[Lancelot's POV]
The Old Hag's prison became a symbol of our struggle and perseverance, a testament to the strength and resilience of our human spirit in the face of adversity.
I didn't know how many days had been since Francine was last taken. Time was irrelevant in here. There were only darkness, despair, and cries.
As we sat in the cramped and damp room, my stomach growled in hunger. I felt like it had been so long since we had anything to eat, and our hopes of escape were slowly dwindling.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the old Hag entered, carrying a large tray of steaming food.
"I've brought you dinner. Eat up. It's not often that I have guests."
No one uttered anything. We knew that those meals weren't meals but actual flesh and blood.
"You're all skin and bones now. You need to eat to keep your strength up." she chortled. "Remember, those who in the verge of death would have the honor to be my next experiment."
We didn't react. It was useless. My throat hurts from shouting and reasoning to the old Hag. But the smell of the food was too enticing.
With what little light my eyes could make up, I saw that the others eagerly grabbed the plates and began to eat. The expression on their faces told me that it was better to eat their fellow race than be the next victim of the Old Hag.
But weren't they still victims in the end?
"Good. I love it when everyone is this obedient." The Old Hag chortled before she sashayed out of the cell.
It would only be a matter of time before her attention would shift to either one of us. We were only sitting ducks for her to butcher at this rate.
But what could we do . . . what could I do?
I thought I would shine in this world with a rare class like The Chosen One. It sounded so grand. I was too overconfident and conceited, thinking that everything would go the way that I wanted, like what happened in the real world.
I never expected that my life would end in a horrible way. As we sat in the dark room, I realized that the old Hag wasn't just keeping us prisoner – she was chopping some limbs, piece by piece, every day. Ingredients, what she called them, to make new potions.
She would come in every few hours and inflict a new kind of pain on the creatures, whether it was burning them with hot coals, lashing with a whip, breaking bones with a sledgehammer, or skinning and cutting toes, fingers, and other body parts.
Most of the creatures here were all bruised and battered, and we knew that we would be next soon – and that thought ate away my sanity little by little.
Yun couldn't even handle it and he took his own life yesterday. However, he hesitated at the last moment and only managed to cut a small portion of his neck.
Still, it was enough for the cell to sound in alarm, and the witch and her three trolls came rushing in within a minute to check what was happening.
When the witch saw what Yun did, her eyes constricted, and I cowered at the side.
"I can't do anything about your equipment since I'm not a player, but it didn't mean that you have to take your own life with it. Let me have my fun, at least."
She then instructed her trolls to take Yun away.
Yun was so scared he wet his pants when the troll shoved him over its shoulder like he weighed nothing.
"No! Let me go! Help! Lance! Help!"
I could do nothing but close my eyes and plug my ears with my hands.
"Be this a lesson to all of you. You can't take your own life. Anyone who attempts would suffer worse than death. Like this guy here."
When the door of the prison closed, silence descended, thick and heavy.
The next day, I haven't heard about what happened at Yun, but I bet that the meal that they would serve now contained his flesh and blood.
"We have to do something. We can't just sit here and wait for her to kill us."
I heard Nanally say. In a blink, she was in front of me. Despair was coating her face, but she still forced to be brave even in this situation.
"What can we do? We're trapped here," I said with a grating voice. My throat was parched, and my mouth was dry. It hurts to even breathe.
"Maybe we can reason with her. Maybe she'll let us go if we promise her something."
I weakly scoffed. I usually love Nanally's naivety, but this time, I found her annoying.
"You can't reason with her. I tried for days. That Old Hag is too far gone. She has no mercy, and she took a delight to see us in our suffering."
". . ." Nanally was silent while I still sat on the floor, my knees closed to my face, giving a false sense of protection.
"Then maybe . . . you should just kill me . . ."
My lifeless eyes suddenly went big, and my attention whipped to Nanally's direction.
"W-what?" I croaked.
"You heard me . . . ," she said in a determination that I didn't know where she got from. "You said that you're only some points away from leveling your skill [Superior Stealth], right? If you kill me, you'll gain that EXP."
Of course, I already told Nanally about my class and skills and everything about my stat a day before we were captured. I really didn't think she would remember any of that because she showed no interest.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"What are you talking about?" I panicked. "We can't just give up. We have to keep fighting and think of a way out."
I knew I wasn't fooling anyone here. But her suggesting that I killed here was more absurd.
Nanally closed her eyes tight and said in a hard voice, "Wake up, Lance. We can no longer escape. We're just waiting for death here. At least you . . . you can live," she croaked.
"Are you serious?" I stared at her like I was just seeing her for the first time.
"Yes." A knife appeared on Nanally's hand. It was the knife that I gave her to protect herself.
The [Femme Fatale] knife was a sleek and elegant small knife designed specifically for women. With a blade length of just under 20 mm and an overall length of 25 mm, it was compact enough to fit easily into a purse or pocket but large enough to be useful in a variety of situations.
The blade was made of high-quality stainless steel, honed to a razor-sharp edge that could easily slice through anything from fruit to rope. The handle was made of a durable and lightweight polymer material, ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in a woman's hand.
The [Femme Fatale] also features a unique decorative design, with a delicately etched floral pattern on the blade and handle. The blade itself was subtly curved, giving it a graceful and feminine look.
I bought it for her from the traveling merchant in case something happened to her. But she, giving me the knife to end her life was just . . .
"Please, Lance . . ." Nanally placed the knife in my shaking hand and pinned the edge of the blade on her neck. "Please . . . end my sufferings . . ."
". . ." My chin crumpled, and tears wouldn't just stop flowing. "I can't. . . I can't."
Nanally's warm palm cupped my cheeks, and I felt my cold flesh burn alive.
"You must. I don't . . . I don't want to die like an animal," she choked. "At least . . . in your hands . . . I can die peacefully."
I clenched my fists tight, nails digging against my palm until it bled. "And what about me? Do you know what would happen to me if you die . . . with my own hands?"
Nanally sadly smiled. "You and I both know that between the two of us . . . you have the highest chance to survive here."
"You're selfish. You just wanted to escape this."
Nanally didn't comment. She just stared into my eyes like the way she used to when we first met and when we first kissed and made love.
The thought of not seeing those eyes again . . . brought me to my knees.
"This is the only way . . . Please, Lance . . ."
". . ." I bit my lips hard and grabbed the knife tight.
The room was dimly lit, with a single flickering torch hanging from the wall. We sat facing each other, my hands trembling with fear and uncertainty.
Memories of our time together flooded my mind. I remembered the moments of tenderness and intimacy, the laughter and joy we had shared. But now those moments felt distant and irrelevant, overshadowed by the dark reality of our situation.
"Nanally . . ."
Nanally smiled and nodded. "Kill me in one shot . . . or you and I would be chained like the others."
". . ."
Biting my teeth hard not to scream, I forcefully swung the dagger and swiftly sliced off Nanally's head with one strike.
The last thing I saw was her smiling face as her head flew in the air and rolled to the ground. Her body leaned forward against my chest, and I could even feel the pounding of her heart until it ceased.
