Spirit Chronicles: A New Beginning

S3 EP 8: Escape

"Huh, what's going on?"  Rio thought to himself. He, Satsuki, and the others had been traveling through a Beltrum search camp when they were suddenly arrested by the guards there and Rio was knocked unconsious. "They were so fast that I couldn't react... Why did they arrest us anyway?"

"Master Haruto..." Aishia called, telepathically. "Is there something you desire from me, master?

"So you can talk to me in a coma... Aishia,  just what is going on?"

Aishia explained the situation. "The Beltrum Kingdom's new authority, House Arbor, has ordered the arrest of all other country's heroes whenever spotted. Since Satsuki is one of those, she and you others were arrested."

"But why would they want the arrest of all the other heroes?" Rio asked.

"I do not have those answers, Haruto." Aishia apologized. "Would you like for me to gather them?"

"Yes." Rio agreed. "Knowing the full situation is best now. Also, do you think you could wake me?"

"Yes." 

Smack.

Rio got up from where he was sleeping, a major pain in his stomach. Aishia was sitting next to him, looking pleased. "Mission accomplished. Punching technique was successful."

"Was punching me in the guts the best course of action?" Rio asked.

"Yes." Aishia observed. "Now it is time for me to gather your necessary information. I will meet back with you once I have all you need." With that, she left in her spirit form to fulfill Rio's request.

Rio looked around the room to observe where he current was. It was a cell inside a brick building, heavily guarded and magic resistant. "So magic wouldn't be available to let you escape. It's been a while since I've been a Beltrum cell..."  

He looked and saw that Satsuki, Charlotte, and Liselotte were all still unconscious. "So whatever they used to incapacitate us let them move us from that site all the way here... And is still in affect..."

Rio studied the girl's conditions and decided that letting them rest was the best course of action. "So, how am I going to get us out of here..." Suddenly, the sound of footsteps started to echo down the halls of the prison, getting louder and louder. "Looks like a patrol of some sort is coming...

As the footsteps continued to get louder and louder, Rio debated on faking still being unconscious. The reminders of what had happened in his early years during the questioning of Princess Flora's location still lurked in his mind. Still, he stayed conscious as he waited. "Someone needs to find out what is happening here..."

Finally, the guards arrived at the cell. There were four normal knights and one female knight leading them. The female had brown hair and looked quite young for someone leading a guard unit. "I feel like I've seen her somewhere before..."

"We're taking you for questioning." she said, disdainfully. She had two of her guards open the cell and grab Rio to shove him up. "Let's go."

Rio was taken into an integration room inside the prison and sat down in a chair across from the woman who had been leading the guards, hands cuffed and magic restrained by special items. "Again, I could use my spirit arts still, but it's better to wait for now..."

"Now, can you tell me what you were doing passing through here?" the woman asked.

"We are trying to reach the other side of here to look for some people we lost." Rio said, avoiding anything about who Miharu and the others really were.

"And why is the hero of Galarc with you?" the woman then questioned.

"She is helping me find these people per request."

The woman nodded, sighing in relief. "Good. I was worried that Galarc was planning an attack."

"Worried they would attack?"  Rio remembered of the tension between Galarc and Beltrum and surmised that the two kingdoms were at odds. "But why would Beltrum cast aside a formerly powerful ally?"

"Does that conclude that me and my accomplices can leave?" Rio asked, hoping for an ok on their exit.

The woman shook her head. "We'll send a message up to the castle for your release, but until then you'll remain here as prisoners."

"Not good... We needed to leave now, which means that I may have to have us make a quick escape..."

"But we need to get to the other side of this camp so we can find my friends." Rio tried reasoning.

Still, the woman just shook her head. "That isn't going to work I'm afraid. You'll just have to keep looking after I get the word that I can let you go." That's what Rio expected her to to repeat, but now that meant he could form a plan to get out of this mess.

***

"And that's why we're going to have to escape this prison." Rio explained to the others.

Satsuki nodded. "Besides, knowing the current leadership of the Beltrum Kingdom, they probably wouldn't have let us out of this prison anyway..."

"This is so annoying!" Charlotte protested. "I don't know why Beltrum is so idiotic! Don't they know Galarc was trying to become their allies only a whole year ago!"

"Beltrum is being headed by the Arbor family and they've always been a shady bunch..." Liselotte observed. "It would be wise to avoid them more often."

"Indeed. So now, it would be prudent that we focus on a plan of escaping this place." Rio explained." Aishia appeared beside Rio after taking her human form. "Aishia, what is the best course of escape?"

"There is an exit toward the west side of this building that will be sufficient." Aishia observed.

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Charlotte asked.

"I was about to ask the same thing." Liselotte agreed. "She came out of nowhere!"

"Sorry. This is my friend, Aishia." Rio surmised. He couldn't tell them she was a spirit for reason of unnecessary problems that could arise from the fact of not knowing how Spirit Arts really worked. "She's really stealthy, so you just didn't see her. Sorry I didn't mention this earlier."

"No, it's fine!" Satsuki assured. "If she's on our side, then it works for us. Let's just focus on our plan of leaving this place!"

"Yeah! I don't want to be in this filthy cell!" Charlotte exclaimed, followed by a nod from Liselotte.

"Then let's get going..."