The Brig was located in the lowest layer of the ship, and was a dark, dank, and ominous place, totally lacking in comfort.
The cell walls and ceilings were from a strange dark wood with numerous runic carvings, that constantly siphoned the energy of the inmates to maintain itself. This way, so long as they remained alive, they would be unable to escape.
It had a maximum holding capacity of three hundred, but there were currently only a few people down here. Apart from Zue and a few of the Lightslayers that had refused to concede, the rest were the remnants of the Crimson Warriors.
These once proud hedonists, who had thought because of the little power they had been offered, that they could rule the world, now sat here in the dark; weak and starved.
Seated on the hard floors Rollo's mind was filled with nothing but dark thoughts. With nothing to do for the past month or so, it was only natural for the human psyche to begin degeneration. And he was even better that the others...
The cells were quiet because they had worn themselves out, and not for any other reason. The first few days has been filled with screams, curses and yells...
Overtime, that had dwindled down to just curses, then cries for help, repentance, and then finally, exhaustion came...
Some had even tried to take their own lives, but the cells had inbuilt healing systems that made this almost impossible with their current states.
Rollo let out a sigh, 'That damned Guy... Just dying like that.'
He and Guy had gone a long way, before even the series of events that had brought about the end of the old era.
They had been close, but their relationship was that of a subordinate and master. Guy gave the orders, and he carried them out.
Although he felt bad about Guy's death, he wasn't overly surprised.
Because he had seen it coming from a mile away. Guy's ambition would definitely put him on the radar of some less than savory characters, some even more terrifying than himself.
If he was unable to create a rover of blood and a mountain of corpse, his body would be added to the pile.
'It just happened so fast. That guy... just what the hell is he?'
As Rollo wallowed in his thoughts, he heard something. His eyes narrowed,
'Guards? The last time someone came was three days ago. The week isn't over.'
In order to prevent any of the prisoners from dying, they were given a small amount of Mutant Beast meat every week. It contained enough vitality to keep them alive, but with such quantity of food, they wouldn't be able to do much else outside from just existing.
The sound of feet hitting the ground came soon after.
The entire prison stirred...
Many began howling at the top of their lungs. Curses, rage-filled roars, screams for forgiveness, and sobbing pleas all bounced off the Dark wood walls, but they fell on deaf ears.
The person in question leisurely strolled through the dark corridors, ignoring the many emancipated arms reaching out for him.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a cell. Inside the cell was a somewhat large young man with a brawny figure. His physique was still amazing even after a month of near starvation, and looking at his face, aside from a few stubbles of facial hair, one could tell he was not above twenty years of age.
Staring down at Rollo, Cain had a dark expression on his face.
Rollo also stared up at Cain, his face impassive, but his head filled with thoughts,
'What does he want with me?!'
Ever since that day, Rollo hadn't seen Cain again. He had been of the opinion that he wanted to leave him rotting here forever. Rollo obviously had plans to escape, but he knew that if he couldn't kill Cain, then he might either be killed himself, or thrown right back into this horrible place.
A quite dread filled his chest...
Cain suddenly smiled. However, in the darkness, his smile looked particularly ominous,
"Let's chat for a bit." Cain said as he opened the door to the iron door to the cell.
Rollo was a bit taken aback. The moment two people were in the cell, the enchantments were rendered unoperational.
This meant he would be able to recover his strength after some time. Dakr thoughts began drifting in his head.
Cain gave him an unamused stare, "I won't tell you not to make an attempt, but if you do, I won't hold back at all. Perhaps a few broken bones will do the trick?"
Rollo immediately calmed down, a shiver running through his spine.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Rollo asked cautiously, his voice raspy from not having spoken at all for the latter half of a month.
Cain's smile reappeared, "Why so eager? Calm down a bit. Are you hungry?"
Rollo hesitated for a bit before nodding. Cain produced a huge slab of succulent meat from thin air and threw it at him.
Catching it, Rollo could sense the heat and delightful aromas coming from the meat. Saliva began leaking from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry. It's been grilled fresh. You can eat it."
Rollo wasted no time sinking his teeth into the food. He didn't even care if it was poisoned or not. If Cain wanted to take care of him, he wouldn't go about it after all.
Once Rollo was done with the meal, a warm heat flowed through his entire body.
'This meat is definitely not from any normal creature.'
The vitality contained within the body of a Mutant Beast was equivalent to its rank and Tier. From what Rollo could tell, this Beast was more likely than not, a Tier 1 Mutant Beast.
Staring at Cain, Rollo had a few thoughts in his mind.
'He doesn't really look the part. At the same time, he does... It's quite hard to tell.'
If one were to glance at Cain, one wouldn't be able to guess how strong he was. Perhaps it was his demeanor, which was most of the time, cool and levelheadedness. However, if one were to look again, this time, a bit harder, then maybe they would be able to see the demon behind the smile.
'Or maybe it's the scar...'
Cain cleared his throat, "Now that you've had your fill, I wanted to ask you afew questions. Please answer them truthfully."
Rollo nodded. Cain continued,
"First of all... Were you ordered to kill him, or was it of your own accord?"
Rollo immediately knew who Cain was talking about. He didn't hesitate to answer,
Cain asked another question, his eyes narrowed,
"Did you enjoy killing him?"
Rollo sighed, clenching his fists, "I don't enjoy taking human lives."
Cain's brow shot up, "Is that so?"
Rollo was silent. Cain hesitated for a second before asking another question,
"Why on earth did you decide to support that bastard in doing the things he did?"
This time, ut was Rollo's turn to hesitate.
'Why, indeed... Was it because I'm infected yo him, or...'
Rollo sighed, "I... I was scared."
Cain frowned, "Of what?"
"Scared of what any other human would be. Scared of losing my life... Scared of losing a friend, someone I'd known for so long. I guess you could say that I was waiting for him to come back to his senses, but after he encountered that thing, he changed for the worse."
Cain dropped his head, then muttered something to himself. After some time, he raised his eyes to stare at Rollo,
"What thing? What did he encounter that made him change?"
Rollo's face was dark, "An eye. An eye as red as blood. The moment he found it, some strange energy spread throughout the island, and most of us were able to get a glimpse of the Blood God, Azimuth, obtaining his blessings in the process."
'So that's it.' Cain finally was able to put the pieces together. But tehre was still something not adding up.
"I heard that the nature of the Celestial who gives his power is something that those who receive it often share. Why are you different?"
Cain could tell... This Rollo, was different from the jtehr Crimson Warriors. He had more self control, and didn't give into his desires like the others. Even when he had come here, he was the only one who had not lost his mind.
He wanted to know what it was...
Rollo shrugged, "I have no idea. While the urge to revel in degeneracy is definitely there, it isn't something I can't fight against. It's no different from wanting to have relationships with a woman with a big-"
"That's alright, I understand your point!"
Cain sighed, 'Could it be that everyone is different, or is there something special about him?'
Cain couldn't tell...
But that didn't matter.
"For my final question... If I decide to release you, and absolve you of the things you've done, what will you do?"
Rollo's eyes widened. He could feel his heart beating a step faster in his chest, pounding against his ribs,
Cain grinned, "It's a maybe, you know... I just want to know your thoughts."
Rollo thought about it for a bit before looking at Cain with resolute eyes,
"I'll get the hell of this ship."
Cain let out a laugh, "That was honest at least."
Once he was done laughing, he put a serious look on his face,
"If you agree to help me with something, I'll give you your freedom. Once we get to the city, I'll even let you go free. You'll no longer be infected as well. What do you say?"
"If that's all there is to it, I agree." Rollo said.
Cain nodded, stretching his hand forward,
"Then we have a deal."
Rollo took his hand and shook it, "By the way, what is it exactly you want me to do?"
Cain grinned, his pleased expression holding a touch of manuc wickedness,
"Oh, nothing too serious. I just want you to kill a few people..."
Rollo's face turned pale immediately...