Aric and Su Jing stood at the entrance of their inn, eager to head out as they prepared to venture out to the Survivor's Sanctuary. The early morning sun cast a warm glow on their faces, illuminating the determination etched in their expressions.
"Remember," Aric said, his voice steady, "the Radfangs are known to be cunning creatures. We mustn't underestimate them."
Su Jing nodded, her piercing blue eyes reflecting the seriousness of their mission. "I've heard they tend to gather near the eastern edge of the sanctuary. Their venomous fangs can paralyze their prey within moments, so we need to be cautious and strike from a distance."
"Right," Aric agreed, his emerald eyes scanning the book they had received from the librarian. "We should also be mindful of the fact that they're more vulnerable around their necks and underbellies. If we can target those areas, we stand a better chance of taking them down quickly."
As they made their way through the streets, the familiar sight of the Slave Market loomed ahead. But knowing their powerlessness, they decided to leave.
Just as they were about to pass by, a gut-wrenching scream pierced the air, something which they could not ignore. Turning their heads, they saw a horrifying scene unfolding before them.
A teenage girl, her face streaked with tears and dirt, was being mercilessly flogged by a group of men. Her body trembled with each agonizing lash, her pleas for mercy met with more flogging. Beside her knelt a mature woman, her hands clasped together as she desperately begged the men to stop.
"Please, I beg you! She's just a child!" the woman cried, her anguish palpable. "I am the one who should be receiving the punishment! Why are you hitting her!! Please, have mercy!"
Aric's fists clenched, the raw emotion in the woman's voice igniting a fire within him. He could feel his anger rising like a tidal wave, threatening to sweep away his self-control. His eyes, once filled with determination for the task at hand, now burned with an all-consuming rage.
"Su Jing," he said through gritted teeth, "we can't just stand by and let this happen."
"Stay focused, Aric," Su Jing replied, her voice strained as she struggled to hold back her own emotions. "We do not have the resources to help everyone"
Despite Su Jing's words, Aric couldn't help but feel torn between their objective and the unbearable injustice unfolding before them. The screams of the young girl and the heart-wrenching sobs of her mother haunted him, forcing him to confront the harsh reality of the world they inhabited.
"Sometimes," he thought, "our choices define us more than our abilities ever could."
As the flogging continued, Aric could no longer stand by. His heart ached with the need to help, his moral compass compelling him to intervene. He glanced at Su Jing, who stared back at him with conflicted eyes.
"Damn it," she muttered, finally nodding her agreement.
Aric rushed forward, stepping between the young girl and her tormentors. "Stop this now!" he demanded, his voice booming with authority.
The men paused, sizing up Aric as they sneered in disdain. "Who do you think you are?" one of them spat. "This is none of your business!"
"Tell me why you're doing this," Aric persisted, his rage barely contained.
"Fine!" One of the slave merchants snapped, glaring at Aric.
"This woman and her daughter were sold as sex slaves to a wealthy man. But this bitch bit his dick off when he asked for a blowjob."
"The bastard returned both the slaves and made a complaint at the authorities. the authorities made us pay ten times the purchase price as compensation. 10 TIMES!! That's why we're punishing her—by flogging her daughter!"
Aric's horror grew with each word, the barbarity of their actions nearly overwhelming him. He exchanged a glance with Su Jing, who clenched her jaw, her face a mixture of fury and disgust.
"Then sell them to us," Aric proposed, attempting to keep his voice steady. "We'll take them off your hands, and you can be free of any further trouble."
"Are you insane?" the merchant scoffed. "After what she did and how much she cost us? Are you sure that you are able to pay the full price? I am going to recover the full 10 times that I have paid for her, along with some profits"
"We will pay whatever you paid for the authorities," Su Jing interjected, her voice firm. "If they're nothing but a burden to you, what do you have to lose? Do you still have the mood to make profits? Who will pay you so much for a pair of slaves?"
The slave merchants whispered among themselves, clearly weighing their options. After a tense moment, they finally relented. "Fine," one of them grumbled. "Take them, but don't come back here complaining if they cause you trouble."
"And yes, no refunds or partial payments. If you do not pay the full amount right now, then fuck off."
Aric and Su Jing quickly negotiated the terms of the sale, even though this would cost them most of their plasma cores. When Aric saw the mother-daughter pair huddled, shivering in fright, he felt that he had done the right thing.
"Here," the merchant said, handing Aric a small manual. "This is everything you need to know about their slave collars. Make sure you configure them properly, or they might cause trouble like last time." He shot a disdainful glance at the mother and her daughter.
Aric took the manual without really paying attention to it, his mind focused on getting both of them out of there as quickly as possible. He handed over the payment, and the merchant slowly removed the chains that bound the mother and daughter together.
"Come with us," Aric said gently to them. "You're safe now."
The four of them made their way back to the inn where Aric and Su Jing had been staying. As they walked, both mother and daughter seemed to slowly regain a sense of composure, but they still looked warily at their new owners.
Upon reaching the inn, Su Jing guided the two ladies to their room and helped them clean up. She carefully applied medicine to Li Hua's wounds, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible.
Aric could have sped up the process using his magic but decided not to. He decided not to show them his magic yet since he couldn't be sure if they could be trusted completely. After all, it was one of his biggest secrets
It was only after the mother and daughter were cleaned, fed, and feeling somewhat safer that Aric finally broached the subject that had been on his mind.
"No need to be scared," he began hesitantly, "we want to help you, but we need to understand your situation better. Can you tell us about yourselves? What happened to make you end up in that hellish place?"
Li Fei took a deep breath, her eyes briefly flickering with pain before she began to speak. "My name is Li Fei, and this is my daughter, Li Hua. Our lives weren't always like this. We had a small house and a loving family... until my husband fell into gambling debt."
Aric leaned forward, listening intently. Su Jing sat silently, her eyes watching the mother and daughter.
"Even before he sold us, our relationship was strained," Li Fei continued, her voice cracking slightly. "I tried to go to the authorities to protest his actions, but they turned a blind eye. They told me there was nothing they could do."
"Then the hunters came. I should have known they were the debt collectors but I didn't. They claimed that since my husband was the primary debtor, I and Li Hua had to pay the price.
Anger and frustration stirred within Aric. He gritted his teeth as he imagined the desperation and injustice Li Fei and Li Hua must have felt.
"Then, a rich man showed interest in buying us," Li Fei recounted, her voice wavering. "He asked me to do indecent things to him in front of Li Hua, threatening to rape her if I didn't comply. I couldn't bear to see my daughter suffer, so I did what I thought was necessary at that moment."
Su Jing's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palm. She looked away, unable to meet Li Fei's gaze.
"Tell us," Aric said gently, urging her to continue.
Li Fei hesitated for a moment before taking another deep breath. "I bit off his...his penis," she whispered, her face flushing with shame and defiance. "That's why we were returned to the slave market and punished."
Aric's eyes did not show much of a change, while Su Jing let out a low whistle. The room was silent for a moment, the impact of Li Fei's words hanging heavily in the air.
"Thank you for telling us your story," Aric said softly, his voice full of empathy. "We'll do everything we can to help you and your daughter."
Li Fei nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude, but also a hint of fear. "Thank you," she murmured, holding Li Hua close.
Aric went downstairs and booked another room for the mother-daughter duo. After taking them to their room, Su Jing and Aric decided to leave them alone.
"But what if they just leave? We have paid a lot of our plasma cores for them" Su Jing asked
"Then let them, it is not like we purchased them because we needed slaves," Aric answered.
"Both of them are quite pathetic, honestly. So it would make sense if they decided that they could not trust us. But once they leave, we will not bother with them again"
Aric had already shown kindness once, he could not keep on doing this if the opposite party could not trust him. He left that decision to them.
Su Jing nodded, as they headed towards the entrance of the inn, ready to leave for their mission once again.