That evening when we returned we were greeted by a quite relieved Tulip when we walked through the door. The night went on rather calmly, with Tulip asking how the training went, and seeming both happy and impressed that I progressed so quickly in just a single day. It just meant that it was even more likely for the two of us to continue on our return journey south. While we discussed what had happened during our day Helina set to work making dinner, though it didn't take long for both of us to get up and offer to help her.
With all three of us cooking the evening went by quickly, with small talk, hopeful banter, and genuine relief from all parts. For the first time in years I felt myself smiling, and just enjoying something as simple as being able to spend time with people and talk peacefully. Though the evening didn't last long before exhaustion set in, leaving me to wander my way up the stairs to rest. I hadn't even noticed that I kept my shield up the entire evening, not until my eyes closed as I hit the bed, with the world of mana illuminating for a few solemn moments.
With the last vestiges of my consciousness focused upon it I let the barrier of mana fade away alongside my mind while i let sleep gladly take over. A rare, comfortable night to sleep.
The next morning the sweet aroma of fresh goods woke me, my nose growing weary until it pushed me into a series of sneezes that forced me awake. With a groan I let the exhaustion leave my eyes as hunger was quick to take it over, looking over myself I could still feel the tension in my body, aches and sores still covered my body yet I felt better than I could ever remember in my life. With a steadying breath and a howling growl from my stomach I pushed myself out of the bed to begin towards the exit.
The door slowly creaked open as I pushed it, my eyes traveled down the stairs where I could see Helina already set out cooking something for the morning. The amazing scent of fresh bread was what hit me first, and soon after that the scent of something amazingly sweet hit me.
A creak to my side forced my gaze toward it, with Tulip flashing a quick smile. It seemed we had both been roused by the same scent, and with a mutual smile we began down the stairs.
"Ah you're both up, fantastic." Helina's warm voice greeted us, though her gaze didn't shift away from the fire where she was cooking a multitude of different items that I couldn't quite recognize other than the sets of eggs begin gently simmered on the flat plate of stone. "Breakfast is almost ready, once we're done eating we'll be visiting that smith friend of mine. Depending on what he can do, will depend on how much longer you two will be staying here. Though I will admit I've adored your company."
"Honestly thank you so much... We never would have made it this far without you." Tulip was quick to answer before I could even open my mouth.
"Yea... I doubt I'd even be here if you weren't in the right are at the right time there. So, thanks." I reached up scratching the back of my head as I spoke, looking down as I felt heat rising in my cheeks, thanking someone genuinely was never something I had done often in my life.
"I just happened to be in the right area. Elf or Human, I help any who need it and will accept it." Helina spoke happily, gesturing to the pillows that she used as seats. "Please sit, I'll get food dished up shortly."
Without another word from either of us, both myself and Tulip moved to sit calmly where we were offered. My gaze shifted to Tulip for a moment, she looked longingly at her wrists, the cuffs still binding her wrists and neck still sat coldly close to her body. The hope in her eyes at being able to get out of the cuffs, and be able to get both of us home was clear. I felt that same longing deep in my gut as well.
"Here you both go." Helina broke my musings with a small wooden plate offered forth. A slice of fresh bread, a few thin slices of meat and a single egg with a brilliant yellow yolk still in the middle of it. "It quickly, we should be moving before the sun finished rising so that we can avoid the guards having as much clear sight." Helina continued, she took a few steps away to bite away at her own pieces of food.
It didn't take long for any of us to eat in the silence, just as every meal I had been offered the tastes absolutely astounded me. And before long we were quickly being ushered up, and out the door towards the Elvin city.
As we moved out Helina had quickly ushered us to put on the fake ear extensions she had shown to me the previous day. Alongside two cloaks in a soft green hue akin to most of the clothing Helina had us wearing. Walking out into the crisp, early morning air. Frost covered many of the leaves higher upon the tree line, while dew coated the roots and grass underfoot while we walked through the well trodden path.
Walking deeper into the town the dirt road quickly turned to finely carved, paved brick roads. They were all a muddy orange color, whether that was from decades of dirt sitting upon them or from them being mud bricks was hard for me to tell. Especially when my gaze was continuously fixated on the incredible scenery of the Elvish city. Guards already patrolled many parts of the streets, though most of them didn't bother to look twice at us while we stuck close by to Helina.
I chose to not question their lack of care, likely from respect for Helina from how she described herself being the only healer in the region. It luckily made the trip to a specific building near what I assumed to be the very heart of the city. It was an odd standout, the building wasn't constructed as a part of nature in the slightest, nor was it built into a tree or a hole. It was like a small castle made of carved stone built high, the chimney built into the corner of its crowned roof was already spewing smoke, and the sound of metal pounding metal was resounding even out in the streets.
"This is the place." Helina spoke calmly, walking forwards she opened the door that clearly had a 'CLOSED' sign stabled onto the front of it. Holding it open she gestured for both of us to get in, which we complied with quickly.
"Holy..." I spoke softly as I walked into the main room, it was dimly lit by a single candle lit chandelier overhead. Illuminating countless blades, armors, necklaces and rings. Every single piece was beautiful in its own right, ornately carved, lined with grand imagery of blades and crests. I was mesmerized by the sight, and Tulip seemed to be reacting much the same.
"Who in their right minds ignores a closed sign and comes into someones home anyways?!" I jumped as I heard the booming, furious voice from deeper in the building hiding behind a cloth curtain. Helina for her part raised a hand to her face, laughing softly.
"Just an old friend here to see if you can help Crag, I can leave you back to your sulking if you'd like. But then you'd be missing out on some of that Elven wine you so adore." Helina spoke with a taunting, playful voice that honestly surprised me. I wasn't expecting her to talk to someone like that at all.
"Damn old hag..." Crag spoke still loud enough to be heard, Helina turned, gesturing for us to take off the hoods of the cloaks we were given. "Just what in the world would you... Oh." Crag continued to speak as his voice got closer, there was a rumbling in the building itself as the massive frame filled up the cloth covered doorway.
Crag was easily at least seven foot tall, with arms larger than a bulls torso, and rippling with so much muscle I had to wonder if the building would collapse if he just flexed. His eyes were gray, while his head was completely clear of hair until it moved down to his face which was covered with a bushy, orange beard. His skin was a faint blueish color, he wore a shirt and pants that seemed far too tight for him as every step showed his body rippling. Which frankly made me feel deeply uncomfortable to look at him.
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His gaze was locked onto Tulip, his eyes examining the shackles covering her neck and arms.
"Hmm... Alright, but you owe me that bottle of wine. You two, in the back with me. Best get you both on your way before the guards think to look twice at either of ya'." Crag turned, stepping aside to let us through, though my gaze looked towards Helina with a worried expression.
"He's fine, while Crag is built like a brute, and quite frankly acts like one, I've seen him shed a tear over hurting a fly." Helina spoke with a sly grin towards the giant, Crag seemed annoyed at what I assumed to be a story being brought up.
"That was one time, and I was barely five years old you damned hag. Hundred years and you still haven't let go of that." Crag shook his head, sighing as a toothy grin showed. His incisors were like tusks inside of his mouth, barely covered by his lips. "Now you two hurry up please? This is supposed to be my day off and magesteel is quite frankly one of the worst materials to try and find a way through."
"Alright..." Tulip spoke before I could say anything, taking my arm she started pulling me forwards. I just had to hold back an internal groan at my own discomfort over the situation. Tulip just looked to me with a reassuring, hopeful gaze that did at least help a marginal amount.
"Over there with the cuffs. You just stay out of the way, and don't touch anything." Crag said, he gestured to a bench with two seats around it for Tulip, while I followed several paces behind, curious enough to at least watch. Tulip sat on the bench, placing her right arm on the table where Crag gestured for her to do so. He began gathering some tools that were hanging on the back of the bench, looking up when a bell rang as Helina left only to look back down at what he was doing a moment later.
"Now just what are two human girls doing in the heart of the Elvish jungle? And with only one of you having any slaver cuffs?" Crag asked after a few moments of silence. He looked at me first, and then to Tulip.
We were both silent, with Tulip looking at me for some kind of help. I had utterly no idea what to even say, or do, just giving her a shrug, to which she sighed and looked back at Crag.
"We were captured inside of Arcadia on our way back to the dormitories we were supposed to be staying in before attending Silver Sky. I guess they didn't think Kirin could use her magic, or thought she didn't have any for some reason... So they didn't bother putting cuffs on her. Some kind of fighting started and we got out during the skirmish." Tulip recounted the first part of the story quickly, she had to hold in a wince as Crag began to shove tools into the lock, seemingly testing it.
"Hmm... Slavers raiding a city as large as Arcadia? During a festival of all things? I don't know whats stranger... They got away with it, or that they tried it at all." Crag mused to himself, sighing a little. "Short one, go over to the anvil, hanging on the edge of it there is a small hammer. Bring that here."
"I have a name..." I grumbled a little, but I obliged. Walking over to the Anvil to grab whatever the 'small' hammer could be. The Anvil itself sat higher up than my neck, and the smaller hammer still had a head larger than my hands. I heard a quiet bit of talking between Crag and Tulip for a few moments before I managed to grab the absurdly heavy hammer and bring it over. "This one?..." I asked with labored breaths, this thing must have been over fifty pounds!
"Yes, thank you." Crag replied courtly, grabbing the hammer by the head with one hand like it was nothing, he sat it on the table while I returned to my position beside Tulip.
"What in the world is this lock..." Crag spoke in a hushed breath, there were a few clicks from the lock that sound promising only for a loud crunch to sound out. Crag seemed astounded as he pulled the rood he had put into the key socket back, with an entire piece of it mangled. "Do you know the name, or names of the Slavers that got you two?" Crag asked with a worried tone after a moment.
"I think it was... Markus and Andrew?... They didn't really use their names much but I think that was it." I offered after a moment, which seemed to be the answer Crag was looking for as his face contorted.
"I can't get you out of these." Crag said with an apologetic sigh. "I've seen a number of items from them, despite their reputation for it, there is a part of the Elvish military that hunts down 'illegal' slavers that capture them from other nations by unsavory means. Markus and Andrew are just two more infamous ones, mostly because no one has been able to figure out how their cuffs work. The only way out is with that master key to them that the leader of the pair runs around with."
"What?" Tulip said, fear, panic, regret, so many emotions were in her voice at once that it left me shocked. "I... I can't... That can't be true? How... Why?..."
"Look kid, I don't know what kind of engineering wizardry they use for this. I've seen these cuffs a dozen times now, and they all end up with the same outcome. Never get off of their wearer, now if you two are from Berinia, you have a better chance. Berinian smiths are better lock picks than I am. But I can't get these off of you." Crag seemed genuinely sorrowful in his voice, he looked at the tools on his workbench with a distant gaze.
All three of us looked up as the bell rang again, Crag sighed a little, standing up.
"Tell you what kid. I do have something that can at least help you lot get out of here, and help you out in the long run. Let me go grab it, and I'll let the two of you each take one of the blades from back stock. better to be out in the world armed, than be out in the world without a chance to defend yourself." Crag offered the best he could, walking past the curtain, he glanced out and gave a saddened shake of his head to presumably Helina.
"I can't... Use my magic..." Tulip looked down, tears were staining her eyes, her hands curling into tight fists. I winced seeing her like this, biting down whatever anxiety I felt over the same circumstance I spoke with the best thing I could. A promise.
"Tulip, I swear to you. I'll make sure you're not stuck in those, alright? You're only here because you wanted to bring me out and show me the city. I don't know how, but I promise I will." I tried to instill whatever confidence I could into Tulip, her eyes filled with desperation, her will filled to the brim day after day by the hope that she could just get out of the shackles that bound the other half of her was broken.
"Thank you... Kirin..." Tulip spoke slowly, for once it was my turn to pull her to her feet. Trying to bring her out to Helina, who pushed the curtain back to look at the two of us. She had a fancy bottle in one hand, which she put down gently on the counter next to the curtain.
"I'm sorry that this is how it ended up you two." Helina spoke with a somber tone again. She offered her arms open, to which Tulip moved over and accepted the hug. I was left wondering how I would react in her situation. Magic was so new to me I was used to living without it, but for Tulip it was an integral part of her. It was something as simple as being able to walk for me, so without that requirement of her lifestyle how could she go on without it. With that somber tone filling every, the rest of the day seemed to just drag on until we eventually returned home, with Helina acquiring the gifts Crag had left for us.
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"What do you mean they got away?" A distorted voice spoke, hate was so audible in every word that Andrew was honestly almost surprised he and Markus didn't keel over dead then and there.
"We were attacked by the Elvish slaver hunters, during the chaos the two got away. The trail went cold after they encountered a very dead crawler. The Princess is still wearing cuffs, and unlikely to get out thanks to the Master Key still being in my possession." Andrew spoke calmly, his eyes stayed firmly locked on the ground. He didn't dare look at the dark figure upon the spatial mirror.
"Find them and make sure they do not return to Berinia. Else my entire plan will be gone." The figure spoke once more, the threat clear in their voice. Either Andrew and Markus died to recapture the pair, or they died to the hand of whoever was paying them for this job. The mirror cut out, leaving Andrew to sigh with relief.
"Remind me again why I let you select our next job?" He spoke with annoyance in his voice, a glare settled on Markus.
"Because I had found one that would pay enough for us to buy an entire city if we wanted as much." Markus replied with a grin, Andrew could almost see the coins in his eyes.
"And you didn't once bother to question why they paid so much..." Andrew sighed, pushing himself to stand. They had a single lead, supposedly a pair of human girls were found in Nime. Which meant more than likely, the two targets were there, and preparing to head south for the desert. "And now we have to go on a manhunt through the desert. Hope you're happy."
"Trust me, I will be when I get to spill their blood. Never said we had to keep the little one alive did they?" Markus smirked, a venomous grin that showed Andrew exactly why he kept the incompetent fool around. At least a berserker like him had his use, sometimes.