Xilna looked at the human woman bundled in the fetal position in her bed in the recovery ward. She was one of the dozens of victims who were freed from the charmers the day before. Most of the others were in similar states. The male victims had it a little bit better as most of them were not as abused in their short enslavements, unlike most of the women. Feeling she has seen enough she turns to the guard that led her and Jeff’s summon here.
“ I had heard the rumor... but why am I here? As I understand it, my charge is the one that stopped this.”
The guard gestures to the door in the back.
“ She asked for you by name.”
With that, the guard took station nearby leaving Xilna to sigh and move to the door. On the other side was another otherworlder that looked familiar. This one had three cards in her hand as she sat in a chair looking at them with a hollowed-out look in her eyes. Looking up she saw the dragonkin and smiled meekly.
“ Xilna, thanks for coming. I... I need a friendly face right now and...”
Without bothering to listen anymore, she takes to a nearby stool and sits while the summon stands to the side of the room, waiting to be called upon.
“ I had heard rumors, but...”
“ It was my maid. She... she sold me to those...”
Xilna gently took Rachael’s hand and shook her head.
“ I will be honest with you. One aspect of us being maids is to be spies, informants, and thieves. We are there for those with, let's just say less reputable classes to gain experience, practical not level based. We are an information network and syndicate built into one. We can take bribes and do some less-than-pleasing things. But we were explicitly told we could not do certain things. Some pervert wants your used underwear. The right bribe and they would be his. However, anything that would harm or jeopardize the future of the otherworlders. This... this was wrong.”
Rachael did not move as she stared at the cards for a moment.
“ I was naive, believing these would give me an edge. I guess... I guess they did. They bought me a few seconds when they first tried...”
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Rachael squeezed her hand tightly and her nails dug into her palm, drawing blood.
“ It was the day after the Dukes presentation. I... I decided I didn’t want to become... breeding stock. So... I... I asked my maid to take me to where the others otherworlders were gathering. I am a healer, I assumed I would always be in demand.”
Rachael paused as a white light came from her bleeding hand and the self-inflicted injury and blood were both gone.
“ And I was right. There were a bunch of smaller groups. Parties of three or four. All of them wanted me in their party. I tried to get their plans and...”
Rachael shook her head saddened.
“ Most of them did not have any concrete plans. Nothing about logistics or even methods of getting to the front lines. They are... a bunch of kids with dreams of grandeur.”
Rachael closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before releasing it slowly.
“ I was in school to be a doctor. One of the first things they teach you is about emergency situations. They tell you how important it is to not be wasteful with possibly limited supply. How slow is speed and fast is waste. Then I was approached by the ones with the hero rank. As you know, I am the saint rank. They focus on individual strength while I focus on healing in large numbers over a wide area.”
After another deep breath, she looks from the cards to the dragonkin.
“ They wanted me to be a figurehead for publicity. Heal some people for free. Then lock me away and charge money for my service to ‘select clientele’. Also known as those with influence, money, and power. I told them I did not want to do that and left. As my maid was leading me back to my room. I should have realized something was wrong when she took a different route. I was ambushed by their charmer and...”
Rachael shakes her head to get the memory out of her mind.
“ I... I was not a ... I had some romantic experiences before coming to this world. But my magic is passive... It was not only me but the others as well.”
She closes her eyes and sighs before looking at the cards in her hand again.
“ I don’t want to feel that helpless again Xilna. I want to be stronger... And I need these three to be stronger too... Can you help me? The only person who showed me kindness trusts you and... I need someone I can trust too.”
Xilna looked sorry at the saintess before focusing on the cards. She noticed they were starting to emit a slight glow just like the healing earlier.
“ Dragons do not believe in gods. We view ourselves as the mightiest of beings in the world. Huberous you can call it, or pride. But the fact remains, a saintess is not about a higher power but about what those around her believe in. Dragons believe we are the strongest in the world, and so this fact is made true. Tell me, what is it that you want to believe in? What is it that you want others to believe in?”
Rachael did not acknowledge the questions but Xilna could tell they had the desired effect.
“ I will help you the same I will help Jeff. My time here is nearly up so you must trust others as well. Even if it means opening yourself up to betrayal again. Because like it or not, it is a fact that no one can do it alone.”
Xilna then raised up to leave but Rachael held her hand keeping her there.
“ Can you stay with me for a little bit? Not long... just till I am ready.”
Reluctantly Xilna nods and sits back down. Pondering when she first was romanced or lack of memory due to it being done in a drunken state after losing a bet.