These soldiers seem to have made up their mind about you and trying to explain things is probably just going to get you a beating. You figure if you're going before a judge, you can always explain things to him and hope he takes mercy, though you aren't optimistic about it.

Lacking any other plan, you just sit in silence as the soldiers take you to your appointed destination. It's times like this, you wish your sister was here, she'd be able to help you.

In fact you're starting to have a greater appreciation for your parents as well at this point. How many times did you avoid real trouble thanks to your father's influence?

As you ponder your life choices you glance at the other man in the cart who doesn't say anything to you. In fact he doesn't even really look at you. Upon a few more glances at him, you notice he has a tattoo of a black claw on his shoulder. You wonder if this man is a member of the Ebony Claw Syndicate.

If that is the case you realize it's probably a good thing that you didn't say anything about Flynt. The last thing you need right now is a pissed off gang member wanting to kill you for being a rat. In fact, it makes you wonder if you should say anything to the judge at all. If this Ebony Claw Syndicate is as sinister as they sound, it might be dangerous to go ratting on their people. Of course that doesn't leave you many options.

You mostly pass the rest of the time observing the scenery as you travel through Hegglesberg and farmlands.

Eventually though the sky darkens and the soldiers prepare to camp for the night.

"Alright we'll stop here for tonight and set up camp. Anders and Levin, you two can watch Mr. Scars and the kid and make sure they can't escape." The sergeant says.

With a few gruff orders, you and Mr. Scars are both taken to a nearby tree and tied to it securely with a rope while the rest of the soldiers make camp.

As you're watching the soldiers go about their jobs (And your guards doing more talking with each other than actually watching you) Mr. Scars finally says something to you.

"So, busted with twenty vials of Blue Dream eh?" he asks in a low tone.
"How did you know?" you ask.
"I heard the sergeant talking with one of his men about it earlier."
"Oh. They think I'm some big dealer and part of the Ebony Claw Syndicate too, but I'm not either of those things."
"Hm. Didn't think you were Claw, but I thought maybe you might be a prospect….hmmm…let me guess did you run into a man going by the name Flynt?"

You aren't sure if you should be talking, so you don't say anything.

"Heh, I'll take your silence as a yes. Though I suppose it's a good sign that you're not very forthcoming with that info. Talkers don't last long in this business. Of course maybe you're not telling me because you ripped him off…"
"I didn't!" you exclaim which causes the guards to look over at you and then you get quiet again until they look away.

"I didn't, he paid me to deliver a package to someone. I didn't even know what was in it, until the guards confiscated it. Hell, I didn't even know about the Ebony Claw Syndicate!"
"Yeah, sounds like Flynt. It's an unconventional method of recruitment, but sometimes he likes to randomly test youngsters that he feels could be useful. Dunno why he does things that way, but when you've got drugs and coins to blow, I guess you can afford to take risks like that. I dunno, I'm just in it for the violence myself."

You continue to stay silent.

"Anyway, you're probably looking at twenty years kid. One for each vial. The kingdom has been really cracking down lately on it. Probably get sent to Dreadcage too. They send all the serious offenders there."

Fear wells up inside you upon hearing that news. You try to keep it together, but you're having a hard time and you start exhaling multiple times, closing your eyes and muttering, "oh fuck, oh shit." several times.

"Wow, kid. You're not going to last in prison if you take that approach. They see you come in like that and you're gonna be sucking every dick in the joint and worse."
"Isn't there something I can do to stop this?" you ask.
"Well, you could try to escape I guess, but I'm betting you already figured the soldiers would easily run you down before you got very far. I suppose you could try to beg for mercy when you go before the judge, maybe even use your youth as an excuse. Depending on the judge, that MIGHT get you some time shaved off, but you'll still be doing a lot of it…and I think I don't have to warn you about the dangers of ratting out Flynt and whoever it was you were supposed to deliver to in the first place to try to save your ass."

This is just a nightmare. You're almost thinking maybe you should have just risked getting lynched back in Teckleville. At least there you would've had your parents to help you and maybe even Annah, assuming she lived. At worst, you would have at least died at home.

"Well…I ain't no rat, so that wasn't ever a possibility anyway." You say in an attempt to at least make Mr. Scars less likely to be suspicious of you.
"Bullshit kid, in your situation and first time? You probably thought about it. Don't worry though, everyone usually does at one time or another, just as long as you don't actually do it…well either that or make damn sure the reward is high enough." Mr. Scars chuckles.
"Yeah, well I might do better in prison than you think…" you say and then you whisper…"I've killed someone before."

Mr. Scars looks at you as if to detect whether you're lying or not.

"Hm, maybe you have, or maybe you haven't, but that really doesn't matter. You're going to be locked away with a lot of killers. Most of them a lot tougher and bigger than the likes of you. So just because you killed your girlfriend or mom because she pissed you off doesn't mean you're some hard man."
"I didn't kill my…" you start to say before the one of the guards starts actually paying attention to you.

"HEY! The two of you stop fucking conspiring over there! In fact the pair of you need to shut the fuck up and just go to sleep because tomorrow you'll both be going before the judge and sentenced for your crimes! Enjoy your last night of freedom criminal scum!"

And with that, you and Mr. Scars do no more talking for the rest of the night, though Mr. Scars was done talking and ready to sleep anyway. You on the other hand have a hard time getting to sleep, knowing what awaits you.

The next morning, you're put back on the cart and continue your journey to Sivak. You reach your destination by midday. Sivak is larger than anything you've ever seen and some of its buildings are very impressive. It's a very bustling place with people walking around everywhere. You just wish you were free to enjoy it.

At this point you wonder if you shouldn't just try to escape now. The streets are very busy and it would be a lot harder for the soldiers to get around on their horses. If you're quick enough you might even lose them in an alleyway or something. Of course that doesn't stop the fact that you're still shackled and ultimately surrounded by more soldiers than ever, but maybe you can figure that dilemma out later.

You stay put

You don't know this city very well and you'd most likely be caught within five minutes, you'd probably also be beaten for your troubles at best. You aren't quite suicidal enough to try…or perhaps you're just not brave enough. Whatever the case, you stay put and resign yourself to whatever fate the judge has for you.

You hang your head down and stare at the floor of the cart, not really wishing to see any more of a city you aren't going to be able to take advantage of.

A bit of time passes before you hear Mr. Scars speak to you.

"Hey kid." Mr. Scars says.
"What?" you ask slowly looking up.
"This doesn't have to be the worst day of your life."
"Well it certainly isn't the best."
"Heh, well okay, but this could be a lot worse. In fact maybe Yag has blessed you with a little luck given your situation."
"Luck? I'm on my way to prison!"
"Yes, but you had the fortune of meeting me in an uncharacteristically generous mood."

You start to listen carefully.

"Okay, here's the deal. When you get sentenced to Dreadcage, find a human there by the name of Ponyride…and don't you dare laugh at the name. As silly as it might sound you don't want to know how he acquired it. Just ask any syndicate member where he is and they'll take you to him if you mention my name. It'll be real easy to find one of them since a lot of them are there and you just look for the tattoo." Mr. Scars says and juts out his shoulder.
"What will Ponyride do?"
"Well, he's gonna want proof you know me first, so tell him the phrase: The Duchess sure had a velvet throat. He'll know what it means."

As you take a moment to remember the phrase, Mr. Scars continues.

"If you're still blessed by Yag at this point, he'll honor the favor he owes me and give you a bit of protection for a while. Maybe a year at most. Should be more than enough time for you to get settled in and learn the routines without extra hassle. After that, you're going to be on your own. Now I'm no recruiter, but I suggest that since you'll already be getting the benefits of Ebony Claw protection, you might want to get in good with us on a permanent basis, as it will potentially make the rest of your stay slightly less dangerous. I'm sure Ponyride will have something for you to do, but that's on you and your choice."

Well this isn't freedom, but at least it's a glimmer of hope.

"I…I really don't know what to say…I mean thank you of course, but why are you doing this? What's in it for you?"
"Me? Nothing I guess, but I suppose I remember the first time I did some time in a prison. I was younger than you and it was a lesser offense, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience and I know I would've been glad for any help I could have gotten."

The cart and entourage of soldiers starts to slow down as you approach a large important looking white building with a lot of steps.

"The thing is with my record, I know I'm probably getting sentenced to be executed in a few months. There isn't really anything anyone can do for me, so I might as well call in the last favor I have left for someone that it will help. Use it or lose it as they say." Mr. Scars says.
"…but still…this is like a really big thing. I mean you barely know me and this is going to really help me out." You say still in disbelief of your luck.
"Yeah, well make the most of it kid. Just out of curiosity though…who did you supposedly kill?"
"The guy who stabbed my girlfriend... I had to run away from home after that."
"Well shit kid, that's more along the lines of justice as far as I can tell. Not sure if that really makes you a cold blooded killer at all, but I guess it's a good thing you know you can do it, if you have to right?"

At this point the cart stops completely and the pair of you are taken out and marched to the white building. When you enter the pair of you are still together for a little while, but eventually the sergeant tells some of his men to take you down a different corridor to Judge Randal. He and the rest take Mr. Scars down another and you part company.

When you get to Judge Randal, he sits behind his high desk and looks incredibly tired. You see him sentence various people before he finally gets to you.

He hears what you were charged with and just shakes his head.

"(Sigh) Do you have anything to say in your defense?" he asks.

You take a suggestion from what Mr. Scars said earlier and try to imply you're just a poor dumb kid that did something really stupid. The judge doesn't look impressed.

"Uh huh. Listen, I hear that excuse all the time and sometimes its even true, but you were found with twenty vials of Blue Dream my boy. You didn't just stumble upon that, you're obviously working for someone bigger. Probably someone in the Ebony Claw Syndicate. If you're really sorry for what you've done, then you're going to have to give me more than the baby in woods act."

You're silent.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Twenty years at Dreadcage. Next." The judge remarks.

You are quickly taken away and soon marched back outside, but this time to a large enclosed wagon with several horses at the front. You're shoved inside and shackled to a few other prisoners. All of them are sizing you up and you do your best not to show any fear as the wagon door is closed and you're on your way to Dreadcage.

There is little light in the wagon, save for what's coming through the very small windows at the very top of it. Still, you manage to examine a few of the other prisoners and fortune strikes again when you see one with a black claw tattoo sitting across from you.

"You Ebony Claw?" you ask the man.
"What the fuck's it to you pretty boy?" he answers.
"Mr. Scars wants you to take me to see Ponyride when we get to Dreadgate."

The man's eyes widen a bit when you mention Mr. Scars, but nods.

"Very well." He answers.

You don't reach Dreadcage until nightfall, but when you finally reach it and exit the wagon, you can see that it definitely lives up to its name with the massive walls, towers and high fences.

You are then marched inside the prison where upon you and the rest are striped, hosed down, checked and given prison apparel. Your new "name" according to the prison is now 97P904.

After this experience, you are shown your new cell. You cellmate is surprisingly a Halfling! Though within the first five minutes of meeting him he's quite firm about stating what is his and warns you that he's not going to tolerate any shit from the likes of you.

You maintain a respectful attitude and listen to his lecture, until your Claw "liaison" comes to find you.

"Hey, Ponyride is ready to see you." He says which causes a bit of confusion from your cellmate who probably didn't expect you to have such connections. You get the impression his attitude towards you will be a lot different when you return.

You walk through the prison attempting to ignore the various threats and stares you're getting. You remember that you have to show absolutely no weakness or fear.

Several ECS member congregate around Ponyride's cell. Ponyride himself is a muscular average sized man with a shaved head. He has several tattoos that in some way signify his allegiance to his organization.

Ponyride gets off his bed and approaches you with the usual hard stare that you're getting used to by everyone that has to prove how tough they are.

"So, I hear you know Mr. Scars and he told you to speak with me. If that's true then you'll have something important to tell me. If not…well you're going to get the privilege of learning exactly why they call me Ponyride."

This causes a few chuckles from Ponyride's cohorts, but you maintain your composure and simply utter the phrase.

"The Duchess sure had a velvet throat."

Ponyride smiles and nods.

"I came enough to fill a fucking moat. Hah! Glad to see Mr. Scars remembers the good times. Alright, I dunno how he knows you, but if he trusted you enough to give you that phrase, then it's good enough for me. So I'm guessing you want protection right?"
"Mr. Scars said a year's worth."
"A fucking year huh? Mr. Scars overestimates this favor I owe him. Ah, all right, what the hell, things are pretty peaceful right now I guess I can spare some. The Ebony Claw will make sure you're under our general protection, but remember, you ARE NOT one of us. That means if you severely fuck up or get in the way of our business, all bets are fucking off. Got me, pretty boy?"
"Understood."
"Good, and remember when a year is up you're on your fucking own. If you want anything from us after that, you gotta pay just like everyone else or join, but we can talk about that later if you so desire. Now leave me, I got important shit to do."

You are dismissed and the Claw member who took you to see Ponyride escorts you away and then leaves you to your own devices.

Well you've bought yourself a little time, now you have to get started learning everything you can about this place and deciding on how to spend your time here.

Because you sure have a lot of it.