Chapter 105: Countdown (1/2)

Arriving at the first intersection, the boys separated, with Drake silently leaving to the left. Nervously gripping the hilt of his sword, his silhouette soon faded as he traversed in the dimly lit underground hallway.

Frequently placed thick steel doors on the left and right; each room holding one or maybe more slaves used for the sick games. Weak muffled moans and pain-filled cries slipped through the cracks, each another needle to prick his already agitated heart.

Gripping the sword's handle so hard that his hand started to turn white from the lack of circulation of blood. The gem in the pommel shined brightly, feeling the emotions of its master, it too felt a wave of bubbling anger, ready to erupt and lay down its wrath to the scum of this place.

”I know… I know… We will, I promise you, we will, but right now, we need to find my sister and leave this place. Once she is safe, we will make sure this never happens again, I promise you.”

The pommel shined once again in bright light, conversing its thoughts to its master. Drake closed his eyes and with an inaudible sigh, he nodded, affirming their intentions.

”Yes. He will pay for this too. He is the root cause of all this suffering. A parent capable of doing this to their child… He is not my father, I refuse to accept such a reality.”

With one last satisfied hum, the shine in the sword's pommel faded, and returned to its relaxed state.

Continuing on the eerie hallway, he was once again in front of an intersection. There were three paths, each looking exactly like the next, even with the same moans and cries echoing through their walls, reaching Drake's ears.

Closing his eyes once again, he thought back to his strange masked companion's words: ”...always stick to the left…”

”Fine, I hope you are right… Aiden…” he mumbled to himself. Due to a lack of better options, he decided to trust the words of the boy, and without any further hesitation, he entered the leftmost hallway.

As he entered this new hallway, after a few steps, something new, the grating sounds of metal against leather reached his ears along with muffled, but still clearly male fragmented whispers. They were different from the ones than before, these were probably not slaves but most likely the sounds of guards that were patrolling just ahead.

”It's showtime, my dear friend…” A vicious grin came over his previous stoic features. Finally, he can vent some of his accumulated anger, and bathe Marf in a scarlet shower.

Pulling the hood back, he continued on his trek, and soon he was met with the source of the new sounds; two guards standing in front of a simple black metal door. Both were wearing a padded leather vest. The edges of their chest plate were etched in heraldic designs and laced with bits of gold leaf. They wore similarly decorated reinforced pants.

At their sides, both were wearing a simple dark brown leather sheath with a short sword resting in it. While not that stylish as the rest of their garb, the sheath also wore their insignia: a crudely painted red eagle. Both were wearing a black cloth mask covering only the lower half of their faces, leaving their glowering, sinister eyes free for Drake to peer into.

Seeing the uninvited guest appearing from the dark corridor, the guard on the left slightly nodded his chin pointing at Drake. The guy on the right just noticing him, reached for his short sword but he did not unsheathed it.

Speaking with a croaky, grated tone he spoke.

”What do you want, brat? This is a restricted area. You have one chance to turn around and scram, lest you want to meet your maker right now…”

The guard on the left didn't speak, however he was clearly observing, focusing on the newcomer's reaction while gripping the hilt of his sword. They were obviously experienced veterans, this guarding gig was clearly not their first job.

The vicious grin still resting over his face, Drake couldn't help but bury his forehead in his palm as a snicker left his mouth. It took him nearly a minute to calm down and look at the haughty guards.

If it would be capable, their eyes that tried to pierce the arrogant youth could spew bolts of lightning.

”How wonderful! I was about to offer both of you the same, but it seems you were faster. Still, you have this one and only chance to walk away and keep your miserable lives. You can go and take other jobs, both of you are clearly not new to this business, I can see the scars the years in the field has left.”

Motioning with his head sideways, he continued in a low growling tone.

”I will give you a count of 3 to obediently walk away. If you refuse to accept this lord's kindness, you can only blame yourself for the consequences.”