I walk up to Theodore and give him a light kick on the side.
"Ugh" he grunts, eyes fluttering open as he shifts upwards.
"You still alive?" Dorian asks, releasing a small chuckle.
He flashes us a tired, and annoyed look as I extend my hand.
Grabbing my arm, I tug, pulling him up to his feet.
"You boys need to learn to respect your elders."
I roll my eyes, turning back towards the cave.
"This is quite a nice location." I comment, taking another look at our surroundings.
"I agree, in fact, this whole island seems like a sort of vacation destination, unaffected by the human race's never ending industrialization. I've never seen anything like it." Dorian comments.
"Is Zane inside?" I ask, staring at the dark cave entrance.
Theodore nods.
"He should be, I haven't heard him leaving."
I glance back at the group. "Well then, gentlemen, let's go in. We have lots to discuss."
Entering the cave, it was rather dim save from a small flame which danced near the end of the cave. I reach out my hand, letting the cave's cold walls guide me as the men follow me deeper into the cave. The jagged rocks scrape at our feet while the air gets colder with every step.
"Zane! Are you here Zane!?" Elias screams, his voice bouncing off the cave's sharp and craggy walls.
"Yeah, I'm at the end of the cave!" A voice shouts back.
A figure emerges near the flame, stepping out in front of it, his shadow being projected upon us like some immortal wraith that has been casted into the cave's rocky walls.
Zane stands there, rubbing his hands together near the warmth of the torch.
"Took you long enough. That's where we are going to be sleeping." He says, gesturing to a small and cramped alcove.
"Ugh" I groan. "Are we really going to be sleeping on bare rock? No bedding?
Zane looks at me, releasing a sigh.
"We only brought a few bags of food, water and equipment. We can sleep on the floor for a day or two."
Theodore nods.
"It took us a while to find this place. It's safe, secluded, and pretty close to the watchtower."
"Speaking of the watchtower," Zane says, eying the three of us. "what did you find?"
I glance back at Dorian and Elias, giving them a look.
"The tower is very much occupied. It seems to be in the possession of a group led by a man they call the Colonel."
"The Colonel?" Theodore repeats, his brows furrowing.
Elias nods. "Yeah, apparently he's in conflict with another man called Whiskey. probably two groups, maybe more."
Theodore strokes his beard, deep in thought.
"Do you know him?" I ask, pressing for answers.
He hesitates "Not personally, but he's been a prominent member of the cellblock for a while now. I know a few of his followers. They are dangerous. A few months back, they killed a guy during the evening congregation. He was sitting in front of me, peacefully chomping down on some potatoes. He was one of those guys who floated around, everybody knew him, but he didn't have any real friends."
Theodore runs a hand through his greasy grey hair, his voice getting quieter.
"I remember the scene quite vividly. Three men, two I knew walked towards us. One of them bent down and whispered, 'You might want to sit somewhere else, we don't want anyone thinking you were involved.' I remember looking hearing those words, and looking at the man in front of me. I knew what was going to happen, and I didn't stop it."
He releases a sigh before continuing.
"I moved to a nearby seat, one with a prime view of what was about to unfold. They walked up behind him, two held him down while the other ravaged at the man's neck with a shank.
Dorian and Elias exchange awkward glances while Zane remains stoic.
"I don't know why they did it. Maybe the guy saw or heard something he shouldn't of, or maybe the Colonel foolishly wished to challenge the new Warden that the Chancellor had just installed on his ship a few days prior. Either way, I doubt it was worth it. The three men were brutally beaten, and dragged to the new Warden. Everyone knew that the Colonel was the one who gave the order, yet he remained untouched."
Theodore's eyes darken.
"The Warden is a scary man. One who would rather break you, then kill you. Days later, the Warden had ten of Colonels lieutenants, and closest associates, including the three men strung up in the cafeteria. He forced all the prisoners to watch as the men struggled and died, hung up above the dining tables like twisted chandeliers. He left them there for weeks. Made us eat beneath their corpses. And the smell... It smelt so bad. I thought that was it. I thought that was the end of his retaliation
The old man swallows hard.
"But then, the Colonel went missing. He was gone for a while. People thought he was dead. But right before these wicked games began, he was released into the cellblock—scarred, burned, changed. Whatever had happened to him, it seemed to have broke something inside.
The cave is silent. I don't know how to react. Do I pity the Colonel? Yes, I do. But for some reason, I don't know how to express my sympathy. Hell, he isn't even here and were planning to rob him. But then again, should I feel any sympathy? I mean, he did order the murder of a man...
I release a sigh.
It's honestly too much. Should I be feeling bad for these people? They are all criminals, and murderers, but some of them like Elias, and Dorian seem to have good reasons for their crimes, while others don't
I watch the other men. They react similarly to me. It is awkward, and unnatural. How is one supposed to react to this information?
Out of all of us, Zane seems to be the one most unaffected by Theodore's words.
"Seem's like he got what he deserved..." He comments casually, squatting down onto the floor, putting his back against the cave wall.
"I guess," Dorian replies, lowering himself onto the stone."But still—hanging bodies over tables and forcing people to eat under them? Isn't that… too much?"
"No," Zane responds flatly. "He was newly appointed by the chancellor himself. He needed to exert his new power over us, and the Colonel gave him the perfect opportunity to do so. What he did made the prison population fear him. After that event, I doubt many others foolishly resisted him as the Colonel did. In retrospect, he probably created a peaceful cellblock, one without fights and murder"
I stare at him, attempting to interpret and decipher the machine behind his words. Sure, it may set a precedent, but a cruel and depressing one. It was inhumane.
"But that peace came from violence. Those people died, some of which had done nothing wrong." Dorian retorts.
Zane lets out a dry laugh at Dorian's words, the sound echoing off the stone like a cough in a tomb.
"They were criminals. We've all done something wrong. Plus, peace through fear and violence is still peace." He sighs, closing his eyes briefly. "Either way, it has already happened, we can't change anything now, and we don't have the time to play morality police."
He turns to me, giving me a serious look.
"What else did you find?"
I clear my throat.
"At first, only one man was stationed at the watchtower, but just before we left, four more joined him. They are armed and seemed to have brought lots of supplies and equipment from a barn somewhere up north near the mountain range."
"And get this!" Elias cuts in. "They have horses!"
The cave goes silent.
"Horses...?" Zane's voice echoes as he looks around for answers.
I turn to him. "You don't know what horses are?"
He shakes his head, turning to Elias and Dorian for an explanation.
Theodore and I chuckle as we watch pair fumble over each other as they attempt to explain what a horse is.
They're big creatures—four legs, strong, fast—"
"They're beautiful animals, always adored by the rich and powerful" Dorian adds on.
"What's so special about them?" Zane asks, curious on how they are useful.
"Well, we can ride them." Elias responds. "In the Aeperium, only the really rich and higher marks could actually afford horses. In fact, there are a variety of species and breeds. They are like a symbol of wealth and power."
"So they are like transportation?" Zane asks, still wrapping his mind around the concept.
"Yeah, but don't think of them like an automobile or a shuttle. In fact, they are more like humans than machine. They have the privilege of thinking, living, and dying, something most machines don't." Dorian responds.
Zane grunts, tilting his head as he absorbs Dorian's words with a quiet sort of curiosity. He doesn't press any further, but I can see the faint flicker of interest in his eyes.
"You said that they brought equipment and supplies?" Theodore asks, bringing the conversation back on track. "We could definitely steal that."
I nod. "We could, but are you sure you want to? The Colonel would definitely want our heads. Is it worth to make such an enemy?"
Theodore tilts his head. "Only one of us is going to make it out of these games. We are all going each other's enemies eventually. It's better to attack him now while he's weak, plus, if we steal it correctly, the Colonel wont even know that we were the one's who robbed him. We might even be able to pin on that man Whiskey and get rid of more of our competition." he replies, releasing a small chuckle
To me, his reasoning makes sense. Only one of us will actually make it out of here. looking around, I kind of have to remind myself that these people are not my friends, but also my enemy and that I might one day need to send them to the afterlife. It's a depressing, but real thought.
Sighing, I take the map out of my bag, and place it on the floor.
"Welp, here's the plan."