After making a deal with Rico—Pwyll and Jed headed back to the inn immediately.
Well, they did buy some drinks at the bar and socialized with the others to make it seem like they visited the place as normal customers.
They didn’t want the guards or any watching eyes in the tavern area to think their little excursion into the back room was anything out of the ordinary. Pwyll laughed loudly at a random patron’s joke, downing a cheap mug of ale in a few long gulps, while Jed stood beside him, playing the part of a quiet guard enjoying a brief moment of rest after a long day of watching over their wealthy merchant employers.
... ... ...
Back at the inn, they saw Tatum, Bernia, and Nara checking their carriages again.
The dark courtyard of the inn was quiet, lit only by a single lantern hanging from a wooden post. Tatum was adjusting the leather straps on one of the horses, his sharp eyes examining the buckles for any signs of wear, while Bernia was double-checking the ropes securing the heavy crates of salt and spices under the canvas covers.
The two joined them, before telling the others that they’re done with their side.
Jed gave a small, barely visible nod to Tatum, signaling that the underworld boss had accepted the request.
*****
Hours passed, and except from Nara—none of the group had slept.
The night was long and incredibly still. The four adults stayed awake, their senses fully alert as they watched the shadows move across the floor of their dark room, counting down the minutes until their departure.
And as soon as they saw the moon starting to go down, they started moving. Today, they leave the city.
"Only the three of us will go, you stay here with Nara. Wake her up after we came back."
Pwyll said to Bernia, looking at Nara sleeping soundly.
He spoke in a very low whisper, his boots making absolutely no sound against the wooden floorboards as he checked the fastenings of his leather bracers.
"I’ll be waiting."
Bernia replied with a nod of her head.
She wasn’t worried for the three at all—they could probably destroy this city on their own, after all.
Anyway, without wasting time—Pwyll, Jed, and Tatum left the inn early in the morning and headed back to the slave shop they were yesterday.
The streets of Sven were completely empty at this hour, shrouded in a thin layer of cold morning mist that rose from the damp earth. They moved through the narrow alleys like ghosts, their dark cloaks blending perfectly with the shadows of the rotting buildings.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
"Ah, dear customers!"
Ripah, who had been waiting in front of his slave shop, saw the three approach and immediately greeted them. There’s a huge grin on his face.
He was shivering slightly in the cold morning air, rubbing his fat hands together to keep them warm. He had several heavy ledgers tucked under his arm, and his eyes were wide with a greedy excitement as he stared at the people who made him a very rich man.
"Where are they?"
Pwyll asked as they reached Ripah, they don’t want to beat around the bush.
His voice was cold, his eyes staring hard at the trader, completely ignoring the fake politeness and the wide smile on the fat man’s face.
Ripah seems to understand this, so looking behind at his shop—
"Take them all out! The dear customers are here!"
He exclaimed that.
CREAAAK--!
The two wooden doors of the slave shop opened wide abruptly, and from there—all the slaves inside came out with two guards leading them.
A long, miserable line of slaves began to file out into the dim light of the street. Their heads were bowed, their shoulders slumped.
The slaves have their limbs cuffed together to avoid any of them from trying to run.
The metallic clinking of the chains was loud, a sharp and heavy sound that made Tatum’s jaw tighten beneath his hood. The iron rings were clamped tightly around their wrists and ankles, connected by short, heavy links that forced them to walk in small, awkward steps.
"Get in line!"
Ripah made the slaves stood in line so Pwyll, Tatum, and Jed can check them.
"You heard the boss! Move!"
"Move!"
The guards shoved the slaves roughly into a wide semi-circle in the middle of the narrow street.
Tatum quickly scanned all the faces, and he was able to confirm that everyone was there. Even the non-human slaves.
"It’s all of them."
He said this to Pwyll, and after that—Pwyll nodded his head and told Ripah that they’ll be going now.
"The numbers are correct. We will take them off your hands now."
Pwyll stated plainly.
Ripah didn’t care about their coldness and lack of care to him, he was already paid anyway.
He simply bowed low, his fat face twisting into a deep, obsequious expression as he gestured toward the open street.
"An absolute pleasure doing business with you, my lords! A very smooth transaction indeed."
He just thanked the three and told them to visit him again if they need a lot of slaves once more.
"If you ever find yourselves in need of more labor, you know exactly where to find me. I can always source more high-quality property for customers of your stature."
He said, his mustache twitching with greed.
In his mind, Pwyll and the others might be crazy murderers who kill slaves for fun or evil magicians or worshippers who sacrifices slaves, but he honestly don’t care. As long as he can get money.
To a man like Ripah, the lives of the people he sold meant nothing more than numbers in a ledger, and what happened to them after they left his gates was entirely none of his business.
Anyway, with that—Pwyll, Jed, and Tatum—they led all the slaves back to the inn.
The long line of captives walked in silence, the only sound being the continuous, rhythmic rattling of their iron chains against the cobblestones. Pwyll walked at the front of the line, setting a steady pace, while Tatum and Jed brought up the rear, their eyes constantly scanning the surrounding alleys for any potential trouble.
Nothing out of ordinary happened, fortunately. It was early in the morning as well so they avoided a lot of eyes and unnecessary attentions.
*****
Back to the inn...
Jed picked up Bernia and Nara in their room, saying that they’re about to leave.
He tapped softly on the wooden door, stepping inside the moment it opened to find Bernia already fully dressed and holding a sleepy Nara in her arms.
"It’s time. The group is secured and waiting outside."
He murmured quietly.
He also told Bernia that the slaves are outside the inn, waiting with the carriages.
The courtyard was crowded, the three large transport wagons positioned near the gates while the long line of sixty-two captives stood huddled together in the cold morning mist.
The three of them got out.
Bernia carried herself with a steady, commanding presence as she stepped into the courtyard, her eyes sweeping over the massive group of people waiting for her.
Bernia was greeted by lined-up slaves.
They looked up at her with a mixture of fear and exhaustion, their eyes wide as they waited to see what kind of cruel labor their new mistress was going to subject them to.
Then immediately, she did what Verc told her to do.
FWIP-
She took out a pouch, a small one full of gold coins; there about 50 of them inside.
"...?"
The slaves were confused seeing that.
They stared at the pouch, then at the wealthy woman standing before them, completely unable to comprehend why a slave owner would display wealth directly to the people they had just purchased.
Then, in that moment—PSSSK!
A sharp, crisp tearing sound ripped through the quiet morning air.
They looked at the direction of it, and at the side—they saw Tatum destroying their paper of proofs of being a slave!
He held the official city documents and the ownership contracts in his hands, ripping them into tiny pieces!
"Huh?!"
"...!"
The slaves were all surprised.
And as if that wasn’t enough.
Bernia stepped closer to the front of the line, her voice rising so that every single person in the courtyard could hear her clearly.
"Listen to me carefully."
She began, her expression entirely serious.
Bernia spoke up, she told them that if any of them have a family, relative, or a home they could come back to—then they’re free to go, they aren’t slaves anymore.
"You are no longer bound to any master. The contracts are gone. You are free men and women from this moment onward."
She stated firmly.
The gold coins in the pouch will be distributed along with them to help them back up again as well!
"We will give you enough coin to buy food, secure safe passage, and find your way back to your villages. You do not owe us anything."
She followed.
The slaves couldn’t believe hearing this.
Some of the older humans began to weep silently, dropping to their knees on the cold dirt as the realization of their sudden freedom finally hit them. They stared at Bernia as if she were a goddess descended from the heavens, their bodies shaking with a profound, overwhelming gratitude.
Then, Bernia added that if they have nowhere to go, they could come with them.
"But if you have no home left to return to, if your villages were burned or your families are gone, you are welcome to follow us. We have a place where you can live, work, and build a new life."
She declared, her voice softening slightly.
She was looking at the non-humans when she said that. And the non-human slaves noticed this as well.
They saw the specific direction of her gaze, realizing that this human woman was offering a genuine sanctuary to the very races that the rest of the kingdom treated like common animals.
And so—
"Choose. We’ll be leaving soon."
Bernia ended her words with that.
She tucked the ledger away, stepping back to let them make their final decisions as the first rays of the morning sun began to pierce through the heavy mist.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
The slaves that were freed thanked Bernia and the others for their kindness, they said they wouldn’t forget it and they will forever be indebted.
They bowed low, kissing the hems of their cloaks and crying out blessings upon their names as they prepared to leave the city gates.
Pwyll just said that if they see someone in need, they could just help them if they can as a repayment, and the others promised that they will.
"Don’t thank us. Just live your lives well, and if you find another soul suffering in the dirt, lend them a hand. That is the only payment we requires."
Pwyll said with a casual smile, waving his hand to dismiss their formal bows.
And just like that—they handed the pouch full of gold coins to the slaves, and they let them leave after Jed took off all of their cuffs.
Jed moved down the line with a small iron key, unlocking the heavy padlocks one by one.
Then after a while--
"We wasted more time than we had thought. Let’s move."
Tatum said as soon as the slaves were out of sight.
He looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun was already climbing above the city walls, meaning the town square would soon be filled with bustling crowds.
The others nodded and agreed at his words.
They couldn’t afford to tarry any longer. The logistics of moving a large group of non-humans through the outer territories required them to start as early as possible.
So without further ado, they rode their carriages. They have three now, they bought one again yesterday along with a new horse from a farm.
The new wagon was packed with the extra supplies and the few remaining slaves who were too weak to walk, providing them with a relatively comfortable place to rest during the long journey back.
And just like that—
TAK— TAK— TAK!
TAK— TAK— TAK!
TAK— TAK— TAK!
The heavy wooden wheels began to turn, the iron rims grinding against the dirt paths as the horses surged forward under the direction of Tatum and Jed.
They started their journey back to the [Cursed Forest].
All the non-human slaves chose to come with them, and unexpectedly—one human did too.