The man sighed, looking through the barred window in his cell, out into the countryside cloaked in the darkness of night.
It’s happening tonight, not tomorrow, tonight! He thought to himself as he watched. He had been imprisoned three weeks tonight, partly due to a job he was working, partly out of simple trickery. The cell blocks were located in a building along the castle grounds, the royals enjoyed poking fun at the “criminal scum” as they referred to it. Everyone in the block was aware of this prisoner’s plan, and everyone was willing to help him, after all, they all wanted freedom.
“Hey Alton, any sign of the light?” Asked the prisoner in the cell to his left.
“Not yet Lewis?” He called back.
“What makes you so sure you can trust these guys you’re working with?”
“I don’t… but if we’re still here in three months, then will move to plan B.”
“Which is?” Lewis asked, prying him for answers.
“So far, something along the lines of a full scale prison riot, followed by the five of us sneaking out to deal with the royal pains across the courtyard.”
The room laughed quietly. Alton was well known for his skill set, as was everyone else in this room, which was guarded by a metal door about fifteen centimeters thick, watched by two guards on the outside at all times of day. On top of that they were high up, so no real way to climb down the side of the building. The security seemed foolproof…except for the fact that they had put the most intelligent, the craftiest and the sneakiest men all together in one room. What could possibly go wrong?
Alton continued watching for a good five minutes, the hillside remained as dim as the rest of the country. He shook his head and pulled it away from the scenery only to have it whip back in awe and relief. Across the courtyard of the castle, over it’s cold stone walls and up on the near rolling hill was a faint orange glow.
“Yes, thank god, wake up everyone, it’s show time!” He announced in amusement.
“It’s about time!” Stated Lewis, rushing to his cell door.
“I’ll say, six months living on cheap beans, bread and beer, not my lifestyle.” stated Ericson, getting out of his bed and approaching the cell door.
“That’s what you get for selling equipment at higher prices, yet making them a bit more fragile than the norm.” Called Thoron, leaning on his cell wall.
“You have no evidences of that you bar singer!”
“Oh really, why are you here then smithy?”
“God, you two are so loud.” Hollered their fifth man, Kain.
“Shut it!” The duo shouted.
“Oye, shut up in there.” Called the guard behind the door.
The room fell silent for a moment as the company looked at each other through the bars. Alton shook his head whispering beneath his breath as he went down on his back and fetched a key he had stolen from a guard.
“Why do we even need each other again?” Asked Lewis.
“Each one of us has a unique skill set. Ericson is a blacksmith who has knowledge of weapons, armors and traps, as we know do to his ‘unique’ method for creating tools; he’s probably the toughness here and has the most knowledge of sabotaging devices. Thoron of course is a traveling performer, he is gifted with the art of deception and forgery as well as just common knowledge of local people. They say he can read people as easily as a book.”
“That’s all hogwash, although it appears that one of our guards is having an affair with a more interesting subject.” Thoron commented.
“Kain, a most notorious hunter who with anything ranged, is probably the most deadly in our ranks. On top of that he probably has the most knowledge of where to strike someone to deal with them. Lewis, our stealth expert, he can go in through the front door if he felt like, have a sandwich, do what he needs to do and leave without a trace.”
“Really, so then tell me Lewis, how come you’re here with us?” Asked Ericson.
“It’s complicated.” Responded Lewis.
“Finally, there’s me. I have a mix of all your skill sets, without your flaws. Doesn’t mean I’m better, nor worse. Now since, I have the key, I’m taking the lead on this breakout.”
“You can’t just declare yourself boss without a vote.” Argued Thoron.
“Oh yes I believe I can. If you wish to argue then I can leave you locked up in here. Surely the guards would never believe your claims until I had left, and I would be gone before you even brought them to a guards attention. Now, I think freedom is nice, especially when I’m in charge. Anyone wish to challenge my authority?”
The group looked at each other and then reluctantly agreed that for their own benefit they could submit to him taking lead.
“Alright, now anymore questions?”
“Yeah, what’s your glorious plan oh great and powerful one.” Asked Kain with heavy sarcasm.
“Well listen up then, because it’s coming at you.” Responded Alton with a malicious smile.
Alton explained, breaking out of his cell with the key in hand he then proceeded to unlock his colleagues.
“The likelihood of us succeeding here makes me think that leaping out my window would be more affective.” Stated Kain, as Alton approached.
“Yeah, because lying on the cold hard ground, slowly crawling your broken frame away from this tower while guards who would have already spotted you, begin chase is much easier than this.” Responded Thoron grinning.
“I never said it was easier, but I think leaping has a better chance of me feeling the fresh air again, having my feet crush the light soil below them.”
“Yeah, and you’ll get that by leaping, only the wind will batter you and the ground won’t cave far enough for you to bounce to safety.” Replied Ericson with a slight chuckle.
Alton unlocked Kain’s cell door, then moved over to Thoron’s.
“You do realise there are trees, I could catch a branch.”
“No, they trim their tree’s pretty bear here. They keep the tops a bit thicker to give an illusion of safety but you’ll simply snap through it. Less painful on your way down but every guard in the area would be aware of your presence.” Added Alton, fumbling with the key at Thoron’s door.
“You’ll have more luck with us Kain, in fact it’s your only way out tonight. You even try filing the window bars and will give you a nice long nap for the night. I mean after all, if they see who you are then their coming for our room. That will cut our escape time down substantially.” Chimed Lewis.
“Make a decision Kain, are you going to come with us for freedom tonight, or spend a month hacking at the window only to take a leap of peril?”
Kain looked out his window for a minute, than sighed in defeat. “Fine, I probably would have difficulty slipping out anyways.”
Alton smiled now finished with Thoron and Ericson, on his way to Lewis’s cell.
The three men exited their cells, the air was filled with their excitement. They had been locked up for months and finally they seemed to be in arms reach with freedom as it seemed.
“Alright, so how do we go about starting?” Lewis asked, approaching the cell door.
Alton held his hand up at him ordering stop, then held his hand out. “Give it up Lewis.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The shiv you’ve been holding onto, I heard you file away at it during the nights prior to this one. I don’t know, or care what you’re planning, but until needed, I’m taking it.”
Lewis reluctantly pulled the makeshift blade from his pant pocket and handed it to Alton, who intern let him out and pocketed it.
“Now that we’re all free, we can begin.” The group quickly placed themselves against the wall adjacent with the door, with haste Ericson kicked the nearest cell door causing it to shut with a loud slam.”
“What the hell?” Asked a guard a loud, there was a bit of a shuffle behind the wall, followed by a click and the two guards rushing through the and into the center of the room.
“Where did they-“ His sentence cut off by the boom of the metal door being shut by Alton.
“Gentlemen, is there a problem here?” Asked Alton menacingly.
The guards drew their weapons swiftly, “How’d you rats get out of your cells?”
“Well it was simple, after all you provided me with a key.” He responded holding the cell key up, waving it at them tauntingly.
“You know what, let’s make a deal. I know your cells can be cramped and all, so will let you stretch out here, give the area to you for a bit, but you give us the key.”
“That seems rather fair, although, this room does need at least one new coat of paint.”
“Whatever, the key!”
Alton approached slowly, quietly counting down from sixty, when he was at thirty he stopped. “Say, how about you give us time in the courtyard like everyone else?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t dictate those sort of things, and surly they would never let you scum out in the field.”
“That’s a fair argument sir.” He responded now at ten. He walked towards them, nine, eight, seven, six, five.
“You know what, catch.” Alton stated as he whipped the key at one of the guard’s faces. Three, two, one, quickly Kain rushed the other guard, backed by Ericson, while Lewis and Thoron quickly took opportunity of the disoriented guard.
Alton smiled and shook his head, “One should never under-estimate the intelligence of criminals. Especially the ones who need an entire section for themselves, perhaps this will teach you a lesson.”
A few minutes went by, most consisted of the prisoners beating the guards to their knees, and then knocking them out cold.
“Shiv them, get rid of them for good!” Stated Lewis.
“Come now, escaping and murder are two different concepts. Besides we’re not bumbling barbarians, we’re intelligent criminals who don’t need to kill to get their way.” Responded Alton, “Just do as we planned, the bigger set goes to Ericson while that slimmer one will fit you fine Thoron.”
Ericson and Thoron pulled the men’s armor off, then tied them up and gagged them using the binds one of the guards had. Then they donned the armor, wearing their prison garments underneath.
“Not a bad fit, yet nothing close to my ensemble.”
“Shut it Thoron, besides, didn’t that outfit get you into this mess?” Asked Ericson.
“Hey, I’m not guilty of anything. I don’t see how it could be a crime for a man to carry antique gold coins in a secret compartment of their jacket.”
“Come on, let’s focus for two minutes. It’s only a matter of time until the flame burns out and it won’t be back for a while. Thoron, Ericson, loosely cuff Lewis, Kain and my hands, hurry we don’t have a lot of time.”
“Fine, fine, whatever you say boss.” The two men bound there conspirators hands together, and then they exited through the metal door. They walked in a cross formation, Alton leading with the other two cuffed men behind him, with their ‘guards’ keeping watch on either side of them. They continued walking at a slow pace, the smell of the room worse than anywhere Alton had traveled. Prisoners made nasty remarks, the group ignoring them while guards moving to the side as they past, no one noticing the identity of the groups escort. They moved down the hallways slowly and down the stairs of the prison, Alton leading the way as this wasn’t his first visit to this prison, only his first time as prisoner.
After ten minutes of endless walking they made it to the storage center on the ground level, holding all the equipment of prisoners arrested.
“Do you think they have my gold here still?” Asked Thoron hopefully.
“Your gold, probably. The antiques, not a chance.” Replied Ericson.
“They will have our tools though, weapons, kits… poisons maybe?” Asked Lewis.
“Will see, now come on, we’re still in a hurry!” Said Alton, removing his bracings and moving through the rows. The room was silent, no one was guarding such a treasure chest. In this room alone there were probably enough weapons to supply a minor militia and they just left it completely empty. What fools were these people dealing with?
They continued looking finding until finally they came to the conclusion that nothing of theirs was in here. “Locking our equipment somewhere else, or burning it… finally something done right by these people.”
“So you're saying we have to go through the entire prison if we want any of our gear?” Asked Kain.
“Nonsense, look around and see. We have an arsenal of gear at our disposal, all we need right now, there’s gold, armor and weapons. We can purchase any real gear in town, which is only a kilometer walk from the hill. Now start searching, we’re a bit late if you haven’t realized by now.”
The group searched around gathering equipment. Alton taking simple leather armor, a dagger, rapier and hand crossbow with 30 bolts - small arrow like projectiles which are fired from a crossbow - tucked in his belt pouch. He also took with him a pocket full of lock picks. Ericson took a set of chainmail armor, grabbing a flail, short sword and heavy crossbow with 20 bolts on his way as well as tools for blacksmithing. Thoron took the same as Alton, except with 20 bolts for a light crossbow and a lute instead of lock picks. Kain took some hide armor, as well as a long bow, a quiver of 50 arrows, 20 shrunken and a short sword. Lewis took a simple dark clock and robe, a mace, dagger and javelin.
The group was set, now their freedom was within grasp and they were ready to take it. Alton quickly picked the lock to the door, then loaded his hand crossbow and held it ready. The group armed and ready, they rushed through the doors and sprinted across the courtyard, a gate to freedom insight. The only blockade, about ten guards, but now that they were armed, nothing was stopping them here. Alton shot at the guard closest to the bell which would alert the whole area of an escape. Kain slowed down, drew his bow and loaded it with three arrows, which he released into the air and steadily glided into guards approaching them. Lewis had staggered away from the group on exit and had been able to flank another two. Thoron and Ericson had charged the enemies prior and simply used brute force to make them submit.
With that there was finally a silence. They had reached freedom and no longer needed to worry, at this moment in time anyways.
“Well, that’s that.” Said Lewis marching out with the rest.
“So many things to do… I’m having trouble deciding what next.” Thoron added.
“Yeah, but we can discuss this on the wagon ride back to the safehouse, okay?” Asked Alton.
The group agreed and then they took off to the light source as free men once more.
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