"Talk?" Lord Varric asked with a puzzled expression


    "Yes, I need to speak to one of the people in the cell," Elias replied


    Lord Varric''s face further squeezed into confusion, "You need to speak to a prisoner? Why If I must ask?" He queried


    Elias looked up at Lord Varric, "Haa…It''s a little private," he replied


    "Does this prisoner happen to be re folk?" Lord Varric asked


    Elias nodded in affirmation, "I see. Normally I wouldn''t let anyone visit a prisoner of the cells without a direct order from the king or any of the family heads," Lord Varric began


    "But…?"


    Lord Varric smiled, "But you saved my daughter''s life and protected my district from a disaster,"


    "Thank you," Elias said


    "I have one more condition," Lord Varric added


    Elias'' face fell t, "Saving your daughter''s life wasn''t enough?" He asked


    Waving his Lord Varric said, "No, No, It''s less of a condition than a request. Yes, a request. I would like you to drop my abode and see my daughter before you leave today,"


    "Okay," Elias said tly, "Is that all?" He asked


    With a satisfied smile on his face, Lord Varric replied, "Yes. I will escort you myself to the cells, sometimes those people down there can be a little…overactive," He turned to look at Imaya, "Is the young Ladying with us? I strongly advise against it, if she is,"


    Elias nced at Imaya and she gave an anticipating look as she waited for his reply, "Imaya is something of a warrior herself, she can take care of herself but I''d rather she doesn''te with us," Elias said


    "Is that so?" He said, a hint of surprise detectable in his voice, "Feel free to look around and pick any weapon of your choice, when you have made your choice, my soldiers will lead you to my mansion," Lord Varric said and then instructed a couple of soldiers to wall with her as she explores


    As Elias and Lord Varric walked, Elias couldn''t help but notice Lord Varric frequently stealing nces at him. After a while, Elias couldn''t bear it anymore,


    "Is there something on your mind Lord Varric?" Elias asked, finally breaking the awkward silence


    Lord Varricughed lightly and stroked his beard, "Haa, you caught me. You look so young, I was just wondering how you managed to get the strength you possess, it''s unheard of!"


    Elias''s t expression remained unchanging, "Hmmm," He looked at his hands, "I don''t know, I just woke up like this," He replied


    "Is that so? And you never tried to find out why?"


    Elias shrugged, "No, I figured it was because of the whole ''chosen child'' thing," He lied


    "No, you haven''t even gotten your blessings yet. ording to the records of the past, the strength you showcased doesn''t manifest until after the Goddess''s blessing has been bestowed upon you"


    Elias shrugged nonchntly, he knew where his strength came from, and that was enough, other people''s ignorance was none of his problem.


    "Is that the cells?" Elias asked, pointing to arge smooth cylindrical building with little windows around it.


    Lord Varric stopped in his tracks, "Yes, that''s the cells. The ce where we keep the most dangerous criminals we catch. Its smooth cylindrical exterior is made so prisoners can''t scale the walls, and every new week we change each prisoner''s cell.


    The walls are soundproof so the prisoners cannotmunicate with themselves to n an escape. It is a ce of no return, those who go there die there," Lord Varric exined


    "Isn''t that a bit overkill?"Elias asked


    Lord Varric shook his head, "For the criminal who deserves it, it is not, but for the re folk I think it is too much of a price to pay for simply existing" He said


    "You think the re folk should not be imprisoned?" Elias asked, clearly surprised by Lord Varric''s statement


    Lord Varric let out a sigh, "The agenda that res are dangerous folks, is a false one pushed forcefully by the king.


    I know the re folk and thest thing on their mind is violence, it was as if nature and the Goddess bnced out their overwhelming power with a kind and stable heart to hold.


    I know this because of myte wife…Sarah''s mother was a re folk too," He said, his voice taking a wistful tone as he talked about his wife


    A frown squeezed into ce on Elias'' face, "Why didn''t you do anything to stop King ric?" He asked


    "He''s the King, his words are thew. I''m just a family head, who am I to go against his orders," He paused, "King ric and I go way back, when Eldoria was divided, I fought alongside him for its unification.


    You should have seen him then, glorious in every way, the power, looks, and charisma, he was a natural-born leader, a true king…not what he is today. He used to be a unifier, and now he''s tearing apart his kingdom with his hands. It is only out of respect for what he embodied that I still do his bidding,"


    Elias looked up at Lord Varric, "You''re saying you don''t agree with King ric''s current ways of handling the kingdom?" He asked


    Lord Varric began walking again, "I am not satisfied, to say the least," He said


    "How about you do something about it? Talk to the King, if he''s your friend, he should listen to you" Elias urged him


    Lord Varric was silent for a second, "We''re here," He said, ignoring Elias''st words as he stood in front of the "Cells"


    There was no door in sight, so Elias was unsure how they were going to enter, noticing Elias'' visible confusion, Lord Varric smiled. He ced a hand on the smooth surface of the building and poured his mana into it, and immediately a loud buzzing sound could be heard, followed by the sound gears turning and whirring.


    Then suddenly, a visible line that was clearly not present before appeared on the wall of the building, it expanded like a doorway, revealing the inside of the prison.


    "Shall we?" Lord Varric asked, motioning for Elias to go in first