"Rise and shine, inmates!" a guard yells from down the hall. The sound of a baton on iron bars resonates and grows closer. He demands that all prisoners rise from their beds. Uruguay, Lebron, and an unfamiliar halfling sharing their cell on Row 30 abide, but Wally rolls over and goes back to sleep.
The party is shocked to see a Helmed Horror standing in front of their cell with a baton in its hand. It repeats the line "All rise!" and inspects the cell, expecting four obedient prisoners, but only finding three. It ushers the three compliant prisoners out of the cell to follow the line before checking the sleeping Wally to determine the halfling's health. Despite being asleep, Wally convinces the Helmed Horror that he is dead. The Helmed Horror motions for another guard to take his duty as he carries Wally to the healing room.
*Obedient Prisoner POV*
Uruguay and LeBron sat at a long table next to a bunch of other prisoners, with the strange halfling across the table. As soon as the guard walks away, the halfling gets their attention with a "Psst!" Then, when he has their attention, he continues, "You guys want to get out of here, right?"
The party affirms him with a collective nod. "Great. Then you've got to do something for me. I and a few others have a plan to escape, but we're missing some parts. You can see our friends marked with a scratch on their necks resembling a cat's. After you've done your task, you'll report to them. Are you up to it?"
The monk and barbarian are excited about what kind of work they're about to be asked to do, muttering to each other with ideas to help. Finally, they both reply to the halfling unanimously with "yes."
"Excellent. I was hoping my fellow halfling would assist with this duty, but I'm afraid I leave this duty to you, turtle. I need apples—lots of them. Every day at breakfast, they serve apples with the sludge they expect us to enjoy. Some people eat them, but most don't out of fear they're moldy or cursed in some way. I need you to get as many apples as you can."
The halfling turns to the dwarf. "You have the more difficult task of getting me a glass bottle. I need as big a glass bottle as you can smuggle because the apples will go in it. I believe there is some glassware in the cafeteria if you can manage it."
"I know these ingredients sound random, but I learned some chemistry from an alchemist in the Mountain Region. As long as you trust me on this, we'll get out of here."
*Wally POV*
At the same time that Uruguay and LeBron are eating breakfast, a Helmed Horror picked Wally out of his bed. It carried him to the prison's holy healer. Once through the door, they found the healer smoking a pipe and relaxing in a wooden chair. The healer is a middle-aged human, maybe thirty or forty, with long dirty blonde hair and is fat from his work benefits. He looks over, unenthused about the work he's being paid to do. "Another halfling? How unusual. Set him on the table."
The guard sets Wally on the table as the healer requested and waits for any further orders. "You can leave," the healer tells it, "I'll whistle if I need anything."
As the Horror walks out, the healer shuffles to the door and shuts it behind him with a bored sigh. At this moment, Wally sits straight up and stares directly into the healer's eyes and, in his best godly impression, proclaims, "You've failed me, cleric!"
"Oh, god!" the healer exclaims.
"This was not the purpose I've given you!" Wally continues, "Begrudgingly healing evil men in the country's penitentiary? Is this what you define as 'your holy mission?'"
The healer is on his knees now, sobbing into the floor. "What have I done, Lord? Oh, how I've failed you, your greatness! Is there anything to be done? Is there any way to redeem myself in your favor?"
Wally only thought briefly, but he answered firmly, "Release all the prisoners, and you may regain your good favor. Go now, and set the wicked free!"
The healer stands up quickly, tears still in his eyes, and nods firmly before running out of the door to spread his lord's good word.
*Obedient Prisoner POV*
Suddenly, all the prisoners hear shouting from down the hall. "Release the prisoners!" the voice yells, "My lord demands it!"
"Hey!" a burly orc from the other side of the room yells, "That guy says we're all free!"
Sensing trouble, the Helmed Horrors began to tighten their grip on their weapons and close in on the prisoners. Still, they're prohibited from suppressing until an attack is started. The prisoners murmur among themselves, and the small talk turns into a complete discussion, growing into a roar of outcry and a chant of "Set us free!"
"What's going on?" the mysterious halfling asks in confusion.
The party merely shrugs in reply.
*Wally POV*
Wally is chasing the screaming healer down the halls. "Free the prisoners!" the healer keeps yelling, "My lord demands it!"
As he's running, Wally is taking in his surroundings, noting the sheer size of the prison. They started on Row 50 and are running all the way to Row 1. Each row had two floors, and on each side of the long, rectangular row, there were twenty or so holding cells on the top and bottom floor.
Before long, the healer bursts into the cleric's office, still screaming. The Warden is visibly confused but remains calm. "Woah, Woah!" The Warden shouts, "What's going on?"
"Release the prisoners!" the healer yells in The Warden's face, "Our lord demands it!"
"When did he tell you that?"
"Do you not recognize him in front of you? He takes the form of this very halfling!"
The Warden looks at Wally and raises an eyebrow. Wally finally gets a good look at The Warden while ascertaining the situation. The Warden is a big man but not fat like the healer is. He has a cleanly trimmed beard, a black hat, and a round face that looks friendly, but the scars suggest otherwise. In addition, he sports a long black robe that adds to his larger-than-life appearance.
"Really?" The Warden asks, "He doesn't look like a god."
"But he indeed acts as such!" the healer says.
"Leave me with this god." The Warden orders.
"But-"
"Now. I will determine for myself the legitimacy of your god."
The healer sheepishly exits the room closing the door softly.
"Sit, god." the Warden demands. And Wally does as he's asked.
As Wally sits, he absorbs his surroundings. The Warden has a dark wood office, which is out of place compared to the long, gray, stone corridors outside. He has books on shelves with little gold and silver trinkets filling space, not a speck of dust in sight. A window with royal red curtains sits behind The Warden and his small, empty desk. Wally begins the conversation.
"That cleric is a disgrace to my image."
"Mine too. Even if you are a god, I don't see why I should risk my job to release all the prisoners."
"As your god, I have decreed it just."
"If you are a god, you do not recognize other gods, as there is one sitting before you."
Without breaking a sweat, Wally snaps back, "Of course I recognize you. However, I still demand these prisoners be released."
Suddenly, The Warden displays understanding and begins to laugh. "I see! You are indeed a god! How could I be so blind as to not see my own brother sitting before me? You always were a trickster. But this is a prank that would surely go too far. Our dad would be enraged if I simply let everyone go."
"You've imprisoned my bride by mistake, and I demand you release her. I would tell you which cell she is in, but sadly, I cannot recognize her in her mortal form. So I thought it'd be easier to let her find me."
"I understand. Couldn't I just take you cell to cell and have your wife recognize you?"
"You know how little I embrace different forms, brother. I doubt she would recognize me either. All I have to do is look for her brunette locks and beautiful eyes."
The Warden thinks for a moment. "Didn't she have blonde hair?"
Wally is taken aback. "Oh. Yes, she did. Twas a simple mistake; I've had many lovers."
"I see. I still think it'd be easier to go cell to cell, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise. I'll grab the keys, and we can leave right now."
*Obedient Prisoner POV*
The murmur grew louder and louder, and the guards grew more and more anxious. It all looked relatively under control until the first punch was thrown. Then, guards and inmates began the second biggest brawl in the prison's history. Fireballs were thrown, apples were chunked (Uruguay was dutiful in picking these up), and the screams of the guards' victims created an auditory scramble of misery.
The mysterious halfling, LeBron, and Uruguay took the opportunity to sneak towards the kitchen to find a glass bottle just in case they wouldn't be freed after all the fighting. LeBron could hop over the counter and enter the inventory area, but Uruguay and the halfling were left to wait.
LeBron looked around the massive inventory area until he found the glassware. The shelves were plentiful in the various glass boxes, bottles, utensils, and even pots and pans. Finally, he found a bottle he thought was good and jumped up and down to reach it.
Uruguay, bored with waiting, decided to try to find Wally to see where he ended up. So he ditched the halfling and started down the hallway.
*Wally POV*
Wally was following the Warden around, looking through each cell to find someone, anyone who matched his description. But unfortunately, none of the females so far looked right for the part, so they simply had to keep going up and down the rows to find the match.
Eventually, on Row 10, Wally spotted an orc who had long blonde hair and blue eyes, and Wally demanded they go to that cell immediately. The Warden looked at the confused orc.
"This is her? Surprising that the goddess of beauty chooses such an ugly form." The Warden asked.
"Yes, this is her," Wally affirmed. "she often disguises herself as something unappealing so she may not draw unwanted attention."
As The Warden was unlocking the cell, Wally got the orc's attention and winked at her, suggesting to play along. Thankfully, she got the hint.
The orc walked out of the cell and took Wally's hand. "Are you okay, dear? This prison didn't treat you too harshly, did it?"
"I-I'm fine, but this place is just awful. I'm fed slop, sleep among perverted men, and everyone treats me like dirt!"
The Warden is now on his face and knees bowing towards the orc. "Please, ma'am, I beg for forgiveness. Had I known you were here, I would have ensured your comfort."
Wally is mouthing to the orc, "Let all of these prisoners free."
"I demand you let all of these prisoners free! Even the worst of them don't deserve this kind of punishment! You should be ashamed of yourself!" the orc demands.
"It shall be so." The Warden agrees. He stands up and snaps his fingers. As soon as he'd done this, every cell door opened.
*LeBron POV*
LeBron finally manages to tip the glass off the shelf, which lands in his hands. Then, proudly, he returns to the halfling with the bottle. When he finds the halfling, the cafeteria is empty, save for a few bodies and hollow armor shells.
"Where'd everyone go?" LeBron asks the halfling.
"Well, as soon as the Helmed Horrors shut down, they fled towards the main entrance. Based on the silence, they probably got out."
"Oh. What about Uruguay?"
"He went to find the sleeping halfling from this morning."
"I say we follow him if there's no danger of guards."
"Sounds good to me."
*Uruguay POV*
Uruguay walks along the hallway until he hears a loud clamoring of prisoners behind him. He ducks into a row with no prisoners and waits until they all pass him. Everyone seemed to be headed out the front door for freedom.
Uruguay walks for a little longer before seeing Wally, an orc with blonde hair and a large man with a long robe. He waits for the man to leave before closing the distance between him and Wally.
As Uruguay reaches Wally, the orc decides to leave also, except she went out the front door. The Turtle and the Halfling reunite and decide to return to LeBron before leaving the prison.
Both parts of the party reunite and decide to retrieve their things from the confiscation room next to The Warden's office.
The mysterious halfling asks the group, "So what are your plans after this?"
The party isn't sure. LeBron secretly reveals his distrust in the halfling.
"Well, I'm going straight to the king. I hear he is a good king and will grant some prisoners a pardon if they do some work for him. But for now, let's worry about getting our stuff."
The party couldn't remember which cell or row they were staying in, so they split into groups. One group, LeBron and the halfling, went to Row 3's chest, while the other group, Uruguay and Wally, went to Row 30's chest.
LeBron and the halfling found nothing, so they returned to Wally and Uruguay to get their stuff back. With their property acquired, they decide to finally leave. However, Wally took the opportunity to slit the halfling's throat, and he ultimately succeeded in the murder of the mysterious halfling. Unfortunately, the commotion caused The Warden to come out of his office to see what happened.
"Brother! Where is your wife? Why do you-"
The Warden stopped mid-sentence as he came to realize he had been deceived. Then, with rage, he snapped his fingers again, and the Helmed Horrors returned to life. All of the Horrors were now sprinting towards the party. Wally and LeBron ran for it, but Uruguay stood his ground. He tried to reason with The Warden, but The Warden wasn't in a reasonable state of mind. Begrudgingly, Uruguay ran out as well.
The party ran until they were about a mile from the prison. Then, they turned around and witnessed a giant pillar of flame emerging from the center of the facility with a booming roar of rage filling the sky. They hoped the king wouldn't know that they were responsible for this.
End of Part 1