Jailbreak

The two sat in silence for what felt like days.

Hiiro couldn’t find what to say to the girl who had seemed so meek, yet lashed out at him.

Manako simply had no words left, believing all to be for naught.

That atmosphere lasted for a long time.

“Hey.”

Hiiro’s head shot up as his gaze fell on the source of the voice. Manako’s head had lifted a bit, revealing a set of lifeless eyes.

“Y-yeah?”

“You… You wanted to know why we hate demons so much?” Manako asked lifelessly, no emotion in her voice.

“Yes…” Hiiro winced as he realized the implication of ‘we’.

“While… Heh heh.” She let out a dry chuckle, “How long do you think elves live?”

“Elves… Live..? Isn’t it like a thousand years?” I swear, Rika said something along those lines when we talked about Fryerain.

“Heh… We used to.”

“Used… To?”

“Heh, Elves used to live thousands of years… There’s an elder who's said to have lived that long… No one knows where he is…” Manako’s eyes grew dark before turning lifeless once again. “But since Demons appeared, our lifespan has shortened.”

“What does that have to do with us?”

“Heh, you demons seem to have a thing for elves.”

“...” Hiiro couldn’t deny that.

“Your blood mixed with ours, lowering our life span. More than that, our culture changed over time, becoming more and more like yours.”

Hiiro had wondered about her name and clothes, finding them suspiciously Japanese; however, he had never asked due to Manako avoiding him.

“Our language, homes, culture… Most have changed, we can't even speak that language anymore…

“We can barely be called elves…”

Despite the lifelessness in her eyes, the vitriol was obvious in her words.

Hiiro couldn’t deny any of that, at least on a larger scale.

“I..!”

Tung!

Suddenly, the door to the prison cells opened.

For a moment, Hiiro didn’t know who had entered, due to the door being around a corner.

“Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!”

At the words of the person, Hiiro knew that the person was the dracoling he was tired of seeing, Shaw.

The red scales of his body swayed as he entered, his eyes crazed, a look of anger and confusion on his face.

“How how how how! How is she alive!”

Hiiro looked to the man, wondering what he meant. In the corner of his vision, he saw Manako’s eyes twitch.

Shaw hobbled past the two of them, retreating to further cells.

After a few minutes of listening to his mumbling, he returned, carrying a pile of familiar flowers.

“Gila..?”

“How..? I'm going to get beaten! Damn it, I never asked for this! I’m a mighty Dracoling, how do I have to suffer-” His words trailed off.

“W-what happened?” Hiiro asks, doing his best to appear friendly.

“What happened?” Shaw turns towards him, quickly grabbing the bars, dropping the pile of flowers. Manako retreats, her body shaking.

“WHAT HAPPENED?! That fucking bitch with those damn eyes is ALIVE! How the hell, I watch her get crushed!”

Manako’s body stopped shaking, her face rising a bit.

“She and the rest of you bastards are making a mess, killing off all out ants!” Shaw turned, picking up the Gila flowers and walking to the door. “Bastards need to die!”

Tung!

The door shut once more, returning the room to silence.

However, it didn’t last long.

“Ha!

“Haha, hahahahahahah.” Manako breaks into laughter. It’s neither a dry chuckle nor sarcastic.

“Wha?”

“She’s alive! She… She’s alive! Hahaha.”

Hiiro watches on in shock, surprised by Manako’s outburst.

A few seconds go by as Manako laughs, eventually-

“Okay, we need to get out!”

“Huh?”
“What, do you not want to?”
“No… That’s not it…” Hiiro was shocked by the change in attitude. While Manako was still apprehensive of him, she had obviously improved. “How are we getting out?”

“That…”

The two returned to silence.

Hiiro thought for a moment, trying to remember anything that could help.

Magic was a no-go; this deep into the dungeon, the mana had all been eaten, and very little was left.

His katana had been lost in the crash.

His pneuma was limited due to the way his arms had been restrained, leaving him no way to use it.

…

He still had the necklace the church had given him.

Other than that, there was nothing…

Wait!

Hiiro quickly shifted the way he was sitting, shaking his coat thoroughly, and a small sack fell out of his cloak.

“Huh?” Manako looked surprised.

Hiiro used his feet to lift the bag into his lap.

“What are those?”

“Magic seeds… Some merchant gave me them… Maybe they’ll help!”

“Those…”

Hiiro looked expectantly at Manako, waiting for her reply.

“They are just regular seeds.”

Hiiro’s jaw fell, leaving a shocked expression plastered on his face.

I knew that creepy merchant couldn’t be trusted!

“But…” Manako added. “That will be perfect!”

“Huh?!”

“Can you get a seed into your cuffs?” Manako asked.

Confused, Hiiro nodded. Using the soccer skills he had perfected, Hiiro kicks the bag into his arms. Painstakingly, he opens it and grabs a seed, placing it between his left wrist and the cuffs.

“Okay… How does this help?”

“Ohpikiw!”

Suddenly, Hiiro felt the seen bulge. In a moment, a small stem appeared from the place he had put the seed. After a minute, a flower bloomed, a white tulip. This flower continued to grow until its petals wilted.

“Try to get out now!” Manako said.

Hiiro immediately followed the instructions, attempting to force his way out. To his surprise, this worked; the cuff of his left wrist shattering.

“Yes!” Hiiro immediately used his now free arm, saying “Kiru!” And cutting through the steel.

Continuing, Hiiro walked over the Manako, cutting the cuffs of her wrist.

Standing, Manako retreats away a few steps before saying, “Thanks…”

Hiiro nods to this and tosses her the sack.

“These are probably more useful for you.”

Manako catches the sack and puts it away.

-

The two reach the door.

After a moment of hesitation, Hiiro says, “We don't know where we are, what awaits us, we may not even be able to use magic.”

The closer one was to the core of a dungeon, the less mana there was, due to the surplus of monsters.

Hiiro looks back at Manako.

“I'm gonna make my way out!” Manako says, reaching for the door. “There's someone I need to find. I promised to help her with bugs.” Manako says with a wry smile, as if repeating a mantra.

Hiiro, after hearing this, pushes the door open.

The opening of the door reveals a monkey-like monster, which had been facing the other way but turned around at the door's opening.

“Escap-” The monkey surprisingly began to speak, but was interrupted by an impromptu Swing from Hatano.

“Kiru!”

The monkey splits in half, strange blood splattering everywhere.

The two peak out of the door. The hall extended both ways, with the right leading up and around the corner. The walls portrayed an ancient design of sandstone and hieroglyphics.

The two step out into the hallway, with Hiiro leading.

“Looks like it's clear,” Hatano said after scanning the hallway. “Now… Up or down?”

“Up.” Manako confidently states.

“You're sure?”

“Yeah, this is a dungeon. We’re probably underground.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

The two turn and head down the path leading up. The slope isn't steep, the two walk for a few minutes, until-

ROOOOOAR!

A loud sound echoes from above them.

“What the hell?!” Hiiro says as the entire structure shakes.

The two instantly recognize the sound.

The familiar roar of the azure dragon resounds in their ears.