"Aw, fuck…. This is the Paradise Star sign. We must get out of here!"
Helena was surprised. "Whitesmithe, you know about Paradise Star?"
"Of course, I know! I was told to stay away from the cult. Many mercenaries who looked into Paradise Star were dead. The investigation reward is not worth it."
"Adham?" They heard someone call his name. "Adham, is that you?"
Adham was stunned. He recognised that voice. "That's Jeremy!"
Helena and Adham looked at the cells one by one. They finally found him imprisoned along with others behind the iron bar. Adham clicked his tongue when he could not open the cell door. "Tch, it's locked."
Helena sensed the situation was strange. Their emergence somehow did not create attraction. Something was wrong. Some people looked high or barely conscious. They were lying on the floor while drooling with empty and dull eyes.
Helena was frowning. "Are they okay?"
Jeremy shook his head. "People who are loud or try to fight back get injected with something. Everyone remains silent because they are afraid to end up like that."
Drugs. Helena remembered reading it in the report. Paradise Star was not only involved in human trafficking but also illegal firearms and drugs.
Helena's eyes caught the sight of a little girl behind Jeremy when she processed the information. She wore a fancy dress and accessories that turned shabby because of dirt. Her short blond-wavy hair was messy, and her brown eyes were exhausted. Helena somehow recognized the little girl. The black-haired woman was baffled when she remembered. She saw that little girl in the newspaper in her previous life.
"Are you Daisy?"
The little girl was weak, but she replied to Helena. "How do you know my name?"
"Uuuh… That's…" Helena forgot that Daisy's news was not out. Not to mention, there was no missing information regarding her yet. She created a fake excuse on the spot. "I've seen you at a ball once!"
All of them heard steps from upstairs. Helena and Adham were alarmed and hid themselves. They watched two men open the cellar door and come downstairs. One was a bald buff man with a tattoo on his right hand, while the other was a skinny but tall man with long braided hair.
"One man and one woman, right? They have to be adults."
"Let's just choose the people under drug influence. They will be easier to carry."
Adham and Helena jumped from the hiding spot and smacked the kidnapper's head with the barrel. They were knocked out from head concussions. Helena's heart was beating fast from adrenaline. She had done many horrible deeds in the past, but she never whacked on someone until they passed out.
"This is bad for my heart…"
"Really? You're doing a good job, tho. I almost want you to join the mercenary."
"Looks, keys!"
Helena took the keys from the kidnapper's pocket. Jeremy and the others in his cells could get out at last. Unfortunately, they could not open the rest of the cells.
Those men woke up and found themselves inside the prison. The bald one yelled at Adham and Helena. "What are you guys doing? Let us out, or else!"
Adham scoffed. "Huge talk for someone inside the jail."
Helena was hesitant to ask it, but she said it. "Why did you kidnap these people? Don't you feel... guilty?"
"Who cares?" The tall man replied to her. "We don't care what happens to them. What matters is money keeps flowing into our pocket."
Adham punched the guy behind the bar. Hard. He was filled with pure rage after listening to the kidnapper blabbers. She had never seen that side of him before. Helena could tell that the attack was personal. Unfortunately, his emotional burst caused a loud noise. They heard someone shout from above because of the commotion.
"What is that?"
"Crap, there are people upstairs!" Jeremy whispered.
"Shit! Many people are still trapped down here! How are we going to save them all?"
Adham was right. The captured victim was hoping for a rescue. They could not abandon the rest of the captive with the cult. Who knew what they would do when they found some cells were empty.
"Hah! Looks like my friend finally arrived. Now you-"
Helena kicked the man in the nuts. It was hard enough to make him faint. Adham and Jeremy were dumbfounded by her action. They gaped at her like they saw a horror scene.
"What? I cannot let this man reveal our existence."
"Right..."
Helena inspected her surroundings. There must be something she could use. Helena smiled when one item caught sight of her eye. She picked it up from the floor and looked at the team.
"I have a plan, but I need everyone's help."
Five men were waiting upstairs for several minutes. The buff man with a scar was losing his patience. "What took them so long? We only need two adults, for fuck sake!"
The Small Man spoke to his friend. "Calm down, would you! Don't make a scene in front of them!"
They glanced at a man with a white mask. The Masked Man wore a long black cloak with the Paradise Star symbol behind his back and wore black leather gloves. He was the leader of the cult. Underneath the robe were clothes with expensive garments.
That man did not say anything, but he felt slightly annoyed. The Scar Man went silent from that man's sinister aura. He heard many of his coworkers died under Masked Man's hand simply because they pissed him off.
"He has a point. This is taking way too long."
A man with a sad clown mask agreed. He wore the same cloak as the Masked Man, a shirt, a red vest and grey trousers. His white hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"Let me check downstairs," said the Mustache Man.
Before that man moved, a cylinder tube rolled from downstairs. The Sad Clown Mask guy recognized it and warned everyone. "This is a smoke bomb! Everyone watched out!"
They were too late. The smoke bomb filled the whole house. Those men could not see anything between the smoke. They heard the sounds of footsteps running from downstairs.
The situation was not good for them. The Sad Clown Mask Man broke the windows to release the smoke. The fume slowly disappeared from the house. They were lucky that the smoke bomb was small. It was dangerous to ignite a smoke bomb in an enclosed area. Whoever threw the bomb knew about this and chose the small one.
When they thought the attack was over, a whip hit the Small Man in his arm. He was fast enough to dodge it. The five men prepared themselves to fight their opponents. However, they left stunned when a man and a woman stood before them. They stared at each other and laughed at the sight of their enemy.
Helena exhaled a gloomy breath. "They are underestimating us."
"Well, duh. It is five versus two. Not to mention, one is a woman. No offence, but you probably do not have fight experience."
Helena could not refute it. "Are you going to be fine?"
"Heh, these many against one?" Adham threw his coat and prepared for the fight. "They don't call me a champion of bar fight for nothing!"
"Remember to stick to the plan!"
Adham dashed and attacked the Scar Man. He dodged his punch and stepped back. The Small Man took over and swung his fist. Adham ducked and counter-attacked by pulling a hook but failed. The Mustache Man joined in the fight. Before he could strike Adham, a whip almost hit him on the arm. Helena had pulled out her weapon and joined the fight. She was not a fighter, so she supported Adham from behind. It was hard since a whip was not suitable for indoor fights.
Adham proved himself to be strong. The Mustache Man struck him with his fist, but he ducked and hit the man in the solar plexus. The punch was powerful enough to make him unconscious in one attack.
The Small Man rocked a jab, but Adham avoided it. Unfortunately, it was a faint for a high kick to his head. Adham was lucky to block the kick with his arm. Nevertheless, the impact of the kick hit his head pretty hard. Adham lost his foothold and balance for a moment.
Helena was terrified. She felt nauseous from watching the brutal brawl. Helena was raised as a gentle woman and was not built for fighting. Yet when she watched Adham in trouble, her body moved on our own. The pumped adrenaline helped her remain firm.
Helena swung her whip to make the Small Man steer clear from Adham. Her attack missed, but the enemy moved away from him. This gave an opening for Adham to strike. He slid on the floor with a low stance and pulled an uppercut in the opponent's face. The Small Man man screamed in pain when Adham broke his nose.
The Scar Man managed to grab him from behind. Adham struggled to escape, but his hold was powerful. Helena launched the whip to target the enemy's eyes. Yet, her precision was wrong and only injured his head slightly. Blood was dripping from the Scar Man's forehead. He was angry and shifted his target to Helena. Helena stepped back from fear but cornered at the side of the wall. Before the Scar Man could reach her, Adham gave a big blow to his head to make the man fall to the floor.
While the henchmen fought, the Masked Man stayed behind to watch. He observed the fight as if it was entertainment.
"Well, those three are disappointing." The Sad Clown Mask Man said with a huff. "Shall I kill those two for you?"
They finally heard the Masked Man speaking. "No need."
The Masked Man pulled a gun and shot Adham. The bullet hit him in his arms. Helena was shocked when she saw him bleeding. "Whitesmithe!"
"I'm fine!" He gritted his teeth. "It just grazes me."
"I applaud your trick, but it's over now."
The Sad Clown Mask Man walked toward them. Helena knew their chance to win the fight was small. Adham could not fight with his bleeding arm while her capability to wield a whip indoors was limited. Before Helena made a reckless move, Violet crashed against the back door and pulled out her sword. The Sad Clown Mask Man stepped back from surprise.
"Whoaa, where is this woman coming from?"
They heard another voice from outside. "Eluvuris Knight, stop where you are!"
Helena was relieved when she heard it. "Thank God. The help is coming!"
Since the beginning, fighting was not in the plan. Helena and Adham only tried to stall time for others. The smoke bomb was a distraction to allow some people to escape from the backdoor. Helena asked everyone to find help. It was impossible to move many people in a day. Even if she and Adham lost, the knight would manage to track them in a short time.
The Sad Clown Mask Man sighed. "Sorry, Your Highness. Looks like we need to abandon this place."
The Masked Man chuckled. He glared at Helena for the last time. Helena shuddered under his gaze.
"It's fine. I found a new toy today anyway."
Before the knights entered the house, the Masked Man threw a smoke bomb to the ground. Helena coughed while avoiding inhaling the air. Violet assisted her while the rest of the knights searched for the culprit.
"Over here!"
Jeremy showed them a way out of the smoke. They followed him and stopped in an alley. Others who were out from being imprisoned gathered in there. Helena finally caught a break from all of this insanity. She appreciated her maid's timing.
"You saved us, Violet!"
Violet's face was dark. "Lady Helena… what did I tell you about danger?"
Helena felt small under Violet's gaze. The maid would lecture her at home. Perhaps she was going to double her training as punishment. Before she thought about the torture at home, she noticed Adham holding his bleeding arm. Helena ripped her skirt and used it as a bandage.
Adham and Violet screamed in unison. "Your dress!"
"Don't worry. It is just a cheap dress I wear every time I volunteer. I can buy a new one."
Helena was thinking about today's occasion. She wanted to find Jeremy, yet stumbled upon Paradise Star's nest. This meant a part of the timeline would change again. Helena became worried she would not be able to grasp the future anymore.
A mother and a daughter cut off her thought. They were grateful to their saviour.
"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!"
Helena was taken aback. What was she thinking? She was able to save them. That was what mattered.
Helena forced herself to smile. "Don't mention it. I'm just doing what I can."
Jeremy tugged Adham's shirt. "Hey, the knight is almost here? What should we do?"
Helena's face was full of concern. She could not let other nobles hear about this. This incident might harm her reputation in high society. Adham scratched his head. She could guess her thoughts from her expression. That man taped her shoulder and grinned. "You don't want everyone to know you are involved in this incident, right? I get it. You can return to your mansion. I'll handle the rest."
Helena smiled back at him. He recognized her personality so well. Helena left with Violet and waved her hand. "Goodbye, everyone. Take care."
Daisy watched her disappear from her eyes. The sight of her dashing figure and black hair would forever remain in her mind. Helena never guessed that their meeting would change her path in the future.
An aid that helped her escape from a dreary fate.