Stark was falling, and he had an idea why…
From the briefing Stark had gotten from the raccoon, there were two ways to get to Edward's underground slave depot.
There was the regular passage that was highly guarded, and the more radical pathway that they had abandoned long ago because of how dangerous it was.
Initially, it had a lift, but it seemed they had taken it off.
Stark mentally slapped himself and he raised his arms at both sides, trying his best to stop his fall.
'I must have accidentally opened the secret passage!'
What were the chances?
With the wind whistling past him, and every second drawing him closer to an unfortunate end, Stark finally felt the wall.
He raised both legs immediately he did, pushing himself to the other side and pressing his arms against it.
"Argh!"
He felt his palms burn, the smell of burning rubber reaching his nose, but he remained as quiet as possible, right until—
Thump!
Stark landed unceremoniously on his butt, sending dust flying into his nostrils. He coughed as silently as he could, trying to clear his nose as he rose to his feet.
Thankfully, he had no broken bones, only his palms were red and puffy.
He glanced at them and sighed. How was he supposed to use his dagger now?
A light humming sound came above him, as Chubby descended. The little guy looked panicked, floating all around him like a mother would do a child that fell while running.
Then it settled on his hands, floating a few inches away from them.
The little guy began to give off a soft green glow. It was like placing his hands in cold water, Stark felt relief almost instantly.
And a second later, the pain was completely gone.
Stark watched the spirit, smirking lightly. "Hey, you're not that bad are you?"
He then felt Shifu and his companion return to his soul. It was just according to plan, they had managed to distract the guards long enough, so there was no need to remain.
Now when the guards found them, all they will
see is a pile of clothes.
"Alright, it's time to move."
Stark glanced at the space he had entered.
He was in a small room, an enclosure that was most likely a part of the lift before it was taken apart.
He could see a blue light streaming into the room through the multiple windows it had, so he slowly walked towards them and peeked through it.
Outside the room was a long hallway that ended at two paths, one on the left and another on the right.
Then the side of the hall were steps that went up, most likely leading to the main entrance/exit.
Unlike the mill above, this place was dimly lit, it was bathed in a light blue glow, the result of magic crystals placed some metres apart.
Stark ran his hands over his nose as he slowly adjusted to the smell. Oddly, it smelled damp, like wet concrete.
The hallway was completely empty at first, but a few seconds later, he heard the sound of stomping boots, and instinctively bent down to hide.
But then, he raised his head a second later.
Since the room he was in was dark, they couldn't even see him to begin with.
There were two men strolling down the halls. The first one was a man with a slender build, and a serrated dagger hanging on his waist.
He had dead-looking eyes with dark circles that made him look ironically like a raccoon.
The second man had dirty blonde hair and a sharp gaze. On his waist was a serpentine whip, and his every step was filled with caution, his eyes darting from place to place.
"Make sure everything is in order, the boss will arrive soon," the skinny man said.
"I'll make sure no one gets in, just keep things in here in order. Especially with the new intakes, I hear there are a few… troublesome people among them."
The conversation carried on as the two men ascended the steps.
Meanwhile, Stark smiled from behind the sack.
His initial plan was to get in and find a hiding place before Edward arrived. Who would have known he would be this lucky?
Not only did he have a front seat to see if they arrived or not, he also had gotten in without having to risk getting caught at the main entrance.
He picked up a barrel from the side of the room and sat down.
"Now, all I have to do is wait."
•••
Outside the slave trader's secret base
The sound of multiple hooves striking against the ground echoed across the streets as three carriages came to a stop in front of a mill that had seen better days.
Swinging open the carriage door, Edward jumped down, accompanied by four guards, one on each side.
Due to Lord Darell's demand, he had sent a letter to hasten the delivery of a few slaves, a dangerous but necessary thing to do.
Slave trade was a risky business, one needed to plan things months ahead. The slave wagon was to arrive in the city a month later, so he could not hasten the full delivery.
Instead, he got his source to ship out only five individuals, five capable warriors that could suit the taste of the lord.
These people were powerful, some of them being particularly nasty. Thankfully, they had their hands bound by a special chain—
an artifact that suppressed their powers, making a lot of them just a little stronger than regular people.
"Open the gates!" said one of the guards next to him.
The hinges of the gate groaned as the two large parts were pulled open, then they were led into the dark space.
Once they were inside and the door was locked, Edward activated the lighting, brightening up the entire room.
Behind him, the guards were already at work, pulling the slaves out of the carriage and directing them towards the hidden area.
Edward followed behind them, his eyes locked on the merchandise.
"Handle them with care, especially that female. I don't want anything to reduce the price of my products," he said, as he walked closer to inspect her.
The woman turned to glare at him but Edward met her face with a resounding slap, the three rings decorating his fingers making contact.
Having gone unfed for days, she collapsed, her body shaking from anger and pain.
"Slaves need to know their place!" he seethed as he walked past her.
"Get the cleaners to wash them all, make sure to use hot water so that you can get all the filth out."
Then he glanced at the woman on the floor. "Not for her though. Use the chilliest water, the colder the better…" he said, a devilish smile on his face.