Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

Shang approached us from behind, and spoke to the former slave. "You’ve been here awhile?"

"Yes."

"So you know the layout of this building?"

"Yes—"

The two of them started discussing plans to escape as they walked out of the room. Rin and the other Beastkin followed after them, and I was about to too, when I heard a voice come from behind me.

"You killed him."

I turned around and saw two pairs of eyes filled with hate staring at me. The older slave from earlier was kneeling down, being supported by his friend.

"You’ll die— you’ll all die— but you’ll die a murderer," he spat the words vitriolically. He turned his gaze up to the sky, and spread his hands out to the side. "You killed him. And the Goddess shall punish you for it in the afterlife."

Rude! That’s not how you speak to a kid!

I shook my head, dismissing the inane thought, and met his stare.

"I did not make the choice for him. He chose for himself." I held my gaze with the man, and continued. "So if he dies, then he dies out of his own volition. Not because I killed him."

I ignored the man as he began to sputter in outrage; I pulled out the key ring, grabbed one of the keys from it, and tossed it at the two slaves.

"Here."

The metal key flew in the air for a few seconds, and landed at the feet of the two older men. They stared at it, as I turned around to leave.

"You can decide for yourselves too." I began to walk out the door, then stopped. I turned around, and looked down at the two slaves; on the two men tied down by fear of others. "But we will not die. We will live."

After all, why would I be afraid of a few slavers, if I was going against god?

The false god wanted me to die. His followers said so. They wanted me to embrace my death. And he killed me before, so how was I supposed to fight back? Yet, I would try to seek revenge. I did not know why he wanted me dead, nor why he sent me to this world. It was probably to fulfill some unknown goal of his, but I would never accept it.

"I will live,"— I raised my hands up in the air, making a declaration to the world— "and I will live free."

Chapter 20: Shaken

I left the room with the two slaves, and followed after Shang and the others as they quietly whispered to each other; it was not as painful on my ankle to walk as it was with the chains around my feet, so I managed just fine by myself. They were standing by the end of the hallway, peering over the corner into the rest of the warehouse.

The hallway led to a catwalk that was about ten feet off the ground in the main room of the warehouse; it covered three sides of the main hall— with small entrances to hallways throughout the first and second floors— and a large entrance on the fourth side of the box room, leading to the outside.

On the corners across from the main entrance, two staircases led down to the vast open space that made up the first floor. Wagons and carts were parked in the center of the room, while some boxes and crates filled the sides closest to the walls.

However, there was a distinct absence of the car which Julian rode in the warehouse; this meant that Mr Jerkface himself probably was not present at the moment, which could also mean that the head guard of the Mancis Company— Marcus— was not here either.

It did not confirm anything for certain, but the very thought itself left me conflicted; on one hand, their presence could have prevented our escape, but on the other hand, that meant we couldn’t pay them back what they deserved.

And they deserve a lot of bad things! Jerks!

Of course, I kept my mouth shut. I did not want to make too much noise, and neither did I want to interrupt this important conversation that I should be listening to. Probably should stop zoning out, I told myself.

I looked up at Shang as he quietly whispered to Feri.

"And they’re being kept in there?"

"I—uh, yes. They had us bring them down there. That’s usually where they bring new arrivals to— um, but I saw them get brought down there, so… so, I’m, erm, sure."

The Dog Beastkin looked uncertainly at the newest member of our party, and even I had to blink at that. The young man was stuttering and tripping over his own words; he did not sound sure of himself at all!

But Feri had been a slave for... God knows how long? His dirty blonde hair reached down to his shoulders, and his body was thin and frail. It was a given that he was not the most confident person in the world.

Still, his words did not instill any confidence into me; I did try my best to believe him, but it was difficult. I shook all my doubts off my head, and turned to face Shang.

"So, they’re in the basement?"

"Yes. If we go down that hallway,"— Shang pointed at an opening next to the stairs on the first floor— "there’s a stairway that leads to the basement. Supposedly, they are locked in a massive cellar down there."

"Good," I said, nodding my head at the Dog Beastkin, "that makes it easier for us. We can get them all out at once." I felt myself bursting with excitement as freedom seemed so close within my grasps, before catching a glimpse of Feri. "And anyone who wants to come with us too," I quickly added in.