"Hmph!" Ye Ci snorted without answering the soldier, which was a perfect imitation of Fa'tar.
The soldier remained silent as he followed anxiously behind Fa'tar as they headed for the cells. Ye Ci was looking left and right for Andrei. Although she has attempted to scout out the area, the holding cells were not accessible to players. Ye Ci did not have Andrei's precise location. She could only strolled along like Fa'tar while looking for Andrei.
The area holding the major criminals is not complex, and Ye Ci was able to spot Andrei quickly.
Ye Ci stood outside the cell and motioned at the soldier, "Open the door."
"Yes milord." the soldier did not even dare to question the order. He opened the door for Ye Ci, and followed her into the cell.
The smell of rot filled the air in the holding cell. There was no light source other than a burning charcoal pit in a corner of the cell. It was obvious that the charcoal pit was not put in place to warm the prisoner up, and a few iron brands could be seen lying in its withering flames. With the help of the dim light emanating from the charcoal pit, Ye Ci began surveying the holding cell.
It was a big cell with dozens of different torture instruments lining the wall. One would shiver when one lay his or her sight at the dozens of gruesome instruments.
The person who Ye Ci was looking for, Andrei, was strung up on a rack. The man was badly beaten, with wounds covering all parts of his body. Some of his wounds have even begun to fester.
Ye Ci stood in front of Andrei, and covered her nose with a disgruntled expression just like Fa'tar would. The soldier on duty immediately placed a chair behind her and spoke with a tone full of flattery, "Milord, have a seat."
Ye Ci nodded and took the opportunity to send the soldier away, "You can go now. I'll come out in a short moment."
"Yes, milord." the soldier was reluctant to stay long in Fa'tar's presence as well. After all, he could feel tremendous pressure whenever he was near Fa'tar. It would be better for him to be lazing around somewhere else. After saluting Ye Ci, the soldier left the cell.
Ye Ci listened to the soldier's footsteps, and slowly looked at Andrei when she was sure that the soldier was quite a safe distance away.
Andrei returned her gaze with a glare full of fury, "I will not tell you a thing even if you kill me. Is this all you got? Come on! We'll see which one is tougher! Will it be your torture instruments, or I, Andrei?"
Ye Ci continued staring at Andrei. He did look like a tough guy. Ye Ci rested her elbows on the armrest and crossed her fingers before speaking up calmly, "I haven't even spoken yet, why do you have to be so loud? It seems that you still have a lot of strength in you."
"It doesn't matter anyways! You know why? Because I don't give a f*ck about suns of beaches like you! Come! Kill me if you have the balls!"
"Oh really? Are you sure?"
"Yes! Come on! Show me what you got!"
Ye Ci smiled. He was indeed a tough person. But, was this tough person smart enough to cooperate with her? If he refused to cooperate, it would be really hard for Ye Ci to complete her quest.
Andrei studied the ring silently, and his expression changed, "Fa'tar! You sun of a beach! You killed my brother! I can't believe that you killed my brother! I'll kill you!"
Ye Ci snorted and looked at Andrei with disdain. It seemed that he was not very smart. His abilit to analyze the situation was lacking. Ye Ci had overestimated the IQ and EQ of this NPC, "If Fa'tar killed Milada, do you think that you, Andrei, will still be alive?"
Of course, the words were spoken with Ye Ci's own voice. It was a soft feminine voice with a hint of coldness. It was a coldness that could chill one down to one's bones.
"Who… Are you?" Ye Ci was lucky that Fate was a Western Fantasy world. If this happened in an Eastern Fantasy, the NPC might even have thought that Ye Ci was deceiving him through the use of ventriloquism.
"You don't have to know. I've been entrusted by someone to get you out of here." Ye Ci replied calmly.
"By someone?" Andrei was momentarily stunned before coming into a sudden realization, "You must be talking about Milada! Did Milada sent you to rescue me?"
Ye Ci wasted no effort in answering his question. She continued staring at Andrei while tossing the ring up and down.
"No, it can't be! You must be Fa'tar! Even if you sound different, you're still Fa'tar! You're trying to trick me!" bellowed Andrei angrily, "I will not be tricked by you! Let me tell you, I will never tell you a thing!"
Ye Ci could not bring herself to waste time on talking sense into this NPC with apparently low IQ. Fa'tar was about to return in any moment. If this dragged on, her plan would fail, and she would never be able to get her rewards, and might even lose her Prestige with Red Lake City. She might even be jailed because of this.
She stood up and walked to the interrogation table nearby and took up a set of keys. She walked up to Andrei and released him from the metal rack. Despite Andrei's tough appearance, his body was heavily injured due to prolonged torture. He fell right onto the ground, opening up more wounds on his already ravaged body. He could do nothing but groan in pain.
Ye Ci paid him no heed. As an NPC, as long as he's not dead, Andrei would be able to heal up in time.
"The real Fa'tar will be back in about an hour. Do you want to leave this place with me, or do you want to continue wasting time by bickering with me?" Ye Ci looked down at Andrei and gave him a choice. She prayed silently that Andrei would make the right choice, and not drag her down.
"I'm not going with you!" Andrei could still not bring himself to trust Ye Ci who looked just like Fa'tar, "You're lying!"
Ye Ci's temper rose. She stooped down and pinched Andrei's face that was riddled with scar. The convict immediately winced in pain, "So what if I'm Fa'tar? You'll die if you stay here, and you might die if you go with me. You're going to die anyways! So what are you afraid of?"
"Who said that I'm afraid?" somebody like Andrei would easily fall prey to tricks like this. Andrei was apparently angered by Ye Ci's words, "I, Andrei, has been through a lot. There's nothing that I've never experienced before! Do you think that I'll cower before you petty tricks, Fa'tar? Let's go then! We'll see where you end my life today!"
Ye Ci was satisfied with Andrei's reaction. She let go of his face, and patted him on the cheek, "If that is your wish, let's go then."
There was no way Andrei could still move after the injuries that his body has suffered. However, he was reluctant to lose face in front of Ye Ci, or rather, his old Rival Fa'tar. He forced himself to stand on his feet by sheer force of will, and followed close behind Ye Ci, "Fine, I'll go with you."
Ye Ci wasted no time in talking with Andrei. She left the cell and leave the prisoner holding area, mimicking Fa'tar's gait, with her armor clanking on the damp floor, as if she was a harbinger of death.
"M-milord…" the soldier on duty immediately greeted Ye Ci when he heard her footsteps, and his face turned pale when he saw Andrei who was following close behind, "Milord, this prisoner is very dangerous…"
"I'm going to end him this time." a sinister smile appeared on Ye Ci's lips, inducing fear nto the soldier's heart.
"What can I do for you, milord?"
"Get a wagon ready." said Ye Ci calmly. The soldier immediately snapped to attention and went to carry out Ye Ci's orders. Ye Ci then picked up her pace and led Andrei out of the prison.
It has been too long since Andrei last seen the sun. He vision blurred the moment he stepped out into the sun, and fainted. Ye Ci gave the soldier who was on duty a look, and the soldier immediately threw Andrei onto the wagon. Ye Ci then climbed onto the horse that was pulling the wagon and nodded at the soldier, "You did a great job. You're a smart man, well done."
The soldier was nervous. He was confused by the happenings. But when he received praise from Ye Ci, the soldier was happy. Everybody knew that it was very rare for Fa'tar to praise his subordinates. How could the soldier not be happy when he was praised by "Fa'tar"?
"Thank you milord! Thank you milord." the soldier was beaming happily.
Ye Ci waved at the soldier, "Get back in there. Somebody must watch over the criminals."
"Yes, milord." the soldier, who felt a sudden surge of diligence after receiving praise from Ye Ci, immediately vanished from sight. Ye Ci stole a glance at Andrei who has passed out in the wagon and smiled. She would be able to complete her mission if she was able to leave Red Lake City before Fa'tar returns.
Ye Ci spurred the horse forward with the whip, and the horse immediately dragged the wagon along with it towards the outskirts of Red Lake City.
The wagon was actually not well built, and was rattling furiously as Ye Ci galloped at full speed. She was slightly worried that the wagon would fall apart before she could leave the city. However, she had no time to worry. It was a long journey from the prison to the city gate. If she was not fast enough, she might not be able to leave the city.
Ye Ci did not remove her disguise. Her journey across Red Lake City was not obstructed as the soldiers and NPCs would clear a path for her as she galloped onward.
"Lord Fa'tar is leaving the city! Lord Fa'tar is leaving the city!" shouted the sentries as Ye Ci galloped towards the city gate. The soldiers formed up and saluted at Ye Ci as she rode past them out of the city. She did not even look at the soldiers as she stormed past the men. She then headed to the forest in Silvery Tin Vein after she was a safe distance away from Red Lake City.
Fa'tar who returned to the prison was stunned when there were no sentries around the prison, "Where are my men? Where are my men?" he then roared out in anger.
The soldiers who were posted at the prison were all patrolling the streets, and had no knowledge of the arrival of the real Fa'tar.
After his shouts went unanswered, Fa'tar immediately activated his skill to summoned his sentries. Before long, the soldiers who were patrolling the streets gathered at the prison. They soon came to the realisation that somebody pretending to be Fa'tar has rescued Andrei from the prison.
Fa'tar was furious. Fa'tar was very, very furious.
"All of you are good for nothing! Lock the city down and find this person or you'll all be fired for your dereliction of duty today!" Fa'tar drew out his sword and roared at his men.
It was all too late.
By that time, Ye Ci had already brought Andrei to a secluded spot in the Silvery Tin Vein. When Andrei returned to his sense, Fa'tar was nowhere in sight, and a female Elf with Silvery hair was staring at hm not fair away. Andrei was confused. He even begun to suspect that he has died.
If he's alive, why is he not in the prison when he opened his eyes? Why is he in the forest?
Andrei blinked and looked at the female Elf with silvery hair. She was roasting meat over a campfire. The meat sizzled, and Andrei's nostrils were assaulted by the meat's fragrant smell. There was a knife covered in blood beside the rock that the Elf was sitting on, and as Andrei looked at the object beside the knife...
He found two lifeless eyes staring at him. Even a seasoned veteran like Andrei was startled. Of course, those eyes belonged to a horse.
"Ah, you're awake?" Ye Ci stared at Andrei who was looking at… the horse's head beside her, and smiled, "Eat up. I'm a rather good cook. Do you want a bite?"
Andrei was able to retain his wits despite the relentless assault by the fragrant smell. He visibly gulped, and asked, "Who… Are you?"
Ye Ci tossed the ring to Andrei. It was the most direct answer to Andrei's question. As expected, he was stunned. That was why the Elf's voice sounded so familiar to him, "Ah, it's you!"
Noting that Andrei have not moved closer, Ye Ci threw a piece of roasted meat to him, "Eat while it's hot. When you've regained your strength, I'll be able to complete my mission."
Andrei picked up the meat and stared at Ye Ci for a short moment before speaking up, "You're a citizen of Red Lake City, why are you helping me?"
"I'm a merchant, and a merchant will only do something that benefits him or herself." Ye Ci pursed her lips, and began eating the roasted horse meat. The horse given to her by the soldier was such a fine horse. Since it was impossible for her to bring it back to the city, she might as well kill it for its meat. It was such a waste.
Andrei stared silently at Ye Ci for a long moment before he started gobbling down the meat. He let out a hearty laugh as he enjoyed his meal, "I like dealing with merchants! They only have benefits in their eyes."
Ye Ci remained silent. She stared up into the sky, at the dazzling sunlight shining down on her.
