The destruction of the building continued as it crumbled down piece by piece. The people watched the fire reach an unprecedented level and the smoke filled the sky above. Covering it in an even darker shade of smoke.
“What a disaster…”
“Who thought the Red Pearl of all places…”
“I heard it was a gas leak that caused this fire…”
“This had never happened before… I wonder how they’re going to explain the incident to us.”
“I’m a little terrified now… If it could happen once, then it surely can happen twice, right?”
Anxious people watched the destruction from afar as they discussed the news. Their shock was not unfounded. After all, the Red Pearl was an extremely renowned organization and they put a lot of emphasis on safety and security.
The fact a gas leak had caused this much destruction made the masses naturally grow worried if it could happen again, and again. They could escape once, but could they do it twice or more?
Nobody wanted to die surrounded by destruction and fire. However, at the same time, they cannot live without the meat they buy from the Red Pearl. It was simply the best there is and there was no competition in that regard.
The conflict of interest and the fear of death clashed in their minds as they watched the burning fire.
What was certain from that moment on, things were going to take a very weird turn and everyone was simply waiting for one thing… What the Red Pearl will do to contain this disaster?
***
Meanwhile, on the other side, a group of people snuck out of the exit quickly, leaving behind them the collapsing floor.
“Hurry… We need to leave this place…” They whispered to one another as they ran toward the large bushes at the end of the street.
On their shoulders, they were carrying an injured young man as he dripped blood from his soaked clothes.
Nobody saw them disappear as the entire place was submerged in chaos and the burning fire covered their movement. Even though there were many of them, nobody saw them.
Reaching the thick bushes, they jumped inside and put Arthur down on the grass. The boy exhaled a long breath as he finally inhaled some fresh air.
“Cough! Cough!” Arthur coughed loudly as he spat out a mouthful of saliva.
“Are you ok, boy?”
One of the prisoners asked Arthur worriedly. The latter lifted his hand up as a sign that he was fine.
“Ugh… That was… Brutal…” Arthur sighed as he laid back again. He was still unable to move at all so he beckoned for one of the people around him to grab the potion in his hand.
“Can you… Pour the content of this potion in my mouth?” He asked.
“Uh… sure…”
The lady grabbed his potion and poured the liquid into his mouth.
‘This is perhaps the weirdest thing I have done in the game so far…’ The boy thought to himself as he drank the stamina potion. He felt his body eagerly absorb the energy as it recharged very quickly.
A minute passed before Arthur finally started regaining control of his body. His numb muscles started moving and his cold body raised the temperature, giving him a better feeling of his skin and limbs.
Finally, he rose up from the ground as he held his head. “Fuck… That hurts…” He muttered as he looked up at the prisoners around him.
They all seemed so lost and confused as they stared around them. However, Arthur could see the fear in their eyes.
‘What am I supposed to do with them now?’ Arthur thought to himself as he stood up.
“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t know what I could’ve done if you guys didn’t appear and carry me out of the building.” He said.
“…”
The group stared at one another.
“You helped us when nobody did, sir. We are eternally grateful for you.”
Hearing that, Arthur frowned sadly. The image of the cells is still engraved in his very soul. Then, he opened his mouth and asked.
“How long… How long were you inside that place?” He asked and then closed his eyes. He knew that what he was about to hear was going to put him in a sour mood.
“How long?…”
“We don’t… remember… Years perhaps…”
“I tried to count… but I stopped after 10 years…”
Their answers varied but the result was the same. Arthur clenched his fists. ‘More than 10 years? In that hell?’
He couldn’t even imagine himself being there for a day let alone for more than a decade. The fact that these people hadn’t lost their minds yet was surprising to Arthur.
“I’m really sorry that nobody came for you earlier than that. It must’ve been a lot of pain…” He said in an apologetic tone.
“…”
The group remained silent as they stared at Arthur. The boy noticed that and looked up. That was when he saw that almost all the prisoners were crying silently.
“We… *Sniff*… Never expected to get out of there alive…”
“I believed my life is over… I had no one who would ever think of me when I go missing…” Another said as he wiped his face.
“Why… Why did nobody remember you?” Arthur asked with a confused look. ‘There are dozens of people in that place… Surely their families would notice that they went missing for such a long time?’
But, the answer he received simply was out of this world.
“Why would anyone do… I don’t know if you are aware of this or not sir… But, most if not all of us were previously homeless people with no families or work… The Red Pearl picked us up and gave us offers to work in their branches… But… When we realized the secret they were hiding, we decided to leave that work… Only to end up being captured and thrown in jail…”
“What?” Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Secret? What secret?”
The group stared at him silently as if they didn’t comprehend his reaction.
“You didn’t know?” One woman asked.
“No…”
“Then, why did you infiltrate the building… We thought… You knew…”
“No, I infiltrated the building to save my friends. what the hell is going on?” Arthur asked.
His suspicion that the Red Pearl had a shady business was slowly manifesting into reality right before his eyes. These people knew something he wasn’t aware of.
“Tell me everything.”
***
“I-Isla…”
Finlay slowly opened his eyes as he looked around him, feeling warm hands around him, hugging him tightly and relieving the immense pain he was feeling. Looking up, he saw a familiar face.
“You’re awake, Finlay?” Isla asked as she looked down while running. “Don’t worry, you will be fine. Go back to sleep. I’m bringing you back home.” She said in a gentle tone.
“What… What about Serko? Is he ok?” He asked.
“He is carried by Herculia. You will see him soon.” Isla replied as she looked over her shoulder. A few hundred meters away from her, she can see a large, broken carriage with two dead men lying next to it.
“And Sora?”
“She’s also safe and waiting for us.”
The boy’s eyes widened before a small, relieved smile appeared on his face. “Is that so…?” He muttered as he exhaled a small breath. All his fear vanished quickly and he finally snuggled against Isla. His body was too exhausted to speak anymore so he remained silent.
Isla stared down with a smile. “I’m sorry for making you wait, boys,” Isla muttered. “I promise this will never happen again.”
Patting the boy’s head, she ran through the street at top speed, heading toward their headquarters. She knew that the guards would arrive at the spot very soon so she had to escape before they did that.
A few minutes later, she arrived at their destination and entered inside. There, she saw three people.
“Isla!” Emmy exclaimed as she threw the towel to the ground and rushed toward her. “You’re back!”
“Yeah, we were able to get Finlay and Serko before they leave the city.”
After bringing Sora back home, Isla found Danny and Emmy back there after disappearing somewhere.
The two met Sloth as they were exploring the building and he immediately teleported them to where all the guards were. The two were barely able to escape from their grasp after a brutal chase.
They couldn’t enter the building again as it was surrounded by forces and they ended up moving away from the building and contacting Isla.
They couldn’t do anything at all so Isla decided they would stay and guard the place in case of an emergency while she gets the two kids back with Herculia.
“Thank god!” Emmy smiled widely.
“What about Sora? Is she fine?” Isla asked as she gently put down Finlay. Looking at the sleeping little girl, Isla frowned slightly. The gruesome injuries were healing in real time but it still didn’t make her feel any better.
“She’s fine. We gave her some potions and now she’s resting.”
“What about Arthur?” Danny asked.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3