While everyone discussed at Catoni's house, Arphaxad was determined to discover more about the place where the slaves were being held. He sneaked around the outskirts of the large warehouse, carefully observing the guards' shifts and especially the movements of the mages who had attacked him before.
Arphaxad was focused, mentally noting routes and schedules, when suddenly he felt a strong impact on his back. His vision blurred, and before he could react, he passed out on the ground.
At Catoni's house, tensions were high. Everyone was trying to find a way into Hwin's underground arena. Yorin suggested that Catoni pretend to be a slaver to take them there.
The old man, however, shook his head negatively. "Lark knows me very well, I was once his slave. And if Lark recognizes me, all the others will too. They share this kind of information among themselves."
Kal, pensively, said: "None of us can disguise ourselves as slavers. We all have something that could draw the attention of those seeking the heirs of kings."
Aura, who was listening attentively, asked: "So what will we do? We need to find a way to infiltrate ourselves."
Arphaxad opened his eyes and found himself in a small, dimly lit room still in the early hours. He quickly noticed three figures around him: an old man with a long white beard, a light-skinned half-orc woman, and another woman with a hooded cloak and mask. His eyes adjusted to the faint light and he tried to move, but noticed his hands were tied with ropes emanating a slight magical aura.
"Who are you and what were you doing in that place?" asked the white-bearded old man with a hoarse, authoritative voice.
Feeling cornered and unsure if he could trust them, Arphaxad began to struggle in an attempt to untie his hands. He soon realized the ropes were enchanted and his efforts were futile.
As Arphaxad did not answer, the half-orc began to lose her patience. She drew a sword and placed it against his neck, her eyes gleaming in frustration. "Answer before I lose my patience," she growled, bringing the blade closer to Arphaxad's skin.
He remained silent, his thoughts racing toward the worst possible scenario. Even fearing for his life, he did not cave to the pressure.
Suddenly, the hooded figure, who until then had been silent, intervened. "Enough of that," she said in a feminine, though somewhat gruff, voice. "This man is not involved with the slavers."
The old man looked at the hooded figure curiously. "And how can you be so certain of that?" he asked, intrigued.
"I can sense his intentions. He has no malicious emotions or murderous intent, unlike others we've come across," explained the hooded figure, approaching Arphaxad.
Arphaxad realized the hooded figure's voice was feminine despite the gruff tone. She came closer to him and drew an iron dagger with red details. His heart raced, fearing torture would begin, but to his surprise, the woman cut the ropes binding him.
She looked directly into Arphaxad's eyes, hers glowing under the hood. "I don't know who you are, and I don't care, but I came to this city on a mission and I'm not going to let some unwitting person get in my way. You now have two options: either you tell me what you were doing at that warehouse, or you can go."
Arphaxad rubbed his now free wrists, pondering his options. He knew he couldn't fully trust these strangers, but also knew he needed allies for his mission to free the slaves.
"I was there investigating the slave trade. I'm trying to liberate the people who have been captured and sold," said Arphaxad, finally breaking his silence.
The white-bearded old man and the half-orc exchanged glances, while the hooded figure merely nodded slowly. "In that case, our interests may be aligned," she said, putting away her dagger. "But know that I have my eye on you. One slip, and you'll be on your own."
With that, some of the tension in the room diminished, but Arphaxad knew the journey had only just begun. Now he had to prove his loyalty and commitment to helping the cause, while also seeking to understand more about those who had captured him.
The hooded figure removed her hood, revealing an elf with long black hair and blue eyes. She looked directly at Arphaxad and thanked him for his trust. "My name is Ayia, thank you for trusting me!" she said, extending her hand.
Arphaxad shook it cautiously, still wary of how much trust to place in them.
"I'm from Zagreliv," began Ayia. "I'm following a pirate mercenary named Venum. I was hired to rescue the daughter of a Leorian noble who was enslaved by Venum."
Arphaxad nodded, feeling a growing connection with Ayia and her cause. "I'm also after someone. It may be good to work together and return to the warehouse," he said.
"It would be impossible to enter that warehouse," explained Ayia. "Besides the warriors and mages, the warehouse owner placed constructs to defend the location."
Arphaxad furrowed his brow. "How do you know all this?" he asked.
Ayia smiled. "We've been here three months studying everything. Let me introduce my companions." The half-orc stepped forward. "I'm Cruxe," she said. The white-bearded old man followed. "I'm Meglin," he said in a hoarse yet firm voice.
"Arphaxad, would you like to work with us? I noticed your honor, for having been threatened by Cruxe yet not caving to the temptation to speak," said Ayia.
Before Arphaxad could respond, some gas bombs were thrown under the room's door. Cruxe sensed it immediately. "Out the window, now!" she shouted.
Ayia quickly hid her face with her hood as they all climbed out the window. The sounds of the gas bombs filling the room echoed in their ears as they rushed to escape.
When they climbed out the window of the inn, Arphaxad, Aiya, Cruxe and Meglin found eight heavily armed bandits waiting for them. Tension hung thick in the air as the full moon illuminated the scene eerily. The bandits were ready to attack, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
"Why are we being attacked?" asked Arphaxad, preparing for battle.
Aiya, with her shining daggers Glaryon and Talonyon in hand, responded quickly. "Meglin lost his head and blew up a bandit hideout. We were likely tracked here."
Cruxe, a towering warrior, took point with her sword and large shield. "Form up behind me!" she shouted, raising the shield to block the initial attacks.
The bandits charged with frightening ferocity. Cruxe took the first impact, blocking swords and axes with her shield and pushing attackers back with immense strength.
Meglin, a fire mage, retreated slightly and began to conjure a spell. His eyes glowed intensely as he muttered arcane words. "Level 4 Fomo spell: Infernal Fire!" he shouted, hurling a fireball that exploded between two bandits, burning them severely.
Arphaxad, using his agility and strength, moved quickly to flank the bandits. With precise strikes from his spear, he disarmed one, following with a powerful punch to drop him to the ground. He continued advancing, blocking attacks with his sword and retaliating forcefully.
Aiya, graceful and deadly, danced across the battlefield with her daggers. Glaryon and Talonyon shone as she moved, cutting the bandits with surgical precision. "You can't reach me!" she exclaimed, dodging a blow and counterattacking to deeply cut one attacker's arm.
Cruxe held her defensive position, blocking and repelling attacks. "You won't get past me!" she shouted, using brute force to knock down two bandits with a mighty shield bash.
The battlefield was chaotic, illuminated by flames and echoed with cries of pain. Meglin cast another spell, creating a wall of fire separating the last bandits from the group. Arphaxad and Aiya quickly took advantage, eliminating the remaining enemies.
One bandit, seeing defeat imminent, fled desperately screaming that he would inform their boss. "Run, before more come!" shouted Aiya, grabbing Arphaxad's arm and pulling him away.
The group swiftly reorganized, aware the danger had not yet passed. They ran into the dark, minds focused on escaping and reassessing the situation.
"We must regroup and plan our next action," said Cruxe, still defensive, peering around for threats.
Meglin nodded breathlessly from his spellcasting. "We need to find safe shelter to rest and prepare for the next step."
Now more confident with his new allies, Arphaxad felt renewed determination. "I know where we can go!"
At Catoni's house, as all discussed their next steps, a subtle trembling began that at first went unnoticed, but grew stronger, causing objects to fall and furniture to shift. Aura tried to maintain calm, but nerves were high. Pudin, always sensitive to the spiritual, leaped from Kal's shoulder screaming, "Astaruin will awaken, and when it does, all of this will be destroyed!"
Sahara, frightened, asked, "What is Astaruin?"
Kal, with a serious demeanor, responded: "Astaruin is the great Dragon of the Stars. She lies sleeping beneath these lands. If Astaruin awakens, this entire continent may be devastated."
Kal's revelation brought fearful silence. Trying to rationalize, Aura asked Kal where he had heard this story. Kal explained that he had meditated in the spirit realm and Astaruin herself had revealed it to him. He reinforced the urgency, saying finding Nin was crucial to avoid the worst.
Pudin added urgently, "We must find Nin as quickly as possible!"
While all digested the information, a knock at the door brought a new alert. Everyone armed themselves, fearing bandits or worse. They hid as Catoni opened the door. To relief, it was Arphaxad, and he wasn't alone.
As the seed heirs entered the room, Aiya activated her "Detect Level" ability on each of them. This ability is uncommon for inhabitants of this world, only learned by heroes. Arphaxad was level 50 like her. She saw Aura was level 47, while Markel was level 49. When she looked at Sahara, her level was 53, and Adonis was level 55. Aiya was surprised to see Yorin at level 62, twelve levels above her. She realized the people in this room could be valuable companions.
When she looked at Kal, she saw only level 28. He was the weakest among them, but she was unbothered as the others were strong enough to offset. Her glowing eyes faded, and she prostrated herself in reverence of all, introducing herself and her friends. Arphaxad told everyone how he met Aiya and what happened after. Adonis remained silent, still distrusting the new allies, but suggested they could work together.
Yorin said they already had a plan and just needed a way to enact it. Aura explained their plan was to infiltrate Hwin's underground arena, but they needed someone to pose as the slaver. Aiya immediately said she had studied the arena and even slavers needed registry to participate and bring slaves. Catoni confirmed this, saying acquiring records with Hwin and other mercenaries was almost impossible.
Aiya revealed they had registry. Upon arriving in Zoarlath, the noble who hired them provided funds and said they must pose as mercenaries and slavers to fit in. They disguised Meglin as a slaver while she and Cruxe would be his guards. Aiya said, "Since you want entry to that arena, you can use Meglin's access, and since all the major criminals will be there, I can use it to rescue the noble's daughter I was hired to save!"
All agreed to the plan except Adonis, who still distrusted Aiya and her friends. However, he was forced to accept as it was their only way into Hwin's arena. The group began preparing for infiltration, discussing details and adjusting strategies to ensure readiness for anything that could happen.
The alliance between the seed heirs and new allies was formed. Each member's determination to rescue the girls and confront the slavers grew with every moment. United, they were ready to face Hwin's underground arena and whatever challenges would arise, knowing that together, they were stronger.