Noelle and Soren both went their separate ways through the market
She moved toward the blacksmithing area, her white and gold armour drawing respectful nods from prisoners who recognized her but feared approaching directly. Soren turned toward the clusters of traders and merchants, his presence announcing itself before his body caught up
He couldn't hide it
Being one of only four rank 2s in the prison paired with his disgusting, monstrous appearance made him unmistakable. People stared at him first, eyes wide with fear and recognition, and before he could make eye contact, they quickly and nervously moved away. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Haggling paused. The entire market seemed to hold its breath when he passed
I know I must look pretty horrendous, Soren thought, but it can't be that bad
Till this point, Soren had not observed what he looked like after tearing apart his face. He had not looked in the mirror. No reflection. Only the reactions of others to guide him. And their reactions were universal: fear mixed with disgust
This will be quite hard. I need to gather as much information as possible so I can pair it with what Noelle hopefully finds out. Just so I can make sure they're not lying to me
As he walked through the mini crowds of people to his left and right, all kinds of men, women, old and young had set up makeshift stalls showcasing different weapons and goods. Whenever Soren walked by, the voices quieted down before resuming when he passed, as if he was a bad omen
It looks like I will have to resort to intimidation again. So now, who will be my next lucky target?
Soren looked around carefully. He wasn't going to find someone random. He would preferably look for someone strong, because strong people often thought alike. He would hope that this person had also gained information on everyone here that could be a threat
He looked around until someone caught his eye
A lean young man in his early to mid-twenties. Brown hair styled in a 70/30 split. Shorter hair overall. Brown eyes. Lighter skin tone. Similar height to Soren, maybe five foot nine or ten. He was shirtless except for a sleeveless top, his arms and shoulders completely exposed, revealing a lean musculature that suggested actual fighting experience rather than just strength
The man was examining some crafted weapons at a stall when he suddenly sensed something
He looked up and his eyes met Soren's scarred face
Oh no. Why is that crazy bastard looking at me?
The thought hit like a punch. Everyone in the prison knew who Soren was. The new rank 2. The one with the destroyed face who had slashed open poor Kelvin's stomach without hesitation. The one who moved through the cafeteria like a walking threat
And he was looking directly at Maren
Lemme just walk away. If he tries something like he did with Kelvin, I'd be powerless to resist
Maren turned and began walking through the crowds of people, his heart hammering in his chest. He kept his pace casual, trying not to draw attention, but every nerve in his body screamed danger
He looked back
Soren was walking after him
Shit. Shit. Is he following me?
Maren's pace quickened. He wasn't going to get stopped by him. He took some sharp turns, ducking through clusters of prisoners, trying to navigate the maze of the market to lose his pursuer
But Soren kept coming
The chase became almost comical. Maren weaving left and right, Soren following with relentless purpose. Other prisoners noticed and quickly moved out of the way, creating a path for the scarred rank 2 and the panicking young man. The chase lasted only a minute before Soren finally caught up
He put his hand around Maren's shoulder
"Where you running away from me?" Soren asked, his voice carrying that edge of threat
Maren's entire body went rigid. He was breathing hard, his brown eyes darting everywhere except at Soren's face
"Um, no mister. Um, sir," he said nervously, his voice shaking, deliberately avoiding eye contact and sweating profusely. "I was just taking a walk. You know, fresh air and such"
"What air?" Soren replied flatly. "We're inside"
"Well, you know," Maren said, nervous laughter bubbling up. "There's more fresh air over around here. You're new, so you probably wouldn't know"
"Alright, enough," Soren said to him. "I want something from you"
This made Maren reel with fright. He looked at Soren, well, he couldn't look directly at his disgusting face, before taking a glance at him and quickly looking down again
"I'm sorry sir," Maren said nervously, stuttering. "I don't happen to swing that way. I'm only interested in woman"
A momentarily silence occurred
Soren was stunned by what he said before responding
"No, you idiot," he said flatly. "You look strong. Even though our use of magic is dulled, I can somewhat tell by the way you look and stuff. Tell me what you know about everyone here. Anyone strong enough. And don't you dare lie to me unless you want to end up worse than that other one"
Maren's mind raced. Oh no. Not worse than Kelvin
He started to speak, his words tumbling out nervously
"Well, you know, the other rank 2s, Garrick and Tovin. They are quite strong"
"What else?" Soren said meaningfully. "What types of magic do they use? Weapons? Tell me this stuff. Don't beat around the bush and test my patience"
Maren got more nervous and his words sped up
"Um, they use, um. Garrick uses metal magic. His jaw is an artifact as well, and he uses the artifact to manipulate its shape and, er, Tovin uses um fire magic. He fights with swords and such. But his eye is an artifact as well. I don't know for sure, but I've heard other people say that it lets him expand his senses"
This intrigued Soren
That artifact would help me cover some flaws in my fighting style, he kept thinking. He thought back about how easily he would have died if Noelle didn't save him, all because he relied too heavily on his intent magic. Recently, against stronger opponents, it had failed him. So he decided to put this thought at the back of his mind for now but would focus on the task at hand
Should I just ask him directly if he knew who prisoner 217 is? He thought. I don't know. I could also expose myself. But they probably already know my number due to the fact that a new unseen number has been pitted against them, someone who should be a stronger fighter. So they can use these clues to either identify that me or Noelle is their opponent. Word will probably get around that Noelle is asking around about that monster she's facing. So that would further narrow it down to me. So if they already know me, directly asking who prisoner 217 is shouldn't be a risk
"Do you know who prisoner 217 is?"
Maren still nervous said, "Um, I don't know. People don't really give out their numbers to each other here"
He paused, nervously laughing
"But after time, people do gradually come to know of others due to process of elimination"
Soren stopped a moment then thought. I doubt I'd fight another rank 2 already as they would have taken action directly
Soren asked Maren, "So if you were whoever runs this place, who would you send to fight me? Excluding the other rank 2s for now"
Maren, still looking down at the floor, his hands nervously fidgeting, said, "If I was um the person who runs this place, the um announcer, I would probably send either um Brutus, Velka, Mara, Holt. Um, there's a lot of people you know. There's around 400 here. But around only 10, I'd say, would maybe be um able to put up a fight. Not saying they'd beat you of course," he added nervously
"Tell me all of the ten in detail," Soren said. "Then I'll let you go"
Maren spent the next several minutes describing each of the ten strongest fighters in the prison in detail. Soren listened carefully, mentally cataloguing each name and ability. He repeated all of their names back to Maren, making sure he had the details correct, and committed them to memory. The ten strongest fighters in the prison besides the rank 2s and Noelle
Then he let Maren escape from him, the young man practically running back into the market crowds, desperate to put distance between himself and the scarred monster
Soren stood there still, thinking
Other than his initial misunderstanding, he did prove quite useful. I've gotten quite lucky. Or does everyone here just know a lot about everyone due to there being four hundred people?
He further thought back on something Maren had said. When Soren told him if you were the person in charge of this place, Maren had said the announcer
So that guy is the person who owns this place. Or is at least in charge
Soren thought again. Whilst he didn't pay that person much attention when he first came here due to his fear of being recognized and the fact he had to fight the Umbrax, he seemed to gloss over the fact that the announcer did in fact seem very powerful. Much stronger than himself. And their presence reminded Soren of someone else
His former teacher. Lyra
That realization hit him like a weight
Lyra was rank 4. One of the most powerful people Soren had ever encountered. And this announcer carried that same overwhelming presence. That same aura of absolute power that made lesser beings instinctively submit
If the announcer was rank 4, then escaping from this prison was far more complicated than Soren had initially thought
He couldn't fight his way out. Not if the person in charge was rank 4. Not if that person could crush him with a thought
Soren stood motionless in the market, surrounded by the noise and activity of four hundred prisoners, and realized the true nature of his cage
So that meant if Soren wanted to escape from this place, he would have to find a way to escape from a rank 4