Kingdom's Bloodline, page 469
In the prison, Barney Junior shook his head and continued his words.
"He said that he thought that trash like us were not eligible to be Royal Guards, and were not qualified to become the Emperor's Praetorian Guards." Barney Junior looked calm. "He even felt ashamed to be in a room with us. Then, one day, he died in front of the palace."
Samel's face darkened. He bowed his head.
"My God... you are, you are really..." Beldin's gaze was fixed on Samel while he himself was on the other side of the bars. They remained on him for a long time.
Barney Junior did not stay quiet for long. He turned to another cell. "Nalgi, Canon... light up the room."
His words were clear and concise, still leaving no room for refusal.
Nalgi rubbed his own extremely dirty face. "Are you serious, O chief vanguard? This is the oil we squeezed from that gerbil. Even if we add these dried materials, how long can it burn? I don't know how long it will take before we catch the next gerbil..."
Barney Junior yelled, "Lights!"
Nalgi did not continue to say anything. Soon, his cell was lit up with fire, illuminating the figures outside.
"Samel." Barney Junior's words carried endless sentiment and complex emotions as he stared at one illuminated face in particular. "It's really you, vice flag bearer."
Samel did not speak. The rest of the prisoners sucked in a sharp breath, approached the bars, and tried to see the person in front of them clearly.
Nalgi kept rubbing his own eyes. Next to him, Canon kept breathing deeply. He could not stop trembling.
"Bruley!" Tardin, the one who imitated the thunder clapping just now, turned his head around and yelled at his cellmate, "Bruley!"
"Ahhhhh!"
The people outside the cell were a little stunned. Before they registered what was going on, they saw Tardin's large cellmate scream in reply, "Urrgghhaaaaaahhhhh!"
Then, he rushed at Tardin like a giant bear!
*Thud!*
A muffled sound came.
Thales widened his eyes and watched the prisoner named Bruley scream as he threw a punch right at Tardin's face!
The strength in that punch was astonishing, and also merciless.
'What are they doing?'
Tardin was slammed into the wall behind him. He groaned in pain. But before Bruley could throw an equally fierce second punch, Tardin shockingly bounced back from the wall, bent his elbow, and slammed it into Bruley's chin.
*Wham!*
Bruley's head shook. He took a step back and yelled in pain. A fierce glare appeared in his eyes, and he charged at Tardin again!
*Bang!*
Everyone watched in shock as the two prisoners in the cell fought against one another.
*Bang!*
Fists struck flesh. Each strike was brutal. However, whether it was Barney Junior, Naer, Nalgi, Canon, or Beldin, they turned a blind eye to the internal fight between the inmates.
Samel also watched their fierce battle. He could not believe his own eyes, and was at a loss.
Finally, after Tardin ruthlessly kicked Bruley's chest and pushed back his bear-like opponent, he shouted, "Enough!"
Bruley put down his arms, which he was about to use to attack again, panted harshly, and glared at him.
Soon, the badly battered Tardin, who was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, climbed up and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Damn, it hurts."
He looked at Samel, curled up the corners of his mouth, and spoke, though his words were unclear.
"Zorry, dis is the only way, heh heh."
Samel was baffled. Tardin rubbed his red and swollen chin, and the two of them supported each other up. They stared at him before Tardin gave a strange chuckle.
"Heh heh heh, jus' do make zure dat you're real, and we're not halluzinating or dreaming."
After a long while, Samel, who seemed to have figured out what was going on, bowed his head, speechless.
"I'm real, Tardin," he said sadly. "I'm standing here. I'm not an illusion. I'm not."
Thales could sense a lot of emotion in his words.
On the other side, Naer stared at Samel. "Samel, did they manage to capture you in the end? Is that what happened? What conspiracies are they cooking up now? Who are they going to kill this time?"
Samel shook his head. Canon shivered a little and hid behind Nalgi. He spoke in a neurotic manner, "What, are you going to be beheaded? Or hanged? Are we also included?"
Samel stared at them with an indescribable gaze. He continued shaking his head.
"You lost a lot of weight, and you've become much older." Nalgi sneered in the cell. "Of course, at least you didn't need a stone knife to shave."
"Something's not right." Beldin—the one with the long hair and beard that reached his chest—folded his arms. He asked warily and maliciously, "What are you doing here, you coward? Who are the people outside with you?"
Samel was quiet. He let them scrutinize him, and listened to their strange questions.
Then, Barney Junior sucked in a deep breath and asked an unexpected but thought-provoking question, "Samel, what year is it now?"
When the words came out, the prisoners in the cell quieted down. They watched Samel quietly.
After a long while, Samel exhaled. "Year 679 in the Calendar of Eradication."
Barney Junior was briefly stunned, then his face went pale and he took a few steps back. The prisoners were also baffled.
"My mind is not very clear. Help me make some calculations." Nalgi nudged Canon. He looked around anxiously, clutched his hair, and wracked his brain over the topic. "679, 679, so, 679 minus 67... No, 65, no, 66... When did we come here?"
Canon did not answer him. He just curled up and sat down. His face was full of fear. "How can it be…?"
"Eighteen years." Barney Junior looked around absentmindedly. Then, for some strange reason, he chuckled. "It has been eighteen years already."
Samel did not speak.
Eighteen years.
There was a well of indescribable emotions in his heart as Thales silently watched this special reunion where both sides had been parted for a long time.
"Canon said that it has been about thirty years, and Nalgi said that it was at most five years..." Barney Junior was immersed in his own world. His face was full of agony, and the brand on his face trembled slightly.
"But they didn't believe me, I… I have been calculating the number of times they gave us supplies. I counted it myself, and I thought it was only seven or eight years…"
He sat down. His face twitched, and he laughed loudly. "Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."
His laughter was sad, hoarse, and unpleasant. Soon, Nalgi and Tardin also joined in the laughter. The other prisoners were either distracted or gazed at nothing with blank looks on their faces. They did not say a word.
Samel closed his eyes. He only reopened them a long time later.
"You're here... but what about the others?" He forced these words out of his mouth.
The laughter in the hall stopped. Barney Junior looked up, and his eyes were cold.
"Didn't all of you bring a torch?" He spread his arms and said coldly, "Look around yourself."
Samel frowned. He hurried forward. The glaring light from the fire caused the prisoners to cower back in pain and retreat, but he could care less about that. He illuminated each cell behind the bars.
A few seconds later, Samel wobbled several times before he took a few feeble steps back.
"How... how could it be..." he muttered.
The prisoners went silent.
In the cell, Canon covered his face, slipped against the wall, and sobbed in pain. At that moment, Thales saw the scene before his eyes clearly.
Eight of the cells were filled with human skeletons and dried corpses.
Unlike before, most of these skeletons were in one piece. Their heads were where they were supposed to be, and so were their bodies. They were placed neatly on the ground, one after another.
Behind Barney Junior were five complete sets of corpses placed neatly in a row. One of them still had some dried skin and sinew attached to him.
'It's just like… a cemetery,' Thales whispered in his heart.
Samel's face contorted. He looked at Barney Junior. "How did they…?"
Barney Junior snorted coldly. "Move your torch further away from us. Unlike you, we don't get to see light too often. It's glaring."
Samel gritted his teeth and put down the torch. Barney Junior stared at him. He only spoke after a long time had passed.
"An internal fight broke out in Allen and Walker's cell, around eight or nine of them died. Morion had a high fever that didn't break, Toby had a wound infection, Ross had a strange unnamed disease, 'Bed Bug' fell into depression, there were a few like him..."
The more he went on, the more dejected and depressed Barney Junior became. He adjusted his body slightly to the side. His eyes were lifeless.
"Kamil went insane. One day, he just suddenly stopped eating and drinking… Bobby wanted to prise open the fence, until he found out that touching them for an extended period of time is fatal."
The hall was silent for a while, and the atmosphere was incredibly depressing.
"Myro just couldn't wake up, we don't know the reason." Barney Junior's expression tensed. He clenched his fists in pain.
"As for the big man, Laure... Well, he went a little mad. Before he managed to kill the third person, the people in his cell were forced to do something, so..."
He sucked in a deep breath and locked his emotions back inside the depths of his heart.
"Gold left the world with Skull. They were the last two in their cell, and they promised to slit each other's wrists. Rogo suddenly started shouting madly. He cried and laughed for a day and night, and then... he went completely silent."
Samel listened quietly, and every time he heard a new name, the torch in his hand shook a little.
"Cox rests in peace, and he even left us his last words. Clemont only had a cold, but we didn't have any medicine. I just watched him day after day. In the end, he couldn't stand it any longer... I was the one who ended his life."
Barney Junior laughed dryly a few times.
"The cells are not connected to each other, we can only hear the sounds. What happened during these years was like a f*cking drama.
"Hmph. Those who died early in the same cell still got a dignified funeral." Barney Junior looked at both of his hands and glanced at the five corpses behind him. There was an unspeakable emotion in his eyes.
"As for the last remaining few... We can only lie down and wait," said Barney Junior dazedly.
Thales stared at this scruffy prisoner dumbfoundedly.
He looked at the deep and gloomy prison cell, at the shining bars, and remembered the skeletons and dried corpses a few floors above them. It was difficult for him to describe the feelings in his heart.
*Thud.*
Samel fell down on one knee, and his face went pale. "If that's the case, then..."
Barney Junior looked up and snorted at him. "Yes, vice flag bearer, Lord Colin Samel. It has been eighteen years. Forty-five men in the prime of their lives; forty-five people full of vigor; forty-five noble knights; forty-five royal guards... were sent into the Prison of Bones."
The smile on Barney Junior's mouth grew wider, until a hate-filled, bitter, mocking, and harsh grin appeared on him. He looked up and stared blankly at the skeletons around him, then silently met the gazes of the other six prisoners.
"There are now probably... only seven of us left."
Chapter 412: People Whom History has Forgotten |
Samel listened to Barney Junior's words in the dark hall. There was a blank look on his face. His eyes swept over every corpse and skeleton in the prison, but in his eyes there was only emptiness and bewilderment, just like a prodigal son who finally returned home after being away for many years, only to find that he had lost everything.
"Seven," he muttered.
For some reason, when Thales listened to their conversation, he, too, felt an emptiness in his heart, and he felt horrible.
Stake coughed softly within the crowd. He strode to Ricky's side and pointed at the area above him.
"My people can't hold on much longer above. We also have to prevent any possible accidents..."
Ricky ignored him, but Stake attracted the attention of the prisoners.
"Samel, who are the people who came with you?"
Barney Junior approached the bars, put away the mournful expression on his face, squinted, and stared at the Disaster Swords in the distance. He said warily, "They don't look like officials, none of them look like nobles in charge of governmental affairs, neither do they look like soldiers of Blade Fangs Camp. They look more like… mercenaries?"
Ricky frowned, stretched out his arm, and pushed Stake back, indicating that he should be calm.
In the other cell, Beldin became vigilant. "They also don't look like they've captured you—a fugitive. Nor do they look like they're sending you here to be imprisoned." Beldin seemed to remember something. His expression became stern. "How did you come down here, Samel?"
Samel frowned slightly. He was uncertain as to how he was supposed to answer.
In another cell, Canon, who had been holding his head while curled up, suddenly shook and leaned against the wall, letting out a pained cry when he saw so many people outside the cell.
"They're helping me," Samel finally said. He calmly looked into the scrutinizing gazes of his former comrades. "They're the only people who were willing to lend a helping hand when I had nowhere to go."
Samel looked at the Disaster Swords, and his expression was calm. "Like us, they are also a group of pitiful people who have their own wants and needs."
Klein snorted lightly and patted Josef beside him.
"This group of people, too, don't want to be mercilessly forgotten by history."
Ricky did not move.
"Fate brought us together." Samel turned his head around and stared at the imprisoned Barney Junior. The words he spoke next contained an underlying meaning. "And since fate brought us together, we are able to fight against it."
However, his former comrades did not respond enthusiastically. Perhaps it was because they had suffered too much.
Barney Junior tilted his head, and looked askance at Samel with a rather hostile posture.
"Why are you here, Samel? What identity did you use to come here? How did you manage to enter the Prison of Bones? As an exile? Prison breaker? Rescuer?"
As Barney Junior spoke, his gaze shifted onto the people behind Samel, and he began to examine the group of uninvited guests.
"I don't see the light often, my vision has deteriorated a lot, but I can at least see... a group of fiends armed with various weapons, they don't look like friendly people who came in with an invitation.
"As for those who don't have weapons... they are the ones who were kidnapped by them, right?"
When Samel was rendered speechless, Barney Junior continued on faintly. His tone grew more and more doubtful.
"And who is that boy? Why do you have to place so many people around him…? And the person with the hood as well as the person in formal attire are subconsciously looking at him, too..."
Barney Junior suddenly gestured with his chin at Thales and looked at him indifferently, making the prince tense up.
The aforementioned Stake and Lasalle were slightly startled. Under Ricky's gaze, Stake was forced to order his subordinates to move a little further away from Thales.
But when, at that moment, an idea came to Thales, a weight was suddenly added to his shoulder and a chill came to his groin.
"If you dare say more than what's necessary, kid, you'll lose something important below," Marina said coldly as she pressed down on his shoulder, and the tip of her blade rubbed against Thales's pants.
Thales felt only a chill down his spine. He did not dare to speak.
"No, they don't seem to be guarding him." In the cell, Beldin also observed Thales. He frowned even more tightly. "I can see that the boy was also kidnapped."
Ricky's face was tense. The remnants of the Royal Guards exceeded his expectations. They have been struggling for many years in captivity, but the moment they saw light again, they could see the crux of the matter with just a glance.
Samel's expression was a little unpleasant, and he moved his eyes away from Thales.
"Barney, Beldin, as expected of the vanguard and the penal officer. Your observation skills are still amazing."
Barney Junior snorted. He continued to stare at Thales.
"Who the heck is he—"
"By the way!" Right then, Stake suddenly jumped in and interrupted their conversation. "Honorable Crassus, is it your plan to help the former Royal Guards catch up?"
Ricky's eyebrows moved a bit. Stake and two of his men walked up with smiles to stop any form of dialogue the former Royal Guards would have about Thales. At the same time, they slowly approached the prince.
"For a number of reasons, I don't think it's a good idea for your men to spend so much effort on these gentlemen." Stake winked at Ricky. "Perhaps I can escort this item back. After all, he does have a very sensitive identity..."
Thales saw Stake's hand reach out to him, and was instantly on his guard... until a longsword with a groove-like fuller moved as quick as lightning to stop in front of Stake.
"If you touch him, Stake, you should be prepared to lose your hand." With Twilight in his hand, Klein stopped Stake, preventing him and his subordinates from getting close to Thales. His tone was unfriendly.
Stake's smile froze. Lasalle coughed awkwardly. He was forced to mediate the dispute.
"Everyone, I think Stake is suggesting for us to hurry."
The Northlander quietly pushed Stake back. He then made a gesture to the two assassins beside Stake to put away their weapons, which they had drawn at some unknown point in time. He reminded the Disaster Swords of one fact with a solemn expression.
"Unexpected accidents can happen at any time. Do not forget our current circumstances."
