Chương 150: Captured

Nikos approached Seer Aelira with slow, elegant steps, then gave a slight bow out of respect. The Seer opened her eyes and scrutinized him with those red irises that seemed to see beyond mere appearances.

"Human, how is the plan coming along?" she asked.

"I'm working on it, Seer. Before that, though, I need to ask you a few questions".

"Ask". Nikos stroked his mustache, pondering for a few moments.

"You know Xarath well, correct?"

"Yes, unfortunately. We were fellow students". Those words immediately piqued Nikos's interest.

"That could be useful. In your opinion, what makes him so monstrously powerful?" The Seer remained silent for several seconds. Then she replied in her usual tired, unenthusiastic tone.

"Xarath is a prodigy. He was born with an abnormally large amount of magical energy, and from a young age, he demonstrated extraordinary talent. He never had to work as hard as others. Even as a boy, he was already capable of using some of the most important and complex spells in magic, techniques that an ordinary mage could only learn after centuries of study". She paused briefly, as though carefully choosing her next words.

"At present, he is restrained by limiters, and despite that, he remains the most powerful mage in the world after me. Without those limiters, he possesses abilities that make him practically untouchable and terribly dangerous". Nikos slowly inhaled.

"He really does sound like an evil god, even though I don't believe in gods. Do you think he has no weaknesses?"

"Magically? No, he doesn't. He may have some weaknesses in close-quarters and hand-to-hand combat, but he compensates with his spells and an enormous magical stamina". Aelira lowered her gaze for a moment.

"Spiritually, however, he is weak. He is an empty being, devoid of bonds, who lives only to destroy. The only reason he is still alive is that no one has managed to kill him yet. Life has no meaning to him, and that is precisely what makes him such a tragic being". Nikos nodded thoughtfully.

"Life has no meaning to him… that could be useful when devising the plan. Thank you, Seer Aelira". He gave another bow and walked away. In Aqareth. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Felicity and Elion made their way through the darkness, each carrying a bucket filled with water. They had drawn it from the well without encountering anyone, but the remaining water supplies were extremely scarce.

They had only managed to fill two buckets, despite Elion hoping they could carry at least four. The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of their footsteps on the sand. Fortunately, the starry sky cast a faint light over the desert, making their path less dark. After a while, Elion stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at Felicity. She was breathing normally, as though she hadn't exerted herself at all.

"Are you really human?" he muttered.

"You're a swordsman, yet you don't seem very well-trained", she retorted.

"I've never been good with strength training. I've always had little muscle mass. My technique relies entirely on speed".

"Speed without strength isn't enough". Elion resumed walking with the bucket in hand and smiled.

"It was enough for the people I've killed". Felicity watched him for a few seconds.

"You've killed people, huh?"

"Well, yes. But I don't consider myself a murderer. Whenever I killed someone, it was only to save other lives or to save my own. What about you?"

"I've done something similar", she replied curtly. After that, they continued in silence. When the shelter finally came into view, Felicity stopped abruptly. She had noticed several footprints in the sand. They couldn't be theirs; they led directly toward the shelter. Elion approached her.

"What is it?"

"Footprints…leading toward the shelter".

"Maybe they belong to Shigeru and the others. They could have passed through here".

"Maybe. But I don't like this silence. Let's check". They slowly drew their swords and approached the building. Once inside, they began searching every room. Ethan, Agnes, Shigeru, and Firmin were gone. There was blood on the floor. A lot of it.

"They put up a fight…" Felicity murmured. Elion's breathing quickened. He continued staring at the blood, unable to tear his eyes away from the empty room. His heart began pounding faster and faster.

"They took them…they captured them. They made them slaves. We'll never see them again…"

"Calm down. Don't immediately assume the worst".

"How am I supposed to calm down?! You have no idea how the slave trade works! Once they're captured, they'll be sold. And if we don't find them in time, we'll never see them again. Who knows where they'll…" Felicity's slap struck him squarely across the face, sharp and decisive.

"I don't see any corpses", she said coldly.

"That's already good news. It means they're still alive and we can find them. But if we're going to do that, you need to keep a clear head. Understand?" Elion touched his reddened cheek, swallowed, and nodded. His heart was still pounding rapidly, but Felicity's words managed to reassure him, at least somewhat.

"Yes…I can do this". In Aqareth's undergrounds. Ethan was locked inside a cell. His wrists were bound tightly with ropes, his split lip was bleeding, and one eye was completely swollen and bruised purple from the beating he had received. The cell door opened. Ravetrisk appeared before Ethan, a stern expression on his face. He approached and grabbed Ethan's chin roughly, forcing him to look up.

"You killed three of my men", he said.

"You even tore one of their throats out with your teeth, like some fucking predator. Your strength and ferocity will make you quite valuable as a slave. You'll fetch me a pretty price". He stared at him with cold eyes.

"But not as much as that red-haired girl. What was it they told me you called her? Ah, right…Agnes. I wonder how many nobles will want her as their personal little slave". Ethan's eyes widened with fury. With a desperate burst of movement, he managed to headbutt Ravetrisk squarely in the face. There was a sharp crack of bone, and blood immediately poured from his nostrils. Ravetrisk brought a hand to his nose, surprised by Ethan's audacity. Then, slowly, he smiled.

"You really are uncontrollable, bastard". He drove a brutal knee into Ethan's face, returning the blow with interest. The impact was so powerful that Ethan immediately lost consciousness. Ravetrisk stepped out of the cell and closed the door behind him, leaving Ethan alone in the darkness.