"Well not literally keys but a special type of sticks… oh, you don't plan to throw some and ask them to leave with us, right?"
"I'll give them the chance to be freed," Arthur said, "and I'll ask them to help others as well."
"Sigh, you misplace your trust in those who will do anything to live," John shook his head helplessly before adding, "fine, go and throw your sticks but be sure not to alarm the guards by your shouts… And don't expect me to stop and help."
"Fine by me," Arthur nodded before taking out short sticks like the one that guard used to slash him and John before. John nodded to him before he turned to the nearest cell and said: "Free yourselves."
He threw a stick to each cell he met while running, "free others as well," he added while vanishing behind the stairs heading to the higher level after John.
Arthur didn't put his faith in a single layer and he scattered more sticks he got from John after talking a little about his good heart towards some cells in a couple more levels.
"I've finished," Arthur whispered while John totally ignored his comment.
"We are one or two levels away from the surface," suddenly John stopped at the last step of the stairs, "don't run or do anything funny to attract suspicion. Our goal is to move outside before everything crumbles over their heads."
Arthur nodded before following him to the next layer. There they found two guards sleeping on two seats while snoring in deep sleep.
"Follow me," John said in an inaudible voice before walking normally towards the next set of stairs.
The next level wasn't the ground but another level of cells. There they found dozens of guards gambling over a fight occurring in one cell between two prisoners.
"Shit!" one of the guards shouted in regret before noticing Arthur and John who were just less than one hundred meters from the final set of stairs. Their escape was just fingertips away from them.
"Hold on right there you two," and that guard shouted in a very loud tone, attracting the attention of other guards as well.
Arthur wanted at this moment to run and cross the small distance lying between him and his freedom, yet John didn't move. It seemed he knew something, feared those guards, or had some resentment towards them.
"What do you want?" John turned to face that nearby group of guards and asked in calm and confident domineer like he was already one of the guards.
"Where do you think yourselves going?" The guard who spoke stood up and Arthur could hear the sound of the table being pushed to the side.
"To play," John said as he pointed towards Arthur, "my friend here is a little addicted to playing, and so I came with him to look for a group to play with."
'Damn you,' Arthur only cursed while turning to glance at the smiling face of John. At this moment he just wanted to hit him in the face.
"Why look away then?" The guard said, "come, we have just finished our game and are about to start a new one."
"Oh, that's great," John then hit Arthur with his elbow, "c'mon, they are eager to play."
Arthur finally turned to face the guards after giving John a deep glance that the latter seemed to totally ignore.
"What game do you want to play?" the guard asked after the two joined their table.
"Whatever game you play we'll match," and John confidently answered like a seasoned player.
"Alright, what about the break the ace game?" the guard said while exchanging glances with his mates, "it's not that hard and the win is guaranteed to all."
"And it requires no base money to take part in," one of the guards winked and the first guard had a slight change in face.
"If my friend here wanted money," John abruptly said, "then I can gladly lend you some to play."
"For real?" the guard instantly turned to John before suspiciously asking, "but what for?"
"Hahaha, for nothing of course," John laughed before taking five coins and giving them to him as he added, "how is the game supposed to be fun without playing with those who would risk their money on the table?"
The guard didn't hesitate to take the money while others eyed him in envy. "Thanks, my name is Dof, and I won't forget this favor. What's the name of my greatest friend?"
Arthur could only inwardly sigh as that guard was shameless and didn't even refuse the money and even called John his dearest friend.
"John, and I'm excited to start the game," John said before adding, "who will be the ace we should break?"
He turned to glance at all the present here while everyone turned instantly towards Arthur. "He loves to play, then it's appropriate to make him the ace," Gof laughed while Arthur could only smile helplessly.
He didn't understand what this game was about, or even why John moved out of his way and drove him alongside.
"Then I should be the judge," John laughed and everyone just simply nodded or casually shrugged.
"Alright, I'll state the rules then," John said.
"What for?" one of the guards stopped him, "we all know it."
"It's my duty as a judge," John's smile was still over his face as he wasn't fazed by this question of that guard, "and my little friend here loves to play by the book."
"Boring," a couple guards muttered and the rest nodded.
"The rules are simple, one player is the ace holding all the money, one is the judge who will be the main one to call the bets, and the rest are the ones who will try to steal the money off the ace… including me of course," John said with a laugh while evading to look in Arthur's eyes.
"The game is played by dices, three dices are thrown and the combined number must be over the dices thrown by the ace in the beginning of each round. Matching the number of the ace is called a tie, raising each single point equals taking one coin from the ace, and scoring one point lower means giving the ace one coin."
"We all know how simple it is," Dof said before rubbing his hands in excitement, "and it all depends on luck."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel