Chapter 23
1124words
The sound of broken pipes, dripping in the alleyways outside, echoed like blood against concrete. S'dala walked a few steps ahead of me, hands behind his back, his strides unhurried. Somehow not one drop of blood of the bartender's blood had touched his spotless coat.
Mr. S'dala is... amazing. He did all of that without any power. It'll be useful.
I followed, keeping my eyes on Mr. S'dala's broad back. As I stared, the smell of rust, alcohol, and smoke lingered in the air together.
"What was the point of that?" I asked, I wondered, what exactly did the bartender do to deserve his hand and wrist to be stabbed? Did he say something to Mr. S'dala's boss? The bartender mentioned it. Wouldn't that mean that he's talking about the principal? Unless he is referring to Mr. S'dala's old boss, who used to work for the special armed forces.
"Was stabbing him part of your... business?" I said flatly.
S'dala didn't look back. "Everything is business, Slyvian. Some transactions are simply paid in blood."
I didn't press any further. There was something in the way he said it, casual, dismissive, that made it sound almost... natural. Like this was another lesson, but for only me, this is what makes it so easy to like Mr. S'dala. Everything he does is with purpose, but he doesn't make it obvious.
It's like he knows I don't like attention.
He turned another corner, leading me deeper into the Underbelly. The noise of the street faded behind us, replaced by the hum of machinery and distant shouts.
Before us stood a line... a long one, curved along a rusted stairway that disappeared into a narrow steel door. Neon lights flickered and glitched above it, the colors bleeding into each other until the sign was unreadable.
The people waiting were the kind who you don't want to mess with. Gang members, mercenaries, ex heroes, cyborgs with half their faces replaced by tech. A bouncer bot stood at the front.
S'dala didn't bother going in line, so I followed behind him. He simply walked forward, and no one even stopped him. The bot's sensors blinked red as we approached it.
"ENTRY DENIED. REGISTER-"
It stopped mid-sentence. Its optics flickered once, then turned green. Without a word, it stepped aside.
I hesitated. S'dala glanced back at me with the same, patient smile. "Come along, Slyvian. Don't mind the bot."
The door slid open, Sound hit like a wave, music, shouting, laughter. The air was thicker here, heavy with perfume and burning circuits. Lights shimmered in erratic bursts, catching on metallic implants and he shine of spilled drinks.
It was a casino, but not the kind from the higher districts. This was chaos pretending to be high glamour. Tables lined with illegal tech. Holographic women and men dancing nude. Holographic cards flickering. Every game here was rigged, every face practiced in deceit.
We had barely taken three steps when a fight broke out.
Two massive men, their bodies wired with cybernetic augments, crashed through a table. One's arm split open, revealing a blade; the other's hand shifted into a cannon. Sparks flew as they fought.
At first I thought we were going to go around but, when Mr. S'dala passed between them, they both stopped, frozen mid-swing.
Their mechanical eyes turned toward him. Recognition, or fear, flashed in them. Then, as soon as we had passed, the fighting resumed as though we hadn't just passed them.
"Mr. S'dala..." I murmured, glancing back at the fight. "They all... seem to know you."
"They just don't want to hurt this pretty face of mine." He hummed softly.
We reached a back door. The noise of the casino dimmed when it closed behind us. The small room wasn't much; it just looked ordinary. Concrete walls, old-looking gambling tables that no one uses anymore, and broken machine slots.
Then Mr. S'dala pressed his hand against the wall.
Scanning... Scanning.... Scanning... DING! Identity Recognized!
A soft click.
The floor shifted. The room trembled and began descending, it was smooth, far better than the elevator back in my apartment building.
When it stopped, the scent changed, cleaner, cooler. The lights down here glowed soft white, reflecting off polished marble and chrome. Another bar, but far more refined. No smoking, no fighting, just quiet music and whispering patrons in suits and dark uniforms.
From this, I'm pretty sure this is what a bar looks like in higher and richer districts.
Mr. S'dala walked toward a table in the center and gestured for me to sit.
"Sit, please."
He smiled at me, folding his hand. "Curious, aren't you? About why we're here? I'm sure you are. Knowing you, you question everything in your head while you follow obediently."
"... Yes," I said lowly.
He chuckled. "Well," he said, leaning slightly forward, "we're here to meet someone very important. Someone who's been watching you quite closely. I'm sure you met her already."
Before I could speak, a familiar voice came from behind me.
"We meet again, Slyvian."
Ash walked over, and as she walked, I saw a slight metal glint faintly visible as it slid beneath her coat. Her expression was serious. Cold... almost like Nathaniel when his smile falters.
S'dala gestured elegantly. "Ash, my dear, right on time. You know my student, of course."
Ash's eyes met mine for a brief moment, scanning me like I was an equation.
"Yes, we have met briefly," she said simply, taking the seat across from me. "She's the one, isn't she?"
Mr. S'dala chuckled softly. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. Tests first."
Ash reached into her coat and pulled something small and black from her pocket. It's the cube! From Nathaniel's father's company.
She set it on the table. It made a dull sound, heavier than it looked.
"Why did you bring that?" I asked.
"Just hold it." Ash said.
I hesitated, but S'dala gave me a reassuring nod. It made me feel... calm"Go on, Slyvian. It won't bite. Heh."
I reached forward, fingers brushing the cube's surface. It was cold, freezing, and yet something inside it felt alive.
The moment the cube, the glow inside flared.
The pulse quickened. The light burned brighter, spilling from the cracks like blood through open veins. The hum in the room deepened, vibrating through my bones.
Ash and S'dala both watched silently.
"... What is this?" I said lowly.
Neither answered.
The cube's red glow mirrored in my eyes. For a moment, it almost felt like it was breathing.
S'dala smiled faintly, like he'd just witnessed something inevitable.
Ash leaned back in her chair. "This proves it," she said.
S'dala nodded, voice quiet but full of satisfaction. "Indeed it does."
