After killing the five guards; everything else went well.
The air was thick with the scent of copper and the heavy silence that followed a sudden act of violence. The remaining guards stood frozen, their hands hovering near their weapons but never quite daring to draw them.
They looked at the bodies on the ground and then back at the masked man who had ended their lives so casually. It wasn’t just the speed that terrified them—it was the absolute lack of hesitation.
Except for the two girls that were missing, all the other slaves were present, and just like Moyap promised; they were all well-dressed and fed. They stood in trembling lines, their new clothes a strange contrast to the horror they had just witnessed. Some of them were looking at the ground, while others stared at Verc with wide, unreadable eyes.
Moyap, witnessing his client kill his hired guards without hesitation and remorse—he figured that he’s dealing with someone with high status. In his years as a merchant, he had met many dangerous men, but none who carried themselves with this specific brand of cold authority.
He just can’t think that someone who doesn’t possess immense power can make that bold of an action, especially inside a city as heavily guarded as this one.
’I better not get on his bad side.’
He thought to himself. His palms were sweating, and he made sure to keep his head slightly bowed. To a merchant like him, profit was important, but staying alive to spend that profit was even more vital.
The other guards were horrified seeing their comrades drop dead on the ground, but they didn’t dare to move against Verc. After all; they saw him cut five person wearing steel armors in a single slash!
He’s not someone they can win against, even if they have number on their side.
They were just common sell-swords and city toughs. Against a monster in human skin, their numbers meant nothing but more bodies for the pile.
Anyway--
"Hmm, looks like everything’s done here."
Verc said after checking all of the slaves and nodding his head.
He walked past the corpses as if they were nothing more than obstacles on the road, his boots making a soft sound on the blood-stained pavement.
"Do I owe you anything?"
Then, he turned to Moyap and asked that. His voice was calm, almost bored.
"N-No, sir! Everything is good to go."
Moyap responded, surprised by Verc suddenly talking to him. He jumped slightly at the sound of his cold voice. But regaining his composure as a merchant; he then handed a bunch of papers to Verc.
"Those are proofs that they’re your slaves. Each paper corresponds to a name and a description. Without these, you can’t claim ownership or move them through the city gates legally."
Moyap said.
Verc took the stack of papers in his hands and nodded his head again. He leafed through them briefly, the parchment crinkling in the night air.
"Well then, I’ll be leaving with them now."
Verc stated, and Moyap didn’t dare to stop him. He stepped aside, gesturing for the guards to open the path.
"Oh, and I apologize for them."
Before leaving, Verc pointed at the five dead guards on the ground that he killed and said that to Moyap.
"Ah, you don’t need to apologize, sir. As you said, they committed a crime by destroying your property; death is inevitable for them. It is only fair business."
Moyap said, trying to sound professional despite the cold sweat running down his back.
"Duh, they deserved that. I mean the mess, you’re front shop is now stained with blood and dead bodies. It’s going to be a pain to clean up."
Verc said afterwards.
"..."
Moyap didn’t really know what to say after that. He stood there, stunned into silence. Verc was feeling nothing about killing those guards.
He wasn’t even thinking about the lives he took. And that thought made Moyap and the others around swallow a mouthful of saliva in nervousness. It was the kind of indifference that only a true predator or a high-ranking noble could afford.
Fortunately for them though; Verc said his goodbye not long after, and with that—he left.
*****
Verc, and with fifty-one slaves following behind him, started walking toward the Azure Crest.
The procession was strange and quiet. Fifty-one people of different races and ages, all walking in a column behind a single man. Their huge group was a sore thumb, sticking out against the dark backdrop of the city.
"What’s that?"
"I don’t know... a parade, maybe?"
All eyes were looking at them from the windows and the shadows of the alleys.
Verc looks like a mama duck that was leading a lot of chicks. He walked with a steady, confident stride, and the slaves followed him with a mixture of fear and confusion.
They didn’t know where they were going or what their new master intended to do with them, but after seeing what happened to the guards, they followed without a single word of protest.
But because it was already night; there weren’t a lot of people around. At least at the area where Verc and the others are heading. The upper-class district where the Azure Crest was located was usually quiet at this hour, save for the occasional carriage of a noble returning home.
Tap- Tap- Tap-
Tap- Tap- Tap-
Tap- Tap- Tap-
The sound of fifty-one pairs of feet hitting the cobblestones echoed through the streets.
Verc didn’t look back, but his [Vibration Awareness] was active, mapping out every person behind him.
He was making sure that none of them gets seperated and accidentally get lost.
*****
After not long of walking...
Verc and the others reached their destination, the Azure Crest. The luxury of the inn’s exterior seemed to glow under the moonlight.
And in front of it—he saw five carriages.
They were large, sturdy vehicles, each one pulled by a pair of strong horses. They weren’t the gold-leafed carriages of royalty, but they were high-quality transport, exactly what was needed for a long journey.
Verc approached the facility, and as soon as he got there—
"Ah, are you Sir Cole?"
A staff of the hotel approached him and asked that. The man looked a bit overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of fifty people, but he kept his professional smile.
"That’s right."
Verc replied.
"The governor came here a few hours earlier with these five carriages and left them here. He told us to give it to you, Sir Cole, a knight with a black cloth covering his lower mouth. He said to tell you that he hopes to form a good connection with you."
The staff then stated that, bowing slightly.
’Wow, he’s really something, huh.’
Verc thought to himself. He was impressed by the governor’s efficiency. It seemed Geremie Saligao was indeed a man who value connections a lot.
Anyway, Verc nodded and told the staff that he will handle it now. He reached into his pouch and gave the staff a few gold coins for the trouble.
"Thank you for looking after them."
Verc said.
The staff’s eyes widened at the sight of the gold. They bowed even lower, their voices full of genuine warmth now.
"It was no trouble at all, Sir Cole! Safe travels to you!"
The staff left with a smile on their faces, clutching the coins tightly.
... ... ...
After that; Tatum and Jed arrived at the Azure Crest as well. They had been on their way back from the other side of the city.
The two of them just finished roaming around the city, and once they got there; they were surprised to see a lot of people around their lord.
"Huh?"
"..."
Verc did mention to them last night that he will be bringing a lot of people, but they didn’t expect it to be this many. The crowd of slaves took up a large portion of the street in front of the hotel.
Anyway, they approached their lord through the crowd, navigating the spaces between the silent people. Onyx was in Tatum’s arms, the little puppy looking around with curiosity at all the new scents.
When they got to Verc, they looked at the massive group and then at him.
"Lord Verc... who are all these people?"
Jed asked, his voice low and full of wonder.
"And where did the carriages come from?"
Tatum added.
"They’re slaves I bought, and the carriages are from the city governor."
Verc answered, looking at the two kids.
"Ohh... Well, what are you going to do with these people now?"
Jed followed up with that. Tatum looked curious as well.
Verc just looked at them, but he didn’t say anything.
Instead, he turned his body to face the slaves behind him. He stood between them and the carriages, his figure tall and imposing under the lanterns of the inn.
"..."
The slaves looked at him, waiting for the command to get into the carriages, waiting for the next order that would dictate their lives. Some were bracing themselves for more labor, others for whatever dark fate they assumed a man who kills so easily had in mind.
Verc just ignored them, then opening his mouth—
"You’re all free."
He declared that.
The words were simple, but they seemed to hang in the air, refusing to dissipate.
"...?"
The slaves were confused with his words. They looked at each other, then back at Verc. They didn’t move. They didn’t cheer.
They just stood there.
And before they could even say anything, Verc raised the stack of papers given to him by Moyap earlier. He held the ownership documents high so everyone could see them.
Then, with a straight look in his face—SHHHK!!!
He tore the papers in half!
He didn’t stop there. He kept tearing them, shredding the legal proof of their bondage into tiny white scraps of parchment. He let the pieces go, and they fluttered down like snow, landing in the ground and flying away.
"!!!"
The slaves were surprised by this. Their eyes widened, and a few of them let out small, choked gasps. They couldn’t believe it.
They had seen these papers before—they were the things that made them "objects" in the eyes of the law. And now, they were nothing but trash on the ground.
And as if that wasn’t enough.
THUD!
Verc then threw a heavy leather pouch in front of them. It hit the ground with the unmistakable, metallic ring.
The slaves looked at it curiously, their gazes following the pouch as it settled near the front of the line.
"There’s a few gold coins there. Split it among yourselves. It should be enough for you to find a place to stay or buy passage to wherever you came from."
Verc said that. His voice was steady, lacking any of the drama one might expect from such a gesture.
And this just brought even more confusion and surprise to the slaves. They looked at the gold, then at the torn papers, then at the man who had just paid a fortune for them only to throw the ownership away.
They didn’t know why Verc was doing this. In their experience, no one did anything for a slave without expecting something in return.
"You’re free to go now."
Verc said, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"The city gates will open at dawn. You have your clothes, you have food in your bellies, and now you have the means to start over. Go back to your families, or find a new life."
He paused, his gaze softening just a fraction, though his face remained a mask.
"But if you have nowhere to go—if you have no home left to return to, or if the world has become too small for you—then you can stay here and come with me."
Verc added that.
"I am heading to a place that many consider dangerous. But in that place, you will not be slaves. You will be people. You will work, you will eat, and you will have a roof over your heads, but you will do it as free individuals."
The silence that followed was different now. It wasn’t the silence of fear, but the silence of a choice.
A human man from the group stepped forward, his voice trembling.
"Why? Why would you spend so much gold just to let us go?"
Verc looked at him.
"Because I don’t need slaves. I just saw you all living misirably in that place, and I decided to help. That’s all."
Then he answered with a shrug.
Tatum and Jed watched the scene.
They remembered when they first encountered Verc. They looked at the puppy, Onyx, who let out a small, happy yip, as if sensing the change in the air.
Slowly, one by one, the slaves began to move. Some of them looked at the gold, while others just looked at the carriages.
And then, at that moment--
TAP!
A young woman with animal ears, one of the slaves from the basement, walked up to Verc. She didn’t look at the gold. She looked up at him, her eyes watering.
"I have no home. The soldiers burned it. I... I want to go with you."
She said, her voice a whisper.
"Then get in a carriage."
Verc said simply.
And soon, more voices joined hers.
"I have nowhere else."
"I want to stay."
"I’ll follow you, Sir Cole."