Due to the latest events, Alvaro found himself in the city's prison, he was put in a cell inside the guard's barracks, with a single guard standing outside his cell. It was silent at first but at some point, the guard got bored with the whole situation and addressed the strange events that occurred during Alvaro's capture.
"What really happened?"
Alvaro decided to play dumb at first to see what this nameless guard wanted.
"What do you mean?"
The guard sighed as a wave of honesty struck him.
"The women who reported the shakedown said that you hassled them and took a coin pouch from them but when the guard arrived, you didn't even try to run. You just went along with the capture. Also, there was no sign of any stolen items in your possession."
Alvaro then played along,
"I don't really know Mr.Guard. I was just minding my own business when suddenly I was accused of committing crimes. To be honest, I didn't try anything stupid to avoid a misunderstanding, I was too scared at that moment and I just froze, I didn't want to make any trouble."
Alvaro decided to play innocent with the guard as he knew what was going on, during the whole conversation, the nameless guard held notes of what Alvaro was saying, his keen eyes spotted that and he figured that was some form of interrogation where the guard tries to befriend the accused person and extracts information about them. Little did he know, Alvaro had already figured out that trick and he had also set everything up so the whole situation looked like a huge misunderstanding.
"(That boy seems like the quiet type)"
Thought the guard when he heard Alvaro's act.
"I'll be honest with you, I was supposed to interrogate you at this point but something seems odd, at this point, every crook would just try to make excuses and gain my sympathy. Nothing in this report adds up. There is no evidence that you have committed any crime and the report also sounds shady. The women reported that you let them go and told them to report you."
Alvaro's inner mastermind was laughing as he continued to play dumb in front of the guard.
"These women. Can you describe them to me?"
Said Alvaro while cooking another story in his head.
"Yes, one of them was a blonde half-elf. The other was a young redhead with a crimson red dress."
Alvaro pretended to be shocked at that moment and continued.
"Oh...I see. I was approached by a couple of ladies earlier that match that description. They said that if I joined them for tea they would take care of me and buy me everything that I wanted. I was too scared though since I didn't know who they were."
Alvaro tried to make it sound like the girls he robbed tried to seduce him and when he rejected them they got angry and went to report him to the guards.
"Crap! I see...Did they try to take advantage of you? Did they ask you to do something naughty?"
Alvaro was too invested in that story that he made it even more ridiculous at this point just to test the guard's intelligence.
"I don't know Mr.Guard. They told me to remove my pants and they said that they wanted to look at me because I was sick, they said they were doctors and they would give me sweets."
Before the guard had time to respond another person was escorted in the cell, another guard had a man captive and put him in the same cell as Alvaro. The man had trashed clothes and was in terrible hygiene. His hair was long and dirty, he had a rugged beard that was also covered in dirt and he had a sad look on his face. With that happening, the guard that escorted him in the cell talked to the interrogator and the two of them walked outside to talk, which gave Alvaro the opportunity he needed to talk to his new cellmate.
"What's up with you?"
Said Alvaro while holding his nose hinting that the young man smelled bad.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it...Wait."
As soon as the man raised his head and looked at Alvaro he was shocked. He looked like he just discovered something precious.
"Who are you? Your clothing doesn't match with the rest. Did you also..."
Alvaro figured out what he tried to say.
"I was teleported here from Earth. I assume the same goes for you?"
The man's face shined with excitement, he found someone like him, someone else who was transported to this world from his own, he crawled close to Alvaro to ask him all sorts of things.
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"How did you come here? Where are you from? Did you find a way to return?"
Alvaro was confused with the number of questions so he just monologued about his situation.
"I was transported earlier today. I just found a coin when I skipped school to go gambling and the next thing I knew, I was here."
The man's face changed again to that of sadness as he spoke.
"I see... This world is a cruel one, friend. I transported here 340 years ago or something like that, at some point, I just lost count. In my time, I was an astronomer, we have perfected the telescope back then."
Alvaro figured that this man came to this world way ahead of him, he then asked him the most fitting question.
"How are you still alive after 340 years?"
The man began to shed tears as he shared his story with Alvaro.
"I teleported to this world when I found a piece of weird-looking crystal at the ground, I was 20 years old at the time, I have just finished with my studies in astronomy and I was on my way to meet Elsa, a girl I used to be sweet with. When I first arrived here I was in front of a huge castle. That was when I made the biggest mistake of my life. In that castle, I met a Demon Lord, a powerful demi-god creature with enormous magical powers. He told me that he could give me eternal life as long as I serve him. He knew I was teleported here, he told me that there were others like me, that we all had tremendous potential to become legendary warriors and wizards. I was enchanted by his words and I accepted his offer. He cast a spell on me, every time that I died, I would get brought back to life in my current state, always in top physical condition to serve as a powerful immortal warrior. With the endless time of infinity before me, I could gather a lot of experience and level up to a point where no one could stand against me. With the power of immortality, I had endless possibilities. He didn't tell me the bad news though."
Alvaro listened very interestedly in the man's story and he had to ask.
"What was the bad news?"
The man again looked at the floor of the cell as he continued with his story.
"There is nothing good about eternal life. I might seem like a young man, probably close to your age but I am centuries old. Life will always be cruel. The Demon Lord died after a legendary hero slew him and I was left without a home. I traveled and traveled for what seemed like years before I reached the first town. While I was there I met a party of adventurers, a group of people who accepted quests for money. I joined them and before I knew it, I was already a member of that group, I can't remember their names but I would never forget their faces. They were cheerful and fun to be around. There was also a girl amongst them, a girl I developed feeling for. After the long journey I endured I had forgotten human companionship until I met her. I remembered what a beautiful thing love was. We were together for a long time. Our party split up but she stayed with me for years. That's when I found out she was part of a royal selection to become the next ruler of her country. The people didn't like her because she was an elf but her pure heart endured all the harassment she received from the masses and from the royalty. I supported her as her knight for months. During a public speech, a sorcerer wielding dark magic killed her for no reason other than she was an elf. She was publicly murdered only for her lineage. I was devastated that I couldn't prevent her death. I was her knight! I was supposed to protect her. I fought the sorcerer and I also ended up dying. But the curse that was bestowed upon me didn't let me die along with beloved. I was forced to wake up again. I had lost everything. My money, my fame, my reason to live for."
Alvaro placed his hand on the man's shoulder and said,
"This sounds awful".
The man looked at Alvaro, then he looked back at the ground as he continued once again.
"I woke up in the middle of the streets, naked and alone. I had nowhere to go, no one to trust. I begged in the streets for money but I was shunned by everyone. I got asked to leave many times because I was an embarrassment. Eventually, I left the town and started to walk south, I found myself in a desert. I walked for countless days in the desert until exhaustion and hunger took over. I starved to death, I died from dehydration, from the heat. For decades I suffered the agony and the pain of dying. I kept getting up all because of that dreaded curse that's on me. I kept walking in the scorching sand for no reason until a group of riders found me, lying on the sand ready to be devoured by the vultures that circled above me. They brought me to a village in a small oasis. I had managed to walk to the lands of the Beast-men, half-human, half-animal. They brought me to one of their villages, there was plenty of water to drink and food to eat. After they brought me to that place, I was sold to the leader of the village as a slave. I was happy though. I had finally started a new life, from zero."
Alvaro sighed as he said,
"Of course you did."
He then carried on from that point.
"The Beast-men were kind to me, despite all the work I had to do, tending to the chief's animals, drawing water from the lake and carrying heavy packs, I was happy to be part of their community. Time passed by and I had once again found a special person, one of the daughter's of the chief was assigned to be my master, eventually, we came close and we fell in love. Despite me being a human and she being one of the Beast-men. We were happy for a short period of time. That was until her father found out about our relationship, he beat her again and again for shaming their tribe, for falling in love with a human. Our relationship was shunned by everyone and I was condemned to execution. I stayed in a cell out in the desert for 2 days without any water or food. The heat was unbearable during the day and at nights, I was freezing as the cold wind crawled through the gaps in my cell. When the moment for my execution arrived, they tied 4 horses to my limbs and they made them run at full speed, tearing my legs and my arms from my body. I passed out from the pain before they were completely detached. When I woke up I was once again in the village. Apparently, the curse had already brought me back to life and they captured me once again. I was in a cell again, in full view of everybody, they looked afraid of me, they called me a warlock, a demon. The chief of the village ordered his men to tie me to a pillar and burn me. While I was tied to the pillar, the torches of the Beast-men were coming closer and closer, I saw the chief's daughter, the girl that I had fallen in love with. She looked at me disgusted, she looked at me like she would look a piece of rotten food on the ground. The last thing I saw before the fire filled my view was her disgusted face as she witnessed my death."
Alvaro then decided to interrupt him for a second to ask him something,
"Let me guess. Is your name Toyota?"
The man looked confused as he said,
"What? No, if I recall, my name is Ford."
Alvaro sighed once again,
"Oh, sorry. Wrong brand."
The man looked at Alvaro confused as he shared the rest of his story...