It seems I’ve made a new friend too. Finally! Someone that takes me for what I am and has no expectations of me… except he had. A lot.

We chatted the whole night, and he gave me an overview of the situation. He was no simple thug, but employed by some dark and wicked assembly to do dirty works.

The most recent was all about searching some old ruin, belonging to an even darker and evil sect. A laboratory famous over here, in this piece of the country. Where evil deeds and evil research were made, about what everything’s said but nothing repeats itself, so the story goes.

Seemingly again, the affair was hushed up, and, after bursting into the open, was repressed once more. Misinformation, change of location, alteration of the type and gravity of the said experiments. Thirty years later, and nothing’s left but gossip and scandal, it was hard to isolate lies from authentic pieces of truth.

Yet, what sends shivers down your spine, is that some still knew about this, but refuse to speak like they were threatened not to, and that others in the upper class, talk about it as if it were not in the past.

According to Deluc, or Lucas, or Lucas Delucas as was his complete name.

“Hey! I told you not to call me that, my parents were idiots and probably didn’t want a child in the first place. Who, in sound mind, would call his son Lucas, when your family name is already Delucas. if I catch them, I kill them!”

According to him, this case wasn’t unique, and multiple places resembling this one, albeit smaller, were scattered across the continent. Like the one he had attacked long ago and where Joe and his fellow came from.

Some believed that a few were still running and known to the authorities, funded by nobles. These so-called nobles who themselve search for an assumed even bigger and larger experiment center, or any remanence of experience as if it would be the greatest discovery of the millennium.

Basically, something bad existed, it may still continue to exist to this day, and might be or might not be a conspiracy. Yet, no one has the correct information or the whole picture.

The only thing that was commonly admitted was the existence of similar places, and that at least one of them was in operation until recently.

In short, Lucas' task was to do some research on the possible location, find it, then study and explore it carefully.

Any remains that were to be found, would be sent back to his employer. Alternately, he had to act as an outlaw as a cover, kidnapping and robbing with minimal notice.

Then, if it were to be discovered, he would have to bring the guild or any interested party to believe they were a random thug.

Ultimately, his unofficial task was to send the fruit of their abduction along with other girls to his joke of an executive, who liked to train slaves as a hobby and loved to broadcast them live even more by mistake.

“But I swear, I never took the kidnapping part at heart, I only did it as I was forced to, besides already using the black market as a source of supply, which doesn’t change their doomed fate, I even swapped some victims with proper slaves bought with money in the city. I’m not into raping or anything and I can’t stand things the way they are, but I have no choice, or else I’m dead, whether I like it or not, I'm stuck… They have eyes and hear everywhere.”

“As for my band, although they are loyal, they are actual muggers and love both girls, and money. I forbid them from mistreating the merchandise but I can’t completely control them. At least the salve they use to their heart’s content were all provided by the one who pays us our wages.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I’m not saying I’m a good boy, far from there, I was the same, bandit, thief, robber, call me whatever you want, I have my shady past, I did all sorts of things I regret or not. But I never got that far, I never committed cold blooded murder. I just lived as I could, except I was a little smarter, maybe a little too smart, and made my way to the top. I was responsible, I wanted to stop it all, but I was forced into this situation by greed to have a final job.”

“Now I’m fucked up, just like your debt situation, I had no safe way to get out of there before meeting you. Sure, I could try to get away. It doesn’t mean I would have come out of it alive, but I could. But what of the girl? Will it change their fate? Will it change what they became? It was too late and it was better to keep on going and make their suffering bearable. Also, this is not to justify myself, but I too have something to protect and I can’t let it down…”

“Joe?” I wonder if he meant something special for Lucas… could they be… No, I’d better not picture them together, or I will have nightmares and now is not the time!

“Hmm? Absolutely not! Not him. Despite the fact that he is the most innocent among us, I know he has murderous tendencies. I’m pretty sure if you had not killed his brother’s squad, he would have killed them himself, for some reason unknown to me he hates his twins as numerous as they were. He's one of the people who shares my goals, that’s all.”

Thankfully, Lucas cut me short in my imagination, and took a weight off my shoulders. Phew It seems I will be able to keep in mind the movies that he showed me finally.

“No, it’s someone else, several actually, much closer and personally related. You will meet them eventually.”

We kept our voices down, and continued our secret conversation.

He agreed for total cooperation. Making plans to sabotage his own operation, free the girl, search for the ones that were sold illegally and make fall all corrupt and evils concerned.

Provided that I vouched for him and prevented him from being officially judged, he agreed to atone for his sins as long as he was kept alive.

Even becoming a slave was fine for him. He didn’t know all the ins and outs, but he knew influential nobles, and people of high ranking were involved so a trial would sign his death warrant. In return, he would help me and give the result of his research to any person I consider reliable, further cooperating with them if this proved necessary.

But hey, I didn’t give my word, he remains a rascal, I couldn’t count on him to keep his word, even if what he said was true, I needed to make plans myself and verify his statements.

‘I Should contact one or two people who I trust… There is no shortage of them, but I think most would be reluctant to even read my letter…’

‘Perhaps I can still get in touch with her, it’s sad to say, but at least she does not loathe me or despise my being, like everyone tends to do nowadays. This is not without danger, but it’s worth trying. This should be enough to have some confidence in the procedure to follow in the least.’

Beside… Wouldn't this be another stroke of fate? I mean, they share the same first name after all or rather, I should say they are pretty similar.

After ending my thoughts, I finally established my course of action. I would not act for the moment, and unless that person agreed to cover my rear, I wouldn't fully commit until the end.

I too had people to care for, I already had two wives, and countless women counting on my financial support.

“Hey buddy, can I write a letter, and leave under your care the delivery to its rightful recipient? Is there a risk of getting caught? Otherwise, it should solve all of our problems at once.” Or create so many of them that we would not finish them in one lifetime, but I’d better keep this to myself.

At worst, I would run away again leaving him behind. A scary princess adored by all, who loves secrets and schemes, and with more manpower at her disposal than her actual king father, so much that she has the possibility of waging war against the greater kingdom if she wanted to? Surely, she could be of help no?

I just need to ensure she doesn’t make a move herself or this cell would look like a haven… well it already does depending on the point of view though, but what awaits me would not be as kind.

I wonder who was the worst, my unknown first wife? Or rather this princess I know too well.

Well, There is no point in dwelling on that, I suppose the answer will present itself in due course…