Klipner was the head merchant of a business based in Porta. While his main office was located in Porta, the group he was in charge of would transport goods to cities and towns throughout the Empire, and as such he lead a team of traveling merchants.
However, managing a business was not easy.
Particularly when it came to traveling merchants, one had two choices. Either you would have to pay excessive fees for the protection of mercenaries on the road, to ensure that no bandits attacked and stole ones goods, or you would have to take the risk of being attacked and save the money that would have been spent on said protection.
Neither of these options were favorable to Klipner.
Mercenaries were expensive. Being that their only real line of work was to take care of criminals and bandits most of the time, they tended to ramp up the market prices because of how necessary they were to such merchants.
No merchant would allow a caravan to go unguarded unless they were a complete idiot, and so the mercenaries were able to get away with ludicrous prices for their work.
To further things, Klipner was in a bit of a pinch.
So many mercenaries had gone off to the war in the monster realm recently that the only ones who remained were charging absurd amounts for their services.
However, this was when he was offered a proposition by Mrs. Fera.
"If you join the unit attacking that spider, and it is slain, then I will put in a good word with the Senator, and convince him to spare you some of his personal guards for your use. Even if for one reason or another the beast isn't slain, for every child you recover I will give you a compensation."
What other choice did Klipner have? As a merchant, he was not one to say no to an opportunity, so despite his fat build and nonathletic body, he grabbed his diamond studded rapier and equipped his golden set of armor, and set out for the battle.
'Of course, I can leave the fighting to everyone else. I just need it to be known that I took part, and my business will be thriving. As a matter of fact, I will have an upper hand on all the other merchant companies around. The man who saved children from a monster, returns to his humble life as a merchant. Heh heh....'
Klipner smiled as he began counting his coins before he earned them. He had 3 caravans worth of shipments ready to be sent out immediately, which had been halted due to the lack of reasonable protection.
But the profits to be made from these were enormous. If he could obtain protection for free, then that would only increase his margin of profit.
Klipner, who was part of the 2nd group walked through these strange tunnels, and looked around to the other members of his party.
'Though, I don't think I can trust even a single person here. I had better be careful, and take my chance to run away if I need to....'
----
Zachary was a Captain in the guard that was stationed in the town of Porta.
As a leader of the guard, it was his duty to take part in this this raid.
One way or another, a monster had made its way into the town. It goes without saying that this was a major threat to the people of the town- not to even mention the orphans who had been kidnapped.
This was a threat that needed to be taken care of immediately, and everyone knew that.
Zachary however, knew this better than most.
As one of the members of the 4th legion, his duty was to maintain public order within cities and towns throughout the Empire. Having been assigned to the town of Porta, if anything went wrong he was the one which the blame would fall upon.
A monster showing up in the middle of the city is a disaster which should never have happened, and it brooded the question- were there more hidden within the Empire?
But that did not matter so much right now as removing the stain in front of Zachary's eyes.
After a brief discussion with the Senator, Zachary obtained permission to go on the raid.
He had planned on taking leadership, but that strange mercenary girl had done so instead.
Zachary did not say anything, but he felt something off about that girl.
The biggest thing was that she did not have her mercenary pin anywhere in view.
Was she actually a mercenary? Sure, it could have been somewhere hidden from his view, but it was suspicious to say the least.
But that was not his biggest issue right now. He currently walked in toe with a group of incompetent men, who had likely never been in a fight in their lives.
As the only one here who likely had real combat experience, Zachary took the front with his legionnaire spear in hand, wearing his bronze armor.
If they encountered the monster, it would be up to him to slay it. That was for sure.
But, he might not be able to do that himself.
Even if it was only temporary, he would need to whip these men up into shape, and treat them like soldiers.
They would need to have discipline, and listen to his orders if they were to work as a unit.
----
Lorenzo was a young practitioner of magic.
While he was raised and taught that magic was a dark art to be avoided, like a moth to a flame he was drawn to it.
When parents tell their children to not do something, it only makes them want to do it more. This was the same for Lorenzo.
After hearing the great preachings of the evils of magic and the corruption of peoples minds that can spring from it, Lorenzo was intrigued by the possibilities.
So, he began his own research on magic.
He wanted merely to study.
To experiment.
To test the limits of the rules behind magic.
To find out what was possible and impossible.
Everything had a reason. Everything had a rule.
Everything was scientific.
Even if magic was a different and new set of rules, there were a set of rules. He only had to figure out what they were.
He started with mere animals.
Frogs.
Worms.
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Birds.
Rodents.
After learning how to channel his mana and cast spells, he studied the effects of these spells on the biological functions of these animals.
From there, he moved onto potions and concoctions.
He tested their effects on animals.
More than anything, Lorenzo wished to create a concoction that would strengthen a warrior hundreds of times over- a perfect remedy that created the ideal warrior without side effects.
If he could do this then he would be able to sell them for more than he could imagine, therefore he spent his life researching towards this goal.
However, he was hated wherever he went.
Even though the Emperor, Percius, allowed for the open practice of magic, he was still subject to witch hunts- those who secretly still held hate for practitioners of magic, who's actions were out of view of the Emperor or those who supported him.
Very often Lorenzo had to flee from town to town, but eventually he landed in Porta.
The people here did not like him, but apparently there were some other unsavory practices going on in the city which the people chose to ignore. Something far worse than his magic experiments.
And so, he was tolerated here.
It was because he was tolerated that he caught rumor of Mrs. Fera and her "Orphanage".
Apparently she was running a business on the side where military equipment was being forged.
Some rumors said that she was using the children to do the labor.
Lorenzo was interested.
In his life he had only been able to run his tests on animals.
Of course, running experiments on a human would be completely unacceptable.
Nobody would allow it.
It was insanity to even consider it. If anyone ever found out, his laboratory would be stormed and he would be arrested immediately. No doubt.
However, that was only if he ran his tests on humans.
What if he ran his tests on those who were not seen as humans?
On those who had already been stripped of their rights?
On those who nobody would blink an eye if they were to suddenly go missing.
Perhaps he had found his answer.
Lorenzo held a meeting with Mrs. Fera a while back to test things out, and confirm if she was actually selling people.
"I have heard some rumors that you have a certain set of.... products for sale. Products that you cannot find anywhere else."
"Products that you cannot find anywhere else? Well, I will say that there is a certain lineup of products that are... still in production, that I have yet to reveal to the public."
"So it is true then? These.... products? You sell them? You see, I am a magician, and a scientist, and I am interested in any unique products to use for my experiments."
"Oh? I see..... very well, very well..... there is one product which is almost completed. An exceptionally well made one at that. Would you like to take a look at our lineup."
"If you would allow me, I would be most grateful."
Mrs. Fera had taken Lorenzo to the factory, where all the children were working at this point.
The two walked through the factory, and Lorenzo smiled with delight on seeing the lineup of potential subjects.
"Wonderful.... a truly amazing set of products you have here."
"I take pride in each and every one of them as if they were my own sons and daughters. The products, that is."
"Of course. The products."
Lorenzo looked about, before his eyes fell upon Nathan- who was working harder and with more skill than any other one of the children.
"That one.... is that your centerpiece?"
"You could say that."
"It looks extremely sturdy. How much would you sell it for?"
Lorenzo had struck a deal to purchase Nathan from Mrs. Fera after a week.
However, the person which he intended on purchasing disappeared.
He had created an entire notebook worth of experiments to run as soon as he obtained a human subject.
After performing a plethora of experiments, he intended to use his final concoction on the subject.
It was supposed to increase ones power immensely, through the dark arts. However, it was too dangerous to test out without proper planning and procedure. It was but a prototype, after all.
But now, his plans had been ruined.
The orphans, who were the only available subjects for his experiments which he could obtain without extreme legal repercussions, had now been kidnapped.
This was nothing less than a tragedy for Lorenzo.
So, he picked up his hatchet and came to the front lines to take back the product which he intended on purchasing.
He was mad. Insane.
Yet, he was determined to finish off his experiments, which had been delayed for such a long time.
----
Hamilton was the butler who served the Senator directly.
Just why was he not serving his master wine right now?
Just why was he dressed in a fine golden suit of armor, while wielding an exquisite spear, instead of a fancy tunic?
Just why was he in a cold and dark dungeon, rather than in the home of the Senator?
It was because of political repercussions.
What would people say of the Senator if he were to not send at least one of his own direct subordinates to defeat the monster which had arrived in the town?
'A corrupt leader who hides himself and his associates behind the curtains of authority, while his people are in need of assistance, fighting desperately against a horrid monster who has invaded the town.'
As such, despite his clear displeasure, he was forced to obey the orders of the Senator and attend this little fight.
He did not want to have to dirty himself in such a disgusting place.
Some fluids seemed to be dripping from the strings which formed webs on the ceilings.
How inelegant.
It was his duty to ensure that everything about his master, from his home to his record was clean.
'But how I wish to leave this place and get back to my regular duties.', he thought with a sigh.
Hamilton looked around at the people with him.
They were nothing more than commoner riffraff.
Of course, he was the most esteemed and important person in this group.
By far.
A distant second would be the Captain of the guard, but a mere guard could not match up to the responsibilities of a butler.
One might not know if they served regular duties, but the role of a butler is a battle each and every day.
A raging battle against the constant grime and filth which makes its way into the home of the master.
A consistent effort to ensure that everything the master needs is attended to, and that his guests are properly welcomed and attended to.
Appearances were everything, and if anything had even a single spot on it, it was the responsibility of the butler to ensure that such a spot was completely removed.
This fight too was his duty to remove a spot. The spot which this monster had created on this town by invading it, and disturbing it's peace. And the spot which would be created on the Senator, had he not contributed anything to the effort of defeating such a monster.
But Hamilton was no warrior.
He had to stay behind the Captain of the guard, who hopefully knew what he was doing.
If the monster attacked, Hamilton would likely need to rush to the back, as he was the most important life among this group. It was the duty of the other four men here to protect him, after all.
As the group walked through this dark corridor, Hamilton could not help but tremble with nervousness.
'Will these commoners truly be able to protect me from the beast that lurks within these walls?'
----
Leonardo smiled as he walked through the halls, imagining the great popularity that he would obtain should he make it through this alive.
The stories he could tell about the tremendous beast which he slayed would ring in the ears of the women around him as he boasted endlessly.
Leonardo was a bar owner.
He started his small business with the intention to attract lonely females so that he could cuddle up beside them and comfort them when their husbands would not give them the attention they needed.
And it was a great success.
He was good looking, so many women tended to confide in him whenever they had problems. He would listen patiently, pretend to care, and then score later on.
He had even gained a small fanclub of girls who were single, who were regulars at his bar.
However, they too had attended this little meeting where Mrs. Fera told everyone about the monster who had kidnapped the orphans.
"Wouldn't it be like.... so cool if a guy were to kill that thing?"
"I would totally like fall for him then and there."
"Any guy who can do that is probably like.... so brave."
Leonardo of course, could not shy from the challenge.
"Please watch, ladies. I will come home with that monster's head."
Or so he said.
"Oh my goodness!'
"So cool! You would become like the hero of the town!"
"Everyone would talk about you!"
"I would totally brag that I know you if you did that!"
"Me too!"
And so, here he was.
Inside this deep dark cavern.
Surrounded by a group of people, ready to fight.
Leonardo was a mere bartender. He didn't make a ton of money, which was why he wooed the women with his looks.
As such, he didn't have anything like a weapon or a suit of armor.
He brought a large kitchen knife to the fight, and a worn set of armor which a friend had lent to him.
It wasn't the best, but it was good enough.
All he needed to do was kill that thing, and his popularity with the women would skyrocket.
They would fall down at the sight of him, and he would never have any lack of choices.
If he wanted a foreign beauty, she would be there.
If he wanted a local one, she too would be available.
If he wanted a youthful, cheerful one, he could pick and choose from the selection.
If he wanted a more mature one, she too would be at his beckoning.
There was no limits to the rewards of a hero.
Heroes could do whatever they wanted. They could go anywhere, so long as their achievements were spread, and they would be welcomed.
He would go from a small bar owner to a star overnight.
But first, he had to find that monster.
Which was why Leonardo was worried.
What if the monster wasn't down this tunnel?
Because they had split up, he might have lost his opportunity to snag the killing blow.
Whether or not this was the case, Leonardo didn't know, but he sure didn't like it.
'If I lose out on my opportunity here, not only will I not be able to spread my name around..... but those other women who I bragged to will be disappointed! I will lose even the ones I have!! That would be a disaster!'
Leonardo had to be the one to kill the thing.
He stepped to the front of the line, right next to the guard. Among the men with him, none of them seemed to want to take the front either way, so he saw this as a chance.
'Perfect. I should be able to let this guard weaken it, before snagging the final blow. Now all that's left is for that ugly thing to show it's face.'