.” To put it kindly. This woman must have been loving borderline animalistic-ly.

But there was something underneath it all.

Something far more unpleasant.

Humans couldn’t smell it, but it was the reason why every cat scampered from her path and every dog turned away with its tail between its legs.

She smelled like death.

Not the unpleasant oder humans equated with a rotting corpse.

It was literal death.

Like she had been personally marked by the grim law of nature itself. She was no undead corpse, her heart still beat.

Her blood still flowed.

Her lungs still drew breath and yet.. the smell remained.

“If your done giving me a once over Dr.Fuzzybottom..” Ferelith would say after a moment turning to honey she would give the girl a wink “I usually look better than this..Maybe once..”

"Do you know medici..." she said, but stopped when she saw what he was doing. In more hushed tones she said, "What are you doing?"

The raccoon was talking to the final person in the room. A boy. Nothing too remarkable. But Ferelith saw a fire there. The boy was a fighter and smart. He looked like..Her head would throb violently. Tensing and curling into a ball for a moment Ferelith had a small black out for a moment. Less than a couple of seconds. The pain passed as she forgot what she had been thinking about..

"I..."

He glanced towards Honey, the only normal one nearby as far as he could tell.

"I'm going to escape." The Alchemist pulled out the small vial. "They already assume I'm guilty, and well..."

Arius shrugged. "I'm not going to die in here."

The boys voice brought her back to earth. So they were killing people eh? All over some dumb old fool covered in gold and broken promises. Sounded about right.. She remained silent while the others spoke. In all honesty Ferelith could have left as soon as she arrived.

Hell. She could have probably been vicious enough to have not been caught in the first place, but these mental fogs had been getting worse and more frequent.

The recent one had crept up like a thief in the night. So while it mattered very little what happened to her. This raccoon creature might be just smart enough to help her figure SOMETHING out. A direction to take.. instead of drifting from bar to bar and from catastrophe to catastrophe until a fog left her waking up somewhere completely new. Everyone knowing who she was..But herself.
Suddenly a clash of many boots smacking floor stone would great thier ears as a large number of men came rolling like a pillar towards the cell entrance. Ferelith’s eyes narrowed.

“Whatever happens. Stay behind me.” She would say suddenly. It wasn’t a request.

“Save what you have in your jacket if it’ll help you escape. If they catch you again you’ll need it, or if it’s anything powerful save it for a bigger door. This ones coming open soon.” She would say through the cell door to the boy in the cell opposite. standing directly in front of the door and motioning the others to move fully behind her if they had not already.

“We don’t have time to plan or argue. If you aren’t with me your welcome to do what you..wish..” Ferelith’s eyes lost focus for a moment.

A door..

She blinked..

A voice...

She blinked.

What was wrong with her!?

Ferelith took a deep breath and refocused before she began to take 4 steps back as she listened to the footsteps. “10....9.....” She began to whisper to herself.

Crouching like a tiger.

The tatoo that took up a good portion of her left side began to glow a bright blue casting the walls of the cell around them in eerie shadows..

“You had THE BLUE WOLF locked in a cell this entire time! And you didn’t notify the-.” Came one angry shout from a man at the forces head. The head guard walking next to him.

“The tattoos weren’t right I didn’t think. They wasn’t glowing or-ow!” He was cut off as the officer slapped him across the face for his pitiful intruption.

“With any luck she will still be subdued enough to take to the castle. If not..” he glanced behind him at the massive force.

“Let’s hope we brought enough people to keep her away from us long enough to escape.” He admitted in almost a whisper. “Open the door!” He yelled as a guard stepped forward to do just that...

A foot kicked the other side.

With a splintering crash the door came off its hinges smashing the poor man to a pancake of human misery.
Picking the door up on one end with both hands she swung it like a club into Arius’s cell as well. “Get your friend. We. Are. Leaving.” Ferelith grunted picking up the door once more.

Ferelith would use it like a Shield/ram to slam people out of her way as she ran down the hall clearing a way for herself and her friends to proceed...

That is..

If they had chosen to stay by her at all...

 

[Honey]

"I've seen creatures like me. Tried to get to know some, but they're not very bright, usually. Can't even do addition!"

"Um... I don't think that's a flaw limited solely to your own kind, I'm afraid." Honey was absolutely terrible with numbers when it came to everything except counting up how much money she'd made. Couldn't even read them unless they were in the form of basic tally marks.

Fera's attention soon fell on Arius though, and it seemed like he wasn't going to sit around and wait for the guards to come back and torture him.

"I'm going to escape." The Alchemist pulled out the small vial. "They already assume I'm guilty, and well..."

Arius shrugged. "I'm not going to die in here."

"You really think you can?" Honey asked hopefully. She'd been inside a cell many times before, but never in a situation like this. She had always expected to leave shortly, after a fine or a slap on the wrist or a late night visit from one of the guards. She'd never before felt the need to escape. Only to count the seconds and wait it out. But this was different. Tonight she was behind bars for something she didn't do, and for something she'd most likely be executed for if the guards didn't discover the real culprit (which seemed unlikely.) "Look, I'm not sure what you're planning, love, but I don't suppose there's any chance of your escape plan including the rest of us?" she asked with a flirtatious little flutter of her eyelashes. "... I don't particularly want to die either."

But it would seem that Arius wasn't the only one with an escape plan. And Honey would soon count herself extremely lucky that Ferelith had been callously thrown in the same cell as her.

“Whatever happens. Stay behind me.”

"What?" Honey asked curiously, though she didn't hesitate to act. Instinctively, she got the her feet and moved straight to the back of the cell, directly behind Ferelith, putting as much distance between herself and danger as possible. As for Ferelith's suggestion that they search their jackets for anything that might help them escape, Honey wasn't much use in the department. She had on the less than modest red dress that she had been wearing when she met with the King the night before, and that was all. Not an awful lot of useful items that could be hidden in that little number.

"Sweet heart, what are you going to do?" Honey asked Ferelith, with concern. "You're not planning on starting a fight with the guards, are you?" But, as she would soon find out, Ferelith had much more than a simple brawl in mind. Honey had no idea how she did it. She didn't even know that this amount of power from a human being was possible, but Ferelith completely obliterated the door, and the guards on the other side of it. She then ran down through the prison, door in had, taking out everyone who stood in her path.

While Honey was certainly pleased to be free, she was still concerned for poor Arius who was still confined to his own cell, separate from the women. "Are you okay?" she asked him, reaching through the bars to take hold of his hand. "Do you have anything you can use to get out? I can try to get our friend to break your door down, but I'm not sure she's coming back," Honey said sadly as she watched Ferelith charge through the guards that stood in her path. If Honey had any common sense, she'd have followed close behind and made sure to get herself out. Damn her and her bleeding heart!

 

[Fera]

"Are you okay?" she asked him, reaching through the bars to take hold of his hand. "Do you have anything you can use to get out? I can try to get our friend to break your door down, but I'm not sure she's coming back,"

Fera approached Arius' cell door and gave it a tug. After the battering Ferelith gave it, that was all it took to send it clattering to the floor too.

"He's free, like us," Fera said, then turned about to note the guards picking themselves off the floor. "Come on! We should follow her... maybe..."

Whether that was a wise move or not she didn't have a clue, but she bounded over the recovering soldiers regardless.

Despite her rotundity, Fera moved surprisingly quickly. She bounded much like a cat, though much larger and as roly-poly as any raccoon ready for winter. She following the sounds of fighting, of alarm, over a tangle of arms and legs and bloodied noses.

"Sorry... sorry," she said.

 

[Arius]

Arius stood in his cell for a brief moment, glancing around, and then he just shrugged.

Honey seemed more concerned for him than he would have guessed that...anyone would be. After all, he was just a prisoner, not a friend, nothing else. Perhaps he had been in Allthhaven for too long, mixed in with those who only cared for their own futures and nothing else.

A frown touched his lips for a moment as he slipped the vial back into his best. Finger traced over it, quickly sealing a button back into place before he looked towards the blonde haired woman. "I'm alright."

He said with no small amount of false confidence.

Arius forced his shoulders to be square, his back to be straight.

The young Alchemist was almost entirely sure that this entire venture was doomed, but what he'd learned at Allthhaven was at the forefront of his mind. Fend for yourself. If nothing else a great big distraction was parading down the hall.

If he were a guard he'd go for the woman smashing cell doors first. Everyone else second. He motioned to Honey.

"We should go." While they still could.

 

[Ferelith Scathach]

Two guards stood by a door in the side hall taking a small break.

“So I was getting ready to do the deed..”

“Yeah?”

“and I got my pants down..”

“Mate I was hoping you’d talk more about her and less abou..” one began halting the other as a large group passed by. Both guards jumped as a massive crash sounded further down the hall.

Ferelith passed them like a freight train knocking aside the men they had just seen pass. “Sorry! Sorry!” A raccoon bounded after her apologizing.

One of the men was knocked into this pair of guards safe haven.

His shoulder was stuck at a weird angle and a few teeth clicked and clattered across the floor.

“Should we go after them?”

“We’re guards aren’t we? She’s breaking out..”

“And making lots of noise..”

“She would be the first one I’d go after..”

“Was that the cell door she was swinging?”

“Um..Yes I think so..”

They both sat in silence for a moment.

“There’s other guards deeper in. And the warden...We should um..”

“Stay here and help the wounded?”

“Yes..Help the wounded..”

If the escapees followed Ferelith further in they would hear a loud clang as the girl threw the cell door at the exit to the cell block. The cell door bounced off as Ferelith cursed and used her still built momentum to throw her shoulder into it.

She got a dented door and a shattered shoulder for her trouble. She slid back clutching her shoulder as her tattoos glow flickered. Her shoulder knitting back together as her bones and flesh healed as if a demented Father Time was turning back the clock on the injury, Ferelith felt every bit of it. Biting back the pain she cursed a bit more.

They still had a massive prison crawling with guards, and she had already come to a door she couldn’t just break down with raw power. If the others followed they would catch up her her quickly.

“Too thick..” She would say with a shrug nodding at the door that separated her new “friends.” From the rest of the prison at large.

The sounds of more guards fast approaching was already beginning to fill the small hallway as prisoners in others cells began to clamor as they saw the group fleeing.

Some wishing them luck and others cursing them for not breaking them out as well. She glanced at the boy as if to say “any ideas?”

She didn’t know their names and she didn’t care. In her mind “the boy one, the girl one, and the fluffy one.” Were fine for her purposes at the present.

“More will be here soon. I will be fine. You three will not be.” She warned already standing once more. “If they come I will take care of it. Get it open for them.” She said jerking her thumb at the door nodding at Arius.

 

[Honey]

"He's free, like us," Fera said, then turned about to note the guards picking themselves off the floor. "Come on! We should follow her... maybe..."

Oh... Well, that was a great deal easier than she expected. Well, now it looked like there was nothing more to do than to follow the others as fast as her legs could carry her and hope that they led her to freedom and not to certain death.

As she ran, Honey felt extremely guilty as they passed by prisoner after prisoner, trapped in their cells, not knowing what horrible fate awaited them. She wished she had a key or something so that she could set them all free... But then, it would be idiotic to assume that everyone in this prison was as innocent as her. For all she knew, these men were all murderers and rapists, and she'd be doing the city a great disservice by turning them loose to wreak havoc in their wake.

Eventually though, the little plan's escape was foiled. A door too thick for Ferelith to break stood in their path. "Oh Gods," Honey said, trembling, instinctively reaching out and grabbing Arius's hand to steady herself. They'd come so close to escaping and now all they had to look forward to was a quick death at the end of the guard's blades. "What can we do? What can we do?" she asked herself... They could set the doors on fire... But a thick door like that would take a long time to burn. In fact it was highly unlikely that they could even singe those doors before the guards arrived. Looking around the prison, desperately searching for answers, Honey felt so helpless. All she could do was wait and hope that her friends had a better plan than she did.

 

[Fera]

Fera stopped when Ferelith stopped, watching as she flopped to the floor, watching in horror as her broken shoulder pulled itself back together, bones crawling about beneath her skin to find their rightful place.

She swallowed back reflux.

“More will be here soon. I will be fine. You three will not be.” She warned already standing once more. “If they come I will take care of it. Get it open for them.” She said jerking her thumb at the door nodding at Arius.

Even if they escaped this place there would still be the whole city watch waiting for them outside. Fera glanced about at the soldiers on the ground, then recognised a familiar face.

"Tredd!" she said, bounding over to a soldier staggering to his feet, grabbing his helmet. He looked at her, or through her. "Tredd, we need to get out."

Tredd's dazed expression shifted to one of thoughtful contemplation.

"Now, Tredd!"

"There's a swinging stone in the back of cell four but you can't swing it from this side."

"Where's it go?"

"Sewers."

Great. If there was one place Fera hated, it was the sewers. Being sensitive of nose and built to crawl along the ground, she would emerge looking more like a monster than a raccoon.

She turned to Arius.

"You need to either open this door and we keep on fighting guards, or we bust down the wall into the sewers and take our chances with thieves and vermin."

Neither option sounded particularly palatable.

 

[Arius]

Arius blinked.

It seemed that this whole escapade was happening within a whirl. There was something exciting about it, tantalizing even. He found himself standing in the hall, Honey clutching his hand, a small...raccoon? Accosting him about getting the door open.

He glanced up past the fearsome woman who had gotten them this far. Lips thinned for a brief moment and he stammered out. "I-I can get it open."

The Alchemist said as he slipped away from Honey and around the Racoon. Taking careful steps around Ferelith and giving her a nervous smile so his head didn't get bitten off. As he reached the door he pulled that odd vial from his vest.

Within seconds he slipped it into the keyway of the door, and then using the back of his hand snapped off the top of it.

There was a sudden loud hiss and an acrid smell as the liquid inside met metal. Acid quickly working it's way through the locking mechanism. A clank sounded, and then Arius reached out and grabbed the door. It creaked, and then slowly began to open.