Chapter 1097: Underground

"We're here," Carlos said as he looked at the city from the other side of the river. Ning stood next to him as well, looking at the bridge that was mostly filled with other people.

"So, what now?" Ning asked. "Do I get paid or is there some more work?"

"I need to get the crystal to the boss," Carlos said. "But I don't know who exactly I can trust right now. Anyone could have betrayed the boss and is waiting for us in ambush."

"So... no 'loud Silence'?" Ning asked.

"I can't trust anyone, even if they know the secret code. I must go meet the boss himself and hand over the crystal and information to him," Carlos said.

"So you know where he is?" Ning asked.

Carlos nodded. "Let's go," he said and started walking.

Ning placed his sword through the belt around his tunic to hold it for now. There was no cloth that was wrapping the sword, so he had to be careful not to be seen by some city guard or he would be in some more trouble.

Although, he had enough money to make a sheath for his sword.

The two crossed the river and arrived on the other side. Ning glanced to either side of the river and noticed some people that were standing around there doing nothing.

He looked towards Carlos, who was staring at one person in particular. The person looked back and waited for Carlos to approach him. However, Carlos ignored the man and increased his pace.

"Let's go," he said to Ning, moving faster and faster.

Not even a minute later, Carlos was taking Ning through alleyways, rather than the city roads as those were much better shortcuts to reaching the Gang's hiding place. Not only that, it also hid them from city guards which was a very much-needed benefit right now.

After going through 4 different alleyways, climbing over 2 different walls, and running across two major roads, Ning and Carlos finally arrived in front of what looked like a tavern.

It was the middle of the day right now, but the tavern was still full of people drinking and shouting.

Carlos ignored the drunkards as much as he could, while Ning held his sword at the ready for any random attacks. Carlos went up to the tavern manager and said, "We would like to make use of your finest rooms."

The Tavern manager was a middle-aged woman with thick, brown hair. She put down the jug she was wiping and looked at the two of them. "You can't get something fine just by asking for it," she said.

"I'm willing to hunt for it," Carlos said.

"Good," the woman said. "Clara, come help show these hunters to their paradise."

A woman came from the back that was barely in her early 20s. She wore modest clothes with her pitch-black hair in two braids that hung down to her her lower back.

Her eyes were black as well, through which she stared at the two of them. Carlos seemed unphased, but Ning felt a little awkward as the girl stared at him more than she did Carlos.

The girl named Clara turned around and started walking away. Carlos quickly followed her and gestured for Ning to follow her as well.

"Do you still need me?" Ning asked as he walked along. "Isn't everything basically done?"

"Not until I hand over the crystal," Carlos said. "Also, I plan on telling the boss about you, so it will be easier if you are there with me when I explain stuff to him."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if I wan—"

"Less talking, more walking," the girl from the front said and took a left turn, going downstairs into an underground lair.

They followed her through a large hallway, before coming into a room that was glowing with light that was captured from outside.

The room was rather small and mostly empty.

The girl moved to one side of the room and stood by the wall, next to a man that was already there. Carlos and Ning stood in the center, and Ning could see a silhouette of another person behind a very thin curtain that stood between them and another section of the wall.

A bunch of rocks suddenly appeared around Ning while he was looking at the silhouette, trapping him in it. He tried to move, but he found it rather hard to do so.

Carlos turned around and then turned toward the man next to the wall. "Free him."

"You know I can't do that, don't you?" the man spoke. "I'm not sure why you brought him here, but he's not a member of the gang, so he will have to stay that way. Don't worry, unless I find a reason to, I won't kill him."

Carlos frowned slightly but said nothing else. "You'll have to stay that way for a bit brother," he said.

Ning was annoyed by the situation, but there was nothing he could do.

"Why are you here, Carlos?" the man spoke. "You were supposed to find the crystal and hand it over to the ones that were waiting for you."

"I don't trust them," Carlos said.

The man frowned a little. "You found it okay to come to see the boss just because you couldn't bring yourself to trust in the members of your own organization?"

"Two of our members tried to kill me today, and many other no-name ones were with them too," Carlos said while looking at the man. "The last thing I would do is trust ones I don't fully know. I'm sorry, brother Kepli, but I don't trust you either. I can only trust the boss today."

"You were attacked?" Kepli asked with a chilling look on his face.

"By Gerrin and Hanson," Carlos said. "And I doubt they are alone in betraying the gang today. This is one reason I came to rush to the boss today. I have important news for him."

"What news?" Kepli asked.

"Boss," Carlos spoke directly to the person behind the curtain. "Dale, Bodrick, and Firepalm are all coming after you."