'Sheesh. Them shadows are good...'
I was watching the Shadows Renata left behind, making a joke out of the three Master Magicians.
The teamwork and timing of their moves explained why they were crowned as the Shadow's Elites.
Everything was flowing in a certain rhythm and direction. Whatever variables the enemies brought forth following their futile attempts of resistance were followed by impeccable and accurate responses from the five.
Perhaps they were expecting a full-frontal battle with a magician since Black Nightmare was one; these magicians just couldn't hold a candle against the Shadows.
For whatever reason it might be, the level between the two groups was crystal clear.
And apparently, I was not the only one to share that opinion.
The crowd that saw how the Shadows dismantled the poor Magicians also seemed to think so. Well, can't blame them. After all, they have seen the three, who were supposed to be their guardians, treated almost as if they were kids in front of the whole audience.
Some of the hotheaded crowd were trying to rally the crowd to lunch a full-scale attack and turn the whole auction into a huge freaking mess. Similar to the last time. But like they say, hit once, shy twice.
Most of them didn't seem keen to jump into it themselves. Instead, opting to cry at the guards to bring out more reinforcements.
Flustered as they were, the guards did respond to the mass's call. Fetching their crystals from their pockets and hitting them up to rain messages into whoever and wherever the receiver was.
'Poor bastards...' I could only offer them my sincere prayer.
The minute they saw the Shadows wrapped up the last of their enemies, the crowd backed up away from the five to make an impromptu human fortress. The nobles were glaring murder at the Shadows, who neatly lined the defeated enemies to the side.
The leader of the five-man squad then met my eyes, which were buried at the center among all the restless mass. He scanned the anxious people and flinched in rage whenever someone bumped and pushed me.
'Don't mind me. Just do your job.' I sent a message to calm him down.
If there's one thing I knew about these Elites, It's that they were the first and the foremost to get brainwashed by Renata.
I didn't know how she did it, nor was I curious about it. Crazies got their crazy way. It is what it is...
As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't deny how effective Renata's brainwashing was. It was no freaking joke. The story goes back to when Renata first brought the elites to meet me for the first time. I won't bore you with all the details since it's a hassle...But let's just say that their reactions when they first heard me talking to their soul were bothersome. Each of them had their own way of expression, and none of them was normal. None...
That's why I said it was effective. From how disturbed I was then, I would say it was very effective indeed.
That's enough detour. Now, let's get back to the matter at hand. Renata and her groups have also finished their job and will arrive at a moment's notice. Until then, it was up to me to calm the Shadows down, lest they murder these nobles lots just because they unknowingly stepped on my toes.
'Finally...' She was just a corner away.
And then it hit me.
'...Fuck, I'm an idiot, aren't I?'
Renata was the one who brainwashed these crazy bastards. She was the reason behind this cult-like behavior in the first place.
The woman was the craziest one.
The moment she saw the pale noble on my left brushing his sweaty, trembling hand on the edge of my robe, Renata would see nothing but red.
'Fly!'
It'd be a massacre. I know it. God knows it. Everybody knows it.
'Don't give me the damn look, you sod bastards. I'm saving your sorry asses right now!' I flew in, stealing the venue's attention and breaking the concealment I had placed on myself.
Unaware of my good and selfless intentions, many were shooting me the look of horror, rage, and betrayal.
And from the silence that sank in, someone among the dozens muttered with bathed breath.
"Black Nightmare...He's here..."
They started calling me names and all that.
The dry and tense air had spurred the plaguing doubts and terror further into the minds of these nobles.
Every living soul in there froze as I floated gently above their very heads.
Renata and the others, who had arrived, threw a couple of dudes on the ground and kneeled to greet me.
Absent of words, yet their actions speak it all.
"Greeti-"
Well, one did try to speak. He had pale blond hair with caved-in cheeks and slanted, sly-looking eyes. His slender build made it almost pitiful to the eyes after seeing how Renata thrashed him around.
Crunch!
"Silence!" With a precise and forceful swing of her foot, Renata stomped the man's wrist, turning it into a paste. "You dare dirty the air in Milord's presence with your filthy tongue!?"
Were they afraid of me? To be honest, I think they have gone beyond that point already.
Despair...
Yes, I could tell that they have lost a semblance of hope the minute they saw Renata go bat-shit crazy and torture someone in front of the whole crowd.
'Damn...Bro's dying, Renata...'
Be as it may, I decided to leave Renata to her own device. I didn't have the slightest inkling whatsoever to sympathize with this man before me.
Moreover, if it's Renata we're talking about, she would rather slit her neck rather than jeopardize a job I entrusted to her. In other words, she did this because she had something in mind. So, I decided to wait and see where she was going with this.
Renata soon ceased after leaving the man half-dead on the broken floor. She then darted at me as if her job was all done, and I was free to do whatever I wanted.
Again, the room sank into a complex mix of silence and awkwardness. I could feel the lingering eyes and ears waiting for my move.
'She sure sets the bar high, this Renata...'
Sighing softly inside the bulking armor, I finally spoke, addressing the man. "Speak. Tell me what I should do with your neck."
Huk! The bloodied man picked himself up after much struggle and looked up to me.
"Cough! Exalted greetings to the high Lord rightfully known as-"
"Cut a finger off," I spoke coldly, not about to hear his nonsense.
Renata, as swift as the night breeze, responded to my call without a moment of delay and flashed in, claiming the man's left thumb.
Blood spewed, and a swollen thumb rolled on the ground before anyone else could make do with what was happening.
The man shrilled out in pain but shuts his mouth close to groan soon before long.
"Make it short, or the next one that flies off won't be a finger..." I sounded once again.
Undoubtedly, the threats worked wonders. I could totally see the man's eyes quivering in trepidation.
"I am Melkor...Melkor the snake. The one who is in charge of this auction house. I know you want the slaves to yourself. Spare me, and I can work for you, Black Nightmare. I can give everything to you. My workers, the slave hunters, connections, and most of all, the juicy and exotic slaves that will bring mountains of gold. Everything is yours for the taking." Plead Melkor, gritting his teeth, suppressing the pain as blood continued on trickling down from his severed finger.
"Hm...I see." I didn't have to think much of it. Unlike Gragas, this man seemed to have no issue flapping his gums.
It was a shortcut to what we wanted, after all.
'Use him as you see fit, Renata.' I waved to her.
"P-Please!! I can get you any kind of slave. Dwarves. Demon. Just the other day, we caught a whole family of elves. I can prove it to you!" Cried Melkor, crawling like a worm when strength had left his knees.
Perhaps he misunderstood my reaction as I wanted nothing with him, so he started gunning whatever he could to pique my interest.
Well...he did piqued my interest.
'A family?' I mused shortly before answering him. "Lead the way."
I think Renata, who spent most of her time with me, was the only one who could tell the change in my tone.
We then left the confused crowd as they were on the first floor and went up to where the secret passage was. The moment we were gone, the entire first level was thrown into chaos. People ran like their lives depended on it, ramming and knocking each other aside to secure their exit as fast as they could.
So, that's that...
We followed Melkor and arrived at the room where the four lifeless bodies lay soundlessly. He took us to another empty hallway with luxury-decorated doors on each side.
He walked past the wide doors plated and embedded with all kinds of precious jewels. But he was forced to stay mid-way in his place because everyone else was waiting for me as I stood frozen in front of the hallway.
Using a little bit of magic, seeing past these flimsy walls and doors was more than easy for me. But that's also why I stopped there.
Because only now did I actually see what was in those rooms.
I tried to find traps by enhancing my sight, but I did not find any. I found something else instead...
Melkor, who creaked his head in anxiety, almost jerked off in surprise when he saw me finally moving again.
I walked toward him, straight to a particular room.
Renata and the Shadows followed behind me, but only my footsteps rang loud in there.
I reached out to the door and pushed it.
Gush of wind came rushing out as soon as I opened the room. Judging from the sound of Melkor's complaint, it must've smelled like anything but pleasant.
Amidst everything there, four figures lay without souls.
I didn't know what swept over me, but soon, I entered the room and knelt before one of the corpses.
"Check their ears! They're elves!"
From the sound of it, I guessed he got roughed up by Renata once again because he spoke when he didn't need to. But I didn't care to bother checking it myself, nor did I have the energy to stop Renata in case she beat the man to death.
No, I just couldn't seem to do so...
Strangely enough, I was still looking at the family of three in front of me.
Unbeknownst to me, my body moved on its own and held the little girl, who was just a little bigger than Adam, in my arms.
I put her onto the side of the room with the least stains before doing the same with the remnants of her Mother and Father.
From the wounds and the state of their bodies, anyone could easily picture the scenes of the tragedy.
They crushed the father's limbs to paste, stitched his eyes open, and cut off his tongue. Pinning him down to the floor as he was forced to watch the degenerates unleash upon the living nightmares unto his daughter and wife.
It was beyond horrible.
Then again, it was not like I knew this family. I could sympathize with their fates, sure. But that's all.
It should be like that. Normally, I knew that's how I would feel.
But here's what fucked me up...
For some bullshit reason or whatever, I kept on projecting George, Maya, and Alyson's faces unto these three.
And it really...really infuriated me.
'Ha...I wanna kill them all...'
'I do. I really wanna kill them all at this moment. It will be very easy. I can easily wipe them all out and make a bloodbath out of this damn slave auction house.'
I felt sluggish, and my breath was heavy and hot. The world was spinning and made my stomach churn in nausea. It was like I had suddenly found myself stuck in this dark, narrow hole without an end.
'Should I do it...? Just kill them all, be done with it...?'
I took a deep breath in to calm down my impulses.
'No....I will kill when I have to. But to let my emotions get the best of me is not me...'
While I tried to combat whatever it was that messed up my mind, it felt like I was gonna claw my guts out if I didn't do something soon. So, I turned back and made my way to Melkor.
Without so much as a word of a warning, I moved my mana and clawed his head with an invisible hand, leaving him hanging in the air.
"Who did this."
His eyes moved, and just when he was about to answer me, I spoke inwardly. 'Show me who did this.'
The man shrieked and wailed ghastly as I forcefully read his memory.
Soon, new sets of information came flashing inside my head.
I gave the name to Renata and asked her to bring the fucker to me.
"Milord...what about him?"
When I was done with him, Renata glanced at the foaming Melkor, who sprawled like a corpse on the ground.
"...Kill him or do whatever the hell that you want...I don't care." I spat coldly.
"By your will, Milord."
"...Finish up, and let's go...We don't have all night to waste..."
Thus, the day ended.