CLA.S.S NEUTRAL: Stranger Is Coming

In the dungeon. Prisoners. Conversation.

I woke up in a prison. It was dark, but I saw everything perfectly well. The watch showed that it was already evening. They had hit me badly as I had been out for six hours.

All my injuries had disappeared more than three hours ago, and that was good. The guard hadn't been able to get into my bag, so it had been put into the prison lockup.

Hmm, how can I get out of here? Maybe, break the bars? Or… Exactly! Why am I so stupid? After all, I have the ability to fall through the ground. Great, it's active. Knowing I was able to escape from here at any time, I decided to see why the king needed me.

I inspected the cell: there was a rotten wooden bed in one corner, a cesspit in another, and a chair with three legs was between them. On the wall there was an inscription made with chalk—'Vova was here'. Well done, Vova!

As far as I can remember, there must be picklocks if you get into prison for the first time. Ten minutes later, I found them in the rotten leg of the bed, increasing both my Observation and Good Eye by one point. I put them in my pocket and waited for the guard.

Hmm… I hadn't noticed it at once, but there was some moss growing in the corner. I needed to check something. My 'Nature Help' was active, and I could even find traces. I couldn't be locked up in prison at all. I felt proud of myself.

Half an hour later, I got bored: I couldn't go to the real world, and I was tired of waiting, but my curiosity still kept me here. Or rather, my greediness did, because it anticipated loot.

What profit can be found in prison? However, I've already found the picklocks. So, who knows?

"Hey! Is anybody here?"

"Are you awake at last?" a low voice came from the neighboring cell.

"They beat you badly. We thought you would die," a second prisoner whispered from the other side.

"I'm okay, thanks. You'd better tell me why you are here?"

"I stole two loaves of bread. My family has nothing to live on," the first man said with a sigh. "Ragan doesn't favor the old warriors who honestly served Erenill. I had no choice. The guard commander caught me and sent me here."

"Well, I've been a professional thief for about ten years. Yesterday, I fell for banal stupidity," the second one answered and went silent for a minute. "Instead of the usual complex three- and four-leveled traps, they used a simple one-leveled one.

I'm used to difficulties and didn't see the catch in the simplest of tricks. They started a rumor about a rich merchant, and I believed it. They knew that I wouldn't believe it, so I didn't expect to meet a guard squad there."

"Why are you here?" the first prisoner asked.

"I screwed the king and his request."

"Oh, come on," the second prisoner said in surprise.

"I don't believe you either!" the other said. "There are no such fools who dare to refuse the king. Were you been beaten right there?"

"No. I calmly left the throne room." There was an utter silence after my words, so I had to shout a little. "Hey, guys! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, we do," one of them muttered. "I just can't understand how Ragan let you leave after that."

"He was just a little scared. But then he sent the guards for me," I explained. "Now I'm tired of waiting, because I'm wondering what Ragan will do next."

"You're mad."

"Maybe," I shrugged, thinking about it.

"Like my boss."

"Treff?"

"How have you learnt his name? Or are you a newbie?"

"Nope, I'm a friend of the 'Minkar Followers'."

"Why didn't you mention that before? If the king finds out about this—and he'll surely find it out as he has a great nose for such things—then the most terrible torment awaits you.

Our heads will be simply cut off, so we won't suffer long. The executioner will work on you hard. You must get out of the cell as soon as possible. Wait, I'll throw you my picklock. I wanted to run away at night, but I guess that you need it more." I saw the man swinging to throw me his only chance of salvation.

"Stop!" I shouted to him. "I was caught, because I wanted to be. I can get out of here at any moment, and I can take you with me."

"Hmm…"

"You're absolutely mad," the first man said. "You can run away, but you don't want to."

"I wonder how they will threaten me. The king knows all the main members of the 'Minkar Followers', and I don't want him to kill any of these people. Besides, death doesn't scare me, because I am immortal." They seemed shocked by my words.

"Immortal… Why didn't I guess that at once? Probably one of them betrayed you, because immortals don't care about anything except benefit and rewards. Although there are many of you, maybe not all of you are the same."

The door was opened widely and the light hit my eyes painfully. King Ragan entered the prison, accompanied by the executioner and Kurbakht. He twisted his royal nose slightly, looking at the thief who was in the opposite cell and came up to me.