Betrayal

As the two were rushing through the tents, they passed by the gate through which Sturm had entered the quarry for the first time. Dozens of slavers and guards were guarding the exit, as most slaves were currently working in the quarry. As their attention was focused on preventing the slaves from escaping, they did not pay attention to Reinhardt and Sturm running by.

Not once had Sturm forgotten the list. Both Smiling Diego, the one who had whipped him, and Mastil, the guard that had instigated him into doing that, were the main targets. Disappointingly, neither of them was present at this moment.

For a moment, Sturm considered stopping and looking for them, but he quickly discarded the thought. Soon, fatigue would overcome them, and when it did, they'd better be in the forest, or the slave camp's forces would finish them off.

Just as they were about to pass through the area, fate decided to play its tricks. A group of slaves were being tortured on the ground, blocking their path. It was apparent the slaves had tried to flee during the commotion. Such an opportunity would never come again after all. Escaping was usually impossible, as a single slaver could single-handedly kill hundreds of malnourished slaves.

But right now, many had left their posts, and the rest had decided to guard the quarry exits. Some slaves managed to escape by finding a way to getting over the palisade, but those in front of Sturm had not gotten far afterward. They had been caught just fifty meters away from the wooden wall, resulting in their current situation.

"You think you can run because of a little bit of lightning? We will make an example of you lot, and when we are done with you, should you survive, the pole and our special whip will be waiting for you!" A slaver threatened the slaves as he repeatedly whipped their backs as they lay on the ground.

<<Diego?!>>

One of the slavers, and coincidentally the one whipping out punishment with the most fervor, was exactly Smiling Diego, who Sturm had wanted to enact revenge upon. If this was not an opportunity sent by heaven, then he did not know what was. As the slavers were immersed in torturing the poor slaves, Sturm signaled Reinhardt to engage.

The former guard captain shook his head in response. If they could run past them, then that was what they were going to do. Every second counted, and he knew Sturm knew that. It was mind baffling how killing these slavers could even cross his student's mind. Even if they saved the slaves, they would not be able to escape the slave camp. At least not today, and bringing them along would only burden Reinhardt and Sturm, dramatically decreasing their chances of escaping.

"That's the one that tortured me, Reinhardt," Sturm explained while they kept running.

<<And just because I can't help everyone does not mean I will do nothing when facing such atrocities. I was too weak to save Edgar, but I can save these slaves in front of us.>>

It would not take long; just a few seconds were enough to take out Diego and the other slavers. Reinhardt wanted nothing of that, though. An iron grip grabbed Sturm by the neck, forcefully dragging him along like a puppy. This was similar to the situation with Sebastian, and he had hoped Sturm would have learned the lesson after their encounter with the heartless merchant.

Take every opportunity you can get. It was something every mercenary lived by, and Sturm had to even more. As a slave, the disadvantage was already practically insurmountable. The fact was the teenager could not yet kill Diego and the other slaves by himself, not even with that lightning magic. This turned the encounter into a liability, not an opportunity.

Even if they had the time, Reinhardt would have still dragged Sturm away. The boy had to learn before it was too late, as Edgar was not around anymore and who knew how long Reinhardt himself would be able to protect him.

Sturm would usually easily dodge any attempt to grab him, but it was impossible to overcome the physical disparity with his mind utterly exhausted. Even though he often made it look easy, a slave's body simply could not compare to a fifth-step commoner's.

When Reinhardt stomped past the slavers, they finally looked up, wondering if another batch of slaves had delivered themselves into their arms. To their disappointment, it was only the Rampage Bear, who they had not seen for a while but knew would be around with Edgar today. Diego frowned upon seeing the teenager being carried by Edgar's guard captain, but few things were more important than his favorite pass time, torturing slaves.

It took a while for Sturm to stop struggling under Reinhardt's grip, but he had to admit in retrospect that Edgar's death left him far more emotional and less rational than he had thought. One did not process such an experience in just a few hours and a couple of fights. This did not mean he would have acted differently. Saving those slaves felt right; leaving them behind felt wrong. That was all the reasoning Sturm needed.

Nonetheless, it was a fact that this was the time for rational decisions and not emotional ones. There were only a few hundred meters left until the northern outer palisade, and the slave camp's troops had still not caught up. Who knew if the situation would be different if they had delayed for even a second.

"Did you calm down yet, boy? What were you thinking? Is Edgar's death not enough, and you want us to accompany him as well? Even if we had saved those slaves, they would just be recaptured later. Fleeing with them would have been impossible," Reinhardt scolded.

"I'm sorry, Reinhardt. But you don't know what I went through. It still haunts me; there are days I wake up sweating and in panic, thinking I'm still bound to that pole. Edgar left a hole in me, and as you said, revenge is what keeps me going now. I thought killing Diego and saving those slaves would help me fill that void."

"Edgar sacrificed himself to let us survive, and that's what we are going to do. You can always get your revenge later, Sturm. Be patient. We are almost out of here. They can't stop us from leaving anymore."

A dagger pierced through the air, barely missing Reinhardt, who moved his head out of the way, leaving a shallow cut on his cheeks.

"I would not be so sure about that."

Another dagger flew towards Reinhardt, causing him to drop Sturm and deflect it with his bracer. Before the sharp weapon could fly to the ground, Sturm grabbed it out of the air. Its edges were coated in a dark green liquid, and its shape resembled the Huo Dynasty's craftsmanship. He knew these weapons, as did Reinhardt.

The Rampage Bear pulled out two shortswords he had looted from the guards they had killed and turned towards the direction the daggers had come flying from.

"Daga? Edgar told us you were already on a mission and could not accompany us this time. Is this it? Is this your assignment? You know, we considered you a companion. Who would have thought you would accept a mission to kill us. Edgar died, you know? He respected and valued you. If not for your independent nature, he would have tried to recruit you into our Thunder Merchant Group."

It just kept getting worse and worse. No one knew their combat style as well as Daga, and the assassin had never failed to finish a task. They always knew that Daga's professionalism stood above any friendship he had, but Reinhardt at least hoped he would never accept a bounty on them in the first place.

Daga's voice resounded from the opposite direction the daggers had come from.

"They tricked me, and when I accepted the mission, it was already too late. You know I never fail to deliver, Reinhardt. I am sorry for Edgar but don't worry, you will accompany him soon. In the face of our friendship, I am willing to let Sturm go. My mission was just to eliminate you and no one else."

<<Damn. Daga knows about my enhanced senses and my [Black Room]. He knows I am too exhausted to detect him. Why did it have to be him? Damn it! They did this on purpose; they knew nothing would hurt us more than another betrayal,>> Sturm thought.

Before Reinhardt could answer, Sturm stood up with the assassin's throwing dagger in hand. They were so close to the forest, it was time for one last push. Daga thought he knew everything about them, but one thing he certainly did not.

"If you think I will leave Reinhardt behind and run, then you are terribly mistaken. Losing Edgar has been enough. I won't lose someone else!"

<<One last [Black Room], and one last lightning bolt. Reinhardt can just carry me out of here afterward.>>

Squeezing out the last bit of will Sturm had left would probably leave him unconscious for a few hours, but as long as the former guard captain stayed alive, there would be no further repercussions.

Daga stepped out from behind a tent, hands behind his back. The eerie silver mask occulting any emotion the assassin may or may not be displaying. His body language, though, spoke of confidence. A professional killer, especially one as good as Daga, would never expose himself like that for no reason. Sturm looked at the throwing dagger in his hand.

<<Oh no…>>

"Did you not notice, Sturm? You already lost him."