OoO( 34 )OoO
The sun rose over Albion casting a dark glow over the open sea as the waves lapped gently onto the sands of the beach. A ship docked at a nearby pier, letting the sails down and getting the crew active for the port. One figure on the ship jumped off and landed on the wooden pier. Walking towards the shore, she stared up at the town in front of her. "Bowerstone...its been a while." she said and walked into the town from the pier.
OoOoO
Van and Alex stood over the map, along with Maze and the guildmaster behind them. "What are we going to do? The undead in the area shouldn't be a problem...but what is a problem is telling whether Lyle is still alive or not." said Van. "We have the path marked and we can approach the prison from there. Thunder destroyed the last Hellgate in Albion, leaving us unable to sneak up on them like before. But if we do a frontal assault on the damn prison then we only stand a chance of getting annihilated."
Maze walked forward. "Lyle is still alive, I can guarantee that. But what worries me is what he is doing to him. Knowing Jack's bad temper, it is likely that Lyle is taking the full force of his anger for the escape of Scarlet and Thunder." he said wisely. "We can only hope that by the time we get there, Lyle isn't too broken to join us again."
Alex frowned and looked at the paper. "Lyle...always one to sacrifice himself to help others. He hasn't changed one bit." she said with a small chuckle.
"You should have seen what he did to that troll that threw you." said Van as he nodded. "If I know Lyle, he will be laughing in Jack's face throughout the whole ordeal, torture or not." said the mage.
Alex looked at him surprisedly. "Y-You mean Lyle went after the troll? What happened?" she asked concerned.
Van looked at her oddly. "He didn't tell you?" he asked. She shook her head and he smirked. "Well, after what happened to you, Lyle went berserk and fought the troll himself." he said, making Alex gasp in horror. "Don't worry, as you can see Lyle is fit as they come. He ended up destroying the troll and saving what was left of the town."
Alex stared at Hook Coast on the map. "I see...so he really went after me?" she asked. Everyone in the room nodded and she smiled to herself.
"In anycase, we still don't have a plan to save Lyle from the prison." said the guildmaster.
"Well, from what I have heard so far, I think I may have a solution to your problem." said a mysterious voice. They all spun and saw a stranger leaning against the wall.
"What is this? Who are you and why are you in the guild?" asked the guildmaster sternly. She walked forward into the light and exposed herself. She stood rather tall for a woman and wore a black outfit. Her vest seemed strangely foreign and had bird designs up and down the edges. She was full figured and had long black hair down to her back, hiding two swords that were sheathed in her sash on her back.
She sighed and smirked. "I see I wasn't important enough to remember." she said. Suddenly, the door opened and Elizabeth came in with a tray of snacks for the people in the room.
Looking up at the newcomer, the woman smiled. "Talon! I see you finally returned!" she said and walked over to her, giving her a warm hug.
Everybody in the room aside from Alex stared dumbly at her for a second. Finally Van yelled, "Talon! You..." he said walking over to her and looking her up and down. "You've been away for quite a while." he said, still unable to register that the same 19 year old thief from months before was standing before him.
"That I have. And from what I heard, Lyle is locked in some prison. What happened since I left?" she asked curiously. Van thought for a moment, then began to fill her in on the details.
"Lets see...Lyle beat Thunder in a death match, scared the skirt off Lady Grey by yelling so loud the dead could have woken..."
"Wait..." said Talon as she cut him off. "Lyle didn't marry Lady Grey?" she asked curiously. Van shook his head. "What happened?"
"He found out by investigating her old manor that she murdered her sister to get the lordship of Bowerstone. As soon as he found out, he went crazy and threw it in her face." said Van. "She was lucky he didn't turn her in to the magistrate. They would have had an execution for sure." he said.
Talon smirked. "Continue."
"Well, after the whole Lady Grey incedent, the Archeologist was kidnapped by Jack of Blades. We brought him back, and Lyle and Thunder used information from the Archeologist to get into Bargate Prison. He managed to rescue his mother and Thunder from the prison, but in doing so he trapped himself there." finished Van.
"And you are trying to figure out how to get inside without having to face an imperial army?" she asked and Van nodded. "Simple. Prison riot." she said.
Van looked at her, then looked back at the paper. "Thats it..." he said smiling. "Thats what we need. Someone from the inside to take the attention away from the front gate." he said. "But, how do we start a prison riot?" he asked.
Talon smirked. "Just ask." she commented.
OoOoO
Lyle sat in a dark cell with his back to a wall and his elbow propped up onto one knee. His eyes scanned the dark area slowly. His body burned. It was covered in cuts and scorches, gashes and burns from all kinds of torture. For the last four days, he had known what a true hell was. But, his spirit did not die. He was still searching for a way out, despite his cellmates grim outlook.
"You might as well give up. You have only been here for four days, so you don't know. But this place is inpenetrable." said the man in the cell next to him.
"Apparently you don't know how I got here." said the warrior. The man looked at him, but sighed and continued staring at the ceiling from his straw bed on the cell floor.
"Regardless. In and out are two different things. I've been in this place for five years. And like you, I've looked for ways out. But the fact is that its useless." he said.
Lyle looked over at his companion. "What's your name?" he asked.
The man looked at the warrior and scratched his head. "Been a while since it has been used, but you can call me Kane." he said.
"You can call me Lyle." said the hero as he looked back at the cell door. He heard a snort from the next cell. "What was that?"
"Your that hero aren't you? Lyle the Saber, right?" asked Kane curiously.
"Yeah, why?" asked the warrior.
"I owe you friend. Because you won the arena, I got three extra dinners." he said.
"Why is that?" asked Lyle smirking.
"Fella's thought they were smart and made a bet. Said that fool Kameleon would win. That was one dinner. And the other came from your final outcome. They bet that you would lose to the trolls. I said you'd go all the way. That won me two more." he said.
Lyle laughed at the mans story. "So, were you ever a hero?" he asked the man.
"Naw...I was just a simple man. Living in Knothole Glade as a fist fighter. I did well for myself. Til one day I was recruited by Jack." he said and sighed. "I happily joined, him bein' a hero from the guild and all. But, one day I heard that he burned that town Oakvale to the ground and killed everyone to find something he was looking for. Soon as they found out I knew, they tossed me in here." he said.
Lyle stopped him. "Wait, he was looking for something? Do you know what it was?" he asked curiously.
"Fraid not. Just that he never found what he was lookin' for." said the man. Then he rolled over. "In any case, I'm going to bed. I need sleep if I'm gonna win that race again." he said. Lyle looked at him strangely.
"A race?" he asked.
"Aye. Every month or so the guards gather us prisoners up and place bets on who is gonna win the race. That way we get our exercise, they get their gold, and the warden gets to share his creepy poetry with someone." he said.
Lyle laughed. "So the winner gets a poetry lesson from the warden?" he asked.
"Aye. Trapped in that office for an hour with 'im while he reads it. It's creepy but it beats the torture chamber." he said. "Now shut your yap. The race is only a few days away and I need sleep." he said.
Lyle smirked. "Wardens office huh? I think I just found the way out." he said to himself.
OoOoO
Talon stood outside the forest line of Bargate Prison. On her arm was a small but fierce looking bird. Van stood next to her and looked at the creature on her arm. "Are you sure that thing can take the message to Lyle?" he asked.
She nodded. "Trakker has been in our family for years. He is as faithful as you are to your food." she said, causing Van to glare at her. Taking the small scroll, she tied it to the birds leg then threw it upwards into the air. It caught an updraft, then flew high into the air before soaring into the prison.
"How is it gonna know Lyle?" he asked.
"Because. The reason we call him Trakker is because he can detect scent, unlike a lot of birds. Once he finds the prisoners, he'll know Lyle because of his smell." she said as the bird sank out of view behind the fortress walls.
OoOoO
The small bird flew circles over the yard before it landed in the barred window of a door. Picking its head up, it took in gulps of air before flying down to the last cell and hopping through the bars. Lyle looked up and noticed the small creature staring at him with viscious orb-like eyes. Hopping over to the warrior, the bird held up its leg. Lyle looked down and noticed a small scroll wrapped around a charcoal stick. Taking off the parchment, he unrolled it and noticed Van's handwriting.
We need help to free a bird from its cage,
When the bird causes rebellion against its captors,
The cavalry will come and free the bird.
Lyle smirked at the writing. "Van, you were never the most poetic person in the world." he said.
"What's that?" asked Kane as he looked over and saw the parchment. "Where did you get that?"
Lyle looked at him. "Kane, are you wanting out of this hell hole?" asked the warrior.
"Of course, but how..."
"This piece of paper. After the races, you and me are going to give the guards one hell of a war. Only then can we get out. You want to help me out?" he asked.
The man was skeptical at first, but smiled and nodded. "Nothing would please me more than to give those guards as much hell as they gave me for so long." he said. Holding out his hand, he clasped it with Lyle's.
OoOoO
Van and Talon sat at the forests edge, eating some rations given to them for the trip. Talon looked up at Van as she took a bite from her apple. "So, who is the new girl?" she asked him.
Van looked at her curiously. "New girl? What do you mean?" he asked.
Talon carved another piece of the apple off. "The girl in the white. The one with the bow bigger than a tree. I've never seen her before, so where did she come from?" she asked as she popped the apple slice into her mouth.
Van took a swig of cider that he had brought along and set the flask down. "Alex you mean. She actually isn't new. Its a long story. But a long time ago me and her went on a mission in Hook Coast. A snow troll was attacking the town and we tried to stop it, but failed miserably. I got off easy, only a few bruises and being knocked unconsious. But she got the worst of it. The troll got ahold of her and threw her out to sea. We hadn't seen her since. But while you were gone, Lyle found out where she was and brought her back to the guild." he said.
Talon nodded. "So she has been here since the beginning?" Van nodded to her. "Hmmm..." she said thoughtfully, then out of nowhere a screech rent the air and startled Van. Talon jumped to her feet and looked up into the darkening sky. The bird dropped like a meteor and grabbed Talons padded shoulder. She quickly reached up and grabbed the message from the bird. Unrolling the paper, she smiled at the response.
Van looked at her and at the paper. "What does it say?" he asked curiously.
"Just like Lyle." she said and handed it to him. Van looked down at the paper and started laughing once he had read it.
In a few days time, you will know when to strike.
For there will be war within these walls.