Aragon:

Four or so weeks previously, shortly after Cassy and Drayden had climbed to the top of the wall and started walking along it, Aragon also walked along the top. He was keeping up a good pace; he didn't want to dawdle any longer in this part of the Ringworld. He didn't know it, but he was following in their tracks.

So, should I go down the next staircase and get some birds? Or should I continue?

He had a backpack with water and food, so he was pretty relaxed about that decision. He wasn't so sanguine about why he had to move in a hurry.

I think I went a bit too far anticlockwise; seeing those groups of slavers moving about was a bit of a shocker. I thought I was still safely within the monster territory.

Fortunately, Aragon was on the Rimwall, and the slavers were on the ground.

Damn it, it was a stupid idea going that far anticlockwise. What did I expect? Cinnati fell to the slavers some time ago.

And I'm now too late: the monster season has already finished for this year. The monster territory may have become safe to wander around for a few months like I planned, but the slavers may also decide to wander around it. I would have preferred to spend my time avoiding monsters than avoiding slavers.

What a pain! This means I will have to go back past Manifestoria and keep going further clockwise.

I hope they don't have anyone stationed at the staircase opening. That could be embarrassing.

He walked briskly along and made sure to stick to the outside edge so that no one on the ground could see him. He didn't have fully maxed-out strength attributes like the Misfits, so he couldn't run continuously.

Coming up soon should be the staircase a hundred or so kilometres before the ocean.

Sure enough, it appeared in the distance and gradually came closer. Unfortunately, along with the usual rubbish, there was a sad addition.

Aragon carefully examined the situation from a cautious distance. He kept well away from the staircase opening.

Nobody within sight. It doesn't look like anybody is hanging off the inside edge, waiting to ambush me - hopefully, nobody in the stairwell, either.

He took a good look at the body.

Yeah, those clothes. And those scars on her back. She definitely was a slave. Judging by her apparent poor health, she was probably just a grey level.

They dumped her here when she was no longer of any use.

He had to exert his conscious will to unclench his fists.

The rest of her party could have gone anticlockwise and got down before meeting me, or they are still ahead in the clockwise direction.

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Fuck. Manifestoria is that way. If a bunch of slavers get to them, then...

I'll have to report this. It is the least that Tanya would expect of me.

Keeping a close watch on what was coming up, he increased his speed to as much as he could manage without exhausting himself.

He soon enough came across the abandoned sedan chair and two dead slaves.

What lazy unspeakable **** **** shits!

They trashed two or three slaves so that they could have an easy lift up the stairs.

I'm going to kill those slave masters.

He meant it, too.

Unfortunately, he was experienced and a realist. He knew perfectly well he might have to fight a bunch of grey-collared slaves to survive.

He passed two more dead slaves. He ground his teeth and kept going.

Then, three more.

Those two are hugging each other.

Fuck.

Then, two more.

I will not show any mercy to any slave masters.

Then, the remaining sedan chair and the dead slave and dead slave master.

So, someone, obviously another slave of the same rank, killed him from behind. Well, that's one way of getting rid of them.

It was apparent, at least to Aragon. The killer couldn't be a slave of a lower rank since they would be unable to be anything but obedient. It couldn't be a slave of higher rank, as they could merely order the man to die. It couldn't be a non-slave, as they would have been rapidly collared and turned into a slave.

Unless it was a non-slave that snuck up on them? Seems unlikely.

And finally, he found the remaining slave and the remaining slave master.

Soooo, the girl collapsed and died from exhaustion. And why was the man running back the way he came? And, these twenty-two piles of sand and scorch marks...

Someone destroyed twenty-two slave collars. Using some sort of high-temperature ability. Hmm, that's not one of the standard abilities.

Thinking about this, he finally made it to the Manifestoria sign.

Now what?

He was still reluctant to go back to his home town. So he made up a rationalisation.

Maybe there are more slavers ahead. Perhaps some of them are healthy and have a supply of slave collars. Right, I'll continue along. I have enough supplies to reach the next staircase.

He walked over to the inside railing, stuck his head over and waved.

Anybody with normal eyesight wouldn't have a hope in hell of seeing him. However, someone with enhanced perception, using the optical aids that the Felixians had available, could.

That'll probably give them cause to look up here. Hopefully, this is enough for Tanya to be satisfied.

Happy with his rationalisation, he kept going.

Two days later, he found Alice, Bronsen and the mother and daughter.

As soon as he could discern their figures in the distance, he slowed down and walked along the outside railing. His clothes were darkish, and his skin was primarily black, with deep red patches. So, he wasn't too visible against the blackness of the universe. He slowly and steadily walked along, getting closer to them.

The bloke on the ground must be a high-ranking slaver... Also dead.

Those teenagers - they're a bit weird - both monotones? I think I've only seen, what, two or three in my entire life? And here there are two.

He was getting close enough to make out many details, helped by his moderately high [Perception Boost].

What's with their strange clothes? Don't tell me they made them themselves. Out in the wild?

That didn't make much sense to him. After all, even the most independent, isolated person had some contact with civilisation. Like, for example, himself.

And now he got a good look at the two slaves lying on the ground.

They're looking after those two slaves. That's a lot of points in their favour. And they are not slaves themselves.

The question is, who, if anyone, are they working for?

At this point, the teenagers lined up a row of four slave collars and destroyed them.

Well. Precisely like the twenty-two collars I saw back there.

That's a relief; they're not working for any slavers.

Not that non-slaves could ever work with slaves, anyway.

Time to make myself known.