Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 33: Slave Trade

It had been about a full day's worth of travel since they left Dagbor for the desert lakeside town of Chesberry. The small town appeared to be rather close on the map but with rugged terrain and impassable cliffs not clearly indicated on the map, the trek wasn't as easy as it seemed to be. At times, they were forced to find alternate routes due to damage sustained by the earthquake that occurred prior to their travels to Ersheath. As usual, they fought against the local variety of monsters and bandits but nothing too major.

After a long travel, they finally arrived at the outskirts of Chesberry. It sat along a pristine lake with a bit of greenery around the area despite being in an area that resembled a desert. The temperature compared soared compared to what it felt like in the area around Dagbor. It felt like over a hundred degrees outside. It didn't take much for them to start sweating.

Tsuki fanned himself to try and cool himself off. "Man, it's scorching out here. I wasn't expecting desert-like temperatures" he said. Being in temperatures like this actually makes him thankful that he had ditched his armor back in Basilwell. Being in heavy steel armor would probably make it even hotter for him since it never got this hot in Cayhill. As such, he wasn't used to scorching hot temperatures.

Luan chuckled a bit. The heat didn't bother her since she's lived in Ersheath her whole life and has been all over the kingdom. She's been to the frigid temperatures of the northern snowfields to the scorching hot temperatures around Chesberry so many times that she's been accustomed to it to the point where it no longer bothers her. "Not used to high temperatures like this huh?" she asked.

Ruko wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as he looked around the area. "I can't blame him. It never gets this hot in Cayhill so there's a good chance none of us are used to this kind of heatwave" he said.

Ramza scratched the back of his head a bit. "Yeah, the area around here gets the hottest temperatures on record especially when the summer months come around. If you think it's hot now, just wait until the summer heat. This is nothing compared to that" he said.

Lynette shook the collar of her shirt to cool herself off. She felt like she was overheating. "Please don't say that. This is hot enough as it is and you're telling us that it gets even worse?" she asked. Just the thought of it makes her cringe. There was no way she'd ever survive in temperatures like this.

As they all tried to keep themselves cooled off, they slowly approached the town. The unrelenting heat and sun bearing down on them slowed their progress down a bit. Once they approached the gate leading into the town, they took a moment to stop and look around the area. The town itself was pretty rural. Buildings were made of wood, cobblestone and sandstone. There were bigger houses further into the town and several outside market vendors. As they looked around, they heard what sounded like little footsteps run up to them from their left side. Before anyone could react, a small figure carrying numerous buckets of water bumped into Tsuki, causing the figure to fall on its back, dropping the buckets of water and dumping the water on the figure and Tsuki.

When Tsuki was bumped into and doused with water, he couldn't help but feel refreshed after their trek through the desert-like surroundings. The water felt nice and cold which really helped him cool off. "Whew, that was nice. I really needed that" he said. He then shook his head to get the water off of him.

Lynette held her arm up in front of her face, looking away as he shook the water off. "Geez, what are you, a dog?" she asked.

Nagi didn't mind being sprayed with the water. It beats sweating from the heat. "Hey, it's refreshing so I'm not complaining" she said. She then looked at Tsuki. "Are you okay though?" she asked.

Tsuki ran his hand through his hair to brush out the water and looked at Nagi, nodding at her. "Yeah, I'm fine" he said. He then turned to the side and knelt down to put himself eye level with the small figure that bumped into him. By appearances, the figure appeared to be a young girl, probably around ten years old. She had a hooded cloak on so much of her physical features were hidden. "What about you? I hope you're not hurt or anything" he said.

The young girl was a bit dazed at first but immediately snapped back to her senses, her behavior shifting to that of panic. "I-I'm so sorry about that, sir!" she said, scrambling on all fours with her head hung low as if she were bowing at him.

Her response surprised Tsuki. Upon closer inspection, she was wearing very light maid-like clothing under the hooded cloak. She appears to be hard at work despite being at such a young age. "It's quite alright. At least you're not hurt" he said.

With his response, the girl started to quickly gather the empty buckets of water. When Tsuki tried to help her, she simply snatched them away from him. When she gathered the empty buckets, she stood back up and bowed to him once more. "Please excuse me" she said softly. She then turned around and headed back in the direction she came from.

As she left, Tsuki noticed something strange and unexpected. Her hood that was hiding most of her head had very briefly blown off her head, revealing ears that resembled a fox. Not only that, but he caught a glimpse of what also appeared to be a fox's tail and it seems everyone else noticed it as well.

Ramza placed his hand over his chin and watched the girl as she walked off. He looked extremely troubled by what he had just seen. "Well now, I wasn't expecting to see one of them around here. Which means, there's something going on in this town" he said.

Tsuki heard Ramza mumble something and looked at him with a confused and curious look on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Elle scratched the back of her head, sighing heavily. "A Demi-human. Most curious to see one in these parts and troubling at the same time" she said.

Lynette tilted her head a bit. "A Demi-human?" she asked. She recalls hearing extremely vague talk about that name from various people she passed by in Dagbor when she was off doing her own thing.

Ramza sighed heavily, folding his arms and falling into thought for a moment. "So, you're aware of them as well huh? You're right. Finding one here of all places can only mean trouble for Esseand" he said.

Tsuki tilted his head as well as he looked at both Elle and Ramza in confusion. "What, are they dangerous or something?" he asked. He then took another quick glance at the small girl before she disappeared into the distance. There was something about her that seemed rather off. "No...that's not it. I sensed no malice of any kind from her and yet there's an air of uneasiness around her" he asked.

Luan nodded slightly at his response. "You're not too far off. They're not dangerous at all. Far from the slightest in fact. Demi-humans are a rather passive and docile race. However, they're extremely oppressed. Their homeland is one of the most hostile places in the world which makes it one of the most avoided places of travel for most merchants and travelers" she said. She felt an utter disgust growing inside of her. The truth behind the Demi-humans was very hard to believe and take in.

Cheria followed Tsuki's gaze in silence as she tried to make sense of what they were talking about. Afterwards, she gave them a serious expression on her face. She had a bad feeling when they mentioned that they were extremely oppressed. "What do you mean by oppressed?" she asked.

Elle fell silent for a moment with a heavy, deep sigh. This was one of her least favorite discussion topics due to how graphic and harsh their reality is. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Once she was ready, she looked at the group. "Demi-humans are a hybrid variety between Humans and Faeries. In short, they're the offspring of a Human and Faerie. They have the appearance of a human but what sets them apart from normal humans is the fact that they have ears and a tail resembling their Faerie parent. In their homeland, they're viewed as lesser human beings...and slaves. The treatment they endure is inhumane, cruel and morally wrong. Some are forced to fight, others are forced into hard labor. There are even some used solely for the purpose to pleasure others" she said. with a grim expression on her face. The disgust was plainly visible on her face as well as anger.

Cheria felt her heard drop when she explained who the Demi-humans were. All of her words got caught in her throat but she wasn't able to say them. She was mortified, stunned and speechless. She didn't know how to react. "W-what...did you...?" she struggled to say.

Ramza nodded slowly. "Slaves. Tools. Disposable objects. You name it. That's what Demi-humans are viewed as in the eyes of their oppressors" he said.

Tsuki felt his anger quickly rise to an almost boiling point. He clenched his fast with pure anger and disgust. "That's...that's just wrong! No, it's sickening! How could anyone...!?" he asked, trying to contain his anger. He then glanced back in the direction of where the girl walked off. He wanted to chase her down after hearing this if she was a victim of this sick act.

Ramza approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. His Majesty also feels the same as you. In fact, everyone in Ersheath shares that same feelling. However, given Esseand's current situation with Dolothlond, we can't afford to get mixed up in another kingdom's issue" he said.

Lynette also felt utter disgust from hearing all of this. It was almost too inhumane to be true. "Why isn't the royal family of their kingdom doing anything to stop this!?" she asked.

Luan shook her head. "Unfortunately, that's not possible. About ten years ago, the Republic of Sirione, homeland of Demi-humans located on the southern continent of Megrove, suffered a terrible coup that they were never able to recover from. The usurpers forced the royal family out and seized total control. We don't know if the royal family is still alive today as information about what's going on within the kingdom is extremely difficult to come by" she said. She had a very grim expression and tone in her face and voice.

Ruko folded his arms together, falling into thought as he stared down towards the ground. What she said sounds like something that will indefinitely cause problems for them later on down the road. "If that's the case, then it's going to be extremely difficult to locate the Relic Key" he said.

Nagi shook her head. She didn't like the situation the Demi-humans are in but there wasn't much they could do at the moment. "We'll deal with that when we get to it. For now, let's focus on what we can do now" she said.

Ramza looked at Nagi and nodded. "I hate to agree with Nagi on the matter but we have no choice. Let's just push it to the back of our minds for now. We have a displaced refugee to find" he said.

Everyone slowly nodded and headed into the town. The heaviness in the air around them continued to linger for a while. It was surely a lot to take in all at once and it's also still hard to come to terms with for some. Out of everyone in the group, Tsuki was the most affected. After about an hour of searching around Chesberry, they seemed to have finally found the person that they were looking for. The girl was surrounded by several knights of Esseand as well as some of the local guard of Chesberry. As they approached the girl seemingly giving orders to the knights and local guard, they got a better view of what she looked like. She had long, violet hair dressed in familiar armor although beaten up with a familiar marking scratched off. This not only surprised but shocked Tsuki, Nagi, Elle and Cheria as they knew who she was immediately. Shu was right when he had said they'd recognize the person they were looking for.

Tsuki was the first to run out of the group towards his old comrade. "Phi!" he shouted as he ran up to her. He almost couldn't believe his eyes at first.

The girl heard hre name being called out and felt a bit of annoyance swell up. "What is it? I hope you have a report for me because if not-" she said, soon turning around to face in the direction where Tsuki was coming from. When she saw Tsuki, she froze in place for a moment."T-Tsuki!? Is that really you!?" she asked. Due to his clothing and the fact that he wore no markings to identify himself, she didn't recognize him at first.

Tsuki stopped within arm's reach of her, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her slightly, giving her an assuring nod. "Of course it's me! Who do you think it is?" he asked. He couldn't contain the relief and excitement inside of him. He then examined her and her beaten up armor. Despite it being beaten up with most noticeable identification markings scratched off, he recognized the armor. It was the armor that was made and tailored specifically for the members of the Royal Eight. "Your armor has seen better days but I'm just glad you're safe" he said.

Phi examined Tsuki and a huge sense of relief came over her face. Similarly in Tsuki's case, she hasn't seen any of the other members of the Royal Eight since Eressseas fell. She reached out and grabbed onto his arms."You are safe! I was so worried about everyone! I haven't been able to find or get in contact with anyone since the attack!" she said. She may be a strict when it comes to being a knight but she was still a young knight at the same age as Tsuki. It was then she realized something which made her both hopeful and concerned at the same time. "Wait, if you're here, then does that mean-?" she asked. She then looked behind him at his companion to see if she could recognize any other familiar faces.

Almost on cue, Cheria walked up next to Tsuki and gave her a soft smile before embracing her tightly. "You're safe. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you alive and unharmed, Phi" she said.

Phi took a moment to realize who Cheria was since she was also wearing very unlikely clothing as well as her mannerisms. Despite being a knight and having to follow protocols and mannerisms when addressing royalty, she couldn't stop herself from returning the embrace. "It is you! I'm overjoyed and relieved to see you safe and sound that words can't possibly describe, Your Highness!" she said.

Cheria shook her head a bit, stepping back from the embrace. "I was never in any danger. I had Tsu with me the entire time as well as all of his companions so I was well protected" she said.

Tsuki looked around as he noticed that they were starting to attract a crowd. "Let's talk somewhere private. Too many prying eyes around to explain things here" he said.

Phi stepped back and nodded. "Sounds good. I know the perfect place. We'll talk at my place and we can catch up there" she said. She then turned around and headed deeper into town where the bigger houses were.

The group followed Phi through town. As they walked, they had the occasional stare from people passing by. Eventually, they reached the far end of town where a two-story house built out of a mix of stone and wood stood. I twas also behind an iron fence and gate that surrounded the building.

Phi walked up to the iron gate and stood in front of a speaker, holding down a button. "Hey, it's me. Mind opening the gate? Also, I brought some important guests with me so prepare some tea and have it brought to the living room" she said into the speaker.

There was a brief moment of silence as no voices came through on the other end. Then, a voice soon came through. "Welcome back, Ms. Sykes. Give us a moment to prepare the tea for you" the voice said.

Soon, the iron gate started to swing open. Once they were, they stepped inside with the gate closing once more behind them. Everyone looked around the inner courtyard. There were a couple of armed guards around but nothing compared to the strict security the headquarters in Dagbor had. After a short while, they stepped into the two-story building. Inside resembled a rich person's home. Not quite along the lines of royalty but it's as close as it was going to get. Something like this could be used as a sort of vacation home.

Once inside, Phi stepped forward a bit and faced the group. "Welcome to my temporary home. The real owner happens to be my great-grandfather so make yourselves at home" she said.

Just then, a middle-aged woman in maid attire approached them with a slight bow. "Everything is set up in the living room, ma'am. Shall I escort our guests?" she asked.

Phi looked at the maid and shook her head, waving her off slightly. "That's quite alright, Anne. I can do it myself. For now, make sure we aren't disturbed. We have a lot to talk about in private. If anyone needs me, take their concerns for me" she said.

The maid named Anne bowed at her command. "As you wish. I'll inform the head butler" she said. She then turned around and walked down one of the corridors, disappearing as she turned around a corner.

Once she was gone, Phi looked at the group and gave them a nod. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything once we get situated. Follow me, if you will" she said.

They then followed her through one of the several hallways of the two-story building. They spent a couple minutes walking around the different hallways, checking out some of the different rooms as they made their way to the living room. Once they reached the living room, they headed inside to see several brown leather chairs scattered around with a brown leather couch around a fairly wide coffee table. There was a fireplace inside a cobblestone chimney with a sixty-inch TV sitting on top of it. Just like the maid said, there was already tea set up on the coffee table accompanied by sweets. Other decoration stuff filled the room such as a suit of armor, a mounted sword and shield on the wall, fancy pottery and a grandfather clock. Once they had a look around the room, they all sat down in the chairs and couch. Silence soon filled the room for the first few minutes.

Tsuki was the first to break the awkward silence. He took a deep breath before looking at Phi. "First off, tell us what happened on the night that Eresseas fell. What happened on your end during the attack?" he asked. Stahler's words about how the remaining members of the Royal Eight were removed from the picture had lingered in the back of his head.

Phi closed her eyes as she looked down towards the coffee table. She took several minutes to gather her thoughts together. Once she was ready, she looked up at them, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you recall us being stationed in certain areas around the castle at strategic points. On the night of the attack, I was stationed at the front gate with several squadrons of soldiers. We fought with all of our might to fend off the invaders from entering the castle. Things seemed to be going well at first. However, we were being slowly overwhelmed. The enemy numbers didn't seem to decrease. It was almost as if after we had cut down one, ten more would appear in its place. Not only that but the invaders were abnormally strong and resistant. That's when Mike showed up. I thought it was strange at first to see him there instead of where he was suppose to be but we were being driven into a corner so I brushed it off. We thought that with his help, we would succeed. That's when he suddenly turned on us. He cut down our soldiers without hesitation, thinning our numbers even more. This caused everything to fall apart. The invaders soon used the confusion to push through our defenses and enter the castle. Once most of our soldiers had been thinned out, he came after me. Something about him was very different. No matter what I did, nothing connected to him. Magical Artes would bounce off him and my power couldn't even touch him. It was a one-sided battle as I was physically drained and wounded and pushed towards the edge of the bridge leading into the castle. The moment my guard dropped, he rushed me and stabbed a knife through my stomach before he kicked me into the river below. When I came to, it was already dawn. I found myself washed ashore along the other side of the lake's edge with Eresseas off in the distance. Badly wounded, I treated myself to the best of my abilities and struggled to reach the northern coast of Cayhill where I contacted my great-grandfather to pick me up. It was too dangerous to return to Eresseas, or even stay in Cayhill, under Honegroth occupation. I'm sure you can probably guess what happened next" she explained, placing her hand over her stomach where she was stabbed. She then took off her armor, setting it aside and raised her shirt a bit, revealing a scar that had been recently treated. Recalling everything that happened was hard especially Mike's betrayal as she looked up to him as a mentor.

Tsuki listened to what she had to say carefully. She was the first line of defense essentially and even her, who is a better fighter than him to some degree, couldn't hold her own against such immense odds. It was obvious that she stood no chance against them by herself. However, it appears that she didn't know about Stahler. "So, that's what he meant by removed from the picture...they tried to kill the Royal Eight in the confusion" he said.

Phi tilted her head a bit when she heard Tsuki mumble something. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Tsuki clenched his fist a bit, unable to speak. Cheria soon took over for him after placing a hand on his shoulder before looking at Phi. "Phi...Mike wasn't working alone. He was working for Honegroth to kill the royal family...and Stahler was helping him achieve that" she said.

This bit of news shocked Phi. She was unaware that there were two traitors. Traitors she looked up to as mentors and comrades. Mike's betrayal was overwhelming enough as it is but to hear that Stahler was a part of that betrayal too left her stunned and speechless. "No...this can't...you mean...?" she said. She couldn't even form a sentence because she has such a loss for words.

Tsuki slowly shook his head before looking at her. "Yes. Mike and Stahler turned on us. Not long after the invaders entered the castle grounds, a group of them forced their way into Cheria's room. Their goal was to abduct her. I couldn't tell you the reason for it because I killed them before they got the chance to act. Afterwards, we regrouped with the rest of my companions in the throne room. It was there when we were approached by Mike and Stahler who were also accompanied by Shades. Thanks to Elle's Teleportation Artes, we were able to escape unharmed. However, King Taichi and Queen Emma stayed behind to hold off the invaders to buy us time to escape. Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to them afterwards and it was too dangerous to be out in the open" he explained. He felt that she should hear their side of the story now.

Phi couldn't believe it. Eresseas not only fell within a few hours under Honegroth occupation but the fact that they had no idea what happened to the king and queen made her filled with concern. If only she was stronger, she could of stood a better chance. She believed she had failed in her duty as a knight of Eresseas and as one of the personal, elite guards to the royal family. This brought tears to her eyes as she grabbed onto the sides of her head in agony. "I failed in my duty. I failed to protect the King and Queen. I couldn't do anything for those who fell at the hands of Mike and Stahler. Moreover, I failed Eresseas" she said, tears streaming down her face.

Cheria got up and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her and embraced her once more, petting the back of her head. "I know how you're feeling. The thought of having my family taken from me...the thought of having my kingdom stolen out from under me...it was incredibly hard to bear. If it wasn't for Tsuki and Elle, I would of given up on everything. What's important now though is that you managed to escape. You're still alive. That's all that matters" she said.

Tsuki stood up as well and walked over to Phi, sitting down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That sense of failure. I've also felt it. King Taichi and Queen Emma entrusted Cheria's safety and future to me. They ordered me to take her as far away from Eresseas as possible in the event of an attack even if it meant I had to leave Cayhill with her. Orders I didn't want to accept. Even now, I still think back and ask myself...if I had the strength I have now, could I have made a difference? Eresseas fell and there was nothing we could of done to prevent it. However, we're still alive. We can still do something about it" he said.

Phi looked over at Tsuki, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. "What do you mean?" she asked.

They started to explain what's been going on since their departure from Cayhill. They told her about the Relic Keys that were needed to pierce the Veil that's shrouded over Eresseas, their trek across the sea to gain the cooperation to gain the cooperation from the other royal families of the different kingdoms, Tsuki's hidden power, their purpose in Ersheath, their encounter with Zieg in the forest not far from Dagbor and their run-in with the Demi-human girl at the town entrance. It was a lot to explain thoroughly so it took a decent amount of time to explain things so she'd be able to understand things. By the time they had finished, Phi had calmed down.

As Phi tried to take in all of the information, she almost found some of it hard to believe particularly when it came to the Ancients and the Sigil which resides within Tsuki, giving him access to an incredible power. However, she had no reason to doubt their stories. "It seems like you guys have been busy. And now, you're here because Shu pointed you into this direction" she said.

Tsuki nodded. "That's about right, yeah. He told us that you were sent here on some sort of top secret mission and that you'd inform us of what it was" he said. He was actually quite curious about this secret mission himself especially if Shu couldn't tell them what it was himself.

Phi fell silent for a moment as her facial expression shifted into a more serious look. "Since I'm not directly affiliated with the royal family of Esseand, I'm considered a third party. Shu took this as an opportunity to find and root out the Demi-human slave trade that's happening here" she said.

Ramza stroked his chin a bit when she mentioned the slave trade business. "So, there really is a slave trade problem going on here. If Shu's putting you in charge of rooting out the problem, it would make sense. Nothing ties to you Esseand and whatever ties you have with Eresseas are most likely cut off due to Honegroth's occupation. Esseand can't make a move against the slave trade business due to our own conflict with Dolothlond. As a result, we're forced to turn a blind eye. However, if they rely on a third party, they don't have to directly interfere with Sirione" he said with speculation.

Phi nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what Shu thought as well. Remember when you met that young Demi-human girl at the town entrance? She's only one of several salve trade cases going on here in Chesberry. I've been looking around, trying to learn any information but I haven't been able to find anything substantial. I don't even know where they're operating out of yet" she said.

Cheria placed her hand on her chest, giving Phi a determined look on her face. "Allow me to help out" she said with no hesitation in her voice. She couldn't stand the treatment that the Demi-humans were going through especially to people as young as the girl they met at the entrance. She couldn't just sit around, knowing that this was going on around her.

Phi looked at Cheria as she quickly volunteered to help out to root out the slave trade problem. Of course, she shook her head at her. "I appreciate your eagerness, Your Highness but I can't allow you to get involved in something as dangerous as this" she said. She may not be her direct bodyguard but she's still one of the Royal Eight. Bodyguard or not though, she's still tasked to protect the royal family.

Cheria fervently shook her head. "It's a little late for that now. I've already been involved in other dangerous business. Besides, we'll have to eventually face the Demi-human problem at some point so why not at least get a better understanding of it?" she asked.

Tsuki couldn't help but agree with her. "She's got a point. Sooner or later, we'll have to go to Sirione for the Relic Key and there's no doubt that we'll be forced to deal with the oppressors that are holding the people of Sirione hostage. It would be better for us in the long run if we at least had some understanding of it before heading there" he said.

Everyone else soon fell into agreement. Phi looked at their determined expressions and eventually broke down. She then sighed heavily before eventually nodding at them. "Alright. I know when I'm beaten. Your help would be greatly appreciated" she said.

Ruko soon realized something. "The plan is great and all but what about Ramza and Luan? Unlike us, they have direct ties to Esseand. If they see them taking action, our plan won't work" he said.

Luan shook her head. He brought up a good point but there was a simple answer to his concern. "Simple. We'll just hang back and do some recon behind the scenes" she said.

Ramza nodded. "Exactly. I happen to have some contacts around here so I'll seek them out and find out if they know anything" he said. It can sympathize with the point Ruko made. It would pose a major conflict of interest if known figures of the Esseand government were to be seen directly involved.

Tsuki looked at the two of them and nodded. "We'll leave the information gathering to you guys then. Meanwhile, the rest of us will search around the area for any clues that may help us" he said.

Phi soon stood up and then gave each of them a brief look. "I'll point out a couple possible locations where there could be slave trade activity going on. They're scattered around town so we'll have to split to make an effective search" she said.

Phi then took out a map of the town and pointed to several locations marked with an X. The locations appeared to be an inn, a small residence, the outdoor marketplace, several other businesses and what appeared to be warehouses. Once everyone chose their place to investigate, they split up and went their separate ways. Their investigations went on throughout the rest of the day until some time after nightfall before they all gathered back at Phi's place. Everyone was exhausted from their investigation Tsuki, however, appeared to be more worn out than the rest of them. They all decided to call it a night and would continue the search in the morning so they all went to sleep.

Everyone except Tsuki was up rather early the next morning, eager to get in a full day's worth of investigating now that they had a full night's sleep. However, they decided to wait until Tsuki had joined up with them which wasn't until another two hours after everyone else had gotten up. He eventually came downstairs from his room into the foyer where everyone else was at, yawning loudly.

Nagi looked up towards the stairs when she heard the yawning. "Well, good morning, sleepyhead. You were sure in a deep sleep" she said.

Tsuki rubbed his eyes, looking around the foyer as everyone stared at him. "Sorry guys. I guess I was more worn out yesterday than I thought I was" he said.

Lynette shrugged. "Well, things haven't exactly been easy on you lately so it's understandable that you'd be more exhausted. Just try not to wear yourself out too much, will you? You'll make some of us concerned for your health" she said, nudging Cheria a bit.

Cheria scratched her cheek lightly, her face a bit red. "W-what are you talking about? I wasn't concerned or anything" she said.

Just then, a soldier came bursting into the front door to the foyer. It was one of the knights of Esseand and he appeared to be in a sort of panic. "Ms. Sykes! Your presence is needed in the business district! There's been an incident!" the soldier shouted.

Phi looked at the soldier that burst through the door. She was going to reprimand him but hearing that there was some type of incident nearby stopped her. "An incident? Okay, I'll check it out" she said.

Tsuki stepped up to Phi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll come with you. It sounds pretty serious. We have all day to investigate the slave trade business anyway" he said.

Phi looked at him then looked at the others who gave her simultaneous nods. She gave them slight smile with a nod. "Okay. Let's get going then!" she said.

The group then rushed out of the house and headed towards the market district. It was just a short walk from her house as it was almost just around the corner. When they got to the market district, they saw a big crowd of people huddled around one of the business buildings. The building was blocked off by local guards and Esseand knights as some entered and exited the building with what appeared to be several body bags.

Phi walked up to one of the knights on the scene. "What's going on here? What happened?" she asked. She recognized the business building almost right away. It was one of the possible locations where she suspected slave trade activity.

The knight saluted Phi before speaking. He then leaned in closer to her as if to speak in a low tone so bystanders didn't hear them. "It appears that our intel was right. This was where the slave trade operation was being operated out from. Not only that but it appears that they kept the Demi-humans locked up here too" he said.

Phi tilted her head a bit. The knight was speaking in past tense which made her curious and concerned. "What do you mean by kept?" she asked.

The knight nodded slightly. "By the time we arrived, the people behind the slave trade operation were already dead. The Demi-humans they had locked up here appeared to have been set free from their restraints and fled the area" he said.

Phi's eyes widened a bit. "What!? Do you know who did this? How did you find out about this!?" she said in a soft tone.

The knight shook his head, stepping away a bit. "We don't know who did it. The local guard received a tip that an assassin had broke in, killed the people behind the operation and released the Demi-humans from captivity" he said.

Phi took a moment to process the information. Given Sirione's reputation under the rule of their oppressors, it wouldn't take your normal, average assassin to take out a whole operational team. "An assassin..." she mumbled.

As the scene unfolded, Tsuki looked around the area, examining his surroundings. Then, he felt a slight tug on his sleeve. "Hm?" he hummed. He then looked down and saw a familiar small figure with exposed fox ears and a tail. "Hey, you're that girl!" he shouted. He then knelt down so that he was eye level with her. He saw a sense of loneliness in her eyes as well as a bit of a dazed look in them. He examined the girl and saw that she had several visible bruises on her arms as well as cuts and scratches on her face and legs. Her white, tattered clothes were stained with blood as well but there didn't seem to be any serious injuries on her.

It wasn't long after that when the rest of the group turned and faced Tsuki's direction and seeing the familiar young girl. Phi approached them, taking the thin jacket off of her since she wasn't wearing her armor and wrapped it around the girl to quickly conceal her ears and tail as well as the blood. "We can't leave her out here. She'll get spotted otherwise. Let's take her back to my place and we can work things out there" she said. She then faced the knight. "Inform me if you learn anything" she said.

The knight saluted her. "Yes ma'am. Leave this to us! We'll try and get to the bottom of this" he said.

Tsuki then picked up the girl into his arms and headed off into the direction of Phi's house with everyone else following him. They had very little information to go on now and the young Demi-human might be their only way to find out what exactly happened. Who was the assassin that put an end to the slave trade operation? Where did the Demi-humans go? Where did the assassin go? What were the intentions? They hoped that the girl would be able to answer their questions.

To be continued...