Chapter 10: The Plan

|Shishido Noboru |

Despite the pain radiating from his cheek, Shishido refused to show any sign of weakness. With a clenched fist, he mustered the courage to speak up. "Where am I?" he demanded, his voice edged with defiance.

"Keep your mouth shut," came the immediate response from one of the guards, punctuated by a sharp slap across Shishido's face to emphasize the warning. Anger simmered within him at the guard's audacity, but he held his tongue, unwilling to escalate the situation further.

The guard continued his tirade, sneering with contempt. "You're the rebel the idiot captain brought in. Guess he thought he'd try looking out for fellow magic-using scum. Well, no one's going to help you here," he spat, his disdain evident in every word.

Shishido couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration at the guards' unfounded assumptions about him. They knew nothing of his abilities, yet they treated him with such hostility and contempt. It was infuriating, to say the least.

As the guards shuffled around him, Shishido sensed the presence of someone being positioned to stand before him. Through the blindfold, he could discern the outline of a figure, their presence adding to the tension in the air. The guard's voice cut through the silence once more, dripping with malicious intent. "You need to toughen up if you want to keep this job. We've all done this. You better not hold back, either. You wouldn't want to be accused of being a rebel sympathizer?"

The voice of the timid guard could be heard, his attempts to protest stifled by his own stumbling words. Eventually, he managed to mumble a quiet 'sorry.' For a moment, the guards fell silent, the only sound being the rustling of the wind blowing through the courtyard's trees. No movement could be heard either until one of the men barked an order to 'hurry up.'

Shishido couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the younger, timid guard. To be forced into such a situation, to hurt someone against one's will, was a form of cruelty in itself. The reluctance in the guard's actions mirrored the turmoil in Shishido's own mind, torn between defiance and resignation.

A dull thud against his shoulder jolted Shishido back to the grim reality of his situation. The younger guard swung a baton with embarrassingly little force, his attempts at compliance marred by his evident reluctance. With each feeble blow, Shishido resisted the urge to react, knowing that any sign of weakness would only invite further violence.

"Moron, he won't even feel that. Why are you even holding back? We all know what these rebels are like," one of the other guards chided, his words laced with contempt. The brutality escalated as fists rained down upon Shishido's face and body, each blow met with a stoic silence.

Amidst the chaos, only one of the guards seemed to notice the timid one's hesitation. Yet, the younger man remained resolutely silent, unwilling to draw attention to himself. In that moment, Shishido couldn't help but sympathize with the guard's plight, recognizing the fear and uncertainty that gripped them both.

Despite enduring each blow without flinching, Shishido's resolve remained unbroken. As his blindfold slipped slightly, revealing his icy blue eyes, he fixed a piercing gaze on the timid guard. It was a calculated choice – the guard's vulnerability and distance from the others made him an ideal target for Shishido's manipulation. And if the guard were to lash out under Shishido's influence, the blame would inevitably fall upon him, sparing the timid guard from further torment.

The timid guard's body stiffened as Shishido's magic took hold. With eerie calmness, he approached the nearest guard and delivered a powerful blow to the back of his head. The force behind the strike was far greater than what his usual demeanor would suggest. Before the other guards could react, the mind-controlled guard continued his assault, raining down blows upon his comrades with uncharacteristic ferocity.

Blood began to stain the baton as the mind-controlled guard relentlessly attacked, driven by Shishido's influence. It was a level of aggression that bordered on excessive, and Shishido couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for pushing the guard beyond his limits.

However, the chaos didn't go unnoticed for long. As one of the guards realized what was happening, he swiftly moved to defend himself, blocking the baton with his arm and retaliating with a punch aimed at the mind-controlled guard's face. Despite the blow, the mind-controlled guard showed no signs of yielding, his body driven by forces beyond his control.

As the last guard stumbled forward, Shishido swiftly kicked his leg out, causing him to lose his balance and fall directly into the path of the swinging baton. Like his comrades, the guard lay motionless on the courtyard's pavement, unconscious.

Shishido's attention was drawn to the ring of keys clipped to the fallen guard's belt. With a firm grip on the situation, he compelled the nervous guard to hand over the keys, concealing them on his person in a place where they were unlikely to be discovered. The timid guard, still under Shishido's control, adjusted his blindfold and assisted him by holding his arms behind his back as they returned to the cell.

Aware of the potential consequences of making a hasty escape, Shishido hesitated to act rashly. While he could flee now, he knew that attracting attention would only complicate matters. With Arlo's ability, their escape would be swift and efficient, but caution was paramount.

Reflecting on the events that had unfolded, Shishido couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at seeing the timid guard assert his newfound power. It was a gratifying sight, akin to witnessing the underdog rise up against those who had wronged them.

As the cell door closed behind him, Arlo addressed Shishido, his tone laced with concern. "You look a little roughed up. They didn't go too hard on you, did they? You weren't gone very long." His words were cautious, hinting at an underlying worry for Shishido's well-being.

Removing his blindfold quickly, Shishido winced at the sudden flood of light. He couldn't stand not being able to see; it was a discomfort he had never grown accustomed to. Wiping some blood off his face, he noted with a hint of satisfaction how his bruises and wounds slowly closed up and healed independently. It was a testament to his regenerative abilities, a trait shared by some magic users.

"I'm fine," he muttered, his voice tinged with annoyance at Arlo's persistent inquiries. Shishido was well aware of the stranger's inability to hide his true intentions, and it grated on him.

"If you did get a key, I'll catch the guards by surprise when they check on us in the morning. It shouldn't be too hard for me to get out after that. I mean us. It shouldn't be hard for us," Arlo corrected himself, his words laced with a mix of excitement and uncertainty.

Shishido regarded the ring of keys in his hand with caution, knowing all too well the potential consequences of misplaced trust. He decided to proceed carefully, handing over one key at a time to Arlo and only providing a new one once the previous one had been returned.

"I knew you could do it. You rebels are cunning and all that. Not as cunning as me, but close. Good job," Arlo remarked, his excitement momentarily subdued as he focused on each key provided to him after returning the other.

This was so Arlo had the keys to his chains or cell door. If he had the key to his door, he could open it, but he couldn't leave without the chains off his feet. If I had given him his ankle keys, he could unlock himself, but he couldn't escape his room cause the door was locked, and he would have to wait for a guard to come. I could easily possess that guard if the guard does happen to arrive; either way, Arlo would have no choice but to keep his end of the deal.

"It'd probably go faster if you slid them all over." Arlo stated, gaining a stern "No" from Shishido,

"O-Okay, not like I'm going anywhere. We've got all night." his voice shook.

Once again, silence fell between them. The only thing Shishido could hear was Arlo's humming and the rattle of each key until suddenly, he heard the satisfying sound of a click.

Arlo's happy tone could be heard, "Got it! Everything is going just as planned. We must wait for them to arrive and get me in the morning."

Thank goodness that Shishido had the key. For as long as it was taking them, he thought all of his hard work had gone down the drain. Now, all they needed was a plan of escape. Shishido assumed Arlo had one because of how quickly he started to speak again.

"Here's what we'll do. If they investigate my cell after finding me missing, I'll take them out with my knife. They won't see it coming. They also won't see you unlocking your cell while they're distracted. Hopefully, once we're done with those bastards, we'll unlock the door and sneak out with my magic. Simple."

His mind kept replaying Arlo's plan over and over again. It seemed reasonable, but there were still a lot of downfalls to it. One of them is murder, but other than that, escaping seemed improbable with such a messy idea. Shido tried to think of different possibilities, but exhaustion weighed heavily on him. During the night, there was a slight commotion with the guards and other staff, but not much came of it. None of the guards were too eager to admit that they lost their keys, and none of the prisoners had escaped, so they settled on keeping it to themselves until they were found. Eventually, fatigue took its toll, and Shido's eyes gave out. Sleeping helped restore some of his mana; if he were wavering to escape soon, he would need as much rest as possible.

In the morning, voices could be heard on the other side of the cell room door. They were hard to make out because of Arlo's heavy snoring, but the mutters awakened Shido. Arlo's loud snoring made it difficult to focus, but Shido wasn't interested. He was more focused on the new plan he was concocting. A light bulb went off in his brain. He hit his knuckles against the brick to get Arlo's attention. "Hey!" he quietly yelled, cautious of who could hear them. "Arlo, I have a better idea." Leaning closer to the edge of his cell, Shido put his head against the cell bars to make it easier for Arlo to hear him.

"Huh?" Arlo's sleepy voice uttered.

"Listen carefully. When the guard comes into your cell, please don't kill him. Knock him out instead. I'll come out of my cell and steal his clothes. I'll put my clothes on him and lay him in the back corner of my cell, sleeping where it's darkest with his back to the doors. This will give us much more time to escape before they come after us. I already had my interrogations, so that they won't need me out of my cell. They'll see him sleeping and think, It's me, and everyone knows that today is your last, so if you're not in your cell, no one will question it. I can be your guard and take you out, and once we get closer to the entrance, we can go invisible to hide. So I won't have to take you to your death," Shido explained, his voice carrying hope and confidence. He hoped that Arlo could genuinely pull this off with him.

With how long it took him to respond, Shido was sure Arlo didn't like the plan's change, but he agreed, "Sure, fine. But if this doesn't work, it's your fault." Hearing someone moving near the door, they decided to get ready.

Eyeing the guard, Shido watched as he carried a tray of food to Arlo's cell next to him, "Enjoy your last meal, A–" The sound of the metal tray dropping echoed throughout the dungy prison. The guard must have thought Arlo wasn't in the cell due to his invisibility and the shackles they had unlocked last night. Shido could barely see it, but he noticed the guard beginning to run away. A sudden force pulled him to the cell bars, repeatedly bashing his face against it until the guard ceased making any sounds. It was a terrifying sight, like a ghost had possessed the guard and drove him insane.

"Little help here? The bastard isn't moving," Arlo's nonchalant tone threw Shido off.

"Fuck, Arlo..." Shido whispered as he watched the bloody guard go limp, falling to the ground. He couldn't tell if the guard was unconscious or dead.

"What? He was going to run for help," Arlo protested as if he was in the right.

The whole point was that the uniform didn't get bloody, but it didn't affect the uniform too much. Shido quickly tested every key on his cell door before finding the correct one. He should've done this in advance, but oh well. A simple click of the key gave him fresh air from holding his breath and trying to find the right one. He didn't know if anyone would come soon, so he needed to hurry.

Grabbing the guard by his feet, Shido dragged him into the cell. He stripped the guard of his uniform before taking off his clothes and putting them on the guard, then placing the guard's clothes on himself. Dragging the body into the corner of the room, he faced him away from the cell door. He bent the guard's legs and had his arms hug his knees to make it look like he was sleeping peacefully in a ball. His bloody face gave Shido the creeps, though. He seriously looked dead. Luckily, his face wouldn't be seen outside the cell. Shido stood up and adjusted his hat, putting on a severe face like he took the guard role entirely. Walking out of the cell, he locked it behind him before going to Arlo's barred door.

Shido tested every key once again until he found Arlo's key. The click on the cell door was just as satisfying when he was on the other side. "Before you run off, think carefully about this," he gestured over to the other cells with some rebels inside, "If we free them too, they have a chance of escaping, but they may also be a big distraction for us as well," he admitted before opening Arlo's cell door. Wasting no time, he fumbled through the keys to another cell with another prisoner inside. "Our kind have to stick together after all... You'll be brought back here and probably be locked up in a heavier cell block or gain even worse treatment if you escape clumsily," he added, giving Arlo a side eye before placing the key into the cell and unlocking it for another prisoner.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. They're not coming with you and me, though. They can figure out how to escape independently," the blue-eyed individual stated. Shido never knew the other would have ocean eyes, a tall figure, and a nice frame, but mixed with his annoying personality, he reminded him of a clown.

"We can leave the door unlocked so they can leave after us, but I refuse to get slowed down by them," he blabbered, but Shido agreed. He didn't want the others to slow them down, either. Finishing his little task of creating more problems for the guards, he rushed over to Arlo and put his hands behind his back as if to take him in to see the High Elf. He escorted him out of the prison. They probably looked believable enough.