Pushed down into the tower, Nyx is led into a dark cold room. The guards light a few torches and place them on the walls of the room to light up the interior. Nyx scowls at Castien as the general laughs.

“You can do all the admiring you want behind some bars for the night. I’m sure the walls of our prison are more expensive than your entire home.” Castien remarks as the guards shove Nyx into a cell and lock the door. Surely enough, even the prison of Sylverwin Keep is beautiful. Despite its simplicity and lack of decorum, the room’s walls and floor are made of the same shining stonework that make up the outside of the fortress, almost blinding with its silver gleam.

“If you’re a good little mutt then maybe we’ll let you crawl back to the hole you came from in the morning. We’d hate to waste the time of our guards babysitting a human’s offspring.” Castien says with a sneer.

“Yeah yeah yeah, sure. Whatever.” Nyx responds, rolling his eyes at Castien’s snarky attitude.

“Wyn, keep a close eye on this one. No funny business.” Castien says to the young guard who had locked the cell.

“Yes, General Castien sir!” the guard says, straightening his posture.

“If he tries anything, kill him.” Castien says, giving Nyx a look of disgust.as he and the rest of the soldiers leave the room. Wyn, the young guard, moves up closer to the bars and studies Nyx.

“You hear that? Don’t move a muscle you half breed scum.” the guard says, with a bit more confidence now that the general has left.

“Haha, so original.” Nyx says, unimpressed. This guard is not much older than Nyx, maybe a year or two. Nyx figures that they must have left him to watch because he was the most disposable. Ignoring the guard, Nyx looks around the room and thinks about how he can make an escape.

After thoroughly inspecting the bars and walls of his cell, Nyx figures that there is no way to escape with his own strength. Instead, he turns to look at the guard posted to his cell. After hours of sitting at his post without being switched out, the guard has fallen asleep in his chair. Right before he is about to call out to provoke and wake the guard up, Nyx sees the door to the prison room begin to open. As she pokes her head into the room, Nyx sees the elf girl he encountered earlier in the day. As they lock eyes together, Askari reaches her finger up to her lips to make sure Nyx stays quiet.

“Hey Sir Wyn!” The young guard jolts up from his nap and looks at Askari flustered.

“Uh oh! Lady As-Askari! How wonderful to see you.” he nervously replies.

“Would you mind doing me a favor.” Askari asks, giving him a wink. Wyn stands up from the chair and grabs his spear and shield to look more composed.

“Yes, of course my lady!”

“Do you think that maybe I could watch the prisoner?” Askari says as she walks up behind him and puts her hand on his armor. Snuggling her chin up on his pauldron, Askari seductively traces her hand down the guard’s jawline.

“Umm... I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Your father was very explicit that I watch him very closely.”

“Oh, pretty please? I just want to get more experience to show him that I’ve changed.” Ari says as she comes around to his side and bats her eyes seductively.

“I could even get you a promotion from my father.”

“Well… I guess that wouldn’t hurt right?” Askari then begins to push the guard toward the door.

“So, do you think maybe I could take you out fo-” Wyn tries to say before Askari cuts him off.

“Yeah that’s nice, just let me handle this.” she says forcing the guard out of the room and shutting the door. Turning back to Nyx, she grabs the set of keys the guard left sitting for her on his chair and opens the prison cell.

“Um what are you doing?”

“Saving you what does it look like?” Askari says with a bit of sass.

“Well I have no idea why you would want to do that but thanks.” Nyx says with a smile as he exits the cell and gives her a friendly pat on the shoulder. Giving his arms a stretch, Nyx advances towards the door, ready to go back home.

“I could’ve gotten myself out of that, but I guess it’s not every day that I get to be saved by a beautiful lady.” Nyx says to her with a wink. “Well I’m gonna start making my way outta here. Thanks!”

“Wait! But how are you going to get past the guards?” Askari asks as she reaches her hand forward to try and stop him. “Here, at least take this.” she says as she throws the satchel of goods that Nyx had compiled from the caravan, which had been taken off him by Castien and his guards.

“Well thank you. And don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.” Nyx says as he reattaches the satchel to his belt. “Thanks for the coin!” Using the skills he learned from his father to sneak around the corridors of Sylverwin Keep, Nyx manages to avoid the guards and escape the palace luckily without coming back into contact with General Castien, who surely would have been able to detect him again. Breaking out of the keep, Nyx makes his way out into the now evening air. Climbing back up onto the rooftops, Nyx makes his way back to his home in the outskirts of the city.

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