CHAPTER 51: A CERTAIN CHOICE

Ash walked down the stairs and headed towards the main hall, where he could see Terra and Kelvin discussing with one another.

Following right behind him was Echidna, her arms behind her back as she walked.

Ash was certain she had her eyes on him throughout, but it would mean nothing to confront her about that, so he let it go.

Once he was standing in front of the counter, right where Terra was, he uttered, "Where is the Underground Yabor?"

Terra and Kelvin both looked at him; however, Kelvin wore more of a frown.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" Kelvin uttered. "And why the hell is Echidna even with you? Don’t tell me you two are already making out?"

Echidna blushed in the back, cupping her cheeks with both her hands, even though she didn’t say anything to defend or agree with the statement.

Ash sighed in response, glaring at Kelvin. "Don’t you have better things to do?"

"..." Kelvin glanced to the side, his face also red. "Wow, so you did actually hit it off with her. I thought you were arrogant, but knowing you’re a dog and arrogant changes things."

Ash grew increasingly annoyed, but before he could speak, Terra interrupted, placing a giant newspaper on the counter for Ash to see.

"Underground Yabor. It’s located on this side, very close to the city’s second border. It’s actually quite easy to get into." Terra raised her gaze. "If you’re asking about this, does that mean you know where they are hosting the next event?"

"Yes." Ash leaned in to take a closer look at the map. "I got some inside information from Aisha. It’s going to be held at the Underground Yabor."

"Underground Yabor? I used to hear a lot about that place from my father when I was a kid. It’s known for trading monsters to adventurers and such. I’ve never heard of them doing an actual slave trade," Kelvin uttered right after.

"Duh, that’s the point of the whole thing. It’s done in secret, you dumbass." Terra gestured. "If it was done in the open, the authorities would have shut the whole place down a long time ago. And even if that didn’t happen, the public would riot over its immediate shutdown."

Kelvin went silent.

It made sense.

He remembered his father also mentioned something similar, about how the place had to be shut down for a while for investigation. It wasn’t the first or the last time, either.

"So now what? You guys want to storm in there and kill off the people in charge?"

Echidna moved her attention towards Ash, waiting to hear what his response to that would be.

"Kill the one in charge? Possible. If they were to get in my way, sure. My main target is still Hapia. Anyone other than him is just collateral."

That was Ash’s answer, and it left the entire place speechless.

Terra was the first to speak.

"I thought you wanted to end the whole thing. To finally put an end to the entire illegal slavery going on here. Hapia was your only target?" There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Ash glanced at her.

"Do you think of me as some kind of hero? If you do, then I am afraid you must have me mistaken for someone else." He stood up straight.

Terra frowned.

Echidna smiled.

"Are you kidding me? I chose to help you because I thought we had similar goals! We were supposed to put an end to the whole thing! We were supposed to—"

"You sure talk big for someone with no power to back it up." Ash glared for a while before turning around to walk away.

Before he could even take a single step, Terra ran, positioning herself right in front of him.

"You’re not a bad person, I know this. So why are you acting like you don’t care? Why do you always act like you don’t care? I could tell you were disgusted when I told you about what goes on in this city. You even—"

"The fact I don’t like something isn’t enough reason for me to act on it. That is just plain stupid. Out of my way."

Terra remained.

"Yes, it is! You have the power to do so. You are strong enough to do so. People are dying from this, innocent souls, traded and used as tools for others. Doesn’t that bother you? Don’t—"

"Do you think I am not aware of that fact?!" Ash screamed, his anger frightening Terra, since that was the first time she had ever seen him yell that loudly.

Even worse, he didn’t stop there.

"Scream your head off if you want, nothing is going to change! What? Should I go kill three, five, eighteen higher-ups there and the entire thing just comes to an end? How long do you think it would take before I am placed on a platform to be killed?"

"..."

"How many nobles are hidden and just waiting to chew up anyone stupid enough to stand against them?"

"..."

"I am no hero. I am not the kind of guy who will lay my life down for a stranger. If that upsets you, then you can go the hell up there and handle it yourself."

Ash walked away.

"Interesting. I didn’t think he could raise his voice. A strange thing to get upset about, don’t you think..."

Kelvin looked at Echidna, and all he saw was her smiling at Ash’s fleeting form.

"Earth to Echidna..."

Echidna began to walk forward, wrapping her arms around the upset Terra.

"You don’t have to worry about it. Don’t worry about it. He’s going to take care of it all," she uttered in a hushed tone.

Terra was busy pouting while being hugged, the image of Ash yelling still glued to her head.

...

Later that day...

"Y-yes, this is the place."

A man pointed at Terra’s inn, his face etched with fear and hesitation.

Surrounding the man were ten different men, each one already carrying weapons, ranging from short knives to huge blades.

From the street, many people had already gathered, wondering what the elite members of the White Rivel gang would be doing in an abandoned area, especially this many of them.

Of the men standing in front of the inn, one of them stood out; he was the leader of this new group. He wore a red bandana around his head and carried with him a spear, resting gently on his shoulder.

As informed, a member of the White Rivel gang had come running to him about a small group of people in this inn, guilty of killing one of their members.

At first, it was hard to believe, but after seeing how beat up the survivor was, this boss had to make sure he acted on it before news of it began to spread throughout the city.

"Good. We’ll handle it from here," the bandana boss uttered.

The survivor of Ash’s onslaught immediately ran to the back of the group, choosing to observe from far away.

One step after the other, the bandana boss approached the inn, recognizing it to be one of the places where the members of his gang would often do their business.

To his recollection, they had issues with Terra prior to this, so she might have gotten her hands on some rival guild or something.

Suddenly, Echidna and Kelvin walked out the door, quite calmly.

This caused the bandana boss and his men to stop as well.

The bandana boss narrowed his gaze. Judging from how they walked out and had not taken a single step, they must be aware of what was happening.

"Are you the fools that killed a member of my faction?" he asked.

Pa!

Echidna clapped her palms together, one eye closed as she uttered, "Sorry, but can we do this another time? Right now, Ash is really focused on something else. We really can’t be distracting him."

"What? Who the hell is Ash?" The bandana boss raised a brow.

Kelvin sighed. "We should just kill them already. It’s a good thing Terra spotted them coming a mile away. Discussing with these people is just a waste of time. Bad guys should not be speaking to us so freely."

Echidna sighed before looking at her partner. "I thought you said you didn’t want to get involved with these guys."

Kelvin shrugged, pulling out his dual blades. "There’s no way I’m missing the chance to show off. Ash had the spotlight the last time. Not again."

The bandana boss had an angry look on his face before pointing his spear at the duo. "You have some nerve speaking like that in front of me. You must not know who I am."

Echidna took a step back. "Knowing you isn’t necessary. Anyways, do have fun playing with Kelvin. I’ll be sitting this one out."

"Take her," the boss pointed at Echidna.

Almost immediately, about three men charged forward.

But before they could get anywhere, Kelvin whooshed on, slashing his blades with a clean cut.