"Looks like I've arrived before my transport. All this traffic is going to be a problem."
As Jane said, the traffic on the outskirts slowed the movement of the city. Peasants, in order to move through the array of wagons and horses, lifted their belongings above their heads and crossed wherever their bodies would fit. Jane realised the advantage this could give her, and advanced holding her hood until she reached the centre of the array of vehicles. Her range of vision was limited by her surroundings, so she climbed onto the back of a wagon. From there she instantly made out the black cloths of the transport she was looking for.
"Oh, it's up ahead. There are at least four wagons around, so it's going to be harder to get to. Unless..." Jane pulled out her pouch with the few coins she had left. "I hope this mission pays off for me. Here goes my last few coins. You'll have to make it up to me if anything goes wrong, Wolf!"
The woman jumped off the cart she was on and threw herself to the ground to move underneath the carts. Her body got dirty quickly due to the fact that the paths were not covered with grass or stones, but that mattered little to her at that point. She managed to get to the wagon so fast that it didn't move a bit. As the people continued on their way, she stood in the middle of it all, thinking about her next move.
"I have six coins. The wagons will move on soon if I don't do something. I could bribe some merchants with a coin, but I don't know if it will be enough." Jane ran up to the merchant whose cart was positioned just behind the target. Jane's appearance did not at first catch his attention, but her six coins did. She grabbed the side of his cart to climb up and talk to him. "I hope I'm not bothering you too much. I have an offer for you. You have your eye on what I have with me, huh? Well, I'll give you and your friend on the right three gold coins to stay a while longer to cover the black wagon in front. You won't have to do anything else, just follow it closely. What do you say? There's never been a better deal than this. Besides, you'll be doing the kingdom a favour."
Jane had a mischievous smile on her face. The merchant watched the girl slowly wave the coins and didn't think twice before accepting the money. The young woman smiled even wider and hopped down, then slowly approached the black cart. The merchant and his companion moved forward a little to cover Jane, who peered under the cloth to check if there were any guards inside. There was no threat, but after pulling the cloth back a little further she realised that the prisoners were chained. Without hesitation, she entered the wagon and threw out her empty bag.
"Hello, guys. Don't be afraid, I'm not here to harm you. Rather, I have come to save you. Can anyone tell me where in the underground levels this cart is going?"
Some of them did not even look at her. Others were frightened by her presence, but most were focused on their tears and grief. Only one of them, a little girl, took off her hood and had the courage to speak to her.
"We are going to William DeLoire's domain, miss. Are you... a knight? Are you going to help us?" The girl clasped her hands together, but the shackles made her wrists ache. Jane was moved, and placed her hands over the little slave's.
The mercenary found some empty shackles that were next to the girl's. As she put them on, Jane responded. "A knight? Yes, something like that. I am here to help each and every one of you. I promise that this will be the last day you will be called slaves. By the way... Could you help me close the shackles?"
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With the rest of the team.
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The first criminals arrived at the brothel. The residents of the neighbourhood stopped walking down that street, making way for William DeLoire's intimidating guests. Cerberus, seeing this, called the attention of the others and they hurried inside following one of the guests.
"Wolf, I think this is a bad idea. Their costumes are identical to ours, but there is a slight difference... They're William's friends and we're not. How the hell are we going to get through?" Whispered the frightened Noir.
Wolf let out a laugh and continued to move forward without the slightest concern. "Be silent and watch, my dear friend. You ask too many questions for your own good."
Noir expected the criminals to stop to confirm their invitations, but they did not. The soldiers guarding the gates took no notice of the guests. They remained in the same position, holding their spears with their eyes straight ahead. The nobles entered without stopping and without having to explain themselves to anyone. Noir was confused, but he didn't have much time to process what had happened, as Wolf gave him a light tap to come inside with him.
Once inside, Noir looked back and saw the doors slowly close. "What? Why did they just let us in like that? Don't they care about spies or assassins? Their protocol is very... strange."
"There are two good reasons for that, my dear friend. But before we get into the details, why don't we have a drink?" Noir wouldn't take his eyes off the entrance, so Wolf turned him around so he could see what Trinity's underworld was really like. "Stop looking back and check this out. Welcome to degenerate paradise."
Noir's eyes moved with no control because of all he was witnessing. Psychedelic lights illuminated a vast, vast hallway, the colours of which were etched into Noir's eyes. Waitresses and prostitutes dancing and vulgarly exhibiting their bodies for perverted and perverse men. Slaves denigrating themselves to sickening limits for the pleasure of their masters and owners. Jesters, dwarves, war wounded and orphans entertained the nobles by humiliating themselves and doing all sorts of things against their will.
"What is all this...?" Noir couldn't hold back the nausea. Wolf held him down and forced him to watch all that. "I don't want to watch it anymore, Wolf... Why are you doing this to me?"
"You have to appreciate with your own eyes what these people are like. Dehumanise them, as Cerberus said, and realise that you are worthy of punishing them for their actions. Who better than you to fulfil that task, my dear friend?" Someone tapped Wolf's shoulder. The leader of the group quickly lifted Noir up and bowed. The one who had touched his shoulder was a nobleman, apparently a very young one, with blond hair, taller than normal. "Oh, this is unexpected. Do you need anything from us, companion?"
"No, of course not. Nor did I intend to meet you, for we know well that this is not the right place for that. I only wished to know if your friend is well. You know, one of our slaves could ease his pain at no cost. They are women born to please, after all."
Wolf frowned, but his mask hid his expression. "We are tempted by your proposal, but that is not what we came here for. You needn't worry about my friend, I assure you. It's his first time and well... Sometimes it can be conflicting for first-timers to see something like this."
"I understand... I'd like to know who he is, but I already have an idea. Enjoy your evening." The flamboyant nobleman disappeared into the crowd, and his presence was lost with the arrival of the great feast. Cerberus and Noir paid him no further attention, but Wolf saw something beyond his mask that struck him as suspicious.
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"Yes... Enjoy all you can of this. You'll suffer the consequences later. Cerberus, Noir, let's get moving. Things are getting lively up here and that's not good for us. We have to keep going down to the lower levels." The others obeyed and kept moving forward without peeling off Wolf's back. Halfway to the end of the corridor, Wolf stopped and discreetly approached a waitress, only to bump into her. The hors d'oeuvres went flying, as did the young woman's tray. "Oh no, what a mess! I'm so sorry about this, my dear. Let me help you pick it all up."
"No need, sir... It's my fault for being so absent-minded. I promise it won't happen again. Please don't report this to my owner." The girl, refusing Wolf's help, began to pick up the food as fast as she could with discreet tears streaming down her face. Wolf was surprised and helped her anyway. "Please don't... If the master sees that one of his guests is straining because of me he will punish me..."
"Don't worry, no one will talk about this. I want to know something." Suspicious glances turned on the two of them the moment the mercenary showed the slightest bit of sympathy. To protect his alibi, Wolf aggressively lifted the waitress up grabbing her by the neck. "I'll let this offence pass if you answer my question... I have come here on a matter of business that I would like to discuss with Mr. DeLoire. But his domain is vast, and to seek him out among all these rooms is an effort I am unwilling to make. So tell me, little bastard, where is Mr. DeLoire right now?"
The girl, struggling to breathe, replied. "He's on the penultimate level, sir... In his private room. He never leaves that place unless it is absolutely necessary. Please... Don't kill me..."
Wolf released the girl once he got the information he wanted. On the outside he showed no emotion, but inside his heart was broken. "I will not waste my strength to kill such an insignificant being as you. Get out of my sight."
When Noir saw the girl run off with her tray his heart implored him to come to her aid. "Wolf... That wasn't necessary. Why did you hurt her? We're not like that."
"Do you think I liked it? I had no choice, Noir. We can't hesitate to act if it means saving the mission." The mercenary sighed. "Let's put this aside and move on. The girl said William is on the second to last level. Looking at the map means he's about eight levels down not counting this one. I estimate that's about thirty metres in total. There will be a lot of stairs to go down."
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On the penultimate level.
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"The car stopped a long time ago. They should have gotten us out of here by now..." Jane rose from the seat to peer through the cloth, but two armed men pulled it completely away before she could do so. The mercenary stepped back as soon as she saw the soldiers, who pulled on the slaves' chains to get them out.
"Come on, get down at once! Master William is not going to wait all day!" The soldiers were very brute in pulling the chains. They dragged the weakened and battered peasants out by force, throwing them to the ground and lashing them with whips. Jane was no exception, but she was able to withstand the pain better. "Do you understand the situation you are in? Your freedom is over. You can't cry, you can't laugh, you can't even feel. Just obey. Let's go!"
The peasants were led by blows and shouts to William's domain. On the way Jane encountered something far worse than what the rest had seen. She crossed paths with men who were themselves part of large orgies. She also came face to face with a slave girl in a deplorable state, whose owner had beaten to the limits of physical deformity. As she passed from room to room, the mercenary kept seeing unconscionable violence, sexual abuse and the most extreme savagery that a human being could perform.
"This is... This is horrible... All this has been going on under our feet?" The soldiers stopped the two rows of slaves from advancing any further. Two more guards were called to open a large door, which soon revealed a colossal theatre with over fifteen rows of boxes and over six hundred seats in the lower section alone. Jane was amazed at the size of the place and wondered why they had been brought there.
"This is Mr. William's personal theatre. He will be here soon. If you try to escape, fight or anything like that, we will kill you without hesitation. Mr. William will select those who meet his requirements. The rest will be executed and thrown into some nearby river. Don't worry about your bodies, even your families won't be able to recognise them." All the soldiers laughed shamelessly at the suffering of the slaves. The noise ceased, however, when a door to their right opened and a man who barely fit through it appeared. The soldiers stood firm, almost like statues. "Sir William, you are as well as ever today! We have brought you the slaves you requested!"
"Excellent. My personal slaves have been giving me trouble lately, so this change will do me a lot of good. Let's see..." The soldiers distributed the slaves so that they formed a single line. William strolled quietly around the huge room, glancing briefly at each of the slaves. "Some could be healthier, but I'm not going to ask much of a village rat either. I'm no longer interested in children, so you can get rid of them. Neither are the old or the malnourished..." The despot stopped in front of Jane. She gave him a look of indifference. "I want a woman. One with a strong character and a beautiful face. Like this one. What is your name, slave?"
"My name is Morrigan, Mr. William. If you wish it, I will serve you with the greatest of pleasure." Jane lowered her head, for she thought that looking for too long at William would anger him. But the man grabbed her by the hair and made her look him in the eye. "Sir, that hurts... Wouldn't you want me intact to serve you?"
"Certainly... But I want to appreciate your eyes a little more. Your beauty makes me think that marrying you wouldn't be a bad idea. Well... Get the old ones and the males out of here! I only want this one and three healthy teenage girls!" As she heard that, Jane tried to reach for the little girl's hand at her side. However, it didn't take long for those who were turned away to disappear. Only four girls remained with Mr. William, who were stripped of their chains. "You have been released from your bonds. I trust you are wise enough to know that attacking me will bring you no good. That said, let us go to my chambers."
Only one guard accompanied William and the slaves. Jane played along with William for a little while longer, nodding to everything he said, being submissive and willing to work for him. But deep down she couldn't wait for the moment when she could rip his heart out.
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In William's chambers.
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The doors of William's chambers echoed loudly as they closed behind the slaves. Jane turned to the doors with some concern, for that was the only door the mercenaries would be able to enter. William shouted to get everyone's attention. He wanted them to settle on his bed and pour him some whisky. They all obeyed, and even Jane agreed to lie down next to him.
"You're all extraordinary, really. The most beautiful girls I've seen in a long time. However, I don't like my sexual partner to be so young. I'm not like those degenerates out there. Therefore, you will be my servants in other ways. As for you, Morrigan..." William's rough tongue wandered across Jane's palm, something that utterly repulsed the woman. "Mmm, yes... You are far too good to be a slave. But too vulgar to be my wife. How would you like to be my lover? You'd have a better life than any slave could ever have."
Jane tried with all her might to hide her disgust. Her response was a forced smile. "Of course, Mr. William. I will make you feel everything a woman can give. After all, I am here to serve you..." Jane tricked the despot by caressing his chest with a finger, making him believe that he could actually possess Jane. "We can start right now... But I'd like to take a bath first. Would you be so kind as to give me that luxury? Besides... Wouldn't it be better if we were alone? You and me?"
"No, I am afraid these slaves must remain even when we fornicate. They must be there to serve me at any time. But you may take a bath. The baths are on the left, at the first door. Ladies! Where's my glass of whisky!? I'm not going to admit the same thing again!"
Jane locked herself in the baths, despite hearing the screams of the slaves. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding, fear gripped her for a moment. She threw a stool into William's thermal baths so that he would think she was really having a bath. The first thing that came to her mind after that was to look for a weapon to kill the tyrant. She didn't trust Wolf and the others to arrive any time soon.
"It didn't go as I expected, having those girls here is going to be a problem. Agh... Is there absolutely nothing useful in this fucking bath? I'll have to kill you with my bare hands, William!"
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On the same level.
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"At last... We've reached the penultimate level. Now all that's left is to find that idiot's room." The group expected to find another crowd, but no one was there. That worried Wolf more, so he hid behind the nearest wall. "It's suspicious that on the level where William is, there's no one. I can hear moaning up ahead, but I highly doubt it's Jane and company. Cerberus, go to that room and see what's inside. I reckon we're not far away."
Cerberus left the group for a while. Noir took the opportunity to continue the conversation they started when they entered. "You still haven't told me what those two good reasons are. You also haven't told us where you got these suits from. How many things have you done while we were dying of boredom?"
"Are you forgetting that everything I've been doing has been for the guild? If you were so bored, you should have used that time to train your demonic powers." Noir didn't respond to that. "Whatever... Look. Security is the way it is because no one wants to meddle in other people's business. This is a place for criminals who want to lay low. They can't afford to be linked to any crime, and that's why their name can't be anywhere. Moreover, these clothes are made of the best materials that can be found in Ivonia. They are so expensive that no one other than a noble can buy them."
"If you didn't buy them, then..."
"I killed three nobles from another kingdom to get them. They weren't really important people, just small-time knights. Viscounts and barons. They thought I was from the Holy Trinity, for some reason. You should have seen the fear on their faces... I had never seen anything like that." Cerberus returned to confirm that the way was clear. "Perfect. I want you to be the one to deliver the coup de grace to William, Noir. Will you do that for me?"
Noir looked from below, as he was crouching, at his leader. Wolf's eyes showed confidence in him. Noir felt deeply complimented by that gesture alone. "I will. I won't let you down."
"I'm glad to hear that. Let's go."