Inside a damp chamber in the sewers of the city of Parthenia, Epiphanes, eyes closed, trembled with fear. Between being taken from his warm bed and being brought here, he had been quite battered.
”Let me go! My father, Quintus, the leader of the House of Augustus, will not leave this with you!”
The older man, nicknamed the sewer rat, was personally standing by the precious hostage. The rope that would pull their organization out of the black well they had fallen into was in this boy’s hand.
“Handsome little gentleman! Look what happens to you if you don’t pay back the money you took!”
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”
The cage in which the mice were standing shook violently, one of them smelling fresh meat.
“I hope your daddy gets the money we want on time, or I don’t think there will be anything left of you!”
While the young boy was in pain, the older man did not neglect the psychological pressure. It would be a miracle if Epiphanes could keep his sanity until the money came.
Everyone was nervous because of the footsteps coming from afar in the gloomy environment. As the approaching steps escalated the tension, a deep sigh was taken after the silhouette started to be selected.
“Sir, welcome!”
“Get out all of you!”
Astute was very nervous; he wanted to face reality as soon as possible. As he saw the blindfolded child, he approached him and cupped his face with his palm. As the young man’s face turned transparent and began to separate from his skin, a bit of his soul caused the city lord’s expression to change.
“You cheeky woman, she hid this from me for years!”
A gloomy atmosphere prevailed in the Partheni mansion at this time, and all but one were busy with the old reckonings. Thinking that there could be no better time to explain her plans, Nafız interrupted.
“Gentlemen, if you are going to stop living with the past, I will allow you to be the architect of a completely different future. While this is happening, I guarantee you will get your revenge as well!”
Eftelya had retired to rest in her upstairs room. As Marcos, his father, and old friends watched each other’s words of comfort, the female orc’s words tumbled into the hall.
“Can you be a little clearer?”
Fernandez was the first to react. He gathered his messy long hair and waited eagerly for what he would hear.
“This city will soon emerge from the pit it fell into a century ago and will become part of the Great Orc Empire. If you play the role assigned to you in this change, you will be able to have a say in the management of the city!”
Nafız, who attracted the attention of three friends, was on Marcos. As she had guessed, the young man was also closely involved in what was being said.
“From today onwards, bodyguards and servants, consisting of orcs of our army, will be dispatched to the households of the employees under your families through the gate where Marcos is responsible. It is your responsibility to show this transfer as an ordinary precaution!”
Nafız, who had her eyes on people, continued her words.
“Quintus, you mustn’t reveal anything to your wife. Otherwise, our whole plan will fail. If such a thing happens, I must kill everyone with the surname Augustus, don’t use me for nothing!”
The words spoken by the female orc in a perfectly normal way made the short fat man think his blood had been drawn.
“You will hire as many orcs as reinforcements to the guard army at the gladiator school. You will have to organize a big feast in the arena soon. I trust you very much!”
The leaders of the city’s three noble families were like cats spilling milk in the face of the female orc recently bought at the slave market. They were afraid even to breathe out loud when they didn’t even think of interrupting. They felt overwhelmed by her speaking tone and noble gestures.
“I will do whatever you say, but I have one request from you!”
Even with intense emotions, Niko was burning with the fire of revenge.
“The city lord’s death must be by my hands!”
The gray-haired man wanted to avenge his wife, and the request was perfectly justified.
“A reasonable wish; complete your preparations when the time comes!”
Nafız loved the father and daughter she lived in, and they managed to be a family against all tragedies. There was no need to be so evil as to withhold such a small favor from them.
Some extraordinary scenes were happening at the Augustus gladiator school, where the warriors without instructors spent the day basking in the sun. Interestingly, the newly arrived bodyguards did not budge on this issue.
“Alyon, come here. We have something to talk about!”
Morrison called out to the burly orc from where they were sitting.
“Let’s talk, instructor. It means you’ve finally decided to ask the question that’s been on your mind!”
When Alyon approached, the other gladiators were startled, though they didn’t want to show it.
‘Who are you? Why did a group of guards turn their angry gaze towards us when I called you?”
Although Morrison had mentioned it, the incident he was talking about caught the attention of all the warriors. There were always a few soldiers near Alyon, and they were walking around as if to protect him.
“Since you are asking this question, I hope you know that there is no turning back, trainer!”
Alyon gave his final warning, and then when he looked into the eyes of the small group, there was no trace of fear.
“Very well, I am the ruler of the neighboring northern region, the one who will soon rule the Orc Steppes. The guards around us are the soldiers of the city of Nikonya, which is under my protection!”
The statement shocked everyone in the small group. Even they had thought of something, but even they could not have guessed this much.
“After a short time, this city will be freed from the chains that it has been hit with and will come under our protection. When things happen, what do you intend to do?”
For those who for a long time earned their living by fighting to the death, the world was just an arena where they soaked the sand with their blood. They hadn’t dreamed of anything else for a moment; what could they do but kill people?
“This is our home, the hot sands. It was like this today, and nothing will change tomorrow!”
Morrison was the first to break the silence. “What’s your plan for us?” he said, between the looks of the others, agreeing to their words.
“Everything will be about how you act when you have a job. I hope I am not disappointed!”
The people he left behind were confused as Alyon said his last words and returned to where he always sat. They would make a decision, and most likely, their lives would depend on it.
When darkness again covered the City of Parthenia, the people who took on their roles buried themselves in their food as if they were living in happiness. Neither could the three great households be exempted from this vicious circle, each of their members in pain, with mixed feelings.
“My beautiful wife, I have good news. I found the ransom to save our child!”
Returning home, Quintus was shouting with joy. The exhausted man of the morning was gone, replaced by a drunken man with the pleasure of saving his only son. He was trying to inform the whole mansion of this fantastic development as he entered the door.
“Quintus, my dear! You are the best dad in the world. How lucky Epiphanes and I are to have you!”
Husband and wife were like two veteran theater actors, showing all their skills in the last scene. The hugs and the tears falling from their eyes made the emotions of even the mansion staff who witnessed it rise.
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Women who tell men their love often are the most petite loving women.
William Shakespeare
