Chapter 383: 383
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Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of dripping water came rhythmically and periodically, forming an entire symphony of sounds.
The sound of water was both gentle and persistent, like the sound of water tipping from a high point, meeting the low points down below. With enough time, it would wear away even the steadiest of minds, like a single dripping point meeting rock for years on end.
The gentle sounds came from above head, and it was the sound that Alec woke up to.
The entire place was awash with the sounds of water meeting rock, having various points of water dripping with different intensities.
His arms were aching, and so were his wrists, more from being stretched excessively than from damage.
Blearily, Alec blinked his eyes and forced them to open, and despite the dim lighting in the place, his eyes still burned more than they should. They felt crusty, and he had to blink more than once to get the usual clarity back.
It felt like something had died in his mouth, which made his face change slightly in disgust.
The back of his neck was throbbing lightly, and Alec attributed it to the inspector that had knocked the two of them out yesterday.
At least, that was what he assumed.
After all, he had no memories from the time before he was knocked out past seeing the inspector's smile.
Now, he woke up in what seemed like a dungeon.
Looking around, he could see that he wasn't that far off.
His hands were shackled above his head, explaining the ache in them, and the room was barren save for the presence of himself.
On a single glance, it appeared as if the room didn't have a door, instead only having the solid stone blocks around.
Looking up, the water came from the little cracks in the room, causing him to raise a brow. He wondered if it was intentional.
Still, there should be a drainage system underneath, otherwise the water would have long formed puddles.
There was a single dim lightbulb in the middle of the room, swaying ever so gently in tune with the dripping water. From what, he didn't know. It wasn't like there was a draft inside this place.
Alec's feet were bare, and he had been stripped down and changed into plain white clothes.
Had Alec been a normal person, the chill in this place would have caused him to shiver incessantly, but as it was, Alec was made to withstand most of the elements, so other than his arms being sore, and his neck likely being bruised, he was fine.
The place was made out of solid rock, and it was cool to the touch.
There weren't the typical bars that signified a prisoner, like the cells the slaves had been placed in, nor was this like the technologically advanced rooms that had been on the ship that brought him back to the Kaoriht continent.
Alec could see no trace of Nicholas anywhere, and even when he concentrated his ears, all he could hear was the sound of the maddening dripping sounds.
Alec's brows furrowed a little, concentrating harder as he pushed away the sounds of the different water droplets.
He could hear it, but it was so faint that had it been anyone else, they would have been effectively crippled in this regard, leaving them clueless about what was going on.
Alec let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.
However, this was not the time for him to lose hope or give up. After all, the fact that he could hear the dripping water so clearly meant that they were confident enough in it that they thought they could seal this 'ability' of Alec's.
They treated Alec's extraordinary hearing like they were treating a solution to someone's Magitype.
What they didn't know was Alec's benefit.
Alec could hear a few faint conversations that were going on outside his 'cell' but they were mostly inconsequential.
He didn't hear any of the mention himself or Nicholas at all, which made him frown.
Alec tested the manacles that held his wrists for a bit before determining that he would be able to break out without a problem.
The thing was the company had assumed that Alec's strength was due to him pumping magic throughout his body like was the most common application in everyone else.
It was strength augmentation in the most simplistic way, but that wasn't what Alec was doing.
All his magic was used to Awaken parts of his body, allowing him to exist in the purest form as just himself and nothing else.
But it was not yet the time for that.
Closing his eyes, Alec made himself a little more comfortable in his spot as he rotated his wrists a little, getting his blood flow going again.
Since it wasn't the time to be stingy, Alec sent magic throughout his body, causing the magic that he painstakingly regathered throughout to Awaken himself further.
The magic that had been seeing a breakthrough to the Meister levels dropped back down to the bare minimum of the advanced tier.
After doing that, everything about his body had been upgraded at least a notch.
Strength seemed to flow through his body, and the previous fatigue disappeared like it was never there in the first place.
Cocking his head, the faint conversation became much clearer to his ears.
Even through the supposedly hearing dampeners and magic suppressors, the conversation now appeared as clear as day in his ears. It was even very crisp, like he was standing next to them and listening to them talk.
Suddenly, there was the sound of someone being dragged down the hallway.
One of the people outside tutted. \"There are still prisoners trying to escape. They just don't learn.\"
Another disdainful voice spoke up. \"Of course. If they don't get a taste of hardship, how will they learn?\"
\"But that one especially. He's already tried to escape four times. As I see it, the higherups should be giving the order to use more painful restraining methods on him soon.\"
A snicker. \"You're right. I wonder just how badly that one will suffer before he learns to behave.\"
\"What's his name again? Nicholas something?\"
\"Who cares? It's not like he's going to live long anyway.\"
Alec frowned. This smelled more like a trap than even the forest, but he couldn't just sit still and do nothing if Nicholas was truly in danger.
But… how long had Alec been out?
Nicholas escaping four times didn't make any sense.
With Alec's bodily constitution, he wouldn't take long to recover from being knocked out, yet Nicholas had already escaped four times?
Had they used something else to keep him down longer, or…
At this moment, he didn't have the luxury to think about it right now, because there was the sound of footsteps approaching his 'cell'.
This should be the person who was here to interrogate him, right?
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get Loeri to make a move on the inspector at that time.
Hindsight was indeed 20/20. He shouldn't have sent Loeri out to scout but instead kept it close to anticipate the time to make a move.
When the door opened, it almost appeared like the door had appeared out of the solid rock in a shape of a door.
Alec looked at the door calmly, and the person that was admitted was the inspector that he had seen right before he was knocked out by her.
While he saw the movements she'd taken to knock him out, his body hadn't been able to react in that split second, which ultimately led to his loss in her hands.
Now, she was here again.
She stepped in, her genial smile still stark on her face.
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Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of dripping water came rhythmically and periodically, forming an entire symphony of sounds.
The sound of water was both gentle and persistent, like the sound of water tipping from a high point, meeting the low points down below. With enough time, it would wear away even the steadiest of minds, like a single dripping point meeting rock for years on end.
The gentle sounds came from above head, and it was the sound that Alec woke up to.
The entire place was awash with the sounds of water meeting rock, having various points of water dripping with different intensities.
His arms were aching, and so were his wrists, more from being stretched excessively than from damage.
Blearily, Alec blinked his eyes and forced them to open, and despite the dim lighting in the place, his eyes still burned more than they should. They felt crusty, and he had to blink more than once to get the usual clarity back.
It felt like something had died in his mouth, which made his face change slightly in disgust.
The back of his neck was throbbing lightly, and Alec attributed it to the inspector that had knocked the two of them out yesterday.
At least, that was what he assumed.
After all, he had no memories from the time before he was knocked out past seeing the inspector's smile.
Now, he woke up in what seemed like a dungeon.
Looking around, he could see that he wasn't that far off.
His hands were shackled above his head, explaining the ache in them, and the room was barren save for the presence of himself.
On a single glance, it appeared as if the room didn't have a door, instead only having the solid stone blocks around.
Looking up, the water came from the little cracks in the room, causing him to raise a brow. He wondered if it was intentional.
Still, there should be a drainage system underneath, otherwise the water would have long formed puddles.
There was a single dim lightbulb in the middle of the room, swaying ever so gently in tune with the dripping water. From what, he didn't know. It wasn't like there was a draft inside this place.
Alec's feet were bare, and he had been stripped down and changed into plain white clothes.
Had Alec been a normal person, the chill in this place would have caused him to shiver incessantly, but as it was, Alec was made to withstand most of the elements, so other than his arms being sore, and his neck likely being bruised, he was fine.
The place was made out of solid rock, and it was cool to the touch.
There weren't the typical bars that signified a prisoner, like the cells the slaves had been placed in, nor was this like the technologically advanced rooms that had been on the ship that brought him back to the Kaoriht continent.
Alec could see no trace of Nicholas anywhere, and even when he concentrated his ears, all he could hear was the sound of the maddening dripping sounds.
Alec's brows furrowed a little, concentrating harder as he pushed away the sounds of the different water droplets.
He could hear it, but it was so faint that had it been anyone else, they would have been effectively crippled in this regard, leaving them clueless about what was going on.
Alec let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.
However, this was not the time for him to lose hope or give up. After all, the fact that he could hear the dripping water so clearly meant that they were confident enough in it that they thought they could seal this 'ability' of Alec's.
They treated Alec's extraordinary hearing like they were treating a solution to someone's Magitype.
What they didn't know was Alec's benefit.
Alec could hear a few faint conversations that were going on outside his 'cell' but they were mostly inconsequential.
He didn't hear any of the mention himself or Nicholas at all, which made him frown.
Alec tested the manacles that held his wrists for a bit before determining that he would be able to break out without a problem.
The thing was the company had assumed that Alec's strength was due to him pumping magic throughout his body like was the most common application in everyone else.
It was strength augmentation in the most simplistic way, but that wasn't what Alec was doing.
All his magic was used to Awaken parts of his body, allowing him to exist in the purest form as just himself and nothing else.
But it was not yet the time for that.
Closing his eyes, Alec made himself a little more comfortable in his spot as he rotated his wrists a little, getting his blood flow going again.
Since it wasn't the time to be stingy, Alec sent magic throughout his body, causing the magic that he painstakingly regathered throughout to Awaken himself further.
The magic that had been seeing a breakthrough to the Meister levels dropped back down to the bare minimum of the advanced tier.
After doing that, everything about his body had been upgraded at least a notch.
Strength seemed to flow through his body, and the previous fatigue disappeared like it was never there in the first place.
Cocking his head, the faint conversation became much clearer to his ears.
Even through the supposedly hearing dampeners and magic suppressors, the conversation now appeared as clear as day in his ears. It was even very crisp, like he was standing next to them and listening to them talk.
Suddenly, there was the sound of someone being dragged down the hallway.
One of the people outside tutted. \"There are still prisoners trying to escape. They just don't learn.\"
Another disdainful voice spoke up. \"Of course. If they don't get a taste of hardship, how will they learn?\"
\"But that one especially. He's already tried to escape four times. As I see it, the higherups should be giving the order to use more painful restraining methods on him soon.\"
A snicker. \"You're right. I wonder just how badly that one will suffer before he learns to behave.\"
\"What's his name again? Nicholas something?\"
\"Who cares? It's not like he's going to live long anyway.\"
Alec frowned. This smelled more like a trap than even the forest, but he couldn't just sit still and do nothing if Nicholas was truly in danger.
But… how long had Alec been out?
Nicholas escaping four times didn't make any sense.
With Alec's bodily constitution, he wouldn't take long to recover from being knocked out, yet Nicholas had already escaped four times?
Had they used something else to keep him down longer, or…
At this moment, he didn't have the luxury to think about it right now, because there was the sound of footsteps approaching his 'cell'.
This should be the person who was here to interrogate him, right?
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get Loeri to make a move on the inspector at that time.
Hindsight was indeed 20/20. He shouldn't have sent Loeri out to scout but instead kept it close to anticipate the time to make a move.
When the door opened, it almost appeared like the door had appeared out of the solid rock in a shape of a door.
Alec looked at the door calmly, and the person that was admitted was the inspector that he had seen right before he was knocked out by her.
While he saw the movements she'd taken to knock him out, his body hadn't been able to react in that split second, which ultimately led to his loss in her hands.
Now, she was here again.
She stepped in, her genial smile still stark on her face.
Drip.Drip.Drip.The sound of dripping water came rhythmically and periodically, forming an entire symphony of sounds.The sound of water was both gentle and persistent, like the sound of water tipping from a high point, meeting the low points down below. With enough time, it would wear away even the steadiest of minds, like a single dripping point meeting rock for years on end.The gentle sounds came from above head, and it was the sound that Alec woke up to.The entire place was awash with the sounds of water meeting rock, having various points of water dripping with different intensities.His arms were aching, and so were his wrists, more from being stretched excessively than from damage.Blearily, Alec blinked his eyes and forced them to open, and despite the dim lighting in the place, his eyes still burned more than they should. They felt crusty, and he had to blink more than once to get the usual clarity back.It felt like something had died in his mouth, which made his face change slightly in disgust.The back of his neck was throbbing lightly, and Alec attributed it to the inspector that had knocked the two of them out yesterday.At least, that was what he assumed.After all, he had no memories from the time before he was knocked out past seeing the inspector's smile.Now, he woke up in what seemed like a dungeon.Looking around, he could see that he wasn't that far off.His hands were shackled above his head, explaining the ache in them, and the room was barren save for the presence of himself.On a single glance, it appeared as if the room didn't have a door, instead only having the solid stone blocks around.Looking up, the water came from the little cracks in the room, causing him to raise a brow. He wondered if it was intentional.Still, there should be a drainage system underneath, otherwise the water would have long formed puddles.There was a single dim lightbulb in the middle of the room, swaying ever so gently in tune with the dripping water. From what, he didn't know. It wasn't like there was a draft inside this place.Alec's feet were bare, and he had been stripped down and changed into plain white clothes.Had Alec been a normal person, the chill in this place would have caused him to shiver incessantly, but as it was, Alec was made to withstand most of the elements, so other than his arms being sore, and his neck likely being bruised, he was fine.The place was made out of solid rock, and it was cool to the touch.There weren't the typical bars that signified a prisoner, like the cells the slaves had been placed in, nor was this like the technologically advanced rooms that had been on the ship that brought him back to the Kaoriht continent.Alec could see no trace of Nicholas anywhere, and even when he concentrated his ears, all he could hear was the sound of the maddening dripping sounds.Alec's brows furrowed a little, concentrating harder as he pushed away the sounds of the different water droplets.He could hear it, but it was so faint that had it been anyone else, they would have been effectively crippled in this regard, leaving them clueless about what was going on.Alec let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.However, this was not the time for him to lose hope or give up. After all, the fact that he could hear the dripping water so clearly meant that they were confident enough in it that they thought they could seal this 'ability' of Alec's.They treated Alec's extraordinary hearing like they were treating a solution to someone's Magitype.What they didn't know was Alec's benefit.Alec could hear a few faint conversations that were going on outside his 'cell' but they were mostly inconsequential.He didn't hear any of the mention himself or Nicholas at all, which made him frown.Alec tested the manacles that held his wrists for a bit before determining that he would be able to break out without a problem.The thing was the company had assumed that Alec's strength was due to him pumping magic throughout his body like was the most common application in everyone else.It was strength augmentation in the most simplistic way, but that wasn't what Alec was doing.All his magic was used to Awaken parts of his body, allowing him to exist in the purest form as just himself and nothing else.But it was not yet the time for that.Closing his eyes, Alec made himself a little more comfortable in his spot as he rotated his wrists a little, getting his blood flow going again.Since it wasn't the time to be stingy, Alec sent magic throughout his body, causing the magic that he painstakingly regathered throughout to Awaken himself further.The magic that had been seeing a breakthrough to the Meister levels dropped back down to the bare minimum of the advanced tier.After doing that, everything about his body had been upgraded at least a notch.Strength seemed to flow through his body, and the previous fatigue disappeared like it was never there in the first place.Cocking his head, the faint conversation became much clearer to his ears.Even through the supposedly hearing dampeners and magic suppressors, the conversation now appeared as clear as day in his ears. It was even very crisp, like he was standing next to them and listening to them talk.Suddenly, there was the sound of someone being dragged down the hallway.One of the people outside tutted. \"There are still prisoners trying to escape. They just don't learn.\"Another disdainful voice spoke up. \"Of course. If they don't get a taste of hardship, how will they learn?\"\"But that one especially. He's already tried to escape four times. As I see it, the higherups should be giving the order to use more painful restraining methods on him soon.\"A snicker. \"You're right. I wonder just how badly that one will suffer before he learns to behave.\"\"What's his name again? Nicholas something?\"\"Who cares? It's not like he's going to live long anyway.\"Alec frowned. This smelled more like a trap than even the forest, but he couldn't just sit still and do nothing if Nicholas was truly in danger.But how long had Alec been out?Nicholas escaping four times didn't make any sense.With Alec's bodily constitution, he wouldn't take long to recover from being knocked out, yet Nicholas had already escaped four times?Had they used something else to keep him down longer, orAt this moment, he didn't have the luxury to think about it right now, because there was the sound of footsteps approaching his 'cell'.This should be the person who was here to interrogate him, right?Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get Loeri to make a move on the inspector at that time.Hindsight was indeed 20/20. He shouldn't have sent Loeri out to scout but instead kept it close to anticipate the time to make a move.When the door opened, it almost appeared like the door had appeared out of the solid rock in a shape of a door.Alec looked at the door calmly, and the person that was admitted was the inspector that he had seen right before he was knocked out by her.While he saw the movements she'd taken to knock him out, his body hadn't been able to react in that split second, which ultimately led to his loss in her hands.Now, she was here again.She stepped in, her genial smile still stark on her face.
