The sound of splashing. The only sound that could be heard for an hour straight now.
However the care for wetted clothes couldn't be any less.
They were already ragged after all.
"Aether, are you sure there'll be no inconvenience when we get up there?" A deep voice asked.
"I'm sure. I wouldn't be bringing you along or doing this if i wasn't. I can't afford any mistake for any of your sakes. You know that, Berlan." Replied Aether.
A halt in both of their steps, as they approach a closed sewer grate. Placing his hands and one foot on the metal bars leading up to it, Aether starts climbing.
He carefully slides the grate, as he stuck out his head and quickly glanced around.
Seeing no one, he climbs out and stands up.
"Know what to do, right?" Aether asks.
Berlan nods. "Yeah. I know. Be careful."
Nodding without glancing at Berlan, Aether starts running behind a building. The area was quiet and also dark, seeing anything was quite hard.
Aether repeatedly tapped his finger against the wall on the back of the building. Feeling a softer part of the wall, he hardly hits his hand against it.
The part of the wall falls down into the inside of the building.
Aether peeks his head in as the dust clears. It was dark inside.
"Toran?"
Aether says in a low tone. A young voice replied.
"Yeah, it's me. I've got the resources, now let's hurry."
Aether extends his arms out, as some weight is placed on his arms.
Aether then steps out. Toran would run over to the broken window inside. "It's clear, go."
Nodding, Aether sprints back over to the grate.
"Berlan!" He yelled.
"Right!" Berlan yells back. Aether throws the weight down the hole, it was a crate.
Berlan barely catches it, letting out an 'oof!'
"Alright, got it!" Berlan starts walking back from the path they were going in quick steps.
Aether looks back. Toran looks over at Aether. "Got It!?" He yelled.
Aether nodded in response.
Seeing the nod, Toran then starts running over to the hole. "Quick."
Aether hops down, landing with a thud back in the sewer. Toran places his feet on the bars, slowly going down as he slides the grate back to it's place.
"Whew, great work." Toran says, looking at Aether.
"You too." Aether says in response.
As Toran places his feet on the ground, both Aether and him sprint to catch up to Berlan.
A few minutes pass, and Berlan looks behind him when he hears footsteps, seeing Aether and Toran.
"Were you boys seen?" Berlan asks.
"No." Aether says simply.
"You alright, Berlan? Not too heavy?"
Berlan shaked his head.
"It's fine. Now let's go."
Berlan turns to continue walking, Aether and Toran following.
It took a while before they reached a largely open area, a tunnel to each side as if it was the center of the sewers.
Berlan drops down the crate, and upon others hearing it, they walk over to the three with wide smiles.
"That's a larger crate than usual, there's bound to be a ton of food here. I can't thank you enough boys." A woman in her thirties said as she went over to hug Aether and Toran.
"You thank us too much, Aria." Said Toran.
Aria only shaked her head. "No, no, no. Never too much. After all, you risk yourselves just to get resources for us. Not to mention your Sorcery. You could have lived better lifes if you just-"
"Never in hell." Aether said, cutting her off. "Living in that society is the last thing i'd want to do in my life."
Toran just glanced at Aether, sighing. "It's as if your hate only gets deeper...but, i do agree with you."
"Shit...what the hell is this..." Berlan says, with...a rather worried tone as he was glancing at the inside of the crate.
"What's wrong, Berlan?" Toran walks over, and as he glanced at the inside of the crate he immediately backed away, covering his mouth. "Fucking hell!" He yelled.
Aether stares in confusion. "What's with you?" He questions.
Berlan's hands were shaking, as he stood in place...still.
Aether walks over to the crate...
Human remains, inside the crate were nothing but human remains. Bones, organs, hands, arms, heads.
Aether turned away, crouching down and covering his mouth trying not to vomit.
"Toran, how in the fuck did this happen? You said you took the crate with food, right? So why is there dead bodies god damn it!"
Toran shaked his head, his face pale. "Oi, i took the crate from the food wagon up there, i'm sure of it. I don't know what-" He gags. "Eugh, shit..."
Aether stands up. "What's even the reason behind this...don't tell me those cunts up there killed these people." Aether then notices a strapped paper on the crate, as he took the paper in confusion.
There was something written on it, and as he read what was on it...he sweated. Sweated like hell. "No fucking way-"
Before Aether could react further. An annoyingly loud sreeching noise came out of nowhere. It seemed like something was scraping against the sewer's ground.
...A figure came out of the tunnel which Aether, Toran, and Berlan walked through. "Oho...would you look at this...~"
...