Chương 151: Playing the Slave

Felicity and Elion followed the tracks in the sand for nearly an hour. They branched out in every direction from behind the shelter, but they examined them carefully until, all of a sudden, they stopped. Felicity halted and studied the ground.

"They end here. The rest must have been erased by the wind, or they intervened somehow". Elion clenched his fists.

"Damn it…" Felicity turned toward him.

"Last time, how did you find their hideout?"

"Through one of them. But they must have moved it by now. Back then, we threatened him, and he led us there. He had something to lose and genuinely believed we were bastards capable of hurting his children. But finding someone like that is much harder now". Felicity fell silent, thinking. Less than a minute passed before an idea crossed her mind.

"I have an idea".

"What idea?"

"To infiltrate their network, I'll pretend to be a slave trader. You'll be my slave. I'll claim I've just arrived in the city and that you're a valuable slave I acquired. I'll ask to meet their leader, though we'll probably have to go through a few intermediaries first. It'll be difficult, but it's the only lead I can think of. Are you in?" Elion looked at her and shook his head.

"Absolutely not".

"Absolutely not?"

"I could never pretend to be a slave…It would bring back those moments when I actually was one. My heart would start racing. I might even-""All right. I'll be the slave, and you'll be the slave trader. Is that better?" Elion hesitated. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Are you sure? We can find another solution".

"No. This is the best one". Felicity's tone was firm and resolute.

"Okay…then we'll do it that way". Beneath Aqareth. Ravetrisk was eating fish impaled on the blade of a dagger, using it like a makeshift skewer. Suddenly, screams tore through the air, echoing off the walls. Annoyed, he stood up and followed the noise. He found an elf desperately struggling as two men tried to restrain her. She had green hair, blue eyes, and a body covered in bruises.

"Where is my daughter?! Take me to her! Bastards!"

"Shut up, you damned elf!" One of the men covered her mouth, but she bit down on two of his fingers and tore them off. The man screamed in pain. The other kicked her beneath the chin and raised his foot to strike her again, but stopped when he noticed Ravetrisk standing behind him. Ravetrisk slowly approached.

"Leave her to me".

"As you wish, boss". The man stepped away. The elf glared at him with pure hatred.

"You…you're the one in charge of all this. How can you be like this? How can you do these things without feeling guilty?! My daughter is just a child! Don't you understand that this is wrong?!" She lunged at him with a punch. Ravetrisk caught her wrist and broke it with a sharp movement. Before she could scream, he seized her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

"Wrong?" he growled.

"What exactly does that mean?" His grip tightened.

"Slavery has existed since the beginning of time. Everyone knows it exists, yet no one actually does anything to stop it. It may be illegal on paper, but in reality? No one stops it. And as long as it doesn't happen to someone directly, nobody cares. They all prefer to look the other way".

"I…can't breathe…" the elf managed to whisper as her pale face turned increasingly red.

"When I was a child, was it wrong? Or was it right back then?" Ravetrisk's eyes burned with rage.

"When I was tied to a post and cried for help, why did no one stop? If it was wrong, why did they let me be sold to perverted nobles? If it really was wrong…why?!" His grip tightened further.

"I know the answer". He stared into her eyes.

"It's only wrong when it happens to you". With one sharp movement, he snapped her neck. A fragment of bone pierced through the skin. Ravetrisk dropped the corpse to the ground like a sack of garbage. He stared at it for a few moments before composing himself and turning toward his men.

"Burn her".

"Understood, boss". Felicity's hands were bound tightly with rope around her wrists.

"Are they okay?" Elion asked.

"Are they hurting you?"

"Yes. But that's better". Felicity gritted her teeth.

"If they were any looser, they'd get suspicious. Now take me to the districts those bastards frequent. Present me as merchandise, a skilled swordswoman you found on a battlefield". Elion swallowed.

"And what if someone actually tries to buy you?"

"You raise the price to something absurd. No one should be able to afford me". Elion nodded.

"Understood. Are you ready?" Felicity raised her chin.

"Yes. Let's move".