“When it comes to making Artes, no one does it better than the merchant houses of Arteria itself. These multinational companies run what is essentially an empire of their own. With all the bells and whistles to boot. If ye know what’s good for ye, you’d do well to steer clear of their business, unless absolutely necessary. ”


    - Corzonoe Pelagius, Southshore Company Merchant, “Warning to Business Partner”


    <hr><hr>


    “Come on, this way!” Eva beckoned the handful of sailors following her.


    The entire section of the port district was up in arms as people rioted about seemingly anything after Sophia pulled her stunt. The area was in bedlam as protestors clashed with redcloaks and the half orcs of Braveskull. She had managed to secure a few potentially useful documents and maps before the presence of others within the trading house forced her to hide. She tried to signal to Sophia to abort, that the situation was slowly spiralling out of control. However, given that she couldn’t find the girl when she escaped with her documents, she had a sinking feeling that the girl had gone in and gotten into trouble.


    Having been driven out by the presence of a large half orc contingent, Eva left the building to regroup, only to find that Sophia was no longer here. Planning her reentry, she managed to round up a few disgruntled sailors out of the rioters and urged them to strike where it would hurt, the trading house. Evidently, under paying or cheating one’s employees and contractors worked to her advantage and she fomented this unrest into action. Whilst other rioters clashed on the street corners, this group would ransack the trading house, or at least, that was her plan.


    Their advance didn’t go unnoticed however. Three half orc guards locked shields and stared down the rowdy crowd. None of the sailors seemed keen at being beaten down by creatures with such powers behind their blows, but neither did the orcs seem willing to push their luck in an engagement. Fine, I’ll do it myself.


    Bobbing in and out of the crowd, she kept low to the ground and charged one of the half orcs. Confused, the sentry just looked at her and only began reacting when she leapt at the guard. Her sudden movements caught him off guards and they both fell to the ground. Their clattering inspired the mob and the sailors roared as they charged. The two remaining guards barely had a chance to react as they were swarmed and quickly subdued, though they did manage to knock down a few of the rioters.


    The group let out a cheer and rallied their spirits. Instead of carefully opening the door, one of the sailors rammed it with his body, breaking it open and sending splinters flying everywhere. The others pushed into the building with reckless abandon. Almost instantly, they were met with resistance and a few guards in the interior started skirmishing with them. Chairs and desks within the trading house were tossed asunder as both orcs and humans used whatever they could as non lethal weapons.


    Eva herself took advantage of the chaos to push her way towards a side hallway that she hadn’t explored yet. A few angry sailors spotted her movement and followed. The new, smaller party weaving their way towards the hallway, avoiding the majority of the brawling.


    A few half orc guards got in their way, but in the tighter spaces of the trading house, the sailors held the advantage. They were like a swarm of rabid ants; drunk, rage filled sailors on a wrecking spree. More than one guard was knocked down from stray chair legs as the mob advanced.


    Their progress only came to a halt at an intersection of hallways, with Eva stopping the mob as she felt the distinctive rumbling of something beneath her feet. A few of the others also shared uneasy looks as they too, felt the movement. Buoyed by their momentum, they continued nonetheless, pushing towards the unknown hallway.


    They were also near a set of stairs, and parts of her mob slowly filtered themselves upstairs, content to not solve any mystery and to simply continue looting the place. Eva didn’t mind, it meant less.


    “Over ''ere! Look!” A sailor shouted from inside a room.


    Eva and the others quickly made their way over. In the man’s drunken demolition of an office, he managed to open a hidden doorway behind some bookshelves. Of all the… let''s make some more trouble.


    “Wait, wait.” Eva quickly called out, “Scavenge this room first. If they’ve got a hidden door, I’ll bet they’re someone important.”


    Her words had an immediate effect on the crowd with most of them quickly scrambling to see what loot they could find. Eva rummaged through the desk within the office for anything that might help. To her disappointment, she found nothing substantial, though a document about the Academy did catch her eye. She snatched up the file and tucked it away.


    Sensing that the looting was drawing to a close with the office sufficiently trashed, Eva moved to the hidden entrance and the others slowly started to follow.


    Together, they descended a dark but oddly well maintained stairway. The stone flooring making their footsteps instantly noticeable compared to some of the softer wooden flooring of the offices. Though, then again, traveling in the company of drunk rioters was never going to be a stealthy affair.


    A sense of ominous foreboding emanated from the darkened halls of the basement. Only the faintest wisps of magefire torches kept the darkness at bay. The air was noticeably more stale and foul than the rest of the trading house just a flight of stairs away. The scent of mould and water damage was mixed in with sweat and urine. Eva fought the urge to barf as a few of the sailors did, their vomit adding to the unpleasantness everyone felt.


    At the main landing, there were racks and storage crates. A few left open and revealed a bounty of metals, ores, and even gemstones. Some of the less curious sailors hurriedly snatched up what they could. The others continued ever onwards, the draw of a mystery outweighing their desire to simply trash the trading house’s inventory.


    They wandered through the dingy storage area and Eva couldn’t help but notice how spacious it was in terms of headroom. It at least alleviated the problem of the festering smell somewhat, allowing the group to proceed without much difficulty. They trudged past a few more storage spaces before stopping in front of an unlit corridor. On the far end, there was once again light, but the sudden darkness in the middle seemed suspicious to her. And she wasn’t the only one. The sailors also began muttering about a trap or tricks, possibilities that also crossed her mind.


    “The fuck is this place?” One of the men hissed into the darkness.


    “Dunno, wanna find out?” His compatriot responded with a shove.


    “Oi, oi! You’re looking to get fucked?!” The first man brought up his fists.


    “Lads, lads. Let’s save the fighting for after we leave. The quicker we get through this place, the happier I’ll be.” A third sailor chimed in.


    “Only one way to find out.” Eva muttered.


    She could feel the expectant gazes drop back onto her. After all, drunk or not, wandering head first into a dark corridor just generally seemed like a bad idea. Unfortunately for her, by having roused this group of riots to her banner, she seemed to be the one they expected to drive them forward.


    With a measured amount of reluctance, she grabbed a nearby magefire torch and pushed forward. Every step in the darkened hallway made her feel uneasy, her soft, solitary footsteps echoing all around her. Only when she was about halfway did the curious sailors join her, the clattering of their shoes bringing about a small sense of relief.


    Eva froze as her ears caught the small noise echoing from somewhere beyond the hallway. An eerie haunting sound that resembled a ghostly howl. The sailors had also heard the noise and now bunched up behind her, the more superstitious ones remaining far behind the others. The hells is that?


    She shared a glance with her new allies, and they too seemed frightened by the noise. She gestured for them to stick close. Taking a small breath, she walked to the light at the end of the corridor. She was relatively defenceless beyond the torch and pen, but her hand tightened around both, just in case. No traps, at least.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Taking a few steps into the light, she emerged into a far grittier place than the storage room. Turning the corner, there was little doubt what she had stumbled upon. She was face to face with an opened door made out of iron bars and what looked to be a little room of sorts beyond it. Getting a little closer, she stepped through the doors and beckoned for the others to follow.


    “What the fuck?” One of them muttered.


    “A prison.” Eva hissed, “Now quiet. We don’t know if anyone’s still here.”


    Cautiously, they slowly advanced step by step, unsure of what lay within this new area as the faint hint of other lights kept the area shrouded in a dim ambiance.


    The small room turned out to be an office of sorts, and Eva discovered the remains of a small ash pile. Someone burned something here, likely to hide evidence. But how the hells do you hide a prison? Or better yet, how the hell did no one notice this? No, the city definitely knows. Eva shuddered, and they’re helping bury it.


    Signs of a mild struggle were present. Splotches of blood on the walls outside the cells, the scuff marks of bladed weapons hitting the walls. But there was something bothering her. Beyond the ethereal cries and occasional groans, it was too quiet.


    Most of the cells were also empty. But from what she could gather, they were emptied very recently. But we saw no one come through the building. She mumbled to herself, must mean there’s another exit somewhere, fuck. Looking around, she also noticed how odd the cells looked. Most had decent beds and mattresses, alongside a few amenities that indicated that some level of thought had been put into it. Likely for a long term stay, poor souls.


    The further in they went, the more distressed the group became. The previously boisterous but cautious sailors were now tightly packed together, unwilling to open ranks in case something or someone jumped out from a corner. Eva herself could feel the back of the pen dig into her palm, but she didn’t care, it was better to have a weapon ready than nothing.


    The acrid scent of sweat and bodily expulsions grew even heavier the deeper in they got, a few men and even Eva gagged as they passed by a few of the cells. Still, they persevered and continued their investigations, following the source of the haunting cries.


    “Fucking hells!” One the sailors yelped.


    Everyone turned to see what the man freaked out at and collectively gasped or jumped away. Even Eva felt squeamish at the sight.


    Within the darkened corners of one of the cells they passed, there was a corpse. Its gender was indistinguishable and the body had been completely mangled. Like something had been eating or chewing it. Fighting back a dry heave, she tapped her foot to indicate to the others for them to move along. An act they were all too eager to follow as no one had any desire to remain near the corpse.


    “Captain ‘ill be pissed if he finds out we’re here.” Someone muttered.


    “He’ll be pissed at us for rioting, this ain’t gonna change much. Too late to turn back.” Another replied.


    “Goddess, what the fuck was that body?” A sailor groaned.


    “Quiet. No use thinking about that now. Keep following the little lady.”


    She could hear the tension in their voice, the longer they spent here, the less the drunkenness could keep their worries at bay. It didn’t help that the deeper they went, the more the cells seemed disorganised, as if the trading company had made a hasty retreat, leaving many things in disarray.


    Most cells seemed to have been evacuated and Eva couldn’t help but worry that Sophia had been taken with them. Whatever the company was doing, they definitely had a separate exit.


    “Do you guys hear that?”


    “The crying? Yeah, we’re not deaf.”


    “Quiet!”


    The sailors were talking more, their nerves acting up.


    Crossing yet another hallway, it was now evident their arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. For if there were any signs that people were cleaning up the place to hide evidence, there was none more clear than the half cleared guard post here, a pile of papers hastily shredded and a halberd that had been left behind. Whatever the modus operandi was, Eva was just glad that the guards were ordered to simply abandon their mission instead of making a forceful last stand. A small mercy. The last of the guards having quickly disappeared probably when the drunken bunch breached the prison.


    Eva didn’t know how long they had crept along the basement prison, only that she finally noticed a change in the tile set of the wall. Here, things looked just a bit more clinical, more polished. Gazing around, she also found that the cells here were more spacious, the headroom a bit taller. Here, instead of the mouldy rotted smell of sweat and corpses, she could detect a faint hint of bleach. Huh? More curious than before, she spotted strange looking stains everywhere and her chest tightened as the puzzle began unravelling before her eyes.


    It didn’t take long for them to figure out why. Passing by one cell, the entire group fell into a disgusted silence as they finally found a relatively intact corpse. A girl was chained to the wall, her throat slit and very much dead. But judging by the lack of clothing and battered appearance, there was little deduction that the group needed to do.


    “Fuck.” Eva swore.


    A few others joined in on vocalising their disgust.


    Filled with a renewed sense of urgency, Eva wasted no time in bolting ahead, forcing her ragtag group to rush to follow. It didn’t take long before the group was now close enough to differentiate the crying noises actively from the deathly silence elsewhere in the prison. Even the sailors had shut up as they all anticipated some form of conflict, their eyes looking nervously darting around in search of any hidden foes. Eva held a hand to halt the party and gestured for one of the sailors to accompany her. For they would scout what was ahead, just in case.


    Excluding the man who had been volunteered and pushed toward her by his comrades. The rest of them seem perfectly content in letting the two be the guinea pigs to test for signs of danger. Undeterred, the two rounded a corner and found themselves close to a dead end. The sound, it’s definitely from here. Holding her finger to her lips, she then gestured for the unlucky sailor to go to the opposite wall. Once there, she looked to him to see if he was ready, the drunk and unfortunately fast sobering volunteer could only reluctantly nod.


    Taking but a few steps into this group of cells revealed a harrowing sight. An empty but bloodied cell to her left, and one with a corpse where the sailor was. With the crying now directly ahead, they took the fateful few steps that would put them into view. Walking forward, Eva’s heart dropped and the color left her face.


    Listlessly sobbing and shaking a battered looking girl was her charge. Unclothed, bruised and bloodied where she shouldn’t be, Sophia was like a ghost. The girl looked paler than usual and when Eva gasped, their eyes met. The half elf stifled her cries and become silent at once. But aside from a flicker of acknowledgement, Sophiareturned to shaking her fallen compatriot, an empty glossiness in her eyes.


    Looking down, Eva followed a blood trail from the first cell and came to the conclusion that the person Sophia was shaking had come from there. In the cell across from her, a half eaten corpse remained. It was a harrowing sight and Eva’s stomach churned as she was too shocked to fully comprehend anything.


    Moving a little closer, her footsteps made the girl look up once more. But this time, Sophia’s eyes focused a little. Her expression however, quickly darkened and she turned away from Eva.


    “You’re too slow.” Sophia spoke, her voice devoid of emotion.


    Hearing this, Eva crumpled. She’d failed, she had failed and let her friend’s sister go through hell.


    “I…”


    “She’s still breathing, help me get her out.” Sophia ordered. Eva almost moved but realised the girl wasn''t talking to her.


    The sailor, who had been trying to hide his presence, sprung into action, the look of horror on the man’s face blended with a look of pure rage. There''s no going back now.


    “We’ve got survivors! Help!” The sailor called out, “Someone get a doctor above ground, now!”


    His voice cut through the silence and the others quickly came over, the curses and shock they felt only balanced by the now validated disdain for the company. There was a sense of sorrowful rage in the air, they would not let this go unanswered. Someone handed over a coat and they draped it over the unconscious girl, getting ready to move her, taking great care to gently lift her up. Another tried to pass Sophia a coat, but the girl retreated slightly. Someone else slapped the man’s hand and he seemed to realise what he was doing and simply left the jacket on the ground. Gods, what have I done? She didn''t need to go through this. None of this.


    “Sophia… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I-” Eva tried to speak.


    “Doesn’t matter.” The half elf muttered absently, “Did you get what we need?”


    “I… I-what?”


    Sophia just scowled at her.


    “I… yes.” Eva answered, “But-”


    Sophia looked away, “I just want to go home.” She half whispered.


    “I… of course. Of course. I’m sorry. Of course. Let’s… let’s go.”


    With barely a grunt or a noise, Sophia stood up and immediately staggered forward, almost tripping and falling to the ground. Eva caught her, but the contact made the half elf flinch. Still, Sophia held on, though pointedly avoiding meeting her gaze. Eva felt her chest tighten, not only had she so utterly failed her friend, but judging by the anger the sailors felt. A reckoning was about to sweep both her and the city. All cause I couldn''t wait. Gods... may God have mercy on us all. I''m so sorry, Sophia, I''m sorry.