Chapter 34: Meeting Someone

The old sewer docks were farther below the ground.

After several minutes of walking, the tunnels gradually widened, and the smell of damp stone disappeared.

It was replaced by saltwater, and the sound of the waves became clear.

My eyes widened slightly as we reached the end of the tunnel.

The underground dock was enormous, and dark water flowed through the center of the huge cavern. The ceiling is so dark and nothing can be seen.

There were wooden boats tied along the stone platforms, enough for two people to ride.

Few candle lanterns were hung on the metal poles, enough to light up the area just enough to see the way.

There were some men and women who were busy moving crates and weapons.

What caught my attention were several creatures in cages that were carefully lowered onto the boats. Some old men were carrying whips toward the creatures, despite them being unable to move freely as they were locked in chains.

I fucking hated it.

My eyes immediately looked away. This was not the time or place for questions.

"Don’t stare, Silvester." Patricia walked beside me.

"I wasn’t staring."

We continued walking silently. Some men gave way when they saw Patricia walking. Some of them greeted her, but she didn’t say a word nor make eye contact with them.

That was pretty useful for us to move forward.

I followed her toward the far end of the docks. There stood a large wooden warehouse.

Unlike the other buildings with attractive designs and signage, this one was the opposite.

There were two guards standing at the entrance. They had a huge build and both wore dark clothes. They had no weapons to carry, which meant they were powerful.

Hidden weapons were usually powerful, and I really didn’t like it.

"Wait here. Okay?" Patricia stopped and glanced at me.

"Why?" My face was puzzled.

She looked at me directly in the eyes. "Because the person you’re meeting doesn’t like surprises."

"I don’t like surprises either." I glanced at the warehouse.

Patricia didn’t say a word and immediately approached the guards.

I was standing from afar, and all I could see was that they were talking. One of the guards asked and Patricia answered quickly.

They looked around and the guards slowly opened the door. Patricia step inside, and the door closed.

I remained silent while staring at the door while waiting for Patricia.

A minute passed, then another. No shadow of Patricia.

I stayed patient and slowly moved my hand to my pouch. I say alert incase something happened.

When the guards stared at me, I stopped and pretended to look at my surroundings.

Five minutes had already passed. This fixer wasn’t coming out.

"I’ll gonna wait for another damn minute. If Patricia does not come out, I will go inside myself," I murmured. It felt like an hour had already been wasted.

Finally, the door opened and Patricia came out. Her face looked terrified and pale.

I met her halfway to check on her. "What happened?"

She breaths hardly as she walked toward me. "Change of plans, Silvester."

I frowned. "What the hell happened inside?"

She immediately looked at me with uncertainty. "The smuggler... isn’t here."

I looked toward the warehouse and back at Patricia. "Then what are we doing here? Let’s find that smug-"

"Because someone wants to meet you." She cut me off and swallowed hard.

My expression became cold. "I just told you that I don’t like surprises," I said in a cold voice.

She didn’t say anything, but the fear in her eyes was visible.

"Tell me! Who is that someone?" I demanded. I am very interested to know who made the renowned fixer fear like hell.

Patricia turned her eyes towards the warehouse and me. "I really don’t know!"

Her hands were shivering from fear. Something happened to her which wasn’t good at all.

"Relax, Patricia. You’re still alive. Tell me what you know now." I tried to calm her down, but it wasn’t really working. I was never good at it.

She stopped breathing for a while and breathed out. "He is just standing there in the darkness and he didn’t even introduce himself."

I fixed my gaze on her and said, "Then what the hell made you bring me here?"

"Hear me, Silvester. Didn’t you say that you want that crystal?" She started to kneel in order to be at the same level with me.

I nodded fast.

"He is the only one in the underground community who can get the Space Crystals."

There was silence in my mind and I could not utter a single word.

Patricia kept on talking. "He has three Space Crystal."

"How do you know? You have said the room in there is dark." I frowned.

"I can see them on his hands and they are real. And he says the cost of that is seven gold coins."

"What did I offer to Patricia? What is your problem now?" I could feel some irritation in my voice.

"He needs something else and he would tell you himself if you go inside on your own," she sighed.

"Did you not see him?"

"Just as I said, the room in there is dark."

I paused for some time and a smile spread across my face. "This is turning into an interesting situation. Hmm."

"Do you think you are crazy?! This is not an interesting situation. This is a dangerous one for a kid like you!"

"I’m not fucking insane, and danger is my last name."

I paid no attention to her words and started to head to the entrance. She held my arm.

"Just listen to me one more time, Silvester," she said, becoming serious. "Don’t go there if you can avoid it. I’ve lived in this community for ages, and now I meet him for the first time."

"There’s always a first time for everything, Patricia," I tried to explain to her. I need to get those crystals anyway.

Patricia shook her head. "I’ve never met this man before I asked for help from my trusted smuggler. Something is wrong."

I looked in the direction of the door and thought about it.

Some powerful man has managed to intervene in this deal. He knows me and Duke Voulstridge.

It was no coincidence.

"Don’t worry, Patricia. I won’t do anything stupid," I said and removed her hand from my shoulder.

Patricia looked at me. This time there was something hopeful in her eyes.

"Then go. Just shout if something strange is happening there, and I will get you out."

-----

I turned around and walked inside. First of all, I felt an unpleasant odor of ancient wood, salt water, crude, and some metal odor.

The warehouse was practically empty. A few crates and barrels were placed along the walls of the warehouse.

The only lighting was a mana lamp. This little light was hanging on the ceiling and its light was enough to see inside the warehouse.

My steps echoed as I closed the door behind me.

Slowly turning my head, I looked at what was happening behind me. The guards were not here and I was sure that I was not alone in this room.

"Hello? Is there anybody here?" My voice echoed in the warehouse.

No answer. I breathed deeply and waited.

And suddenly the sound of steps started. Steps were slow and heavy.

My heart missed a beat when a man came out from behind the barrels.