33: The Culprit (Patreon)

“Vir!? Vir! Oh, gods!”

Vir heard someone’s voice, but as his consciousness ebbed in and out, he found it hard to even walk.

“Into yer cell, boy!” Said the jailor.

A great force crashed into Vir’s back, sending him to his knees. His palms scraped against the rough stone floor, tearing his skin. His arms, unable to bear his weight, gave out, and his face hit the ground.

“What did you do to him!?” Someone shrieked. Maiya.

As he lay with his face touching the cool stone, colors flooded his sight.

Great, now I’m hallucinating. That can’t be good, he thought. It took him a while to realize that he was actually quite wrong.

Though his sight barely worked—one of his eyes had swollen shut—Prana Vision flared at full capacity. In fact, he’d never seen such vivid colors before. The browns of Earth prana shone like an infinite expanse of prana, and the grays of Shadow affinity prana were brighter than ever. Even the blacks were visible, interspersed among the brown…

Wait… Black prana!? Was there supposed to be black prana?

Something felt off about that in his mind, but he was simply too addled to think straight right now. Where even was he? Was Maiya alright? Vir’s thoughts came haphazard and jumbled through the pain.

“He got what was comin’ to ‘im. Lying about bein’ a ‘risto’s grounds for execution. But we’re merciful folk here at Saran, so yer both sentenced to hard labor instead. Ten years.”

“WHAT!?” Maiya screamed. “You can’t do this to us! You can’t!”

I’m like a ragdoll, Vir thought. His entire body throbbed with pain, and it was all he could do to endure it without blacking out.

“We can do whatever we want ta nobodies like you. S’peshully lyin’ nobodies,” the jailor said with a snort, slamming their cell door shut.

Vir heard his footsteps die away as a pair of soft, slender hands turned him around.

“Oh, Vir,” Maiya said, tearing off her sleeve to wipe the blood from his face.

Vir grinned, but as disfigured as he was, his expression had scared Maiya, making her flinch. He gave her a thumbs up. “I’m okay, Maiya. Bruised, is all.”

“Vir, what in Vera’s name happened!? What did they do to you?”

He wanted to reply, but words were hard at the moment.

They’d been treated well enough, initially. Vir had taken a slap to the face for daring to escape from the guards, but at the time, they’d considered them sons of Sawai aristocracy. The guards couldn’t do much beyond that.

Then they’d arrived at the city dungeon, and things went downhill pretty quickly. Vir had never anticipated that they’d have a literal book—a registry—filled with aristocratic names, both Hiranyan and foreign. After cross checking the Suvir name, they quickly found that there was in fact no such family.

And the penalty for lying about one’s status was severe, as he soon found out.

“Didn’t…” Cough, “didn’t take my makeup off,” Vir said between hacking coughs. It boggled his mind how they hadn’t discovered his disguise through all the beating and bruising. He was pretty sure the makeup had been severely marred. He thanked Yuma that he’d refused to wear a wig. It would have come off, revealing his subterfuge.

“That’s… Vir, I’m so, so sorry. If only I’d jumped up to the roof, back in the alley… If only I hadn’t negotiated as hard with those merchants, this wouldn’t ever have happened.”

Vir shook his head, gingerly sitting up. “Wasn’t you. We were framed. I asked them. Said there were mass robberies. Lots of goods stolen. You didn’t steal a thing. Someone set us up.”

“You protected me, Vir. You shielded me from all this…”

Vir had taken charge the moment they’d entered the jail. He claimed sole responsibility for his actions and actively provoked the guards to ensure that their attention rested squarely upon him.

He grinned. “You really think I’d let them lay a hand on you?”

Of course, that meant his actions had gotten him beaten to a bloody pulp the moment the guards realized he wasn’t an aristocrat. Bruises covered his thighs and biceps. One of his fingers blinded him with pain when he tried to move it, and his left eye was swollen shut.

“Doesn’t look like they broke any bones at least,” he said. “Maybe my pinky, but that’s it. Got lucky.”

“You call this lucky?” Maiya said, tearing up.

She’d done everything in her power to clean up his wounds, but without a Life affinity orb, there was little else she could do apart from cradling Vir in her arms, soothing him with her words.

Several moments passed in silence as Vir ebbed in and out of consciousness. Then, realizing their predicament, he bolted up.

“We need to get out of here,” Vir said, trying, and failing, to stand. He sat down on the stone cot instead, resting his head on Maiya’s lap.

“Believe me, I’ve tried,” Maiya replied. “I don’t think there’s a way. I don’t even think our weapons can break through these bars. I think… I think we may have to wait until they take us away.”

Vir shook his head. “They’ll have us in chains. Won’t be able to escape. Surprised we’re not chained up right now, actually.”

“I’ll keep looking for a way,” Maiya said, gently pushing on his chest. “You lie down and get some rest, Vir. Please?”

“Sure, Maiya”, he lied, closing his eyes. If they wanted to have any chance of breaking out of this prison, they’d need an edge. Any benefit they could get.

And the only thing Vir had a lead on was Prana Vision. It had aided him in combat several times before, and if he could activate on demand, it may give them exactly what they needed. Even just being able to see prana signatures through walls would allow them to slip past guards far more safely than if they relied on just their eyes and ears.

Vir turned his vision inward, keenly observing his prana flow.

He already knew that prana flow was locked to his blood flow. What he saw now only confirmed that theory—his blood moved in different ways now, in response to the shock of his injuries. There was actually less blood flowing to his extremities—his fingers and his toes. But in return, his largest blood pathways had opened up further, pumping enormous amounts of blood around his body—especially to his heart, his lungs, and crucially, his head.

Specifically, his eyes.

So it really is all related to blood flow, Vir reflected.

He’d already guessed as much, but here was irrefutable proof. The flow of his blood may have been different in response to fear versus pure exertion, but in the end, the concept was simple.

Namely, the more blood—and thus prana—that flowed to his eyes, the stronger Prana Vision became.

That meant it was just a matter of controlling the prana within his body. If he could grab a hold of his prana and move it to his eyes, it should have the same effect. The only question was how exactly to do that.

The thought had occurred to him before, but he’d dismissed it as an impossibility. He was sure he’d spend hours, or possibly even days, on this task. There was no way this would be so easy.

Vir took a deep breath and saw the prana going into his head, then reached out and, with every ounce of his willpower, forced it to stop.

The blood actually stopped! Vir’s eyes shot open, joy and surprise rushing through his body.

I did it!? I actually did it!! He could scarcely believe it! With this, he’d unlocked a whole of options.

I can’t wait to tell—!? Vir’s thoughts were cut short as pain erupted from his head.

Then he blacked out.

— —

Some unknown amount of time later, Vir awoke to wracking pain.

What happened? he thought, cracking an eye open to find his head in Maiya’s lap. She had dozed off at some point.

She must’ve thought I’d nodded off, Vir thought, rubbing his aching head.

Vir righted himself, but immediately regretted it. Even the slightest movement made him want to puke.

As the cobwebs cleared from his mind, he thought back to what could possibly have happened, and quickly realized his mistake.

He’d reached out and stopped prana flow into his head. All the prana.

Since he’d never even once seen prana flow independently from blood, that meant he’d actually stopped his blood too.

Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid, you grakking chal!  What was he even thinking? He could kill himself, fumbling around like this! He knew that cutting blood flow to his head would be a terrible idea all along.

Yet he knew why he did it anyway—he was confident it wouldn’t work. He was sure he’d fail. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his first attempt to be a success. It had worked! Just that it’d worked too well.

He sat in silence for several minutes as his headache and nausea abated, reflecting about how he’d have to exercise caution with his experiments from now on.

“Psst. Hey! Hey you! Oh, c’mon. Wake up!” a voice whispered from somewhere nearby, interrupting his thoughts.

“Maiya, we’ve got company.” Vir nudged his friend awake, suspiciously eyeing the stranger outside their jail cell.

An emaciated girl with long, pasty black hair stood barefoot at the entrance of their cell, skittishly glancing down the hall. Her wrists and legs were so thin, Vir felt like he could snap them without even trying. She looked to be a few years younger than Vir, and her dress was a stained patchwork of repaired fabric and holes.

I feel like recognize her from somewhere…

Vir exchanged glances with his friend. Whoever this newcomer was, they clearly didn’t have permission to be here.

“Who are you?” Maiya whispered.

“Someone who can help. I can get you out!” the girl said, holding up an enormous keychain with dozens of keys on it. “Let’s see… This one? No, this one.”

She slotted the key into the lock, but didn’t turn it.

“I can help you escape. But…”

Vir narrowed his eyes. There was always a ‘but’.

The girl looked at him sheepishly, then rubbed her thumb against her fingers, in the universal gesture for money.

Of course. The girl looked like she was starving. If it was coin she wanted…

“How much?” Vir asked.

“Everything you have.”

Maiya snorted. “That’s hardly reasonable. We can give you a quarter of what we have.”

“Look, miss, I’m only here because your friend over there was a lil nice to one of our own. Guess I read you wrong. Oh well,” she said, pulling the key out of the lock.

For the first time, Maiya panicked. This negotiation wasn’t going according to her script. Vir stepped in to help her out.

“Wait,” he said. “We need the rest to buy supplies. Please understand.”

The girl held up two fingers, a sly grin plastered over her face. “Half.”

Vir gave Maiya a small nod.

Maiya understood his message. “Okay. We’ll come with you,” she said. “But we need answers first. And we’ll need the gear we were carrying with us.”

“No way. No, no, no. Too dangerous!” The girl said, shaking her head vigorously.

“Look, you want our money? It’s in our gear.”

The girl looked at them incredulously. “You don’t hide your money near your privates!?”

“What!?” Vir and Maiya said in unison.

“Your privates! They never check down there. Nevermind. Alright! Fine. I think I know where they keep stuff they’ve taken from prisoners,” she said, unlocking the door, which thankfully swung open silently. Vir wondered why there was no magic lock on a door like this, but he realized the guards likely considered them harmless.

“Thank Yuma!” Maiya whispered, clasping her hands together in prayer as she stepped out of the cell. “So, where to?” She asked the girl.

Their savior beckoned them to follow, and they did. Magic Lamps placed on the walls at regular intervals filled the dungeon hallway with plenty of light. Which only made sneaking around that much harder.

Riyan had once told them that true subterfuge meant being able to walk into a king’s palace and walk out with no one being the wiser. Along those lines, the best disguise for a dungeon like this was a dungeon guard’s uniform. Not that they’d ever prepared anything like that. Vir wondered what Riyan would do in this situation.

Who am I kidding? Riyan wouldn’t have allowed himself to be captured in the first place, Vir thought to himself.

The hall ended in a T junction, beyond which voices could be heard. Sounds of grumbling and gossip came from somewhere on the left junction. Vir braced himself for a fight, but the girl turned to the right, away from the voices.

She then turned left, and left again, putting them at a wooden door.

Vir and Maiya both had the same thought—the girl was far too good at this. She moved with the confidence of someone who’d infiltrated the prison several times in the past. Just who was she?

With practiced efficiency, the girl picked the door’s lock, but this one had a magic lock on it as well.

“How are you going to—oh,” Maiya said as the girl swung the door open effortlessly.

“They didn’t build these doors properly,” she said. “If you get past the lock in the right way, you don’t need to worry about the magic one.”

“Smart…” Maiya commented.

Vir bolted inside the moment the door swung open and handed Maiya her rucksack. He opened his own pack and rummaged past the rice and other supplies they’d bought. He breathed a sigh of relief when he located the money box he’d hidden within. Intact, locked, and just as full as before.

Alda held out her hand expectantly.

“Now?” Vir breathed. The girl didn’t seem like she’d compromise. Vir handed the box to Maiya, who unlocked it.

“Show me everything in there,” said the girl.

Maiya obeyed, showing the girl the contents of their coffer—six silvers and ten coppers—before handing her three silvers and five coppers. The girl took the coins, handling them with reverence, before depositing them into a leather sack she’d pulled out from who-knew-where, giving it a satisfied pat.

Vir retrieved his katar, slipping it inside his waistband, hidden it under his shirt. Maiya did the same.

“Let’s go,” he said, hurriedly donning his rucksack. Though they’d been fleeced, he still couldn’t believe their luck. Which was why he knew it wouldn’t last. Ever since they’d left the cell, he’d been on guard, ready to spring into action the moment they were spotted. Every time they approached a turn, he prepared himself to encounter a half dozen guards on the other side. Every sound they made, he was sure the guards heard.

Vir’s nerves continued to fray with each empty hall and silent corner they encountered, to the point where his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. He contemplated trying to activate Prana Vision, but decided against it. If he blacked out again now, it’d be disastrous.

Yet as time dragged on, and after they crawled through a hole in the prison’s foundation, leading to an alley, Vir finally realized that they’d made it out. In secret, and with no issues at all.

Maybe the gods are real after all… He couldn’t imagine having escaped so easily without the blessing of at least a handful of deities.

No. He refused to grow complacent. Things never went this well. They’d not only escaped ten years of hard labor, they’d escaped the very same day, with their supplies! It was too good to be true. Which could only mean. Which probably meant that the girl was leading them into another trap.

Saran’s city lights illuminated the streets against a darkening blue sky—there were no windows inside the jail, so Vir had no idea how much time had passed. By the looks of things, it’d been at least six hours, and dusk had just fallen.

Vir didn’t know who this girl was or what her intentions were, and he wasn’t going to find out. They’d mistreated him, and he was angry. Angry enough to turn on the person who’d saved them.

He signaled to Maiya with his hands. Be ready. Biding his time, Vir waited for the right opportunity. The girl led them across a main road, then into another alley. It was perfect. Empty, dark, and with branching alleys that they could use to make their escape.

“Well, you fleeced us, but thanks for the help anyway,” he said, drawing his katar in one fluid motion. “We’re gonna go our own way now. Don’t follow us. If you do, we’ll retaliate.”

Before the girl knew it, she was staring down the blades of two katars, her back pressed against a stone wall. “W-wait! I’m not a bad person, I swear! I just… We wanted to help you,” she said, scratching the back of her head.

“Why? Nobody risks their neck for strangers like that,” Maiya said.

“It’s because, uh… well. Y’see… I’m kinda the one who set you up?”

“What!?” Vir and Maiya shouted in unison.