A Failed Rescue
In later middle night of winter covered Axel in darkness. Most of the city had gone quiet, but the prison district remained heavily guarded. Lanterns burned along the stone walls of the holding facility where criminals and suspects were kept before trial. Inside one of the cells sat two prisoners. Iron bars blocked the exit. Heavy chains hung from the wall. On the concrete floor sat Kazuma, staring at the floor like a man questioning every decision he had ever made. Beside him sat Ruko. Unlike Kazuma, he looked completely relaxed. Kazuma sighed loudly. "…I can't believe this is happening." Ruko leaned back against the wall. "You said that thirty times already." Kazuma glared at him. "You punched the knights!" "Again with this! You just stole relics." Kazuma groaned and covered his face. "…Yeah cause we're both idiots." For a while, the cell remained quiet. Ruko sighed. "We've been here a month and I know there will be something that I won't mention since it pointless in the end." Then—BOOOOM.
A massive explosion echoed from somewhere outside the city. The prison walls shook slightly. Kazuma jumped up. "…WHAT WAS THAT?!" Ruko raised his head out of priority. "I had to guess it's an explosion." Kazuma blinked. "…Yeah I figured that part out." Outside the window, a bright flash of light lit the night sky. BOOOOM. Another explosion. Kazuma slowly turned toward Ruko. "…Well guess that's definitely Megumin." Ruko nodded. "Obviously. Since she always love explosion." Footsteps suddenly rushed through the prison hallway. Knights shouted. "Explosion outside the city!" "Move! Move!" Most of the guards ran toward the exit to investigate the disturbance. Kazuma looked at the nearly empty hallway. "…Wait." Ruko looked at him. "…Wait." Kazuma slowly grinned. "Oh my god." "They're rescuing us."
Just then, a small blue figure quietly slipped up at the bar window just outside of the prison. It was Aqua. She look down at the bars dramatically. "Kazuma! Ruko!" Kazuma look at the bars window rushed forward. "Aqua!" Aqua looked extremely nervous. "Hurry! This is our chance!" She pulled something from her sleeve. A small metal lockpick. "I stole this from the knight room!" She throw it and Kazuma caught it quickly. "You actually did something useful!" Aqua puffed her chest proudly. "Of course! I'm a goddess!" Kazuma quickly knelt beside the cell door and started working on the lock. The metal tool scraped against the mechanism. Click. Click. Click. Kazuma frowned. "…This is harder than I thought." Aqua panicked. "Hurry! Megumin and Darkness are distracting the knights!" Outside the city walls, another distant explosion thundered across the night. BOOOOM.
Kazuma continued working desperately. "Come on… come on…" The lock refused to open. Ruko watched quietly from the floor. "It's pointless to get out of here." Kazuma looked back at him.
"Why are you just sitting there and not helping?!" Ruko sighed in depression. "Because I'm not going anywhere." Kazuma blinked. "…What?" Ruko stared at the wall calmly. "I deserve those slaps and been in prison." Kazuma stared. "…You're serious?" Ruko nodded slightly. "Besides." He looked at the bars. "You should know this lock is complicated." Kazuma groaned. "…Don't say that!" He continued trying. Click. Click. Nothing. The lock wouldn't move. Aqua started sweating nervously. "Hurry!" Kazuma tried again. Nothing. He tried twisting the tool harder. Still nothing. Finally he sighed and slumped against the bars. "…I can't open it." Aqua looked horrified. "WHAT?!"
Kazuma dropped the lockpick. "This thing is way too complicated and it like a complex lock!" Ruko shrugged in depression again. "Told you." Aqua panicked. "What do we do now?!" Kazuma leaned against the bars. "…Honestly?" He looked back at the floor. "I'm tired." Ruko nodded in agreement. "Same." Aqua stared at them like they had lost their minds. "YOU'RE JUST GONNA GIVE UP?!" Kazuma raised a hand. "Tell Megumin thanks for the explosions." "And Darkness too." Ruko added casually, "Next time don't bring a better lockpick." Aqua looked like she might cry. "You two are unbelievable!" Footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway. Knights were returning. Aqua panicked. "I have to go!" She jump down of a box and disappeared. A few seconds later, the knights returned to their positions, confused by the distant explosions.
Inside the cell, Kazuma sat back down beside Ruko. "…Well." Ruko crossed his arms. "Nice attempt, but it will be a waste in the end." Kazuma sighed deeply. "…Yeah. Gotcha." The next day Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness do the same tactics every night but the attempt failed drastically due to Ruko state that he needed this and Kazuma followed suite waiting for their trail to arrive of getting it done. Both of them stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow—The trial would begin. And things were about to get far worse.