Chapter 75: The Escape

Neo’s POV:

I stood among the piles of slumped, snoring guards, letting the last of the silence stretch out for a moment before finally turning toward the huddled mass of slaves still pressed against the far wall.

Their eyes followed me warily, dozens of them, hollow with exhaustion and suspicion in equal measure. Most of them probably couldn’t tell whether I’d just saved them from a few hours of abuse or was about to become their next problem.

I scanned the group quickly, looking for someone, anyone, who looked capable of keeping a level head. My gaze finally landed on a woman sitting near the center of the group, who remain relatively calmer than others. She wasn’t shaking. She wasn’t crying. She simply watched me with careful, guarded eyes, her arms wrapped protectively around the sleeping child beside her.

’Her. She’ll do.’

I walked over and crouched down in front of her, keeping my voice low and steady.

"I need your help gathering everyone. Quietly. Can you do that?"

She stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to figure out whether this was some kind of trick—or just another cruel game disguised as mercy. But something in my expression must have convinced her, because after a few seconds, she gave a small, hesitant nod.

"Why should I trust you?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"You don’t have to trust me yet, just trust that staying here any longer isn’t going to end well for any of you. I’m getting you out. Tonight."

She studied me a moment longer before slowly rising to her feet, gently setting the sleeping boy down against the wall. She moved through the crowd, kneeling beside each cluster of slaves, whispering urgently, her hands gesturing carefully toward me and then toward the door.

One by one, the slaves began stirring, confusion and fear flickering across their gaunt faces as word spread in hushed whispers. There had to be close to two hundred of them crammed into that single hallway and the adjoining rooms beyond it.

’This is going to be a lot harder to pull off quietly than I thought.’

Once everyone was finally on their feet, huddled together in nervous silence, I moved to the front of the group, holding up a hand to keep them steady.

"Stay close. Stay quiet. Follow exactly where I go."

I pushed the door open slowly, peering out into the corridor beyond. Empty, for now. I waved the group forward, keeping my pace slow and careful, my senses stretched as wide as I could manage.

We’d barely made it thirty feet when the scrape and shuffle of boots sounded around the corner ahead—close enough that I could hear them clearly.

I raised my fist, signaling everyone to freeze.

A single guard stepped into view, yawning loudly, clearly in the middle of a lazy, half-asleep patrol. His eyes landed on the mass of slaves standing frozen behind me, and his mouth opened to shout.

But I didn’t give him the chance. I closed the distance in half a second, driving a compressed burst of frost straight into his throat before the sound could even leave his lips. He crumpled silently, and I caught him before his armor could clatter against the floor, lowering him down as gently as the situation allowed.

Behind me, a few gasps rippled through the group, quickly silenced as the slaves seemed to collectively realize what side I was actually on.

"Keep moving," I whispered, waving them forward again.

We pressed on, weaving through narrow corridors, pausing whenever I sensed another patrol nearby. Twice more, I had to deal with guards who crossed our path, each time as quickly and quietly as I could manage, leaving their bodies tucked into shadowed corners where they wouldn’t be spotted right away.

Finally, we reached the outer wall—the same section I’d climbed earlier that night. I pulled a length of rope from my inventory, one I’d taken from a storage closet during my earlier scouting. ℴ

I quickly climbed the stone wall and secured one end of the rope around a jagged outcropping near the top. Then I tossed the other end down to the slaves waiting below. I repeated the process a short distance away, setting up a second rope to help get everyone over the wall faster.

I dropped back down, landing silently with gravity magic cushioning my fall, and turned to face the anxious crowd.

"Alright, one at a time. Climb up, go over the top, and down the other side. Move fast, but don’t panic. I’ll be right behind you."

A few of them hesitated, glancing nervously between me and the rope, clearly unsure whether to trust a stranger’s sudden, unexplained mercy. But the woman from earlier stepped forward first, nodding once toward me before grabbing hold of the rope and beginning her climb.

That seemed to break the spell. One by one, the others followed, children helped up by whatever adults stood closest to them, the elderly struggling but pushing forward with grim determination.

I stood at the base, watching each person climb, my eyes constantly flicking back toward the corridors behind us.

That’s when I heard it. A single, sharp shout, followed immediately by the frantic pounding of running feet.

’Damn it. Someone found the bodies.’

"Move faster!" I hissed urgently toward the slaves still waiting their turn.

A heartbeat later, a deep, resonant bell began tolling somewhere high above, the sound crashing through the night air, loud enough to wake the entire fortress.

*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*

Shouts erupted from every direction, guards pouring out from doorways and watchtowers, torches flaring to life as the alarm spread like wildfire.

"Go, go, go!" I shouted, abandoning any pretense of quiet now that the secret was clearly out. "Climb faster!"

The first wave of guards rounded the corner, swords already drawn, eyes wide with alarm at the sight of dozens of slaves scrambling up ropes along the outer wall.

"Intruder! The slaves are escaping!"

I spun to meet them, drawing the stolen blade from my side, my mana already surging through my limbs.

The first guard lunged, and I sidestepped easily, driving my blade up through a gap in his armor before yanking it free and spinning to meet the second attacker’s wild swing with a burst of ice along my forearm, shattering his sword on contact.

"Keep climbing!" I yelled back over my shoulder, trusting the slaves to keep moving even as chaos erupted around us.

More guards poured into the courtyard, at least a dozen now, their shouts mixing with the frantic ringing of the alarm bell still echoing overhead.

I gritted my teeth, planting my feet firmly, gravity magic pulsing beneath me as I braced for the incoming wave.

’Alright. Looks like we’re making some noise after all.’