The Slavers - Part 4

Silence echoed in the darkness as both Octavia and Sylvia just froze yet again after the trap door had slammed shut.

It was possible someone had closed it, but with the time taken to get down it, to when it shut, Octavia was sure that the wind had blown it closed.

That was a blessing. No one had trapped them in here. But, it did come with a problem.

The sound it made slamming down surely travelled. The village was silent, where everyone was indoors asleep, aside from the patrolling guards. That sort of noise was going to be heard far and wide in the village.

For the most part, heavy sleepers probably wouldn't notice. Light ones may wake up, but after some searching, probably come to the conclusion wind slammed someone's door. The guards patrolling would probably come to the same conclusion, as none would be able to get into this area to investigate. The problem was whether it woke any of the slavers up, and if they realised what it was.

The box was no longer on the trap door. So, should any come to investigate and actually be lucid when doing so, they were going to realise what had happened.

This meant they might now be on the clock.

They could either quicky head out, leaving the slavers base, making sure they get away before any of the slavers catch them. Or they could stay, hope none woke up, or if they did, don't realise what the sound was, allowing them time to find the slaves.

Well.

Given it was Octavia's good nature that got her into this position, both with the slavers and as a Lamia in this world, there wasn't really much of a choice.

…

The pitch black darkness meant all Octavia could do was use her thermal vision to pretty much follow Sylvia, while she made sure they didn't bump into anything.

They didn't know how large this underground section of the slavers building was. It could go down more floors, and it could span the entire complex, the grocery store and the abandoned building.

They hadn't seen a trap door in the abandoned building, not that they looked or would have easily been able to find it given the darkness. It had only been thanks to the moonlight and the lack of other objects in the outdoor area that they had found this trap door. So, depending on how long they had been running this operation, it wasn't out of the question.

But, this was something they could only worry about in the back of their minds. They had a job to do, and so they started moving.

Octavia made sure to tell Sylvia to keep her hand on her weapon, while she did the same. It was possible that it wasn't just the slaves staying down here. It was possible there was a slaver stuck as the jailer as well.

The reason for not having it at the ready was also in case they came across the slaves first. Things would not go well if they accidentally ended up attacking one of them out of surprise and fear. So, at the ready it was.

Octavia couldn't use her poleaxe. Confined spaces and all. For some reason she really hoped the next battle they ended up in was outside. Not that she wanted to fight anyone, but it just felt a little disappointing. The only weapons she could use down here was her dagger, teeth and reforming tail.

They headed out of the room they were currently in, finding themselves in a corridor of sorts. Still pitch black, they had to pick a direction and just go for it. So, turning left, they continued on their way.

They soon reached a door on their right, and as stealthy as could be, Octavia slowly opened it a crack and checked it out with her vision.

It was a single blue hue.

Quickly entering, they searched around, well Sylvia did, but all she found was food.

It was a storeroom, filled to the bring with fruit and rations, all in dozens upon dozens of baskets lining the shelves. It would seem that, if the slaves were down here, they also used this place to stock the grocery store as well. Very convenient, especially since they probably used it to keep the slaves fed as well.

With nothing else of interest in the room, they headed out and tried the next door, finding the place filled with barrels. A quick check of a few, and they realise they were filled to the brim with salt with some also containing meat of various shapes and sizes. Another dud.

Back in the hallway, they headed towards the final door at the end, when they finally heard a sound.

Footsteps.

They echoed all around them, and so it was impossible to tell where they were coming from. It could have been from behind the door they were heading to, or from all the way down the other end of the hall.

Sylvia started to panic, but Octavia steeling herself grabbed her hand and pulled her back to one of the only safe places in this area that they knew of. Back to the meat and salt storeroom.

It would have been great if there was a window in the door, but it was just solid wood, which meant all they could do was listen. Thankfully though, Octavia's vision did give them another means to detect who it was, as detecting heat through a single piece of wood was simple for it. The solid stone walls all around them was another story however.

The footsteps continued to echo in the hall and through the door they were standing behind, but the slight orange tint that the blue hue was gaining showed that they were now in the hallway. And it had been from the direction they had not travelled.

Octavia wasn't sure whether it was a good thing they had gone left instead of right. Could they have found the slaver first and taken him out, or would they have walked right into him and in the surprise, been attacked and possibly killed?

Probably a question that was best left unanswered.

The echoing footsteps grew louder, as did the orange hue. But after a few more moments, they heard the sound of a door being opened.

Th orange hue dropped off slightly, likely the person entering a room. But then several seconds later, it was back to where it was.

Octavia had no idea what they should do here. Should they wait for them to pass. They were surely heading towards where the trap door was.

That had been her thought until she felt Sylvia tap her shoulder.

Looking over, she saw her pointing down.

Octavia followed her gaze and just saw the same orange hue as she did through the door, it likely coming from the seam at the bottom.

"…"

But then she realised her mistake.

Vision off, she saw another orange hue, brighter than what her vision provided.

It was a light source.

The man was walking with a light source, and for it to be this bright, he must have passed where they entered the hallway and was coming to them.

Another door was opened, louder this time. It had to be where the fruit was.

Brain running a mile a minute, she slowly pulled Sylvia behind her. She was the most durable and had the most combat experience, so she would be the one to deal with this guy when he entered.

Knife now firmly in her hand, she got ready for him to enter. She would obviously try to take him down by paralysing him first, but this wasn't like the monster in the bog. This man was actively searching for someone, not caught unawares.

So, things might not play out like she hoped.

The footsteps got louder and louder, until they finally stopped, and a shadow peered through the gap at the bottom of the door.

Both the girls ended up holding their breaths… as the door to the room they were in…slowly opened.

…

The door to the room opened towards the wall, which was not favourable for them, so as soon as she saw the man's face, and the glint of the steel sword that was in his hand, she lunged.

Fangs out, she headed straight for his neck. But him being alert, he managed to hold his hand out, and keep her from reaching him.

Before he could stab at her with his sword, she used all the strength she could muster to keep his sword arm pinned. Then using the other, which held her dagger, she took a swing at him.

Which he then caught his free hand.

They stared at each other, the light of the lantern that was now on the floor illuminating their faces as the squared each other off and vied for their own weapons. The only problem for this guy was that Octavia was not alone.

He hadn't seen it coming, and some would call it cowardly, but for a group that enslaved people, Octavia could care less. As he struggled to keep Octavia at bay and try to attack her with his sword, he cried out in pain as he felt a blade enter his side.

And that blade was held by none other than Sylvia.

Octavia quickly realise as she heard him cry, that it needed to be cut short. They didn't know if any other slavers were present in this place, and they didn't need them to come running to help this man. It may already be too late, but she had to try.

So, a head butt to the bottom of his jaw was all she could do, but it thankfully had the result she hoped for. Shutting his jaw, his cry was muted, and his head was thrown back into the door. She then kept her head there, ensuring he couldn't say a word anymore.

Now in a good position, she turned to this side and went for this throat. Her fangs bared down on his skin, only slightly penetrating it before she felt a massive force hit her side.

She was thrown, and so was the slaver, onto the floor in a huddle. They lost their grips on their blades, clanging to the floor somewhere in the lightly illuminated darkness.

"What was that?" she wondered to herself.

And as she pushed herself up off the floor, rubbing her side as she did, she saw what had caused her to fall.

In the doorway was a massive hulking vision of a man, holding what looked to be a massive wooden club, about half his size. The light of the lantern illuminated the five or so scars on his face, as well as the thick black beard adorning his chin.

He was taller than her, and looked like he was twice her width, built with muscle and not fat.

This was going to be a difficult fight, one she might not win. All she could hope was that there was no one else on their way as backup, as this fight might end up being quite a short one if there were.