BXBX NOVEL Chapter 103: Silent
Chapter 103: Silent
The deathmatches had finished, and the streets looked alive with vendors selling their goods and people going about their daily lives.
Carriages, pulled by rugged-looking humans, rolled down the cobblestone streets, carrying both passengers and goods to and from various destinations.
A slight disturbance suddenly happened in the crowd, and a bronze-skinned kid with curly hair ran away from the commotion, clutching a small leather pouch tightly in his hand.
He was immediately followed by a group of angry-looking men who had already had their knives pulled out.
The commotion lasted for a second, and after they had already run further away, the crowd's interest faded away, and they returned to their conversations and activities.
"Selling goods from the Deadlands!" A vendor shouted while waving a rusty sword in the air. "The original place of the Dark Plague; come buy priceless artifacts!"
"Come purchase foods imported from the most dangerous regions in the world!"
The vendors engaged in shouting matches, trying to attract the crowd with their unique and dangerous wares.
Adam moved into the crowd, unnoticed and silent like a shadow in the night.
As he moved by, he noticed a group of people walk between two buildings and then down dark stairs. They disappeared as soon as they appeared.
They all wore strange clothes-one had a coat made entirely of feathers, another had a hat shaped like a fish, and the last one was carrying a glowing lantern with a blue flame.
"Hmm, that place..." Adam scratched his chin. 'I don't have a lot of money left, but I'm so curious about what they're offering there...'
However, before following the group of people, he headed back to the vendors and looked around with a keen eye.
Soon, he found the vendor he was looking for.
There were all sorts of cloth pieces on display, but Adam was searching for a specific color and pattern that matched the outfit he had in mind.
His eyes landed on a sleek, black suit with a high collar, silver-colored buttons, and a full- face mask that revealed nothing.
It was accompanied by a long, flowing cloak made of a special, noise-dampening fabric that draped over the shoulders of the suit and reached all the way down to the ankles.
It had an inner lining of deep, midnight blue with silver thread forming constellations and arcane symbols. To top it all off, it fastened at the front with a clasp shaped like an ancient arcane symbol.
The mask was a matching silver color with intricate engravings of stars and moons.
It would make the wearer feel mysterious and ancient.
"How much is this?" Adam asked the vendor.
"Hmm." The vendor rubbed his lengthy beard and scanned the young man closely.
He was trying to gauge just how easy it would be to extend the price.
"It's a specially tailored outfit; from what I heard, it once belonged to the creator of Calymen. It's a magic cult, if you haven't heard.
"The mask is accompanied by a voice changing feature that can mimic any voice, and the fabric of the cloak and suit can block out knife attacks."
"So, how much?" Adam asked.
"5 thousand." The vendor said. "I only sell preem stuff."
"If you only sold preem stuff, you wouldn't be begging for customers on the street corner." Adam quipped.
"If I had to guess, the voice changing feature must not be working properly either, and that's why it is currently in your possession."
"Ngh..." The vendor scoffed and crossed his arms. "If you don't want it, piss off!"
"I will buy it for a thousand electros."
"Thousand?" The vendor laughed mockingly. "As if. This fabric alone is worth two thousand, at most, and not to mention that it belonged to the creator of one of the most infamous cults!"
Adam pulled out his red-handled knife and stabbed it through the fabric. It went cleanly through, leaving a small hole.
"Ah!" The vendor cried out. "What the hell was that for?!"
"That material is Rukora." Adam said. "It's strong, but like humans, it's one of the materials that also ages and, with age, becomes weaker. It's stronger than ordinary fabric, sure, but it definitely can't stop knife attacks anymore."
"Cursed!" The vendor cried out and pinched his glabella. "Fine, a thousand it is!"
Adam slammed the thousand money rolls on the table, then took the outfit and walked away.
With quick steps, he left the crowd-filled area and entered the same alley where the strange group went.
There, he put the suit and cloak on, then adjusted the mask on his face. It happened to be a good match, except slightly tight around the eyes.
Adam took out his two knives from the backpack, strapped them around his belt, and hid them underneath the cloak.
He then dropped his backpack in a nearby garbage bin, hid it there, and then started walking down the same stairs as the other group.
The stairs were made out of rocks, with a narrow pathway that led even deeper to the
underground.
It was around fifty steps, and once Adam arrived at the bottom, he saw a narrow passageway that was dimly lit by lanterns on either side.
The passageway was tightly squeezed between two walls, barely wide enough for one person to walk through at a time.
At the end, there was a black door shrouded in shadows and connected to a tall building. The building had nearly ten floors.
It had clearly other entrances beside this one, but this was clearly used for a more secret
purpose.
Adam approached the door, took a deep breath, and then did a secret knocking pattern that only those on the inside would recognize.
'I hope it is the same as in the future...'
He waited in silence, and soon, strange mechanications around the door opened one by one
until the door finally creaked open.
"Who..." Half of the face appeared from the other side. "Goes there..?"
The timid voice belonged to a gold-haired woman with long eyelashes and dim gold eyes. Her
lips were painted a deep shade of gold, trembling slightly as she spoke.
"My name's... Silent," Adam said, deepening his voice behind the mask, which sounded natural. "I am sorry, am I late?"
"I don't recognize you..." The beautiful woman said as she furrowed her brow in confusion.
"I am new," Adam said. "I was given instructions, though. I was told to wear a disguise, then that knocking rhythm and the starting date."
"Mmh..." The woman slowly opened the door.
She also had a strange outfit on-the other half of her face was covered by a golden mask with the eye closed shut as if it were winking, and she was dressed in a glorious golden dress that left little to the imagination with its plunging neckline and high slit.
"My name's Goldie; welcome." She introduced herself and left the door open enough for him
to walk through.
Adam nodded to her and stepped through the entrance.
A view opened up to him, with close to a dozen figures seated around the large round table.
They all had strange outfits; there were also the ones with the coat made out of leather, a person with the hat of a fish, and the lantern-carrying man.
"Take a seat." Goldie said timidly and pointed at the last remaining chair. "My master will be
here shortly..."
'I guess I'll act out as Silent, my last life's secret identity.' Adam took a deep breath and
changed his entire demeanor to fit his alternate identity-Silent.
Silent straightened his back and then took a seat around the table.
Everyone's attention was on him from the start.