Hurried footsteps resounded down the hall. The children’s faces twisted in horror and they turned to run. I stopped them, pulling the tablecloth down as I went to meet the people in the hall. A group of guardsmen, seven in total, stopped me.

“You there, have you seen some children run by?” Asked the guard in the front. He had longer, more flowy hair and a thin beard.

“No,” I said. “Should I be on the lookout?”

The guard narrowed his eyes. “That’s not one of our uniforms. Step out here.” I obeyed. They looked me up and down trying to make sense of me. “Who are you? Which noble do you serve?”

As he spoke, the other guards surrounded me. I kept my hand away from the sword at my side to put them at ease. If it came to a fight, I could pull out a knife in half the time. “The one who caught Lord Brahnum’s eye,” I said. It sounded suspicious and I kicked myself for not remembering their disguises.

“Lord Brahnum?”

“The womanizer,” one of the other guards said.

“The one who thinks he’s a womanizer,” another added. “He’s a Three Star.”

The lead guard nodded. “And what’s the name of your mistress?”

Fuck.

The silence weighed on me. I had no time. I shrugged. “I don’t know. She said she needed a bodyguard for some event and hired me. Do I look like all the rest of those pompous people?”

“Well, pompous or not, all guests are supposed to remain in the main halls, not wandering around.”

I ignored his question, hoping he’d drop it. “How was I supposed to know? I told you I was just hired off the street.”

The lead guard sighed and waved away the others and they ran off. “If you leave the main rooms again, we’ll have to kick you out.”

“No worries. I don’t plan on losing this job anytime soon.”

“Come on. I’ll escort you back.” He reached for my arm.

“Woah,” I said, spinning free. “I need to use the bathroom. That’s the whole reason why I’m roaming around. Those nobles really take their sweet time. Guess they’ve never had to share.”

He glared but got distracted by the other guards running down the hall. “The closest one is two doors down and on your left. Once you’re done, go back to the party.”

“You got it,” I said. I waited for him and the rest to disappear behind the corner before ducking into the room.

“You’re not one of them?” the girl asked.

“No, I’m not. I’m here to help.”

They nodded hesitantly. They didn’t trust me but I couldn’t blame them. Regardless of whether or not I kept them from the guards, staying wary of strangers would get them much further than trusting the first person that didn’t immediately turn them in.

“Where are the others? There are more, right?” I asked. The reason why we were targeting the auction made much more sense now. I wasn’t familiar with the law regarding slaves across the empire, however, I knew some regions were already freeing theirs. The nobles ruling over those lands probably hoped to get on the elves’ good side. While the missing labor would hurt, the riches of a new labyrinth would make up for it tenfold.

“Yes…” the boy said, grabbing onto his shackle. “T-The elf lady helped us escape.”

“She didn’t come with you?”

They shook their heads. She cut their chains but not her own? Why? Did they catch her? Was she using them as a distraction?

“Her magic, it was only enough for us,” the girl said.

I nodded absentmindedly. There were chains that were supposed to inhibit magic. There’s no way they didn’t put it on her.

“Ok, you two follow me. I’ll get you out of here.” Seeing that the hall was clear, I beckoned the kids. They kept a wide berth that grew larger when they saw me going where they were previously being held. “The guards went the other way,” I said, trying to calm them. “You’ve gotta trust me if you want to escape.”

“That’s what the old man said before he turned us in,” the girl said.

“I won’t turn you in.”

“There are rewards for escaped slaves,” the boy muttered. “Mommy told me to watch for them so that we could get money.”

“If I wanted a reward, I would’ve turned you in to those guards,” I said, exasperated. We were wasting time. “If you don’t trust me, fine. But you’ll either follow me or run back that way where the guards went.”

They looked terrified. As much as I wanted to help the kids, there were other people that would suffer if I didn’t find out where they were keeping the slaves.

I wouldn’t be able to prove myself either.

“W-We’ll go,” the girl finally said.

Though I felt a bit bad, I asked them to point me to where the other slaves were being held. They didn’t lead me far. The girl stopped, looking both ways as she tried to recall the path they took while the boy chewed on his fingernail.

It took a long silence until she finally said, “I don’t remember.”

That meant I had to go around blindly checking every room. I couldn’t blame them, though. They were just scared kids. I opened a large door and it led to an open area with hundreds of seats. The auction hall.

“Go hide in one of the aisles. I’ll come back for you once I find where the other slaves are. If I don’t come back in twenty minutes, don’t wait for me.”

Someone grabbed onto my shirt.

“Don’t leave,” the boy said. He looked around eight, ten at the oldest. The girl was a year older than him at most. She held onto his shoulders as if trying to steady him.

“It’s fine. Your sister will protect you.”

The boy gave me an uncertain look, then let go, seeming calmer than before. The girl led him away, searching for the best place to hide. Neither spared a glance as I left. I gave each room a quick look.

In their rush to find the other slaves, they left a door open. It led downstairs to an odd part of a storage room. Barrels and crates filled the area, blocking the view and closing off access. The other door was dark and the staircase winded down with little room to move around. It reminded me of the dungeon, except this was a different kind of dungeon.

I ducked back when I saw a guard. He stood facing me though he wasn’t the most attentive. He stifled his third yawn, staring hazy-eyed at the wall while mumbling curses under his breath.

I could take him down.

I pictured it and felt my body jolt. In one swift motion, I would run up to him, sweep his feet, and force him quiet with a spell. No, I needed to stay quiet. I couldn’t let people know I’d been here. I shrugged off the urge and blinked past him.

The next hallway was long and filled with multiple rooms. They each branched off like paths in a maze. It seemed overly complex for no reason, or maybe it was meant to throw off possible investigations. They probably planned for illegal trade from the start.

Is something else going on down here?

It was minutes of wandering and looking around, going from door to door and room to room. I eventually noticed markings along the wall, despite not knowing what they meant. It probably was for the guards and whoever else to track where they were.

After a while, I finally found where they were keeping the slaves. It was the largest room I’d come across while underground. I’d marked parts of the doors after clearing them so I could find my way back. It also meant we could use them to lead us to the slaves.

Sturdy iron bars kept the younger, stronger slaves locked away. Most wore rags akin to bread and rice sacks though a few were lucky enough to have simple shirts and pants. Men and women were separated and hand their feet bound with shackles. Two in the women’s group and one in the men’s had Ashenwood cuffs on. Embedded into the wood were multiple large drain stones meant to disrupt the flow of mana.

Security looked tight. Three guards stood in front of each groups’ cell and I saw two more at the opposite door as one peeked in to check on the situation. The slaves wouldn’t look at the guards. Instead, they cowered, pushing up against the corners or curling up into balls as they kept their eyes on the ground.

The room was dimly lit, probably unusefully so. It seemed like a punishment for the slaves. The guards waved their lanterns around, prompting the men and women to stiffen or startle. I blinked through the crack in the doorway to a nearly pitch-black part of the room.

I couldn’t find the elven woman or any elves no matter how hard I tried.

They’re probably in another room.

I waited for the guards to talk again before blinking back to where I was. Whenever I used my ability, my magic flared for a split second, and while it didn’t always generate light, it usually made a sound.

I threw a glance over my shoulder for the tenth time before peering into a new area. It was similar to the others, low light, a few torches at most, and a smattering of boxes stashed in the corner. Two figures spoke in hushed voices.

I couldn’t hear them, so I pushed the door open a bit further. There, I saw torch light reflecting off a silvery gauntlet filled with slightly tinted crystals. I held my breath. Gauntlet was here. I should’ve guessed when I knew about the slaves.

With him here, I threw away any thought of fighting. I didn’t know how far he could rewind time, and that made attempts at a surprise attack dangerous.

If I want to fight him again, I either need to bait out his time travel or strike hard enough that he doesn’t have time to use it. I need to let Carlyle and the others know he’s here. We can plan around him.

“I want the rest of my payment,” Gauntlet said. “Smuggling them all through the region was a real pain in the ass, and we’re not even mentioning how much it took to keep the city watch quiet.”

“You want the pay when you didn’t do the job?” the other person asked calmly.

I perked at the voice. It felt familiar.

“My men, my money. Without me, they’d be like the rats on the street or the slaves in those cages. You know how it is. If we didn’t start all this, how would they be making money?”

“I’ll give it to you in a week, after the auction.”

“I want it in three days.”

“Scared of this city’s Twelve?”

The man’s voice seemed to curl up a tone at the end like he was uninterested in the other person.

“No, but you should be,” Gauntlet said.

“Why? I’ve got a spotless reputation.”

“You hear about that vigilante?”

I froze as my blood ran cold. I didn’t need to hear the next words.

“He’s looking for you. For Kharss.”

Everything stopped. He was here. Now was my chance. Did I go now or should I give myself a buffer for Gauntlet’s time magic? What if I killed him first? I can’t blink that close to him, but a surprise attack will catch him off guard. Hundreds of other thoughts came to mind. I dismissed them as fast as they came.

What about the slaves?

If I attacked now, they might move where the slaves are being kept. They’ll know that someone’s trying to get in and I’d ruin their chances at freedom.

Kharss is responsible. He killed them. Now’s your chance.

Now’s my chance.

Take vengeance.

Mana surged forward along with my emotions. I’d kill him and finally be done with it. I pulled out a knife as fire and lightning raged within, threatening to flare if I didn’t immediately fight. Pushing open the door, my eyes were locked to the hazy outline and reflection of the gauntlet. In an instant, I teleported and swung.

I hit nothing. I took a breath and waited for Gauntlet to launch his counterattack but nothing came. Lighting a small flame, I searched the room. They weren’t there. Like the other rooms, this one had two entrances. How long was I doing that? Were they even here in the first place?

They were here.

They were here. There’s no way my eyes and ears were playing tricks on me. They disappeared when I wasn’t paying attention.

I hurried to the other door and cursed. It went two different ways. The further in I went, the more likely it was that I was caught.

That wouldn’t be so bad. If they caught me, Kharss or Gauntlet are likely to show up.

Why wait? Go back. Go to the slaves. Kill the guards.

I spun around, knife resting in my palm, ready for whatever. I watched them, talking to each other in loud, rough voices, unaware that I was there. They lorded over the slaves, laughing in their faces, laughing while ignorant.

Remember what Master said.

I heard his voice in my head, speaking the words one for one.

“Don’t say it. If you’re going to be my student, you gotta at least try to see the world my way. Slavery is wrong. I don’t expect you to kill slavers or free every slave you see. Hell, if you see a slave kill their slaver, you don’t even have to agree with it. As long as you don’t support it, as long as you don’t like it, that’s enough for me. There isn’t anything we can do about it, anyway.”

He’s wrong.

There is something I can do about it.

Right as I was about to open the door, the guards started coming my way. For some reason, it gave me pause. I hid and watched them. They came back with buckets of water and gave them to the people in the cages. One of them took off his helm. He looked young, maybe younger than me. He tried to talk to the slaves but they ignored him. The older guards sneered and yelled at him