A/N: Welcome back to the Trial, friends. They will escape from the prison in this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 29: Escaping the Dungeon; Stark's Lament Part 2

Ardyn and Dorian looked down the hallway, weary of any passing guards. When they couldn't see any, they hurried as fast as they could down the corridor, towards the door. They opened it quickly and quietly shut it. They hid in the shadows for a while for Stark to catch his breath. Once he was done panting, they began again.

This time, they stuck to the shadows. Prompto and Dorian were supporting Stark between them while Ardyn led the way. They passed cell after cell. They occasionally had to dodge a guard or two, but it wasn't that hard. They all knew however, that the worst was yet to come. They would still need to find Dorian's weapon which who knew where that was?

Occasionally, Stark would point them in the right direction. When Ardyn made a wrong turn or when he was about to turn the wrong corner. Ardyn was surprised by how grateful he was to the former general. They were going up instead of down, however. Finally, they made it to a room that held most likely hundreds of thousands of weapons.

"Jackpot!" Dorian said. But as she tried to open the door, it didn't budge. Stark stepped forward, startling Prompto, Dorian and Ardyn. "What are you doing, Stark?"

"The door has to recognize the hand that touches it. I hope this will still work," Stark said. He then put his hand to a hidden scanner.

"Welcome, General Moonsinger. Pick up any weapons you plan on using," a speaker said.

"I knew it would work!" Stark said, quietly.

Dorian nodded in acknowledgement and began to look around the room. Finally, after what felt like hours, Dorian found it. She sheathed it and quietly walked out of the room. She quietly closed the door behind her and followed Ardyn back down the many stories. Finally, they made it to the front doors of the prison.

Dorian, Ardyn, Stark, and Prompto all looked at each other triumphantly. But as soon as they exited, they were met with a terrible sight. The Masked Emperor and his forces all stood, blocking the way to the street. Dorian, Ardyn, Prompto and Stark all looked at each other worriedly. How did the Masked Emperor know that they had planned to escape?

"Did you really think you could escape this prison without getting noticed by one of my forces. We watched your entire decent through the prison. And I must admit...I'm impressed. It was a nice show...but now you're stuck with us," the Masked Emperor said with a laugh.

Everyone got out their weapons and entered their battle stances, all in a protective circle around Stark. The former general tried to join them, but he couldn't muster the strength, having used up the rest of it helping Dorian enter the room where she could find her weapon. He struggled a couple of times, but finally, he gave up with a low moan.

This was the fist time that Ardyn had noticed The Masked Emperor's features. His mask was made of bones from long dead animals and his clothes were made out of thick snake skin. He had mask paint made of blood and bones from his enemies and prey. But it wasn't that that made him look deadly...it was something about his stance.

The way he just stood there, with one hand on his hip and one knee bent. It was nothing deadly...in fact, it didn't look scary at all. It was just something about the way he looked at them. He looked like he truly wanted to kill them. Suddenly he held up his hand, causing the group to stiffen and the army to get out their weapons.

Then, as if on a silent signal...they charged.

A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, the next chapter will be the last. Phew, this has been an adventure. Anyway, remember to review, see you later, Nerd.