Ren walks through some lingering dust clouds, the dust sticking to his clothes as he coughs from the breath he just took. As he waves in front of his face, he wanders around the area, where are they? Around here? Hm...around here? I can't tell. My instincts are telling me they're around here, but I don't see them. They're not in the middle of where the explosion happened, right? I mean, they're definitely still alive, but there's nothing there other than black smoke, some rubble, and a small crater. Ren continues searching the area, trying to let his instincts guide him, but he keeps just going in circles.
Not long later, Elza returns, carrying her cleaver sword by resting the hilt on her right shoulder. Despite not being in the best mood, she tries not to show it, "what are you doing?". Ren scans the area once again, "I'm looking for Liza and Lorilay, but I can't seem to find them. They should be around here somewhere though". Elza watches Ren walk around a little more, observing the confusion on his face. Seeing the dust and smoke in the area, Elza decides to just call out to them as anything else is futile, it's completely useless searching in this visibility. I only met Ren because we both came to the origin of the explosion. After stabbing her sword into the ground, she creates a loose cone around her mouth with her hands and calls out, "LIZA!!! LORILAY!!! WHERE-".
Ren cuts her off, "should you be doing that? Aren't we in the middle of enemy territory?". Elza: "they all ran away. I was observing the area before coming here, and as far as I can tell, there's no dange-". Elza's heart stops as a hand suddenly pops out of the ground and latches onto her leg. Elza jumps away and falls down in a panic, a high-pitched scream of fear escaping her lungs. She crawls backward along the ground in an attempt to get further away, "what the hell is that!!!". Elza goes to reach for the sword on her back, only to realise she's crawled away from it by mistake, which only serves to frustrate her further.
Ren observes the hand with his lightning sword at the ready, the ground around it slowly widening as it now flails in the air. A few seconds later, Liza pops her head out of the ground. Her face, hat, hair, everything covered in dirt, "we could use a little help here if you're not too busy!". Ren goes to help widen the hole while Elza dusts herself off, "I didn't think you guys would be underground. No wonder I couldn't find you".
As the hole widens, Liza tosses her spear off to the side before attempting to wiggle herself out of the hole, "Lorilay thought of it. We were in a very precarious situation, but that's not what's important right now. Lorilay has been repeatedly using her magic to the brink of exhausting it. She can't move very much right now". Once Liza is out, she reaches back into the hole and takes out Lorilay's staff, handing it to Ren before turning back to Lorilay in the hole.
Grabbing Lorilay's forearms, Liza attempts to drag Lorilay out of the hole. However, since Liza was barely able to squeeze through, Lorilay's bust prevents her from being dragged through. Despite the situation, Liza feels slighted by this, "I know you're exhausted, but any chance you could widen the hole before I lose to the feeling of wanting to leave you there?". Lorilay squeezes out a little bit more magic to widen the hole, "it's...not my fault...y-". Liza cuts her off, her eyes glossed over, "if you say mine will get bigger soon, I really will leave you here". Lorilay remains quite as she's pulled out of the hole, the two of them taking a small breather.
Elza suddenly picks up Lorilay's limp body and throws Lorilay over her left shoulder before slugging her sword over her other shoulder, "let's go. Even if they ran away, we shouldn't stay here for long". Lorilay, "I apricate you...carrying me...but this is...very uncomfortable". Elza, "that's because your center of gravity is very top heavy, making you difficult to carry". Lorilay, "thank you...your ass...looks great in pants", from the small glimpse I got before my boobs blocked my view. Elza, "I wasn't trying to complement you...and I know my ass is great, but thanks anyways." Liza picks up her spear and takes Lorilay's staff from Ren, "I'll carry the staff while we go...why do you have a staff anyway?". Lorilay, "it makes me feel...less awkward...casting magic."
Ren is confused by this statement, "what do you mean by less awkward? You don't need it to cast your earth magic?". Liza, "why would you need a staff to cast earth magic?". Lorilay, "what...she said". Ren, "eh? Well...hm...I dunno", is it not for the same reason Liza uses a spear? Lorilay, "unlike other magic...earth magic...isn't flashy... I just look like...a weirdo...casting without it". Liza, "ah, I see what you mean. The staff completes the look. Very smart choice". Lorilay, "they're very popular...amongst Elven women...but if we're just...gonna talk...can you...put me down?". Elza, "right, we shouldn't get distracted. Let's go", it's so easy to get caught up in their pace.
As Elza starts to walk towards where they left their horses, Ren quickly stops them, "hold on, there's something I need to do before we leave". The group stops in their tracks, Elza asking with her back still turned to him, "we've accomplished our objective. There's nothing else for us here. We should get out of here before the regroup and decide to come back". Ren, "there's apparently a slave trader here. I want to free them before we go".
An unsettling air settles on the group in a flash, Liza and Lorilay suddenly feeling like they're on pins and needles, and the source, Elza. Elza's tone feels like a knife cutting through the very fibres of their beings, "I'm exhausted, Lorilay is incapacitated, and Liza is pregnant. That's not even mentioning the fact that you just fought a Commander. I understand the desire to free them, it's very noble, but it's not worth risking our lives over. We should return to safety as soon as possible before our enemies come back", we should have retreated right away, but it's so easy to get swept away in their conversation. I know it's been a while since I've commanded a small squad personally, which caused me to make mistakes, but this experience has taught me I need to be more proactive, even if I'm not the leader of this group.
Ren, "I understand what you're saying, but I'm in good condition. I don't think we'll have any more trouble in this town for a while, so we'll probably be ok. We'll be gone before any of their forces come back". Elza turns around and gets closer to him, her height making her look down on him, "I'm sure you're talking about those instincts of yours again. However, today has shown me that while those might be ok for you, the rest of us shouldn't rely on it. We may be fine in a certain sense, nobody is dead, but if the situation was just slightly different, all of us could've been killed. The current state of us might be ok to you, but as far as I'm concerned, this is closer to a defeat than a victory. Even right now, we should be making swift decisions on how to get back to safety as soon as possible, yet we're standing here in the middle of enemy territory, just begging for them to come attack us".
A light wind blows, the sound of rustling grass filling the silence that followed Elza's protest as the wind carries away the dust clouds. Liza and Lorilay are quiet, partly because they don't know what to do, and partly because they think Elza is right. They can't deny that things turned out is less than ideal. Usually, none of them would have taken the risk of coming here without thoroughly preparing. The only reason why they came is because of Ren and his instincts. However, like Elza said, this incident has shown them that Ren's instincts are not their own, so they shouldn't rely on them like they have been.
Ren can tell that Elza is on edge, but nevertheless, he made a promise, "I understand your opinion. I agree with you on that. Even I can't say that we should rely on my instincts. We can work out what we should be doing going forward regarding that at a later point, but right now, we have a chance to save these people. A chance like this won't come again, so we shouldn't pass it by. If we do...I'm not confident I could live without constantly blaming myself for not saving them. Even if it's just me, I'm going to go save them", and I know it will be safe.
Liza and Lorilay are surprised, having never seen Ren stand his ground so firmly before. Elza, however, tightly clenches her jaw in frustration as she's in an internal conflict, as he said, a chance like this to save slaves won't come again. As a leader, no, just as a person, I'd like to save them. However, as former military, every bit of experience and knowledge in me is screaming that pursing a mission with members in this condition is nothing less than suicide. That's logical, and how it should be, but he's not going to back down because of those damn instincts of his.
Elza eventually relents after a short stare down, albeit extremely reluctantly, "fine, but we'll have to go with you. It's much safer than heading back to the horses ourselves." Ren turns towards the town, walking towards it without another word. Elza watches his back as he's walking away, and despite him being smaller than her, she feels it's bigger than it should be, broader, like he's trying to hold something up with all his strength. Elza snaps out of it once Liza enters her field of vision, the two of them silently following after him.
In the town, the group walks through the empty streets. The town feels eerily silent, the steps echoing of the vacant houses as they walk. Everyone in the group feels awkward, but Ren marches forward, trying not to think about anything in particular. Liza, I can't tell if he's angry or sad. I don't know what to say or do. And Elza...what she said wasn't wrong, but maybe the timing was bad. We should've talked about it later…we should still talk about it later anyway, but...
Lorilay is really uncomfortable, Elza's shoulder blade digging into her with each step, god, I want to be put down. This is one of the most painful and uncomfortable things that's happened to me in my life, but I can't say anything after what just happened. I feel like I could cut this tension with a knife...god, all this swaying is making me feel sick, and my breasts smushing up against my face is making it a bit hard to breath. I need to be put down. Ok, I'll tell them on 3. 1...2...3! Ok, I'm a little scared, but I need to be put down. 3...
To Liza and Lorilay's surprise, Elza is the one to break the tension. With almost no concern whatsoever, like she was completely unfazed by whatever Liza and Lorilay thought they were feeling about the situation. They are also surprised by what Elza asked, "did the fight not go as expected?". They are beyond confused, why would you ask something like that after what you just said.
Ren, after a couple of seconds of silent walking, "he was a good man who did everything to protect his family. His wife, children, and people he cared about were hostages, but he did the best he could. He chose the option of ensuring his children's safety over everything else, even if it wasn't guaranteed. He was a father who tried to do his best despite the unjust situation. He didn't deserve to die the way he did, and I couldn't do anything for him other than make a promise".
Liza and Lorilay are silent, he wasn't angry at Elza? He was upset about the fight? I didn't notice at all. Elza speaks up once more, "it's good to learn early on that there are people that you just can't save, no matter what you do. It could impair your judgement later on, so be grateful to him for showing you the path forward". Liza and Lorilay's hearts stop for a second. They look at Elza in shock, despite their different angles of doing so, HOW COULD YOU SAY THE MAN'S DEATH IS GOOD WHEN HE'S CLEARLY UPSET ABOUT IT?!?!?! They look like they want to grab Elza and gag her mouth shut.
Ren, seeming to not be upset with Elza at all, "speaking from experience I assume". Elza looks away, not wanting to get into her personal experiences, "possibly, possibly not". Ren, all I can do for him is fulfil my promise. He then stops in front a building, looking up towards the to the top of it, at its red roof, "this is it". Liza and Lorilay mirror him, Liza then looking at the signboard, "well, it does say 'Slave Trader' on the sign board. Surprised you knew it was here". Ren doesn't wait before entering, "lets go", as he opens the doors to the shop.
They are unexpectedly greeted by the sight of blood and bodies all over the floor. Elza, "my, my. Looks like a massacre happened here". They look around, trying to gauge the situation. Apart from the dead bodies, they see slaves in the cages situated along the walls. Most of them are in bad condition, clearly malnourished. Slave A notices them, quickly grabbing the bars of her cage to plead with them despite her condition, "he came...to help us... He went up...but hasn't...come down... Please...help".
Ren, "you guys help the people down here first. I'll go up and get a grasp of the situation. Protect Liza if anything happens". Elza, "you don't even have to ask". Lorilay speaks into her cleavage, making her mumble, "be careful". Liza, "don't worry about me. I'll be careful". Ren begins ascending the stairs, and he is greeted by the same scenery on the next floor, and the next, all the way to the top floor (6th). Slaves locked in cages and wearing barely anything, if anything at all. Ren struggled to take in the sight before him, clearly in anguish despite doing his best to keep his composure, I feel like my heart is ripping apart as my stomach churns endlessly. It's taking everything I have to not get sick, but I need to get this over with as soon as possible.
The higher he went, the better kept the slaves were, be it their clothes, appearance, or their diet. The second highest floor seemingly housed the higher-class slaves. Seeing the disparity, despite already being overwhelmed, Ren feels like he's about to have a panic attack, but he does his best to push, pash, and push it down as he takes another step. That step felt like the world was weighing down on him, but he pushes through it despite how shitty he feels.
On the top floor, there are a couple of dead bodies scattered across the floor. Four of them are tough looking, tall and muscular, most likely bodyguards based on their matching outfits. Ren surmises the bodyguards were most likely protecting the fancily dressed Pig-kin laying dead on his desk. Up against the right wall is a Wolf-kin, the one Ren met earlier at the outpost. He is covered in blood and not moving. Ren rushes up to him and looks him over. He is badly wounded and unconscious, but still breathing. Ren struggles to do so, but he picks the man up and brings him down the stairs nevertheless.
Elza notices him as he's coming down, "what's the situation?". Ren doesn't show his struggle, "He's unconscious, hurt bad, but breathing. There are more people in cages on the floors above. They need to be let out". Elza looks back at Liza and Lorilay, "you two help Ren, I'll go unlock the cages upstairs". Lorilay gestures Ren to the open an open space, "set him down here and I'll have a look. I only know basic first aid but it's better than nothing". As Ren is putting the Wolf-kin down, Elza heads upstairs. Ren, "how does he look?". Lorilay has only regained some movement, so she struggles with repositioning herself, "I have no idea. I'm not an expert but I'll do what I can".
A loud bang can be heard from upstairs. Liza, as she grabs the keys to the cages from a cabinet, "it seems she has a universal set of keys". Ren, as he's helping Lorilay, "I had the same thought". Then, out of the corner of his eye, Ren sees another Wolf-kin appear at the door, his sword drawn. His eyes immediately locks onto them, seeing Lorilay tending to a Wolf-kin. He immediately recognises the Wolf-kin, "ANIKI!" (A Japanese way of referring to an older brother figure/older brother). He drops his sword and runs over to his brother, realising he's unconscious, "is he ok? Is he going to be ok?".
Ren doesn't do anything as he approaches. Lorilay takes this to mean it's safe and repeats what she just said, "I don't know. I'm only applying first aid as I'm not a doctor". A human man appears at the entrance soon after Lorilay starts tending to the Wolf-kin's wounds. He also approaches after seeing the situation, "I'll have a look at him. I was a medic in the army". Wolf-kin, "please do!". A couple of more people appear at the door. Ren looks at the Wolf-kin after looking them over, "mind explaining the situation to me?".
The Wolf-kin looks at his brother, worry written across his face, "I'm Cody, and this is my older brother, Zack. We're members of the Demonic Army, but we follow Cairon, not the Demon King. When I was coming back from my mission, I saw that there were people gathering at the evacuation point. My brother was waiting for a chance like this, so I knew he'd try something. At the evacuation point, I told the townspeople that the enemy had taken hostages, and that they were demanding the release of all slaves. I told them that the lives of the citizens are more important, so all slaves were to be handed over. I also commandeered enough wagons and horses to transport them all, including the ones in here. It's what my brother would have done. He would have yelled at me if I didn't do something".
Ren, definitely seems like not all demons are bad. Everyone is their own individual...and that makes things more difficult. I hope I don't have to fight ones like these guys, "I see. How's he looking, doc?". Army medic, "I've stabilised him for now, but I need better equipment, supplies, and medicine to ensure he survives. His left arm in particular is in bad shape. It needs a proper splint. I'm only using a broken broomstick for now". Ren, "where will we get one of those?". Army medic, "we could ransack the medical facilities here, but the longer we're here, the riskier things get for us. Our best bet is going to the Church between here and the Dark Elves' Forest". Ren, "will he last until we get there?". Army Medic, "he could probably last a day in this condition. It's less than ideal, but we have to deal with it". Ren, "ok, thanks for your help".
While this was underway, Elza freed all the slaves upstairs. They gradually trickled downstairs the entire time. Ren sees Elza come down the stairs, nobody seeming to follow her, "that everyone?". Elza, "yeah", as she throws a set of keys on the floor. Ren, "you actually had the set of keys?". Elza, "I was told where they were before busting open the second cage".
Ren goes and addresses the crowd outside, "alright everyone, load up. We're heading to a safer location. Those of you who are able bodied, help those that aren't. The quicker we get out of here, the better". All the people who weren't already loaded up on the wagons do so. They quickly set off after getting the injured Wolf-kin on a wagon, Ren's group picking up their horses along the way.