Part 41: Side Story: The Innocent Inmate

Music: Flamesgrace, Guiding Light



There's a man imprisoned in the single gaol cell here.



I just came across the body, that's all... There was a person there, covered in blood... What would anyone do? Of course I bent down to see if they were all right. I was only trying to help! But the "investigation" of that man's death was no more than a pretense... That mockery of justice is why I'm now in a cell!





This is another one where we can resolve it in one or two ways.



Nothin' else is gonna take away the misery of my job... But drink takes money... And money means more work--hic! It...it jus' never ends...

This guy's drinking his sorrows away.



However, he also has the key to unlock the cell that poor sod is in.



On the other hand, there's a woman here to speak to.



Oooh, just thinking back on it has me coming over in gooseflesh again! I was so frightened, seeing all that blood, that all I could do was shriek and run away. When I looked back, though, there was a man. I think he was trying to see if there was anything he could do to help...



And this woman has testimony that can help with the man's good name.



And here we go again!

-----

METHOD ONE



Give up on the lies already. If you'd just admit what you did, maybe the judge'd go easier on you.
But I didn't do it! I swear, I'm innocent!



How come no one has come forward then? No one's gonna believe a pack of lies like that!







Uh...sure?



...Hrmmm. An accident, huh? I s'ppose I'll have to look into this.



You...didn't bother doing this before?



And I've asked around with a few other people, as well.



That's right I was! I only chanced to pass by that night! It was nothing but happenstance! And then what do I see but a person lying on the ground, covered in blood...



...Yes, we may have been a bit hasty.







And so our poor fellow is a free man once again.!





A happy ending.



When I explained what I'd seen, he went green all over and rushed off somewhere.

At least that soldier did the right thing in the end, even if he really didn't do it at the beginning.

-----

METHOD TWO



What if we skipped all that and just freed the man ourselves?





Uh...sure?



I'm really not a murderer, I swear it! I swear it by the Sacred Flame itself! I found that man covered in blood, and I was just trying to help him up but... He wasn't breathing...



They screamed "Murderer!" And I...I ran away. I didn't think about what it would look like. I simply ran.





I ran away and left home when he was still just a kid. I left everything on him. I hate to even imagine everything he had to do on his own, all because I wasn't there. That's why I had to get free from this cell. I have to make it to his wedding at least, and tell him how sorry I am for what happened when we were young...



Now I've got to be going! And I can be going, all because of you!





Same result, but here we get a bit of backstory on this guy and his primary motivations. Interesting that "break the guy out of prison" seems more rewarding to me story-wise than "let justice prevail", but it's clever enough that I'll take it.

Until next time!