[quote=Propaganda poster featuring happy citizens, Kingdom of Xeconia]Look around you; the Kingdom of Xeconia is truly a land of endless opportunity! Whether you are a farmer, adventurer, or any other profession, you know you have the ability to be prosperous. Even our criminals are treated well, being sent to one of our Redemption Districts to be given the ability to live a good life. Yes, the Royal Family has made this continent the best place to live for everyone![/quote]


The reality for those in the Northern Redemption District is quite different though; it is a miserable place. The terrain consists of gray rocks as far as the eye could see, both inside and beyond the four walls made of the same material, with similarly-colored mountains visible in the distance. This rock is used for all of the builds there, with the staff buildings distinguished by signs and more care into their design. Those unfortunate enough to be here spend their days waking up before dawn, mining for gold for hours, eating a single meal of soup and bread, and sleeping, only to repeat the same routine the next day.


Now, it was true that nobody wanted to be sent there, but for those who were clever enough, there were minor comforts to be had in this place. One person lucky enough to fit this category was Titus, a thief and alchemist sent here after failing to steal from the government. It was the skills he learned in the latter trade that led the man to be where he was that afternoon; the Guard House.


In that building, one of the guards of the facility was sitting in a wooden chair, taking his break. Zachary was tired today and deep in thought.


[i]It's been a long week. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the overtime; I feel like I'm going to mess something up. But what could I do? The Warden asked me [b]personally![/b] The Divine Blood doesn't lie. If the boss thinks I have potential, maybe I should stop-[/i]


"Hey Zach, what's going on?"


The resting man was startled out of his thoughts, but relaxed when he saw the stupid face of Cletus, his fellow worker. The man was wide and short, dim but a good fellow, always finding amusing ways to mess with the slav-er, [i]penitents[/i].


"Oh, not much. Just resting and still kind of worried; it's been a long week."


"Quit that already! Don't you know, tonight's the big day!"


"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Zachary shook his head, a slight grin appearing on his face.


"Ya hear the Warden got us the good booze for the party? Not that cheap shit like last year!"


…


On and on their conversation went. Vito, leaning against a wall in the Guard House, just wanted Cletus to shut the fuck up. By the King was that bastard fucking annoying, and it made it hard to listen to the man who was talking to him. Titus had good information and better tobacco (made with some alchemal process he was unfamiliar with), so he was actually worth paying attention to. 


Unbeknownst to Vito, the thief was quite interested in what the guard's younger coworkers had to say. A party and booze meant drunk guards, and [i]that[/i] meant…


-----


Later on in the day, the usual dinner was being held at the mine's "cafeteria." It was a generous name for a sparse building with its furniture consisting of rocks used as chairs and larger, relatively flatter rocks used as tables, but the prisoners were usually more focused on eating than on the place's naming conventions. This evening, however, the focus of a small group of people was on the resident alchemist, describing in low tones what he had heard and why it mattered.


"...so if they're drunk, that means they'll be less attentive, and that's our chance to get it; the master map." The man continued talking about more specific details related to the Guard House, but the others realized the significance of what had just been said immediately. 


Just by working there long enough, even the lowliest of slaves knew the layout of the District, but the master map was the only one in the complex with the location of the key on it. And this wasn't just an ordinary key; this one was capable of unlocking the cuff each prisoner wore around their ankle that blocked their ability to use magic. The appropriately-named magic key could be used to give the group their spellcasting abilities back, then they could use that power to escape. And it wasn't like there was another way to get this information, so if the group didn't take advantage of this opportunity, another one like it was not likely to replace it.


"With the key, we'll have a chance to finally be free," Titus concluded, "and I intend to take it. Who's with me?"