Arya sat at the head of the chamber, his eyes shifting between the twins, Yatnish, and Ashvapati. Days had passed, but the questions remained the same. Who were those men? And now, to make matters worse, someone had already eliminated them and vanished with the boxes. A hidden force was moving within the city—but was it a friend or a foe? No one knew anything.
Yatnish leaned forward, his expression serious. "We need to act soon, Arya. The weapons, the slaves, the timber supply—if we do nothing, the other warlords will not take kindly to it. The vault is draining fast. If this continues, we'll be left with nothing."
Arya exhaled sharply. "What can be done?"
Yatnish did not hesitate. "Reopen the pit."
The room fell silent. Arya's fingers drummed lightly on the armrest. He had expected this, but that didn't make it any easier to hear.
"The fighters are training. The slaves are working. But for what? There's no income," Yatnish continued. "The Pit was one of the biggest sources of revenue. People paid heavily to watch the fights. And do not think for a moment that the fighters are content. They are growing restless with nothing to do. Restless men will turn against us sooner or later. You do not want them to have hope."
Arya was quiet for a long moment before shifting his gaze to Ashvapati. "What do you think?"
Ashvapati sighed. "I do not care whether you open the Pit or not. That is your decision. But Yatnish speaks the truth. The more you try to care for these people, the more they will sense weakness. And weakness invites rebellion."
Arya looks up at the ceiling, his thoughts running in circles. He hated the Pit and hated every thing that happened inside it. But he could not keep it closed, he had people to feed.
"We will discuss it further," Arya finally said, his voice measured. "For now, we need to find out what is happening with the smuggling."
The twins exchanged glances before Rudra nodded. "We will handle it."
Arya met Rudra's eyes. The tension between them had not disappeared. Rudra was still upset, still holding onto his anger. But he would not abandon the task. That much, Arya could trust.
---
The twins wasted no time. They arrived at the factory that evening, stepping past workers and guards as they searched for Marketu, the factory master.
Marketu, upon seeing them, forced a smile. "What brings you back, my friends?"
Raghav didn't waste words. "Who were those three men?"
Marketu blinked, feigning confusion. "What men?"
Rudra stepped closer, his voice sharp. "Do not play games with us. The men who came here, took the boxes, and vanished. Who were they?"
Marketu shook his head. "I think you are mistaken. I have no idea about any men."
The twins were not convinced. They did not press him further just yet. Instead, they moved toward the production area, keeping Marketu close as they questioned the laborers.
"How many weapons are forged in a day?" Raghav asked.
"Who oversees the storage?" Rudra added.
The workers answered cautiously, their eyes darting to Marketu. It was clear they were afraid.
Then, the twins led Marketu to the entrance they had seen him disappear into days ago.
"Open it," Rudra ordered.
Marketu hesitated. "This is just a storage area. There's nothing of interest here."
Raghav gestured impatiently. "Open it."
Marketu sighed and unlocked the door. Inside were wooden crates—identical to the ones from the other night. The twins stepped forward, prying one open.
Inside were weapons.
"What are these doing here?" Raghav asked coldly.
One of the workers swallowed hard. "This is where we store them after quality checks before they are delivered."
Raghav turned to Marketu. "Quality checks, you say?"
Rudra smirked and picked up a dagger, handing it to one of the workers. "Test it."
The worker hesitated.
Rudra tilted his head. "Test it on Marketu."
Marketu went pale. "What?! Are you mad?! These are real weapons! Do you want to kill me?!"
Raghav took the dagger, balanced it in his hand, and threw it. It flew past Marketu's ear, slicing into the wooden door behind him.
Marketu flinched. "Alright! I'll talk!"
He exhaled shakily. "People come every month to take a shipment of weapons. Sometimes they take slaves too. I don't know who sends them or who receives the . I just get my share and ensure the deliveries are made."
Rudra's eyes narrowed. "For how long has this been happening?"
Marketu hesitated. "A long time. But the men who come? They always change. I have never seen the same face more than once or twice."
Raghav and Rudra exchanged looks. Someone was ensuring that no consistent patterns could be traced back.
The twins issued a final warning before leaving Marketu behind.
---
Later that night, in the shadows of the city, the twins met with their network—Chorpatta.
"Scout the area properly," Rudra ordered. "Anything that leaves through the city gates should be monitored. Do not make it obvious. Work in the shadows."
Raghav added, "Some of you need to return to where I was taken. I want to know exactly what happened there. Do not go alone. Be extremely cautious."
The group dispersed into the night. The hunt had begun.
The twins returned to the castle, their minds heavy with unanswered questions. Someone was pulling the strings from the darkness. Someone powerful. But who?