With the moon rising in the sky, the group Alexander traveled with came to rely on the light of the torch Falenas held. By now, the houses and shops they passed by were in the dark, but they were likely asleep and unbothered by the light moving across the street. The walk to the fishery that Gaedren was at was quiet and tense. Alexander couldn't even begin to think about the thoughts that were going along in his companion's minds. It was going to be a long night for the group.

The fishery they sought was built on an embankment by the Jeggare River and age had worn it down to a decrepit building. The windows had been boarded shut with wooden planks with a dock connected to an ancient sailing ship. Alexander figured that although there was one floor, that based on how the fishery was built on a hill, that there could be a lower level. He doubted that anyone owned the building, and while unclaimed buildings went to the city of Korvosa, the process took years. It made the perfect hiding spot for a criminal such as Gaedren.

Takota walked toward the fishery when Indigo stepped up his pace to catch up. "Let's not be so hasty!"

"You want us to wait?" Takota asked with a frown.

"For just a moment," Indigo nodded. "Give me a minute to scout around the building. We may want to consider another way aside from the front door."

"That's actually a good idea," Alexander said. "I was also ready to barge in with Takota."

"I could use the extra time to prepare as well," Falenas shrugged. "Someone hold onto my torch for me."

Viera took the torch from Falenas and looked at Takota. "Maybe you could help Indigo while we wait here."

"Two of us sneaking over might be too risky," Indigo shook his head. "I'd rather move by myself so no one else gets caught."

Viera tapped her chin in thought with her free hand, then snapped her fingers. "He can watch out for you from one of the rooftops nearby in case you stumble into trouble."

Without waiting for approval from Indigo, Takota made way to the closest building and started to climb up through the different pieces of wood that stuck out from the wall. It was only a single story tall, but while they didn't have to worry about Takota falling, he wasn't silent during his climb. Indigo let out a sigh before he stalked away from the rest of the group and toward the fishery. Each step he took was silent and Alexander knew that he wasn't likely to get caught by any criminal lookout.

Alexander decided to take the time to prepare and pulled out his light flail from his belt. Viera unsheathed her sword and held it in her free hand. The two looked at each other and gave a nod of understanding. They both figured that they would be the ones fighting on the frontline the most. Takota was likely to stay at range with his bow and Indigo appeared to be the kind of fighter to work with someone rather than to fight someone by himself. Alexander was curious as to what Falenas was planning. The elf didn't look like a fighter and the dagger he carried was likely only good for self-defense. He took a glance towards Falenas to notice him shuffling several flasks covered in loose leather

"What do you have there, Falenas?" Alexander asked.

"Bombs," the elf answered without looking over his shoulder.

Alexander gasped. "What?!"

"A bomb is something that explodes when thrown," Falenas explained.

"I know what a bomb is," Alexander said.

"How do you even have them?" Viera asked, just as shocked as Alexander.

"I made them myself," Falenas stated proudly. "I have a small vial of volatile chemicals carefully stored in this flask as a catalyst. Once I throw the flask, the catalyst will break into a minor explosion."

"How minor are we talking about?" Alexander asked cautiously.

"Five feet or so. It's difficult to measure."

"This is a bad idea," Alexander groaned.

"Forgive me for choosing to study medicine rather than anything that would make me useful in combat," Falenas said with a shrug. "When I received my message, I wanted to do my part. This is how."

"It's alright," Viera sighed. "But if you hurt any of the children Gaedren has with your creations, I won't be so forgiving."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Falenas stood up and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm not a monster like he is."

"Don't burn down the fishery either," Alexander warned.

"Fortunately for us, the flames from the explosion are rather weak," Falenas said. "Even when tested on wooden training dummies, they go out in a few seconds. I wouldn't be able to burn down a building even if I tried."

"That's a relief," Alexander nodded.

"Of course, now that I think about it, I may know of a way to make the flames last longer," Falenas thought out loud, turning away from the two. "I could even increase the blast radius too…"

Alexander covered his face with his hand and turned away with a sigh. He was worried about Falenas. The elf had good intentions but his knowledge and somewhat poor decision making would have to be something he addressed in the future. For now, he would worry about tonight, despite Falenas saying that his explosive creations weren't too powerful. Indigo returned from scouting at this point, waving to the group during his approach. Takota jumped down from the building to rejoin the group, rolling as he struck the ground to avoid hurting himself.

"There's another way in," Indigo informed the group. "We can go in through the loading dock. There's light coming from within as well, so there may be trouble once we're inside."

"We should still be cautious," Alexander said. "They could be watching the door."

Indigo nodded then glanced at the flask Falenas now held in his hand. "What's that you're holding?"

"A bomb," Falenas stated.

Indigo raised an eyebrow, then he chuckled. "I have a feeling that you will continue to surprise me, my new friend."

"It certainly came as a surprise to us," Viera laughed alongside Indigo.

Falenas blinked. "What's so funny?"

"We're wasting time," Takota stepped away from the group. "Keep talking if you want. I'm heading inside now."

"We're on our way," Alexander quickly walked after Takota. "Let me take the lead. Who knows what's waiting for us inside."

With the others letting him lead the way, Alexander walked towards the loading dock attached to the side of the fishery. He resisted the urge to gag from the foul smell of fish slurry in tar-covered barrels marked with a fish painted in red. Just as Indigo said, there were double doors leading into the fishery that were covered with mold. Alexander checked the door knob and was surprised to see that it was unlocked. Gaedren must have believed that no one would come to an old fishery or that he trusted in the defenses that he already had set in place. Viera handed the torch back to Falenas to hold her sword in both hands as she stood on the side opposite to Alexander. With the rest of his group nodding in anticipation, the warrior threw the doors open.

When the stench of sweat and fish came out of the room, Alexander finally did gag out of disgust, but at least heard that the others were also dealing with the stench in their own way. Over at the wall on the far side of the room was a wooden trough that held a pile of half-rancid fish along with seaweed and brine with filthy water staining the floor around the trough. There was a door towards the wall as well as to the left of the group. A small group of children wearing rags used pitchforks to grab fish from the pile and carry it over to the trough.

"I'm here, Silana!" Alexander called out.

"Silana?" Viera asked, confused.

Alexander broke from the formation the group assumed, looking over the children. Most of the children were scared and backed up against the wall with their pitchforks held out. One with brown hair stood out to Alexander, who was quick to realize that something was off. Unlike the other children, the small boy didn't have a pitchfork and his eyes were wide. His face twisted into a sadistic grin that was too mature for a child. Alexander knew exactly what he was dealing with as the "child" pulled out a small blade.

"You're a gnome!" Alexander gasped.

"That's right!" the gnome giggled madly before turning to face the children. "Come on, you worthless lot! We have intruders to kill!"

"He's too close to the children," Falenas said, preparing to throw a bomb. "Stay back, for when he moves-"

Falenas was interrupted when Alexander took action. With rage over how the gnome bullied the children (and likely Silana) taking over him, he lashed out with his flail. The spiked metal ball slammed into the gnome's head and the warrior heard his foe's bones crack. The gnome fell onto the ground, unmoving. Alexander took several deep breaths before realizing that he killed someone in front of children. He looked at them in horror yet was shocked to see that they weren't as horrified as he was. Rather, the remaining four children were apprehensive and afraid.

Indigo stepped forward, sheathing his rapier. "We mean you no harm. We're here for Gaedren. We're going to get you out of here once we're done. Just drop those pitchforks. You don't have to fight any longer."

Slowly, the children dropped their pitchforks. "You killed Hookshanks. He was mean to us but not as mean as Gaedren. Please, you have to save the others."

"We will," Alexander assured the children. "Where can we find them?"

"Some are out on the streets, but the rest are in that room," one of the orphans pointed to the side door. "Giggles is there. He beats us so terribly."

"He dies today," Takota declared, walking over to the door.

Viera stepped up to Alexander. "Who's Silana?"

"She's… she's my daughter," Alexander admitted, then took one last look over the group. "She's not with this group though. If she's with Giggles…"

"Then we'll save her," Viera said with a reassuring smile. "We didn't come all this way just for you not to find your daughter."

Alexander slowly nodded. "You're right. Let's go."

"Stay here for now," Indigo told the children. "Once we're done, we'll take you somewhere safe."

The children nodded and stayed to the wall away from Hookshank's wall. With Takota waiting for the others, Alexander took the lead once again. It was possible that his daughter was behind the next door. He couldn't even imagine the condition that she was in. That wouldn't matter soon enough. What did matter was him getting her out of here and back home. With the rest of the group nodding to begin, Alexander opens the next door and the group charges into the next room.

The heroes had to tread carefully across the slick ground, and while they were getting used to the smell of the fishery, it wasn't getting better. There were several wooden catwalks that allowed movement to the other parts of the fishery. An opening in the floor by the door they came through allowed a pool from the Jeggare river to form with a wooden vat filled with chum standing on the opposite side of the room from the pit. There were crates and barrels lined up against one wall with hammocks and mats set up as part of makeshift living quarters.

There were five children loitering around the room, and while Alexander wanted to check for Silana, became distracted by the single man in the room. A half-orc in a tarnished chain mail held a flail in his hand just as Alexander did. The half-orc's face was covered in scars and an eyepatch covered his left eye, which the longest scar ran through. He turned to face the intruders, and true to his name, started to giggle madly. Giggles' voice boomed out loudly throughout the fishery.

"Intruders!" Giggles turned to the orphans with a maniacal grin. "Don't just stand there. Kill them or I'll hurt you!"

"Face us in battle yourself!" Alexander demanded.

"Only a coward hides behind children!" Viera taunted the criminal.

"Who said I was going to hide?"

With a giggle, the half-orc charged forward. Before he reached the group, a flask slammed into his shoulder and bursted into flames. Falenas aimed true and his makeshift bomb didn't spread to his allies or the innocent children. Just as the elf said, the flames went out quickly, and Giggles, who was slightly burnt, kept on charging. Alexander raised his shield to block his attack only for the half-orc to strike low and hit the side of his knee. He yelped in pain but pushed through, swinging his flail across the half-orc's shoulder. Indigo moved to the side of Giggles and jabbed his rapier across his opponent's side.

Viera quickly positioned herself to stand in front of the children, preventing them from joining the fight. "Don't listen to him! Today is the day that you are saved! Rise up against this cruel man and lay down your arms so that you may return to your lives!"

While she wasn't directly fighting, Viera did make an impact. Standing up to protect the children ensured that they didn't join the fight. She also served as a way to block their sight of Giggles' unfortunate end. When Giggles turned to yell at the children, the distraction was more than enough for Takota to slam his handaxe down on his face to end his life. Takota showed no worry over protecting the children from such a gruesome sight and casually walked away, looking around the room. Indigo pushed on Giggle's corpse with his foot, pushing his body in a way that his face was hidden from view.

With the fight over, Alexander looked over the children, growing more desperate to find Silana. His eyes grew wide when he saw a young girl, only four years old, with her black hair falling down to her shoulders. While she was dressed in rags just like the other children, Alexander recognized his daughter. He dropped his flail to the ground and knelt beside her. The young girl gasped when she recognized her father, although one of her eyes had swollen from a hit. The warrior felt less guilty knowing that Giggles was dead.

"Dad!" Silana wrapped her arms around Alexander.

"I'm here, Silana!" Alexander told his daughter as he fought back grateful tears. "You're safe now."

"You came just like I said. The others didn't think I was telling the truth when I said that my dad was going to beat Giggles up!"

Alexander lets out a quiet laugh. "Your mother would have been proud to see how courageous you were."

Having finally saved his daughter, Alexander lifted Silana up from the ground and carried her in his arms. He couldn't let her stay in this awful place any longer. It was time to take her back home where she belonged. However, after taking a few steps, he heard Falenas cough, and was reminded that he wasn't alone. Alexander turned to face his companions, awkwardly waving with one hand. Viera smiled widely at the reunion, Falenas blinked several times in confusion and shifted awkwardly in place, Takota crossed his arms with a blank expression, and it was too difficult to tell how Indigo reacted with his mask hiding himself.

"Who are they?" Silana asked, pointing at the group.

"They're, uh, friends," Alexander explained quickly. "I'll tell you the whole story when we get home."

"After we deal with Gaedren, right?" Falenas asked.

Alexander's hesitance to answer prompted Indigo to speak up. "I'm happy for you, Alexander, but we're not done yet."

"I can't leave Silana here," Alexander explained quietly. "I need to get her out of here. I can take the rest of the children with me somewhere safe."

"But we may need a warrior of your strength and skill," Falenas said. "Do you really think that Indigo could be as good as you are in a fight?"

"That was uncalled for," Indigo chuckled.

"I didn't mean it as a personal attack," Falenas insisted. "It just makes sense that a spiked metal ball on a chain is going to do better than a pointy metal stick. He crushes skulls while you poke people."

"Crush skulls?" Silana asked.

"He's not serious about that," Alexander told his daughter and glared at Falenas, who remained indifferent.

"Oblivious insults aside, Falenas is right," Indigo nodded. "We need you."

"I can't just leave Silana alone again,"

Viera picked up Alexander's discarded flail. "You're a good man, Alexander. I'm glad to have met you and won't hold it against you if you decide to leave. But I must ask you one question. Do you think that when Silana starts asking questions about tonight when she is older that you'll feel proud of what you've done tonight?"

Alexander wanted to answer yes, but when he opened his mouth to do so, hesitated. Everything was set for him to feel proud about tonight. He killed two criminals and saved his daughter with only a minor bruise on his knee. Yet, when he thought more, he knew that he would need to justify abandoning his friends, the people who fought alongside him to rescue Silana even as they were unaware of his motives. Alexander wanted to set a good example for his daughter to follow, and even if what he was doing was breaking the law, he had to see his quest through. Slowly, he set Silana back onto the ground, taking the time to look her in her eyes.

"Silana, I need you to stay here for me," Alexander told his daughter. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take you home."

"Why can't I come with you?" Silana asked.

"It's too dangerous for you," Alexander answered honestly. "Stay with the others. There are other children in the next room. Oh, and don't touch Giggles or Hookshanks at all."

"Why not?"

Alexander paused to think of an answer to keep his daughter away from a gruesome sight. "They're… they're sleeping."

"They are?" Silana gasped.

"Takota decided that he should knock out Giggles so that we can turn him in for breaking the law," Alexander glanced at Takota, who shrugged. "That's what we're going to do with Gaedren after they all wake up, so we wouldn't want them to wake up early."

"Okay," Silana nodded. "Just don't get hurt."

"I promise," Alexander kissed Silana on the forehead. "Stay here."

Viera offered Alexander back his flail. "Thank you. I know it wasn't an easy decision."

"I came this far," Alexander took the pommel of his weapon. "I need to see the rest of it through."

"I'm glad that Silana has as great of a father as you," Viera smiled.

"He can't be that great of a father," Falenas said in a quiet voice so the children couldn't hear him. "He did just lie about our dead enemies being asleep."

"I don't want my daughter to know about that," Alexander said in a warning tone. "She's too young. When she's older, I'll tell her the truth."

"Everyone dies," Falenas shrugged. "Might as well be honest about it."

"Can we go now?" Takota asked.

"I'm glad that you're here to keep us on track," Indigo told Takota. "We should get going. I imagine that the ship docked to the fishery may be where we need to go next. I'll take the lead this time around and show a certain someone how effective a rapier is."

Falenas remained oblivious to Indigo's claim, something that Viera giggled quietly at. Alexander thought it was funny as well and held his arm over his mouth to hide a fit of laughter. He needed a good laugh after making the choice to leave his daughter. He took one final look at Silana, who joined the other children and was talking to them. She really was brave despite the circumstances that she found herself in. Alexander hoped that Silana wouldn't be haunted by the past two weeks and that she would live a normal life. The best thing he could do to help her move on was to remove the reason for any nightmares she may suffer.

Alexander fell into formation next to Takota and behind Indigo. Gaedren's criminal ways were coming to an end tonight. He would pay for his actions, especially the harm he brought upon children.

A/N: That was a quick turnaround after writing the first chapter.

This chapter may be a little shorter than before but it's good to keep the story moving along. I'm at nine thousand words, starting to catch up with my expected word count at this point and almost a fifth of a way done overall.

I won't say much about the next chapter except that's where the story really picks up. If you've enjoyed the story so far, feel free to follow it and leave a review.

Until next time.