Chương 156: A Duel for Freedom

Felicity and the others had taken refuge in an inn in Aqareth. The place was spacious and crowded with people from every corner of the kingdom. In particular, there were many bounty hunters gathered around the wanted posters hanging on the walls. They discussed among themselves which targets to go after and how to split the profits. At the other tables, some simply drank in each other's company, while others spoke in hushed voices, exchanging notes or crowns.

They were probably people who were part of the vast system Ravetrisk had built beneath the city. Felicity and the others were seated around a table, trying to come up with a new plan to find Ravetrisk's hideout.

"Any ideas?" Sven asked, calmly sipping his beer from the large glass pitcher. Makena slammed her boots onto the table, making the mugs wobble.

"Why don't we repeat the plan you were using before?" Felicity shook her head.

"No. We got lucky last time. The chances of the same conditions occurring again are too low. And we can't waste time trying to find the right person all over again". Elion remained silent for a few moments, then touched his chin as an idea came to him.

"I've thought of something".

"Go on", Felicity said.

"What if we started spreading false rumors about the slaves in the system?" Sven raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of rumors?"

"That the slaves are sick. That they're physically weak, unfit for work, a risky investment. If those rumors started spreading, sooner or later someone from his system would show themselves to find out who was spreading them". Makena smiled.

"Not bad". Felicity nodded slowly.

"Yes…it could work. But we have to spread them naturally". Agnes clenched her fists, her expression tense.

"Whatever we do, we have to move quickly. Ethan thinks I've been captured…and he could be sold as well. I can't even imagine what he must be going through right now". This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"We'll save him. Don't worry", Felicity said seriously. Agnes nodded. Shigeru watched Ethan from the cell opposite his.

"Don't lose hope, my friend", he said calmly.

"Elion and Felicity will come. And when they do, we'll go and get the girl back. All of us together. We'll help you find her". Ethan raised his head. His eyes were empty, lifeless, as though the only thing keeping him alive was a solid core of hatred.

"If you really want to be useful", he said in a low, cutting voice, "help me kill them all. Wipe them out. I want these underground tunnels to be filled with their blood".

"My friend, don't be like this…don't let hatred consume you. Agnes was sold, and it's terrible, but she's still alive. And if she's still alive, she can be found. Hatred won't help you find her, though. It will only drive you further away from her".

"Do you have any idea how big the kingdom is? Finding her is almost impossible. And even if, by some remote chance, I managed to do it, she'd be traumatized forever and would never speak to me again because I failed to protect her. Now all I have left is to kill them all". Shigeru stared at Ethan. He realized that the intense hatred in his eyes was far more than mere words. If he had a sword in his hand, he truly would have killed them all. Not far from their cells, Ravetrisk was carefully cleaning his sword.

One of his subordinates entered, dragging a slave whose hands were bound.

"Boss, this bastard wants to speak with you". Ravetrisk raised his gaze, then slowly stood.

"What do you want to tell me, worm?" The slave swallowed.

"I want my freedom. I'm willing to duel for it". Ravetrisk tilted his head slightly.

"A duel…for your freedom?"

"Yes".

"So you want to commit suicide".

"Better to die with a sword in my hand than rot down here". Ravetrisk stared at him. He was a very thin man in his fifties. He was of little value as a slave, probably one of the least profitable ones. Ravetrisk stood up and cracked his neck, then gestured to his subordinate.

"Give him your sword. Don't worry…he won't even get to use it". The ropes were untied, and the sword was passed into the slave's hands. The slave tightened his grip around the hilt.

"I can see it…freedom!" He didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, swinging his sword at Ravetrisk's throat. He didn't even have time to realize what had happened. In less than the blink of an eye, Ravetrisk was standing behind him. A clean, deep slash opened across the slave's chest. His body collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The subordinate was speechless. He hadn't even seen Ravetrisk strike. It had been like a flash—something beyond comprehension.

"Impressive, boss…truly impressive". Ravetrisk wiped the blade on the slave's clothes, then walked away without looking back.

"Burn him".

"Will do, boss". Only the slave's corpse remained on the cold floor. His freedom had been denied before he could even savor the thought of it.