Chp 18 - Friends with a Prisoner
Earth/Europe/Bertotia Kingdom/Tavern Town just West of The Capital/07_09_2020:
(Wayne): Ahhhh!! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you bot~
BANG! Receiving a fist straight to the nose, Wayne is immediately brought to silence. Falling to his knees, he once again attempts to use his Weaving. The photons fail to carry him anywhere, leaving him stranded on the battlefield, at the whims of Bodil. Glaring at Andresia, the one sealing his power, he receives another blow to the nose. This time he is sent hurling backwards, a footprint stamped into his face. Having fallen unconscious, Wayne is now still. Sighing, Andresia waltzes up to him, performing her Weaving once more.
(Bodil): Hey, don’t kill him, we need him alive for questioning.
(Andresia): Judging from Ivan’s expression earlier, this is not going to be the end. Not by a long shot… So I’m just keeping him here until we’re done elsewhere…
Standing above his body, Andresia closes her eyes and stretches her arms out towards it. Vibrating the surrounding Web, she causes the tarmac to melt a little. Sitting in a pile of molten tarmac, Wayne begins to sink. Once roughly half his body is below surface level, she stops, allowing the tarmac to quickly cool back to below its melting point. Once the tarmac cools, he'll be sealed in it.
(Andresia): Unfortunately, it comes with the added side effect of leaving some pretty serious burns… So I didn’t exactly want to do it when he was conscious, that would have been horrific to watch…
Vowing, for the second time today, to remain on good terms with the mysterious woman she’s just met, Bodil addresses her.
(Bodil): Wait… This isn’t the end?? Well actually, that makes sense, why would he have the Mayor tied up if he wasn’t waiting for something, or someone. Did Ivan leave any clues as to what could be happening?
(Andresia): Bits and pieces… All I know is that it involves the Vice-captain… But even if we knew the whole picture, we’d definitely need him. His plans are reckless as all hell, but they work.
Sighing, Bodil laments the fact that she knocked him unconscious rather than letting him concede. Gritting her teeth, she realises what she must do.
(Bodil): Come with me… I know a guy that can heal him, we'll go see him now. Though you should know, he’s pretty eccentric…
(Andresia): You don’t seem particularly happy to rely on him, is he an enemy of yours, or something?
(Bodil): Well I’m pretty sure he hates my guts. You see, he once challenged me in a similar way to how Ivan did. During the process, he accidentally brought down a building, killing a few people. He’s currently serving time in the Town’s prison, his Weaving being suppressed by the guards at almost all times.
Imitating her sigh, Andresia thinks to herself:
(POV Andresia): Looks like we’ve got another interesting character on our hands…
Guard Station, at the Gate/Tavern Town/~The same time:
(Jerry, of the GATW): Ahhhhh, it’s always so boring being on the night shift! Today, those day-time guys got 2 visitors! Imagine that, we haven’t had a visitor in ages…
(Tom, also of the GATW): What’re you talking about? For starters, it’s a good thing we don’t have visitors to deal with, they’re all a bunch of weirdos… Apparently, one of those visitors tried the Boson Challenge…
(Jerry): Mhmm, I wonder how he got on… Actually, I wonder what the other visitors are up t~
Suddenly falling silent, Jerry collapses to the floor. Finding this suspicious, Tom turns to inspect the situation, only to find himself face-to-face with a masked figure, Jerry sat in a pool of his own blood right next to them. Seeing this, he goes to scream… Only to find he no longer can, as his head has been detached from his body. Checking that silence had befallen the guard room, the masked figure sighs.
(Gabriel, assassin for the bandits): Yeah, I’m not paid enough for this shit…
Waltzing around the room, he spies what he’s been looking for. A thin grin working its way onto his face, he grasps the handle with both hands. Heaving out an exasperated sigh, he tenses his core.
(Gabriel): Welp, guess this is where it begins then…
He spins the handle…
The Nest (a prison in the Tavern Town)/~The same time:
(Andresia): You sure you’re alright carrying him? Aren’t you pretty injured yourself?
Bodil, carrying Ivan in piggy-back style, considers her question momentarily before answering.
(Bodil): Under normal circumstances, there’s no way I’d treat anyone from out of town with this level of kindness, just out of principle… Obviously, these aren’t normal circumstances… But more than that, he’s not exactly a normal person, either. I don’t know why you guys came here originally, but I’ll do whatever I can to help… Assuming I’m still around to help, that is…
A warm smile breaking onto her face, Andresia gazes at her unconscious partner.
(Andresia): Well I’ll just let you know now, he doesn’t get any more normal, regardless of the circumstances… And thanks, I think we’re gonna need all the help we can get.
Chuckling, Bodil focuses on navigating the prison for the next few minutes. Thanks to her presence, they are able to bypass all security measures, heading straight to their destination. Turning a corner, they reach a new set of rusted, iron doors. Reaching the first metal door of many along that corridor, they stop. Knocking, Andresia’s heart rate begins to quicken. They quickly receive a reply.
(Elias, charged with manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years): Uh… Come in?
Using the key she received from the guard to open the door, Andresia begins to look around the cell she’s just unlocked. Elias’ initially confused gaze warps into one of disdain once he spots the second of the 2 women to enter. Practically snarling, Elias opens his mouth to rant, only to be cut off by Bodil.
(Bodil): I’ve come with an offer to reduce your sentence. If you completely heal this man, you can reduce your sentence by 7 years. If you heal him and me, your punishment will be completely negated and you’ll be free. What do you say?
Completely astonished, Elias wears a blank expression. After a few moments of stunned silence pass, his face contorts into something more stoic, though the anger he previously displayed is clearly still present.
(Elias): There’s obviously something going on… If not, then you would have used the Vice-captain’s right-hand man, would you not? Considering you’ve come to me instead, whatever's happening is definitely serious.
Pausing to assess Bodil’s expression, he seems to think, once again deciding to talk.
(Elias): If I heal the guy, my sentence is negated. If I also heal you, then you assure my safety until I leave the Tavern Town. That's the lowest I'll go.
Biting her lip, Bodil considers his proposal. After another short while has passed, she replies:
(Bodil): Personally, I can’t consider your safety…
Looking down at the injured man now lying on the cell floor, she decides to place her life with him.
(Bodil): But I’m pretty sure he can. I’m relying on him for my own safety, after all…
Cocking an eyebrow, Elias eyes the man on the floor for the first time. Looking from the numerous injuries to the shit-eating grin still plastered to his face, he chuckles.
(Elias): Well at the very least, he seems like an interesting guy… Fine then. If I heal you both, I’ll put my trust in the man you have chosen to follow. You’ve got me curious though… Who is this guy??
(Andresia): This guy? He’s the man named Ivan Bisset.
