OoO( 35 )OoO

A few days had passed and all the prisoners stood in a line in the giant courtyard of the prison. Lyle stood, wearing only his white under armor pants and a belted sash with his right arm sash tied tightly around his left bicep. He looked over at Kane, and Kane nodded. Kane looked over to the other prisoners and they nodded back to him. All except for one.

A guard walked over to the line carrying a sword. Archers had been placed all along the walls in case of a riot. The guard walked forward and looked at them. "Most of you know the rules. I want to see a dirty fight, plenty of pushing and shoving. Hitting is allowed, but be sure not to kill anyone or else its all night in the torture chamber for you. Now, the first one to run three laps around the battlement walls up there wins. I myself and the warden will be waiting at the finish line. Oh...and no funny stuff. If we see any of you trying to escape or make a break for it, you will be shot down and killed." he said. Walking off, the guard ingored the sarcastic remark made by one of the prisoners, causing them to snigger.

A guard with a flag was stationed at the start to begin the race. All the prisoners set themselves, and as soon as the flag was waved, they immediately took off. Lyle ran ahead, still being as enduring from before. Kane was behind him and the others followed up. He dashed for the stairs leading up to the battlements, and was making good time til a guard at the top of the stairs hurled a box, hitting him and sending him back down to the ground. The other prisoners ran around him and up the stairs.

Lyle got to his feet and ran up the stairs again, glaring at the guard, who had an innocent smile on his face. "Sorry mate, gotta make it interesting." he said. Lyle turned and ran up the final set of stairs. Planting his feet lightly on the stone floor, he darted forward and began to gain back some lost time. Finally, after half a lap, he was back at the front, tailing Kane. They ran into a small tower and turned onto another battlement walkway, where a guard with a long spear. Lyle wasn't stupid.

As soon as they approached, the guard dropped the spear to waist height. Kane ducked and kept running past the guard. Lyle jumped over the wooden shaft and kept running as well. Two of the prisoners were clotheslined by the weapon while the rest went under it. Lyle and Kane were neck and neck nearly the whole time. As they past the line into the third lap, Lyle saw Kane go down screaming.

"Argh!" shouted Kane. Lyle stopped for a moment and looked at the man holding his leg where an arrow was protruding. Looking up, Lyle saw that one of the prisoners had a bow in his hand and was fumbling with another arrow. Lyle took off and rounded another corner when suddenly the arrow fired. Lyle ducked, but this caused him to trip and hit the stone hard. The prisoner smirked and dropped the bow as he ran past another guard and Lyle and onto the final stretch of the race. Lyle jumped to his feet furiously and jerked the spear from the guards hands, surprising him.

Aiming, he hurled it with all his might and scored as the spear sank into the mans shoulder from behind. Lyle ran again and as soon as he reached the prisoner, he yelled, "Cheating rat!" and kicked the injured man across the jaw, sending him tumbling over the edge of the ramparts and into the courtyard where he landed in a cluster of bushes. As soon as he landed the man screamed in pain and climbed as quickly as he could out of the bushes, showing thousands of thorns sticking in his back. Lyle laughed briefly before running to the end of the line.

He stopped as he saw the warden. Wearing the typical guard uniform, only black and without the hat, the warden was a cruel looking man. Scars upon his face told of the torture he must have gone through in his entire life. The man smirked as Lyle approached. "Very good. Been here less than a week and already you are getting along with the others quite nicely." he said.

Lyle glared. "Yeah, and dare I ask where that man got the bow and arrow from?" he said. The warden laughed in an old croaking tone.

"My dear boy, it is as mystery to me as it is to you." he said innocently.

"I'm sure." remarked Lyle.

"Now then, for your reward. What would you like? A night free of the chamber? Or a special reward given to you by myself personally?" he asked. Lyle looked back as Kane came limping forward with the help of two other prisoners. Kane nodded to him.

"I'd like the special reward." he said.

The warden smirked. "Very good my dear boy. You are already so well informed of this place. This special reward is the only way out of torture. You were smart to choose it." he said. "Bring him to my office." yelled the warden and two armed guards pushed Lyle forward.

OoOoO

The office was small, yet comfortable. There was s shelf with books packed sitting on them, mainly books on poetry. But Lyle eyed one of the books that had the title, "The Guild of Zeros". Ingoring it for the moment, he looked at the warden.

"Have a seat." said the warden. Lyle sat in a small wooden chair. "This is your reward. One night of my poetry readings. I do ask that you bear with me and try to stay awake." he said. Standing up, the older man turned around and started reading from a scroll that was hanging from the wall. Lyle looked over at the door and saw two guards standing post just outside the door. Whatever he did, he needed to be quiet about it.

Looking around, he didn't see anything he could really use. Looking at the table, he noticed a book that had something wedged in the middle. He looked up at the warden who was still reading the poetry from the wall poster. Then. leaning forward, he quietly opened the book and the sight slapped him in the face. It was three different keys sitting on the paper, and written on the parchment was a list of the names of the prisoners. His name was at the very bottom in new writing, while Kane's had faded with age. Looking around for something to use, anything.

Then, he saw it. A small carving knife had fallen onto the floor from the desk. Leaning down, he grabbed it off the floor, then took the keys as quietly as he could and replaced them with the carving knife. Closing the book again, he sat back in the chair and removed the remaining armband that he wore. Wrapping it around the keys, he bent down quickly and tied the remaining amount around his leg. Dropping the pant leg quickly, he sat back as if nothing had ever happened.

The warden finished his poem and turned to Lyle. "Well, what do you think." he asked as he leaned on the desk, his hand an inch from the book.

Lyle scratched his head for a moment, realizing he didn't hear a word of the poem. "Well...it was a very good poem. But you might want to make it a little less, cheery you know?" asked Lyle, hoping that his acting would produce positive results. The warden stared at him blankely, then laughed out loud.

"Less cheery huh? You got quite a mouth on you boy. I've been told my poetry is dark enough to summon Skorm himself. But never have I heard it as cheery!" he said, making Lyle flinch at his own mistake. "But, you make me laugh. You can go now. Guard!" he shouted. The guards came into the room and Lyle stood to his feet. The warden looked down at his desk and saw the book lying there. "Has his name been written in here?" asked the warden.

"Aye sir. Written just like you asked." said the guard.

"How do I know you aren't just trying to get out of your work?" asked the warden. He looked at Lyle. "What do you think? Should I trust him? Or should I check it myself?" he asked. Nervously, Lyle nodded.

"I've seen him around sir. He does his job well. Not like other slackers." he said.

"Take him away then." said the warden. Taking the book, he put it in a small safe on the wall and closed it with a large iron lock. Lyle sighed in relief.

"Thanks for that mate. And sorry about that box earlier. You know how it is, gotta please the warden." he said.

"It doesn't matter. I still won the race and got out of the chamber for one night at least." said the warrior. By the time he had left the wardens office, the sun had already sunk and the sky was black with night.

The guard took him back to his cell and tossed some straw into the cell. "There you go. Make it a little more comfortable." said the guard. Lyle walked in and laid down on the straw. The guard locked the cell door with his spare key and walked out of the dungeon. Lyle sat up as he left. Kane leaned over in his cell and looked at Lyle. "Well, what did you find? Something to pick the lock?" he asked curiously.

Lyle snorted in amusement. "Something like that." he said as he pulled the armband from his leg and untangled the keys. Kane's eyes went wide at seeing the small objects in his hand. Stowing them under the straw, he smirked. "Tonight, when the guards are asleep is when we strike."

Kane nodded, then passed the word on. Once it had spread all around, everything was quiet. Kane turned back to Lyle. "Tonight, I'm gonna be a free man. And I'm gonna take that warden with me." he said.

OoOoO

The moon sat high in the air and everything around the prison was quiet. Lyle's eyes opened and he smiled. "Time to go." he said. Kane and the others sat up as Lyle grabbed the keys from under his bedding. Standing up, he walked over to the cell door and took the first key from his palm, then slid it into the lock. He turned it, but his effort was futile as the key would not turn. Handing the key to Kane, he took another and tried it again. But to no avail. Finally, he took the last one and prayed to Avo that it worked.

Sliding it into the keyhole, he closed his eyes and turned. A loud clank sounded and the door swung open. A sigh of relief sounded from all the prisoners. Lyle walked over and unlocked Kane's door, then proceeded to do the same for everyone else. When he got to the cell holding the man from the race, he stopped.

The man looked up at him. "Cummon. What are you waiting for?" he asked.

Lyle glared at him. "You were informed of the plan before hand and yet you still tried to win the race. Give me one good reason why I should let you go." said Lyle. The man looked at Lyle pleadingly.

"Oh cummon! It was just a race!" he said.

Lyle reached through the bars and grabbed the man by the throat. "Do you think I would have these keys right now if it wasn't for that spear?" he asked. "I barely won that race. You almost threw our only opportunity to get out of here out the window." he said forcefully.

"Please! I won't do it again I promise!" he said. Lyle glared at him a moment, then slid the key in and opened the door, letting the man out. When they all were free of their cells they walked over to the door leading to the courtyard. Lyle put the key in and opened it as well. Turning to the crowd, he said in a hushed voice, "Follow me as quietly as possible." Slowly he opened the door and and they began creeping along the grass in the courtyard towards the west wall. Once they were all in the shadow of the wall, Lyle turned to the others. "Who knows where the armory is?"

One man raised his hand. "Its just down this wall, you can see the door from here. Its the one on the right." he said. Lyle nodded and he waved for them to follow him. They snuck across the grass to the door, when Lyle stopped them all. Taking the key again, he tried it in the lock, but it didn't work. Taking another one, he slid it into the lock and turned it. Another clank sounded and the door opened. Lyle poked his head in the door and looked around.

Next to the door was two guards, sleeping their night shift away with a tankard of rum a piece. Giving them the quiet signal, he snuck in, followed by the rest. Once inside, Lyle and Kane disposed of the guards with a few dagger that was taken from a nearby rack. All the men went around, strapping on armor and grabbing weapons. Lyle found his armor right next to one of the guards, along with his katana. Strapping the armor on and the weapon to his belt, he looked around for his sword, but couldn't find it.

A man grabbed the hilt of a sword and raised it into the air, watching the light from the lantern shine off the blade. "Wow...this is a pretty blade. I'm keeping it for myself." he said. Lyle looked over and saw the man admiring his sword. Walking over to him, he pulled the weapon from the mans grasp.

"Sorry mate, but that blade has been with me for a long time. I'm not about to let it go now." he said as he sheathed it in its scabbard on his back. The man was outraged.

"How dare you! I found that sword now its mine!" he shouted. Lyle immediately grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

"Are we gonna have a problem here?" he asked in a deadly tone. Everyone in the room was staring at Lyle. "This sword was made specially for me by an old friend. Now, if you want this sword, you are gonna have to take it from me the hard way. Understand?" the man nodded and Lyle let him go. Walking to the front of the room, he looked around. Everyone was pretty much armored up and ready to do battle. Kane walked up to him wearing thin black chainmail armor, but had metal gauntlets with deadly looking spikes sticking out from the knuckles.

Kane lifted his hand and clenched his fist. "Its been many years since I wore my old armor. It feels good, like I'm young again." he said.

Lyle smiled. "It looks good on you." he said. Turning to the rest of them, he spoke up. "Is everyone ready to conquer a prison?" he asked. There was a loud cheer from the men. "Good. Now, we need to sneak a little bit more before we go crazy on this place." he said, making the crowd groan. He laughed at their misery before continuing. "Don't worry. We are gonna leave a little surprise for our friends the guards." he said as he kicked one of the many barrels stored in the room.

OoOoO

Lyle and Kane stood outside the door to the guards barracks, listening to them all snore. All the sentries in the prison were asleep, leaving them no opposition. "Now, lets hear your greatest battle call!" shouted Lyle. The men erupted in cheers and yells as Lyle threw the torch onto the line of black powder on the ground. It immediately sparked and the fire began to slowly slither its way up the stairs and into the room.

The men cheered louder as an explosion ripped the wall apart and sent fire everywhere. Suddenly, the entire fortress was on alert. All the sentries grabbed their weapons and charged towards the small group of warriors. Lyle raised his sword and...stared down at a body the landed right next to him with a giant arrow sticking out of his back. Lyle smiled. "Alex..." he said. "Charge!" he yelled.

The group charged the guards and clashed weapons with them. Lyle kicked one guard backwards and sliced anothers throat with his sword. He was about to attack another when another arrow flew and hit the center of the courtyard. Suddenly a large magic symbol appeared across the giant court yard. It glowed bright then shattered. Lyle felt as if a wave of energy ran through his bode. He looked at his hand and saw as it sparked.

"Lyle! A little help here!" shouted Kane. Lyle turned back to the group of prisoners and saw that the guards were massing together against the prisoners. Suddenly, another arrow sank like a spear into a guards back, causing him to knock over three other guards. Lyle aimed his hand at a guard and lightning flew forward and smashed into one of the sentries who was about to take out an injured prisoner. Immediately he yelled in pain and collapsed.

Everyone froze and looked at Lyle, who was now smirking. Sticking his sword in the ground, he lit two fireballs again and began the arm movements. All the guards ran at him to try and stop him, but they were too late. He launched the fireball, and guards jumped to the ground to dodge it. As soon as it flew over the tops of their heads, Lyle clapped his hands and the ball exploded. Guards ran around trying to put out the flames on their body as the prisoners regrouped and attacked again.

Suddenly, out of nowhere three more people jumped into the melee. Van was first. He had a large metal staff that he swung wildly at the remaining guards. The second was Briar Rose. Her black cleaver swung like a whirlwind of death, killing all who passed in an instant. And the third...Lyle stared hard at her. He couldn't quite make out who she was, but she was amazing. Her speed was unlike anything he had ever seen. Grabbing his sword, he joined the battle and soon, there wasn't a guard left standing in the place.

The prisoners cheered madly and began to mingle with the heros. Suddenly, Kane shouted, "Lyle! There he goes!" Lyle looked over and saw the warden opening a door and slamming it shut behind them. Him and Kane both darted for the door.

Talon stood after the battle and stared at Lyle, unsure of how to approach him. Then, suddenly he took off after a man in black. She smiled as she saw him run. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." she said to herself as he raced off.

Kane and Lyle got to the door. Kane went to examine the door put Lyle decided not to waste time and blasted it open with a lightning bolt. Opening the door, they ran in and Lyle immediately recognized where he was. This was the cell where he found his mother. And if the warden was running this way, then there was only one way he could go without trapping himself. As soon as they entered the store room, Lyle yelled, "Follow me!" Kane nodded and they ran together down the corridors until the saw the warden. He was on the other side of a large pool holding a wooden lever in his hand.

The two warriors stopped and stared at him. The warden threw the lever and they could hear gears turning. Immediately they both split up and ran around opposite sides of the pool to try and get to the warden. But, he pulled another lever and a large iron door dropped into place in front of him. Lyle banged on the door madly while Kane looked around for anything that would be helpful. His eyes suddenly went wide as a large serpent-like head rose from the water. Tentacles rose from the water as the serpents yellow snake-like eyes locked onto the two.

"Uh...Lyle." said Kane.

Lyle kicked the door and yelled. "Dammit! He got away!" he said as he put his hands on the door and leaned over.

"Lyle..." said Kane again.

Lyle sighed and hit the door again in his anger.

"Lyle!" shouted Kane.

"What!" Lyle shouted back. Kane pointed at the beast and Lyle turned and looked at it, his eyes frozen in horror. "Uhh...hi..." he said to the serpent. Two of the tentacles swung and smashed into the warriors, tossing them across the room. After hitting the ground, Lyle jumped to his feet and pulled his bow off. Notching an arrow, to the bow he raised it and fired. The arrow flew and sank into the creatures eye, making it shriek in pain. Lyle took another arrow and notched it when the creature put its head under the water and out of Lyle's shooting range.

"Dammit!" shouted Lyle as he aimed at one of the tentacles. The arrow hit the tentacle, causing it to swing at him. The warrior jumped over the tentacle and drew his sword.

"Lyle! Duck!" shouted Kane. Lyle ducked to one knee right as one of the snake-like tentacles nearly removed his head. Jumping to his feet again, he turned to Kane.

"Hey, you think you can grab one of those things?" shouted Lyle. Kane looked at the tentacles, then nodded. Taking up a stance, he held his hands ready at his side. Lyle hit another of them with a bolt of lightning, causing it to swing at him visciously. Lyle ducked and Kane grabbed the slippery appendage. Immediately Lyle jumped up and swung his blade, cutting through the massive tentacle. It fell to the ground and flopped around before its life slipped away.

The beast exploded from the pool again and roared loudly. Lyle aimed his hands at the beast ready to use lightning on it, when he saw a light come from the beasts mouth. It grew brighter and brighter until finally it erupted from the beasts mouth. Lyle dove to the side just in time as the high powered beam of energy tore the stone wall apart. Lyle rolled to his feet with his bow in his hands again and fired at the beast. It sank into the beasts mouth.

The beast roared and the light began to glow from its fanged mouth again. The heat from the energy incinerated the arrow. Kane acted quickly. Running up to the rail surrounding the pool, he placed one foot on it and launched himself onto the beast. Raising his fists, he began punching the serpent, sinking the spikes of his gauntlets into the beasts scales. It jerked its head back and threw Kane to the ground on the other side of the pool. The beam fired from the beasts mouth and crashed into the ceiling, causing it to crack and shatter.

Lyle pulled his sword up and used the lightning blade technique he learned from Thunder to slice through another tentacle. The beast roared and lunged forward at Lyle, smashing him against the wall. The warrior groaned loudly as the beast pulled away. Kane shouted, "Lyle! Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I'm fine, just got smashed up a little." he said as he got back up. Kane looked up and saw a small boulder fall from the collapsing ceiling and hit the beast in the head. Though not fazed, Kane's eyes widened..

"Lyle! The ceiling!" Kane shouted as he ran around the edge of the pool. Lyle looked up at the ceiling and saw it cracking and splitting further.

"Kane! Get to the door!" he shouted as the beast lunged again and smashed into the wall, causing the ceiling to crack again. Lyle ran for the door taking his sword and switching its position to run along his arm. The beast lunged at Lyle again, and smashed into the wall again. Lyle jumped up and landed on the back of the beasts head, raising the sword above his head.

Others gathered around Kane and watched the final attack on the giant beast. Lyle slammed the tip of the sword into the scaly hide of the serpent. The blade sank all the way up to the hilt, making the beast shriek. Its body and tentacles began to convulse and slam into everything. Lyle jerked the sword free and jumped from the beasts back and ran for the door as the ceiling and walls crumbled and crashed to the ground. The warrior was struck in the back with a large rock, making him fall to his knees. Standing up, he stumbled again towards the door in a hurry. But, the ceiling broke.

Several large boulders fell and crushed the serpents head, making the rest of the ceiling fall and crush the entire room. Lyle dove for the exit, but disappeared as the debry and rubble piled up. The entire crowd gasped and stared at the now dead end. "Lyle! No!" shouted Alex as she ran up to the pile of rock. She beat the wall with her fists, yelling more. Suddenly, Lyle's hand burst from the dirt and tried to grasp something.

Alex grabbed the hand and began pulling on it. "Help him!" she shouted. Suddenly, everyone ran forward and started digging the dirt and rocks from around the warrior. In a matter of minutes, Lyle was pulled from the wall, coughing and covered in dirt. Alex wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Don't you ever do that again!" she said.

Lyle hugged her back and smiled. "I don't plan on it. And lets hope there aren't anymore of those things around." he said.

"What about the warden? He's getting away now..." said Kane in a disappointed voice. Lyle laughed briefly, causing a confused look to cross Kane's face. "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

"The warden isn't going anywhere. That door he went in was a protective room. A dead end." he said, making Kane look at him surprisedly. "I searched the room when I first got here. By shutting that door, he sealed his own fate."

Kane smirked. "Looks like he is trapped in the prison that he trapped so many others in. He finally gets what he deserves." he said.

Lyle turned around with a smile and was stopped by a pair of piercing green eyes. He stopped and looked down at the girl in black. "You are very skilled. Where did you..." he said, then stopped. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he knelt down a bit and stared deep into her eyes. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Maria..." he said.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. She laughed loudly as he spun her in circles before dropping her back to her feet. "When did you..!" he shouted. Talon put a finger over his lips, making him quiet.

"Lets get out of here first." she said. Lyle smirked and nodded.

"To the armory!" he shouted.

OoOoO

Lyle handed a blazing torch to Kane. Kane looked at Lyle. "You aren't going to do it?" he asked.

Lyle shook his head. "You were here far longer than I was friend. If anyone deserves to do this, its you." he said. Kane nodded, then looked up at the bright fire. Taking the torch, the man smiled and tossed it onto a line of gunpowder on the ground. It sparked and followed the trail of gunpowder into the armory. The prisoners and heros all cheered loudly as they watched the main wall and all the inside structures of the prison explode and collapse as the barrels took out the main supports. The stone structures crumbled and fell, causing the wall to break away from the other walls and crush the trees nearby.

Finally, all of the prisoners of Bargate Prison were free...