Chapter 154: Ch154: Escape?
Daniel sat on the floor, his back against the stone wall, head low and mind searching for a plan.
*Shrk~*
Through a metal plate, flatbread and a bowl of water were slid into the prison cell. The kind of bread that looks unappetising, pale and undercooked.
Footsteps of two guards echoed down the corridor as they moved from cell to cell, distributing meal to the prisoners.
Daniel pushed himself up and picked up the plate.
"Ugh... what is this smell?" he muttered as he stared at the water.
It looked murky as though someone had scooped it straight from a dirty river.
Daniel’s dry lips parted, and his tongue ached.
I have to...
Dehydration clouded his mind.
*Glug-Glug-Glug*
*Pfff!!!*
"Urgh... Ugh... Ugh~" Daniel gagged and covered his mouth with his palm.
...
*Gasp-Gasp-Gasp*
Enraged, Daniel hurled the wooden bowl onto the floor. It shattered against the stone floor, sending splinters skittering into the corners.
"Even dogs wouldn’t dare drink this," he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
*Grr...*
He tore off a piece of flatbread and smelled it first. Nothing seemed unusual, so he took a small bite.
*nom*
*Ptoo*
*Clank*
Daniel hurled the metal plate onto the floor. The force left it badly bent.
...
Soon, the guard returned to recover the plates.
*Ting-Ting*
"Prisoner Thirty-Six, hand over the plates," a guard called, tapping the bars.
Daniel didn’t react. He remained seated in the corner.
One of the guards noticed the destroyed bowl and the bent plate.
They opened the cell, pulled out a wooden baton, and swung it at Daniel.
*Swoosh*
Daniel dodged the blow, shoved one of the guards aside, and sprinted toward the open cell door.
"Catch him!" the fallen guard shouted.
Another guard waiting outside drew his baton and swung it with all his strength. It struck Daniel across the shoulder, but he didn’t slow down.
He lowered his body and tackled the guard.
*THUD-THUD*
They both crashed to the ground. The prisoners who were locked inside their cells pressed their faces against the bars and watched the chaos unfold.
Daniel snatched two torches from the wall and used them to block the batons. Both torches shattered after a single strike.
Dodge after dodge, he managed to hold them off, but he was eventually overwhelmed.
The guards beat him until his lips split and blood ran down his chin. Bruises darkened around his eyes before they threw him back into the cell.
...
Once the guards collected all the plates, they left the cell block.
"Hey, are you alright?" Marcus asked, his tone concerned.
Daniel responded a moment later. "Yeah," his tone weak.
Darkness settled over his cell as the torches were destroyed. The temperature inside Daniel’s cell dropped lower than before.
He sat near the iron bars, his forehead pressed against them, his eyes heavy with exhaustion and his hands shaking.
*Hachoo~*
"Young man. What’s the point of fighting when you know you’re no match? At least you could’ve run for your life," Marcus said, his expression grim, almost disappointed.
Daniel didn’t react. He ignored Marcus’s words and gave a faint smile.
...
Hours blurred by, and the guards came again. A metal plate with a bowl was slid into his cell.
This time, Daniel ate a few pieces of the unappetizing flatbread, taking small bites. But he didn’t drink the water.
*Ting-Ting*
"Plates," a guard said, his tone cold.
Daniel slid the plate and bowl back through the opening. There were no bent plates or shattered bowls.
The guards narrowed their eyes, thinking it had taken only one beating to break the new prisoner.
The guard picked up the plate and turned, casting a suspicious glance behind him.
However, that was exactly what Daniel had been waiting for.
"Jump."
Suddenly, his body was pulled forward like a strong invisible magnet and vanished into the shadow.
The world vanished.
Woah, I’m floating in space.
For a breathless moment, Daniel floated in an endless void — weightless, formless. Everything outside appeared distorted, like staring through dark, rippling water.
He could still see the dim ceiling of his cell, hear the guards’ footsteps and low muttering, yet he drifted alongside them effortlessly, like drifting with the flow of the darkness.
Then his stomach growled.
The first guard stopped. "You hungry, Number Six?"
"What? Me? I thought it was you," the other guard replied.
Fuck, my stomach. Not now please...
*Grr...*
Both guards stared at each other but didn’t suspect anything. After all, who would think their own shadow was growling? No one.
The guards walked on, and Daniel watched carefully, studying the layout of the prison, mapping the corridors in his mind.
Some cells stood open yet empty. Others held prisoners, both men and women.
But as he tried to use his Third Eye ability, a translucent red screen appeared before him.
[ Using an ability requires you to cancel the ongoing skill. Are you sure you want to continue? (Y/N) ]
No.
Three minutes later, Daniel had successfully exited the prison.
The only reason it worked was because he had ripped the torches from the walls during the fight.
With the nearby torches gone, the distant torchlight cast long shadows behind the guards, giving him an opportunity to use his newly obtained skill.
However, it wasn’t over.
From the prison, he followed them to a room with burning earthen stoves and huge pots. The warm air, thick with the smell of burning wood, made it obvious this was the kitchen.
The stacks of plates were thrown into a huge bucket, sending water splashing out of it.
"Hey, Number Six. Did Master say anything about increasing our pay?" a guard asked, pulling off his helmet and revealing his moustache.
The other guard shook his head, revealing his clean-shaven face. "Not yet."
"Agh... I hate this job, this shitty ship? Shit place. If he doesn’t pay me at least twenty fucking golds, I’ll complain to the commander," the moustache guard said.
"I heard he’s moving to Raven Town for a few days. Maybe he’ll consider it after he returns,’ said the guard with clean face.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
Raven town...?
