„...Savages“ I said in absolute disgust.

„It is merely business my friend. Where there is demand there will be supply.“ The man who was the architect of this said standing behind me. There were people in those cages who were high on opium... Women.

„Listen here!“ The tall man shouted at Kye once more. „If you refuse to negotiate any further I will be forced to do things I do not want to do, I am a just man. You have done me wrong, but I understand your predicament, your frustration.“ He continued.

Kye responded in Almagandan. A few familiar words that I knew were profanities and insults.

„I am also a merciful man.“ He said in response, ignoring her insults. „If you let me explain everything I am willing to let both of you go. Of course, you'll have to compensate me for your incurred damages. I am trying to be reasonable...“

„What exactly is reasonable here?“ I asked.

The tall man took a few steps forward, he was now beside me.

„That is my question, my friend.“ He replied. „I have to mention that the people inside there...“ He pointed with his finger to the barn. „As well as all present here tonight, are in fact here by their own accord. They are not slaves they are employees.“ He pointed his finger into the sky and made a circular motion with it.

„Bullshit! You're just fu...“ Before I could finish my sentence someone put a rag over my mouth, muffling me. I was unable to speak.

It was obvious the guy was stalling for whatever reason. Each second Kye just stood there is a second wasted... I had to convey that information to her before it was too late.

„You're stalling, you pest...“ Kye said opening her palm toward him. She had the same thought as I.

„And I've bought myself just enough time.“ He replied.

BANG

The distinct crack of a rifle was heard from inside the barn. The interior was lit up for just a split second. But I was looking at Kye, she screamed in pain falling to the ground and clutching her knee.

I tried to protest, I tried to yell... But with the rag in my mouth, I could only let out muffled yelps. They held me down, I was on my knees.

I felt hopeless, I felt powerless...

I felt fear.

I felt it turn into rage.

I felt the familiarity of the situation.

I remembered.

----------------------------------------

„Mom?“ My voice quaked as I heard a commotion in the other room.

I heard Mom shout, quickly followed by Dad. I couldn't make out what they were saying. Then I realized there was a third voice in the mix, an unfamiliar voice.

I slowly got out of bed and waddled toward the door, I put my ear against it.

„Listen, if you can't pay the debts I have no other choice but to take something of equal value.“ I heard the third voice, a man, say.

„We still have those hens, Kris?“ I heard my mother say.

„No... That's not enough.“ I heard my father reply.

„No, chickens will not suffice. But there is another thing you can give us, we need some extra hands up north.“ The man said.

„I'll go.“ My father replied.

„No!“ My mother protested.

„If I don't...“ I heard my father start, but he was interrupted.

„No, no. You're too big for that, we need someone to maintain one of our machines. We need someone small...“

There was a pause.

„You. Are. Not taking my son...“ I heard my mother growl out.

A fourth voice appeared then „Oi, what's taking so damn long?“

„Wait, we're gonna take the kid and be done with it.“ The third voice replied.

„YOU ARE NOT TAKING HIM!“ Mother yelled.

I heard the commotion.

Then.

BANG

THUMP

„WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?“ I heard my father yell, I heard fighting and swearing.

„Just kill him for fuck sake them! Shoot him!“ I heard someone say.

Then I heard two thumps.

I heard my father weep.

I opened the door and walked out.

I saw two men on the floor. On the doorway stood a hooded figure.

My father was kneeling down, holding my mother.

She was bleeding.

The hooded figure knelt down next to her and clutched her hand.

I began to cry.

I felt as if the world was collapsing

I felt a burst in my chest...

„Wyatt...“ I heard the hooded man say my name.

„Don't, Wyatt, control yourself, calm down.“

„Wyatt... DON'T! NO!“ He shouted, getting up from his knees.

White.

I saw white.

----------------------------------------

„Aye, why's the guy's necklace glowing?“ One of the men restraining me said.

Wind, epicenter above my head.

„Hey you fu...“ Another said, he couldn't finish.

Crack

Shockwave.

My ears buzzed, and I felt the grip around my arms disappear.

I looked up. The men behind Kye were knocked down to the ground. I saw her shield drop, she held her hand to her wounded leg, a green glow. She got up.

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Her eyes were no longer Elven.

I saw the men behind try to stand up. She quickly moved her hand toward the ground, a plume of smoke rose. I saw them collapse to the ground again.

My ears started to slowly recover.

Kye raised her hand as she walked toward me, still on my knees. I saw two rifles start floating in the air.

I looked beside me at one of the men who held me down, he just opened his eyes.

The rifle that was in the air suddenly was thrust into his chest. Right into his heart.

I heard a gunshot ring out. In a split of a second Kye raised her other hand and blocked the bullet mid-air.

I looked to the right to see the man who opened fire. He just chambered another bullet.

Then a wooden plank went through his chest.

Kye grabbed me by my collar and hoisted me to my feet.

„Get them out of the cages.“ She said, staring right into my eyes.

„Y-you are both mages!?“ The purple-eyed halfling said „What are you idiots waiting for?! Kill them!“ he commanded the still-dazed dozen or so armed men around us.

Then Kye raised both her hands, and hundreds of rocks and pebbles rose up from the dirt. With the flick of both her wrists, the rocks flew like a musket volley around us at the armed men. I heard a cacophony of whistles through the air as all of them collapsed to the ground.

She looked at the halfling on the ground.

„Are there any others?“ She said to him.

„What do you mean?“ He responded.

She looked next to her, Owen's rifle was on the ground. She grabbed it and aimed at the halfling.

„W-wait, that's all of them! Don't fucking kill me, I'll let them go!“

Kye lowered her aim in between his legs.

She pulled the trigger.

The halfling let out a blood-curdling scream. She shoved the rifle into my hands.

„I'll deal with him later, break the locks on the cages. Let them out.“ She said as she started walking back to the village. She sounded exhausted.

„They'll be cold...“ I said.

Without saying a word or looking back she formed two small balls of light in her hands and threw them at the poppy field on either side of her. Setting fire to them.

„They won't...“ I said to myself.

I didn't feel scared, I didn't feel relieved... I felt nothing. Numbness. Without thought I started walking into the barn where they held the captives. I ignored the screams of pain from the halfling.

Upon entering the barn I could barely see inside. I didn't hear anything.

I looked around and saw a lantern on the ground, thankfully it wasn't broken. I managed to make it work.

I then saw the extent of what they were doing.

Thirteen cages each holding four to six people, all girls, most of them Elves. They wore tattered rags, some were completely naked. They didn't appear emaciated but I could see that each and every one had a blank expression on their face. They were drugged to the point where they couldn't do anything. No resistance.

I came up to the cage that was closest. I inspected the padlock.

I doubt I can brute force it... But I can melt it.

I held my hand above the lock and imagined heat... I saw the lock turn orange, then red. Then I stopped when it was hot enough.

Wouldn't want any of them to step on melted iron.

I hit the lock with the butt of the rifle and it came clean off, I kicked the hot piece of iron away and opened the cage.

The girls inside ignored me. They had no reaction whatsoever.

I gently grabbed one of the girls sitting next to the cage door. I saw that she had some of her toes and the tips of her fingers missing... Frostbite? How long have they been here?

I pulled her up. She barely stood on her two feet. I looked at her.

„Can you walk?“ She looked at me with a blank stare and nodded.

„Get out of the barn and have seat next to the fire, okay? Warm yourself up.“ After a few seconds, she stumbled her way out, I held her until she was just outside the barn.

I kept doing that for what felt like an eternity... I carried some of them out, laid them next to the barn. Three we're dead... No pulse.

After the fifth cage, I felt sick... I felt cold despite the now scorching heat of the blazing poppy field.

I ignored the halfling reeling on the ground. But when I carried out a fourth girl that showed no signs of life I looked at him.

He was using healing magic to put his groin back together.

I gently put the body of the girl on the ground and walked to that thing.

I shoved my heel in between his legs. He let out a scream of pain.

„I'll kill you... All of you...“ He said through his teeth, tears and snot running down his face.

„How long has this been going on?“ I asked him.

He spat on the floor.

„Longer than you've been alive... Do you think I had a choice in this?! You think I wanted this?!“ He said.

I couldn't look at him anymore. I retrieved a bullet from the pouch I still had on me. I put the bullet in the barrel and aimed it at his head.

„Go ahead, shoot me you fucking pus...“ I pulled the trigger. The top portion of his head was no more.

Without thinking of it any further, I continued with what I was doing...

Not before looking out to the forest, where the village lie beyond. I heard gunfire... I saw plumes of smoke rise just beyond the trees.

----------------------------------------

I found a cigarette... There was a pack on one of the bodies... Thankfully it didn't catch on fire. I smoked one... Then another, then another after that.

I looked after the girls, they huddled together next to the barn. Some of them shook... Some of them cried...Some were vomiting... The drugs were wearing off.

I didn't know what else to do. I sat there on the ground, smoking one cigarette after another. Looking out at the burning poppy field and the ever-growing fiery blaze that was the village...

I then saw Kye come out of the forest. She was dragging a body. She let go of it right as she got out of the forest. She turned around and placed her open palm on her shoulder.

She was shot. Her cloak was bloody.

She walked slowly in between the burning fields. She looked exhausted... Her essence was on the verge of depletion I could tell...

Once she came close to me she looked at the body of the halfling, then she looked at me.

„Are you wounded?“ She asked, I shook my head.

She then turned and went to the girls sitting beside the barn. She started tending to them as much as she could.

An hour passed, I think. I could hear Kye cough and wheeze.

I was still on the ground, looking at the fire that was now slowly dying out.

I heard Kye speak, she was right behind me.

„We have to leave before sunrise. The smoke will catch someone's attention. The girls will be found...“ She said.

„What if someone like them, finds them?“ I said in a monotone voice.

„They won't.“ She replied.

I nodded and got up to my feet.

We started walking.

I looked back to the girls. Most of them were now asleep. I saw two of them huddled in Kye's bloody cloak, another two huddled in mine. Kye found some blankets which the rest shared...

I turned around and continued alongside Kye.

We went through the forest.

The village smelt of burning wood and gunpowder, a vague scent of iron was also in the air.

Most of the buildings were still burning, and some already collapsed. Bodies were strewn across the street.

Our wagon and horses were nowhere to be found... So we just walked in silence down the dirt road... We passed the booth, now empty.

Then we were on the road proper.

I don't know for how long we walked... But after some time we heard gallops behind us. At first, I thought there were more of those bastards trying to find us... Kill us.

But no... Those were Lyn and Phinn. They found us, somehow.

I needed to help Kye to get up the horse before I got up on the other.

They horses began going forward at a steady pace down the road. I buried my face into his mane...

And I drifted off.

----------------------------------------

My eyes slowly opened. My neck was stiff and I was sweating.

I was still on the horse... Phinn, I think. It was morning already and the heat already started to rear its ugly head.

I got up, spitting pieces of hair from Phinn's mane from my mouth. To the front, I saw Lyn and Kye. She was awake looking straight ahead.

„Kye, where are we now?“ I asked.

Without turning her head to look at me she replied – „Far from that place.“

„Then we should stop for a while... My ass hurts from the saddle.“ I said.

Kye looked back at me, her expression expressing the usual neutrality, and her eyes returned to normal.

„Alright.“ She said turning with the horse and going off the road to a thin patch of forest. I followed after her.

After about a minute we finally got off our horses and hitched them. I sat on the ground next to a tree, Kye did the same. She was just across from me.

„We need to find food, we lost everything we had in the wagon. And the horses are hungry as well.“ She started.

I remained silent. The events of the previous night still linger in my mind... How could she just brush off what happened last night?

... She went on a massacre.

„Wyatt.“ She said, I looked up at her. „What's wrong?“ She asked.

„You really had no chance to look at yourself last night. Kyiela... What are you, exactly? Why... How did you know that they were there? Why haven't you told me anything? Why did you act so fucking impulsively?! We could've both died and we could've done jack shit to help them!“ I said with anger in my voice.

Kye just stared at me for a second.

„But we didn't.“ She said. „The amulet the old Elf gave you is imbued with essence... It reacted to you and gave me time to react and...“ I cut her off.

„AND WHAT?! You couldn't tell me a thing? You know what I needed to fucking do?! Do you think murder and killing is something I grew up with?! I AM NOT YOU! We could've helped them without killing an entire village! Most of those people there had NO FUCKING CHOICE! The barkeep fucking died because he warned us to leave! Some of those people were coerced under the threat of death! The death of their family! Haven't you seen them?! Most of them were addicted to drugs... And those girls, they're now going through withdrawals and I am certain that half of them will fucking die because of it. What about that girl? The girl who looks just like you, you saw her, have you not, her dad? They were escaping who knows what kind of death from the east... Just to be exploited, they are dead now. You had to not only risk our own lives, you risked the lives of those girls and took the lives of any family they had left. The only person who deserved death was that halfling son of a bitch!“ I yelled at her, standing up.

I pointed at myself. „And I was the one who blew his fucking head off! I was the one who let those girls out of those cages... And you, you just went out killing. Without a second thought. I thought you were careful and thoughtful, but I was fucking wrong I see... I was wrong.“ I finished.

Kye stared at me, her eyes were wide.

She got up from the ground and went to Lyn. She unhitched him and jumped up on the saddle.

„Where are you going now?“ I asked.

„I failed.“ She responded.

I thought about what I said, now with all the anger that I had was let out... I was not wrong... But, I shouldn't have said it like that...

„What do you mean?“ I asked again.

She turned around with Lyn, she looked at me again.

„I nearly killed you... I failed.“ She smacked the reins and went off.

„Damn it all to hell! Kye come back!“ I shouted, running to Phinn, unhitching him, jumping onto the saddle, and quickly following after her.

I weaved through the brush as fast as I could, I was not a good rider by any means, but I think Phinn could sense the urgency.

I emerged onto the road where we were previously, I looked to the left and right. I couldn't see her anywhere...

„KYIELA!“ I shouted, Phinn neighed and kicked his hooves into the ground.

„Where'd she go...?“ I whispered to myself.

„Left or right, buddy, what do you think?“ I asked Phinn, knowing that he wouldn't understand me, but I didn't know what else to do.

Surprisingly enough, Phinn reacted to my question. He turned left.

„Alright! Then let's get to her before she gets too far! Hiya!“ I smacked the reins and Phinn began to gallop down the road.