Chapter 105: Countdown

Arriving at the first intersection, the boys separated, with Drake silently leaving to the left. Nervously gripping the hilt of his sword, his silhouette soon faded as he traversed in the dimly lit underground hallway.

Frequently placed thick steel doors on the left and right; each room holding one or maybe more slaves used for the sick games. Weak muffled moans and pain-filled cries slipped through the cracks, each another needle to prick his already agitated heart.

Gripping the sword's handle so hard that his hand started to turn white from the lack of circulation of blood. The gem in the pommel shined brightly, feeling the emotions of its master, it too felt a wave of bubbling anger, ready to erupt and lay down its wrath to the scum of this place.

"I know… I know… We will, I promise you, we will, but right now, we need to find my sister and leave this place. Once she is safe, we will make sure this never happens again, I promise you."

The pommel shined once again in bright light, conversing its thoughts to its master. Drake closed his eyes and with an inaudible sigh, he nodded, affirming their intentions.

"Yes. He will pay for this too. He is the root cause of all this suffering. A parent capable of doing this to their child… He is not my father, I refuse to accept such a reality."

With one last satisfied hum, the shine in the sword's pommel faded, and returned to its relaxed state. 

Continuing on the eerie hallway, he was once again in front of an intersection. There were three paths, each looking exactly like the next, even with the same moans and cries echoing through their walls, reaching Drake's ears.

Closing his eyes once again, he thought back to his strange masked companion's words: "...always stick to the left…"

"Fine, I hope you are right… Aiden…" he mumbled to himself. Due to a lack of better options, he decided to trust the words of the boy, and without any further hesitation, he entered the leftmost hallway.

As he entered this new hallway, after a few steps, something new, the grating sounds of metal against leather reached his ears along with muffled, but still clearly male fragmented whispers. They were different from the ones than before, these were probably not slaves but most likely the sounds of guards that were patrolling just ahead.

"It's showtime, my dear friend…" A vicious grin came over his previous stoic features. Finally, he can vent some of his accumulated anger, and bathe Marf in a scarlet shower. 

Pulling the hood back, he continued on his trek, and soon he was met with the source of the new sounds; two guards standing in front of a simple black metal door. Both were wearing a padded leather vest. The edges of their chest plate were etched in heraldic designs and laced with bits of gold leaf. They wore similarly decorated reinforced pants. 

At their sides, both were wearing a simple dark brown leather sheath with a short sword resting in it. While not that stylish as the rest of their garb, the sheath also wore their insignia: a crudely painted red eagle. Both were wearing a black cloth mask covering only the lower half of their faces, leaving their glowering, sinister eyes free for Drake to peer into.

Seeing the uninvited guest appearing from the dark corridor, the guard on the left slightly nodded his chin pointing at Drake. The guy on the right just noticing him, reached for his short sword but he did not unsheathed it.

Speaking with a croaky, grated tone he spoke.

"What do you want, brat? This is a restricted area. You have one chance to turn around and scram, lest you want to meet your maker right now…"

The guard on the left didn't speak, however he was clearly observing, focusing on the newcomer's reaction while gripping the hilt of his sword. They were obviously experienced veterans, this guarding gig was clearly not their first job. 

The vicious grin still resting over his face, Drake couldn't help but bury his forehead in his palm as a snicker left his mouth. It took him nearly a minute to calm down and look at the haughty guards.

If it would be capable, their eyes that tried to pierce the arrogant youth could spew bolts of lightning. 

"How wonderful! I was about to offer both of you the same, but it seems you were faster. Still, you have this one and only chance to walk away and keep your miserable lives. You can go and take other jobs, both of you are clearly not new to this business, I can see the scars the years in the field has left."

Motioning with his head sideways, he continued in a low growling tone.

"I will give you a count of 3 to obediently walk away. If you refuse to accept this lord's kindness, you can only blame yourself for the consequences."

"You! How dare y-" The guard on the right immediately flew into a rage as he heard this brat's bragging.

"3…" Without waiting for him to finish his cursing, Drake started his countdown while grabbing the decorated hilt of his sword. The gem in the pommel eagerly flashed in blue light, looking forward to what will come next.

"DIE!" The raging guard on the right couldn't take it anymore and with a lightning-fast motion, he unsheathed his sword and pierced it towards the silver-haired youth. It was a quick and decisive action that he was sure that the matter was now resolved. 

Unfortunately, today proved to hold even more surprises as his attack was effortlessly parried by the boy. The speed he grabbed and deflected with his sword was so incredibly fast neither guard could actually see the action. 

"2…" Drake continued his countdown as if nothing happened. This time however he kept his sword in his hand. The blade of the sword as well as the pommel was glowing blue, thirsty for its red nectar. 

The guards looked at each other, and with an affirming nod, they charged at the boy. The one on the left tried to pierce towards the boy's stomach, while his partner did a right swing aimed at his neck.

As the blades closed in on him, Drake agilely dodged backward, avoiding the swing just by a hair's breadth, while simultaneously swinging his sword to deflect the tip of the second blade.

With the very same momentum, he planted his feet in the ground. Contorting his muscles, he launched himself forward mercilessly stabbing it into the leftmost guards who were still confused by the sudden parry he received. 

As all of this happened in the span of a single second, the guards didn't even have the chance to react to the sudden counterattack. Drake's blade pierced the padded vest as if it were hot butter only to rest between the guard's heart and lungs, tearing up several muscles and breaking a few ribs, reaching all the way to his spine. The blade's blue luster increased several folds as the blood that was gushing out of the piercing wound sizzled on the mysterious metal.

Unable to accept the gruesome reality, the guard looked at his reaper with a shocked expression. He started coughing, spewing out a mouthful of blood that found a new route to exit from the rapidly faltering body.

Leaning closer, Drake looked close into the shocked eyes of the fading guard, and with his cruel tone, he whispered into his ears.

"1…"

With that, he pulled the blade from the body and watched as it fell down on the floor. Precipitately, but ultimately futilely trying to fill the hole that this reaper of a youth left in his chest, the guard couldn't accept such a harsh reality that his life would end so suddenly. 

In a few short moments, he breathed his last and the light left his eyes, entering the peaceful slumber of the afterlife.

The remaining guard looked at the silver-haired youth as if it were a terrifying demon, no longer wishing to participate in this futile quarrel, he backed out. Lifting his hands in the air, he dropped his sword on the ground, and with a faltering voice, he begged.

"Please, I don't want any trouble. I… I would like to take the offer and leave… I never saw you, you do what you need, okay?"

Traces of blood still dripping from the happily humming blue blade, Drake slowly walked closer to him. His grin was even crueler, more sinister than before.

"You wish to take me up on the offer now? I offered you the chance, I waited, I counted yet you and your friend attacked me. Why would you think that window is still available?"

"I.. I…" He stuttered, unable to form a cohesive sentence. As the boy crept closer and closer, his haughty attitude was nowhere to be found anymore, he fell on his knees, and with tears escaping his eyes he begged.

"Please… Please don't kill me… I'm sor…" 

Sadly, he couldn't finish what he wanted as the blade pierced through his throat crushing his sternum and trachea. As the blood gushed out and the guard desperately gasped for air, Drake looked him in the eye, and with a low tone, he growled.

"Sorry? There is no forgiveness for what you guys have done to my sister…"