A tale of two prisoners

The commander breaks free

Despite his name, he was frigid cold

The colonel by the name of heated was in a prison of wood and stone, keep from his freedom by metal and rope

He attempted to stand, before falling back down, his legs buckling from a long period of inactivity. How long had he been out? He tried standing again, this time using the nearby wall for support. He looked around his cell, noticing a bed attached to the wall with a stone mattress and a small fur blanket. On the wall opposite to him was a small hole in the ground. Based on the stench, he knew what it was for

Scrunching his face, he made his way to the bars, grabbing hold of them and looking out. He seemed to be in a sort of underground prison. He could hear other people with him, their wails echoing throughout the hallways before abruptly stopping and starting at random times

He looked for anything that could help him out, but seeing nothing. The only thing he could do is wait for now. He made his way over to the bed, sitting on it and trying to remember what had happened to lead to him ending up here, but found nothing. Maybe it would come back in time he prayed

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden series of sounds echoing throughout the halls. Footsteps. And they were coming towards him. Standing up, nearly falling over due to the suddenness of this movement, he made his way to the bars and gasped. It was a chieftain. He tried to remember who. Maybe it was someone named.. zr? Maybe tank? He simply couldn't remember

Before he had anymore time to get frustrated at his actions, the chieftain stopped in front of his cell, looking him dead in the eyes. They then opened the cell, grabbing them by their arm and dragging them through the halls

Heated was a rather curious man, earning his place by careful questions and thoughtful answers. And so he spoke

"You don't need to pull so hard, you know. In fact, I doubt you even need to pull. I don't have a weapon and I can bet my life you do."

He said, seeing the sword sheathed at the Chieftains side. Said Chieftain, seeing a good point, let go of the commander and allowed him to follow. Heated then spoke again

"So, my names Heated, but I can guess you already knew that. Would you mind if I asked for yours?"

He said, curiously. And then the Chieftain spoke in a deep tone, responding with

"My name is shadow. And yes, I already knew your name. Most of the chieftains do. It's not every day we capture a commander, especially one of your rank. There hasn't been a new colonel in months after all."

He said, smirking. He truly was a good catch. A good bargaining tool for them. But that's not why shadow had grabbed him

The rest of the walk was silent, as heated knew the information he needed while shadow simply didn't speak. It was odd to the colonel but most chieftains had some sort of quirk

After a long walk spanning at least thirty minutes, they made it to their destination. A dead end. Heated looked at shadow curious before saying

"Why have we stopped at a wall? In fact, why is there even a wall right here? It feels out of place.."

He said, going forward to touch it. And when he did, it simply fell apart. It was paper

Shadow looked at heated with a grin before saying

"Be lucky I feel sympathy for you, else you wouldn't be making it out of these crypts for many years. Now, once you're out, there should be weapons waiting for you by a stump near the entrance to the woods just in case you happen to come across a foe."

He said, pushing heated into the tunnel. Shadow spoke once more, saying

"Please stay safe. It would be tragic if a life as valuable as yours is lost. Now go find your friends, your comrades. Your king. Hail brick god."

He said as he covered up the tunnel, smile on his face. Heated, under his breath said

"Hail brick god. The king forgives you my friend."

And then he ran deeper into the tunnel

It must've been hours until he emerged from that dark abyss, exiting from a small hole covered by rocks and moss. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight, feeling pierced by their gaze. It was only after a minute that he was able to see once more

Autumn was in full swing as leafs fell from the trees. The orange leafs coating the normally green ground their color. Heated walked forward, moving through the leafs until he found a stump with a sword inside it. He pulled it out of the stump, finding a note as well that had been stabbed by the sword. It read

"My favor has been repaid, but I know you will not read this. To the one that does, I wish you good luck. Hail to the two gods."

No signature, just writing. He tossed it to the side, silently thanking the one who gave him this gift, gripping the swords hilt tightly, he continued forward. He walked for hours and hours on end, seeing the Hole he emerged from vanish, replaced by the great kingdom of the Farlands. He continued walking

Through the next few days, he lived off the land, killing animals, drinking river water and sleeping among the wilderness. That all ended when he found himself in a clearing. But he wasn't the only one there. Across from his was a man with antlers, staring him down. Heated looked at the man, recognizing him and only him. A Chieftain. Drawing his sword, he readied himself for battle. One he would never come out from. A battle of two prisoners