An Escape Plan

Not that dream again...Don't let me watch it again...!

A young boy is seen crying within the room of a large, gray walled mansion, his curly, blonde hair in disarray,
and his cerulean blue eyes stained red from tears.

Infront of him, his father; Hermann, lay headless and unmoving,
and above his father, the Dark Lord; Prince Granz, stood emotionlessly towering over his father's dead body,
his cold, sinister black eyes pierced into the boy's soul, and his maniacal smirk was that of an insane, ruthless murderer.

"Kill the rest of them. Leave not a single one of these heretics alive, except the boy. Imprison him.",
he said as he turned away from the boy, his dark, navy blue cape fluttering behind him as he left the room,
leaving the boy alone with the two menacing guards, who proceeded to murder his mother and sister
who were also in the room, before one of the guards gripped him by the neck, dragged him through to a dark chamber,
and threw him into a brightless, filthy cell, along with two other occupants.

"Whooaaah!!", Louis, the blonde haired boy screamed as he woke up in a cold sweat in his cell.

It had been fifteen years since he had been thrown in jail, and he had atlast grown into an adult,
well-built but of moderate height.

"What the heck?!", yelled his companion from next to him, who woke up at the scream.

"What's up with you, screamin' like a banshee?! I was havin' a pretty sweet dream for once,
until YOU interrupted!"

"By the way, Louis, what kinda dream were you havin'? Want me to tell ya what it means?", he questioned
his blonde haired companion, who remained silent for a moment, his blue eyes fixed upon the ground
infront of him, before he replied:

"I dreamt about, my family...The day they were murdered...".

"Again? The same dream as last time?", Willy asked his morbid companion.

Louis nodded.

"I was powerless to save them that day...I just stood by and watched, while they were killed...".

"Get real, will ya?", his friend, Willy, who had been in jail along with him, replied.

He had been thrown in jail some time before his blonde haired companion, and the two had become friends
since they had met in prison.

"A kid like you couldn't protect 'em!"

"I should've atleast tried...", replied Louis in his gloomy state.

The only excitement they had gotten throughout all the years was when they were released to fight in the monster arena,
against whatever monsters were chosen to fight them for the sport of the audience.

However, they enjoyed it too, and had yet to lose a fight.

Because of this, they had gained quite a large reputation with all those who watched the fight,
as one of the two best fighters of their time.

"Anyway!", yelled Willy, "I have a plan to get us out of here!", he announced proudly.

"Hum!", interjected another prisoner as he laid lethargically against the prison wall.

Smith was his name, and he was the only other prisoner besides Willy and Louis in the cell.

He had been in prison the longest, and was their superior by five years, but they knew nothing more of him then this.

However, throughout all the years they had known him, he had built up a reputation as one of the most
pessimistic people in all of Gaia, and always had something negative to say, if he was not deep in thought
as was his usual pensive manner.

"The last time you had one of those 'escape plans', it failed, and even WE were punished with no food for a week!",
he remarked irritably.

"No worries man!", replied Willy, "This time, I got it all planned out nicely!"

"I doubt it, but what's the plan?", asked his companion, who held as much interest in his friend's plan as Smith did.

"Well, I was tipped off by the guard that brings the food, that there's a way out through the monster's holding cell!"

"And look," said he as he withdrew three loaves of bread, "I got extra!"

"You trust one of the guards of Granz Realm because he gave you bread?!", Louis questioned incredulously.

"Hmph! Typical of Willy...", said Smith from his corner in the cell, as whatever hope he had in Willy
was destroyed as he realized the utter stupidity of his friend's plan, and sunk back into his thoughts.

"Well,", said Willy, "he seemed like a pretty good guy, not like the other guards of Granz Realm.

And we haven't got any other plans now do we? So I suggest we just go through with this one,
it's our only hope of escape."

"Anyway, it's almost time for the Realm Monster Bouts to begin...", said Smith,
as Louis and Willy would be participating as usual.

Their conversation ended as one of the guards unlocked the cell.

"It's time for the match to begin, so get moving.", he said before strutting away.

As Louis and Willy approached proceeded outside, Willy was met with the guard that tipped him off.

"So, you're goin' through with it?"

"Of course! And this time, we're gettin' out of here!", Willy replied with his usual enthusiasm.

Moments later, the gate to the monster's holding cell was opened, and out of it stepped a large,
hideous monster jackal, no less then sixteen feet high, and seven feet wide, with large, razor like fangs,
and long, monstrously sharp claws which protruded from it's monstrous hands, perfect for tearing through flesh.

The monster screeched as it stepped into the arena, and stood before it's two enemies, who hardly
looked to be a match for it.

However, they were not afraid of the large beast, and without a moment's hesitation,
Willy withdrew his spear and sprang high into the air, much higher then the beast's head,
and came down with his spear positioned infront of him as it tore through the monster's thick flesh,
making it cry out in pain.

Willy smirked as he landed on the floor, and spun the spear around his body as he prepared for another attack,
but Louis beat him to it as he removed his shield from his back, attached it to his arm,
and with his right arm free, he withdrew his sword which hung from his side
and lunged himself high into the air, and with one fell swoop he severed the jackal's head and it's
body fell limply to the floor.

Landing victoriously, he sheated his sword, and put away his shield as the crowd roared in applause.

"Long live Dark Lord!", Willy yelled, "(Under a very big rock...)", he murmured.

"Long live Granz Realm!", Louis added, "(Under new management...", he whispered.

"Long live Dark Lord!", "Long live Granz Realm!", shouted the crowd.

"Now's our chance!", Willy yelled, and the two warriors were off through the holding cell as fast as the jackal had fallen.

Not long later, they arrived at the outskirts of Granz Realm, and had sucessfully managed
to avoid being seen, and what had made it easier was that nearly all of Granz Realm as well as the guards had been at the Monster Bouts to watch the fights, so there was no one to stop them from fleeing.

"Finally! We're Free! We can go anywhere, we can do anything! We can eat until we hurl!", Willy yelled in bliss,
as their situation finally dawned upon him.

"By the way, Louis,", Willy began in a calmer voice.

"Now that we're free, what're you gonna do?"

"I want to...get Dark Lord...", said Louis as his mind played back the scene as Dark Lord murdered his parents,
and had him thrown in jail after taking everything he valued away from him.

Nothing at that moment would have pleased him more than to have Dark Lord killed at his hands,
murdered brutally, and mercilessly, for all the evil he had done to him in life.

"Uh, okay...no comment there...", said Willy, misunderstanding the statement.

"...!", both former prisoners stood terrified as the sound of the Dark Lord's laughter echoed around them,
freezing them in their place, and moments later, he appeared in all his arrogance, malice and insanity.

"I applaud you for getting this far.", he said, "But I must break your foolish dream of escaping,
as you shall go no further. However, should you wish to become one of the guards of Granz Realm,
your lives shall be spared, and there is no dishonour in you giving up now."

"Well, whaddaya say, Louis? Should we become soldiers of Granz Realm?", asked Louis's companion,
but Louis detected the hint of deception in his voice, from that Louis discerned that he was infact, not serious.

"Do what you want Willy. Go become a soldier of Granz Realm, but count me out!", he yelled.

"(Come on, play along!)", whispered Willy, knowing very well Louis knew of he was putting up an act,
but Louis merely shook his head.

"The lawless always prefer the sword to the law.", said Prince Granz, "I can play that way too. Come on!"

In a fit of rage, Louis tore out his sword and charged at the Dark Lord.

He had been waiting for this moment for fifteen years, he had even dreamt of this moment,
and now he was intent of carrying out his lifelong ambition.

Swinging his sword with all his might and hatred, he brought it down towards Prince Granz,
but at the last possible second, when he was sure he would slice the Dark Lord in two,
he felt his blade clash against something, and shatter to pieces.

Looking down, he saw the Dark Lord had blocked his most powerful attack with his hand alone,
which remained unscatched, though Louis's sword had broken at the contact.

"What...what are you?!", Louis stammered, while the Dark Lord gazed at him with that same pitiless eyes
he had looked upon him with nearly two decades ago.

"You were a powerful warrior. You should have become one of my soldiers, it would have been better for you.",
said Dark Lord, and that was the last words he heard before Prince Granz withdrew his sword
which was of a fiery red, and sliced clean through the body of Louis, and he was dead even before his body tore in half
and fell down into the abyss of water beneath the bridge upon which he once stood.