Chapter 21: Black Market (1)

Author's Note: Please Bookmark and Follow to incentivize me for more chapters 

"This is pretty embarrassing," Caellum grumbled quietly as he did his best not to bite his tongue as he was bounced up and down.

After a discussion with Yaga, whose conclusion was deferred until later, he was currently being carried on Yaga's shoulder like a sack of potatoes while she sprinted through the dark alleys of the capital at a speed that made Caellum doubt if she was truly an old woman with a daughter who was older than him.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, your highness. I've been carrying Zahra like this since she was a child and have easily carried people much bigger than you." Yaga replied to Caellum's quiet words.

'But that's your daughter, and I'm a grown man, not a child.'

'As for the second part, I'm not touching that with a 10-foot pole.'

Instead of responding, Caellum decided to appreciate the scenery.

The current destination was a specific tavern near the docks, and as they got closer, crossing and going under several bridges into the lower parts of the city which was surprisingly better lit than expected, there was quite a bit of activity with people hawking foods or drinks from street-side stands, others walking or standing around and chatting while drinking, and even some women tossing flirtatious looks outside of certain establishments.

Yaga navigated through the buildings and avoided people with ease, her breath barely audible as she slipped through narrow alleyways and leaped over obstructions as if she had them memorized.

When she reached a particular alley near a tavern called The Depths, she placed Caellum gently on his feet, making sure he was steady before letting him go.

"We've arrived, and your destination is right around the corner."

"Thank you for the lift," Caellum replied as he shook out his legs, which had fallen asleep.

"Of course. As I mentioned, it was on the way for me. I just hope you know that it's quite dangerous here." Yaga said with a tight smile.

Naturally, she knew of what went on in this area and the type of people who roamed these streets, but she wondered if this little prince was truly aware.

Although this little prince showed glimpses of toughness and had even caught her tail once, to her, he was still like a fragile, naive kitten; one mistake and he would disappear, his body tied to rocks and tossed into the sea.

Even now, as she watched him, she could see that those distinct purple eyes were glancing around curiously while his entire face was exposed.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He clearly thought that just because he covered up his white hair and had a cloak, he was fine.

That wouldn't stop a single person.

If he met the wrong person, they would easily remember that handsome face and eyes, and most likely follow him home.

And with that weak body, he might even be kidnapped and sold into a brothel for being handsome.

It seems that she might have to guard him tonight.

Tsk.

The things she did for her child.

"Shall I come with you, your highness? For safety? I'll even give you a discount."

"Pass. There's no need to worry about me. After all, we haven't inked our agreement or gone to the temple of the God of Death to sanctify it, so we should stay out of each other's business until then. Enjoy your rat hunt. I'm looking forward to my first temple visit."

'Or rather, I'm looking forward to how different it would be from making a contract with Emrys, the saint of the God of Eternal Flame.'

Giving Yaga a small smile, while wishing for her to leave even quicker, Caellum put on his circular spectacles, then pulled his hat down over his face so that the cut eye holes lined up with them, put on some gloves, and pulled his cloak's hood over that.

Now, every part of his body was completely covered.

Although it was a bit stuffy, since it covered up his appearance to the fullest extent, he had no choice but to do it.

Nodding at the silent Yaga once more, Caellum turned away and began walking down the street, slipping quietly between the people.

Spotting the tavern, which was packed with people spilling out, Caellum slipped around, heading to the back through the tight path.

Walking until he reached a barely visible door against the wooden walls of the tavern, then rapped on it in the pattern he'd learned from his new 'friends' at the Tavern he visited with Urch; two long, one short, and 3 drags, before waiting.

Click-

The door opened, and Caellum entered the back of the tavern, nodding at the burly guard there before heading down the stone steps in a narrow doorway off to the side.

Caellum walked down with his hand against the wall, using it to steady himself as he climbed down the dark path.

The further he went, the steps slowly became less defined, turning into a gentler downward slope.

Additionally, the previously straight wall slowly curved, and when it straightened, Caellum could see a literal light at the end of the tunnel.

Speeding up, he quickly reached the end, and the moment he stepped out into the light, it was like he was in a whole different world.

He was in some kind of cavern, much taller and wider than he expected, and instead of the dark, dampness of a cave, everything was toasty, warm, and well-lit by a light source he couldn't see.

And surprisingly, it was loud and packed with people.

Quite intrigued, Caellum began looking around as he walked closer.

Thick, engraved black columns supported the smooth cavern ceiling with several tunnels similar to the one he just entered from acting as entry points into a large cavern.

Within the cavern, there were multiple 2-story buildings made of white stone by those tunnels.

One building was draped in red velvet and sheer fabric, giving it a dreamy type of appearance, especially with the scantily clad women dancing in front of it.

Another building had a white, curvaceous statue of a woman holding silver balance scales in front of it.

Around the statue were gambling tables filled with people playing dice and other games, as dealers in neat black-and-white suits organized the games.

To the far end of the cavern, where the loudest shouts and screams came from, he could see a throng of people pushing and shoving each other while watching something.

And interspersed within it all were hawkers, selling food, clothing, and other miscellaneous items either from their own stands or from the fronts of the white buildings.

As Caellum got closer, although he got a few glances, since there were a few people who dressed like him, people went back to their games and discussions, while those selling goods called out to him.

"Roasted octopus, get your roasted octopus here!"

"Ocean's tit! Come get your shot of Ocean's Tit! One sip, and you'll feel like you're on a ship, racing through a storm, being smacked by the ocean's tit hahahaha!"

With the attitude of someone who had truly come to enjoy himself, Caellum began to enjoy his night tour.

Bringing out small tender coins, he paid without haggling, nibbling a little of this and that while chatting with the sellers and sorting through the information they gave him for later.

Which person sold weapons, which building had rare medicines, the store was rumored to have magical devices, and so on.

They were all stored in his head for later usage.

Then he meandered by the gambling tables, learning the rules and losing a few games before deferring the dealer's invitation to experience some real fun, and generally working his way toward the fighting pit, which was one of his reasons for coming tonight.

As he got closer to the fighting pit, struggling to move through the amped crowd while batting away hands that tried to pat him down for something to steal, Caellum found himself wishing that he had something sharper than his little knife to teach these thieving punks a lesson.

Eventually, he made it to the fighting pit, first glancing at the bookie table, which was level with everything else and surrounded by impressive-looking, burly men standing guard who kept the clamoring crowd at bay.

Behind the table was a dark, large board with the fights for the night listed out, along with odds written in small white letters.

And on it sat a plain-looking man with black hair graying at the temples and thin, silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

Dressed in simple black clothes, the man's thin fingers held a gold-tipped pen as he scribbled inside the leather-bound book in front of him while speaking to a rough-looking man pleading his case while handing over a handful of coins.

After reading the board and memorizing the names, Caellum glanced downward at the pit that had been created by digging into the hard stone ground.

The pit itself was perfectly circular and was covered in sand that kicked up each time the two people in the ring attacked each other.

There were high walls that kept the fighters contained, with two gated tunnels on opposite sides, likely where they came out.

Above that were concentric circles where people stood or sat, cheering at the bloody display in the pit.

Roaaaaaarrrr!

- First Blood Drawn! -

As the crowd let out a huge roar at the announcement of blood being drawn, Caellum searched for where the voice had come from, and not finding it, went back to the bookie's table, placed bets that would never pay off, received his ticket sheet, and began forcing his way through the crowd to get a good view of the fight.

Whether it was by luck or persistence, Caellum actually made his way to the lowest tier with the best view, right by the railing above the tunnels where the fighters came out from.

Standing alone was a tall man with long red hair that fell to his waist. With tailored red clothing that accentuated a lean yet muscular body, a red half-mask over his eyes, and a black cane with a large ruby handle, he looked like a very important noble and businessman.

And judging by the way people often looked at him but didn't dare to approach, he was probably somebody of note in the black market.

With his head held high and his steps steady and confident, Caellum came to stand close by, noting that the area was much quieter than it was a second ago, before, while waving his betting sheet and beginning to make friendly conversation.

"Have you made your bets, sir?"

"Me?" The red-haired man turned his head to look at Caellum, who was lazily leaning on the rail as if he were the true owner.

"Yes. I heard that the tourney restarted today, so I came by to take a look at the offerings. I'm a bit new, but you seem pretty knowledgeable. What do you think about my selections?" Caellum asked in a friendly tone.

***********

The red-haired man briefly wondered if he knew this person based on the casual way they spoke to him before shaking his head and subtly waving off his guards who were approaching.

This man dressed in black from head to toe came off as completely neutral to him, with nothing distinct being revealed.

He couldn't recognize the voice; his entire body was covered up with unremarkable clothing, revealing not even a hint of skin.

He smelled of food and ale from the surrounding area, and he didn't have a particular accent when he spoke.

The only thing that was different about him was that he could sense a magical device on his body, but even that wasn't anything great.

Most likely a magic storage bag by how small it seemed.

Useful and not particularly uncommon, especially among the wealthy upper class, which this man seemed to be part of.

Well-

Sometimes, rich people were odd, and it was good to humor them.

Especially if they were likely to spend money foolishly.

Taking a quick glance at the offered betting sheet, the red-haired man couldn't help but express his surprise.

The man had chosen all the long shot bets, putting a sizeable amount of money on each one.

"Did you make those choices yourself?" If not, perhaps the bookie needed a raise for duping someone.

"Yes, I did. What do you think? You don't agree with my choices?"

"This isn't my vice, so I don't partake. However, I see you've made quite the interesting bets. You even bet against our house champion, who's never lost a fight."

"Our?" It was a tone of surprise.

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I go by Red. I'm one of the organizers of this event." The man with the red hair bowed with a fancy flourish.

"It suits you. I'm Morte, a humble partaker who hopes at least one of my bad bets will pay off."

Red shook Morte's hand firmly before releasing it.

"It's a pleasure, Morte. While I appreciate your optimism, I doubt it will happen. It seems you're destined to lose money tonight."

"Well, Red. Even if it doesn't, you have to lose money to make money, right? But shall we see how it plays out? It seems the next match is about to begin, and the night's not over. Anything can happen."