4 Prisoners

Hmm?

I open my eyes.

Did I fall asleep? I must have been too exhausted.

I still hear the battle raging above me. I should probably continue further into the interior.

I'm still in the room with the many columns, which seems to be the main chamber. There is a passage between two columns leading away. At the end of the room, there is a slightly larger corridor, perhaps leading to the briefing room or the armory.

However, what interests me more is the last corridor on the right side. What makes this corridor special? It is the only one with a door, a rather heavy one at that. And the great thing is, it's slightly ajar. One of the soldiers must have forgotten to close it completely in the chaos.

I push it open with some force and walk along the corridor. After some time, the corridor takes a right turn, and the walls and floor change. Previously, it was made of stone blocks, but now it's solid stone, as if carved into the mountain. It resembles the tunnels found in mines.

I continue on, passing two doors on the left and one on the right, until I reach a larger room. Here, there are several strong doors with tiny windows and metal bars close together, and I can hear sounds coming from behind some of them. These must be the cells for criminals!

As I continue to explore the room, someone suddenly calls out from behind one of the doors, "Is it time for food already?"

"I don't know, I'm not one of the soldiers," I reply.

"Then what are you doing here?"

And so I begin to tell him my story, how I ended up on this island and lived in the forest. Of course, I also mention the horde of rats and how they are currently trying to take over this fortress. He tells me his story as well, and two other prisoners join in the conversation.

First, there's Holg, a half-orc pirate who shipwrecked and washed ashore at the harbor. Apparently, some of the sailors recognized him, and he was thrown into this cell. He has been here for almost two months.

Then there's Uchuk "the Mighty," a halfling warlock who was imprisoned due to the Church of Avalon. Although I'm not familiar with this church, it seems dumb to me to imprison someone just because they have made a pact with something the church deems as an enemy. But fanatics are not open to discussion anyway.

And lastly, there's Ifrit, a tiefling who drank too much and apparently broke a few things. He was brought here to sober up, but then the curfew was imposed, and they kept him here longer. But he believes it's because of his race and the church.

But should you really trust the words of an alcoholic? Nevertheless, it seems that the Church of Avalon has a significant influence here. And Ifrit also mentioned the curfew, just like the soldier earlier. Is it because of the Skaven?

But as I hear a groaning and gurgling sound coming from another cell, I rush to the door and ask if everything is okay. Suddenly, the inmate starts screaming, and it sounds like his bones are breaking.

I frantically search the room for keys until I realize that the doors don't have locks. How do you open these cells?

Luckily Ifrit informs me that the room in the corner is not a cell but where the cell guards usually stay. Apparently, the doors are opened from there. I sprint inside and see a table with two chairs, a fireplace, and a peculiar contraption with several levers. Which one is the right lever? I decide to pull one randomly and see if it works. I hear a creaking sound, but as I step outside again, I realize that I have opened all the doors at once.

And from the door where the screams were coming from, something emerges that is not human, or rather, is no longer human.