Mitch Magee was a happy man. He had been a slave merchant for nearly two decades, getting his start when he was only twenty years old, and he was doing quite well for himself. There were three ways to acquire slaves, and he made use of all of them: capture, criminal sentencing, and being sold to cover a debt. The first was only allowed for monstrous races and enemies of the state (or enemy combatants); the second was self-explanatory; and the third could be done by family members to cover their own debts or employers to get money from employees who owed them. Selling slaves was a lucrative business, so long as one knew where best to sell and how to evaluate the acquired slaves. And Mitch wasn’t one to brag, but he considered himself pretty good at the job.

Tonight was shaping up to be just another night on the road, with two wagons filled to bursting with recently-acquired slaves that he was transporting to the city of Kentward. There, he was sure to find buyers for not only the people, but also the monsters. When he acquired the dryad, he couldn’t believe his luck, but all of this batch were of high quality, even the kobolds. Nothing could dampen his mood!

“By the glory of the sun! Hiya!”

The sound of a galloping horse followed the yell. He leaned forward and called out of the wagon, “Go see what’s going on!”

A moment later he heard one of his guards – elite guards, because he could afford them – shout, “Halt and identify yourself!”

“Perish, evildoer!”

“Gah!”

“We’re under attack!”

“Take down that knight!”

Horses whinnied and steel rang on steel. Then the wagon rocked as something landed on the back, and Mitch whirled around faster than he had ever moved in his life. A saurian wearing a red cloak and carrying a silversteel halberd stood at the back of the wagon, teeth bared. It was the brawniest saurian that he had ever seen. Mitch’s assistants, who were also in the wagon with him, screamed.

“Tonight, slavers, you meet your end!”

Mitch’s last thought was that the saurian was an emissary of death itself, as its halberd tore his assistants in half before hurtling at his face.

-x-

“What have you done?!”

“Thought you’d be happier to be freed,” Isa said to the man who had spoken as Rai magically unlocked the cages.

“Freed?! You think that murdering the slavers results in our freedom?! We’re branded, you stupid saurian! We’ll always be identifiable as slaves! Instead, people will think we were the ones who killed the slavers! You’ve made everything worse!”

“What sort of brand? Burned on?” the Sun Knight asked, handing the keys to the shackles to Rai.

“Obviously!”

“Well, that’s easy to fix. We’ll just cut the brand off and heal you,” the Sun Knight said as though it were obvious. There are a dozen of you in this cage and a dozen in the other. I can heal seven people, and the Warrior can heal the rest.”

“Yeah, I’ve got plenty of spells left to use.”

The man gaped.

“…But you’re a knight! And the saurian is a warrior!”

“A holy knight. And the Warrior is a blood mage with the ability to turn her blood into a healing elixir.”

“We’ll still have nowhere to go,” a woman said.

“I’m afraid we can’t really help with that,” Rai said as the slaves exited the cages and he began removing their shackles. “We’re just passing through the country on our way to the desert.”

“The desert?” a boy said. “Why would you go there? You’ll die!”

“We’re pretty good at staying alive,” Isa assured him with a grin. He shrank away from her, frightened.

“Oh, come on! I’m not that scary!”

“You’re covered in the blood of people you killed and your weapon is dripping with blood,” Rai said dryly. “You have a mouth full of sharp pointy teeth, and claws that could easily tear a man to shreds. I’d be more surprised if the kid wasn’t afraid of you.” Rai turned to the boy, who was hiding behind a woman. “Don’t worry, she’s actually quite nice when she’s not fighting monsters or bad guys,” he said.

“Who exactly are you people?” one of the two saurians, a blue-scaled man, asked. “You’re not from around here, obviously, but I’ve never heard of saurian traveling with humans… or a human and whatever the one in armor is.”

“Name’s Isa. This is Rai, my partner. We’re helping each other to achieve our goals, so we work and travel together. And the Sun Knight was assigned to accompany us by someone with an interest in keeping us alive.”

“How did a saurian end up working with a human?” the other saurian, a green-scaled woman, asked.

“Oh, I wasn’t a saurian when I partnered up with him. I was hatched a kobold.”

“Wait, really?!” one of the four kobolds, a black-scaled young man, said excitedly. “You were a kobold and you evolved?!”

“That’s right. And I’m going to keep evolving until I’m a dragon. That’s my ultimate goal.”

The saurians exchanged a look as Rai unlocked their shackles.

“You’re going to become a dragon? That’s…”

“A crazy goal, I know. But I’ve already become a saurian despite being hatched a kobold. That’s proof that it’s possible. Next stage is draconid, I believe.”

“What’s a draconid?” a yellow-scaled kobold woman asked.

“They’re draconic people, like us, but even bigger than saurians and they have wings. I’ve never seen one in person, but I’ve seen illusions of them. Actually, this is the first time I’ve met other saurians in person, too.”

“Really? Where are you from?” the saurian woman asked.

“The ruins of an ancient city of draconic peoples. Nowadays, there are only kobolds there, a few small tribes like my own Blackfang Tribe. My tribe can trace its history back over a thousand years, and its legends go all the way back to the ancients, which Rai says was over seven thousand years ago. Rai’s a scholar who studies the ancients. That’s why we’re going to the desert – there are supposed to be ruins there, too.”

“Human scholar and saurian warrior,” one of the anthropomorphic eagles said. “Unusual pair. What human’s goal?”

“My goal is to find ruins, remnants, and relics of the ancient Tower Era, study them, and learn ancient lost magics. I have something I must do, no matter what, that will require lost magical knowledge.”

“Foolish,” the other eagle said. “Chasing dreams.”

“I disagree. Living without dreams is just being dead while breathing.”

The eagles both scoffed.

Cutting off the scar tissue and regrowing the flesh with healing magic was easy on the humans, elves, and reptilian people (who had had scales removed and the flesh underneath branded), as well as on the eagles, but the stone people didn’t have regular flesh, being made of living stone. Rather than burned on brands, they had had the slave marks chiseled onto the surface, and they didn’t seem to understand what was happening and so couldn’t give their consent to having the offending area broken off. They didn’t speak the common tongue, and when they did speak, it was never more than two syllables at a time.

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“What race are they?” Rai said. “I don’t think I’ve heard of stone-people before.”

“They’re relatively recently discovered,” an elven man said. “They live underground, beneath the mountains. They don’t speak our language, and they don’t appear to be very intelligent, but they are strong and make excellent physical laborers, especially when it comes to things like construction with stones or working in quarries. Pretty much all of the ones you see aboveground have been captured as slaves.”

“I… see.”

“May I ask why you’re doing this?” the elf said.

“Because slavery is evil, an affront to all that is good and true,” the Sun Knight answered.

“Ah. You’re not from the Republic. I know that some of the other nations think poorly of the institution of slavery.”

“It is evil.”

“It’s practical.”

“It really isn’t,” Rai said. “There are a lot of things that are beneficial to one party that are morally wrong. Slavery is one of those things. It might be beneficial to those who own slaves or take advantage of their labor, but that doesn’t make it good. I’m surprised to hear a slave extolling the benefits of slavery, though.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. But yes, before being made a slave, I benefited from slave labor – as do most citizens of Herrutah. Slaves do most of the construction and farm work, after all.”

“It is still an abominable practice!” the Sun Knight declared.

Rai exited the conversation to approach the dryad girl, who was standing at a distance. He unlocked and removed her shackles, and she looked at him with alien eyes bearing no iris or pupil.

“...Thank you,” she said softly, her voice like the rustling of leaves.

“Is there a grove or forest you would like us to escort you to?” Rai asked. She hesitated, then nodded.

“My home is south, in a grove by a pond. I am the youngest dryad there. The others knew to hide when humans approached, but I did not. I see that not all humans are bad, thanks to you, but I will be more careful from now on. Please, take me home.”

“We will.”

“But first, we must rest,” the Sun Knight said. “Dryad, do you wish to have the slavery mark removed?”

“…Yes. I know it will be painful, but I do not wish to be marred.”

“Please bear with the pain,” Rai said. The dryad screamed as he carved out a piece of her torso. The moment the marked chunk was detached, the Sun Knight healed her.

“I’m sorry.”

“…No; thank you.”

-x-

The reptilian people went one direction, the eagle people took to the skies, the humans and elves followed the road, the stone people wandered to the north, and Rai’s group escorted the dryad girl to the south. The detour took them five days on account of her not knowing exactly where the pond was in relation to their starting position. Rai had to enter a town and ask around at one point, which got them pointed in the right direction, but they still had to wander to find the dryad grove.

When they arrived, the dryad’s mood brightened.

“Sisters! I am back!”

Over a dozen dryads stepped out of their trees and approached, smiles on their faces.

“Byra! Oh, we’re so glad that you are safe!”

“How did you manage to become free?”

“Did these people rescue you?”

“Yes, they did! Everyone, this is Rai, Isa, and the Sun Knight.”

The oldest-looking dryad, whose hair was made of leafy vines and countless flowers, flowing down in tangles to the ground and trailing behind her, stepped up to the girl and pressed their foreheads together.

“It is a blessing of the Goddess that you have returned to us,” she said. “We are overjoyed that you are safe once more.” Then she turned to Rai. “Thank you for saving our youngest. Please, allow us to reward you for your good deed.”

She turned and strode away to the largest, thickest tree and plucked a round, purple fruit from it that looked similar to an apple. Then she stretched out her other hand and the branches shook, causing a three-foot-long stick the width of two fingers to fall and land in her hand. Lastly, she plucked a flower from her own hair before returning.

“I am Willa, the eldest dryad of this grove,” she said. “I present to you three things, as there are three of you. First, the fruit of my tree. Second, the branch of my tree. Lastly, the flower of my hair.”

“We are humbled by your generosity,” Rai said respectfully, putting his hand up to his chest in salute.

“Thanks. What do they do?” Isa said.

“Isa! Don’t be rude!”

Willa laughed. “I am not offended. The fruit, when eaten, improves your qi and refines your qi core. I can tell from looking at you that all of you have highly developed qi cores. Yes, it will still have its effect, though lessened, if divided up and shared. The branch is a potent magical catalyst. If cut and carved into jewelry or tools, it can be used to make powerful magical items. And the flower can be used to brew tea that will assist you in meditation when constructing your next mana circle, as I see that two of you are mages.”

“These gifts are astounding,” the Sun Knight said. “Are you certain you wish to give them to us?”

“I am. You have brought our youngest back to us safely. This is something for which we can never thank you enough. I hope that these gifts will aid you in whatever tasks you undertake.”

“They will,” Rai said almost reverently. “Before we leave… may we hear your stories? The chance to speak with a grove of dryads is not one that comes by often. I am a scholar, and while dryads are not my area of expertise, being a scholar means to be possessed by curiosity.”

“I have to admit I’m kind of curious too,” Isa said. “I didn’t know there were plant people.”

“You are welcome to stay and speak with us for as long as you like,” Willa said with a smile, handing the gifts over to Rai and Isa.

And so they did, passing the rest of the day in conversation.

“Why do you hide behind a mask of steel?” one of the dryads asked the Sun Knight.

“…I do not wish to show others that which I am ashamed of.”

“You are ashamed of your face?”

“I do not wish to discuss the matter.”

“Why?”

“Oliva, it is unkind to press on matters which make others uncomfortable,” Willa gently chided the querying dryad. “If she does not wish to speak of it, let the matter rest.”

“So are you a woman?” Isa asked the Sun Knight. “I can’t tell whether you’re male or female from your build or voice.”

“Does it matter whether I am or not? I am myself, regardless.”

“I suppose. I’m still curious, though.”

“If you were curious, why didn’t you ask earlier?”

“It… kind of felt like you were intentionally hiding the answer, so it felt rude to ask.”

“And now is different?”

“…I guess you’re right. Sorry.”

“It is not so much that I am hiding whether I am man or woman so much as that I do not think it matters. I see myself as myself, regardless of whether I am male or female, and would prefer others to do the same.”

“Is that also why you don’t use a name other than the Sun Knight?”

“Yes. Our names are a part of our identity. I do not wish to replace the name I was given as a child with a different one, but I also do not wish for others thoughts of me to be colored by their impressions of my name. Better that I use the name the Sun Knight, an identity that is mine and mine alone.”

“I suppose that makes some sense.”

“What of you?” Oliva said to Rai. “Are you male? Dryads don’t have separate males and females. We are all capable of self-reproduction. Yet we call each other sister, and Willa says that our appearances are similar to humankin women. Isn’t that interesting? But you don’t look like us, even though you’re human. Is that because you’re a man?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Willa says that most other peoples have to smoosh a male and female together to reproduce. Is that true?”

Rai’s face heated up. Smoosh together? he thought. Oh, dear.

“It’s, uh, a bit more complicated than that, but yes. A certain kind of physical contact is required. Dear gods, why am I explaining sexual reproduction to a plant lady?”

“Please forgive her. She has always been a curious one,” Willa said. “Well, shall I answer some of your questions, then?”

“Can I start with how old you are?”

“I am around five hundred years old.”

Humans can only live to around a hundred, same with beastfolk, Rai thought. Gnomes and dwarves can live to two hundred. Elves to three hundred. This dryad is around seven elven generations old. That’s really old. Older than pretty much anything other than dragons, actually.

“You must have seen a lot in your life. Could you tell me some of your favorite stories?”

“Certainly…”

-x-

In the end, they stayed for another three days before they left. They consumed the fruit, divided among the three of them, and made tea from the flower while meditating in the mana-rich grove. Was the grove mana-rich because of the dryads’ presence, or were the dryads there because the area was mana-rich? Rai had no idea, but he thought it would be worth investigating in the future.

Isa and Rai also occupied themselves by cutting and carving the branch. Over the last winter, the two of them had taken up carving – wood and stone alike – as a hobby. Rai had done it because he figured it could help him with making magic items, and Isa had done so simply because she thought it looked interesting when Rai was doing it. Rai used tools; Isa used her claws. Now, the two of them turned the branch into a variety of things. Two were foot-long, finger-width wands with runes along its length. They also made several rings, a small pendant, and several pieces that when attached with a string would make a bracelet.

Once their stay was over, they returned to their travels. It took them a while to get back on track, and they took pains to avoid all settlements (mostly because Rai didn’t want the Sun Knight trying to attack slavers inside a town or city and getting them all arrested), but eventually they made it to the edge of the desert. It truly was an edge; the line between temperate climate where the ground was covered in grass and trees grew and sandy, sweltering wasteland was sharp and immediate. This being the only desert on the continent, Rai couldn’t be certain, but he thought that this was probably unnatural, since such sharp delineation didn’t exist between other climate zones. He suspected this was the result of a fallen star, just like the jungle archipelago was.

They camped just outside the desert for their final night before plunging into the land with “death” in its name, then crossed the border into sand-filled hell.