Lucan's POV
I peered into the dimly lit alleyway I had to enter, I wasn't stupid and had made many preparations even before having the thought of entering the market. I was fully covered from head to toe, especially my face. I carried a knife I borrowed from my home around my waist. My mouth was covered with a rag and I wouldn't open my mouth unless absolutely necessary. I would keep to myself and do nothing unplanned or stray from the path....or so I hoped.
As I was entering the dark alleyway I heard a deep and rough voice.
"This is no place for a child, what are you doing here?" the voice asked almost threateningly.
I didn't reply and just held a tiny pouch filled with the white sugar with a slightly brown tinge.
"Well, well, well....what do we have here. Is that what I think it is!" the voice exclaimed.
I then saw a behemoth of a man enter out into the light from the shadows. His face was scarred and I instinctively knew that I shouldn't get on his bad side.
"Follow me" he commanded.
I nodded and followed him into the twisted and cramped corridors. The more I went in, the more disgusted I was with what I saw, some which I expected, others which I couldn't even dream off. Thieves selling their stolen goods, shady merchants selling medicines and drugs made of things that I don't even want to describe, traders selling exotic animals...some which could only be described as mythical and finally at the very end of these alleyways, was something that I knew was a possibility but I had never given it any thought for my peace of mind...slaves.
Mostly women and children, shackled with cuffs, barely any meat on their bones. Most of them are diseased and in constant pain, some had pointy ears and others were almost anthropomorphic. It was a horrifying sight to see and they were being sold without remorse or guilt.
I tried to look away but my gaze was fixed on the horrors in front of me and it was then that I realized that everything here was something that could be sold. Everything had a price tag...no exceptions, it was just a matter of how much one is willing to pay. The thought made me shiver and I tried to stray my thoughts elsewhere to keep away from my helplessness in this situation.
We soon arrived at a shabby hut, at first I was a bit skeptical as to where I was being taken but the moment I entered the hut was when I realized I was precisely where I was hoping to be. The inside was nothing like the outside, it was like I was stepping into another, much wealthier world. This was probably the headquarters of the market or something of that sort. The whole room was filled to the brim with artifacts and paintings and piles of money just lying by the side. I was awestruck but I made sure to not lose my focus and stay vigilant...I was in the lion's den.
I was brought before a man fully cloaked and covered from head to toe. He was of average height and due to his secrecy I wasn't able to make out his physical features. The man who brought me here whispered into the cloaked man's ears and I could feel the sense of curiosity rising from him. He looked straight at me and kept staring for a few seconds, he was trying to gauge my character and intimidate me.
I didn't move nor did I open my mouth.
After what felt like a grueling few seconds, I heard him speak.
"My employee here tells me you might have something that might warrant my attention...speak" he ordered.
I didn't make the mistake of opening my mouth and kept silent. Again I removed the small pouch through my cloak and brought it out for everyone to see, holding what could be considered gold in this world.
The cloaked man got up from his chair and stood right in front of me, even though he was of average height, he was a fully grown man nonetheless. The aura of intimidation now emanating from him was palpable, to say the least. What I had brought to him was a goldmine, he was skeptical of what he had seen. From his perspective, if there is even a tiny chance that I was lying, he wouldn't let me make it out of here alive.
He ungloved his hand revealing a bunch of tattoos and scars and dipped his pinky finger into the brownish-white powder in the pouch that I held in the palms of my hand and brought it to his nose to smell it through his covered face. He then turned around and tasted it and there was another agonizing silence before he spoke again.
"Hmmm, sweet...perhaps I shouldn't kill you after all" He said almost laughing while going back to his seat. He then removed a layer of the cloth on his face to reveal his eyes and a translucent mask covering his face and mouth.
"Let's talk business shall we....." He said with an eerie smile, greed clearly shown in his eyes.
All the while I was too tensed up to breathe but I was finally able to release an inaudible sigh of relief and a tiny sense of accomplishment washed over me, but the battle was not over... in fact, it had just begun.
"This is sugar isn't it.." the man asked.
I nodded my head to his words, still being cautious about speaking out.
"Interesting...you seem to know what you are doing kid. This is a goldmine!" He exclaimed loudly.
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we, we are both out here to make money, so let's make money. But I am going to have to ask you a few questions first" He said enthusiastically.
I hardened my gaze at him, I knew this would happen and I needed to succeed to make this deal happen.
"Number one...have you told anyone you have this?" he asked.
I denied it outright and fortunately, I didn't need to lie just yet.
"Great! Number two...I know this ain't the same sugar those wealthy shmucks in the cities use, this is something only you know isn't it? So can you make more of whatever this is?"
I nodded in agreement and immediately his smile grew wider.
"You are enticing me too much here boy! Well, let's get to number three then...how much can I pay you to tell me how you made this" he said, bringing back the aura he had when gauging my character.
This was a breaking point, I couldn't keep silent any longer. What I would say next could make or break the deal and depending on how things go even my safety could be jeopardized, but I had already made a firm decision on how things would go and breathed in deeply before opening my mouth again...
"That is a secret and not for sale under any conditions, this Is non-negotiable..." I said with conviction and immediately the man's gaze hardened, though I was not done yet.
"But I can give you some guarantees, as you said we are both here to do business so let's do business. I will sell exclusively to you and only you, I will ensure a steady and stable supply for you and you need to only pay me upfront to an agreed amount of money and don't have to share the profits you make later on...Fair?" I said with as much confidence I could muster and tried to keep a calm face.
"Hahaha!! I seem to have underestimated you, kid..you really do know what you are doing huh" He said as he walked up to a chest filled with money. He counted a certain amount and put it into a brown leather cloth bag.
"That small amount of sugar you have there in that pouch is about this much on the market, go into a city and ask a trader if you wish to confirm" He said confidently.
I couldn't be sure if he was lying or not but that didn't matter as I wasn't worried about the amount of money itself, I was more worried about the deal falling through. I needed a steady stream of income to get out of this hellhole and only a single sum of money wouldn't do me any good.
I took the bag in my hand and handed the pouch of sugar to him...an equal exchange.
"Why don't we make it official huh, I hope for a successful business relationship" He said as he held his hand out to me.
I go to lift my hand and shake his but something bugged me about his way of speaking and as I hesitated, I looked into his eyes.
"What's the holdup kid, I am not a bad guy...I am just a businessman doing business...." He said, but what I could see in his eyes was something else.
Greed, malice, violence, darkness...all was plain to see in his eyes, he wasn't even trying to hide it. My mind flashed to the scenes I had seen before I was led to this place. The faces of the thieves with no remorse, the merchants who did not think twice before selling drugs to addicts, slave traders treating people like cattle. The man in front of me was just like them, probably much worse.
I closed my eyes for a second to think to myself. I knew what I was doing was wrong, I was going to fill this filthy man's pockets with money. My conviction was starting to fade but as I remembered my time here, my mind flashed to my life..both old and new. I remembered what I wanted to do and who I was doing it for. I promised myself that I would do anything it takes, no matter how hard it was to achieve my dream. Faces flashed in front of me, my old teacher, Lucan, Miriam, Ambrose...and finally her.
I opened my eyes again and looked at the man in front of me again. I know that I might come to regret the decision I was going to make and even now my emotions are bursting with the anger of knowing that this is what I have to do, but I couldn't stray from my determination. One day I hope to absolve myself of the crimes I would unknowingly commit by aiding this man but until that day comes I have to live for myself and I have to live selfishly.
I shook his hands with a tight grip, I wasn't going to hide my emotions either.
"Good decision kid...It will be a pleasure working with you" he said with a grin.
My anger was getting the better of me so I turned around to leave in haste, I couldn't bear to be here anymore.
As I was leaving I heard the cloaked man shout.
"This isn't a lion's den kid...it's a snake's burrow. Lions are lazy...they show mercy, they let others do the work. Not snakes...snakes eat everything that moves and they devour them whole, no mercy, not even the mercy of death...Everyone here is a snake and if you want to stay alive here, you better turn into a snake too..."
I left as I heard these ominous words replayed in my mind over and over again....