Looking around in a daze, Kassius spots Aljaser right beside him.
Gray beard man: "You must not be a local of Ritetown, right? Even the children know not to walk on banned territory."
Kassius: "Can you let me out of this cage?"
Gray beard man: "Ahh, I'm afraid not. That is up to my superiors, since you're a risk. So, tell me. How did you learn of this place?"
Kassius: "Look, I don't know what's going on here. I just stumbled onto the tracks and fo-"
Aljaser nudges into Kassius hard, stopping him mid-sentence. Flustered, he turns to face Aljaser, but spots a deeply concerned look on his face, almost a sign to not say anything more.
Gray beard man: "Scary, huh? These red ones. Physically more capable, highly adaptive. And to top it off, a longer lifespan. Superior in most ways. But we have them beat in the most important part. Intelligence. Makes catching them very easy."
Slowly, Kassius begins to understand what the man says. Beside him did not sit a special person, but rather property.
Gray beard man: "The royals don't appreciate energetic ones, Crim."
Looking to Aljaser, he ignores him and looks away. The man stands up and walks to the cage. Crouching down, he smuggishly looks at Aljaser.
Gray beard man: "You know... this is the same behaviour. That got your friend killed."
Aljaser: "Do not speak of him, Slava!"
The man is called Slava.
Slava: "There it is. Be angry. Because I am as well. The fact one was able to escape. One little girl."
Aljaser hearing this, looks down distraughtly.
Slava: "With your skills, she should have been brought back. So I wonder, did you let her escape?"
Aljaser, as angry at himself as he was, could not bring himself to lift his head, verifying the truth to Slava. But the silence was enough. Slava stands back on his feet.
Slava: "I offered you a decent life for your cooperation. But even a simple deal is too much for a Crim's mind. And for your actions, you will suffer. Bring them."
A group of men pull in sight, dragging along four red people. Slava walks up to them, horrified looks on all of their faces as they kneel before him. Aljaser shifts to the front of the cage in a panic.
Aljaser: "Please! They've done nothing! Kill me, not them!"
Slava: "Oh, I will. Eventually."
As he walks up to the first red person, he draws his dagger from his waist.
Slava: "First, an elder."
Crimsonian 1: "Please..."
He stabs the person in the neck. Struggling as blood flows out, they fall to the ground.
Aljaser: "No!"
Screams and cries ring around as the others witness one of their own die in front of them. Kassius' eyes widen greatly. He could not believe what he witnessed. Slava pulls out the dagger from the neck.
Slava: "There are consequences."
Kassius: "Wha-"
Joseph: "You bastard!"
Slava: "Now, a worker."
The red man before him continues looking down, silent and serious. With no hesitation, Slava stabs him as well, kiling him as he falls face first to the ground. Aljaser tries to kick the cage in anger but it doesn't budge. Slava walks over to the third one.
Slava: "A producer."
As he walks over to the other end of the line, the red woman begins to cry even more.
Crimsonian 5: "Sp-spare me. Have mercy, p-please! I have a child!"
Arthur: "You've served your purpose."
He stabs the dagger through her neck. As she feels the blood on her neck, she goes into shock and falls to the floor, life slowly fleeting. Kassius looks at the woman, and although she lies there dead, her eyes hit him as though she stares directly at him. Anger begins to swell up in him. Aljaser beside him, strikes and strikes the cage with his fist, his fist beginning to bleed.
Looking at the last one, Slava walks up to him very slowly.
Slava: "Finally, the offspring."
Aljaser and the red kid lock eyes. The worry in his eyes twists Aljaser's heart. Helpless, he screams on as Slava stabs the kid in the neck. As he holds onto the cage, tears fall from Aljaser's eyes.
Slava: "All of your kind... are replaceable."
The kid falls to ground, lifeless. Kassius stares on, disgusted, barely able to hold it together as four people lie dead in front of him. Four people, chosen to be made an example of. On the side, one of the men walk up to Slava and whisper in his ear.
Slava: "Let's go. We'll finish this later. Somebody come rid of these bodies."
Slava walks away into a tent a distance back from where they are. Looking around clearer, they were not merely in a cage in a forest. Rather, sat around them was a manufactured village, small tents all around. Kassius turns to Aljaser, a hopeless look all over him.
Kassius: "The girl... she's the one, right?"
Aljaser: "...Yes."
Kassius: "I'm... how long has this been happening?"
Aljaser: "For as long as I can remember. They see us as nothing more than merchandise."
Kassius: "Is it true? You work with them? How could you work with someone like that?"
Aljaser: "...Nowhere out there is safe. Not for us. I'd rather my people alive here than dead out there."
Kassius: "And her?"
Aljaser: "I... I made a promise."
Kassius: "A promise?"
Aljaser: "Ulqora was going to be sold. I promised her brother... I promised I'd stay with her. But they were going to take her from me. When she ran, I found her. But the way she looked at me... the fear... I was desperate. So I let her go. I had to believe... that the people out there would help her. An innocent little girl."
Kassius: "Why didn't you go with her?"
Aljaser: "As much as I wanted to, I could not abandon my people... I want to ask you one more time. Were you truly trying to help her?"
Kassius looks him in the eyes and nods.
Aljaser: "Ulqora has no more family. I need to ask a favour of you..."
After a while, Slava walks back up to them.
Slava: "Another big sale, so I'm feeling a bit calmer. Put your hands out through the bars."
Wanting to resist, they decide to listen anyway, as the thought of Slava repeating what he did crossed their minds. They put their hands out, and the men tie them up.
Slava: "Open the cage."
One of the men opens the cage door. As it clicks and swings open, Aljaser and Kassius step out of it.
Slava: "You'll both be put to work in the meantime. I hope I sho-"
Tackled by surprise, Aljaser drags Slava to the ground. Kassius jumps over and runs past them both.
Slava: "Go after him!"
As some of the men chase after Kassius, Slava and Aljaser fight over the dagger on his waist. As surprising as this was, they had planned this. A few moments before Slava returned, Aljaser was speaking to Kassius.
Aljaser: "If they let us out, you head left on my signal."
Kassius: "I need my bag."
Aljaser: "It should be in his tent. Once you get it, head left. You'll reach a river and follow it until you exit the forest. You will see Ritetown from there."
Kassius: "What about you?"
Aljaser: "Forget about what you saw here. Do not come back."
Back in the present, Kassius reaches the tent and enters. Inside, his eyes can all around. He quickly spots his bag and grabs it. Suddenly, the men rush in the tent. Too late, they spot Kassius pushing through the back under the tent wall. Scattered all around the floor below them, devices broken. They angrily run out the entrance and follow Kassius, who begins heading away from the camp. As he sprints, a loud scream echoes through the forest. He doesn't turn back, and continues ahead. Back at the camp, Aljaser is pinned to the ground by some of the men. Slava, on his feet with a bloody nose, fixes his clothes.
Slava: "I hope you know what this means."
Aljaser: "I do."
Aljaser spits on the ground in front of Slava. Infuriated, Slava kicks Aljaser in the face, cracking his jaw. However, even through the pain, Aljaser laughs.
Aljaser: "You... controlled me, but you... lost all that control. It hurts... doesn't it?"
Slava: "Is this how you prefer to talk to someone who controls your last breath?"
Aljaser: "As long as my kind breathe, I breathe."
Slava: "Crim scum!"
Slava furiously kicks him. Stomps on him. Countless times. More and more blood oozing from his body. He grips onto his dagger so strongly, his hand begins to shake.
Slava: "Say that again, Crim!"
Aljaser: "Not... Crim... Call me... what I am!"
As calm as Slava tried to appear, Aljaser got into his head. Calling him Crim was derogatory, and he knew this. In truth, their real name repeated over and over in his head. Crimsonian. Unable to keep up the facade, he stabs Aljaser in the neck.
Aljaser (in head): "Alkwari, I'm sorry... the rest is up to them... the good ones..."
The light leaves his eyes as Aljaser dies on the ground, bleeding out. Slava pulls out the dagger and stabs him again. And again. His own men pull him back to stop him, as he curses Aljaser. Distant from the camp now, Kassius runs through the forest, still being chased by four of the men. As two of them gain on Kassius, he hurdles past trees, as they trip over themselves trying to keep up. One tries to leap for Kassius but he avoids them. Up ahead, an outline catches Kassius' attention immediately.
Kassius (in head): "That must be the river."
Kassius rushes down the hill and stops at the riverbank.
Kassius (in head): "I just gotta follow the fl-"
Man: "Stop!"
Kassius slowly turns around and sees one of the men stand behind him, a cutting knife in hand. Before any make a move, they look to the side as the giant moth flies by. It scares the man, but does not faze Kassius. It could not, not after what he had witnessed. He lunges in and kicks the knife out of the man's hand. Before he can think, Kassius spins and kicks him in the head, sending him to the floor immediately. Kassius runs for the knife and rushes to cut the ties. The other men arrive and see them both, rushing down. Kassius gets free of the ties, and the three men rush him. He handles them simply, one by one, putting them down. As all lie unconscious, Kassius picks his bag up and runs down the path of the river. Over on a different end of the forest, Arnold exits and sees a town up ahead. The girl, still unconscious, stays tied to his back as he continues walking.
Arnold: "That must be Ritetown."