How to Kill a Hydra (HtKaD 4)

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

3 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She shifted.  

The fox seemed startled for a moment 

[Through the Living Hope]

2 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

The fox seemed startled for a moment 

She stuck her hand out. 

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

8 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She stuck her hand out. 

The fox sniffed it curiously 

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, IcedOutPenguin said:

The fox sniffed it curiously 

She thought about attacking it, but there would be no point. She wasn’t hungry, and it wouldn’t do much anyway. 

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She thought about attacking it, but there would be no point. She wasn’t hungry, and it wouldn’t do much anyway. 

The fox pulled back a bit

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

8 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

As he landed, more on his shoulder than his back, he heard something snap. 

Edward had been dropped, but based on how he's limping, he looks to have broken something. 

Fred is completely fine.

Ferences winced and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, his shoulder flaring as he did so, making him feel sick. He held out his good arm and Edward limped over. “Now, gentlemen,” He looked at Fred and Edward. “And guards: how about we all settle and think for a moment.” He scooted across the floor until he could rest against a wall, Edward and Fred at his side. “What do you think is going to happen when word of this incident gets out? A human with a piece of metal and some powder, a rat, and a chicken broke out of your prison, wreaked havoc in your complex, and incapacitated multiple trained guards?” Ferences forced a smile while trying to fight down his nausea. “You’ll be laughingstocks. I can already see the headline, your career is done. I sincerely wish you luck finding employment after being exiled from an official prison posting. Now there’s a way around all this. No one else was in the room where it happened: only you know the truth. If say… my associates and I managed to escape and you didn’t know what happened, that would be another matter entirely. Your incapacitated fellows tried to apprehend us but some monster of legendary strength and skill made it past them. By the time you arrived on the scene, it was too late and you didn’t know what happened. Look at us. We’re broken, outnumbered, and all in need of a shower, especially Edward.” Ferences paused to feed him some cheese. “Chances are we’ll crawl off and get stuck in some nook and die anyway. The story never gets out, this whole incident never leaks. Either we get out or we die, either way you’re safe.” Ferences stared each guard in the eye. “I’m giving you a final option. One chance to preserve your honor, preserve your lives, your families.” He inhaled deeply. “I suggest you take it.”

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

3 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Ferences winced and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, his shoulder flaring as he did so, making him feel sick. He held out his good arm and Edward limped over. “Now, gentlemen,” He looked at Fred and Edward. “And guards: how about we all settle and think for a moment.” He scooted across the floor until he could rest against a wall, Edward and Fred at his side. “What do you think is going to happen when word of this incident gets out? A human with a piece of metal and some powder, a rat, and a chicken broke out of your prison, wreaked havoc in your complex, and incapacitated multiple trained guards?” Ferences forced a smile while trying to fight down his nausea. “You’ll be laughingstocks. I can already see the headline, your career is done. I sincerely wish you luck finding employment after being exiled from an official prison posting. Now there’s a way around all this. No one else was in the room where it happened: only you know the truth. If say… my associates and I managed to escape and you didn’t know what happened, that would be another matter entirely. Your incapacitated fellows tried to apprehend us but some monster of legendary strength and skill made it past them. By the time you arrived on the scene, it was too late and you didn’t know what happened. Look at us. We’re broken, outnumbered, and all in need of a shower, especially Edward.” Ferences paused to feed him some cheese. “Chances are we’ll crawl off and get stuck in some nook and die anyway. The story never gets out, this whole incident never leaks. Either we get out or we die, either way you’re safe.” Ferences stared each guard in the eye. “I’m giving you a final option. One chance to preserve your honor, preserve your lives, your families.” He inhaled deeply. “I suggest you take it.”

"Or we could just kill you and the story wouldn't get out anyways." One suggests

[Through the Living Hope]

7 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

The fox pulled back a bit

She sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

4 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Ferences winced and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, his shoulder flaring as he did so, making him feel sick. He held out his good arm and Edward limped over. “Now, gentlemen,” He looked at Fred and Edward. “And guards: how about we all settle and think for a moment.” He scooted across the floor until he could rest against a wall, Edward and Fred at his side. “What do you think is going to happen when word of this incident gets out? A human with a piece of metal and some powder, a rat, and a chicken broke out of your prison, wreaked havoc in your complex, and incapacitated multiple trained guards?” Ferences forced a smile while trying to fight down his nausea. “You’ll be laughingstocks. I can already see the headline, your career is done. I sincerely wish you luck finding employment after being exiled from an official prison posting. Now there’s a way around all this. No one else was in the room where it happened: only you know the truth. If say… my associates and I managed to escape and you didn’t know what happened, that would be another matter entirely. Your incapacitated fellows tried to apprehend us but some monster of legendary strength and skill made it past them. By the time you arrived on the scene, it was too late and you didn’t know what happened. Look at us. We’re broken, outnumbered, and all in need of a shower, especially Edward.” Ferences paused to feed him some cheese. “Chances are we’ll crawl off and get stuck in some nook and die anyway. The story never gets out, this whole incident never leaks. Either we get out or we die, either way you’re safe.” Ferences stared each guard in the eye. “I’m giving you a final option. One chance to preserve your honor, preserve your lives, your families.” He inhaled deeply. “I suggest you take it.”

I’m not reading that

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

I’m not reading that

It doesn't take that long.

The fox sniffed her hand again

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

4 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

"Or we could just kill you and the story wouldn't get out anyways." One suggests

Ferences stared him in the eyes. “I dare any one of you to kill us. Kill us and everyone in the room will know what you did. How well do you trust one another?” He nodded at one of the dragons. “Do you trust him to keep your secret? What about after he’s had a few too many drinks and lets it slip that his colleague is a murderer? What about him?”  Ferences nodded at another, particularly nervous looking dragon. “Will he keep your secret even as his conscience eats at him each day and night?” “If anyone knew what you had done you’d be imprisoned, maybe worse. Separated from your family, maybe permanently. Now sure, all of these fine fellows could keep your secret, but it’s one thing to cover up a lie. It’s another to cover up a murder. And I guarantee at least one of the men among you will reveal what you’ve done.” Ferences shifted slightly and grinned, raising his arms dramatically and fighting the urge to pass out. “So go on, kill us. I dare you.”

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

Just now, SpartanBrigade said:

Ferences stared him in the eyes. “I dare any one of you to kill us. Kill us and everyone in the room will know what you did. How well do you trust one another?” He nodded at one of the dragons. “Do you trust him to keep your secret? What about after he’s had a few too many drinks and lets it slip that his colleague is a murderer? What about him?”  Ferences nodded at another, particularly nervous looking dragon. “Will he keep your secret even as his conscience eats at him each day and night?” “If anyone knew what you had done you’d be imprisoned, maybe worse. Separated from your family, maybe permanently. Now sure, all of these fine fellows could keep your secret, but it’s one thing to cover up a lie. It’s another to cover up a murder. And I guarantee at least one of the men among you will reveal what you’ve done.” Ferences shifted slightly and grinned, raising his arms dramatically and fighting the urge to pass out. “So go on, kill us. I dare you.”

One of then reaches forward and grabs you. "We'll execute you then. None of us would be a murderer." 

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

3 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

One of then reaches forward and grabs you. "We'll execute you then. None of us would be a murderer." 

Ferences lost the battle with his nausea and promptly threw up on the dragon. “Execution without a warrant,” He managed. “Is still murder. And you don’t have a warrant. When word gets out you’ll be the one in prison not me, wether one of your friends reports you or when the authorities inevitably come to assess the prison.” He threw up again.

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Ferences lost the battle with his nausea and promptly threw up on the dragon. “Execution without a warrant,” He managed. “Is still murder. And you don’t have a warrant. When word gets out you’ll be the one in prison not me, wether one of your friends reports you or when the authorities inevitably come to assess the prison.” He threw up again.

"Warrants aren't hard to get."

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

Just now, IcedOutPenguin said:

"Warrants aren't hard to get."

“Well then,” Ferences groaned. “Order one. You’ll still have to explain in detail what happened. Congratulations, you’re back where you started.”

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

3 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

“Well then,” Ferences groaned. “Order one. You’ll still have to explain in detail what happened. Congratulations, you’re back where you started.”

"Not exactly..." they motioned to another guard who rushed off

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

1 minute ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

"Not exactly..." they motioned to another guard who rushed off

Ferences’s mind raced as he waited 

Edited June 1, 2025 by SpartanBrigade

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

5 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Ferences’s mind raced as he waited 

The guard holding him started waking

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

3 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

The guard holding him started waking

Wait what happened I’m lost

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

4 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Wait what happened I’m lost

Your being held by a guard that's walking somewhere

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

3 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

Your being held by a guard that's walking somewhere

Ah

Edward limped alongside them, Fred riding on his back

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Ah

Edward limped alongside them, Fred riding on his back

Eventually they arrived at another human sized cell 

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

9 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

Eventually they arrived at another human sized cell 

“You know,” Ferences managed. “You’re just kicking the can down the road. I’m going to break out again and you’ll be in an even worse bind than you were before.”

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

24 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

“You know,” Ferences managed. “You’re just kicking the can down the road. I’m going to break out again and you’ll be in an even worse bind than you were before.”

"You won't break out."

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

3 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

"You won't break out."

“Sure I will,” Ferences forced a smile

[Through the Living Hope]

1 hour ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

It doesn't take that long.

The fox sniffed her hand again

She let it.