Anemone and Father decided, without speaking, that they would go about their days as normal until night came. Anemone worried about the battle yet to come, the one that may not even happen. She was stressed that a guard would appear, so that they could not easily free the slaves, but that was something to worry about later. After all, now they would not even be able to make a plan until the time came.
Anemone entered a store for leatherworking; it reeked of decayed animals, with a soft aroma of oud, a resin from a tree, which was being used to try to cover up the other smells. She entered while carrying the rolled-up hide, which still disgusted her. The door opened with a chime, and the clerk looked up from his desk, where he was puncturing a bag-looking object.
"Good morning and welcome!"
"And good morning to you as well!"
The man looked to Anemone with greedy eyes, leaning forward as he rubbed his hands, as if he thought Anemone was rich just based on her dress. "So, what are you looking for, madam?"
"Hi, yes, I was wondering if you could work with this hide, it is from the Iron Boar, which was ruining the villages outside the city?"
She removed the tusks from the middle of the hide and put them in her bag, then began to unravel the large roll of hide as the man looked at it in awe.
"Yes, please! I would love to make something out of it!"
The man stuck out his hands, tugging the hide away from Anemone. His hands immediately dropped, not realizing just how heavy the hide really was, along with the thick fur covering it, and he immediately threw it on his table. Anemone was both relieved she didn't have to touch the disgusting hide anymore, but also scared at the rough nature of the man in front of her.
"What do you want to be made out of it, ma'am?"
"Bracers, please. I want them to be able to be tightened and loosened, and have a pouch for a dagger."
'I need to be prepared for anything that may come. I have no armor, just a singular piece is vital right now.'
"Of course, of course! Just come back tomorrow, please!"
"Can you try to enchant it so that it helps with wind magic?"
The man's eyes opened widely as he looked at her with shock.
"Y-yes. Anything is possible." He turned around to hide his nervousness.
***
Father rested in his dusty room, polishing his staff like a swordsman sharpens their blade. He began to unwrap the leather around the handle of the staff, and began to wrap a much darker and thicker strip around it. The staff began to look brand new; just reviving one part of the staff helped it look rejuvenated. Father wiped the sweat off his forehead, going into a meditative state as he began to pray.
Soon after he finished his prayer, he opened his eyes, moving his hands away from his face and standing up, and he began to stretch and look outside, reminiscing on his past.
'C'mon, old man, just gotta hold on until Anemone can protect herself.'
He then sat at his desk, pulling out an envelope with many papers inside it, many of which had writing on them, then he pulled out a blank piece, taking out a quill and ink.
Dear James.
Your daughter is doing fine. I don't know where you are or if you're even still alive, but one day, I trust Anemone will find you. She has grown into an elegant, amazing, and strong young lady. I believe she depends on me too much, but I will try to teach her otherwise. Only once she realizes that I will not be here forever will she come to understand that she can not rely on me for everything. She will have to find others. I believe you are out there, somewhere, but only time will tell. Thank you, dear friend, for always being there in the past.
Tears began to stream down Father's eyes as he folded the piece of paper and put it away. He wanted to leave on a positive note, so he instead took out a notebook, which was purely dedicated to Anemone.
Anemone.
Negatives-
She is still terrified of fire. She struggles to even light an ember.
Anemone still has a small mana supply, though she has yet to realize why.
Anemone is on the cusp of a breakthrough, one that will change her forever. Once she reaches the brown core stage, she will finally be able to live alone, fight alone, and support herself.
Positives-
Has grown a lot.
Can now use many types of spells.
Showed growth by getting out of her comfort zone; she used fire magic to light a fire and candles many times.
Is willing to spend a day alone.
Father then stood up while smiling and put the notebook away.
***
As the sun began to set and the stars filled the night sky, Anemone and Father met up. Anemone missed Father in just this small amount of time away, and she was filled with joy after seeing him.
"Are you ready, young one?"
"Yes, Father."
Anemone and Father began to walk the streets, looking for any signs of the man they might encounter. They walked through dark, moist alleyways to try to find anyone. As they began to exit the alleyway, a man was in the middle of the street, walking. It was the same as the description they received. A large, obese man, wearing a suit with a black cane and a bowler hat. He walked quietly towards the outskirts of the city and lowered his hat as he met someone else.
'Th-that creep from earlier… was him?'
Anemone was filled with disgust; the man who tried to butter her up and maybe even forcefully take her was the slave trader. As the slave trader approached the other man, a tall, slender man wearing a monocle, the man began to speak.
"I require the merchandise by tonight. She must be of top quality, after all, I love to deflower beastkin, ruining their hopes and dreams of escaping. Breaking their mental stability, watching the light fade from their eyes as they lose all hope. Watching them come to terms with their situation. Then, letting them go after they are broken."
Anemone was filled with hatred as she watched the men converse. She wanted to kill them right now, but she didn't have a lead on where Astrape was located. She tightened her fist and gritted her teeth while watching.
'These disgusting pigs!'
"Yes sir, the woman will be with you shortly!"
"If you run into any troubles, use this."
A small glass jar was then handed over to the obese man; inside was something familiar: the centipede.
Anemone then shook, looking at the jar that was in the man's hand as her mind was flooded with emotions.
"H-how?…" Anemone whispered in disbelief.
Suddenly, the tall man's gaze shot towards where Anemone and Father were hiding, as if he could sense them or hear them. Anemone and Father quickly moved; their breathing became heavier. Father began to control his, but was forced to cover Anemone's mouth with his palm.
As the man began to step and fade away, Anemone peeked out, and on the back of the tall man's neck lay two strange crimson symbols. The large, obese man then turned, walking back towards the main part of the city.
As the man arrived at an ordinary, standalone house, he went to the side of the stone house. There was a wooden hatch with two handles. It was decrepit and looked ruined; the hinges creaked as he opened them.
Once the doors opened, Anemone and Father could hear cries shrieking from underneath. They were from people who were in a suffering environment, both mentally and physically, and Astrape is down there. The light emanating from the space was very little, only a few flickers made it past the entrance, and as the man entered through the hatch, closing it behind him, Anemone and Father stayed in hiding for a few moments, until they were sure the man wouldn't be at the entrance.
They walked up to it, opening the hatch carefully, trying to avoid the creaking which came against their consent. Anemone shrank back, thinking they would get caught, and Father took the lead. Father led down the stone stairwell, which was exceptionally long; the walls, made of stone as well, reflected the sound as well. The farther they descended, the more the screams became prevalent; they overwhelmed Anemone's heart, she could feel their pain, and she gripped her chest as she followed Father.
The first lamp finally appeared as they walked down; moss began to grow on the walls, which were damp from the environment. They soon stumbled into a large, open cavern, which was carved into a rectangular environment. Each wall had rows of cages, large and small, beasts filling them, humans, beastkin, animals, all types of species as if it were a twisted menagerie. Four sturdy pillars connected the ground and ceiling as support, with each having different eery animals carved into them, one with a lion face on all four sides, one with a snake travelling up the pillar. The other two had two dragons facing each other with an arch of flames erupting from their mouth, creating an arch of stone from which three chains held. At the bottom of the chains was a woman, a young woman with brown hair down to her lower back, cuts formed over her arms and legs, her clothes were cut off, with her breasts hidden by a small piece of blood-soaked cloth. She was being shown off as if she were a prized collection compared to the rest of the showpieces.
In front of her was the large, obese man, facing the woman; in his hand was no longer the cane, but a flagrum with each tail being made of different materials. Surrounding the large man was a pool of blood that was soaked into the ground and had long been dry. The smell of rotten flesh became pungent; there were corpses among all these captives.
The man suddenly turned. Anemone and Father quickly hid behind one of the pillars; they had no idea if the man before them was a capable warrior or someone who thought of himself as being above everyone, but wouldn't even win against a child. The man seemed to be the latter as he used the whip of Astrape.
"You brat, you better heal quickly, my employer wants you in top form tomorrow!"
Astrape wailed in pain as cuts and marks painted her body; the whipping continued mercilessly.
"I love the sounds you're making, louder! LOUDER! Scream in pain, you brat. I can't wait to deflower you tonight! It's gonna be your final present before being sold off."
Astrape's eyes were filled with fear, and tears flowed out of the corners of her eyes; and this became the final straw for Anemone. She had never felt such anger before, using someone for entertainment, abusing them, it was monstrous, no righteous human being would ever do such a thing. No one with any morals to speak of would do this; it was too late for the path the man walked to be corrected, and Anemone knew it. She fired Wind Arrow directly at the man's neck. The man heard the whistling of the spell as it was readied, and he reacted, but it cut his carotid. Unless he was a monster, he was dead.
The man grabbed his neck as he stumbled backward; his hand wasn't enough to block the waterfall of blood flowing between each of his fingers. The blood covered the ground and part of Astrape's body as a glint of hope filled her eyes, for the first time since being captured, she had hope.
Anemone and Father both turned around as steps could be heard descending the staircase from which they came. It was an unexpected arrival; it was the beastkin from the village.
"Brother…" Astrape choked out the words, barely able to speak due to the pain she was enduring.
He was carrying a long sword while walking up to Father and Anemone, then a deafening, deep growl filled the space. Anemone and Father turned around to see the large cage at the back of the area open. The thing coming out of it was a massive minotaur, with two giant horns and a large battle axe in its hand. To the right was the obese slaver with a glass jar to the neck of the minotaur, the glass jar that had the centipede-like creature in it. Everyone present could easily tell the minotaur was in pain as the creature dug into its neck; the creature was taking over, the same thing that happened with the lycanthrope.