Bab 12: Prison
A military procession rode on horseback through the grand city streets of Melrose. The knights wore shining ceremonial armors waving their yellow flags with a blue star in the center. The common people lined the streets cheering for the returning expedition. No one would guess from the atmosphere that this expedition was returning in defeat.
Duke Fairchild sat in a proud posture waving at the citizens but internally he seethed with anger. He had a small contingent watching over the barrier of fire, which blocked passage into Alphonso's plain. In the last few months, the barrier fell for the first time in hundreds of years. So, he sent news to King Anton and rushed to the border to personally lead his men into the plain to reclaim it. However, his imagined glory brought about by retaking Alphonso's Plain was beyond his grasp. The residents of the plain, savage monsters and tribal natives fought his men leading to a deadlock.
Even so, he should have been able to maintain his position while grinding away the enemy's strength, but that deceitful Malbec and his apprentice Reinhold appeared. The pair had inside information on the plain, but they betrayed him at a critical moment and disappeared. Now he lost his advantage over the other two kingdoms bordering the plain. He needed reinforcements but wasn't planning to head back to the capital until he received a letter about a prisoner there.
When he heard of Reinhold's capture, he could scarcely believe his luck. He never expected the wanted poster to work because Malbec's presence should prevent any guards from capturing Reinhold.
But could this be a trap?
After finding there was really no sign of Malbec, he returned to the capital. In comparison to the saint realm strength of Malbec, he would have no trouble with the mortal realm Reinhold.
Using Reinhold's knowledge, he could take the central Alphonso's tower much more quickly. The tower signifies ownership of the entire plain according to the agreement between the three countries. Once he took the tower his power would instantly expand through the rich resources found in Alphonso's Plain.
* * * * *
It's dark. Only the faint flicker of a torch in the hall lights the bars of my cell. The two meals a day are my only way to estimate time in the dungeon. If they didn't forget to feed me occasionally, I've been here for 23 days. I do my best to ignore the groaning and blathering of the prisoners in other cells.
Now that the torch near my cell has died off, I once again try to sense spiritual Qi energy. I hope that being in this dark space will allow me to sense darkness-aligned energy. However, I know my Void Darkness spirit root is untrainable and this is mere fantasy.
I give up in frustration and continue to train my body with mortal exercises. My void physique allows no shortcut. I can only use a few minor techniques due to the limitations of this physique and lack of Qi accumulation. My control over my body is improving but the lacking nutrition fed to prisoners hinders the strengthening of my muscles. If I wasn't well-fed during my travel to the capital I would have muscles too thin to even move right now.
Contrary to what the proctor said, I have found no answers here. I was bound in heavy chains and guarded in backrooms the entire way to the capital. The only bright side is the proctor temporarily inactivated the collar's punishment and the dungeon has a formation that controls the collars. I only experience pain if I or the prisoners nearby act up.
In the darkness, a door slams, and footsteps approach.
"Right this way, Sir." I recognize the heavy southern accent of the warden. The same bronze skinned warden who took me from the proctor's group and shoved me into this prison without answering any of my questions.
The prisoners became rowdier screaming and rattling the bars.
The torchlight grows as the footsteps approach. The warden stops in front of my cell with a bevy of guards surrounding a lavishly dressed man. The man holds up a piece of paper in his hand.
"Yes, this is him," he says from behind the poster.
This man seems familiar to me, but I can't remember who he is. Is he from my past life?
"Prisoner Reinhold, stand to face the wall with your hands at the side. You will be beaten if you resist."
I do as the guard asks. I don't have the energy to heal wounds in addition to training. A hard metal claw grips my neck. I know from experience that this claw is on the end of a long pole. The door opens with a grating creak and the claw pulls me backward.
"Don't resist." Strong, callused hands grip my wrists and twist them behind my back shackling them together. I turn my head. The guards toss a sack about my size into the cell. Before I can make out what it is, something falls over my head from above. Everything becomes dark and course fibers surround my head.
"Keep to the plan," says a voice I don't recognize.
"Yes, sir," replies the southern voice of the warden.
"Walk!" The metal claw forces me forward. All I can hear are the boots of the guards around me and the jeering of prisoners.
A cool breeze caresses my body and I'm hoisted onto a platform with a bench. The seat beneath me trembles up and down and simultaneously the noise of wagon wheels on cobblestone begins.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask.
"No questions!" Something smacks the back of my head.
After a couple incense sticks worth of time, they force me to walk again. I feel stone brick beneath my feet. The noise from outside disappears and they take off my handcuffs replacing them with new chains. A guard pulls the bag off my head and releases my neck from the clawed pole.
I gulp. The room I am in has a table lade out with sharp implements of torture. Beside the table, there are racks for stretching limbs, hanging hooks, and a couple iron maidens.
"Take this truth stone in your hand," says the well-dressed man from before.
A guard places the stone in my right hand and I grip it as commanded.
"I hope you will always answer truthfully. I don't want to use these on a child." The man says with a sadistic smile gesturing at the instruments in the room. "Do you know who I am?"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
NitrogenousBeing
NitrogenousBeing I anticipated I would be busy with real life stuff this month, but it has exceeded my expectations. I apologize for the gaps between releases. Don't worry the story isn't dropped or anything but it will be slow for some time. Feel free to add to the library and wait to binge read in the future when release rates stabilize.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone