Prison Break (2)

After finishing his speech, Brutus took his great axe and stormed toward the depths of the prison.

Harley did not have a choice, so he followed a few meters behind Brutus.

Harley and Brutus entered the prison.

The first thing that came into their vision after entering the prison was the several dead guards on the ground a few meters after the entrance.

Clang!

Clang!

A sound of metal clashing sounded from the depths of the prison, making Harley and Brutus fasten their pace.

Harley and Brutus ran down a corridor leading straight toward the source of the metallic sound.

"There it is." Harley pointed at the end of the corridor.

The corridor ended in a massive space. At the center of this space was a giant watch tower with cells arranged around it in a circle. Yes, this was a Panopticon.

A/N: Panopticon - a circular prison with cells arranged around a central watch tower, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.

Under the watch tower, half of the men from the Black Rose organization fought with dozens of guards.

The other half of the men and Guard No.1 searched through the cells, looking for Nolan.

Brutus and Harley walked over to Guard No.1.

"How is it?" Harley asked. "Did you find him?"

Guard No.1 shook his head. "There is no trace of him."

Harley looked at the guards battling the men from the Black Rose organization. Being an experienced fighter, Harley could tell with just a glance. The guards were being toyed with. The men from the Black Rose organization could finish them at any moment. "Let's ask them." He said.

"Don't Kill them!" Guard No.1 shouted, making the men battling the guards restrain from heavily wounding the guards.

They made way for Guard No.1 to pass.

Harley, Brutus, and Guard No.1 walked over to the exhausted prison guards.

"I will ask only once. If you answer me, I will spare your life." Guard No.1 spoke. "This morning, a young man was brought to this prison. He is not in the cells. Where is he?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," A guard, judging by his appearance, their leader, replied.

Swoosh!

Thud!

Guard No.1 swung his sword toward the man, piercing him in the chest, killing him.

"You can follow him as well," Guard No.1 said, looking coldly at the exhausted guards.

Swoosh!

Thud!

Swoosh!

Guard No.1 started killing the prison guards one by one until only two prison guards were left.

"Wait! Wait! I will tell y..."

Swoosh!

Guard No.1 beheaded even the prison guard who wanted to speak, so now, only one prison guard remained.

Guard No.1 raised his sword.

"Wait. I will speak! I will speak!"

Swoosh!

Guard No.1 swung the sword down.

"He is underground!" The prison guard said hurriedly, closing his eyes in fear.

After feeling nothing for about ten seconds, the prison guard slowly opened his eyes.

Guard No.1 had stopped the sword just an inch from his forehead.

"Explain." Guard No.1 said coldly.

"T-There..." The prison guard pointed at the stone wall of the watch tower. "There is a mechanism on the watch tower. When you trigger it, a door on the wall of the watch tower opens, leading underground. The man you are looking for is there." The guard spoke with fear. "C-Can I go now?"

"I am a man of word." Guard No.1 said. "Go."

The prison guard stood up with trembling legs and quickly ran away.

Brutus and Harley walked to the watch tower and put their hands on the stone walls, searching for a trigger.

Click!

Harley found and pressed the trigger.

The watch tower trembled for a moment, after which a stone door opened in the wall of the watch tower. From the door, there were stone stairs leading underground.

"Let's go," Harley said, taking the lead down the stairs.

...

Ten minutes earlier, underground below the watch tower.

"And as I was saying..."

"Shh!" Nolan put his index finger on his mouth, indicating to Pantoran to keep quiet. "I hear something."

Clang!

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing barely reached underground. And if one did not listen carefully, he could not hear it.

"What is it?" Pantoran asked.

"I hear a sound like... swords clashing. I think someone is fighting." Nolan smiled. "I think they must have come to get me out."

After a while, the sound of metal clashing stopped. Nolan and Pantoran kept silent, sharpening their ears to hear even the slightest sounds.

Click!

Creaaakkkkkkkk!

An unbearable sharp sound of a heavy stone door gliding on stone filled the space under the watch tower.

The door opened, and light entered the space under the watch tower.

Tap!

Tap!

The sound of footsteps echoed through the space underground.

Nolan looked towards the door. On the light coming from the door, he saw three figures going down the stairs, three familiar figures.

"Harley, is that you?" Nolan asked.

"Nolan!" Harley exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs.

He stood before Nolan's cage. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," Nolan replied. "But hurry and take me out of here."

"Leave it to me!" Brutus said, pushing Harley away a little. He raised his great axe above his head.

Nolan retreated a few steps back.

Swoosh!

Brutus swung down the great axe at the iron bars of the cage.

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound rang across the whole space.

The hit of the axe was not strong enough to break or cut the iron bars, but it was enough to severely bend and weaken them.

Guard No.1 took hold of the iron bars. Red internal energy enveloped his palms for a moment, and he bent the iron bars even more, creating a hole in the cage big enough for Nolan to pass.

"Let's get out of here," Harley said.

"Wait a moment," Nolan said. "Let's take him with us." He pointed at Pantoran.

"Alright!" Brutus agreed immediately. "Take a step back," He ordered to Pantoran, raising his great axe above his head.

Swoosh!

He swung down the great axe.

CLANG!

The sharp metallic sound rang again. The hit had bent the iron bars.

Guard No.1 took the bent iron bars with his hands and bent them even more, creating a hole in this cage too.

Pantoran got out of the cage, and together with the others, he got out of this underground space.

...

Everyone gathered under the watch tower and started walking toward the entrance. It was an entrance but also an exit.

The fifty men of the Black Rose organization walked in front, while Harley, Brutus, Guard No.1, and Pantoran walked a little behind them because they chatted.

"So it's like that," Nolan spoke after Harley explained why he got arrested. "Looks like I still underestimated the power of money. With enough money, you can buy over even a loyal person from the Black Rose organization."

"Never mind that," Guard No.1 spoke. "What are you going to do now? I am sure the city guards would issue a wanted poster of you, and the Viper Organization would not let you off either. I am afraid you can not continue staying in the restaurant. Why don't you come to our Black Rose organization? We will protect you."

Nolan shook his head. "I already have my plans. I am going to leave the city."

"Then where do you plan to go?" Guard No.1 asked.

As they spoke, they had already reached the exit of the prison. They passed the several dead guards at the entrance and were just about to leave the prison.

However, unnoticeable to them, behind them, one of the dead guards they passed slowly started rising. He was pretending to be dead.

"It's all because of you!" He shouted, raising the sword above his head. It was the man Guard No.1 let go because he revealed Nolan's location. He pretended to be dead, waiting for his opportunity to kill the person who caused the death of his brothers.

"DIE!" He slashed at Nolan.

Harley did not have time to take a knife out of his hidden sleeve pocket. And neither did Guard No.1 have time to unsheathe his blade. Not to mention that Brutus could not even take the great axe off his back in this short time.

'Is this the end?' Nolan thought, closing his eyes. He accepted his fate.

BANG!

A loud song echoed through the prison.

Nolan opened his eyes.

The prison guard who tried to kill him was with his back on the ground, dead. Blood splashed down his forehead, painting his whole face and ground red.

Nolan looked to his left in shock. Pantoran stood to his left with the gun in hand. Smoke was still coming from the gun.

Yes, Pantoran had shot the prison guard in the forehead, killing him.

"P-Pantoran, you..." Nolan was speechless for a moment.

No, everyone was left speechless by what they just witnessed.

Clang!

The gun fell out of Pantoran's hands.

Pantoran's hands trembled. He opened his palms. "I-I killed someone?" Looking at his palms, he spoke with a trembling voice.

"Pantoran, you saved my life," Nolan spoke. "Thank you,"

Pantoran looked at Nolan.

"Don't blame yourself. You did kill a person, but you also protected me. Since you decided to follow me, I will teach you what it means, to kill to protect others." Nolan said.

Patnoran nodded.

"W-What is that weapon?" Guard No.1 uttered.

"It's nothing," Nolan replied as he bent and picked the gun from the ground.

He passed the gun to Pantoran, and Pantoran hid it in his clothes.

"Now, let's go," Nolan said.

"No, we will not leave until you tell me what that weapon..."

Harley placed his hand on Guard No.1's shoulder.

Guard No.1 turned and looked at Harley.

Harley shook his head. "It's no use. Once he decides to not tell you, you will not be able to get even a single word out of his mouth. Let's just leave."

Reluctant, but without a choice, Guard No.1 passed through the group of fifty men and stood in front. "Let's go," He said, leading the group toward the carriages.

...

As the carriages were just 100 meters (110 yards) from the prison entrance, it took the group just a few minutes to arrive there.

"You take that horse and leave the city." Guard No.1 said, pointing at a horse.

"But Nolan does not know how to ride a horse," Harley said.

"I-It's okay," Nolan smiled. "I carefully watched how you ride the horse, so I will manage to ride it somehow."

"Good luck then," Harley said.

Guard No.1 unattached the horse from the carriage.

Nolan walked over to the horse and got on it.

Pantoran sat behind him.

Nolan straightened his back and put his feet in the stirrup.

A/N: Stirrup - Each of a pair of devices attached to each side of a horse's saddle, in the form of a loop with a flat base to support the rider's foot.

A/N: Reins - a long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse in riding or driving.

Nolan gently held the reins and gently touched the horse with his right leg.

The horse turned to the left.

"Go!" Nolan slightly pushed his legs back, and the horse started moving forward. "GO!" Nolan used the reins, and the horse started running.

Their destination, the south city gate.