Russell has been doing this job for well over a year. He knew the ins and outs of the organization like no other, being one of the few members who had access to the financial side of things. His mother had been very proud of how much effort he'd put into his studies, focusing on accounting, a highly sought for skill in any community. If only he'd applied himself half as well as he'd led his mom to believe, instead of lazing about, thinking a degree gained through the barest of work was still a degree.

He'd never figured how hard it would be to find gainful employment when all of his former teachers exposed him as the slacker he truly was to every would-be employer who asked. So what if he was at the bottom ten percent of his class? Anyone who understood basic math could crunch a few numbers. Everything else could be learned on the fly, he'd always thought.

His mother would be so disappointed to learn he'd had to offer his services to these people, but the pay was more than he'd ever receive in a legitimate business, and what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. These were the fleeting thoughts circulating in his head as he surveyed the scene before him, answering his own question of how he'd ever come to be in this situation.

From atop the gangway which led from the large reinforced entrance to the cavern, and encircled the entire expanse from above, he could see far and wide into the space which had served as a smugglers' den for the past decade. Situated on the side of the cliff which surrounded the valley in which the village of Peony Shire had been settled, it was an easily defendable location, and well hidden from outsiders. Those in the village who knew of its whereabouts were easy to bribe or compel to keep their silence, except for the lone few who just couldn't look the other way.

The headman and his supporters must have felt proud of themselves when they'd finally called upon a guild to rid their village of those lowly drug and contraband smugglers. All they'd managed to do was create a power vacuum. The organization which arose to take their place was a far cry from the petty outlaws they'd first run out of town.

As Russell watched, a group of low level thugs were welding another shipment of metal bars together, fitting them into alcoves which had been carved into the solid rock walls of the cavern. They were building prison cells right into the walls—a great number of them. Most concerning was the nature of those walls. Embedded throughout each cell were remnants of the material for which this mine had first been staked and claimed, the reason the nearby village had been initially established for: Sealing stone.

'They intend to lock mages into those cells,' he recalled.

This organization was trafficking people, not necessarily mages exclusively, but the construct of those cells certainly pointed towards a desire for them over ordinary citizens.

Russell wasn't surprised, of course. The people he worked for has specialized in human trafficking for decades. The presence of seal stone in this cavern made this location a perfect collection point for mages, whose powers would undoubtedly add to their value to whomever would desire them.

Looking around, he made note of who was here. Brent, the highest ranked member of this branch of the organization, was yelling into his com lacrima, fuming over some failed operation involving a group of guild wizards.

'Interesting,' he thought.

He'd just overheard Brent say something about sending a team to "the other location" when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning around, he came face to face with one of the enforcers, one whose name he'd never bothered to learn. Why would it matter? The brains never mingled with the brawn around here anyway.

"You've been standing up here way too long. Go about your business. Best not to get involved in things you're not cut out for."

That was rather considerate of him. With a small nod and a friendly pat on the man's shoulder—Godwin, is it? — Russell turned towards the entryway, leaving the enforcer to continue his rounds as he walked out into the sunshine. He weaved his way around other traffickers, and walked past a number of large shipping containers, pausing as he considered what they contained. Moving on, he approached several vehicles. He could see a man, one well known for his laziness, sleeping in the backseat of one of those vehicles. With everyone so busy, it's no wonder he hasn't been caught yet. He was sure the guy would wake up sore later on. Wasn't his problem, though.

Approaching the river which flowed through the valley, he watched as several workers were getting ready to transfer those shipping containers onto a dock along the shore. Another reason this location was so desired was its proximity to the river, which connected to a much larger one that flowed all the way to the borders of Bosco.

Taking a walk along the shore, he kept an eye on his surroundings, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. It was hard to resist a whole year's worth of acquired habits and experiences. Russell had learned not to trust anyone within the organization, as well as those on the outside. He was all about looking out for himself.

How revolting.

It wasn't long before he came to a bend in the river, well out of sight of the smugglers' den. He paused. Deep within the shadows of the valley, he could just make out what looked like the silhouettes of a number of humans, who were crouching down behind a group of low bushes. They didn't seem the least bit worried about being found out. Russell knew he should be worried about these strangers lurking so close to his bosses' den. He knew he should turn around, and run as fast as he could, to alert the enforcers of these trespassers.

Russell knew he should be scared. He certainly would be—if he wasn't currently knocked unconscious in the back of a random vehicle.

"What did you find, Gemini?"

With a soft "poof", the image of Russell dissolved, leaving Gemi and Mini to hover before their beloved master.

"They're installing cages embedded with seal stone for the purpose of capturing mages," said Gemi.

"They want to sell them as slaves to Bosco," added Mini.

"We're dealing with human traffickers?" cried Wendy.

"F*cking bastards," hissed Natsu.

"There's more," said Mini, "The man in charge here, Brent, sent a team to another location—"

"—in response to a failed ambush against Erza and Gray," finished Gemi.

"What do you mean, ambush?" worried Carla.

"They must have set something up because we stuck around. Dammit! We've only been here a couple of hours!" exclaimed Natsu.

"We're dealing with professionals," said Lucy, "Did they also set a trap in the cavern?"

"Russell isn't aware of any traps—" said Mini.

"—but he did notice an increase in security around the camp," said Gemi.

Understanding this Russell to be the man they'd impersonated, Wendy then asked, "What about Gray and Erza? Were they hurt?"

"No one said anything about casualties on either side."

"People who threaten to lop off little kids' fingers don't give a crap about the lives of others," seethed Natsu, "I say we storm the cavern and firebomb the whole damned place."

"There are victims inside."

All eyes were on Gemini, who had spoken those words in tandem between them.

"You saw prisoners inside the hideout?" asked Lucy.

"We couldn't go deep enough into the cavern to explore—"

"—but Russell knows they're being kept somewhere deep within. There are also more—"

"—inside one of the big shipping containers."

"How many prisoners are we talking about?" asked Natsu.

"We don't know at the top of our heads—"

"— but Russell has it written down. He writes everything down."

"That's another reason we can't just destroy the place," said Lucy, "On top of the innocent victims, there's probably tons of evidence down there. If we can get those records to the Rune Knights, they could possibly use them to shut down the whole operation throughout the kingdom."

"So we need to kick ass while not wrecking the place. Can we contact the others? Are they okay?" asked Natsu.

Putting down her com lacrima, Wendy answered, "I don't know. Neither of them are answering their coms. Carla and I can fly there to back them up."

"We might need you here more," said Lucy, "Look!"

Turning to where she was pointing, they all saw a large boat quickly making its way down the river. It wasn't the kind one would usually find in these waters, such as those used by fishermen or merchants. This one had a very minimal crew, and carried no cargo. The reason for this was clear: it hadn't been picked up yet.

Lucy continued, "You said the ambush failed. We have to believe the others are okay, and can deal with things on their end. The people about to be shipped out to God knows where have only us to help them. We need a plan to rescue them."

"Yeah, but how are we gonna get an unknown number of people out of here without the smugglers using them as human shields?" wondered Natsu.

A few unsure looks were exchanged, until Gemini answered.

"You should summon Virgo."

The others blinked in confusion.

Virgo?

Guess whose hand got impaled while splitting wood the other day! Right through the thumb joint! Good news: my tetanus booster is up to date. Also, my descriptions of the effects of Gray's injuries in "Pens and Swords Go Hand in Hand" are spot on. And my hand surgeon reads fan fiction XD! Bad news: Yep, another hold on updates. But I have the next chapter already written, and it shouldn't be too hard to edit one-handed, so I can at least get that out to you no problem.

Next Chapter: Gray and Erza get answers.