DAKU
It'd been ten minutes since Jihar and the ringmaster, who happened to be the host as well, started discussing the recent fight. Only a few people had stayed and wanted to know the result of the duel, while the rest left disappointed about the outcome of tonight's show.
It was quite obvious that I won against the Masked Blade, but it looked like the ringmaster didn't like how it turned out. And the way the two conversed with all hand gestures and quick glances in our direction told me that this would not end well. Parts of me were saying that we might not get what we came here for.
Kenshi, on the other hand, was pretty unbothered about it. The way he leaned on the arena wall with his arms across his chest and eyes closed, I could say that he was taking this calmly. He looked relaxed and serene.
I returned my gaze to the center of the arena, where the two had their discussion. Upon noticing the approaching merchant, I unpinned my butt from the ground and patted it clean. I tapped Kenshi, who stood upright from his previous position, and placed both of his hands in his pockets.
"There's bad news and good news," Jihar began. "The bad news is the ringmaster didn't acknowledge your victory, meaning your fight is void because of a few reasons: first, Kenshi interfered-"
"That's bullshit," Kenshi cussed. "Daku could've died if I didn't save them."
"Yes, yes. I hear you, young man. Calm down. The second reason is that he didn't expect that the Masked Blade was a member of the Dark Order. This arena may be illegal and kind of evil, but we know that associating ourselves with The Dark Order won't do us any good; hence, your opponent was no longer recognized as a participant. That being said, there is no winner tonight."
My heart sank as Jihar declared those words. Our only hope to find and save Kana disappeared like a bubble. Finding another way could take us days, and we didn't have that much time to ensure Kana's safety.
"You know about The Dark Order?" Kenshi asked, which kind of made me curious as well.
"It's not difficult not to hear about them since they're the biggest notorious cult ever known. Although their presence was discovered not so long ago, the fear they struck in people and the influence they have made their name spread like a plague. Everyone in the black market knows about them."
"So it is safe to assume that they have already infiltrated the kingdom and probably planted some spies within the walls of the city," Kenshi guessed. This would be difficult for us. If they have indeed spies roaming around the city, finding the artifacts would be a pain in the ass. If they found out that we were looking for those objects, it would be a matter of time before they hunted us down.
"Anyway, here's the good news," Jihar continued. "Since you two gave me a performance that I haven't ever seen, especially you, Daku. Your punches were something that I didn't expect to have such tremendous power. Because of that, I'll reward you with these."
Jihar held out his hand before us, and two familiar papers were clasped in it. My eyes widened in shock, and my heart raced in pure joy when I realized they were gate passes to the black market.
"You two deserve it for not just giving me an amazing show but also for saving my life. Kenshi's intuition to join the fight was the right move. Awakened people corrupted by the Evil Remnant are something that a single adventurer could fight, much more than a healer like you, Daku. The power they get from the dark energy strengthens them tenfold. Fortunately, the Masked Blade was just a pawn, and what he had was just a fraction of the power. If he were bestowed with the whole orb of concentrated Evil Remnant, he could've slaughtered everyone here."
Jihar was right. We fought one back at the Geiya Village, and I could still remember the intense pressure I felt when the enemy devoured the orb. I almost died that time if it wasn't for Kenshi.
"Thank you for these, Jihar."
"We owe this one to you," I said, but Jihar just shook his head in disagreement.
"That's nothing compared to saving my life. I'm indebted to you. If you need something, you know where to find me. Best of luck in finding your friend. I hope you're not too late." Kenshi and I grabbed each of the gate passes and put them inside our pockets. "There's a passageway from here to one of the entrances of the black market. Just find Oanya in the waiting area. He can show you the way. Tell him that I sent you two and you want to go to the slave auction. Kidnapped children are always sold as slaves there."
Hearing the last statement sent chills down over me. Kana could be in there, being auctioned and sold as a slave, or worse... We have to hurry.
"Thank you again."
Jihar just nodded. "Now go. You can't waste more time."
Kenshi and I jerked our heads and went straight to the waiting area where I once stood earlier. There was a room behind the waiting area lobby, and this was where the dead or injured bodies were brought. There were a few people here, and we didn't know which one of them was Oanya.
"What brought you two here?" a deep, monstrous voice asked. I searched for the source of it and found out it came from a huge, muscular guy. He only had his trousers on, and his long, greasy beard and furrowed brows told me that he was not someone to mess with.
"We were sent by Jihar. We came to find Oanya," Kenshi stated.
"That's me!" The voice was the opposite of what the man before us had. This one was a childish one, which explains the highness of its pitch. Suddenly, a small figure peeked behind the man wearing a wide smile. And to my surprise, he was a halfbreed. A beastly. "I'm Oanya!"
Oanya approached while wiping both of his hands on his clothes. Beastlies are amazing beings. They possessed the abilities of the animal they were part of. Like Oanya here, who was a half-tiger because of his furry lower torso with stripes resembling those of a tiger. His paws were adorable as well, but the retractable claws hiding in them could rip through flesh in just one swift move.
Beastlies aged differently from ordinary humans. They had a lifespan that was three times that of the commoner and twice that of the awakened. So if I were to guess, Oanya and I were the same age despite how he looked.
"Jihar said that you could show us the way to the black market?" Kenshi asked.
"Ooh! A tour commission! I can do that!" He was quiet and an energetic half-breed. "Shall we go now?"
"Wait a minute, Oanya, you still have work to do here," said one of the men at the back.
Oanya gazed at the man who had greeted us earlier. Because of their size difference, Oanya had to stretch his neck to look the man in the eye.
"Papa, can I?"
Wait! That's his father?
"If Jihar requested it, then I have no choice," the man said. "Just be careful out there and come back to Papa, okay?" For a huge guy like him to talk in such a way was kind of weird.
Oanya hugged his father, but only his legs, while the man patted his head. Even though they were not related by blood, I could tell that what they had was pure family love.
"Let's go!" Oanya invited.
"Thank you so much," I said to the man, who only nodded in response.
***
The passageway was just behind the arena, and we could tell that the black market was much deeper than the arena itself because of the descending stairs we were taking right now. The passage was well-lit because of the glowing stones installed on the walls.
"So, Oanya," I called out.
"Hm?"
"Jihar told us that you know the way to where the slave auction is. Can you take us there?" I asked.
"Sure! The farther, the bigger!" he said excitedly. I bet he was referring to the compensation he could get from Jihar.
"How did you end up here, Oanya?" Kenshi inquired. "How did beastly like end up in this kingdom? If I'm not mistaken, the beastly archipelago is much closer to the Sutoh Kingdom."
Kenshi was right. The beastly archipelago, better known as the Tseba Archipelago, is a landmass just a few miles from the shores of Sutoh Kingdom, where beastlies resided and originated. Thorn was opposite to Sutoh; then how did a beastly end up here?
"Jihar only told me that he found me along his way back to this city! I was just a baby at that time, so basically I can't remember how it happened!" Oanya replied, and there was not even a hint of sorrow in his voice, as if he was not saddened by the fact that he was abandoned by his parents.
"Aren't you sad that you didn't get to know your mother?"
"I was sad at first when Jihar told me about it," he replied. Still not a hint of sadness. "But now I have a new family. So why get sad about the past ones when I can be happy with the present, right?"
It was not a surprise for me that he had this way of thinking. As I've said, he was the same age as me, so I was sure he shared the same realizations as me.
The descent took almost ten minutes before we reached this bigger passageway. It stretched both sides, but the eastern one had an opening guarded by two armed notorious men. The passageway was covered in trash and homeless people. Some were sleeping soundly while others were keenly observing the people who walked past them, including us. The way they looked at us was as if they wanted us dead.
"Don't mind them," Oanya stated. "They may look dangerous, but they know well enough that it's better not to cause any trouble. Those two guards won't hesitate to kill if they find someone making a ruckus."
Finally, we arrived at the infamous entrance into the black market. And the two guards earlier were more horrifying up close. I could tell that they were skilled guards because of what Oanya said a while ago.
"Hello! I'm on tour duty again, requested by Jihar!" Oanya cheerfully announced to the two guards.
The two shifted their eyes from Oanya to Kenshi and me.
"Where are your gate passes?" the one on the left asked.
Kenshi and I didn't hesitate to grab our gate passes and hand them over to the guard. He meticulously examined it before giving it to his companion on the right. The man did the same before he nodded as a sign of affirmation.
"Thank you, gentlemen!"
Kenshi and I trailed behind Oanya as he started walking through the entrance. Not long after, we finally reached the bustling and scary market beyond it. The setup was not that different from the marketplace above, except, of course, for the items being sold here. All sorts of illegal goods and objects were being displayed here. Each stall had its own signature items.
The pavement had turned black and greasy, and I didn't know why it had turned like that. All movements were secretive and discreet. Watchful eyes were thrown from here to there, and only whispering voices could be heard to hide the negotiations.
The ambiance told me that any crime could happen here, and everyone would just ignore them as if they were just common occurrences. Law didn't exist here, but only absolute freedom.
"Welcome to the Black Market, where bad is good and good is better!"