-Callen-

  I shook my head free of the fuzzy distractions bleeding over from Callia. Was it like this for her when I spent time with Crescent? No, Sis didn’t call out my relationship until after she encountered both of us in person. I think she just might be crushing a bit too hard right now. It really wasn’t the place or time. While Callia and our new acquaintance worked upstairs, I got a functioning counter to the runes on the slaves.

  In practice it was very similar to various simple communication devices I had made, like the buzzing rock that Callia used to signal her elimination in our town’s tournament. The idea was simple: to link two enchantments so triggering one would reflect on the other. There was no signal, no pulse of interconnecting mana or signal; it was functionally like a quantum connection that disregarded space. At least that was how I understood it to work; quantum physics tends to be an inherently confusing subject.

  Still, the key to my solution was the continuous activation signal that reminded me of a dead man’s switch threatening to punish the victim the moment it stopped receiving a signal. I grabbed the brand, regretting what I had to do next as I forcefully rearranged the branding head with a new set of runes. Since the slaves continuously provided mana on this end to keep the runes live, I just needed to change what it checked for input. I sat down next to the man who had been strapped in the chair when we first intervened.

  “I won’t get too technical in explaining what the runes you’ve been branded with do. I’m a rune master certified by the earthkin grandmaster’s council. I’m confident I can free you from the owner of these runes if you let me apply an alteration.” The man was hesitant at first but gave a jerky nod. With his permission I heated the brand and pressed it on top of the slave mark. Then I quickly pulled it back once its work was done.

  I checked the rune and confirmed it again. The rune cluster now directed from him wouldn’t activate unless its owner specifically chose to block mana from flowing into the rune cluster. I patted the guy announcing the good news. All around me the other slaves eagerly called out to me and exposed their runic curse marks. I dipped my brand back into the fire as I prepared to get back to work. The good news was that I had a solution, but the bad news was that I had to personally adjust every runic brand to release the slave. Even worse was that while my solution worked on the slaves, I still didn’t have a good solution to mass override from the source. I rolled up my sleeves as I got to work, moving from slave to slave as quickly as I could.

  -Callia-

  There were three more floors filled with slaves, and it wasn’t like the lower floors, where individuals would get their own cage while waiting before or after the brand. Instead, it was men shoved into a large open room with little space and filthy conditions. It was absolutely disgusting to see so many people treated so poorly. It wasn’t just taller people like me and Callen; while we had a notably disproportionate population among the slaves, there were also plenty of locals.

  Luckily it seemed most of the slavers were unprepared for us. After my near mistake with the door, I managed to get my emotions back under control and my attention properly in the zone. It was the fifth floor where things started to get serious. The floor had its own door leading to the outside with a high-quality bar and stage. I never thought I would spend time in a club like this, especially not with a guy I was interested in.

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  “Miss, I’ll head in alone from here since I can blend in. Wait here and be ready to intervene if you hear trouble.” He left before even giving me a chance to respond. Right, if I didn’t have a personal space full of everything I might need and a new wardrobe full of fancy dresses Jasmine gave me, it would’ve been an issue blending in. Focusing briefly, I removed my clothes and then summoned a new set on me. Tightening everything down and tying my hair back, I boldly stepped into the bar.

  I struggled to slip my way through the crowd as men and scantily clad women pressed around me. I completely lost view of my companion at some points but managed to catch up in the small gaps in the crowd. Stumbling free as I got past the last of the crowd, I bounced into his back.

  “Oh my, I'm sorry!” I steadied myself a bit as surprise flashed in his face before the man he was talking to snapped at me angrily.

  “Bitch, go to the back now; I’m having an important discussion.” I froze in place, torn between anger and indecision. How was I supposed to know where the back was?

  “Let this one stay while we talk. You can deal with her after we’re finished.” He brought his arm around me, bringing me up against his chest. I hadn’t been planning to get wrapped up in this scenario like this, but I don’t mind rolling with it. I smiled brightly while the man led us back into a private room. The whole way I focused on everything except the awkwardly close contact I was making. We needed to finish this up before Callen caught up because I would never live down clinging to someone like this.

  As we entered the private room, I immediately noticed the noise from the bar and patrons quiet down. My mana sense was clearly identifying the lines of runes imbued into the walls, but even more disturbing was what was supporting those runes. Hidden in a compartment invisible to the eye was an earthkin trapped in a sealed space. The men we were dealing with weren’t just slaving assholes but people willing to turn someone into a personal power supply. My face slipped as disgust sank in. My body is turned strategically to hide my expression before anyone notices.

  “Eland Talia, that's the kind of name I’ve been hearing a bit too often for my liking, but your interest in one of my girls suggests you’re not entirely unapproachable. Since you’re willing to talk, let's hear what you want.” The other man sat down on a couch opposite of us and gestured for us to sit. I blinked in shock as the name settled on me. I tried to choke out someone whose last name was the name of our kingdom. In a kingdom where cities hold the name of the founding noble family. Did I try to choke out a prince?!

  I looked up towards Eland as he guided us into the seat. Yep, his face definitely matched the Disney stereotyping for handsome princes. Focusing back on the conversation, I resign to have this whole existential crisis later. I inspected the room, taking in all the secrets that weren’t immediately apparent on entry. Secret exits, secret guards, and several secret vaults. I listened patiently while Eland chatted, avoiding the reason for his visit. It seems he didn’t plan on having this talk. Maybe the boss recognized him, and I accidentally stumbled into him, prompting the private conversation.

  Secretary Jasmine

  Jasmine quietly glared at the girl sitting next to her. Somehow, the criminal boss who organized her kidnapping was the daughter of Duke Harlanou. In her head she was cursing how the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, but a sharp pain of a stick hitting the back of her hand snapped her back to attention as the instructor started elaborating on historical stratagems and tactics used in mass monster hunting. Lilia, as the girl insisted she was called, gave off the perfect good-girl appearance, but Jasmine saw how the worst of the worst seemed drawn into her circles. Honestly, Jasmine thought Lilia was an utterly repulsive person who she would give anything to have nothing to do with in the future.

  However, while Jasmine wanted nothing to do with Lilia, Lilia took a liking to her, even dragging her along to her lectures away from the combat training. Freema, the elf girl who followed Lilia, wasn’t so bad; in fact, she got along with the little elf quite easily. Soon enough the instructors and subordinates started assuming she was some kind of secretary to Lilia. The only silver lining was her big brother praising her ability to adapt to living away from Father.

  In an angry huff she started stabbing the training dummy again and again with her knife, imagining it as Lilia’s face. Every day more and more confused, exhausted, or, in some cases, dying children arrived in the city. They were quickly wrapped up in some kind of massive military training designed to hone whatever skills they used to get to the city. Every day those who arrived seemed more and more savage, beating each other into the dirt to earn their next meal. In the quiet of her room Jasmine curled up, fearing and wondering just what she had become a part of.