The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World-Chapter 17: The Victim (2)

"How did things go so wrong?" Ruvian thought.

Right after he left the café, he saw two tall, broad men approaching him. They made a courteous inquiry about his condition and gradually guided him toward the alleyway. He understood well enough that they were part of the same criminal group as Vible, so he allowed it to happen.

There was no reason to resist. Even though once he crossed into the alley meant that he would be robbed.

But it should be fine.

Everything was proceeding according to his plan. It was only a matter of time before Silvena and her shadows would intervene, swooping in to rescue him from the criminals.

Afterward, he would reveal the truth, that he had never been drugged at all, merely pretending in order to trap them.

And that’s when they’re going to be acquainted, by working together to discover their base.

That was his initial plan.

But the problem was that instead of them taking his coins or whatever the hell they had planned to rob him of... they decided to take him wholly instead.

Literally!

Which left him dumbfounded.

’Am I being abducted?’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

That was the only logical conclusion he could reach.

But why?

He sighed. His shoulder itched, but he couldn’t scratch it; both of his hands were bound behind his back, and he was cramped inside a small box, or whatever this infernal container was.

’Haa... of all the things, my shoulder decided to itch now.’

Ruvian strained to move, scraping his shoulder against the wooden wall, when the crate jounced violently, pitching him upward and into it.

Thud!

’Shit. That hurt....’

After that, Ruvian decided to loosen his body and calm his mind.

Since everything had gone catastrophically off course, he was forced to revise his approach. At the very least, it was still within acceptable bounds, as Silvena would continue tailing him despite the change in circumstances.

But the problem now was that he didn’t get the chance to prove his credibility and trustworthiness.

Now, they would just think of him as none other than a pathetic victim. Obviously, he couldn’t let that happen.

*****

[Silvena’s POV]

Silvena exited the café through the front door.

—"Irene. What’s the situation?"

—"They’ve made off with the target, my lady."

Irene replied, her voice threaded with a faint edge of distaste. There was a slight pause before she continued.

—"Based on my assessment, the young man appeared less than fully conscious. I am persuaded he was affected by the amulet. They did not divest him of his belongings. Rather, they sealed him inside a wooden crate. As for now, they’re transporting it on a handcart."

Silvena’s expression tightened by a fraction.

—"What are your orders?" Irene asked.

Silvena paused, letting out a breath that fogged the cold air, as the flow of pedestrians washed past her as if she were merely another patron lingering outside the café.

Her fingers adjusted the cuff of her glove, a small, seemingly trivial motion that obscured the intellection in her mind.

’Haa... such rotten luck he has.’

—"Follow them and keep yourself inconspicuous. If we’re fortunate, they’ll lead us straight to their nest. Also, send me their route and your position, I’ll trail from a distance."

—"Understood," Irene replied without hesitation.

Just as the connection was about to fade, Silvena added, her tone turning sweeter and final.

—"And kindly ensure the young man remains in one piece."

—"Yes, my lady."

*****

Ruvian’s abduction from the alleyway to their base did not take longer than fifteen minutes. Even so, because he had been reduced to counting time alone, he had no sense of how fast they were traveling, making it difficult for him to judge just how far he had been taken from the alleyway.

But in that span, he managed to come up with a solution to leave a favourable impression on Silvena rather than just this.

’That’s the only choice I have... I guess.’

As soon as they stopped and opened the crate, Ruvian let his body go slack again. His head lolled to one side and returned to breath slowly as if sleep had claimed him the instant light returned.

"Haha, look at this fucker sleeping peacefully."

Brask’s voice boomed above him, amused and loud as he kicked the crate.

"Careful, idiot," Garrun muttered. "You’ll crack the sleeping beauty’s skull before we even sell him."

Lenwick whistled softly as he came to take a glance inside the crate.

"By the Void... she wasn’t exaggerating. Have a look at those. Those lashes are surely more lethal than blades!"

Brask barked a laugh.

"Ha! What are you, suddenly a poet? Hurry up and open the damn door."

"Heh, don’t order me around, you prick, I am about to do that."

Lenwick went on, standing beside the crate as he was looking for the keys in his winter coat.

"Still, how lovely to be born with a pretty face. If I’d looked like that when I was young, I wouldn’t have ended up hauling crates for us now."

Garrun crossed his arms, frowning down at Ruvian.

"Yeah, he does look... expensive. Selling him off would definitely give us more money."

’So that’s why they abducted me. How troublesome. Aren’t having a good face supposed to make one’s life easier?’

Inside his head, he could already picture the urge to sigh dramatically at his own misfortune. If he were awake, he’d probably be rubbing his temples by now.

Then, Garrun reached down and lifted Ruvian’s wrist, turning it slightly in the light. "His skin is soft, his muscles are slightly toned, but there are hints of callousness on his right palm."

’...’

Brask squinted.

"You’re staring an awful lot, Garrun. Are you perhaps into that sort of man? "

Garrun dropped the wrist immediately.

"What!? Of course not, you fucker. I’m into a hot and tall woman!"

"Gotta say, you don’t sound convincing enough." Brask laughed.

"Both of you are so loud, you’re going to wake him up." Lenwick said as he unlocked the chain of the warehouse’s door.

"Don’t worry. He’s out cold. And if he wakes, we knock him again."

Behind them all, Vible’s heels clicked against the floor as she approached. "Enough chatter, you men are so loud. Carry him inside. Hurry up before someone sees us. And gently please."

"Aye aye..." Brask replied tiredly.

Ruvian was lifted, and the air changed around him. It opened up, hollow and vast. Each step rang faintly, rebounding in a way that made his stomach sink.

’Where are they taking me to?’

The wooden door of the warehouse closed with a loud sound.

After a while, they dropped him into a chair.

He let his head dip forward as if the motion had merely settled him deeper into sleep. Rough hands seized his wrists next.

He felt a rope scrape against his skin, binding him to the arms of the chair. Another loop caught his ankles, tugged hard until there was no room left to move freely.

Then something coarse slid over his head.

A thick and suffocating fabric was pulled down past his eyes and bounded at his neck. And that was when he gradually opened his eyes.

It was dark, but at the very least, he could still see their shapes through the small gaps in the fabric. Ruvian tried to untie the rope binding his hands, but it seemed to have been tightened too securely.

After a few moments of silence, he finally heard them talk.

"So, what are we going to do with him?"

"Nothing. We’ll wait for boss."

"When’s he getting back?" Garrun asked

Another answered with a low scoff. "He had to meet someone important. Won’t be quick."

"Ugh. But how long then?"

"He said he will return this morning. So, in a few hours more or maybe minutes. Who knows. Anyway, give him another dose of those sleeping drugs. We don’t want him wreaking havoc here. Even though his mana capacity is low, we shouldn’t underestimate what a mage can do." The woman said.

’Sleeping drugs?’

Ruvian slowly sharpened his eyes as he noted their location. Their shapes resolved themselves little by little. Four figures standing in a disordered distance from him.

One close enough that he could hear the faint rasp of breath. The others were farther away, their silhouettes broken by stacked crates and steel shelving.

Ruvian clenched his jaw, the rope biting into his wrists as his fingers curled reflexively. He needed to act before they drugged him.

’3 of them are male, 1 of them is female. A total of 4. But the most dangerous ones are the two big guys over there.’

’Now, how well would I fare against all of them?’

If he were to fight them here and now, would he win? There were a lot of variables to account for. But regardless of it, he still needs to show his worth. He recalled that Silvena was able to deal with them without using any spells.

Using Silvena as the guideline... surely, fighting them would be manageable.

’She should be here already. I can’t feel their presence at all. But there is one way for me to confirm it.’

Ruvian willed his intention to use one of his Editorial Skill.

[Character Sheet]

Then, he heard the voice ask him with implacable calm.

[Specify the name of the character you wish to examine.]

If she was truly nearby, then the skill would activate.

’Silvena D’Elvoire.’

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 17: The Victim (2)]