CHAPTER ELEVEN: ESCAPE

"Raogrimm what happened to you?"

"The darkness consumed what was left of Raogrimm, that person no longer exists. All I am now is the empty shell of the demonic Shadowlord. Go. Run from this place, Zeid. I will hold them off as long as I can with what little strength I have left. Go! Go now!"

"Raogrimm…"

"Hey! Alain! Zeid! Nokum-Akkum! All of you! Come on! We've got to go!"

"Sir Alain, it's time."

His reply was muffled by the dirty fabric covering the hanging plank of wood pretending to be a bed pressed against his face. He spat and wiped his mouth as he realized he had been lying on the sheets despite how horrible they looked. The Gentlemen Thief repeated his words, signalling that it was time to put their plan into action to escape the Dark Dungeon.

He had not meant to fall asleep, though he was very exhausted. He sat up and stood straight. There was a dull click at the end of the hall as someone approached and unlocked the thick wooden door. The identity of the person behind the door was a prison guard bringing them a meal. Prior to his arrival in the prison this did not present any chance of escape for the Gentlemen Thief, but now with him there it was possible.

The plan was to occupy the guard long enough for the Gentlemen Thief to steal the keys attached to the back of his belt by pretending to faint or become ill. The old Elvaan assured him even just a few seconds would be enough time for his nimble fingers to do their work as long as he could lure the guard close to the bars and facing away.

"I hope that you remember the plan," the Gentlemen Thief whispered as the door opened.

"I do," he replied.

A short, bald, Hume male strolled in rather confidently with a tray of food in each hand. As he almost waddled from side to side along the cells with each step a jingling sound came from the collection of keys out of sight on the back of his belt. A sheathed short sword was also connected to his belt. He wore only a short sleeved tattered blue shirt on his upper body (exposing flab rather than muscle), but had armoured steel leggings and boots on. He stopped between both their cells and then turned to face them.

"You know the drill old timer," he muttered somewhat rudely. "You, the newest guest, do like he does."

Alain turned to look at the Gentlemen Thief and saw that the Elvaan had backed away from the cell door and placed his hands at his side. He copied, but complained out loud that his head was pounding. This was not part of his ruse; it did actually pain him as a result of his vivid dream.

The podgy guard bent down and slid the Elvaan's meal through an elongated space at the bottom of the cell door. He then moved to Alain's cell door and prepared to do the same, but as he bent over Alain deliberately grasped his head and toppled to the floor. The shocked guard leapt backwards in fright and dropped the miniscule meal onto the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Hey? You awake?" the guard said in a panic.

"Oh my," he heard the Gentlemen Thief say. "Don't you know? He is a magic user. Those bracelets are having a bad reaction! Do you understand what I am saying, dear fellow? He might be dying. Bring him a potion! Anything! Quickly now before he loses consciousness and goes into a silence induced comma!"

"What? A silence induced….what… oh, okay, hang on! There are some potions in the guard station!"

The jingling of keys got louder and faster as the guard shot back up the row of cells and out the door back to the guard station to find a potion. They had already discussed this happening and the Elvaan had deduced that only one person manned the guard station per shift so he would return alone.

"I do enjoy putting on a show," the Gentlemen Thief said (most likely with a grin).

A minute or so later the sound of the keys moving could be heard and then soon after the guard re-entered the row of cells and ran up to Alain's. He grabbed his keys from behind his belt and found the correct one to open the door. He let it swing inwards and then put the key collection back onto his belt. The guard bent over him and then lifted his head. He kept his eyes closed and did his best to fake shivering and convulsing. The tip of a bottle was placed against his lips and then a warm soothing drink slipped down his throat.

"Huh?" he mumbled while trying to pretend to be groggy. "What happened to me? My head is spinning."

"Are you alright now? You had a silence induced reaction to those bracelets. It's the first time I've seen anything like it! I may have just saved your life, prisoner. Are you alright now?"

He nodded and sat up. He looked over to the Gentlemen Thief and to him it seemed as if he had not moved at all. Nevertheless, he placed his trust in the Elvaan's abilities and told the guard he was feeling better after drinking the healing potion and that he could leave him be. The Hume was relieved (for him not Alain) and, after locking his cell door, left the cells and disappeared out the door at the end of the hall being sure to close it behind him and lock it again.

A moment of silence followed between them, which Alain assumed was to make sure the guard had moved far enough away not to over hear them. He was not worried that the key to his cell was obviously not taken as the Elvaan had assured him that as long as he could break out of his cell finding the means to then open his would be easy.

Slowly, the Gentlemen Thief moved up to the cell door. He saw Alain looking intently at him and flashed a collection of around five keys, all taken from the numerous on the guards belt. How the old Elvaan could be sure which his cell key was was beyond him.

The second key twisted into place with a satisfying click and the cell door slowly swung open. Wasting no time, the Gentlemen Thief moved to Alain's and asked him to come closer.

In a whisper, the Elvaan said, "There are many lessons in life to be learned, Sir Alain. With age comes wisdom, or so they say. I believe that the free spirited youth of today can learn much from those of us who have spent longer travelling the road of life. Let me impart some of that wisdom to you now; do not trust strangers."

"…What…what are you talking about?"

"I am afraid that I have no intentions of helping you. I simply used you as a means to create my own chance to escape. Do you not realize it, dear boy? There is no corrupt official. There is no Dark Dungeon. We are on the basement floor of the Bastok Prison, a simple structure known to everyone. I manipulated you into helping me based on the information about yourself that you inadvertently gave me."

Alain's mouth dropped open, "You lied to me!"

"One must do what one must in order to be set free, dear boy."

He was lost for words as the Elvaan turned and began to slowly walk away. A mixture of rage and sadness boiled up inside him as his mind raced trying to think of something to say that would convince the Gentlemen Thief to help him. He contemplated shouting for the guard, but doubted that would make any difference.

"Listen to me!" he called to the Elvaan. "I must be let out, if I don't people will die. I am on a mission to stop another war starting, one that might involve Jeuno itself! I see now you are exactly the kind of thief that I thought you were, but you must have a heart! People are going to die if I rot away in here. Maybe your conscience can live with leaving me locked up here, but can it live with a death toll to rival the Crystal War!"

The Gentlemen Thief stopped in his tracks and did not turn around at first. Alain thought he saw him sigh, but could not be sure because of the poor light. The Elvaan walked back and faced him from the other side of the bars.

"The problem with being a liar…" he began, "is that it inevitably makes you distrustful of everyone you meet. Why should I believe what you say?"

"Look me right in the eyes and tell me again that you think that I'm lying," he replied sternly.

There was a moment of silence.

"…Hold your hands up to the bars and I will unlock the shackles that bind them. When your magic returns you can free yourself."

He complied and the Elvaan tried two of the keys he had stolen before he found the right one for the bracelets. The clicked open and Alain let them fall to the floor. The skin trapped inside them was much brighter and cleaner than the rest of his arms. He rubbed his wrists and thanked the thief.

"Thank you," he said to the Elvaan. "…But if I ever find you…I will get you back for almost leaving me here despite what I did for you."

The Elvaan turned once more and headed for the door.

"Do not bear grudges, lad," he said as he went, "life is to short."

It took at least ten minutes for Alain to feel any presence of his minimal magical powers then another further ten minutes until he felt confident enough that using a spell in his fatigued state would not knock him out. A fire small fire ball aimed directly around the lock area of the cell door burned straight into the metal with enough force to bend the door backwards and ripping it from its hinges.

Cautiously, he stepped out into the area beyond his cell and starred at the open door at the end of the hall that the Gentlemen Thief had escaped from. No guards appeared, not even the small bald one. He prayed the Elvaan had found a way to get out of the prison silently and had not engaged anyone in battle; he could not live with himself if he had played a part in innocent soldier's deaths.

His body became frozen as he left the row of cells as he looked upon the short, fat, musketeer's body laying in a heap on the floor next to a knocked over oak wood table and chair. The back of his head was stained red with blood. He found the courage to slowly approach the body and knelt next to it to try and find out if they were dead.

A pulse!

He found a pulse. The Gentlemen Thief had only knocked the guard out. Alain noticed that the rest of the keys that had been attached to the back of the musketeer's belt were now missing. Before carrying on he ripped bits of the musketeer's shirt and created a basic dressing to put on the wound.

Carrying on to the guard station further along another passage he found it to be in good order. The Elvaan had not run into any other guards nor had he raided the station for supplies, perhaps because he had been too eager to escape. Alain did not know how much time he had until more guards would patrol down by the guard station or a change of the guard would occur, but he knew he could not walk out into Bastok wearing a prison uniform.

There were three supply chests at the guard station as well as two Mog Lockers. Much to his annoyance all that was in the first two chests was piles of paper and a few potions. The third chest had more reports and papers to be filed and the one on the top caught his eye.

He read a section allowed, "…Mythril Musketeer Naji refuses to provide testimony against the captured culprit and thus the prisoner cannot be held much longer without witnesses. Intervention from the Jeuno military authorities requested he be kept an additional three days and this has been approved by President Karst…" He sighed, "Naji…"

Inside the Mog Locker he found three sets of Iron Musketeer armour. The first seemed to be a female size and the next fit only for a Galka. The last set looked like it would fit, but only barely. He quickly placed on the iron harness, boots, gloves, leggings, and helmet.

"This suit of armour…smells," he complained to himself as he dressed.

The helmet did not particularly cover his facial features, save for his hair, but it made it less obvious to anyone passing by that he was not one of the guards from the prison.

As he searched the second Mog Locker he was shocked to find his Great Sword. The second locker had to be an evidence locker where prisoner's possessions were held. It did not look like the locker had been opened by the Gentlemen Thief which was quite strange, there also was no other items belonging to any other prisoners inside it. He was well aware that the Iron Musketeers did not wield such a weapon, but could not bring himself to leave it behind and attached it firmly to his back.

The passage from the guard station split three roads, but two seemed clearly marked as leading to two other rows of cells so he knew the third had to be to the way out. Just as he thought he had made it out he saw double doors at the end of a short passage swing open and let in light from the other side. He ducked behind a crate leaning against the wall almost instinctively. He heard the sound of metal boots echo down the dull hallway.

He almost curled up into a ball and kept perfectly still so his armour made no sound. Because of the open exit the light from outside had illuminated the hallway somewhat, but it was unnatural light so darkness was still present. To his relief, whoever entered the hallway closed the door behind them. He preyed whoever entered would not see him as they went by.

He peered up from the shadows behind the crate as two Iron Musketeers walked by side-by-side. Alain knew that when they reached the opposite end of the hallway they would find the empty guard station and become aware that something was not right. He waited until the last possible moment just as the two musketeers seemed to stop and converse with each other over where their companion was and as slowly and silently as he could, stood up and backed away towards the exit.

Each slow step felt like a mile, but he could not run. He had to move slowly, he had to keep the sound of the iron boots ringing down the hallway to an absolute minimum. He reached the doors and placed his hands on the handles. He swung them open and almost expected to come face-to-face with two huge Galkan musketeers, but did not.

He looked upon the Metalworks of the city, to which the prison was directly connected. There was no one to be seen, save for a Galkan miner disappearing into the darksteel forge on the opposite side of the large open floor space. He winced as he heard someone shout.

Twisting around, he saw the two musketeers running down the hallway towards him from the guard station. He dashed out into the Metalworks and swung the doors closed behind him. He did not have much time; he had to decide where to run that second.

The forge…the shrine…the blacksmith's guild…the exit to markets…damn, where can I go? If I could get to my home then…Wait…Cid's laboratory…

Inside the Metalworks were two lifts controlled by mechanical pulleys that raised and lowered one side and then did the opposite. Both led to passages that cut off into the front room that overlooked the lower Metalworks, which was where Cid's laboratory lay. The right lift was just touching down as he sprinted across the floor so he made that his destination.

He stayed on one knee as the lift rose slowly. When it reached the top he rolled sideways onto the wooden walkway so if the guards had made it outside they would not see him. Alain silently thanked the powers that be that no miners or workers left the bar at that precise moment to see him crawler along the floor. As soon as he was sure the wall would obscure any chance of seeing him, he stood up and slowly walked along right next to the wall to the opening leading to the lab.

Two musketeers guarded the door to Cid's lab. He decided he had no choice but to try his luck talking his way past them.

"Halt, what business do you have with the Chief Engineer?" one asked (a stout Galka) as he approached from the side passage.

He did his best to do the Bastokan military salute, "I have been ordered by Mythril Musketeer Iron Eater to pass on a message meant only for Chief Engineer Cid's ears penned by President Karst's aid. I am under strict orders that I must deliver it personally. If that is a problem then you should speak with Iron Eater."

The guards exchanged glances and then stood out of his way. Even the Galkan guard did not want to risk upsetting someone as intimidating as Iron Eater. He entered the lab and made sure the door was closed firmly behind him.

Inside was a collection of tables with machinery and tools spread out all over them as well as a few machines that clunked away (doing what Alain could not be sure). At the far end of the room on a slightly raised platform he saw Cid standing in front of a blackboard chalking away at some diagram on it that seemed to resemble an airship's propeller. He started walking across the room towards the Chief Engineer and almost walked into the chest of a Galka. He pulled back and looked up to see Raibaht.

"Alain! Is that you?" Cid's assistant uttered, shocked.

He urged the Galka to be silent and motioned towards Cid. He followed Raibaht to the steps leading to the platform the Chief Engineer stood on. The old Hume turned and was just as shocked to see him.

"What are you doing here, lad? I told you how dangerous it would be to come back here," Cid muttered, rubbing his beard.

Alain's face grew solemn.

"Cid…I…I did something awful to Naji…"

"Relax kid, he's fine. You gave him a little nick on his shoulder, that's all. It's nothing he won't recover from. He's tougher than you give him credit for. I had a word with him, he knows what you are your friends are doing now. But, Alain, why did you come back so soon? Surely you knew Jeuno's influence has already spread here."

He began to tell Cid everything, even though the Hume had told him not to trust anyone, even him, with such information. He just did not know what else he could do. Cid was the smartest person he knew, the one that had always given him advice and helped him with his missions when he was younger. While he spoke, he lay in the corner somewhat slumped with his back against the wall. Midway through his reprisal of everything they had experience, Cid stopped him.

"Listen, kid, you can't tell me these things. I know you want to, I know you think you need to, but you can't. Your just feeling down because of what you had to do to try and get away with whatever information you say Zeid left you. Don't feel so guilty! Look…I received a message yesterday from an unknown source…well, Raibaht did actually…"

"…Yes?" he replied.

"It was a bit cryptic, but I think it was trying to tell me about what happened to you. You see, I had only heard about a commotion by the south Auction House, not that it involved you. Anyway, I think one of your friends wrote it. I think it also hinted that…well, lets just say my little girl has come home to visit."

He looked at the Chief Engineer and saw him wink. His heart was suddenly rejuvenated with the prospect that the Highwind was back inside the secret docks below the Metalworks. His friends had come to save him, despite his objections. It was wrong of them to risk so much just getting him out knowing full well that Jeuno was after them, but he was glad that they did.

"They are looking for me outside…" he sighed. "I need to get down into the shrine without any of them seeing me; they know I've stolen a suit of iron armour."

"Leave that to me, lad," Cid replied. "We'll let things cool down a bit first and get you out of that armour. What are you wearing under there…the prison uniform? Raibaht, go to the markets and find some clothes that will fit Alain as fast as you can, but don't make a scene."

"Yes sir," the Galka replied, but then added, "What will you do if musketeers come here wishing to search your laboratory for him?"

"They won't step one foot in here, now get going!"

With that the Galka left. Alain hid behind the noisy machinery and took off the iron armour while Cid went outside and spoke with the two guards. Because of the machine he could not hear all that was being said, but he was sure he heard Cid talking about experiments with materials and at one point raising his voice quite angrily. He returned a couple of minutes later.

"Is it safe?" Alain asked from behind the machine.

"For now it is. The two guards the president insists stay with me think you are assisting with volatile experiments and not to interrupt. A passing squad on the look out for you asked to get in, but…well, let's just say I gave them a firm no. Still, they might go crying to one of the Mythril Musketeers, so we shouldn't assume you are safe here."

Though he wanted to talk to Cid about so many things he knew that the engineer did not want to hear any of it for fear that it might do damage in the future. Instead he asked questions about research and was shocked to hear that Cid was still tinkering around with the idea of a new form of airship, despite how illegal doing such things were.

"That reminds me, you can take these," Cid said and handed him a bundled up collection of papers.

"And this is?"

"Show them to your pilot, it will sort some bugs I found and solve any problems you might be having with that teleportation crystal alignment. In my rush to get her out there I didn't have time to test everything so it wouldn't surprise me if they are having some problems. Anyway, just make sure Pop sees those papers."

Raibaht returned shortly after Alain accepted the papers with a tunic and bottoms similar to what he had been wearing before his incarceration but with red lining instead of blue. He accepted the clothes and got changed behind the machinery. His prison clothes were wrapped into a ball and hidden back there.

When he was ready to leave, Cid had Raibaht distract the guards outside by asking them to help him carry some boxes up from the entrance to Bastok Markets. The Galka would try and distract anyone else outside on the lower floor as well for as long as he could. Alain was to wait until he heard the lifts shift and go down the opposite side to Raibaht.

"Guess you better get going, kid," Cid said from behind him.

He turned and offered out his hand.

"I never really thanked you for helping me…"

They shook hands.

"Keep strong, Alain. Oh, say hi to Zeid when you see him, it's been a while since I've seen his grim looking face. Ever since he and Volker had that fight he hasn't set foot in the city as far as I'm aware."

Nodding in agreement, he shot out the door and down the left side lift, careful to observe the area around the bottom as he went. It seemed clear enough, the Iron Musketeers probably thought he had escaped out into the markets or some other district of the city and not stayed hidden inside the Metalworks.

Almost tripping down the stairs, he ran as fast as he could down to the shrine at the bottom of the Metalworks centre placed between the two lift structures. There were no guards. He opened up the secret passage and ventured into it, making sure to slide the door closed behind him. Though he was plunged into darkness he felt his way along the walls until he saw the opening at the other end.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he came out into the huge underground airship port to see the Highwind birthed in the dock. It was a strange feeling to have about an airship and he had not felt it for a long time. He felt relieved that he escaped, but also that he had made it home.