Cam, after five months, has made a name for himself as a temporary member of the Dark Siders, the party led by Zenith and as a great volunteer citizen.
One morning, Cam jogs around the town, being greeted by passersby and enters the inn. He lays on the bed, sighing in relief. "Leo, do you think Grandpa's okay? He hasn't written to me since I left.". Leo nods and jumps on Cam's lap and cuddles with him.
He walks to the bar, to be met with cheers and warm greetings. He meets Zenith, Arlotta and Olgreda at a tale and sits with them. "Hey guys, any missions come in?", he asks. Arlotta says "Nope, didn't get a single call.". Zenith leans back on his chair and says "You say that like it's a bad thing. How about it, Cam? Wanna hit up the local brothel?". They collectively gasp at his random request. "Zenith! He's a child!", shouts Arlotta. "Actually, he's a teenager.", says Olgreda in response. Zenith points to Arlotta and asks "You wanna come too? This place caters to all genders, you know.". Arlotta, blushing, quickly denys the invitation, however, Olgreda puts her arm around her, saying "We'll be there!". Cam looks to Leo and says "I'm going too, but I won't..have..", but is cut off by Zenith who says "Great, we'll meet back here in the afternoon."
In the afternoon, Cam is doing push-ups in his room and says "Oh, I gotta meet the guys.", and he leaves for the to meet his friends. Later, in the night, Cam and his friends head to the local brothels. "Here, this way.", says Zenith excitedly. Cam remarks "Arlotta? I thought you weren't coming.", Arlotta, embarrassed, simply looks away. They enter the building and see it filled with prostitutes and customers. Arlotta covers her eyes in embarrassment, and Cam thinks to himself "Whoa! This place is so...", with a bright red blush on both of their faces.
As Cam and Arlotta sit on a nearby couch, Zenith picks Arlotta up and says "Hey Lottie, I got you a few guys to choose from.". Arlotta, shocked, shouts "I am a noble follower of Maira Faith! I shall not engage in..", but stops as one of the male prostitutes walks up to her with a seductive stare. "Well..I.. guess..I..", she stutters as she is carried off into one of the many service rooms.
Cam, alone, thinks "Oh man, I did not think Arlotta was..", but smiles as he thinks "Well, even though I've only been with them for half a year, I feel like I can deeply trust them.". He walks out, looking out to the night sky, however as he sits down, tears begin to fall from his eyes and his chest tightens. He clutches his chest, whimpering "Why..can't I.. forget? Why can't..I be..happy?" The tears keep falling and memories of his old friends flood back into his mind. He falls onto his knees "Oh, that's right. Even five months later, I still miss them..". He stands up, taking a walk to clear his head.
As he walks, a blank expression on his face, Cam walks through the woods, reflecting on his past adventures. He walks, unknowingly wandering far from the town. "What's wrong with me!? It was my choice to leave the gang! Why can't I just.. be alone!?", he wonders out loud.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Suddenly, he sees a dark figure speed past him, deeper in the woods. Cam, out of curiosity, follows the shadowy figure to a lighthouse near a cliff. Cam sees that there is a group of criminals, kidnapping beastmen. Cam prepares to leap out and ambush them, however he notices that there are hundreds of them loading the hostages onto ships. "I..I can't.. let them.." , says Cam to himself.
Just then, a hooded figure attacks one of the criminals with a swift kick from above, releasing some of the hostages. But suddenly, one of the criminals catches the hooded figure off guard and grabs them, preparing to kill them. Cam jumps in and slashes one of the criminals' legs, forcing them to drop the hooded figure.
Cam grabs them and runs away from the scene, but then the figure loses their hood, revealing their feminine cat like features and silver, short hair. "A..beastman?", Cam asks himself as they run back to the town, however she keeps quiet.
At the town entrance, the cat girl asks "Where did you take me!?". Cam tries to calm her down, saying "It's okay, you're safe here.". The cat girl simply turns away and walks away, saying "I have to save my people!". Cam shouts "Wait! There's hundreds of them! You can't beat them alone!", however, the cat girl ignores Cam and walks back into the forest. Cam, before he could follow her, hears Zenith calling him from the town. "Hey Cam, where were you?", he yells.
The next morning, Cam goes back to the lighthouse with Zenith, looking for the cat girl, however the location is empty. "Huh? I don't get it, there was a bunch of criminals trafficking beastmen last night!", Cam says to Zenith. However, Zenith says "Look Cam, I hate to break it to you, but beastmen don't live in this continent.". Cam, confused, asks "What? What do you mean?". Zenith explains that the world is divided by race and the continents are divided in the order:
1. Human Continent( Humans, Elves, Half Elves, Halflings, etc.)
2. Demi Human Continent ( Beastmen, Dwarfs, Goblins, etc.)
3. Demon Continent ( Tiefings, Dragonborns, Changelings, etc.)
4. Seas And Oceans ( Merpeople )
(Leader of these continents each own various countries around the world)
Cam asks "So, the demi humans, like beastmen aren't allowed in this continent?". Zenith replys "Yeah, like how we aren't allowed in the other continents.". Cam thinks to himself "Then, how was she here?". Zenith walks away casually, remarking "Welp, you sure missed out last night.". Cam stays in the lighthouse, thinking about his encounter last night. Just as he leaves, he sees a letter on the ground, saying:
"Shipment Requested
That new shipment is requested at Opeloid City,
By order of the king.
The shipment of beastmen is expected in a week's time."
"Huh!? Shipments?", Cam asks himself. Cam looks around the area from the lighthouse and sees a pier along the bay. Just then, the sliver haired cat girl said in a melancholic tone "You see it, right?". Cam, startled, says "I..I..what?". She says "The pier.". Cam asks her about the events of the previous night and she simply keeps quiet, only showing Cam a deep, bloody cut on her forearm. Cam rushes to her aid and she says "It's fine, we beastmen have a fast healing factor.", as the wound stops bleeding, but not sealing completely.
Cam asks "So, why did you want to go to the pier?", she replies "Because that's how I'll leave this cursed place.". Cam asks "So, why haven't you gone there already?". She explains that this continent doesn't allow beastmen in public areas, only allowing them to be sold as slaves. Cam says "So, you can't make it go the pier alone?". She nods and he says "I could take you there.". She asks "Huh? Really?". Cam nods with a smile on his face and stands up, saying "I'll get you to that ship, I promise.".