Arcane Era-Chapter 49: Prison Break (Part 1)

"How did you guys get here?"

Kaycee and Liyah were releasing Theo from his shackles by using a liquid solution that poured out of a tube-like cylinder. Naturally, it was an Armament, and it had corrosive effects that melted the metallic constraints in no time at all.

"We got lucky." Kaycee said, smiling in relief. "The medical experts in Liyah’s room noticed the commotion outside and helped us escape through a path in the ward room."

"They lost their lives in the process, though..." Liyah sighed, her eyes glistening with suppressed pain and guilt.

"Yeah..." Almost like he forgot, but was reminded of the tragedy, Kaycee’s expression also turned pale with worry. He shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat as he monetarily glanced in the direction of the silent Arlet.

"Ah! You guys should help him too." Theo pointed in Arlet’s direction.

"Naturally... but let’s get you free first." Kaycee mumbled, pouring a little more of the hot, acidic liquid until the chains finally snapped.

Theo’s bracelet shackles had denser metal, so not only would it take longer to melt through the whole thing, so the process was postponed until later. Kaycee went to attend to Arlet, while Theo kept talking to Liyah.

"You’re looking much better than I saw you..." He muttered. "How come?"

"My sister is a member of the Zenith, so all I had to do was prove my identity, and I had access to better healthcare." She replied.

"They used a Healing Armament on you?"

"Yeah, it was a consumable type, though... so it felt just like medicine." She explained. "Once I took it, my wounds recovered at a rapid pace, but the medical experts said my lifespan was cut a little short from the treatment."

"How short?"

"Only one day... don’t worry." She laughed. "Apparently, the more one uses the medicine, the higher the reduction. Since it was my first time, and I’m up and running again, I think it’s worth it."

"I suppose..." Theo mumbled, slowly rising to his feet.

"They made me sign a form of consent and all, though. Apparently, the patient has to agree to use it, while being aware of all the side effects. I think that’s decent, don’t you?"

Theo bobbed his head, though his mind was focused on other things beyond Liyah’s swift recovery. For example:

"How did you guys even get here? How did you know I was here? How did you get so far without getting caught?" He asked, looking at both Liyah and Kaycee. "Isn’t the place swarming with Mercenary Crew members?"

"Well... we dressed up as them." Kaycee replied, stepping towards Theo after he was done freeing Arlet. The shackle bracelets made him feel a little uncomfortable still, but it was better than being chained up.

"Thanks." Arlet nodded in gratitude, slowly moving towards the half-melted metal bars so he could step out and keep watch.

"So you were in disguise, huh? That makes sense..." Theo rubbed his chin as he listened more.

"Yeah. After ambushing two and stealing their clothes, we eavesdropped on the rest and got the information we needed. You’d be surprised by how much these people talk... I guess they’re excited that their King finally took over the Guild." Liyah said.

"Right? Security is also quite abysmal... especially in the prison area." Kaycee added. "At first, I thought it was because they were being overconfident and careless, but it turns out they’re spreading themselves a little too thin. Plus, since the prisoners already have their Armaments stripped, they figured not much security was needed."

"That explains a lot." Theo walked alongside his friends as they stepped out of the cell, one after another, until all of them were in the corridor—seeing only one exit—a broken door that led outside the isolated prison ward they currently occupied.

"Beyond this place is the general prison ward, and while there are several tunnels that lead to many places in the Outer Court, it seems there’s one that directly links to the Event Hall. That’s how they were able to transport prisoners with such ease." Arlet explained, recounting his experience with the Mercenary Crew when he was captured by them.

"So what we need to do is find our way to the hall, if we want to have any chance to stop the Mercenary Crew." Liyah added. "That’s where Lord Shen and the other members of the Zenith are located at the moment."

"Yeah... if anyone can turn this around, it’s them."

Theo looked at everyone around him and smiled. He was glad everyone was on the same page and didn’t need any convincing from him. He felt a little concerned for Liyah and Kaycee, though, since he wasn’t sure they would be listed as priority prisoners and receive the same protection he and Arlet potentially had.

’I could make the case for Liyah, because of her connection with Fae, but what of Kaycee?’

Despite his worries, he knew it would be useless—as well as hypocritical—for him to try and stop them from helping at this point in time. For one, they were the ones who rescued him and Arlet, and they had held their own thus far.

It wouldn’t be very constructive to underestimate them.

’Especially now that we need all hands on deck.’ He sighed. ’I was a little worried that they were impostors due to how convenient their sudden appearance was, but this small interaction has shown me that they’re actually my friends.’

And, in such a dire moment—fraught with unknown dangers—he had to put his trust in them.

"Let’s go!"

The four hurried out of the ward, but not too long after they departed, they encountered their first group of enemies—Mercenary Crew members charging at them with bladed weapons on one hand, and what resembled various kinds of Armaments in the other.

"What now?" Arlet asked, worry etched on his face.

He and Theo had no Arcane Instruments to use, and while Kaycee had his trusty tube cylinder, the acidic liquid in it was almost exhausted, and it took both time and Ne’sh for it to be refilled.

By all accounts, they were stranded.

—Or were they?

"Stand back!" Liyah suddenly yelled, grabbing the stuffed animal attached to her dress as she flung it towards the incoming group of enemies.

Theo’s brow rose in both curiosity and skepticism as he watched the teddy bear lunge towards the enemy. However, right as it was about to land on the ground—

"[T’nanever Llod!]" Liyah yelled out, and the pink doll suddenly jerked to life, magnifying in size within moments.

From being just a few inches big, the ’teddy bear’ suddenly rose to be at least three meters tall—its colossal pink body glistening in the darkness. The members of the Mercenary Crew froze at this sight, unable to stand up against something so clearly out of their league.

However, escape was too late.

CRASH!

The colossus landed on them, crushing a few, while the rest swiftly brandished their weapons and Armaments in feeble retaliation. They all wielded Standard Grade Armaments with very simple abilities, like enhanced strength, speed, stamina, increased mass, and one especially had a grease-like effect applied to his body—making him very slippery and evasive to attacks.

Only he managed to survive the onslaught of the pink monstrosity, who decimated its foes like they were nothing. Their attacks had minimal effects on it, since it was of the Regal Grade, and it made short work of them while making cute sounds as it struck.

In only a few seconds, it managed to decimate nearly a dozen people... all by itself.

’So that’s how they were able to break into our ward...’ Theo smiled, remembering the noise he heard while being imprisoned. ’Reminds me of her sister.’

The slippery member of the Mercenary Crew managed to avoid the physical blows of his opponent, thanks to the nature of his Armament’s Arcane Ability, however, it couldn’t quite escape the acidic spray that Kaycee sent towards him by emptying out whatever corrosive liquid was left in his cylinder.

"Arrghhh!" The man screamed in pain, the effects of his Armament instantly deactivated.

This single window of opportunity allowed the massive stuffed animal to crush him by sending only one devastating strike to his head—finishing him off very quickly.

And so, within barely a minute, the group—or, more specifically, Liyah—had made short work of their adversaries.

"Return." Liyah commanded, and the large teddy rushed towards her. The ground trembled under its weight, before it reverted back to a small-sized doll, which Liyah held with both hands, before hooking it to the side of her dress.

"How did you get your hands on such a powerful Armament?" Theo asked, amazed by the sheer destructive power that the doll packed.

Arlet also nodded, equally curious.

"Miss Miriam gave me... said it would protect us." Liyah explained, thinking about the medical staff that made the most memorable impression on her. "She said it’s normally used to assist with tasks in the hospital, and gave me its name so I could command it freely."

"I see..."

Many believe that Arcane Instruments have wills of their own, imprints left behind by the Divine Ones who once wielded them. These wills sometimes manifested themselves as Arcane Apparitions, but more often than not... they were exemplified by the true names of the divine tools.

Only by learning of an Armament’s true name would a wielder be able to unlock its true power.

’The Armaments Kaycee made for us were originally Junk Grade, and since they were artificially engineered and tinkered with using many parts, they probably didn’t have names to be required for activation.’ Theo silently reasoned. ’And from what I know, the higher the Grade of an Armament, the more important knowing its true name is.’

"We should leave now." Liyah said. "The path to the hall is straight down... up ahead."

"Wait!"

Arlet stopped everyone before they resumed their run. "I just remembered... There was an inventory where they kept the Arcane Instruments that were seized from the audience. If we could get our hands on some of them, we can have a better chance as we advance."

"That’s true... but wouldn’t those be even more heavily fortified??" Kaycee asked with a worried expression.

"That wouldn’t be a problem if we managed to blend in, right?" Theo smiled, looking at the corpses of the Mercenary Crew members.

"All we have to do is snag the goods from right under their noses."