As the girls descended into the darkness, the surroundings became noticeably colder. Sound seemed to carry itself further, while the mind began to twist itself into self doubt.
Petra's little feet moved, humming as they advanced. She was unaffected by the atmosphere, enjoying the claustrophobic darkness.
Unlike the straight tunnel connecting the underground bazaar to the road to the city, this time they passed through winding tunnels and splits in the road. The labyrinthine structure was difficult to understand, sometimes twisting back on itself, and at others, breaking off into island-like segments.
Soon, they came to an open cavern. The forest of stalagmites was covered by an encroaching moss and neon purple mushrooms, while the cave ceiling was distorted and twisted into what looked like a long-forgotten collapse. A crude bench had been constructed out of loose stones, and fossilized roots crept through the floor.
Where there was a split in the ceiling, water ran down like a smooth stream, pooled on the ground, and disappeared into another crack that led even deeper below.
On a large segment of the wall was a flat section, filled with simple yet complex cave paintings, their meaning lost to time, yet their emotions still resonated.
The girls took a rest.
Here, the eerie silence hung heavier than air, but Petra, like the other girls, was unperturbed.
Soryn warned that the smell of their food would drift through the cave and become a beacon, so they had to be careful with how they ate. She had become the leader in this adventure, and as a gold level adventurer, she had a lot of experience with this kind of thing.
When they finished eating, they moved on.
As they left, the sharp echo of heels cut through the silence. From the darkness emerged a black clothed woman, her face concealed, and her aura retracted.
She moved past the girls like a ghost, or an echo of the dark.
Petra stopped and looked back, her big eyes widening in the darkness.
She tilted her head.
Why did it feel like she had seen that woman before?
Was it the last time she was in Sevensen?
Or was it during this visit?
'Hmm.'
Petra shook her head and continued forward, quickly catching up with the others who had already walked ahead. It didn't matter. This was the kind of trick that the darkness would play if you spent too much time lost in these tunnels.
They continued down the twisting passageway and towards their unknown destination.
As they continued to descend, the passageway transformed from mud to stone, then from stone to brick. They had slowly found their way into an underground maze, one left behind by the high elves.
As they continued, things began to become strange.
There were whispers in the dark, shadows that flickered on the edge of one's vision, and illusions that were always just a little bit too far away to see. This place was like a haunted catacomb, just without the lost treasure and sea of corpses.
As they moved, a silent tension began to build in the air.
Petra even started to get the chills.
When did this become a horror novel?
As if on queue, the girls stopped at the entrance of a large opening. In the center of the room ahead, lay an unmoving body that seemed to have once stood over three meters tall.
It lay there, seemingly dead.
At least, that's what Petra felt...
They looked at Soryn, silently asking what to do. The large 'thing' blocked the path forward, and they wanted this professional's opinion for their next course of action. It had nothing to do with having someone to blame when that thing came back to life.
Soryn narrowed her eyes.
They had come this far without using magic, because they didn't want to reveal their position to the other 'things' passing through the labyrinth. If they did, then who knows what kind of monsters would find their way to them.
Using magic was a last resort.
That was the 'unspoken rule' of the underground labyrinth.
For this adventure, Petra obediently followed Soryn's instructions.
Soryn looked at Petra. Petra tilted her head. Soryn stared harder. Petra tilted her head further. Soryn blinked violently. Petra tilted her head so hard that she hurt her neck.
Petra: "What!"
Soryn pointed at the body. "Take care of it, you can do it silently, right? That's your thing, right??"
Petra puffed out her cheeks. "That depends on him~"
"Just put him to sleep!" Soryn added.
Soryn didn't see Levy's face of schadenfreude from behind.
Petra nodded. "Got it, put him to sleep…"
She rubbed her hands together, then grinned. "Forever! Nyahahaha!"
A glowing green wave of water flooded out from Petra's little hands and washed towards the thing in the center of the room like a tide.
When the green wave met the creature's grey flesh, it produced a sharp hissing sound.
Soryn's eye twitched violently.
Why did she ask Petra??
There was a moment of silence, followed by an earthshaking roar that exploded throughout the earth, its vibrations shaking the walls, felling dirt and dust, cracking stone, collapsing passages, and drawing countless waves of spiritual sense.
Then...
It melted, falling asleep forever.
Petra placed her hands on her hips and grinned widely. She pushed out her 'chest' in triumph, feeling slightly larger.
Elli: "..."
Nebula: "..."
Wind: "..."
Soryn: "..."
Levy: "Pfft! Uh oh!"
Levy waved her hand and picked everybody up with a wave of her spiritual energy. They ran away like naughty children who had just pulled a prank, disappearing into the darkness below.
She laughed. "It seems like you've picked up some new tricks since I last saw you! That would have been very helpful back then! Hahahaha!"
The girls were whisked away into the depths of the labyrinth.
-
Not long after they left, dozens of 'figures' appeared where they had once been. The shadows that ran down the wall condensed into black silhouettes that twisted with spiraling appendages, hulking figures emerged from the tunnels, their brooding backs stretching with each step and their every breath releasing a wave of boiling steam. The Stone Siren's melody echoed throughout the cave, like a long cry, appearing from the void. Illusions twisted, drawing the silhouettes of unknown creatures. Even the physical cave itself twisted into an unseen form, coming alive and pulsating like a heartbeat, transforming itself Into a stream of eyes, each carrying fury, hunger, and greed all mixed together, like a pack of hunting dogs.
Some were humans, some were monsters, and others blended the line in between. These were existences that had existed beneath Sevensen, long before the current era.
* * *
Levy carried the girls for an unknown amount of time.
When they stopped running, they found themselves standing before a small bridge that crossed over an underground stream.
The bridge was covered with mysterious runes that seemed to mimic the Black Arch from the other side of the labyrinth. When they crossed, they walked through a short tunnel, before finding themselves emerging on a cliffside that led down into a massive underground city.
They had arrived at the heart of the Black Market.
The dark space was filled with floating lanterns that illuminated the surroundings with a spectral blue light. Below them was an intertwining series of bridges and caves that surrounded a large cylindrical temple, all formed from stone. This massive cavern seemed to have no bottom, leaving those who fell to disappear into the darkness forever. There were around twenty floors, each with hundreds of different tunnels that led out like small streets, extending into the earth, a little bit like an ant hill. This was a massive underground city, one filled with tens of thousands of people.
Petra had emerged near the ceiling, so her view was perfect to allow her to fully understand this place and its grandeur. Not even for a moment did Petra believe that humans built this place. It was yet another treasure left behind by the High Elves.
Many people lived here, but that didn't mean that they left often. In fact, most of the people living here had never left. They were born in the dark, lived in the dark, and died in the dark. It was even possible that the City Lord didn't even know about this place.
Although Petra had never seen the city lord, she had heard that he was a pushover.
To get here, one needed to be at least a little bit capable.
She turned her gaze to the large 'temple' in the center of the underground city.
This cylindrical structure looked like a combination of an arena and a central hall that had been built into one. Upon a distant inspection, there were signs that the building had been redesigned, leaving Petra to suspect that it was once a true temple, but was later repurposed by the humans.
To descend into the city, one had to first take a set of precariously carved stairs that had been chiseled directly out of the cliffside.
After they descended, they took a stone bridge to the center of the city.
Looking over the edge, the bottomless pit below was enough to send shivers down the spines of even the bravest of adventurers.
After reaching the central structure, they listened around.
In the darkness, one's voice became the only source of Identity, yet even this could be faked.
From the whispers, they learned that this was the 'Grand Colosseum', A place for bloody battles and brutal competitions. The black market had been built around it as its core, and functioned like this for many decades. It was used to entertain, resolve disputes, judge, bet, play, and display.
Because they were new here, they chose to find a seat before deciding what to do.
They enter through a side arch, following the hall around the building to the spectator seating.
Here, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of people cheering.
They sat in the back, avoiding any unnecessary attention.
-
The crowd erupted with cheers as an unnamed warrior slayed a towering beast that stood over twice his height. Although victorious, he had collapsed and needed to be carried out.
While the girls discussed how they would find the Grey Snake's stronghold in this underground city, the next match had begun its preparations. The announcer roared, before two men emerged from their respective gates, and stood opposite to each other, sharing a death stare.
"Ho?"
Levy perked up.
She poked Petra's cheek, much to the annoyance of the little green haired master.
Petra turned, her little eyes asking, What?
Levy pointed at one of the two contestants. "Do you see that guy?"
Petra turned and looked at the strange man. He wore black pants and no shirt. His upper body was overly muscular, and a skeletal frame was worn over his upper body, almost like a chest plate made from the ribcage of a large beast. On his head was a deer skull, and down his spine was a second spine, with the protruding vertebrae of a dragon. He held two battleaxes and leaned forward like an untrained beast, ready to pounce on its prey.
Upon closer inspection, Petra found that these skeletal ornaments weren't exterior armour, instead, they seemed to be growing from his body. Even his two weapons were made of bone, their size matching what Petra imagined his thighs would be if removed.
Petra tilted her head.
Levy explained.
"That man comes from a very special bloodline. If you're looking for a bodyguard, you can try to buy him. I heard that you can buy some of the fighters here."
Petra pursed her lips.
Her refusal was almost instant. "No."
"Why?" Levy asked, slightly surprised.
Petra explained. "There's no need to take the risk. For a while now, I've been smelling something very annoying..."
Levy raised a brow. "I don't smell anything."
Petra hummed.
She spoke in a low voice, one so quiet that even Levy had a hard time hearing it.
"It's the smell of 'Fate'."
-
An hour later, the girls were walking through the streets of the largest market in the underground city.
Soon, they found what they were looking for.
This street was lined with different businesses all focused around the exchange of 'labor'. To put it another way, this was a series of slave markets. The size of each building varied, some small and only containing a few dozen slaves, while others were large, containing hundreds of people.
Petra had no idea where all these people had come from, but Soryn explained that Sevensen was a special city that was not under the jurisdiction of the Four Towers.
This meant that it was a good place to do illegal business.
Many of these slaves were caught from small villages before the calamity had reached its peak, while others were brought to the northern region through special channels that ran under the Central region's Blackstone Mountain Range, called the 'Black Roads'.
The Black Roads were long tunnels that ran through the continent and had been created by the Black Dwarves to function as unsanctioned trading routes.
The girls looked around.
They found a shop that sold giants, both large men with the giant bloodline, and true giants, the kind that grew up to twenty meters tall. Apparently, these giants were captured around the western border area after the calamity had ended, they were pushed out of their homes by the floods.
They found a shop that traded golems and spirits. Not the kind that were artificially created, instead, the kind that was born through nature. Stone golems, lava golems, treants, and cloud spirits, undead guardians, these kinds of things.
They found a shop that specialized in fairies and fae. These were small creatures that looked humanoid, with large wings on their backs. They were very cute, usually having androgynous features. They were captured after the eastern region exiled itself using the Great Storm Summoning Spell and cut them off from their original homes.
And finally...
They found the largest slave merchant in the underground city. This was a massive market that specialized in selling humans, elves, and demi-human women. It was a five-story building that had been carved into the cliffside at the end of the street. Its surface had a noble and refined architectural design, and each brick was carefully engraved with deep runes that exuded an oppressive and domineering aura, there channels glowing with a faint blue light that flickered with a sense of unnatural serenity and submission. It was large and magnificent, overshadowing the surrounding buildings.
Soryn entered first, followed by Petra and the girls.
This place had few female guests, but those that came were eyed with an unknown emotion.
They skipped the first floor and ascended to the fourth.
They passed many slaves, each giving off a different vibe.
The first floor was set up to sell 'general goods'. This was mostly human women, all beautiful young girls that had been dressed up and showed very few signs of abuse.
The second floor was a wide display of different demi-human races. There variety covered Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians.
The third floor was a refined and elegant series of stages that each held a beautiful elf, thousands in total. They ranged from elemental elves to colored elves, and there 'top products' even reached into the mutated elves, such as the Golden Eared Elves, and the Cloud Elves.
And the fourth floor was where specialty slaves started to appear. These were people with special backgrounds and unique stories, each requiring at least one skill. They were Alchemists, Forgers, Rune Masters, Singers, Dancers, and Researchers. Humans, Beastmen, and Elves, all of them appeared here.
Some had been exiled from their families by vengeful relatives, while others were the target of revenge, some were unlucky masters who had been crippled, caught, and sold, while some were just unnamed lookalikes that fit certain standards.
If you could think of the slave, you could find it here.
That was the general impression that Petra had gotten.
As they moved up to the fourth floor, they unknowingly passed a forgotten cage that had been placed in an inconspicuous spot. It was often overlooked, almost to an abnormal level.
In that moment, something happened.
There was a small gust of wind from the abyss below. It found its way through the underground city, down the slave street, into the slave market, and up to the fourth floor…
For a split second, a mere moment, a single strand of green hair escaped from within the depths of Petra's hood. It fluttered on this unseen gust of wind, like a streamer in the dark.
Locked within this forgotten cage, behind the curtain of some inexplicable power, a single slave rose her head. Her tangled mess of brown hair shifted, and her dark eyes flickered with a strange light as the emerald green thread flashed past her withered gaze.
Petra and the girls passed, unaware of this strange girl.
They didn't see that spark of impossible hope reignite in this forgotten girl's gaze.
* * *