While Partitio and Spirit Force had left Oresrush to pursue Partitio's goal of eliminating poverty from Solistia, another group had just coincidentally arrived there for an entirely different reason.
That group was Reformed Society, accompanying Thronè as she seeks to fight her way to freedom.
"So, you're sure we'll find clues to Mother around here?" Letfor asked.
"I'm sure. When Mother is looking for new recruits, she goes to the saddlery here in Oresrush. As I said, it's common knowledge in the nest, though no one really knows why. And it's the only clue we have." Thronè said.
"I suppose we should start asking around. Towns like this usually have secret hideaways." Bassam said.
"We can start at the saddlery. I think it's the building second on the right. This way." Thronè said as they headed for it, knowing not that a young boy in a mask was watching them.
They headed inside the saddlery and saw the owner speaking with someone. "...Thank you for your patronage. I shall prepare the goods posthaste. In the meantime, please wait at the tavern." he said as the customer soon left. The group then approached the counter where the owner was situated behind. "...Might I help you all find something? We have an array of goods made of cloth and leather, and even others with chains."
"We're not here for horse gear." Cheetah said.
"But… ladies, this is a saddlery." the owner said.
"Is that so…? That man wasn't here in this shop to purchase a saddle." Cheetah said. "There was no horse with him. We didn't see one outside, nor did I smell one nearby.
"...Ah, how wise you are, milady." the owner said. "However, I must correct you. That man did indeed have a 'horse'. Why, I even saw it with my own eyes. How else could I properly make a product for him?"
"Is that so?" Glacius asked.
"...Indeed. Please come again." the owner said as he turned back to the shelves behind him, signaling the conversation's end.
The group soon convened outside.
"As we thought, this isn't really a saddlery at all." Kareem said.
"As for this 'horse'... It must be what we need for the exchange." Thronè said. "Which means that man from before has one without a doubt."
"And to get it for ourselves, you're gonna steal it, aintcha?" Yangus asked.
"How else do you think we would? Time to see a man about a 'horse"." Thronè said.
The group found the man who spoke to the saddlery owner, and Thronè swiped off him his 'horse', which in this case was a coin with a horse on it. With it in hand, they returned to the saddlery.
"Back again, I see." the owner said.
Thronè showed the owner the coin. "Saddle up. We brought our 'horse' with us this time."
"...So you have. Which means I can finally treat you and your friends like customers." the owner said.
"Hmph… You sure don't make things easy for your clients." Thronè said.
"Aye, for mine is a very exclusive business. Now, what are you all after?" the owner asked.
"We seek the whereabouts of one of the Blacksnake Leaders, Mother." Valfor said.
"Shes one of my best customers. Your request is beyond my power." the owner replied.
"Is that so?" Cheetah asked as the felines, Valfor and Rayleigh brandished their claws. "Good thing it's not a request."
Seeing this, the owner relented. "Mother is meeting a man I introduced her to. They call him the Slaver. He runs the slave trade and is doing business in the town's old foundry right now." the owner said.
"How do we reach this Slaver?" Valfor asked.
"To reach him, you must know these words… 'Drink from the cup in your left hand.'. Remember them well." the owner replied. "Be prepared. I doubt his lips will be as loose as mine. Lives may be lost before he is willing to talk."
"Of that, we are well aware." Esmeralda said. "For folk like us, it's a small price to pay."
The group headed to the old foundry outside of Oresrush, the masked boy still following them. Sensing his presence, they finally wanted to know who their pursuer was. So Thronè decided to catch him off guard and steal his mask, so they all could get a good look at his face. They were left speechless.
"You gotta be kidding. His face looks just like…" Agito started.
Before he could finish, the boy bolted.
"You all saw it too, right? Was that... Our imagination?" Thronè asked.
"No, that kid definitely looked a lot like Pirro." Rayleigh said.
"But how can that be? What is going on?" Zenji asked.
"We must focus for now, everyone. If we're off guard, we may pay for it." Kareem said.
"You always were focused to a fault, Kareem." Bassam said. "Ever since our first day under Nesma's service."
"Yes, but you were naturally stronger. To this day, I never could win a bout against you." Kareem said.
"You two seem to be.. Very familiar with each other." Thronè said.
"Of course they are. Kareem and Bassam are twins." Nesma said. "Their colorations may say otherwise, but they have been by each other's side from a very young age."
"Wait, they're twin brothers? You never told us!" Jessica said.
"Must've slipped my mind." Nesma said.
"Besides, we felt there wasn't really a need to say anything. After all, no one is going to bat an eye to two Anubians being guardians of desert royalty." Bassam said.
"It raises so many questions, I'm not sure if we even want to start." Toya said.
"You can think where to start later." Kareem said.
"Kareem's right. We have to focus. We must find that slaver." Thronè said.
Luckily, tracking down the location of the Slaver wasn't hard to do. There was a building at the northmost point of the foundry, where someone was standing guard. Likely to give the other half of the password.
"Raise your head with your right hand." the bouncer started.
"Drink from the cup in your left hand." Thronè replied.
"You all may pass." he said.
They headed inside, and found some men watching a table where two others were standing near it. They appeared to be playing a sort of drinking game. The robust man on the left drank one of the four cups on the table, the one on the far left. The shadowy man tried his luck with the cup closest to him… and he wasn't so fortunate. In a matter of seconds, he was in pain and immediately died. Which meant the cup he drank from was filled to the brim with a deadly poison.
The men watching reveled in the sight.
"Oho! How do you like that?! Looks like someone owes me 80 thousand leaves!"
"Dammit! I can't believe I lost!"
"What are they doing?" Aoesia asked.
"They're gambling. That drinking game must be a version of Russian Roulette." Captain Cold said.
"Gambling with people's lives… Quite sickening, if you ask me." Glacius said.
"Alright, who's next?! Bring 'em in!" a man called as a Hollow-eyed man was brought to the table.
"You're first. Choose a cup." the man in the center said to the hollow-eyed man.
"N-no… I don't want to…!" the Hollow-Eyed man said before screaming and attempted to make a run for it before the man from before threw a knife into his chest, killing him.
"No fun at all, that one. No wonder I couldn't find a buyer for him… No one knows which cup the poison's in. That's what makes it fun, right?" the man said before taking notice of Thronè and Reformed Society. "I haven't seen any of you here before."
"You're the Slaver, I presume?" Thronè asked.
"...Aye. I'm a buyer and seller of slaves. So, what sort of information are you all looking to buy?"
"Mother, of the Blacksnakes. You know where she is, don't you?" Esmeralda asked.
"I can't tell any of you where she's gone….without the proper compensation, that is." the slaver said, walking over to the group and smelling the air a bit. "You've all got some interesting scents. Most of you, I can't say where you're from. But you?" he asked Thronè. "You carry a delectable one."
"It's the smell of shoreflowers. Do you like it?" Thronè asked.
"It isn't the flowers I'm interested in, but the smell of sweat beneath them. Even the most disciplined are exposed by their own scent. Humans are overcome with fear before their demise, and their sweat reeks something awful. But your scent is still sweet… There's no fear in you." the slaver said.
"Interesting. But what does that mean for us?" Letfor asked.
"I can tell you all where Mother is… If you can best me." the slaver said.
Thronè instinctively reached for her dagger, but Captain Cold put a hand up.
"Hang on Thronè. This guy's not lookin' for a fight. I know what you want us to do." Captain Cold said. "One of us is gonna go to that table behind you and bet our lives."
"That's right. Truth be told, I don't stand a chance in a fight. Especially against all of you, where I could be chopped to bits in minutes." the slaver said. "Doing battle at Death's table is more my style."
"So how does it work?" Kayra asked. "Six cups on the table with one of them being filled with poison?"
"Very astute. Which one of you would like to sit with me at Death's Table?" the slaver asked.
"I'll do it." Letfor said.
"Ah…the bug huh? Well…not like you guys live long anyway…pick your poison." the slaver chuckled as the men laughed.
"Very well. I am not scared." Letfor said.
Six cups were laid out on the table. One of them was the poison filled one.
"You first, bee boy." the slaver said.
Letfor reached for the cup on his right, and started drinking from it. "Looks like my cup's safe."
"For someone that looks so…petite, you sure can hold your liquor." the slaver said as he drank from the cup on his left. "Tell me. What drives you?"
"Nothing special. Just my duty as Aoesia's royal guard." Letfor said as he drank from the cup on his left. "To that end, I am willing to take any risk."
"A very noble cause. To be honest, I thought you would leave this to one of your other companions. The tigress, maybe." the slaver said as he drank from the cup on his right. "Two cups left. Make your next choice count."
"...I do not fear death. I could even accept dying here if it means Lady Aoesia gets to live." Letfor said as he moved to the center of the table. "The only thing I fear, is not being able to live to see the path that she and her compatriots walk. Because a world without her…" he said as he reached for the cup on the right. "...Is simply one that I cannot bear." he said as he drank from the cup. "Which is why I am willing to bet everything on helping Throne see it through, with all of us by her side." he said. The others were waiting for the poison to kick in, but… nothing happened.
"Heheh… Looks like my luck has finally run out." the slaver said.
"Tell me. Why did you let me go first? You could've won, and I'd be twitching on the ground." Letfor said.
"I wanted to see what you got. Normally I avoid the tainted glass. That's where the poison's always poured in." the slaver said. "But I could tell from the start. You're not just any demihuman, are you? You've got keen eyes, and sharp intuition. You're not just any guard… you're the best damn one in your whole hive."
"You flatter me. But that means little." Letfor said.
"Yes. It would seem my curiosity has gotten the better of me." the slaver said, drinking the poisoned cup as it immediately started to take effect.
"It was a good game. But we had an agreement. Before you die, tell us where Mother is." Letfor said.
"She hides in Wellgrove…in a place called Mother's Garden…It's officially an orphanage… and has the support of the local monastery… But it's where she raises her hatchlings…for the nest…" the slaver said. "You all could probably sneak in…as members of the cloth…"
"I see. Thank you for the info. We won't let this information go to waste." Letfor said.
"The war of snakes repeats itself… over and over again…I couldn't cut myself loose either.. The former head wouldn't let me…" the slaver said.
"Former head?" Esmeralda asked.
"She was a good woman too… But she was killed by Mother." the slaver said. "I hope you all find…what your compatriot seeks…" he said before finally succumbing to the poison and collapsing on the ground, laying dead.
The group exited the building and headed back into town, the boy from before confronting them.
"You're the one we saw before." Valfor said. "Your face looks just like someone we know. It's almost like we're meeting again… though we know you're not the one we know."
"...I feel the same thing. I feel like… you're all important people." the young boy said. "That's why I followed you all…"
"Your father wouldn't happen to be Pirro, would it?" Esmeralda asked.
"I… I don't know who my father is." the boy said.
"You don't…? What a coincidence. Neither do I. Guess we have some things in common." Thronè said.
"See you around." Rayleigh said as they made departure from Oresrush.
"Now we have information on both Mother and Father's locations. The question is… who should we confront first?" Kareem said. "We can go after Mother in Wellgrove right now, or we can go back to the Eastern Continent to face Father in Montwise."
"I wouldn't mind sailing back east and facing off with Father first." Valfor said. "After all, he was kind enough to give us a direct invitation."
"Yes. It would be best not to keep him waiting any longer than we have to." Cheetah said.
"I agree. Let's not keep Father waiting. We're going to Montwise." Thronè followed.
Thronè and Reformed Society discover Mother's location. Along the way, Letfor wagers his life in a game against the Slaver and all meet a young boy with a familiar face.
The solitary thief and her aides draw nearer to the truth of the Blacksnakes. Thronè and Reformed Society continue their journey, awaiting the day Thronè will walk free.
